Mrs. Davis PEACOCK (new)

This show is weird. And I don't mean that in a bad way. It's also a little all over the place. I watched several (I think the first three) episodes last night, and I still have absolutely no idea what is going on here, even though I could tell you pretty much everything that happened in the show's plot.

I'm not sure what entirely they're setting out to do, or even vaguely what they're trying to do, but it kept my interest. The lead is awesome, and the rest of the cast is doing well. It's also funny at times, which is definitely nice. I'll keep tuning in to see where this is going. But I'm putting it firmly in the wild and weird column.

Barry HBO (new)

These two new episodes in this final season were top-notch television. There is just so much to love. And obviously, at the top of the list, is NoHo Hank. Who, by all accounts, shouldn't be on this show anymore, his character shouldn't work. None of it.

But somehow, through the magic of storytelling and killer acting, Hank and his plotline are perfectly woven into the main storyline while holding court at Dave and Busters. What could be more entertaining?

Also, how they shot the Dave and Busters round table – is so great. Love that scene. Can't wait for more of this show. I really want to know how that Vanity Fair article is gonna go.

Abbott Elementary HULU/NBC(new)

Great season finale. I had been looking forward to it for the last few months – since the Abbott Elementary Instagram account had shared that they would be headed to the Franklin Institute for their end-of-year field trip.

Without any spoilers – I was very satisfied with the ending of the season and how they wrapped things up and set new things in motion for season three.

This is one of my favorite shows on TV right now. It's so accessible; it's about a real place (I love shows that are really grounded in their settings -- see Justified below), and it's also funny. And everyone is putting in brilliant performances from week to week. I can't wait to see it again this fall, and I also hope it wins all the awards (and Quinta doesn't have to accept standing over Jimmy Kimmel's limp body).

Justified (re-watch)

Just finished up the first season of the Justified rewatch. The rate at which the quality of the show increases is just astronomical. The last two episodes of the season are incredible. The way that they portray the relationships between "Fathers and Sons" (literally the name of the penultimate episode) cuts deep, as does their portrayal of what masculinity can look like as well.

The second season of Justified is one of my favorite seasons of any television show of all time, so I'm really excited to get into it. Margo Martindale is the best, and her character Mags is one of the all-time greats. It's also the introduction to Kaitlyn Dever, who you could already tell was going places.

Still Watching:

Succession, Transatlantic, Yellowjackets

Shows I need to catch up on:

Ted Lasso, The Big Door Prize?

Here's what I'm most excited for next week:

NFL Draft!

What did you watch this week?

First off. Let me start with a little bit of personal context. I have two overlapping headache disorders, and at this point in my life, I've got them under control. But the changing of the seasons is a really hard time for me, and some weeks (especially when the temperature changes are especially drastic), my brain just doesn't work how I want it to.

Luckily, I can usually muster enough energy to watch some television. So here's what I've been up to for the past couple of weeks:

Succession HBO (new)

Right before Sunday's episode, I turned to my partner, Jeff, and said, "I have a feeling we're in for a classic episode of Television". I was thinking something crazy would happen at the wedding (and while that's not necessarily incorrect…it's definitely not what I was expecting.

Big shout out to the Bergen County sheriff's department showing up at the Teterboro airport! Love seeing the little realistic touches in shows.

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Transatlantic NETFLIX (new)

The tone of this is so interesting. I love that it's based around real people and real stories during an exceptionally difficult time in history, but it's not an exceptionally difficult watch.

It’s about an American heiress and her friends who are trying to help refugees leave Europe, specifically Marseilles in France, during the lead-up to America joining WWII (aka when we were still ‘neutral’).

I’m not in any rush to finish this one. There’s no burning mystery to solve or puzzle box I need to work my way out of, but it’ll be there when I want to work my way back and settle into the story again.

Ghosts PARAMOUNT+ (new)

All caught up on Ghosts! It’s so CBS. It’s adorable. A few episodes are left this season; I’m not sure how many. And we’ll watch them as they come out. I’m really glad we picked this one up.

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Beef NETFLIX (new)

Idk if this is for me. It's not really easy to root for anyone, and the plot is a little too slow-moving. Even though the two leads are great – I don't think there's enough material for them to work with for a full season of a TV show.

