Category: Journals

Winter Inspiration Possibilities ~ Advent, Reading, & Stretching Myself Creatively {Day 41} ❄️🌲♥️❄️🌲♥️❄️🌲♥️❄️

amyofhearthridge8 Comments
‘Watch for the Light’ is my choice for Advent readings. All my children and I will be using some of Elizabeth Foss’ Advent reading plan/activities/recipes in ‘Real Learning Revisited’. My two older children will also be dipping into Biola University’s Advent posts.
Foss uses a lot of Tomie dePaola‘s books! Excited to read these.
I’m especially excited about this collection for dipping into a few times a week.

Remember how I said I wouldn’t overload my Winter DIY Woman’s Degree?! 😂🤷🏻‍♀️🤪🙄♥️❄️☃️ Never mind that! Here’s some of my reading ideas. I tried to categorize them here so it is easier for you to go to one that may interest you. I’m going to try crossing off/checking these off as I go. Some of these are planned possibilities and I also have my mood reading genres that I’m interested in currently. Quite a few of these are rereads, which I absolutely love doing. I realize this is excessive nerd overkill 🤓 and very detailed but I find it fun! It’s something to aim at and look forward too with the cold. I hold it super loosely and that’s why I call these ‘possibilities’. I didn’t include my Bible reading, Christian devotionals, or poetry because those three are always on the go.

Dec ‘24 – Jan ‘25 – Feb ‘25 Reading List:

Buddy Reads:

December 2024

Christmas Mummers by Charlotte Mary Yonge, online buddy read ✔️

Christmas at Thompson Hall by Anthony Trollope

(online group buddy read) short story✔️

Last Christmas in Paris by Webb & Gaynor ✔️

(online buddy read with Elizabeth B.)

January 2025

So Big by Edna Ferber ✔️

(online group buddy read)

The Man They Called Thursday by Chesterton

(preread with local friend for our HS Lit Class in our Charlotte Mason co op)

Books I’d Love to Read to my Kids this Winter:

Finish By the Shores of Silver Lake ✔️and begin The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Continue/Finish The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge

Read Story Girl and The Golden Road by LM Montgomery

Start the Narnia Series by CLS

Read The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery

Continuing listening to Penderwicks when we can get audiobooks from library ✔️✔️

Personal Study Challenge:

Start The Illiad (journal through it) Long introduction and 24 parts, I think? One a week over 3 months? Seems doable?

Possible joining of a few BookLoveJenna’s 2025 online book club – I’m interested in Praying with Jane Eyre, The Love Letters, and Letters of a Portuguese Nun in the winter selections. I’m very slow with nonfiction, so this group may help me finish? This is a very big maybe. I did too many buddy reads/challenges this year andI’m not going to put as much pressure on myself.

Till We Have Faces and Miracles by CS Lewis

Read a memoir: Merry Hall by Beverly Nichols and Isle of Dreams by Susan Branch

Fantasy:

I’d love to continue reading ‘The Stormlight Archives’ by Brandon Sanderson- I’m in the middle of Words of Radiance. My older kids are so excited for our preordered 5th book in this cycle. I think technically there’s some short stories/lore to be read inbetween the 5 massive books out. I enjoy his work, but they are a bit more intricate and political than I usually like so these are a loose goal mostly to be reading something with my young adults.

Reread The Fellowship of the Ring by JRRT

Ember Blade by Chris Wooding

Continue Dune Series with Dune Messiah

Reread Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

Reread The Night Circus

Continue Byzantium by Stephan Lawhead

Victorian Things/Cozy Reads & Rereads:

Finish Nicholas Nickelby ✔️

Finish Woman in White

Finish Deerbrooke ✔️

Reread Anne Series

Reread Emily Series

Finish Moominvalley in November

The Enchanted Sonata by Dixon ✔️

Skating Shoes by Streitfeild

Start Elizabeth Goudge Reread/Complete 2 Yr Project with Pilgrim’s Inn, Gentian Hill, and Towers in the Mist

Shirley by Charlotte Bronte

Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope

Start Romola by George Eliot

Current Reading Moods:

Classic/cozy mystery/spy

Cozy domestic & holiday

Dips into creativity/writing nonfiction shelf

Cozy fantasy

Deep middle grade/children’s literature, classic or with classic feel

Victorian Lit

This above is a CRAZY unrealistic🤪, but fun “bucket” list for this winter! Haha! 😆 What are some things on your list? I haven’t made many home keeping, home educating, or health goals yet. I’m still thinking on that. I think I have my focus phrase for the coming year, so maybe I’ll share that eventually. I’d like to update here on the blog as a fun way of checking in and narrating/processing what I’m learning or enjoying. We’ll see. Holding it all loosely, remember, Amy?! 🤣

Teeny, gorgeous snowflakes.

