Joy Leanne

Hello Dear Friends! It's been a long time. Nine months to be exact and I have missed this space. I tried writing a number of times, but every time I tried I felt God telling me it was time for silence. But at the prompting of some dear friends I think it's time to get back in this space. I'm not exactly sure what that looks like, but I would like to share more about my creative journey the past few years. Today I wanted to share a little bit with you about my journaling process lately. Our church is nearly two weeks into a 100 day Bible Reading plan that walks through 100 essential Bible passages starting in Genesis and going through to Revelations. Currently we are still in Genesis and I have been stumped more than once. Doing pages for the "stories" is a bit of a challenge unless you want to draw illustrations. Since that is not my talent or my desire I've had to really think about each entry. Today's reading was about Joseph and his dreams a...

In my mind I am 11, but the math says I couldn't have been more than 9 maybe 10. Either way, I was in upper elementary school the year the associate pastor's wife decided to put a new "spin" on the traditional Christmas pageant presented every year at the Christmas Eve service. Preschoolers in cardboard angel wings and bathrobes weren't quiet enough, so we added a bit of creativity. My best friend, her brother, and I were selected to play three siblings who were so excited for gifts that they missed the true meaning of Christmas. We were visited by a special angel: the associate pastor in a white sweatsuit and the special cardboard wings that were covered in glittered and typically reserved for "the angel of the Lord". The "angel" narrated the Christmas story to us while our classmates and younger siblings acted it out. Have you ever read "The Best Christmas Pagent Ever"? If not, you should! While our nativity play wasn't qu...

I wrote a little bit the other day about perfectionism and how it holds us back from journaling.  I think we each have a lot of reasons for not journaling. Perfectionism is a big one for some of us. Another thing that has kep me from journaling for years was feeling like it was a chore. I loved the idea of journaling, but actually sitting down to write felt like home work. No fun. Over the past few years though I have unintentionally developed little rituals that have made time in my journal feel like a mental retreat rather than an assignment. While I some times journal on the go, I prefer to journal at home in one of three spots: my dinning room table, my office writing desk, or a giant, leather chair next to the front window. Before I start journaling I make sure I have any and all supplies I might need. Pens, pencils, journal, embellishments, glue sticks, photos, all in close reach.  I normally keep a drink close by as well. In the summer that normally means ice water, lem...

I love an empty notebook. There is so much beauty and possibility in an empty page. While I enjoy the occasional guided journal, blank journals are what really make my heart skip a beat. The best thing about good, old fashioned, journaling is that all you need is any empty notebook and something to write with.  Over the years I have used everything from $.50 composition books to embossed, leather journals with beautifully thick pages.  That may be the very best part of using a blank book. There is something for every style, need, and budget. Later this week I will share some of my favorite ways to use a blank journal, some prompts to get you started, and a few extra things. Tonight though, I wanted to share with you my two favorite styles of blank notebooks to use. Hands down my favorite style of journal is a hard back spiral bound notebook.  The thick cover is ideal for journaling because it doesn't require a desk or table for writing, and I just love the ease of writing...

I am half way through this series and I have written/posted every day. That's huge for me and I was super excited. Then I logged on today and saw my stats. Right now my posts are being viewed, on average, 5 times each. That's a record low for me. And I was crushed. So much work and my blog is doing worse than it has in years. Seriously? My first reaction was to walk away from the whole thing. I couldn't have been more wrong. It easy to give up when things don't go the way we hoped.  Perfectionism kills creativity.  It's also the main reason we don't journal. We miss a day. We make a mistake in pen. We can't spell. We hate our hand writing. We try something new and it doesn't turn out. We see beautiful photos on social media and convince ourselves we don't have the "right" talent or skills. Our fear of imperfection keeps us from recording the moments and memories that make up our stories.  So, I'm going to keep writing here, and keep jou...

So I wanted to show you what this spread looks like after the pen.  The beauty of decorating/laying out your journal a week at a time is that it makes it super quick and easy to jot down a couple thoughts.  I love th simplicity of this and the fact it can be as detailed or as basic as I want. As you can see some days I wrote an entire paragraph, other days just a sentence, and today I simple recorded a list of the things that made me happy.  They say that life is made up of moments, and this is my way of capturing those and jotting them down to remember on a rainy day.  

I could probably do an entire 31 days on guided journals, but I have a feeling that would get very boring, so I won't. I do want to share one last style with you before we move on, however. I haven't used these myself, but friends and family have and they love them. If you are a new Journaler just getting started this is so perfect.  There is one page for every day of the year. At the top of the page is a question and bellow is space to answer that question 3-5 years in a row.  There's only room for a few sentences which makes is an easy commitment. It's also fun to see how you answers to the same question change from year to year.  The are a wide variety of ranging from general questions, to mom questions, to journals for kids, teens, and college students.  Come back tomorrow for another Follow Friday!