Part 1 (of I think 3) wrapping up 2022 journals and starting 2023! I finished up my December reading “shelfie” with 16 books, to make 178 books on the year. I had a lot of re-reads just because of stress with Book Lovers by Emily Henry “winning” at 7 re-reads between January (when I read the galley and sobbed in the bath) and October (re-read again via audio while driving back and forth to help with my parents’ house and things). All reading is reading, re-reads included. And then that’s it for 2022! I used EVERY page in my @archerandolive A5 Narwhal notebook. That’s 192 pages 😹 (I did do a bunch of swatching in the back but still - I’ve never filled up a journal before). So that last journal page has a lovely postcard from @franzencomesalive and her Patreon, because this is the year I joined Patreon to support favorite creators - Liberty, Hedda @mochibujo, and Jesse @bowtiesandbooks 💖💖 look how chunky it is compared to my new 2023 journal!! 😹🙀 Of course I had lots of help from Aphra the Best Desk Lamp Baker while finishing old and new spreads (Shakespeare did a nap for once 😹) #journal #journaling #bujocommunity #bujo #bulletjournal #bulletjournaling #reading #readingjournal #archerandolive #cats #catstagram #catsofinstagram #cats_of_instagram #murdermittens #shakespearekitteh #aphrakitteh https://www.instagram.com/p/CnU3ezCvj-v/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

The Mittens would like to report that Mother has gone to the grocery store and bought yummy things and NONE of them were given to starving Mittens - even the coffee wasn’t Aphra’s preferred flavor! 🙀😹 (I’m making lamb stew tomorrow - easily the most expensive meal I will make in a year, yikes - and I got a peppermint white mocha instead of a salted caramel cream cold brew, which is Aphra’s favorite 😹😹) #cats #catstagram #catsofinstagram #cats_of_instagram #murdermittens #shakespearekitteh #aphrakitteh https://www.instagram.com/p/ClUCWKurqsE/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

In a surprise, my order of the new Love Lock washi and stamps from Notebook Therapy arrived yesterday (I hadn’t even got a tracking number yet, wut). So I had a little swatch session today. This set will mix so well with the Cottage Friends set that released last fall 💖💖💖 I colored in the heart-shaped “frame” stamp with my Prisma colored pencils. (Using a B5 Moonlit Dusk notebook) My Unhelpers were very helpy 😹😹😹😹 #cats #catstagram #catsofinstagram #cats_of_instagram #murdermittens #shakespearekitteh #aphrakitteh #journaling #washitape #stamps #washiaddict #rubberstamp #notebooktherapy #swatchingmycollection https://www.instagram.com/p/CoiNIByPIN6/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

October is done - what a long, hard month, for the primary reason of needing to move my parents to assisted-living and then help my brothers and SILs to clean out their large house so it could be listed asap. That put a serious dent in my reading time - thank goodness for @librofm and @libby.app audiobooks to listen to while driving back and forth. Stickers on the October pages are all from @mochibujo Patreon kit and exclusive sticker rewards - I love that black cat 💖💖 - except the ghost garland and that’s from a @sarahandersencomics calendar. And onto November!! Hedda put up her November journaling kit on Patreon and I absolutely fell in love - fall colors and cottagecore but inspired by Hedda’s current trip to Japan. I love the motion in the drawing of the girl with the parasol, like she’s dancing among the leaves with the breeze swirling her kimono around her. (And then I couldn’t resist the cheeky goose in the kit that looked like it was joining in😹) I had plans to hand-draw the ginkgo leaves in the “Days Read” tracker except my ambition ran into my non-existent drawing ability - the practice sketches looked more and more like unfortunate popsicles 😬 so I gave up, found a very nice set of line art on Shutterstock, and cut them out instead 😹 (and yes “handmade by an art lover” was beyond too good to put right over the correction tape in the “book release” tracker where I’d forgot to pay attention to dates 🤪) Hedda’s printables got an assist from Anna @journal.away / @papermonogatari Fall in the Forest collection (washi, plant and fox stickers) and a couple of stickers from Hedda’s @ikigaipapir sticker sheets. I love how this all came together to start a new month. Please enjoy Shakespeare Mitten, who decided to be the Very Best Helper and brought Green Froggie to my desk. (The last picture is after I told him he could not play “bunny kick Green Froggie” on top of my printables 😹😹😹😹) #journaling #dailyjournal #readingjournal #bulletjournal #bulletjournaling #plannerstickers #printables #bujo #archerandolive #cats #catstagram #catsofinstagram #cats_of_instagram #murdermittens #shakespearekitteh https://www.instagram.com/p/CkbithRPhj_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

