Break Chronicles: Day Two - Getting Ready...Finally!

It is the second day of my winter break, and I feel like day one went pretty well. While my kitchen isn't entirely clean, it is MUCH better than it was yesterday at this time. Today's tasks are laundry, sheets, and packing while eating up as much of the big meal that I made yesterday as possible. I might also bake some cookies for my organists and the church secretary and the pastor at my church job for tomorrow.

Yesterday, I put a chair together that broke several months ago. I had to do some modifications, but it is working at the moment. I will need to take it apart again once I get better mobility in my left hand to finish one little bit, but I can use it again. I also spent some time starting to decorate my "Things I Love" journal.

I enjoy making books, but I do not always use the books I make. I like sending them out into the world for others to use. This one, though, I decided I would make into a book about the things that I enjoy and that make me happy. I finished decorating the book on Thursday afternoon when my break started, and I made the first pages yesterday. In these pictures, you can see lots of different things. I will attempt to describe the pictures in the following paragraphs.

The first picture is a tag that goes into a pocket made out of an envelope. It is made from a piece of yellow cardstock and includes four colorful stickers that I bought from Oriental Trading Company. I love the star shape for all sorts of reasons, so stars are the thing I gravitate towards. You can see another star on the flip side of the tag - the second picture here. I am an unapologetic cat person, and I have always been. I have a picture of my neph-at, Walter, who is laying on my lap. I was able to catch a picture of him in repose while cuddling with me. This is a rare occurrence and only happens when my sister is not present. If she is around, Walter prefers her lap to mine. So, I take as many kitty cuddles as I can while she is gone!

Pictures 3 and 4 are spread across two pages in the journal. I have told myself that I will not be working page by page in this book. I get to flip around to whatever and wherever I feel that I need to be. So, this page is towards the end of the book. I love Disney store mini-brands toys, and I have accumulated quite a collection. My favorites are the Star Wars toys, but since I love much of what Disney does out in the world, I am enjoy many of the little things that come out of the spheres that I purchase and then discover. The Star Wars shelf is the one on the bottom of picture 4. I am collecting some repeated figures that I want to find a creative way to use or share with others. Perhaps they will work as a cover for some of my handmade books? Something to think about.

Pictures 5, 6, and 7 are part of what I created yesterday as well. There is a picture of my beloved Bella-cat. She is sitting on my old fleece robe and is on a page with a pink circle. I did some journaling with my wonky handwriting. I miss her so much, especially at this time of year when the anniversary of her death comes around. My sister and my mother keep asking me when I will get another cat, but I am still not ready for that. 

At the same time, I miss her to my very core. It is difficult to contemplate another cat in my life, especially in my current living situation. I don't know where a cat and all their stuff would fit in. I think I would need to pull up the carpet in a room to help with keeping things clean. I have also shown that I have a mild allergy to cats. Going home to see my neph-at and my niec-at will show me whether I can tolerate another cat.

I finished off my journaling time yesterday with a single picture of a Kansas sky. One of the things that I love about being in the place where I am is the unlimited viewing of deep blue skies and fluffy clouds. I have so many pictures of clouds of all sorts. I haven't journaled about this yet, but I will...eventually.

The picture under the sky and cloud picture is the pocket that I referred to at the start of the post. I put a stamped image of a cat onto a paper-covered envelope and wrote "meow" underneath. On the facing page, you can see a picture of my Mom. This is a picture of the first complete spread (think pages 2 and 3) of the journal. A book about things that I love HAS to start with my family. So, Mom, Dad, and my sister make appearances on the first few pages of this journal. I am looking for a picture of my brother and my nephews to add to the other side of the meow pocket. That's where my sister's picture lives.

The best thing about this type of journaling is that there is no "wrong" way to do things. I think that's one of the things that I like about music therapy as well. In most of the things that I do as a music therapist, there is no "wrong." We all approach how we do this job in different ways, and that is just fine. It is kinda nice to know that I can compose my way and someone else can compose their way, and there is nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all.

The last picture that I've included here is the very first picture of the journal. It is me in paperdoll format. I made it using some Sizzix dies - paperdoll and clothing. The face and hair are hand-drawn. I figure that I have to love myself first and foremost. This little figure will be a good reminder when I am not feeling like I do not do anything right. I may add words later, but for now I like it the way it is - just there.

I am looking forward to one more day of chores and being at home before my next adventure. It is always an interesting situation to be away from my home. I tend to think and plan more when I am away from my messes. I have my word of the year, so I am going to spend time figuring out my quests to go along with the word. More on that closer to the new year.

It is time to publish this, start the laundry, get some breakfast, and take a shower. It is starting to get lighter outside - we are in a dense fog state at the moment, so there is no sunshine happening, but that is fine. It is going to be rainy and snowy here in the next week. We need the moisture for the fields and the animals, so bring on the rain!

It is Saturday, and I am on break. I hope that you can find some rest during the last week of the year. Peace, friends.