The Art of Giving - And Another Giveaway

I want to be one of those people that has thoughtful, appropriate gifts on hand  at any moment, so that if on a whim I am invited over to a friend's last minute birthday celebration, I show up with a sweet little something that's unique and interesting.

Instead, I always seem to be scrambling at the last minute, making a run into Target en route to said last minute celebration, and tormenting myself on whether to get a candle (boring), or a scarf.  I get all sweaty and panicky, imagining the look of horror and/or disappoint on my friend's face when she opens up another candle, and thinks, "Gee, couldn't you have given it more thought?"
Yes, I know, it's the thought that counts, and I do love my candles, especially if they are really different and special, but let's face it, anybody at anytime can run into Target and buy a candle.  You're not really getting them something they've always wanted, but never thought to get themselves.
Friends, be honest, I know I am not the only one that's in this boat.

So imagine my excitement when I came across these thoughtful, sweet little mini journals from Marta Writes the other day.

They are nice and petite so they fit perfectly in that big ol' mom bag we all seem to carry around.

And inside, there's pages and pages of fill-in-the-blank little questions where you can write in some random favorite thoughts for the day.  An exercise in focusing on the positive.  You know I love that!

  And she makes them in all these great covers.  During checkout you can tell her if you have a preference.

The thing I love most about these journals is that it's an easy exercise in reflection that takes little time commitment.  You can perform the exercise on a park bench while you're watching the kids play nice, or right before you go to bed at night.  There's just a few questions that help prompt a tired brain into remembering just how blessed our lives really are.  For me it's a perfect foray into journal writing, a task I always think about doing, but never really find the time or energy to do. 

And if I'm being honest here, how much would you standout in the gift-giving department if you gave one of these to a friend, or even your sister, cousin or mother?

And today my friends, I am giving 1 of these little journals away.  I'll pick a winner on Friday April 30th.  Just leave a comment below saying what your favorite sound is.  Oh, and if you do those little extras like tweet about it or facebook it or become a "follower" by subscribing to my posts, you will get an extra entry...just leave it in the comments section!

Happy Day My Friends!