Into my notebook goes anything that is interesting enough to stop me in my tracks–the slump of a pair of shoulders in a crowd, a newspaper entry, a recipe, “chewy” words like ragamuffin or Maurice . . . For me, it all begins with a notebook: it is the well I dip into for that first clear, cool drink.
Rita Dove
I pads, laptops, Blackberrys, I phones, smart phones, kindles- it’s all out there. Anything and everything to make our lives easier. You can be as organized and techie as you want to these days, but somehow- I just can’t give my standby up. Oh sure, I’m as addicted to email and Facebook as the rest of you are. And pinterest- well; forget about it. If I log on there, I’m lost for hours. But good ole pen and paper; they are my true friend.
The smell of office supplies as I walk in the office supply store; the smell of the books as I enter the bookstore- these are what make me happy. Also adding to my favorites would be the smell of lumber on a job site…..hmmm, I’m beginning to see a connection here. Trees, paper…..follow me? Anyway- I know I’m old school, but that’s just me. August is my favorite month of year because of the plethora of paper, pens, and the like that are available to people like me. And I know you’re out there….others like me. A close second would be January- oh the exhilaration of a brand new planner with clean spaces just waiting to be filled!
So with that love of paper comes a love of notebooks and journals. I have one for everything under the sun. Recipes, favorite magazine clippings, gardening, warranties and manuals, coupons, home design, craft ideas, Christmas, and even a “When Mom’s not Home” notebook. Store everything on your computer you say? Phooey- not for me…..I like to have it where I can get to it.
If I have a collection of ideas, etc., it’s going in a notebook. This leads me to a trip to the office supply store for a new binder and accessories- pure JOY! So you can imagine my excitement when I realized that my warranty/ manual binder (circa 1993) was falling apart and I needed a new one.
Now you don’t have to go all out like I have with a notebook for everything, but you can make a warranty/ owner’s manual notebook for yourself and be so proud the next time you need to put your hands on your lawnmower manual just as we have had to do this week .
All you need to make your own is a 2-3 inch binder (depending on the amount of manuals you have) and some page protectors. Additionally, I got dividers for my new binder so I can categorize my items.
