Laverne’s 2023 Maiden Voyage

 

It is so nice that my weekend getaway can be anytime I want.  Last week I took off for a couple of days just to sit, relax and recharge my batteries.  My only plan was to enjoy myself, primarily by doing some much anticipated paper crafting and work on some journals.  I had a long list of projects to work on, but did not anticipate I’d get to do all of them.  I made a substantial dent, however and had a great time doing so.

 

One thing I have really wanted to do for ages was to take an old cookbook my mother had given to me and preserve it much like I had done with one that belonged to my grandmother.  My mom’s old Bisquick cookbook is as old as I am, printed in 1964, and had seen a lot of use.  The back cover and most of the index pages were missing and what was left was pretty ratty with obvious signs of use.  I used this particular cookbook quite a bit as a teenager learning to cook, especially on the weekends and during the summer break from school.

 

I took the cookbook, removed the spiral binding wire and placed each page inside a sheet protector.  Then I placed all of the pages into a 5”X7” binder and was delighted when the front cover slid inside the pocket on the front.  I then went through the entire cookbook and added notes I wrote on pieces of Post-It notes and stuck to the pages so that whoever comes behind me will have a little bit of history to go along with these old recipes.  I had such a great time working on this project and taking a trip down memory lane that it inspired me to write down these thoughts on a sheet of paper and add it as the last page of the cookbook.

 

Another thing I wanted to work on was to make up some die cut embellishments to restock my supply.  I had used up quite a lot of the ones I had made before so I was ready to make some new ones.  Die cutting is time consuming, but I love doing it.  I just needed a solid block of time with no distractions to work on this particular project.  I would work on them for a while, then take a break and go for a nice walk, then come back and work on them again.  I practically spent an entire day doing this and loved every minute of it.

 

This past year I realized I no longer have a use for a dayplanner so I took my current one and remade it into my household management journal which I will get much more use of.  I’ll be able to keep my housekeeping checklists, “to-do” lists and other lists, create plans and goals for my home, track my progress, meal plan, make my grocery, meal prepping and home canning lists, jot down my thoughts and keep everything neatly organized all in one little binder.  I also added my contacts list as well as my Christmas plans.  Plus I can decorate it, doodle in it, add photos, whatever I decide.  I don’t need a lot of separate journals as much as I just need the bulk of what I’m doing in one place.  In fact, because I no longer need my Christmas planner now I was able to repurpose that mini binder for the Bisquick cookbook.  And I don’t need any daily calendars to help me keep track of busy schedules anymore so I was able to eliminate all of that.  I can already tell I will get much more use out of this new journal than the previous dayplanner.

 

Additionally, I updated my recipe journal with some “new” recipes I’d clipped from an old cookbook and some old newspaper clippings.  I made a few journaling cards and added some more pages to my travel journal.  I also visited a museum.  Not a bad way to spend a few days in a campground if you ask me.  I’m ready to do it again!