A Happy Pile Of Filos!

I've had planners in the past and have always enjoyed using them.

A few years ago, my brother-in-law had an extra palm pilot from his business that nobody was using so he gave it to me.  I was very excited to enter into that realm of technology.  I enjoyed using it and putting in lots and lots of data.  Data that would help me if I needed it.  I had birthdays, my calendar, games, our furnace filter size and other household details that could come in handy.  I had doctors, insurance agents, policy numbers, fax numbers, email addresses, etc, etc, etc... the list goes on.  Then one day my little "brain" wouldn't turn on.  ALL WAS LOST!  (stupid thing!)

So I decided that the best thing to do was to purchase a brand  new one, one that hadn't been used before like this previous one.  I bought the new one added all the data again and then one day it happened again.  It wouldn't turn on.  Urggghh, talk about being frustrated and angry!  That was it for me, no more palm pilots, or personal hand held computers.

I was floundering for years, forgetting appointments, birthdays and all that stuff.  I pretty much just kept a calendar on my refridgerator.  Obviously, that wasn't working very well.  That's why I decided to get back into using a planner.  I started out using the Planner Pad, which I liked very much, but didn't use it as it was intended, so I felt that I was wasting it.  Planners are always so dependable, providing you don't lose it.  I've never lost one yet, they're always there, ready to take information or give it.  I'm so happy to be back on that track again.  Oh, I do use my iPhone too, but I won't depend on that.  My planner is where it's at for me now!

Here's a pic of a pile of our Filofaxes. Isn't it lovely!  The Ochre Malden was a gift to my son for leaving for College.  I took this pic before I received my Vintage Pink Malden.  I'll have to gather them all up again and take another pic so it's more recent.  Third from the top is a Filofax Flex folder.

Vintage Pink Malden filofax

I picked up this Vintage Pink Malden after I saw my son's Ochre Malden.  I love how the Malden looks "aged" and feels so supple.  I especially like that it lays flat.  But, I really, really love the ochre Malden best.   I can live with the Vintage Pink color, it's very nice too.  I took a picture of it in the sunshine to try to show it's true color,  because I had a hard time deciphering it's correct color from all the photos I found on the web.  Hope it helps someone.

I decided to make this Personal size Malden my take along daily calendar, notes, and prayer journal.  I've changed my personal Cuban into a food journal and exercise tracker.    So currently I'm living very happily in 5 Filofaxes and they are:

A5 Aqua Chameleon - used for long and short term goals, to do lists, planning, etc.

Personal Cuban - used for food journal, menu planning, exercise tracker, health and fitness

Personal Malden - used for take along daily calendar, notes, prayer journal

Pocket Chameleon - used as my wallet, grocery/shopping lists

Mini Domino - used as a note pad on my living room end table

I couldn't imagine trying to fit all of that information in one Filofax.  They're all kind of fat as it is.  Below are some more pics of my Malden. 


The pen shown was part of a pen and pencil set that someone gave me as a gift and it matches beautifully, that was a happy unplanned thing. 

Below are 3 of my Filofax family, not shown are my Mini Domino in purple and my Personal Cuban in Chilli.

A Challenge for Myself - An Art Journal Page a Day in August

I haven't art journaled in a very long time and I'm chomping at the bit to get started again, Sooooo, I'm challenging myself to complete one art journal page a day for the month of August.  No rules!  Just art journaling!  Wish me luck, I'm not sure that I can do it "everyday" for 31 days, but I'll try my darnedest!

So stay tuned!  I will post each day's Art Journal page here on my blog no later than 9:00 PM CST every day.

I Love This Poem by Rumi

The Guest House

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

~ Rumi ~

“If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.”
-Fred Rogers

Accessories for My Filofax from the Container Store

I picked up some useful items from the Container Store today for my Filofaxes.  Here they are:

 Some sticky notes from Moleskine.  I couldn't resist these.

 Calendar stickers too!

And finally some little magnet markers.  These are very strong, magnetically speaking.

A Little Gift for My Son - A Filofax, Malden in Ochre

My son is leaving for University at the end of August and I thought that he would love his very own Filofax.   Soooooo - I purchased him a Malden Personal Size in Ochre.  I also purchased him the Chicago map insert.  He'll be needing that because his school is right Downtown Chicago.  I'll feel better when I know he knows his way around.  He was very excited to receive it.  Of course, I had to get my hands on it.  I helped him set it up.

I loved the smell, the supple feel of the leather and the "dated" look that this Malden had, and since it was on sale, I had to buy one for myself in Vintage Pink (should arrive tomorrow). I haven't seen this color in person and can't really get a good look from anywhere online, I hope I like it. 

I am restricting myself at this point from buying anymore binders.  I just started with Filofax around the middle of June and now I have 5 binders.  I figured out a use for 4 so the 5th one will be a challenge, but I WILL find a use for it. 

Today's My Birthday!

