MY OLW FOR 2014 AND OTHER PLANS

Hello!! How was your Christmas? Mine was wonderful and it even had a pretty sunrise and some snow, I love a white Christmas!!! I will be sharing my Christmas pictures with you next Tuesday for T Time. Be ready for a picture overload again, lots of good things to share.

 

Today I'm going to share my plans for 2014, can you believe another year has gone! The biggest plan that I do each year is choosing a OLW (one little word) this year most of you know I chose the word STORY and had PEACE thrown in with it. I did enjoy the STORY part but wish I had done more with PEACE. I may still revisit it and see what comes from it then. Most years I do choose 2 words, this is usually because I can't choose just one and because I like to have one of them be mine and the other towards the family. This year I've got only one word and I'm thrilled with it. I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear what it is, although I was a little surprised and mostly surprised at how easily it just popped into my head one night while reading the bible. Right after that day the word popped up in different ways which proved that it was the word for me. Are you ready to find out...

My OLW is PRAY!!! Are you surprised? Here in this book was my first clue that this was the word for me. I found this One Perfect Word book at the library quite by accident and had to read it and reread it, I love it so much. The book is by Debbie Macomber and she has been choosing a word since the 80's, isn't that awesome. She shared 14 of them here in the book. She had another past word of mine in there too. I found this book two days after the word PRAY popped into my head while reading the bible. When I opened this book and found the word Prayer in it, I could feel it in my heart and even had tingles just from reading this. My word has never felt so strong before. Then something else happened to prove my word was right for me this year.

see that little blue KEEP CALM AND PRAY ON journal. That was my next clue and really proved that God was choosing this word for me and wanted me to know it. I had seen this journal at Wal-Mart and wanted it since I had just found out that PRAY would be my word. Well, I have the rule of no buying for ourselves right before Christmas unless it's a "needed" item. This wasn't a need but a REALLLLLLY WANT IT so I would put it in the cart while I shopped just so I could see it and pretend like it was mine. Each time I put it back on the shelf, even though by now there was only this one left. I had done this 3x ,  crazy I know. That last time though, I put it on the shelf and said please be here when I come back after Christmas. Well, we had our Secret Pal dinner at Church that week and guess what one of my presents was??!!! YES YES YES!! I didn't even unwrap it all the way and saw the color and knew it had to be my journal!! OMG I was so excited, the ladies thought I was nuts and so I told them the story. See how God made sure I got the journal, think he wanted me to receive it as a gift and not just a purchase made by me. This journal is even more important to me now.

 

So that takes care of the 2 books on top and the bottom two I found just recently. I was shopping for Kristin at the bookstore and saw this Prayer Warrior book, uuummm that could be me I thought. What a great idea for what I want to do with my word, took a picture of it and sent it to Kristin as a hint to buy me for Christmas and she did, YAY!! I love it already. The other book isn't about praying but about how reading the bible in a year can change your life. I had planned on doing this so was happy to see it at Ollie's and snatched it up. I think this will be the year I read a lot too, lol.

Remember this, my art/prayer journal I started in November, this is why I shouldn't be surprised at my OLW for next year. I loved this journal and will be doing more in it but I think a different way. My prayers will be listed in my new blue journal and this one will be just for art and verses I want to remember. Excited to be back in this journal again, will share pages as I go along.

 

I also signed up for Ali Edward's OLW class as I do each year. Hoping the prompts keep me focused and motivated to keep my word in the front and center this year. I tend to little it fade away thru the year. This year feels different already with how my word came to me, so this will help I think.

 

My other plans are as follow, just a list for now and more details to come in the new year.

 

Project Life... you know this is my favorite, already got the album and am soooo READY

 

Draw your life class, this is a new one that came out in the fall but I had to wait

 

365 collages this year with iHanna, she is the one I did the postcard swap with

 

Mail Art, I want to do more of these since the postcards were fun

 

this isn't a class but I want to write more, maybe a pen-pal kinda thing

 

organize my space better and make it pretty

 

taking a class from Julie Balzar, it's been too long and I LOVE HER classes

 

taking a class from Alisa Burke, maybe her nature one or watercolor one

 

finishing up and doing more with my classes from this year

 

a free document planner workshop I just found out about

 

I think that's it for now, sounds like a lot but will be spread thru the next 6 months till the kids are home for summer. I love having a plans list, love the fresh start of a new year and hope to finish all these and enjoy them. Will keep you posted as we move into the new year though.

 

How about you, let me know any plans or goals or if you want to join me in the OLW for the year. Would love to have others joining me, it's always more fun with friends by your side.

 

Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed it. Are you ready for 2014? I am very ready!!

Have a great weekend and will see you next week for T Time, no mandala this week.