Everyone else is loving it though, so it might be a good watch for some of you. It’s just not working for me right now.

Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies PARAMOUNT+ (new)

I turned this one off about 20 minutes in. I really wanted to like it, I love good musicals. But this was somehow simultaneously over the top while also feeling like there wasn't anything of substance happening at all. And worst of all, the songs weren't good enough.

Justified (re-watch)

Justified is one of my favorite shows of all time. It almost always makes it into my top ten. There's a new Justified limited series coming out, so I wanted to make sure to do a full rewatch of the original series before its release this summer.

Justified is a story about a US Marshal, Raylan Givens, out of the Lexington, Kentucky office, the closest one to where he originally grew up in Harlan County (an extremely rural part of the state). Raylan is in a constant clash with local criminal Boyd Crowder, who he grew up (and dug coal) with.

I love watching stories that are really about a particular place. The Sopranos comes to mind. The setting is alive and becomes part of the story just as much as any of the characters. I'm excited about this watch-through and even more excited to dive into the new limited series, which will take place in Detroit. So I can't wait to see how they see Detroit through the Justified lens.

Still watching:

Schmigadoon, Ted Lasso, Yellowjackets

Shows I need to catch up on:

The Big Door Prize, Abbott Elementary

Here's what I'm most excited for next week:

More Succession

What did you watch this week?

Succession HBO (new)

I'm so excited this show is back. It picked up right where it left off, with the same pace, the same tension, and the same drama. If the first season is any indication, season four (the final season) will be fantastic.

Usually, shows where everyone is a terrible person aren't for me. But, Succession is written as a high-concept farce, and that is something I can really get into. The characters are so well written and so well acted that the performances are really worth watching. And it really is hilarious.

This really is one of the best Sunday night HBO shows in a while. Probably since the mid Game of Thrones years. It makes Sunday evening something to look forward to instead of dread.

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Yellowjackets SHOWTIME (new)

My favorite New Jersey high school girls’ soccer team is back and just as traumatically weird as before!

I love that this show is almost entirely made up of women. There are a few male characters around to fill out the cast. But it's so great to be watching a show where it's all about this thing that these girls went through together. It's such a different perspective. Especially with the different timelines.

Yellowjackets is definitely not for everyone. There are a lot of horror elements, and it gets pretty gruesome at times. And the whole thing is extremely traumatic. But it is a great story, and I can't wait to see more of it revealed this season.

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The Big Door Prize APPLETV+ (new)

We watched the first three episodes (that's what came out this week) of this new one on AppleTV+. It's fine so far; kinda slow start.

The reviews and the blurb on the screen keep calling it sci-fi, but so far, there's been absolutely nothing that I would consider sci-fi that's been revealed on-screen. I'm sure we'll get a reveal later on in the season…but I don't know if that's helping or hurting the story.

It's a novel adaptation, and I can see it working well as a novel and how the small-town setting really works in the written setting. But there are a lot more questions that are raised (and not answered) when it's in the TV setting.

I'll be sticking with it and seeing where it goes, but the first few episodes didn't blow me away.

Night Agent NETFLIX (new)

Started this one last night, so I don't have too much to say about it yet, but it's absolutely piqued my interest. The first episode was really great, and the next two (predictably) slowed down a bit, but they've really kept the plot going and I'm enjoying the story thoroughly. Also, Hong Chau is just stealing every single scene she's in.

Night Agent is a mixture of a bunch of the different action movies and TV shows we've had in the past: Jason Bourne, 24, Slow Horses, Bodyguard, etc. So if you like any of that, this one might suit you.

It's also fairly realistic. Everything that everyone is doing is never way over the top. There aren't 26 people who pop out of the shadows who each have eight assault rifles with unlimited ammo. The action scenes aren't there just for the sake of blowing stuff up. It's a tactical show, and I can really appreciate that.

I have a feeling we'll finish this one out before next week's update – so I'll let you know how it finishes out.

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Dance 100 (new)

Finished up Dance 100 this week. It was the perfect kitchen show. If you like watching dance shows – absolutely check this out. The drama at the beginning of the show mellowed out a little bit towards the end.

The final few episodes had some really excellent dance numbers with really significant numbers of dancers, and it was always so much fun to see what the choreographers came up with.