My boys took me to Chicago for an Architectural tour on the Chicago river.  We drove to the city, about an hour away, and parked at Navy Pier, $21 for the day to park there, woof!  Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed our cruise on the river, it lasted about an hour.  I had no idea that someone could talk about buildings for that long.  It was very informative and interesting.  I would do it again in a heartbeat.  My boys bought me our boarding photo that the photographer took before we got on the boat.  I thought that was very sweet.

After our cruise, we walked a few blocks to see the Centennial Fountain, it spurts a stream across the river every hour on the hour for about 10 minutes.  We saw the fountain on our River Cruise or else we wouldn't have even known it was there.  We wanted to go to the fountain to see it spurt off.   There was and Irish Pub Restaurant very near the fountain so we decided to have lunch on their patio.  It was a perfect day that I will remember for a very long time.  I loved every minute of it.

CUL8R

Organized the Filofax Way!

Ok, I think I've got it figured out.  I finally know exactly what to use all my Filos for.  I was carrying around my A5 in my purse for a week or so and really loved having it with me all day, BUT, it was weighing me down.  So that's when I pulled the Personal Cuban back out of my closet.  I had to develop a plan so that I could use all my Filos.  Here's the plan I came up with:

Mini:  (Purple Domino) to keep on the end table, in my living room, next to me as I read, surf the net or watch TV, to jot down things that I want to remember, like quotes, addresses, thoughts and/or ideas that hit me, etc...

Pocket:  (Raspberry Chameleon) Will live in my purse, obviously, because I'm using this one as my wallet with sections for shopping lists, budgeting, frequent shopping cards, etc...

Personal:  (Chili Cuban)  This one will live in my purse, and I will track my work hours, birthdays, appointments, special outings, dates, vacations, etc...  It will be my main activity calendar, with a notes section, a prayer list section and a section called 4A5, which will be used to jot down items that I want to transfer to my A5.


A5:  (Aqua Chameleon) This one will live on my desk/table.  It will contain my long and short term goals, projects with project breakdowns, books read, daily and weekly to-do's, things to remember and keep track of  internet classes.  Oh yeah, and this will be my meal planner as well.  Pfew!

I'm very excited now that I have a workable plan so that I can use all my little beauties in a very organized way.  Maybe after using them for a little while I'll do an updated video of how it's going.   I'm tired, and I'm off to dreamland now after getting my Filos set up the way that they'll be used.  Thanks for checking in. Ta Ta For Now!

This is from my July 8th Delivery from Filofax!  My favorite kind of package!

FILOFAX DELIVERY TOMORROW!

Ok, I did it again!  I couldn't help myself!  I bought another Filofax, after watching this video on YouTube.  I purchased the Raspberry Chameleon Pocket to use as a wallet.  I'm going to be so stinkin' organized.  It was on sale, so there, it's justified!

It's arriving tomorrow morning, oh wait, actually it's this morning.  I'll have to share with you all what I ordered.  I'm very excited!

Oh and thanks to Philofaxy for finding my blog posts on Filofaxes and putting them up on the Web Finds, what a sweet surprise!  Now I really feel special!!!  :0)

Motivated to Organize

First off, I wanted to share with you all how I started feeling the need to get organized.  I'm sure there are many factors involved, but here is one definite reason:  FEELING UTTERLY AND COMPLETELY CLOSED IN BY STUFF!

My innate need to collect pretty things for over 25 years has put me in a claustrophobic predicament.  I piled those things in closets, drawers, cupboards and cabinets. It didn't help that I volunteered at a Thrift Shop and brought home lots *(and LOTS) of "couldn't pass up" stuff.  Beautiful things!! 

After many years of doing this, our home became stuffed full to the brink.  I couldn't stand it anymore.  I would go shopping and come home and there would be no place to put anything.  All the "prime real estate" in our home was taken.  My counters were never clear, always covered.  It drove me nuts!!!  I guess you could say that that was my major breaking point. I totally started to feel closed in, claustrophobic.

I decided I wanted to be free, uncluttered, I wanted a home for everything, and if I couldn't find a home for it, I had to part with it.  I wanted to know what I had and where it was!   Why was I keeping all this stuff!?

For Inspiration I started checking out YouTube for direction in organizing and boy did I find the uploads on that subject. I heard it mentioned in one of the videos that for something to take up valuable "real estate" in the home it should be really needed, used, or admired.  I took that to heart and started looking around for things to Purge.  (I call it "blessing others", because I donated it all to Good Will and/or Amvets)  Purging is now a process that I will continue regularly.  I think that if I ever had to move it would take me forever to pack all this stuff.  In other words, it would be way too much work.

Afterward, I find that my home has never been this organized before.  My husband and I are sort of beginning a new chapter in our lives with both of our sons leaving this fall.  One son is serving in the Army and my other son leaves for University this August.  We'll be entering that time clean and fresh, with everything in it's place.  It's a really great feeling!  To be in control of your stuff and not let your stuff be in control of you.  Because the less you have the more time you have to play.  My goal is to play alot!

Next up, purging and organizing my craft room!

Some of my favorite YouTube Vids on Organizing are:
  Malitose79 (short and sweet)
  HomeOrganizing (the ultimate organizer)
  Dolt on a Dime
  Clutterdiet
  and any Filofax vids