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1. My little sister's birthday is May 22. I remember my father telling me, "Now you have a little sister to look after." From an "only" to an "older" is a big change in every child's life.

• Journaling Idea: When did you learn that a new member was joining your family? Who told you? What did you think? When did you first see your sib? What memories do you have of your brother/sister?
• Photo Idea: Take a photo of you and your sibs today.
• Page Idea: Show "then" and "now" photos. How are your lives similar? Different? Do your children look the same or share any family traits?

2. The Godiva Procession became part of the Coventry Fair on May 31. Lady Godiva rode naked on horseback to persuade her husband, the Lord Mayor, to ease up on taxes of the common folk.

• Journaling Idea: Do you have any famous nude or nearly nude moments in your family?
• Photo Idea: Check to see if you have any bath time photos featuring flesh. I cover up immodest areas with a piece of paper that says CENSORED to save embarrassment.
• Page Idea: Create a page "honoring" any famous "buff" highlights of your family members. Did your tiny son once streak out the door in his birthday suit as you paused to answer a phone? Did your toddler daughter seem fully dressed in her prettiest frock and ready to join the family for Sunday brunch when you discovered her Southern Hemisphere was … open air?

3. The Golden Gate Bridge opened in San Francisco on May 27. What famous landmarks are near where you live? Do research and discover the inside scoop.

• Journaling Idea: What is your favorite local landmark and why? Where do you always take visitors? What spot defines your local landscape?
• Photo Idea: You'll probably never get as good of a photo as a professional can. After all, you can't stop traffic or climb up a crane. But, your photo can include friends and family-so buy the postcard and snap the faces you love.
• Page Idea: Add the photo to your page. Or, trace the landmark and create a silhouette. Add the silhouette to your page. Alternatively, use artistic rendering of the landmark to echo the shape that signifies your home turf.

4. The Green Man-- his image appears every May. In England, this mythical character peeps out from the rafters of churches. He is often portrayed in carvings, masks and paintings as a man with leaves covering much of his face and even with leaves growing out of his mouth. The Green Man is a pagan symbol of the verdant earth with all its fertility. Unbidden, the warmth of spring brings new life and vegetation to every cover of the land.

• Journaling Idea: What revives your life? What brings you creative energy?
• Photo Idea: What plants grow abundantly in your garden? What can you count on to spring anew each year?
• Page Idea: No matter where you live, certain plants flourish. Perhaps you have a patch of mint that defies every attempt to purge it from your grounds. Maybe a tree you've cut down keeps sending up shoots. Is there a flower that re-seeds itself without any assistance on your part? Create a page devoted to those Green Men who find the energy to reappear, year after year.

New - Hip Tip:

Separate your photos from your negatives as soon as possible. Never keep both in the same place.

Two examples:

• 1) I put my photos and my negatives in a box to bring back from Florida this Christmas. When we arrived in St. Louis, the box of photos and negs did not show up with our luggage. The box had been lost in baggage. If I had stowed the negatives in one piece of luggage and the photos in another, at least I would have saved one set of images.
• 2) A woman came to a crop I hosted in England. She brought along the photos and negatives she had picked up at the developer. Somehow, the package of photos complete with the negatives were lost at the crop. If she had separated the photos and the negatives immediately, and left her negatives in the car, she would still have one set of the images.

--Joanna

Joanna's new book Adventures in Journaling is available in stores now! Look for it at your local scrapbook retailer or at my-memories.net.