How about you? Do you plan things out a bit? Or fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants? I really love making seasonal lists! Chat with me in comments, please! I’d love to hear your thoughts! ❄️🌲♥️❄️🌲♥️

Ray, Anne, & Madeleine Nuggets {Day 39}

amyofhearthridge4 Comments
“I wanna be human, ‘Fore I do some art” ~ RM

Be certain of this: When honest love speaks, when true admiration begins, when excitement rises, when hate curls like smoke, you never need doubt that creativity will stay with you for a lifetime.

~Ray Bradbury, p. 46, Zen in the Art of Writing

Perfectionism means that you try desperately not to leave so much mess to clean up. But clutter and mess show us that life is being lived. Clutter is wonderfully fertile ground-you can still discover new treasures under all those piles, clean things up, edit things out, fix things, get a grip.

~Anne Lamott, p.28, Bird by Bird

What a teacher or librarian or parent can do, in working with children, is to give the flame enough oxygen so that it can burn. As far as I’m concerned, this providing of oxygen is one of the noblest of all vocations.

~Madeleine L’Engle, p.46, A Circle of Quiet

Thinking on these bits today! Happy Wednesday! ♥️

p.s. – I’m officially closing out my two reading projects from this summer! I’m still dipping into some picks, but hoping to make a new few goals for myself during the quiet, winter season. Overall, I am pleased with what I read. I probably will be less 😏 ambitious in my next goal.

Word Salad {Day 36}

amyofhearthridge7 Comments

Hello, my old friends, I’ve {finally} come to talk with you all again! 😄🖤

These last few weeks have been a mash up of glorious warm, leaf crunching, rattle-and-rolling weather with a side of gorgeous rain. November is definitely here in all her glory. The clouds and sky have been spectacular!

I’ve been hunkered down a bit with family, homeschool, and church responsibilities, so my online fun 😅 has had to be kept to a minimum. I’ve still been reading, and it’s been a lovely respite to our full and busy days. A few of our outside responsibilities are lighter during the last part of November and December so that will be nice to catch my breath.

Half a moon! 😌

I’ve been struggling a bit to get the jumble up here *taps brain* to down here *taps blank page* and all I’ve got is my ‘word salads’ as I call them. I’ve been dumping impressions, ideas, words, what’s going on in the moment, etc etc etc into my ‘dump/empty’ brain journal. It’s kinda all I got currently. I see a few phrases in these riots of ramblings that I might want to use/explore later so it’s a start, right?! Ray Bradbury loved his lists and worked on stories from them YEARS later. I’m counting on this Bradbury Magic to transfer to me. 😂 Of course, Mr. Bradbury wrote a 1,000 + words everyday no matter what. ☺️😍🥰

I’ve been thinking a lot about mirrors after revisiting The Mirror Visitor Series, how Ophelia can only travel through them when she sees her true self in the mirror, no disguises or wishing for something different. It’s been tying into the opening chapters of my reread of A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L’Engle. She’s speaking on creativity/writing here:

If I thought I had to say it better than anybody else, I’d never start. Better or worse is immaterial. The thing is that it has to be said; by me, ontologically. We each have to say it, to say it our own way. Not of our own will, but as it comes out through us. Good or bad, great or little: that isn’t what human creation is about. It is that we have to try; to put it down in pigment, or words, or musical notations, or we die. ~ L’Engle, p. 28, A Circle of Quiet

Commonplace journal. 📓 A beautiful, new-to-me, song!
Sophie 🥰🥰🥰

How ‘bout you? How are you doing? Any creative threads to follow lately? I’ll leave with a few more photos and a wish and prayer that your week is full of true Joy no matter our circumstances. ♥️🖤♥️

Highly recommend!
Beautiful 🤩
“Exit, pursued by a bear.” 😂
A favorite spot for prayer and contemplation. 🖤😌🙏🏻 So many friends and family in heavy circumstances.
We make our own fun here. 😂
I want to read this whole book! A friend is reading bits at our Charlotte Mason co op and it’s gorgeous.

Happy Monday, my friends. A new week, with no mistakes in it yet. ♥️

“And straightway the father of the child cried out and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”

Mark 9:24

Old favorites…{Day 35}

amyofhearthridge8 Comments
Sunrise and Honeysuckle

Do you find yourself returning to old favorites and habits in times of stress and upheaval? Sometimes, for me, this isn’t a good thing, because I have to work very hard to make good choices in a few areas where I’m prone to excess. However, books, music, and nature or domestic detail photography all have their place in a kind of “on-the-spot therapy” for me. I am definitely a rereader especially if a book encapsulates a certain ‘feeling’ I’m after or setting I love.

Poetry that I return to again and again!

