2015 Daily Agenda // Vote for Your Favorite Cover Design!

We need your help! We've created this fantastic agenda for 2015 but can't decide on the cover. Vote on your favorite design cover and you will be entered into a giveaway for a free 2015 Daily (by the hour) Agenda by Jitney's Journeys!

We've also included a layout of the inside pages design so that you can get the full picture of the agenda design.

Dwell Richly: Inspired by Colossians 3:16, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly," we added this as a section for you to write in weekly scripture memory or things to be praying about. My current goal and goal for 2015 is to be more intentional... in memorizing scripture and praying for people. We hope you'll use it in the same way. [side note: We will share resources for different studies and ways to "dwell richly" throughout the 2015 year.]

By the Hour: Each page is one full day beginning at 6 am and ending at 9 pm. Fill in appointments, dinner dates, play dates, school schedules, or things to do (or to get done by that time). 

Today's Top Five: Set goals for yourself and feel awesome when you get to check it off your list for the day. Julie, one of our fabulous JCT members, likes to write in her Top 5 at the end of the day for the next day. (i.e. She'll write in her Top 5 for Tuesday at the end of the day Monday. That way, she can go into the office Tuesday morning and tackle it all without having to take time Tuesday morning to list out the goals for the day.)

[JCT = Jitney Creative Team]

The Feather: We couldn't help but sneak the feather logo design onto a few spreads including the holiday placeholders.

B & W vs. Color: The front and back covers will be printed in color but the inside (unfortunately) will be printed in a simplistic black and white. There was a significant price difference between the two so we tried to create the best looking B & W design we could come up with. We didn't want to waste the color designs we came up with so we added the monthly calendars as a printable product in our Etsy shop. (see below)

Size: I normally prefer a hefty 8.5" x 11" but we decided to go with 6" x 8.5" after much thought, advice and inspiration. Our church created a phenomenal journal for a Psalms of Ascent study we're going though as a church body. As soon as I laid my hands on it, I knew it would be the perfect size for the new agenda design. I called the printing company they used (Sir Speedy in Nashville) and was deeply encouraged by the woman (Pam) I spoke with. "It's so neat to know that when the journals are here, they're just pieces of paper; but when the church begins to journal in them, they become Godly pages filled with prayers and scripture." Yes, please. I would be honored to do business with you, Sir Speedy. 

Now, go Vote!

Don't forget to stop by our Etsy Shop and check out the 2015 Monthly printable calendar we added to our product listings this morning!

Watercolor Wednesday // Early Quiet Mornings

Aside from the fact I used watercolor as a medium (green triangle and a white-wash on the mug), I wouldn't quite consider this painting a "watercolor". It's really just a fun, quick sketch with lovely accents.

The quote, on the other hand, I'm loving.

I've been waking up super early the past few mornings (which is rare for me). Most mornings, JD lovingly drags me out of bed and I feel anxiously rushed to get the day going.

As I was slowly breathing in the fresh air this morning, these words hit me like a rock: 

Quiet, early mornings are rich for the soul.

There's something undeniably comforting about waking up with the sun and the birds, soaking in God's Word and drinking a warm cup of coffee in solitude. The rush of the day has yet to begin. 

Maybe you love the painting or maybe you just love the words. Maybe you hate it altogether. It's okay if you do [just don't tell me]. Either way, the print is available for digital download on our Etsy site! [click this link]

It's Our Fifth [Engagement] Anniversary!

Today marks the fifth anniversary of the sweetest, most joyful proposal I've ever experienced. I'm pretty sure I write about it every year but I just can't help myself. Maybe it's weird for me to post about it but five years is a big deal, right? While I write for our readers, I also write for myself, for my own documentation of seeing where we once were and how far we've come. 

I woke up this morning, turned to JD and said, "Happy 5-year engagement anniversary!! I'm so glad I said Yes!"

JD: But you didn't say "yes". 

This conversation happens every year. And I love it. I didn't say "yes" because I was giggling, crying and in shock. I'm also convinced that I did, indeed, say "yes" but JD couldn't hear me over my screaming sorority sisters. Regardless, we are now married and it was such a sweet, sweet evening. 

proposal.jpg

My favorite part of the night was the actual proposal, the deeply thought out words he spoke to me. We had / have no idea what God has in store for us. But to see how He's reflected these things in our marriage just over the past four and a half years has been overwhelming. Without the grace God has continued to show us, we're convinced that we would not be able to live such an intentional, enjoyable and deeply woven marriage. He has allowed us to dance wildly, sing loudly, cook (somewhat) deliciously, travel endlessly, laugh uncontrollably and love without restraints. Words cannot express how thankful we are for that.

You have rocked my world and stolen my heart

I want to spend the next 50 years and the next 50 after that

Dancing, singing, cooking, traveling, laughing and loving with you

 

Thank you for continuing to rock my world and daily steal my heart, JD Todd. 

 

[can't get enough? check out the entire proposal story here]

Watercolor Wednesday // Your Path is Beautiful and Crooked

It's official. You can buy your first Jitney's Journeys original watercolor print here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/204701274/original-watercolor-print-5-x-7-vintage

But before you purchase, read the story behind this print below. Hint: You may find a little surprise waiting for you at the bottom of the post. 

