A Tour Of My Filofax Crimson Malden

I've mentioned my Filofaxes a few times on my blog. The first time was in my Diary Love post back in 2012 and then in February 2013 I bought a new Filofax, a Malden in crimson which I blogged about in my It's Here post. After mentioning my Filofax again in my last post about journaling, I thought you might like a bit of a tour.

Unfortunately, Filofax Malden's aren't available in crimson any longer. I bought mine from the Filofax Italy website as this colour wasn't available in the UK when I bought it. It's a shame as it's a gorgeous colour.

I use dividers which have side tabs, Diary, Notes, Projects, Information and Financials and you'll get to see the designs as we go along.

Within these sections, I use top tabs to enable me to get to a particular subject more easily.

So let's open it up and see what's inside.

The inside cover has credit card slots where I keep lots of bits and bobs such as business cards, stickers, receipts etc, a small full length pocket at the front and a large full length pocket behind the card slots. There's also a small zipped pocket at the front.

Here are some of the things I keep in the front card slots and pockets, stickers, a lovely postcard sent to me by my special blog friend, Lisa from Jumble And Jelly, a little drawing done by Eleanor when she was very young, it says "We love our family", and a key to the colour coding I use in my diary.

My Diary divider. Can you see my cute little magnetic paper clips?

I use two diaries, the first is a month on two pages. I jot down all our dog walks on this. My main diary is a lined week on two pages diary. As I've mentioned, I colour code my diary, red for appointments, green for things which Eleanor's doing, black for general etc. I find it much easier to see things at a glance doing it this way and you soon get used to which colour is for what. The week photographed was the first week of the Easter holidays so it was very quiet, my diary pages are usually much fuller than this. I decorate each page with a little piece of washi tape and sometimes stickers if there's anything special going on, I like to make it pretty as well as functional.

As I colour code my diary, I need to use lots of different coloured pens. I've found the easiest things to use are two Bic 4-colour pens. I carry the one I use most often in my Filofax and the other one stays at home. If I need to write something in the diary when I'm out and about and I don't have the colour I need, I write it on a sticky note and transfer it to the diary when I get home. It's only ever happened once or twice.

The next section is Notes.

The first thing I have in my notes section are a couple of pages with sticky notes stuck to them. I use lots of sticky notes. Anything I need to remember gets written on a sticky note, and they can be lifted and moved to other sections if I need to.

The top tabs I have in this section are; To Do, self explanatory, lists of jobs I need to complete; Shopping, a list of things I need to buy as well as a list of things I'm waiting to receive if I've ordered anything online. I also keep a list of all the cards I need to buy throughout the year here; Books, lists of books I've read as well as a list of books I want to read; School, anything I need to jot down or keep track of about Eleanor's school; Uni, notes about Daniel's university. I also jot down anything I need to speak to Daniel about here to remind me when we Skype.

The Projects divider is my favourite. I just love that cute little pig.

In this section I keep notes about my blog, there's a list of ideas for posts. If you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll know that I set myself fun challenges each year which I blog about on a regular basis, I keep a list of these in this section. I also keep notes here about my healthy eating challenge and notes about my weight and the exercise I'm taking.

I also keep a track of my knitting and crochet projects in this section and the yarn which I'm using.

Information.

I only have two top tabs in this section, Holidays and Wish List, but other than these subjects, it contains a lot of random information. Wish List is a list of things I'd like. People often ask me what I'd like for my birthday or for Christmas so it's handy to keep a list. I also keep lists of things I see for other people, again, handy when it comes to birthdays or Christmas. Holidays is a list of the holidays we've taken and what they've cost. There's also ideas for days out, I come across lots of recommendations on blogs, so they get jotted down. I also keep a list here of the holidays Mick's taken from work. In the information section I also keep track of all the concerts, plays, exams etc. which Eleanor's been involved in with her singing and acting. There's also bits of information about what I'm growing on my allotment as well as lots of other random information.

Financials divider.

I'd seen these dividers on Etsy and asked Mick to buy them for me for Christmas. I'd actually asked for this divider to be Finance but this is what came. Never mind, it does the job. I don't keep much information about finance here as I have an A5 Chameleon Filofax which I use for my household finance, but I jot down some personal spending, such as what Eleanor's prom has just cost me, or what I've spent on birthday presents. There's also information here about Daniel's student loan and his accommodation fees. These finance pages came with the Filofax, I don't use them but I keep a few in this section as they may come in handy one day.

The last section is addresses. I have A-Z tabs so I keep a list of people's addresses here.