Still watching:

Ghosts, Party Down, Ted Lasso

Shows I need to catch up on:

Swarm, The Magicians (rewatch)

Here's what I'm most excited for next week:

Schmigadoon Season Two (Schmicago), Return of Abbott Elementary, more Succession and Yellowjackets…

What did you watch this week?

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Shrinking APPLE+ (new)

Loved the finale! It wrapped everything up really well, and I'm super excited for a second season of this show.

Harrison Ford talking to his grandkid was hilarious. He’s been so funny throughout this whole show. Him coming in and talking about Jessica Williams’ character. Such growth.

Loved the tiny twist at the end of the episode. That will add some fun into next season. Also – I'm so glad she's getting work. She was delightful on SNL. I hope we see more of her next season.

Shadow & Bone NETFLIX (new)

This was a fun watch. I’m a big fan of YA, and everything about this was great. It’s not trying to be the best TV show of all time, but it’s trying to tell stories with great characters, and it pulls that off.

I hope it gets another season, or we get that Six of Crows spin-off. They set everything up really well, and I would love to spend some more time in that world.

It’s also fun to see the Russian-esque setting and the more Eastern European and Far East setting this year. Since so many of our adaptations are set in the US or traditionally English-speaking countries. One of my favorite things about the show was zooming out on the map and seeing the letters change.

I’m a huge sucker for maps. This was a delightful show, and I hope there’s more.

Ted Lasso APPLE+ (new)

I really do love Keeley's character. It's great to see real female friendship on what would normally be a really male-dominated show.

It'll be interesting to see where the rest of the story goes and how they either wrap (or don't wrap) these stories up.

The Roy Kent arc is always so delightful to watch. I do like how this show tackles toxic masculinity. There aren't that many sports shows that are doing that week-in and week-out.

Party Down STARZ (new)

This week's episode was fine. I'm usually not the biggest fan of just watching other people do drugs; it's not the most creative use of creative people.

Did we all know that the streamer is the brother of Abbott Elementary's Tyler James Williams?

Zoe Chao's chef(?) character is a fabulous addition to the show. With all the chef stuff we've had on screen the past year or two, this is such a hilarious view of what creativity looks like in the kitchen.

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Dance100 NETFLIX (new)

This is an interesting dance competition show on Netflix. There is a lot of drama. But it's easy to put on in the background while I'm creating on the couch.

It's fun to watch the actual dancing, but I really don't care about the drama at all – and it's definitely a show that is pushing the drama to the max just for the sake of drama.

Ghosts CBS/PARAMOUNT+ (new-to-me)

Obsessed with the two-part Christmas special. The guest star is the biggest bad on Bones, and I can't ever see him as anything else (even when he was the brother on Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, and everyone was singing and dancing). So it was delightful to see him in this sweet show.

Also, Trevor (no pants) was in Succession! He's ratf*cker Sam! Loved seeing this on my Succession rewatch and figuring that out.

We still have a few more episodes to catch up – hopefully, we'll get there before the season finale.

Shows I need to catch up on:

The Magicians

Here's what I'm most excited for next week:

Succession, Yellowjackets, Up Here, Swarm (didn't get to it yet)…

What did you watch this week?

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Shrinking APPLETV+ (new)

This show is so easy to watch. Even though it's about hard stuff and messy relationships, it's such an easy simple show about people who "probably should have it all together" but absolutely do not.

I thought this was a great penultimate episode. They really put everyone in place for a great season finale. I'm glad Harrison Ford's character made the decisions he did. Letting his character not lean all the way into a 'frustrating a-hole' is really great.

I'm looking forward to seeing how they shift the pieces for season two. Where does Liz fit into all of this? Will this new catering company exist? I really want that for them. She needs to get the hell out of the house, and Sean needs something that lights him up and someone to help him along the way. But that's next season – let's see what happens in the next episode first!

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Ted Lasso APPLETV+ (new)

Ted's back! The first episode made me a little sad. No spoilers, but I will say that Roy's niece is still one of my favorite characters on the show.

I love that Ted's kid got a tiny little British accent after spending the summer with his dad in London; that might have been one of my favorite parts of the episode.

