Bullet Journal Peek

So I've never done a video for my blog before but I thought it would be an easier way to flip through my Bullet Journal and show you what I've done with it so far. I don't think you ever get use to the sound of your own voice honestly. Also don't mind the short pause on the Memories page, Johnny was walking through and I was making sure he wasn't lurking on my video! I also still have my collection pages, this is just a monthly view of April and upcoming May.

I hope you like what I've done. I'm always open to new ideas and suggestions!

Bullet Journaling

Have you heard of Bullet Journaling? I came across a post recently that talked about it and I was so inspired by it that I immediately went out to pick up supplies to start my own! A bullet journal is basically part planner, part journal. It's a very organized system to keep track of absolutely everything in your life. My mind is in constant chaos and I've always wanted to be more organized but in a fun way that will keep me interested enough to keep up with it. Bullet Journaling has been that for me so far.

You can use any kind of journal to start. There's an "official" one you can pick up here or I've seen these highly recommended. However I just picked up a basic one from Barnes & Noble to start. I also picked up some Faber-Castell pens from Michaels and that's really all you need to begin!

First off, I apologize for my terrible small handwriting. I'm hoping that writing in my BJ will help improve that one skill that's been escaping me forever. How I passed kindergarten I'll never know, can't draw a straight line or cut straight. I'm just a mess. ANYWAYS.

So your Bullet Journal can be broken up by spreads. This is my monthly spread. I started towards the end of March and that's the beauty of this thing, you can start and stop whenever you want to. So I have the days listed and then broken up by Morning, Afternoon, and Evening. Below is my little key for tracking what is what and on the side are my Monthly Goals for that month. It's not the prettiest monthly spread but I'm not exactly really artistic when it comes to drawing and such... Another skill we are hoping to improve.

Here's my very first Daily Spreads. You can break these up however you want and you'll see that my Daily's changed soon after this. If you miss a day, don't worry about it. Just pick up where you left off. I have a Key page in the very front of my book as well as an Index so I can always find whatever pages I need, it's very convenient for my Collection pages mostly.

In my Daily's you'll find tasks and events I want to take care of for that day. I've always included the weather and sometimes dinner if it's something I want to remember making again or tracking for weight loss. Tasks with a dot in front of them are tasks that need to be done. One's with an X are completed. One's with a circle (O) are Events. And arrows (-->) are Migrated Tasks that I haven't finished yet and are being moved to another day. Notes are taken with a dash (-).

I really love updating my journal at the end of the day. I fill in the weather icons, leave any notes for that day, fill in my habit tracker (which I'll get to), and set up the following days header and then add in my tasks for that day. The next morning I will add in anything I forgot and then start tackling my day!

I also love the Collections idea for your BJ. I have Collection Pages for Blog Post Ideas, Books to Read, Hashtags I use and want to remember, and records I want to add to my Vinyl stash so far. You can really make any kind of Collection page you want! I also have a Habit Tracker page to track certain habits that I want to stay on top of. I didn't take a picture of it since I'm constantly crossing things out and adding new ones so it's not really the prettiest one this month. A few habits are days that I don't eat Red Meat, days I make time to read, days I spend editing photos, doing yoga or working out on the treadmill, or how often I post on my blog. You can track anything you desire!

Your Bullet Journal will constantly change and evolve as you find things that work better for you and cut out things that you don't like or don't work. As you can see, my Daily's have already changed a bit in a style I like better. You will also make mistakes so don't stress it! As a perfectionist, that's hard for me to deal with but in the worst case scenarios... Like when those doodles don't turn out... Just put a sticker on it! Worst case scenario, have a sip of tea and a deep breath before letting it go and moving on to the next part of your journal. There's no such thing as a wrong Bullet Journal. Mistakes happen!

So what do you think? Would you try Bullet Journaling?

If you want to find out more about Bullet Journals, check out the official site or Boho Berry, she was the main inspiration that made me want to start my own.