Right at the back of the Filofax is a clear pocket. I keep coupons in here. The 'Just to Say' card came from Sue from Our New Life In The Country. The doggy's so cute, a little like Sue's Rosy, so I tucked it in my Filofax.

The back cover of the Filofax has a full length pocket where I keep my driving licence, can you see, it's still a paper version, I've never gone over to the photocard licence. I also keep my optical record card here as well as my repeat prescription request. There's also a pocket for a pad but as I don't use a pad I use the pocket for my Tesco Clubcard coupons and there's also a little note in there from Flighty from Flighty's Plot which came with some seeds he kindly sent me.

So that's it. There's some personal bits which I've left out but I think this gives you a taste of how I use my Filofax. I hope you enjoyed the little tour.

Do You Journal?

I've always wanted to keep a daily journal but I find it so hard to keep up with it. I've bought many diaries with the date pre printed but so many of the pages were left blank after I'd forgotten to write that particular day's events that I got disheartened.

Back in 2006 I bought this notebook. It's nothing special, just an A4 size ruled book but I thought I'd give journalling a go in this. There's no dates printed in it so I just write the date before I start. I can't say I've fared any better at keeping up with it, sometimes I've gone months without an entry, but because it's not an actual diary, there's no empty pages so I haven't become discouraged and lost enthusiasm for it.

I have my Filofax which is used all the time, all my appointments, lists, notes and information gets jotted down in there, but it can be really useful to keep a journal too. I find that writing down my feelings, fears or anxieties can help me to work through them and it's a great way to record things too.

What about you, do you keep a journal, how long have you been writing in it, do you keep up with it every day? Is it a diary or just a book like mine? Nosey, aren't I?

Memories

Eleanor had her Music exam this morning. While she was in school, the yearbooks were handed out.

I know that it's common in the US for schools to publish yearbooks, but it's a relatively new thing here. Eleanor's yearbook shows each pupil's school photos from Year 7 and Year 11, a photo of each class in the school year and messages from the form tutors, head of year and deputy head (as they had a substitute head at the time the yearbook went to be published). Next to each pupil's Year 11 photo, it gives their name, their nickname, their most memorable moment and their final message.

Daniel's yearbook was a slightly different format to this one so I suppose it changes from year to year, however, it's a nice reminder of  the people they went to school with.

Challenge Update - May 2014

My 2014 challenges are:-

1) Knit one hat each week for The Innocent Big Knit.

2) Do something nice for me.

3) Choose a non fiction book from the library.

This month, I've knit the Innocent Big Knit Garlic again by Juliet Bernard which can be found on Ravelry. I've used this pattern before but I previously knit the hats in cream so that they resembled garlic, but this month, I've knit them in bright colours.

My nice thing for May was spending some time at Fairburn Ings RSPB reserve to get to know my camera a little better. I got my DSLR camera last year but I'm still getting to grips with it. I enjoyed taking lots of different photos, here are a few of them.

We've booked to go to Cornwall again for our holidays this year so I thought the Country Living Guide To Rural England - The West Country would be a good non fiction book to choose for May. It contains lots of information about various places in Cornwall, as well as other counties in The West Country. We're staying about five miles away from Bude so we're not all that far from the border with Devon, which we sometimes cross on days out while we're on holiday, so it's good to have information on places in Devon too.

Eleanor hasn't had any exams this week with it being the school holidays so we've had a bit of a lazy week. Just as well really with me just getting over my bad cold. She's still been revising but has taken a bit of time out for a couple of sleepovers at friend's houses as well as trips out with friends. Just two more weeks to go and her GCSEs will be finished. I hope all the studying she's done will be worth it.

Healthy Eating On A Budget

I'm often lucky when I visit our local supermarket, I seem to arrive just at the right time when yellow stickered items are being put on the shelves.

We don't eat lots of salad so I only grow bits and bobs, so being back on my healthy eating regime, I decided I needed to fill up the salad drawer in the fridge.

I don't think I've ever got bargains quite as cheaply as these.

A continental side salad for a penny, a bag of sweet alfresco salad for 2p, an iceberg lettuce for 2p, a bunch of spring onions for 7p and two little gem lettuces which the yellow sticker has dropped off but they were either a penny or 2p.

That's not only healthy eating but healthy shopping too, my purse is very grateful.

Nearly A Match

I love self patterning or self striping yarn, it takes all the hassle out of changing colours when knitting and I love to watch the pattern emerge as I'm working with it.

This is Regia World College Color in Bachelor, a yarn which is now discontinued. I usually knit socks in 4 ply but this is thicker, perfect for wearing inside boots in winter. The ribbed Thuja pattern also gives the socks a bit more bulk and pads them out.

