Joy List Monday and a Gift for You
It's been a while since my last Joy List Monday post. It's nice to be here writing one again.
I hope you'll write a Joy List today, too.
To help you with that I have a little gift I've put together for you.
If you subscribe to my JoyLetter you'll have gotten your link to these downloadable, printable Joy and Gratitude Lists (please let me know if that's not the case). If you're not a subscriber, you can sign up now and receive your link.
The text and imagery is all in black so you don't need a color printer. You can use colored pencils or fine tipped markers to color them if you'd like.
Or you can print them on colored paper or card stock.
There are four blank lists on one letter-sized page. Print as many as you want so you'll always have one on hand to keep track of your gratitude for life's daily joys.
Once you start paying attention, you'll see that there are many, even on the darkest of days.
Lately, I'm grateful for the gorgeous sunshine we've been having after what seems like months of grey skies. I can't help but feel joyful on a sunny day. It's like I'm a plant and get my energy from photosynthesis.
I imagine my real plants loving these sunny days, too.
In the above picture you get a glimpse of the flower stem on one of my oncidium orchids.
It's hard to photograph in part because of the size of the arching stem and the sheer number of overlapping flowers (the stem is over 3 feet long and it's covered with probably 75 individual flowers).
If I'm honest, this orchid (a variety called Sharry Baby) is not a very photogenic plant (I think the yellow oncidiums are much prettier). I don't care, though, because I love these flowers for another reason. They smell amazing. Some people describe the scent as that of chocolate, but to my nose it's more sugary and vanilla almost with a hint of peppermint.
Similar in fragrance to another flower that's blooming for me right now.
I'm so glad I didn't give up on this little cyclamen. It was covered with scale, my nemesis in the indoor garden. The leaves are so tender that scraping the insects off the them didn't really work. I used cotton balls dipped in rubbing alcohol and gently rubbed them off. It seems to have done the trick. I'm sure they're not permanently gone, but I think I'll be able to keep them in check from here on out.
I don't know what I'd do in the winter without my indoor garden.
Even so, I miss being outside in the garden with grass beneath my toes and blue skies above the trees, but winter doesn't last forever and it's important to make the most of each day, no matter my seasonal preferences.
The rest of my list:
What's on your list today?
*The photo of the squirrel in the snow on our roof was taken by Matthias. You might remember the corn cob on the roof? Yes, the squirrel was searching around in the snow to figure out where he left it.
I hope you'll write a Joy List today, too.
To help you with that I have a little gift I've put together for you.
If you subscribe to my JoyLetter you'll have gotten your link to these downloadable, printable Joy and Gratitude Lists (please let me know if that's not the case). If you're not a subscriber, you can sign up now and receive your link.
The text and imagery is all in black so you don't need a color printer. You can use colored pencils or fine tipped markers to color them if you'd like.
Or you can print them on colored paper or card stock.
There are four blank lists on one letter-sized page. Print as many as you want so you'll always have one on hand to keep track of your gratitude for life's daily joys.
Once you start paying attention, you'll see that there are many, even on the darkest of days.
Lately, I'm grateful for the gorgeous sunshine we've been having after what seems like months of grey skies. I can't help but feel joyful on a sunny day. It's like I'm a plant and get my energy from photosynthesis.
I imagine my real plants loving these sunny days, too.
In the above picture you get a glimpse of the flower stem on one of my oncidium orchids.
It's hard to photograph in part because of the size of the arching stem and the sheer number of overlapping flowers (the stem is over 3 feet long and it's covered with probably 75 individual flowers).
If I'm honest, this orchid (a variety called Sharry Baby) is not a very photogenic plant (I think the yellow oncidiums are much prettier). I don't care, though, because I love these flowers for another reason. They smell amazing. Some people describe the scent as that of chocolate, but to my nose it's more sugary and vanilla almost with a hint of peppermint.
Similar in fragrance to another flower that's blooming for me right now.
I'm so glad I didn't give up on this little cyclamen. It was covered with scale, my nemesis in the indoor garden. The leaves are so tender that scraping the insects off the them didn't really work. I used cotton balls dipped in rubbing alcohol and gently rubbed them off. It seems to have done the trick. I'm sure they're not permanently gone, but I think I'll be able to keep them in check from here on out.
I don't know what I'd do in the winter without my indoor garden.
Even so, I miss being outside in the garden with grass beneath my toes and blue skies above the trees, but winter doesn't last forever and it's important to make the most of each day, no matter my seasonal preferences.
Joy List Monday:
a weekly ritual
a reminder to stop and pay attention to the little beauties and graces that make life magical and to set aside time for gratitude each day
The rest of my list:
- flannel sheets
- the antics of backyard squirrels on the roof* and at the bird feeder
- freshly baked cookies
- various projects in the works
- taking things slowly
- finally realizing that it's ok to get rid of my Facebook account
- testing out new materials
- finishing a couple new paintings
What's on your list today?
*The photo of the squirrel in the snow on our roof was taken by Matthias. You might remember the corn cob on the roof? Yes, the squirrel was searching around in the snow to figure out where he left it.
I wonder if the squirrel ever did locate the corn cob?!!! The photo is amazing and would suit the caption 'now where did I leave that corn cob last year?' :) Thank you for the printable joy lists. I really must get in the habit of writing them more often.
ReplyDeleteToday's joy list:
Getting used to my short hair - it's much easier to manage
Finding another blog post from Anne :)
Receiving newsletter from Anne
Lighter mornings
Lighter evenings
A whole craft room full of possibilities
Have a lovely week. I really am so glad that you are back blogging regularly. :)
The squirrel did find the corncob. For a while it was on the crest of the roof on top of the snow. Now I'm not sure where it went.
DeleteThanks for sharing your joy list. Don't these longer days feel great?!
Thanks for your sweet comments. :)
Enjoy working in your craft room!!
I ditched my FB account the week before the election, it was no longer a place that I wanted to be. Best move in ages.
ReplyDeleteWe have flowers blooming all over the house and it makes such a difference on these grey February days.
We've got little red squirrels under the bird feeders lately...they are so quick and cute...Wilma and HoneyBee spend hours watching them from the windowsills.
xo
I never really used my personal FB account; it wasn't ever a place I wanted to be. My business page felt so lame with me only posting links to my blog. It had become a chore and I wondered what the point was, but I thought I needed to have it. When Janine Vangool mentioned in one of her Uppercase newsletters that she was contemplating ditching FB I was reassured that creative businesses don't NEED FB.
DeleteAlthough the squirrels here can be a pain in the garden (one of them kept digging out my onions and lettuce last year), they are too cute for me to get mad at. Charlie and Jude do a good job and are very proud of chasing them away whenever they're in the yard at the same time. I'm glad your squirrels entertain Wilma and HoneyBee, too.
xo
at times, i also think i would be happier if i let go of fb...
ReplyDeleteand i have to tell you...
i adore your blog!!
Sooooo cute :)
Hi, Arlene, thanks for stopping by! And thanks for your sweet comment about my blog. :)
DeleteIf you feel it's right for you, let go of FB. I don't miss it at all.
Have a lovely rest of your week!