In all honesty, many of my days feel chaotic. My mind is a jumbled mess and my path seems completely at a standstill, blocked by trees (at least the view is nice!). 

During JD's most recent trip, I decided to take a watercolor class. This class was amongst many, many things I did during his absence to keep my mind preoccupied and my hands busy (so that I wouldn't bite my fingernails - a dreadful habit I never noticed until my brother pointed it out a couple of months ago). 

While searching for inspiration, I fell in love with a quirky yet charming photo of pigeon-toed vintage brogue shoes.  I immediately began sketching and painting.  

Most days, I'm super quirky. But not on purpose. It just happens that way. My feet turn inwards and my face turns a sweet shade of pink when conversations navigate towards me.

Some days I feel completely confident in what I'm doing in life. Then I snap back to reality and realize I have no. I. dea. And that's okay.

"Your path is beautiful & crooked & just as it should be." 

Just being honest here... it would be nice to have thousands of "likes" on FB or Instagram on all of the things I post but that's certainly not the case. This watercolor, however, had the most "likes" - by far - of anything I posted. 

That tells me that you're with me. Not only do I need to be reminded that my path is beautiful & crooked & just as it should be, but YOURs is too! 

So let's walk these paths together. 

Our beautiful, crooked, just as they should be, paths. 

Side note: In honor of our first "Watercolor Wednesday", we're offering free shipping on your purchase of this watercolor print.

Use code YOURPATH at checkout. Offer expires Sunday, September 28!! 


Inspiration // Fine & Curious

If you're searching for a new inspiration source, check out Fine & Curious.

While trying to figure out how we should hang the hammock our friend brought us back from Brazil, we stumbled across this image that led me to my new favorite nook in the interwebs:

Swoon. This photo is just the beginning.

Where have you been finding inspiration from lately?

Salutations // Dwell Richly // Email Etiquette

I need a new salutation to close my emails.

Most of the time I write "Thanks!!" at the end of an email. Does that mean I'm simply thanking the reader for reading the [most likely] entirely long email I just sent? I want something fresh and challenging. Unique and purposeful. Bold and beautiful. 

After learning some Google tips from my friend Emily, I hit up the search engine looking for the best salutations. Normal ones include Best, Sincerely, Regards, Respectfully, and Cheers. The crazy ones (which are also my favorite) include Later Vader, Gotta Boogie, Onward and Outward, and Rock On. A lady that I dearly love and respect ends her emails with Blessings. 

This morning I tested out Dwell Richly which derives from Colossians 3:16, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." I think it's a winner! 

I've been uber inspired by my sister-in-law Jackie who has been creating some AMAZING calligraphic wording lately. I bought some new nibs and ink, and I've been practicing every day. Not perfect yet but I'm improving! Nib: Hunt 99 // Ink: Yasutomo Traditional Chinese Ink

What do you use as a salutation? Do you keep it professional or fun? 

Let's Get Real

You have a story. An important story.

It's a story you can share with others, encourage others and display God's glory when telling it.

Now is your opportunity to discover the purpose in your story. 

Join Shattered Magazine and the Daughters of the King women’s ministry of Lindsay Lane Baptist Church for a unique conference encouraging authenticity as we embolden one another to find the purpose in our stories on Saturday, September 20th!

The event has a dynamic lineup beginning with morning worship led by local singer/songwriter Rebecca Jordan and followed by a personal story from Shattered Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Rachael Jackson. There will be a guided art session ["Share Your Story"] with your own painted canvas to take home. Finally, women's speaker and author Jennifer Devlin will finish out the afternoon coupled with time for feedback.

Bonus: Jitney's Journeys will be one of the vendors for the event (you can shop around during lunchtime and after the completion of the event). We've been working long hours in the Jitney studio brainstorming and creating new artwork and products specifically for this event!! We can't wait to set everything up! 

The vendor shopping will allow you to meet local ministries and help them fulfill their purpose! Shattered will be selling subscriptions as well. 10% of your purchases at the event will go to support the Women's Resource Center in Athens Al. Other local vendors at the event include: Pottery By You | Sweet Home Coffee Company | She's All That Boutique | Tisa's Pieces Pottery | Aggie's Arts

 

Find more information on the event FB page or register on the Eventbrite page. 

The Renaissance Man // Papa Roy Adams

My Papa Roy (my dad’s father) passed away Thursday afternoon. I tried to structure some type of status to post on Facebook but I found that I was incapable of formulating anything that would suffice. Thanks to the suggestion from my wise husband, I took the weekend to process everything rather than put pressure on myself to post something quickly. Though I still feel that any words I could write will be unsuited for this occasion, I also feel that I would be denying you of a glimpse into the life of a romantic, adventurer, photographer, businessman, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and husband.

 

My brother said it perfectly when he gave Papa’s eulogy at the funeral:

“Papa Roy was one of the last Renaissance Men, a true eclectic who tried any hobby or talent he could get his hands at. He lived life with an unfettered tenacity and had an insatiable sense of curiosity….”
— Chase Adams

Side note: Please read the entire eulogy Chase wrote here. 