Ted kept asking, "why are we still here" and I think it was a bigger question – why is the show still around? And it made me think about what do I want from this show. It started out as some tiny web-comic when we were barely making videos for the internet. And now it's a worldwide phenomenon that created individualized billboards for each of the men on the United States men's national team before they went off to the world cup last year. It's been a crazy ride, but where should it be going from here? I don't think I actually know the answer just yet. I really do like the world of Ted Lasso and spending time with the characters, but is that still enough?

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Abbott Elementary HULU/NBC (new)

AE is a great show. All the haters can just hate away. The characters are delightful. The setting is so spot-on that it hurts. And it's wholesome. It's really great to see a wholesome, warm-hearted, and hopeful show about a public school with Black kids and Black teachers.

Not exactly show-related – Quinta has been rocking the red carpet these past few weeks. She's a small person like me, so seeing her wear these amazing styles has been a delight.

This last episode was excellent. They brought back a past guest star, and he plays the best villain. One can only hope that we get a musical episode one of these days, and he can come back for that episode too.

Party Down STARZ (new)

I'm just loving the revival of this show. The addition of Jennifer Garner is amazing.

There are some shows for me that are a little more passive – I can do a little bit of drawing, writing, or organizing while watching them. I used to feel guilty like I somehow liked the show less because it was a multitasking show. But I realized it's just a different type of show for me. Some shows you need to be super active to watch (Dark, for example – complicated German time travel show with subtitles, multiple timelines, and very complicated family trees), and some shows can be super passive to watch (the re-watch of your favorite sitcom because you already know what has happened five times over).

Honestly, I think I could probably watch Adam Scott in almost anything.

Shadow and Bone NETFLIX (new)

I watched one episode of this last night before falling asleep, and I was thrilled. I'll get back to this over the weekend, I'm sure.

I love YA fantasy, and Shadow & Bone is absolutely good enough. Everyone is doing a good enough job acting; the story is good enough, the costumes are great, and everyone is super cute. It's not trying to be prestige TV, so it's not worth comparing it to prestige TV shows.

I heard they're trying to spin off the Six of Crows stories into their own show. This would be awesome because this episode already had a lot going on, and as fantasy series goes on, they tend to get more intense. So spinning off some of the outer worlds into another series instead of bloating your one show sounds like a great idea.

Succession HBO (re-watch)

Succession's final season comes back next week. so this has been what we've been watching most nights. I can absolutely 100% understand why people hate this show.

Every time I re-watch this show, it becomes funnier and funnier to me. I think it's because each time I'm watching it, I'm watching it less like a modern television show and more like a person sitting at the Globe theater watching Shakespeare being performed when it came out when it was about politics and class issues of the time.

We're up to early season three, and man. These are some tragic humans. I cannot wait to see how we deal with them in the final season.

Shows I need to catch up on:

Ghosts, The Magicians

Here's what I'm most excited for next week:

Swarm, Succession (season 3), more Shadow and Bone, Yellowjackets, and a few other things a little further out.

What did you watch this week?

Ghosts (Paramount+)

We’re still catching up on Ghosts (the American version — you’ll soon learn I have a love/hate relationship with British humor). We started watching a few weeks ago and just got to season two this week. I’m still pleasantly surprised at how much I’m loving a CBS (aka Paramount+) comedy. But with each episode, there are more laugh-out-loud moments.

Shrinking (AppleTV+)

I’m enjoying Shrinking, especially this past episode. Everyone has regrets after a drunken party — right? So glad that I don’t drink anymore. On Shrinking, everyone is so intertwined in everyone else’s life. It’s messy drama, and probably because half of the cast is a licensed therapist, everyone has a little bit of grace about it. This is much easier to watch than drama-filled shows where all the characters refuse to acknowledge anyone else is going through a hard time but themselves. This remains true even as the topics in Shrinking get hard and heavy at times.

The Last of Us (HBO)

Last night’s episode was great. I love when a show produces a great penultimate episode, and I’m glad that The Last of Us pulled through on this one. I was a little disappointed with the previous episode, and last night’s episode made me happy that I was watching the show week to week again.

It was intense. There’s a lot more I’d like to dive into on this one. Especially about this episode’s character of the week. He was definitely a character worth some study.

