Bullet Journals Part II

Here is a statement taken from bulletjournal.com

"Whether you’ve used a Bullet Journal for years or have never seen one before, The Bullet Journal Method will show you how to go from passenger to pilot of your life through intentional living."

Intentional. Living.

Intentional...

Living...

This has given me something to ponder.

Was there anything intentional about me eating so many store-bought frosted sugar cookies last night?

To deepen the wound, my four-year-old counted the empty slots in the plastic container and

asked "Mom, did you eat (embarrassing amount here that I'm intentionally leaving out) cookies?"

I unintentionally answered "no," because I was only half listening.

Hubby replied, "Don't lie Mom..."

and then I had to fess up...and laugh...when I realized he'd call me out on my crime.

I'm glad there's not a bullet journal graph for cookie eating. You would not be impressed...

or maybe you would be impressed but for all the wrong reasons.

There should definitely be some time set aside to think deeply, however, about whether or not you are a pilot in your own life... here are some bullet journal templates to help ensure that you are on the right track.

Point of View

"Keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times."

--My friend Jenna doesn't adhere to that code.

On a recent short trip with her, we ended up on some back roads.

She saw a storm rolling in and tore off in that direction.

She does this frequently.

Maybe I should rethink who I consider my friends...

She has an amazing eye for photography.

I just had to share our varying perspectives.

Here is what I saw...

Here is what Jenna saw...

Insane, right?

What a gorgeous shot!

One more -- here is what I saw... 

 Here is what Jenna saw...

Maybe I can see why she can't help but heading towards the eye of the storm.

Is a creative mind a scary thing? Or a scary thing to waste?

I can't remember the old adage for certain...

How about this -- highly-creative seven-year-olds know how to put the fear in their mamas...?

G thought it would be a good idea to set up a tight rope walk.

Fortunately he showed me his setup BEFORE he tested it out.

I am seriously fascinated by the way his mind works... He has created makeshift go carts, lawn mowers, etc. in the past - but this circus act truly took the cake.

Get out the packing bubbles -- I'm wrapping him up.

Transportation Celebration

Lexington, Nebraska knows how to throw a party ya'll -- 

I mean, they really know how to throw it down.

This weekend we were invited by my sister-in-law to join her at Lexington's "Transportation Celebration."... this translates to "epic pretend driving party for little boys"

Picture a private airport with forty different types of vehicles and equipment... ambulance, police cars, boom truck, cement truck, tow truck, bus, tractor, combine, army truck, livestock pot trailer, backhoe, crane, etc.

I can't remember them all.

Then picture your kids being allowed to run free and pretend to drive any of the aforementioned vehicles/equipment.... it was a rush!!

We got down to kid-friendly music on the party bus!!

We learned what it felt like to sit in the back of a cop car...

...and how it felt to sit in the driver's seat!

We learned about ambulances...

We learned about cranes...

And it soon became very apparent that the favorite place to be

was the inside of the pot trailer...

Thank you so much to the Lexington YMCA for hosting a fantastic event..

and to my sis-in-law for inviting us!!

Neck tie up-cycled to... Neck tie?

Drum roll please!

Watch with amazement as an abandoned neck tie morphs before your very eyes into a....

different form of neck tie!!

That didn't have the ring I was hoping for... but check it out!

My wonderful, amazing, smart, beautiful (shall I go on?) mother

helped me make a vision come to life!

I'd seen this done online and was dying to give it a shot.

However, my sewing skills are...shall we say sub-par in comparison to my mama's.

So she helped me...er... um.. did it for me.

And look how adorable it turned out.

She did such a great job that I gave her twenty more neck ties!

Isn't she lucky?

I still believe in Iowa.

Iowa has had a tough few weeks...

but I don't feel sorry for Iowa.

I feel sorry for the families of the individuals affected by

the recent tragic events -- so devastating that I don't want to

tarnish my blog by mentioning any of the specific details.

I raise my kids here intentionally.

I LOVE this state.

I love how the seasons change.

I love how we rank in agriculture and cattle.

I love the beauty that can be found in the uncommon...rustic barns, bales of hay, baby calves...

and until recently I loved how safe I felt residing here.

I'm not giving up on humanity... not yet.

Without sounding like a corny country song... I still believe most people are good.

I still believe that the odds are in our favor to live a full life with minimal tragedy.

I still love Iowa and want to be buried in Iowa soil.

Mourn the losses.

Unite in love.

Believe in people.

Be the good.

Calling all List Junkies (Bullet Journals Part 1)

Raise your hand if you believe that Bullet Journals are all the rave.

Lift 'em higher... I can't see the ones in the back...

Have you heard about this craze?

If not, let me enlighten you.

If so, let me enlighten you regardless.

I am a self-proclaimed List Junkie. I live... L-I-V-E for lists, calendars, any form of paper-based organization. So when I came across images of Bullet Journaling, I had to know more.

I'm also a Journalism/Mass Communication/Visual Communication major. I love...L-O-V-E visuals.

The best and briefest definition I can give is this:

Bullet Journaling - The art of maintaining schedules, goals, lists and the likes using visual elements

Hmmm.... that wasn't great. How about I just show you instead. 

Photo credit : Teal Notes

Here are some that I have designed for personal use.

Is anyone else already journaling this way?

Would anyone be interested in downloadable templates? I have many more and will be continuing to add to the collection...