Gratitude Journal

I found something to share from last September. :) Yay!

2010 and especially 2011 taught me a very important lesson; to always have an attitude of gratitude. Gratitude is necessary and it literally heals us. I really put it to the test last year and became a different person. I found that when I began listing all of my blessings, my attitude changed, my out look on life changed and I began to feel instantly content and at peace, no matter the chaos going on around me. I began to write in a "Gratitude Journal" each evening, just simply listing all of the things I was grateful for that particular day. Of course my lists include, my Savior and His gift of the Atonement, my family, a loving husband who works hard to take care of his family, our girls, our home and so on. You know, the big, obvious ones. What really surprised me were all the things that I was grateful for that I normally took for granted: running water, microwave dinners, socks, my pillow, central heat, chocolate... all these little things help to give me a wonderful life! I have always felt blessed in my life, but when I wrote it all out in black and white, I came realize just how truly blessed I was and it was humbling.

I decided that I wanted to share my new found healing tool with my mom and made her a gratitude journal for her birthday. (The perfect gift for the woman who has everything!) The quote I include with all of my journals is fantastic and says it all!

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow."
~Melodie Beattie

How great is that? She loved it, btw. Here are the pics, oh and the card I made to go with it. :)

The cover

I always add a book mark so that it's easy to find your place. I love to add beads or charms to dress it up.

I stickled the flowers for a little bling.

The quote

You know how I love 3D effects. I cut additional flowers from one of the 12x12 sheets of paper and layered them.

The birthday card 

I love that ribbon! The pearls really make it look fantastic!

Happy Scrappin Ü