I loved hearing people talk about their memories of Papa this weekend. Most of them had to do with his horses, technological gadgets, love for wilderness, in-home dark room (old-school photography development), the oh-so-memorable indoor pool with the retractable roof, and his success in business. Every memory that was spoken was undoubtedly paired with, “And his love for his bride, BettyAnne.”

There are some moments in life that deeply ingrain themselves in your memory.

Papa’s love for his wife (Gingin BettyAnne) is stamped there. Maybe I wasn’t looking for it or maybe it was because I’m married now, and I examine other marriages more carefully, but JD and I witnessed their love for each other like I had never really seen before when we spent some time with them in July. They were deeply protective of each other. They needed each other. They wanted to be together at all times.  They were patient with each other.

They showed us a deeply rooted, unhinging love.

JD and I helped Dad move them into an apartment during the Fourth of July weekend this year. Papa was trying to get through physical rehab and Gingin was moving in to be closer to him.

We arranged two twin beds in their bedroom so that they would be in the same room but would have enough space to walk in between the beds. Gingin wouldn’t have it. She requested that we push the beds together to make one big bed.

She wanted to sleep beside her groom.

They loved each other so much that they actually planned an escape route out of that facility together.

Gingin said, “I think I’m ready to get supper. Let’s go get a baked potato. I’ll go with [nurse].” So Gingin and the nurse began walking out of the room and she looked back and said, “Come on, Roy.” We quickly realized her main intention was not to satisfy hunger, but to satisfy the desire to escape with her husband. You really can’t help but smile at a romantic attempt-at-escape story like that.

The last day I saw Papa (in August while JD was on travel), dad and I rode over to their house. Papa was sitting on their screened-in back porch. It was beautiful. Peaceful. Calming. The sky was overcast, the wind blew softly through the heavily wooded forest backing up to the house, the tiny waterfall gently trickled into the pond. Papa asked me how JD was doing, if we were enjoying Huntsville, and what church we were attending.

Gingin walked out and sat with us. She had recently found out about his cancer and she was hurting. I can’t imagine (nor would I even want to imagine) what it must feel like to learn that the love of your life has cancer. The look in her eyes spoke the words written on her heart.

Her husband was in pain. She did all she could to carry that pain on her own shoulders, to remove it from him. Less than two weeks later, Papa passed away.

In the past few months, I have seen their love for one another – a fierce love, protecting and shielding one another to any measure necessary. They had a sweet, rare romance; full of joy, adventure (venturing to a total of 33 countries), understanding and oneness.

Dad really knew how to rock the 'fro.

Dad really knew how to rock the 'fro.

My heart aches for my dad, who is one of the most flawless, wisest, patient, business-savvy, kind-hearted men I know. I don't know what I would do without him. He felt the same way about his dad. Papa Roy was his business partner, one of his best friends and his exploring comrade. Many of you have heard stories about the boar's head that hung in my parents' bathroom when I was young (only a few of you were "lucky" enough to have actually seen it / or be terrified by it). When this photo popped up on Papa's tribute video, words cannot express the warmth that flooded my heart. Papa took Dad on countless wilderness adventures, the same as Dad took Chase on countless wilderness adventures, and I hope JD will be able to take our kids on countless wilderness adventures.

I hurt for my Aunt Betsy who lost her dad and my Gingin who lost her darling sweetheart. Please pray for our friends and family in mourning, that we may cling to the sweet memories of Papa Roy and honor his life well. 

The last thing I said to Gingin when I left her Sunday was, “It was a wonderful day.” In hindsight, it was a terrible thing to say. She laid her husband to rest. It’s an awful thing, excruciating.

But I meant that everything was just as Papa would’ve wanted it. The ceremony was warm, full of laughter, full of sweet memories; the room packed with people he loved. The entire day was filled with friends and family honoring his life, his children and his wife. As we gathered around the burial site and prayed, a soft breeze blew under the tent. And as we departed, a flock of geese flew over us and a thunderstorm rolled in. God comforted us by sending small reminders of the elements of nature Papa Roy enjoyed most.

While it was an extremely tough day, it still proved to be a wonderful day.

Jitney's Journeys : Jeremiah 17:7-8 Custom Barnwood Piece

My friend Judy was at it again with another brilliant idea. (I should really make a "tag" for her so you can see all of the artwork we've collaborated on.) Her husband's birthday was coming up and she wanted to give him a custom piece featuring Jeremiah 17:7-8 with a tree of some sort and maybe a river running across it somehow. I'm not sure if this is what she had in mind originally but I ended up creating the artwork on barnwood with a typography mixture of my handlettering with a clean, sans serif font. I fell in LOVE with it and I'm hoping they did too! 

As always, I'm deeply encouraged by the scripture I have the blessing of working with. There is beautiful hope and pure Truth in these verses. Oh, I just love it.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord.
He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
— Jeremiah 17:7-8

Find this and other custom artwork from Jitney's Journeys here. If you would like to order a custom piece of artwork or something similar to this, contact us here.