Things To Love ~ besides the little ones & the hubby

Recently, I'm being kind to myself. Really. Maybe I should have been doing these things all along.

1) I'm reading. Even if it is just a few minutes a day ~ I'm doing it. I have two busy boys, a lot of laundry, a compulsive impulse to have a tidy and germ-free house, a full-time (pretty much) home business which includes a lot of painting and such, and the tactics of a saboteur (sabotaging myself in relation to goals and sleep). But when I realized that I had put away this inch-and-a-half book in less than 2 weeks I was inspired.

Broken For You, by Stephanie Kallos ~ really good. And clearly I have time to read, right?

Tonite I started: Life's Work, Confessions of an Unbalanced Mom, by Lisa Belkin

2) I'm browsing for art I like. I always said that when I had a house I loved, I wanted to decorate it with art that I loved, and art from my artist friends. I'm doing so (because I finally love my house).

Barbara Paanakker's Elephant Exhibit hangs proudly in my hallway ~ the morning light graces it and reveals the beautiful textures.









I await this beautiful print (left) from artist Susana Tavares which I will proudly hang. Susana lives in Portugal. ©SusanaTavares.etsy.com

3) I'm taking time to watch a bit of television. Hulu, to be precise. My actual television treats me to MarioKart with my little ones, but that is all, besides the occasional movie on the couch with the hubby. We like Hulu; no commercials, pick and choose ;) Parenthood, The Office & Modern Family are the ones I like.

4) I'm cooking healthful meals. Get that: I'm Cooking! Yes! When you eat healthy you have energy ~ and said energy can then be recycled into cooking more healthy meals! It seems so simple. But it certainly is not. We do our best. I love smoothies packed with spinach, apples, lots of bananas, orange juice, vitamin c, frozen blueberries and strawberries and I just started adding Goldenseal to help us stay healthy during flu season.

5) I'm buying more unhealthy (but not too unhealthy) treats, too. Freddies Nutrition Center ~ thank you for offering snacks that allow me to be a bit bad, but still good.

6) I'm talking to people I love. Not all of them, just yet, but as many as I can. Skype and the telephone ~ don't forget the value of a smile and the time to listen ~ they remind our loved ones that we care about them. When it comes to those I love, I think about a quote I read years ago (something like) "the tears cried at a grave are tears of regret"... I don't want those tears. Other kinds, yes, but not the regret ones.

7) I'm talking to people I don't know. Lots of them. It is so very fun. I give my smile, kindness and greeting to so many strangers now (that is a tricky subject with my little ones, so I best not get into it with them since I have been promoting Stranger Danger since they were tiny). Well, except that guy on the phone at my hosting company the other day ~ he didn't get my kindness, he got my grumpy attitude and my urge to stand up for myself and not take any crap from anyone. I really should have apologized before we hung up, but I forgot. Sorry man, I know it wasn't your fault.

8) I'm taking breaks from email and computer ~ realize that we sometimes get locked in to feeling our worth based on how many emails/etsy sales/facebook posts & friend requests we get? I'm not turning the computer on in the a.m. until my big boy is at school and my little one and I have had our walk together, it is working for me (of course there are exceptions to this!). Need me before 10:30am? Call me. And, if you are wondering, I am using the wonderful invention of scheduled-publishing, so blog posts can appear in the a.m. while I'm off galavanting.

9) I'm cutting myself slack - in cleaning and work. I'm going to bed with toys on the floor and unfolded laundry (even the wet stuff). I don't stress as much about baths and spots on the floor.

So, this is a start. Life is short. I recently read somewhere, someone said (something like) "when I think about the fact that I will someday be dead, it helps me to..." fill in the blank. Prioritize? Cut some junk from the to-do list? Stress the small stuff a little bit less? Whatever works for you.

So, now, clearly I'm sabotaging, because it is far too late for a mama of 2 early-risers to be tapping away.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! Do something nice for yourself, maybe?

Love & Sincerely, Katie

All Is Well & Something Beautiful

Two new 8x8 paintings have joined the 85 8x8s collection, All Is Well and Something Beautiful.

Thursdays are becoming a natural release date for 8x8s, find more posted next Thursday!

Learn more: http://kmberggren.com/portfolio-85-85.htm

Something Beautiful:
...Simply sweet, simply pure, innocent, inquisitive, fresh and beautiful...



All Is Well:

Lately, I've been relating stories to my 4 1/2 year old son - stories of him as an infant ~ how he slept in bed with me every morning ~ how we stayed together for hours, sleeping, waking, dozing, nursing, talking and singing. The house was empty except for us and all was truly well within that little world between the sheets. These are still the words I whisper in the middle of the night when he or his brother has woken with a fear, all is well...

Have a great night! Sincerely, Katie

Nurturing New Relationships

I recently met a woman over the phone who generously and spontaneously called to tell me her fondness for my work - it was wonderful visiting with her and she shared her interest in purchasing several originals. She carefully chose the titles that best suited her and we made plans to talk in a couple days.

The "old" me would have considered those pieces "sold" and began celebrating (only to be let down, annoyed and confused later), but the more experienced me (I learn something new every day about the business of art and business in general) appreciated the time she took to call and chat, contemplated how friendly she was and wondered why more people didn't just pick up the phone when they wanted to send a message!

We spoke again and she indeed was still in love with several pieces and chose to purchase several prints while saving up for the originals. I thanked her for her generous order and we vowed to keep in touch. I really like her and I feel so blessed to have begun this relationship.

My point here is to sort of congratulate myself for, but also share the value in, not counting one's chickens before they hatch, and with art - it is all about relationships.

I realize that I have been that excited person on the other end of the line a few times, eager to get those hardwood floors in (half a year ago) and deeply interested in a local artist's sculpture for my bedroom wall ~ I was genuine, but things change, values change and although I still adore both the sculpture and the floors, the time just isn't right.