The Magicians (Netflix)

This is my current “kitchen show”. I’ve always got at least one show that I’m watching in the kitchen/at the front of the house. It’s usually something I’ve seen at least once or twice so I don’t have to pay too much attention to it while I’m supposed to be making dinner or doing whatever other chores I’m up front working on. Right now our kitchen show is The Magicians, which can now be found on Netflix.

I adore this show. It’s got some of the most beautiful storytelling in any television show ever made. We just started the last season, and I love the way they wrap up the story. It’s such a pleasure watching it.

Party Down (Starz)

Party Down is back after like a decade of being off the air. It comes back even sharper, especially if you’re an Adam Scott fan. Jennifer Garner shows up and she’s a gem. Everyone is a little bit older, but if you watched the show when it was originally on you’re a little bit older now too.

There have been two episodes so far. The first episode was a bit of a prologue, and this past week’s episode was where this season really started. I’m excited to see where this season goes.

That’s what I’m Currently Watching, how about you?

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Welcome to rukristin’s Currently Watching.

Television rocks. I’ve been documenting the TV shows that I watch for more than a decade in my scrapbooks and art journals.

1. I’m a TV snob & I love sharing shows

I’ve been documenting the TV shows that I watch for more than a decade in my scrapbooks and art journals. More than ten years ago, I started a journaling challenge called “Currently List” the first prompt on the list is ‘watching’ and the one I always have the most to say about. I still use these Currently Lists each Monday in my daily art practice.

For this space, I wanted a place where I could expand on that even more. I love talking with friends and family about what I’m currently watching and telling people about the shows I think they would love. Telling people about their new favorite show is one of my love languages.

2. The Currently Watching community

I'm big into community, and I love internet friends. I’ll be sharing the shows I’m currently watching, and I would love to know the shows you’re currently watching too! Substack has great ways for us to connect — and I’m so excited to hear about the shows that you’re watching as well!

3. What to expect

Free Subscribers:

• Each week I’ll have a list of the shows I’m Currently Watching, where you can find them, and a few quick thoughts on that week’s episodes (spoiler free).

• Each month I’ll have a rundown post of the shows I watched and who I would recommend them for, and who I think should steer clear.

Paid Subscribers:

• Each month I’ll have a ‘What’s Coming Soon’ post with shows that premiere in the near future that is on my To Watch list.

• Community chat about the shows that we’re currently watching (with spoiler alerts)

4. Let’s Experiment!

I’m excited to see what works and what doesn’t! I’m never going to stop watching TV or documenting my life, so I hope this can be a great place for me to share those things with you.

I just finished watching La Casa de Papel on Netflix. It's a TV show, about pulling off the greatest heist at the Royal Mint of Spain, set in Madrid. It is a Spanish language show. So subtitles were a must for me.

I've been watching a lot of foreign language TV shows lately. Because I need to look at the TV and read the subtitles, I have to pay much more attention to what's going on. It becomes a much slower watching experience and it's something I'm really enjoying right now. It's much harder to binge eight episodes of a show when you have to read everything they're saying too.

That being said, this is absolutely one of my favorite things I've seen all year. Top three no doubt. It's absolutely amazing. The cast ( I literally had no idea who any of them were before the show, they're all actors from Spain) is so good; you get to really know all of the characters. They're all a rag-tag bunch of different people with different problems that are all revealed in such well-timed moments throughout the show.

The heist itself: breaking into the Royal Mint of Spain, and then just printing all the money for yourself, is absolutely brilliant. Throughout the episodes, we see successes and failures as they try to go through with this meticulously planned out (as we see through flashbacks) idea.

Things I love about the show:

1. Everyone gets a story: there aren't that many episodes (13 total) and you get everyone's perspective, and they all have very different perspectives, but they're all there to get this thing done.

2. I love a good heist, Thomas Crown Affair? The Oceans' Movies? They're so good. The stakes are just high enough and there's so much planning that goes into it. I love planning. This show also gave a great wink and nod to some of my favorite classic heist movie moments.

3. It's got everything you'd want from an action-adventure movie trilogy and a TV show, all wrapped up into one package. It's shot well, it's written well, it's really beautiful, and it's just a pleasure to watch.