Snapshots Lately

I'm trying so hard to enjoy Christmas but it's been a little hard. Between my full time job, all the holiday photo shoots (December is always my photography busy season), and then trying to just keep up on the house and making Christmas gifts... I haven't had much time for myself or to just relax. That's why I switched shifts this weekend so I could finally get a Saturday off and spend time with Johnny and my friends to go play in the snow at the mountains and finish up some things I desperately need to catch up on. 

That's not to say that I'm not loving my time by the fireplace and the nostalgic warmth I get when I look at the Christmas tree after coming home after a long shift. Or when I see Murderface curled up in Jasper's bed even though it's ten times too small for him. Speaking of cute puppies... Wishbone never found her owner, she wasn't chipped or spayed so she has gone into the rescue I work for. We have a groomer who also foster's so she took Wishbone on for us and that's where she will stay till she finds her forever home. I loved having her here with us but she is very much a puppy. The other foster has more time to do stuff like potty training where I'm more of a medical/older foster dog household. 

I've been crafting up a storm as most of my gifts will be homemade this year. I saw this post on how to burn snowflakes into birch ornaments. I tried out a few owl sketches as well, these are so cute and personal! Not to mention that wood burning is pretty therapeutic. I've never been the best at drawing but with some practice I'm hoping to get better. 

Here's one of my owl ornaments now hanging on our tree. Also, my cute unicorn ornament from Gypsy Warrior finally came! I love it so much!

That wasn't the only Cyber Monday package I received this week. I recently discovered GracemereWoods, and she is amazingly talented. I wish I could carve and paint half as good as she can. You might say I'm having a small obsession with wood ornaments lately and that's ok. We all have our vices. Now I own these amazing pieces and can't wait to add more to my collection. She also included a sweet handwritten note which is always a lovely gesture.

Wrapping things up, another reason I'm making sure to take some added days off is that I'm starting to feel that rescuer burnout. Yesterday we had a family come in with their 12 yr old dog that was suffering from pyometra. Pyo's happen when a female dog is not spayed and the uterus becomes infected. It's very serious and without immediate surgery the animal faces death. The owner was in tears because couldn't afford the surgery, she only had a type of credit that my company doesn't accept. The dog was so sweet and I can't handle people crying... Plus the weight of guilt that was creeping up on me at the thought of them leaving and having their dog die or euthanized when there was a chance of a few years and quality of life left... I couldn't just sit there and hope something would happen. I called in some other rescue groups who luckily felt the same way I did and two of them stepped up and each paid a large chunk of the surgery. The owner had taken out a loan and come back, she was so desperate to save her dogs life which I totally admired. It was awesome being able to tell them they could pay back a large amount of that loan AND get the dog in for surgery. I literally almost burst into tears about twenty times that day and when the dog was curled in the backseat of the car on her way home for recovery in the arms of the owner's child... It made all the stress and worry worth it. 

My emotional state is a little too fragile though and with everything going on in the world as well as the day to day cruelty and unhappiness I see in rescue... I need a few days to regroup and recharge. That's how rescuer's burn out and I finally get it since I'm experiencing it myself. Stepping away from Facebook and not seeing bad things for a few days, focusing on things that make me happy and loving on my own dogs, not having to take on the usual stress of my demanding job (and it is stressful working at a low income spay and neuter facility)... I'm hoping it will help. 

How do you guys usually recharge your batteries? How are you getting ready for the Christmas season?

DIY Light Box Tutorial

I recently found this tutorial on Pinterest and I had to try it for myself. You know this crisp professional images you see that always have that beautiful white background? This is how you achieve those photos.

Original Tutorial

I didn't take pictures of the step by step process since I'm linking to the original post. However, I will show you my finished light box.

Honestly it's so easy to make and it only took me around 15-20 minutes! You gotta love a super quick craft! All you need is a cardboard box, some scissors, white tissue paper, and a white posterboard that's the width length of the box. I also realized that I don't know how I ever passed kindergarten since my scissor skills are subpar. How can cutting in a straight line be so difficult? 

Curious how my photos have been turning out since I've made this amazing thing?

You'll find out when you check back on Saturday and link up to my Fox Five Photo Challenge!