Wild, windy days and whipping yellow

I recently pulled off my shelf a favorite reread series that’s so interesting that I got immediately sucked in all over again. I was reminded how much I love rereading, because so much more can be caught and different things highlighted. The Mirror Visitor Series isn’t perfect, but it has so many interesting characters and so many ideas to think on, I just love it. I was again reminded that it’s not always good for me to rush reading or be trying to keep up with all the new stuff. One big downside to Bookstagram and Booktube. Poetry, too, is something I absolutely have favorites of, I’m so rewarded and surprised as I cracked open the pages and take a deep drink all over again.

I don’t own a PB copy of the last book, The Storm of Echoes yet, can’t wait to collect it for the gorgeous cover alone. My favorites are the first two, by far, but they are all so immersive.
Josh Garrels oldie, but goodie

I’m very eclectic in my reading, listening, and watching tastes. I like quirky, kind of off-the-beaten-track things with a side of classic. I’ve noticed a shift lately back to my old Josh Garrels listening, instrumental BTS (my one and ever only K-pop fandom), a craving for films like Sound of Music, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Babette’s Feast. I watched a few episodes of Over the Garden Wall with my kids the other day. It’s a bit toooo creepy for us, but some of it is interesting and has such a gorgeous atmosphere. How about you? What do you gravitate towards when life is feeling weighty?

Two reread favorites 🥹♥️

Tree gazing and listening to…what are they whispering?

Hello light, my old friend.

How ‘bout you? What are some healthy ways you refresh yourself? Do you need something new and different? Or do you return to your comfortable, hole-y sweater of inspiration? It goes without saying, that the Holy Bible is super comforting to me because it shows that there is nothing new under the sun. We are all so flawed. I need deep gulps of Jesus.♥️ I definitely occasionally need a ‘Tookish’ adventure to get me out of a funk, but generally, returning to my old Baggins favorites and home comforts blesses me immensely. What richness we’ve been given! ☺️♥️🕸️🕷️🌿🍂🍁🍄🌾

~I remember the days of old;

I mediate on all you have done;

I reflect on the work of your hands.

I spread out my hands to you;

I am like parched land before you.

Selah

Psalm 143: 5-6 CSB

…find my way back…{Day 34}

amyofhearthridge22 Comments

Somehow I’ve lost my way with writing (and in general, creativity). Words and the authors (all artists, really) behind the ink have watered my soul in ways I can’t even begin to express. I want to find my way back to putting pen to paper, expressing memories, emotion, ideas, and ultimately, hope.

I’m starting by finding a few things to spur me on, but really just writing down anything each day. You start by doing. You continue by consistency. It can be randomness, but it’s out of my brain and it’s concrete.

Collage is probably the best way of describing the way I want to write and create. A simmering ephemera soup of colors, ideas, and encouragement. Incidentally, I also make collage art. I’ve just started doing it a bit more consistently. I recently realized that I’ve always collaged in some way, through scrapbooking, junk journaling, quilting, collecting words, and a little bit through photography, too.

How ‘bout you? Are there creative areas you want to resurrect in your life? Have you considered how different seasons of life, and circumstances (for me, covid, years of all little kids, distracting social media, health challenges) have made it difficult, but not impossible to come back to these areas.

I’ve been privileged
this year to write and collage for this letter!

Please chat in comments! I love 💕 to hear what you’re thinking and doing!

~♥️~

A Mom’s Commonplace {Day 28}

amyofhearthridge10 Comments

Is there anything more cozy then journaling and journals? 😄♥️ It’s no secret that I’m a journal fanatic! We are trying something different this year in our home learning of combining our multiple journals into one. I’ve had the opportunity to journal alongside my children and it has been such an enriching experience. I don’t often share my children’s work, as that’s their own, but don’t mind sharing what I’ve been recording myself. 😆 So much richness! 😍I’m learning every day right along with my children. I have music lyrics, quotes, drawings, etc in here already! I treasure it. Do you journal?

What you learning or diving deep into? Isn’t life grand? 😄♥️🙌🌿🍄🌻

Wednesday Wonders {Day 27}

amyofhearthridge3 Comments

Listening…Great Pumpkin and Harry Potter Ambient Music. I’m also enjoying Nicholas Nickleby audiobook while I follow along in the book.

Reading…I’ve begun a lot of my Victorian TBR, Dickens, Gaskell, and Yonge. but I’ve been enjoying light, cozy stories inbetween. Kiki’s Delivery Service, Thimble Summer, and The Language of Spells.

Watching…I’m back to watching YouTube/or going on Instagram only on Saturdays. It really helps my focus and sanity during the week. A new favorite YouTuber that I can’t wait to watch more of is CleoPatrick.

Noticing…the main thing I’ve noticed lately is that our Barn Swallows are gone. 🥲♥️ We’ve been seeing a few butterflies still and our temperatures are fluctuating a lot. My son saw a “V” of geese on Sunday. We’ve been trying to get outdoors more because we know the cold, snowy is coming.

