Journal Evolution

My attention has turned to art journaling lately as I continue to fumble my way through this artful journey. I've never been much of a journaler and I still struggle with what words are worthy of laying out on the page vs. the effort of writing longhand. I find that by the time I get my words on the page, the moment has passed and I can't remember where I was going with that thought. Or I think of things I would like to journal about, but when I sit down with journal in hand my mind comes up with nothin'.


A typical journal page for me. No frills, just the facts.
Not much to look at, but it does the job.

I have always been a list maker and I've started to document my life with a daily To Do list and hopefully a few notes or thoughts from the day. This is a doable task for me and by combining the lists and thoughts, I'll show a more complete picture of who I am. Back in December I wrote "This is how I'm going to start my journaling...little snipets along with my To Do list, because lists ARE who I am."

In January I noted "Thought I would use some sticker to make the pages look cuter. I'll bet I even write neater on a cute page." I have so many scrapbooking stickers that I will never use, so I thought I could make use of them in my journal. I do find it hard to make the time to journal, don't know if it's really finding the time or finding the creativity to do something great. One goal is to play with my materials so I can learn how I like working. I've used stamps, embossing powder, watercolor, pen, watersoluable crayon, acrylic and chalk pencil. Another goal is to continually exercise my right brain to keep it in a creative state. 

Love this page :)

When I put in the time and effort, the pages are progressing. When I'm busy the pages remain plain and simple. But that's okay too. Life cycles and other things get our attention when necessary. I'm teaching myself to doodle. It's not a natural process for me, so I'm using my journal to experiment and copy other doodlers. I also want to get better with lettering, so I practice in here as well.

To me, this is the perfect journal page.
It's fun to look at, there's little bits and pieces everywhere
to keep you moving around the page, it's cute and it makes me happy!

I really love simple journal pages that express a feeling or mood with just a few words and images. I'm also finding song lyrics helpful in expressing what I feel better than I can.

On more creative days, my pages look like the one above or below.

 

Homemade Pizza Dinner

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Last nights yummy dinner. BBQ Chicken pizza for parents and pepperoni for the kids.
Everyone's happy!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

1 loaf Frozen bread dough or pizza crust mix

1/2 cup bbq sauce

3 cooked chicken breasts, cubed or shredded

3 garlic cloves, minced
red onion, sliced
red and/or green peppers, sliced
Jack and Cheddar cheese, shredded
cilantro, chopped

Place frozen loaf of bread dough in a large resealable bag sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Allow to thaw to room temperature and rise. Preheat oven to 400°. Roll out dough on baking stone. Snip edges of dough with scissors to form scalloped edge. Spread a thin layer of bbq sauce over dough. Mix cooked chicken with bbq sauce and garlic; sprinkle chicken mixture over dough. Top with  peppers, onions, cheese and parsley. Bake for 20 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Serves 6.

Pepperoni Pizza

Traditional Pizza Sauce

4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

4 fresh garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup onion, grated with box grater

1 can tomato sauce (15 oz.)

2 tsp oregano, dried

2 tsp basil, dried

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

4 Tbsp tomato paste

In a medium saucepan, sauté garlic and onions in olive oil until tender. Add seasonings and continue cooking a few more minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, and then tomato paste. Simmer on low for about 10 minutes. Yields about 2 cups of sauce, enough for about 4 pizzas. Freeze leftover sauce in ½ cup servings for future use.

To make pizza, follow steps above using Traditional Pizza Sauce, pepperoni and mozzarella cheese.