JMB Living
Hi! I'm Julie, founder of The Art of Intentional Living Community and creator of beautiful guided seasonal journals focusing on wellness and living intentionally. I teach journaling as a tool, not only for mental wellness, but also for creating what you want out of life. My journals are quite unique – guided journal, planner and magazine in one. They include articles sharing inspiration from wellness professionals, vision board space, habit trackers and so much more. I also just released Worthy: A Radical Self-Love Journal. You'll also find videos on my YouTube channel with suggestions and ideas for slow living and intentional living.
julie@jmbliving.com
This morning I almost cheated... You see, I’ve given myself some loose guidelines about how I live in harmony with the seasons, particularly when it comes to what I eat and when. But sometimes it’s really hard to wait until the fruits, vegetables and bounty of the season are in full swing. So, for me, that means I’m not yet making anything pumpkin. I haven’t had a pumpkin spice latte. No pumpkin muffins. No pumpkin pancakes. Not yet. So how did I almost cheat? Well, this morning I made...
🌻 Habits that Steal your Peace...
What if you didn't fill the silence? Or the time you have before the next thing on your agenda? A couple of weeks ago, I left my mother's house, tooted the horn and waved goodbye, and almost immediately turned up the radio. My usual choice is a local public radio station. I like knowing what's happening in the world or learning something new. But that day's topic didn't really interest me, so I started contemplating putting on a language-learning program instead. After all, I didn't want to...
😛 I almost missed dessert!
Have you ever finished a really good meal and realized you barely tasted it? I almost did exactly that. I'd made a fresh apricot cobbler, sat down and reached for my laptop before taking the first bite. There were emails to answer and ideas I wanted to capture. But fortunately, I stopped myself. Instead, I simply ate. Bite by bite. Ooo, the buttery topping. Ah, the warm fruit. The crisp edges caramelized just right... It reminded me of how often I shortchange my own joy—not because life isn't...
The SNEAKY LABELS we give ourselves
The other day, I was walking through my neighborhood when I noticed a yard sign. It said: Sarcoma Survivor. Now that's a powerful label. It acknowledges something someone has lived through. It honors their strength and recognizes a chapter of their life they didn't necessarily choose—but survived. The rest of my walk, I kept thinking about the labels we give ourselves. Some we choose intentionally. Others sneak in uninvited... "I'm terrible with directions." "I'm not a creative person." "I'm...
💛 Weathered. NOT Worthless...
Rust Doesn't Mean Ruined... The other day I reached into the refrigerator for a jar of homemade sauerkraut and noticed the lid had developed a good bit of rust. I wondered if I should throw it away, but I decided to do a little research and concluded the sauerkraut was perfectly fine. It simply needed a new lid. Days earlier I had dragged an old metal garden arch out of mom's barn where I'd been storing it for years. It had collecting dust, moisture, and plenty of rust. My husband wanted me...
😡 I keep making the SAME mistake.
A reminder from Mother Nature... Hey there, I was outside before sunrise this morning, trying to beat the heat while pulling yet another patch of periwinkle vine from the hillside behind our house. As I mentioned in earlier emails, I've been working on reclaiming that hill since spring, and every time I head out there, I make the same mistake. I grab a huge handful of vines and pull as hard as I can. Very little happens. The roots stay put. A few stems break off at ground level. My hands get...
🌻 Life Update & Honoring the Season you find yourself in...
Honoring the Season You are In If you've been with me for awhile, you know that I often talk about seasons. Not just the seasons outside my window… but the seasons of life. And I wanted to share a little life update with you because I value bringing you along for the real journey — not just the polished parts. Last fall, my husband and I purchased a small lot in Helena, Montana. For years we’ve wrestled with the question of whether or not we should move someday. We truly love our life here in...
❤️🩹 The healing I never saw coming...
The stories we tell ourselves, may not be true... For years, I believed I had a sensitive digestive system. It wasn't always that way. But somewhere along the journey through menopause, my digestion seemed to change. I dealt with bloating, indigestion, and a growing list of foods that required caution. Over time, I adjusted. I learned about Ayurveda, changed the way I ate, experimented with supplements, took probiotics, drank kombucha, ate fermented foods, and faithfully made a batch of bone...
🌻 Busy Is NOT the same as engaged...
Good morning friend, Yesterday I spent most of the day working in the garden. By dinner time, my body felt tired. I'd hauled bags of mulch, dug holes in hard soil, planted shrubs, watered plants, and spent hours moving from one project to the next. It was a full day of physical work and yet though my body was ready for a rest, I noticed that while I felt tired, it was "tired in a good way". Not the kind of tired that comes from rushing through a packed schedule. Or the kind where I overdid it...
5 Ways to get more from your walk...
There are many things I love about this time of year, but the one thing that stands out is the ease of spending more time outdoors and the emotional and physical rewards for doing so. The days are longer. The flowers are blooming. The birds seem to have more to say. Even an ordinary walk around the neighborhood can easily be more this time of year. Over the years I began to notice that not all walks leave me feeling the same. Some leave me relaxed yet energized, inspired, deeply refreshed....