How about you? What have you been reading, listening to, watching, or noticing? 🍁♥️

Cozy Week…🍁🎃🌲🖤🧡💛💚🤎✨🌾🍄🌞🌻🍂 {Day 25}

amyofhearthridge5 Comments
Book Mail 📬💌

Happy Autumn, 🍂 my dear Friends!

I’m hoping this week to hunker down into a bit of coziness. Nothing like the end of September, early October, easing into gratitude November, to foster a sense of richness and comfort. These are truly some of my favorite months. My family and I had a wonderful time with our annual apple 🍎 orchard visit, as well as our first bonfire 🔥 🪵🍄‍🟫🍂🍁. Sigh. 😌 So much to be grateful for! So curl up with a hot cup of tea 🫖 or coffee ☕️ and come chat with me.

We were looking 👀 for the Great Pumpkin 🎃 together! 🌞🍂🍁🐿️😁♥️
Pumpkins are SO delightful, comfy, and cheerful to me! 🎃🎃🎃
Chili with cheese 🧀 ♥️🦔🐾🪶
Let Victober reading commence! Victorian literature + October = Victober. Lots of info about this event on Booktube or Instagram. I just informally follow prompts etc. 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

“I am a child of the Earth and heavens. I find myself at once skipping like a schoolgirl full of wonder, and hushed in awe, something like the monks whose vespers follow the unfolding of the holy hours, and the turning of the globe, away from, then toward the sun.

I am humbled by this call to take in the autumnal majesty. To sit beneath the wind-blown boughs, to listen to the acorns plonking on the roof above my head.”

~ Barbara Mahany, from Slowing Time, p.152

I hope you’ll join me in your homes, journals, or own online places enjoying the season’s gifts! 🖤🍂🐿️🍄‍🟫🍁🖤

Saturday Examen + Homeschool Snapshots week 2 {Day 22}

amyofhearthridge6 Comments

Prayer for the coming week…

“The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me, his word was on my tongue.”

King David, from 2 Samuel 23:2

Hello, Friends! ♥️☕️🌻I realize I’ve been a bit scarce as we dive into our new home educating year, I hope to get back to my 180 Day Project soon. Here’s a few shots from our week…

How was your week? Ours was good, albeit looong! 😁♥️☕️🌻🌿

Saturday Examen + Homeschool Snapshots ~ first week {Day 20}

amyofhearthridge4 Comments
Cat fluff + sunshine = happiness 😄♥️🐈✨

“No one ever cared for me like Jesus
His faithful hand has held me all this way
And when I’m old and grey
And all my days
Are numbered on the earth
Let it be known in You alone
My joy was found”

~Stephanie Gretzinger

Song that has been carrying me through this week. 🥹♥️✨

We had a great start to our homeschool year this week. I changed our multiple journals that we’ve used in the past to one (plus a group one) for each of us and that is going very well! We so far are enjoying our books…the clear favorites of the week are our continuing a summer read of Jane of Lantern Hill by LM Montgomery, By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Around the World in 80 Days audiobook by Jules Verne. I attached some things to meal/tea time and it’s working well. I so enjoy reading public library picks with my youngers in spare moments. I’ve worked out a rhythm for working through individual work my youngest to oldest and it’s working wonderfully. We still have some wrinkles to iron out as my 12th grader 😭♥️ is working two days a week this year and we haven’t hit the co ops we are in yet. They start next week! Overall, I’m pleased with the forward motion. How was your week? Bless you as you put your hand to YOUR plow! ♥️✨🌻📚🥰☕️💌🖤

What’s bringing me a bit of joy currently…{Day 10}

amyofhearthridge4 Comments

I saw 👀 that Abigail Carroll has new poetry book out (Cup My Days Like Water) I can’t wait to read it. Saving up my book 💴 for it!

I’ve been absolutely loving pink and purple pens lately! I have LePen and Tombow and have been making monochromatic and a mixture of the two colors spreads in my prayer journal/ planner-memory journal. I love these colors SO much, what colors represent your life currently? 🩷💜🩷💜

Speaking of color, I’m wondering if I ‘need’ an autumn cardigan in Kristin’s dress color? 🧡😂👀 I love looking at my imaginary closet on Pinterest. 🤩🤩🤩

I can’t tell you how much my Daily Pocket Moleskine had meant to me this year! Just a teeny place to record my to dos for the day, do a little creativity, and store lots of memories! I’m really stretching the binding, but I’m soooo happy with its bursting self! I don’t love Monday start calendars, so that’s the only downside. I’m planning on getting the red one for 2025!

This cartoon has been keeping me sane lately! 🥰♥️😭💔🌿 We are just passing through, friends, and it’s a painful and glorious journey, but precious Jesus is with us every step of the way. ~