The Joy Edit - vol. 12

I recently shared a reel on Instagram about a Halloween scrapbook I started when my kids were little.

The idea was simple. Every year, I'd add photos of their Halloween costumes and document those memories.

Well, that was the plan anyway!

I've made it through 2019, which means I have a few years of catching up to do. But I was flipping through the album the other day, and I can't even tell you how much I loved looking at all those memories. All those costumes. All those little faces. All those years when Halloween meant getting everyone dressed up and heading out for trick-or-treating.

Things look a little different these days. My kids are getting older, and they're off having their own Halloween adventures. It's a little bittersweet, but I'm so glad I took the time to make this album.

And here's something I've been thinking about:

Something doesn't have to be finished to be cherished.

I could look at this album and focus on all the pages I haven't made yet. Or I could enjoy the memories I've already preserved. And you know what? Flipping through those pages actually made me excited to sit down and work on it again.

So if you have an unfinished scrapbook, a half-completed project, or something creative you've put aside for a while, maybe this is your little reminder to pull it out.

I was working on a lesson plan for my students this week when I came across this little reminder from the website Today's First Five:

"The more you try, the better you get. Instead of worrying, just get started, and you'll eventually figure things out."

And I thought, well, isn't that something I needed to hear?! It's funny how sometimes the things we're trying to teach our students are the very things we need to remind ourselves.

I think as adults, we can get so caught up in wanting to know what we're doing before we even begin. We research, we plan, we overthink, and sometimes we talk ourselves right out of trying something.

But the truth is, we're not supposed to have it all figured out before we start. We figure things out BY starting.

So I'm taking this little reminder with me this week. Maybe you need it too.

Less worrying. More trying. We'll figure it out as we go.

I have a new recipe to share with you, and I think it's officially become a family favorite! It's called Marry Me Pasta Bake, and I came across it online and decided to give it a try.

Now, let me tell you something about me. Cooking does NOT come naturally to me. I don't know if it's my ADHD or the fact that cooking just isn't one of my favorite things to do, but following a recipe can be a bit of an adventure. I skip steps. I forget ingredients. I read directions and somehow still manage to miss things.

So when a recipe says it takes 30 minutes, you can probably go ahead and double that for me. 😂

But here's the thing. Even though cooking isn't my favorite, I really do love making a delicious meal for my family. There's something special about putting a good dinner on the table and having everyone enjoy it.

And this one was a WIN!

Despite all my little hiccups along the way (and the fact that it probably took me twice as long as it should have), it turned out absolutely delicious. Everyone loved it, and I have a feeling this one is going into our regular dinner rotation.

Okay, I need to tell you about a hairbrush. Yes, a hairbrush.

I have long hair, and lately I've seriously considered cutting it a few times. Not because I necessarily want short hair, but because brushing it after a shower has become SO annoying.

Enter the Tangle Teezer.

WHERE HAS THIS THING BEEN ALL MY LIFE?!

I'm not exaggerating when I say this brush feels like magic. It gets through my wet, tangled hair so easily that I actually look forward to brushing it now. Okay, maybe that's a stretch, but you get the idea.

Pull out something you've started but haven't finished.

Maybe it's a scrapbook, a craft project, a book you've been meaning to get back to, or even a little home project that's been sitting untouched.

But here's the twist. You don't have to finish it. Just spend 15 minutes with it.

Enjoy what you've already done. Remember why you started. Maybe make a little more progress if you feel like it. And if you don't? That's okay too.

Sometimes the joy isn't in checking something off the list. It's simply in spending time with something you love.