I'm definitely going to watch this show again real soon. If you like heists, good character development, or exciting action-thriller shows, I highly recommend La Casa de Papel or Money Heist as it's called in here in the US.

Have you seen any of La Casa de Papel? Let me know in the comments! I'm absolutely obsessed and I'd love to find more people who are loving this show. If not, you can watch it on Netflix asap!

Find it on Netflix

Currently. It's my right now story. 

I'm all up in my head right now. The February/March handoff went very poorly. Between preparing for our trip to DC, going on the trip to DC, getting sick on the trip, and spending the next week sick in bed -- I had lost like three weeks of my life. Like I was there, I lived them, they were full human days -- but I don't remember jack about them. The ensuing catch-up time didn't help either. Now we're sitting in the middle of March and I need to get a hold of myself and shut this whole thing down.

When I fall of the right-now documenting wagon, I do this thing. Every day for one week, I write out a currently list journaling card. I usually relegate Currently cards to once a week on Friday nights. I haven't written out a card in a month and it's my project and I'll do what I want. This is what works for me.

Over the next seven days I'll be filling out one of my Currently List journaling cards each afternoon. I set an alarm on my phone to remind me and I left supplies on top of my desk to make this as easy as I can for myself. The goal is to be successful, not enabling more failure

I want to document my right now life. I want to remember all the little moments. The things that might not seem important right now, but provide incredible context for the narrative that is my life. Currently list makes that super easy and I really enjoy filling out my cards and sharing them with others. I like the reminder that the little things that are currently happening in my life always seems to be happening in someone else's life too.

Want to join in on the Currently fun?

Download the free Currently List journaling card here.

Last week I was feeling like I needed a little boost of me-power. The moving to Michigan date is getting closer and closer and I needed a quick re-focus on where I was right-now, instead of getting caught up in everything going on in the just distant future.

Do you ever find your mind going there? It's one of my biggest productivity killers -- I get anxious about those things that are just too far away to do anything about, and then I wind up paralyzed until its actually time to do something.

My Solution: A five-minute re-focus each day. What am I doing right now? Who is this person today?

Usually I fill out a Currently Journaling Card each Friday night -- I set an alarm on my phone for 8pm, I'm usually at my table crafting, so it's a great time to reflect back on the week. This week I needed an even closer focus on the right-now, so a card-a-day worked out perfectly.

Because I want the Currently List journaling challenge to be accessible to everyone, I made the original Currently Journaling card a free printable. You can print it out as many times as you like, on your favorite paper, and use it till your heart is content. If you share on instagram, feel free to tag me @rukristin or use the hashtag #CurrentlyList so I can check out your list.

Okay. I filled them out. What now? 

I put these cards in my For Me album -- a no-rules, here's what I'm thinking/feeling right now scrapbook album. Using a 3 pocket-page protector and a 4 pocket-page protector, I fit all five cards in a spread with some room for a 4x6 Studio Calico card and a 3x4 Kelly Purkey letterpress card that I've been holding onto for way too long.

There are no right/wrong ways to use these cards. You can add them to your Project Life album, stick them in an art journal, make a mini-album out of them, or find a way to document them all your own. They are designed for you to tell your story -- go crazy with them.

Here's what my five cards look like in the album:

Take five days to re-focus on the right-now, commit to taking the Currently List challenge once a week, or fill out a list whenever it strikes your fancy.

Who are you Right Now?

The Currently Journaling Challenge was something that I came up with at the beginning of last year. I wanted to document each week by reflecting on the same set of seven questions and sharing those answers online.Over the past year we’ve built up an awesome community. I've made lots of  new friends and I look forward to seeing everyone’s answers each week. It’s a great conversation starter, some of my favorite instagram and blog discussions have been from talking about our currently cards.

What do you do with your lists?

Most of my lists go into my project life album, although I have several Currently journaling cards from the summer when I switched up my memory-keeping style. I'll be putting those cards into their own book and sharing it later this month.

Play along by downloading the original Currently Journaling Card (free). Be on the lookout later this month — brand new Currently Journaling Cards for 2014!

Each weekend, I share my #CurrentlyList journaling card on this blog, as well as on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Learn more about the Currently Journaling Challenge and play along today.

Download the Free Currently Journaling Card: Original Edition