Thankful Journal - finis!

I'm sitting here with my right hand in the air. I do hereby promise... no more Thankful Journal posts. Ok, if you beg, maybe. Short of begging, I will move on.

In the meantime, here is the finished journal. I am so happy with it. There was a complaint that the previous photos were too vague, so I have included a few straight-on shots to show the final product.








You have probably noticed that there are no "fun clip" binders. That didn't work out at all.

I'm glad it's ready for the birthday. It will be a joy for me to give.

..the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23

Thankful Journal - part 2

Yay!!! I'm finished with all 52 pages of the Thankful Journal. While this stack may not appear to be all that much, look at what the grass/weeds did while I was tucked away in my workroom!


The only thing left to do is to punch the holes for the binding. I am going to experiment with some "fun paper clips" I found today. If they don't work smoothly, I'll go back to the original suggestion of sensible book rings.


And don't worry... this has been such a project, that I will share pictures of the completed journal before I give it away.

As is true of everything I work on, there are the select parts that I really like. I had a hard time narrowing it down to just a few (this really was fun to make), but here is the blue group.


O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth forever. I Chronicles 16:34

Making a journal

Thankful (aka Grateful) Journals have been around for quite a while. The idea is to write something that you are thankful for every day. It's a nice idea, but it hasn't inspired me... until I saw this.

My daughter-in-law has a birthday that we will be celebrating on July 4th, and this is the perfect gift for her.

Today was a day of planning, scanning, printing, and stamping... working my way to a page for every week of the year. When I started the journal, that didn't seem like a huge task. Right now, 35 pages are ready to go... 52 feels like it's waaaay out there!

The pages are not large. If there is too much room for writing, it begins to look like an assignment rather than a brief sentence stating "What I am thankful for today."


I've tried to create pages from my own stash of materials. In addition to some decorative paper pages, there are some vintage hankies and postcards, unique clipart, and photos from my backyard.


I hope, one year from now, that she will treasure this book and the pleasant thoughts that it holds.

I also hope, today, that she's too busy to spend time reading blogs!

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. I Thessalonians 5:18

Completed project

Aaah. I breathe a sigh of relief. I love the process of making each new prayer album - finding photos, picking the papers, reviewing the concepts, planning the pages - but the part I like best is the first day of using my completed album. My enthusiasm for prayer is renewed. It's just... well... great!

I have discovered when each album is completed that there is a page or two I really like. Something just clicks and, for me, that page is particularly beautiful or it expresses perfectly the concept I had in mind. It isn't that I plan so well, or that I'm so artsy that beautiful things happen. It just comes together. The combination of papers, colors, and extras adds up to special.

This book has several of those pages. I want to share the sense of just three...

The "Thy will be done in earth" page...

the "families" page...


the page for one of my children.


With this project finished, I am off on my prayer journey again. My album and I are refreshed, renewed, and reporting for duty!

Pray without ceasing. I Thessalonians 5:17

Praying in color

These books are tangible evidence of a spiritual decision I made ten years ago.


You see, my finite mind has a tendency to wander, to follow rabbit trails, or, if left too quiet, to lapse into dreamland.

I'm saying that to sugarcoat the fact that all my adult life, I never was disciplined about daily prayer. Oh, not the "now I lay me down to sleep..." or "Thank you Father for my food..." type of prayer, but the kind of prayer that reviews the wonder of who God is and then invites Him to "search me... and know my heart... see if there be any wicked way in me..." (Psalm 139:23,24)

But 10 years ago, I realized that I would never know God if I never talked with Him. In May, 1998, I resolved to pray every day from that day forward.

Using the Lord's Prayer as my pattern, I created an album to be my crutch - my visual prayer list. The colorful pages keep me focused... or bring me back from my woolgatherng. (The picture above shows almost all the albums I have worn out over the past days, months, years of praying.)

Today, I am celebrating ten years of consistent, daily prayer. I am filling a new blank book with fresh photos and colorful images that will draw me into conversation with God about the topics of His choosing.

I am a different person than I was ten years ago. Praise God alone.

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever. Amen. Matthew 6:9 - 13

Garden goodies

Most years I want to plant peas in early spring... but life gets busy, the date goes by, and then it's too warm for peas to thrive. Not this year! I have vines covered with colorful blossoms. And today? Peas! Ready for harvest. Yummm.


Another great idea that rarely gets farther than the light-bulb-over-the-head in my garden, is to plant summer crops (like beans) between the rows of spring crops (like peas) so that a small garden space can do double duty. This year, I did it!!!

Look at my little bean sprouts at the base of the pea plants!


When the news is full of floods, salmonella, crop disasters... how thankful I am for the blessings from my backyard garden.

Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Psalm 128:1 & 2

Making cards

This weekend is the "Good Deeds" auction at church. It's a fun time on Sunday evening when the teens offer their muscles (for raking, weeding, painting, etc.) to the highest bidder and all the funds go toward paying for their week at camp. This year, we have an added twist... adults have been invited to contribute their own unique talents to the auction as well.

Someone already donated a custom made purse, so I had the brilliant idea to add sets of handmade cards to the auction. With that goal before me, I have spent two days working like a madwoman creating what I hope will prompt people to put their hand in the air and bid.

After the first day slaving (Ha! If this is work, bring it on!) over piles of paper, I had an interesting thought...


how much money will a few sets of cards add to the camp fund? Would it pay for a day? A half day, maybe? Oh my... a drop in the bucket!

Then I remembered a phrase from an old song, "Little is much when God is in it."

So, my little sets of cards will go into the auction. Not much to offer, but maybe, the few hours at camp that the cards provide, will be the exact time one of our teens makes a life changing decision to follow God.

A good investment, indeed.

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us... Titus 3:5

Making decisions

It's paper week for me. Time to start, and finish, a few paper projects that have been playing about in my mind.

Today, I tackled one of the pictures provided by my Band of Little Artists. The first thought I had when I saw this was, Ah, a perfect world. So I have scanned, resized, enhanced (by hand...I'm a purist... ok, ok, I get lost with Photoshop) printed, adjusted and printed again.


Then the real decisions present themselves. Fancy edges? Yes? Which one?

Which background paper will best frame my little treasure? So many to choose from... but they are too big, too busy, wrong color, wrong feel... Then, the Goldilocks moment - it's just right.

And finally, after all the adjustments, a card that I like.

I hope the little artist is as happy as I am.

Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee. Jeremiah 32:17