It isn’t *quite* warm enough for “first open porch door day” here in Iowa but a) I wanted a little bit of fresh air and b) I was about to temporarily rearrange the living room so I wanted to give the Mittens a little bit of joy. I had to move my big armchair to the other side of the couch so I had easy access to the couch - I will be having hip surgery on Friday and I’ll be not particularly agile for a while. And I moved their scratcher to the backside of the couch (the only place it could go where it can’t be used as a way to climb on the forbidden china cabinet). Aphra has informed me that I have *moved* her favorite napping spot (back of the armchair) and Shakespeare is currently sitting in it AND I have used the evil suck-up kitteh machine aka vacuum. A Churru and snuggles must be given in payment. #cats #catstagram #catsofinstagram #cats_of_instagram #murdermittens #shakespearekitteh #aphrakitteh #iowa https://www.instagram.com/p/CpYdjDbLi1p/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

New month, new journal pages! I finished out January with 14 books read - standouts were Georgie, All Along by @kateclayborn.author, What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat by @yrfatfriend, and The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich (which had an outstanding audiobook production). I love how colorful my bookshelf turned out 💙 And onto February with these beautiful pinks inspired by @mochibujo February Patreon kit 💖💖💖 Hedda’s setup also inspired me to try waterfall tabs instead of my file-folder style tabs and I really love how it turned out. I might keep using these style tabs here on out 😻 All the washi tapes are from Notebook Therapy (Moonlit Blush, Winter Moonflower, and Vintage Rose 2) and some of the extra rose stickers are from The Washi Tape Shop. (Had a little trouble with the drop-shadows on playlist/habits so that turned into a colorblock 😹) I also added a new challenge spread to my collections journal - Blackathon hosted by Jesse @bowtiesandbooks is this month!! Team Oshun! I’ve already got some good ideas for those prompts 😉 Check out Jesse’s YouTube for all the details and team recs 💖 (washi is from NT Flutter and Dream, extra butterfly stickers from the Washi Tape Shop). And if you’ve read this far, please enjoy Aphra raptly watching Hedda open pen pal mail and Shakespeare giving me FACE after being scolded for chewing pens 😹 #journaling #bulletjournal #readingjournal #bookstagram #bookjournal #stationery #stationeryaddict #blackathon2023 #cats #catstagram #catsofinstagram #cats_of_instagram #murdermittens #shakespearekitteh #aphrakitteh https://www.instagram.com/p/CoISLAerrqA/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

When you take a pause during #journaling to quick order sneakers and blanket/sweater storage before you forget (again, lol) the Desk Gremlins will certainly take advantage of the nice, warm lamps 😹 😹 😹 😹 #cats #catstagram #catsofinstagram #cats_of_instagram #murdermittens #shakespearekitteh #aphrakitteh https://www.instagram.com/p/CnaEv5GvZ5c/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Whee! My copy of @sarahmaclean Bombshell arrived from @oldtownbooks today!! With stickers and a signed bookplate 💖💖💖 Please enjoy Shakespeare’s transition from handsome book model to sticker thief (he was really into that Bombshell sticker 😹) #books #bookstagram #bookmail #bookmailisthebestmail #romancebooks #romancenovels #cats #catstagram #catsofinstagram #cats_of_instagram #murdermittens #shakespearekitteh https://www.instagram.com/p/CTISvp8L0zg/?utm_medium=tumblr