10 Reasons To Write In a Journal and 10 DIY Journals

I had a chance to peek into the journals of friend, prescription composer, viagra order author, pharm and master traveler, Margaret De Wys. Margaret has made traveling a seductive art form and her journals inspired the book, Black Smoke: A Woman’s Journey of Healing, Wild Love, and Transformation. Margaret is game for just about anything, and she keeps track of her escapades by journaling. Some write journals knowing they will be published, but most people journal for themselves.

Journaling (or keeping letters or diaries) is an ancient tradition, one that dates back to at least 10th century Japan. Oscar Wilde once said, “I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read on the train.”

10 Reasons to Make Journaling a Daily Habit:

1. sharpens writing skills 2. can help heal emotional experiences 3. helps keep track of ideas 4. writing is relaxing and it relieves stress 5. journals have unconditional acceptance 6. keep a document record 7. learn to reflect about yourself 8. to feel in control 9. for a creative outlet 10. to document travel or an event

Whether a journal is the culmination of a globe-trotting trip to save the world, or a place to store the ramblings of the day, creating a uniquely personal journal can fuel the body, mind and spirit. Do you journal? CLICK HERE FOR 10 DIY JOURNALS

Credit: Sugarpixel Design

A Tipsy Idea: DIY Lamp from Wine Bottles

You've had a lot of fun emptying those wine bottles and now they are just ripe for an upcycled illuminating reuse. No doubt you've seen candlesticks made from wine bottles with overflowing candle drippings. That's one simple retro way to repurpose those wine bottles. Here's a more fashionable DIY lighting solution...CLICK HERE FOR MORE

The Home Ice Advantage: Make An Eco-Skating Rink

I am convinced that there are certain experiences from your childhood that define whether you like winter or not. I am a lover of everything winter. I can thank my hockey player dad for that. For my brother and I, winter had its own culture with unique customs and rituals that included a backyard ice skating rink. The first snowfall of the season, my dad would unveil his latest collection of sleds, skates and skis that he had gathered at tag sales. In the garage he would fix up his finds for all the neighborhood kids. His goal was to get all the kids on the block to love winter. Then he would haul out four long wooden two by fours and a plastic liner and water our backyard to make a skating rink. If we lived in a higher elevation, I am sure he would have created a ski slope and a rope tow to tower over the rink. As it was, it was quite unusual in my New York suburban neighborhood to have an ice rink in the backyard.

Some of my favorite memories are of my dad all bundled up very late in the evening hosing down our backyard ice rink like he was watering prized roses. I remember Dad was overly eager to get up early in the morning after a snowfall to shovel the rink. Then he would set off to the more important task of clearing the driveway. For the kids, our reward was all the afterschool exercise we could get and unlimited hot chocolate.

Those fond memories are laced with embarrassing ones too. Some not so cherished teenage moments. Don't most embarrassing things happen to teenagers? I was mortified when I found out my dad would greet my male friends at the front door with a ruler to measure the size of my friend's feet for skates. Then he would rummage through the skate box and with skates and hockey sticks in hand, I would have to catch him before he would wisk the the poor boy into the backyard to "see what the kid was made of" (whether he could skate or not).

I have long since gotten over those embarrassing moments. For years, we recreated all that wintery fun in my backyard with my kids.

DIY ECO-FRIENDLY ICE RINK - CLICK HERE FOR DIRECTIONS

6 Reasons To Make a Chandelier for the Birds

Want a free ticket to a natural outdoor theatre for your whole family? Just feed the birds and let their beauty entertain you all winter long. Why bird watch?

1. Connect with nature It is a well-documented fact that wildlife can help people feel connected to nature.

2. Gain knowledge Ornithology can be an endless learning opportunity. The Audubon Society is dedicated to conserving and restoring natural ecosystems, medicine focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity.

3. Improve your health Feeding the birds gets you outside and brings the outside environment in. The connection to nature can also have a calming effect.

4. Make friends Join a bird watching club and meet people. Here is a list of bird watching clubs in the US.

5. It’s inexpensive Along with buying or making (see next page) food to feed the birds, all you need to get started is a field guide to identify the birds and binoculars to get a birds-eye view of all of the action.

6. Enjoy solitude Watching birds is deeply satisfying; it opens up your senses, and it is something enjoyable that you can do by yourself.

Want to make that yummy bird chandelier? CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Yoga and Knitting: Knit 1, Om 1

Knitting and yoga are two ancient practices that complement each other. The relationship is easy to understand. The repetitive motion of knitting can transform the knitter into a meditative state. Knitting and yoga are both engaging practices, drug as they require concentration and focus. Knitting cultivates an inward state of relaxation while creating something beautiful and useful. Knitting requires hours and hours of sitting. Yoga is the perfect physical diversion. Yoga asana’s can help to prevent some of knitting’s common aches and pains. Yoga enthusiasts, ambulance consider knitting up this yoga mat bag, there and create your own yoga blocks too! CLICK HERE FOR MORE