When I use a self striping yarn for socks, I try to match each sock. As you can see, I nearly managed it, there's just a little more red on one toe than the other.

It's been quite a while between knitting my last pair of socks and these, but I'm back in the swing of sock knitting again so I don't think it'll be long before I'm casting on my next pair.

Nursing A Cold

I'm not ill very often, so why is it then that I could get a cold any day of the year, but it has to come for the bank holiday weekend?

Actually, it started on Wednesday and today is the first day that I've started to feel any better. It's really knocked me off my feet with the sore throat, runny nose, sore eyes and achey muscles, though I've had to carry on with all the household chores as you do when you're a wife and mum.

We hadn't planned to do anything this weekend. Mick was supposed to be playing cricket yesterday but the match was cancelled as the pitch was waterlogged. It allowed him an extra day to get Daniel's bedroom decorated. We've had the walls plastered as they've been papered before, so now we can just paint them. The carpet's being fitted next weekend. We're in a rush to get it done before Daniel tells us he wants to come home from university for the weekend again.

Eleanor's pleased that she's got a break from her exams at the moment, the next one isn't until next Monday. She's given the revision a rest this weekend, and yesterday she met up with a friend and they went clothes shopping in Leeds. It's the first time she's seen friends outside school since her GCSEs started, she's been non stop revising so it's nice for her to have a bit of a break, though I'm sure she'll soon be back to it as she's still got five more exams to come.

I'm having a rest this weekend whilst I nurse this cold, though hopefully, I'm now on the mend. I think an afternoon in front of the tv with my crochet is called for.

Nature Notes

It was back at the beginning of May when Mum from Mum's Simply Living Blog hosted a virtual spring fair with virtual raffle. The prize on offer wasn't virtual though, it was very real, The Nature Notes of an Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden, and I was the lucky winner.

Not only did Mum send me the book, but she also popped a lovely bookmark in the parcel too. I don't have many bookmarks so I was really pleased with this.

The Nature Notes of an Edwardian Lady is the predecessor to The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady which you may already be familiar with, and is written in a similar style.

The book is illustrated with Edith's watercolour paintings of flowers, plants, birds and butterflies which are just charming.

Edith's writing transports me to places I've never seen before.

On the 16th of March 1920, at the age of 48, Edith Holden died tragically by drowning in the Thames at Kew whilst gathering buds from chestnut trees.

Thank you, Mum, I shall enjoy reading this book very much.

The Times They Are A Changin'

My baby left school today. I don't know what I think about it really, I can't believe that both my children are now past school age, that makes me feel very old.

Here she is ready for her very first day at school, back in September 2002, she'd just turned four in July.

This was taken in September 2009 on her first day at secondary school. I can't believe how she's grown up in the last five years.

Another one for the album, taken this morning on her last day in school. She's glad that she doesn't have to wear a tie any more.

Eleanor's now on study leave, only having to go back in to school when she's got an exam scheduled. She's going back to sixth form in September to take A levels, but I'm sure she'll feel different knowing that she doesn't have to be there and that it's her choice.

Eleanor's had the same form tutor for the full five years she's been at secondary school. When she first started, he got the class to write a letter to themselves which he kept and handed back out to them yesterday.

They were supposed to write about what they liked and what they wanted to do in the future. This is Eleanor's. She only took two of the options she said she would, and she no longer wants to be a fashion designer.

This is what she wrote on the back of her letter.

I did as I was instructed and this is what I found.

Matthew was Eleanor's first boyfriend and they're still good friends, awwwww.

They all signed each other's shirts today, leaving lots of good luck messages for the future.

Eleanor's always loved school so today has been a bit of a wrench. Lots of her friends are going off to different sixth form colleges so it's been a sad day having to say goodbye to them all, but I'm sure the future holds lots of good things for her.

Evita

We had a wonderful time last night at Leeds Grand Theatre watching Evita.

Mick and I have seen it on stage before, but it was the first time for Eleanor, though she's seen the film and loves the music. She's performed songs from it many times on stage herself. This production was different from the last one we saw, we thought this was the better of the two, though we still enjoyed it last time.

Marti Pellow from Wet Wet Wet took the part of Che and he did a fantastic job. Last time we saw this musical, three actresses took the part of Evita, each playing a different time of Eva Peron's life, but in this production, Madalena Alberto played the whole part herself, quite a demanding role as she's on stage nearly the whole way through, and it lasts for over two hours.

The flyer includes a couple of quotes. The Stage: "I defy anybody who sees this production to say they have seen a better one". What's On Stage: "Everything about this show is spectacular... As good if not better than any of its predecessors...Truly magnificent". Quite a claim, but true in our experience.