{ juSt wRiTe }

Something about the beginning of a new season always makes me want to write. And wanting to write leads me down a distracted path of trying to find the perfect NEW book to write in.

The best online place to shop for BEAUTIFUL journals is Anthropologie. As usual, they have a great variety of blank books. Just looking at the cover of this springlike pink journal makes me want to take it on a long walk.

Even better than a long walk would be a long trip (which I'm actually going to be taking in a week). This journal looks perfect for recording end-of-day remembrances - much more appealing than typing those memories on a computer.

If I were planning a trip to Paris, I'd have to get this one.
Now I'm going to go off topic. Notice the butterflies on the book cover. I really like them; they're pretty and appealing. It's very funny to me that I like them, because there was a time - about 20 years of my life starting when I was a teenager until my kids were teenagers - when I absolutely HATED images of butterflies. I can't even describe how much I hated them. I wouldn't buy anything with a butterfly on it. I still remember the year I took on a huge volunteer position - the secretary of the state Medical Wives Auxiliary. This was a big deal to be a state officer. When I went to my first meeting, the president presented her theme for the year, and it was all about butterflies and taking flight - with all kinds of butterflies decorating her materials. I almost resigned on the spot. Now that I look back, I really don't remember when or why I changed my attitude. But now I like butterflies.

This recipe journal is tempting since I like to write lots of notes and memoirs about the recipes I use. Sometime I'll share the insides of some of my cookbooks. To me, cooking and food memories are worth writing down and are really good reminders of times and places.

Just simply cute.

This one (which I love because of the wonderful blue-gray color) is called the Cloudy Memory Journal. Yeah, we all need this one. The writing on the cover of this book really doesn't make sense which makes it appealing in a weird way. On the top line it says "ANOTHER DAY CLOUDY MEMORY." The next line says, "at this moment am i drawing to remember or to erase." Then under the line are the numbers 000365.

I love a journal with a flap. This one is pretty darn cute too. Pink and green are a favorite combination of mine. Lately I've been loving all the chrysanthemums (took me three tries to spell that without a red line underneath) that I'm seeing in graphic design. The flowers on this book remind me of the mum look. Notice the red and aqua flower. I would never have put that color combination with pink and green - but it really looks good.

The insides sound interesting, but I'm not to attracted to the cover. Here's the scoop on this one, straight from the Anthropology website: "Little Otsu presents a cheeky little journal with pre-printed prompts that help you to keep track of your research, lists, journal entries, secrets, ideas, venting, things to remember, things to forget...

That's my review. I'm probably going to have to buy the first journal. But I think I'll wander over to Chronicle Books and see what kind of blank books they have. That should keep me from having to write for another hour or two. Oh yeah, here's the Cath Kidston Strawberries Notebook.........