What's For Dinner? ~ Free Cards Winner

Now that I have one area of my home in order and under control, with the Great Studio Re-Do, It’s time to work on the next area.

Can we have a conversation about food? Ingredients, inspiration but most importantly: Dinners?

I visualize an epiphany for myself, an answer (or seven) to this difficult daily-recurring moment in my life. The moment when I realize it will soon be dinnertime. I have a huge urge to feed my family well and simply, whole and deliciously. I have a huge urge to feel like I have this part of my life figured out.

I affirm that someday the dinner preparation part of the day will be a joy, a time to connect as the kids help, a time to listen to music and drink tea, to put love and energy into the food I am preparing for the people I love. I affirm and visualize these things, but I’m not there yet!

Currently: I start to sweat and fret at about 4pm each night. I have tried to plan a weekly menu (it has been awhile so it is probably time to give it another whirl) but I have such a tendency to rebel against things like that. Thus, I really dislike this time of the day.

I am contemplating different versions and formats of the weekly menu – like possibly mounting my favorite 10-20 dinner ideas on boards and storing them in a little box in the kitchen, so I can quickly flip through and pick one...

I am a thorough Out-Of-Sight-Out-Of-Mind kind of person. Pair that with my tendency (my undying URGE) to have everything put away, and that makes for a lot of things out of mind, forgotten. At least until 4pm.


I visualize an inspirational Meal-Planning Area on my kitchen counter (it is already beginning to take shape). It is where the fresh peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchinis have naturally gathered after their receipt from the CSA (Osprey Organic Farm). It is where the recipes and cookbooks will someday sit, staying out, and staying in mind.


It’s funny, I pretend sometimes that I don’t have time to cook because the boys need me and the studio needs me and the laundry and garbage and dishes need me, however, the most important part of that is the boys. And to be honest, my children love to have me in the kitchen, working away. They know I’m available; they play together and run beneath my feet with their toys and homemade things. Or they help prepare. They rarely ask me to do things for them and understand that mama is busy creating dinner. This is a great lesson for them! This is a great way that I can show them the importance of a healthy meal that takes at least a bit of time to make.

And true, part of what keeps me striving for the above reality is the memories of my mom serving good meals at the table. We did TV dinners too, sometimes, which reminds me to cut myself some slack.

I have memories of my own mom happy in the kitchen – creating meals for her (I’m sure) gratitude-lacking family. I don’t remember ever thanking my mom for a meal – but now I expect that my children should thank me. Why not? So, I am contemplating a dinner discussion on gratitude – but what will we be eating that night? Will it even be something that I can feel grateful for?

I strongly value this quote by Hippocrates:
"Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food"

I am thinking the first ingredient of an evening meal should be sunshine (as I pull open the kitchen blinds) and the final ingredient: gratitude.

I’m affirming that I will get it all under control. I visualize a sunny kitchen where I can produce vibrant meals for a nourished family. I visualize my upcoming inspiration from eyeing brightly colored cookbooks with simple, natural (short) ingredient lists and very do-able task lists. I visualize my family feeling grateful for my efforts, and myself feeling thankful for my healthy family.

I will have this figured out someday – just as I figured out the studio. I know there area lot of moms who do have the dinner hour figured out, and I welcome welcome welcome the feedback, ideas, recipes, weblinks, discontent, questions, frustrations, solutions and friendship of anyone generously taking time out of their day to read this.

I will be honored for this to be a place (and on the Facebook page, too) where we can connect and share ideas.

The Free Cards Winner for last week is: Valerie – thank you ALL for playing along! Let’s do it again next week :)

Above Image: Washing Apples, collection of the artist, prints available upon request.


Have a wonderful day! And thank you!
Love & Sincerely, Katie

Visual Inspiration ~ Beauty in Everyday Life ~ Sweden Market Video

My boys and I had a blast today reorganizing the kitchen, finding just the right place to store our nuts and snacks where they would be easy to access, and less likely to spill, disappear and be forgotten about in some faraway cupboard. We do not have a large kitchen, but we have some poorly-used, near empty spaces (I’m a hopeless non-clutter type).

When I found myself staring proudly into the cupboard once we had finished, and then later showing my husband, I realized that this is all art to me! Two little boys helping in the kitchen, eager to clean dishes and sort nuts and stack boxes is beauty in itself, but the rhythmic, colorful arrangement of items has always grabbed my eye. Even back to the early days when I wanted to be a designer and artist so I could create food labels.

Some would think I’m crazy to photograph my cupboard, but my boys and I were proud of our healthy snack display. And seeing this image made me realize I wanted to share it with you... the beauty in everyday life.

And, going right along with that, I want to show you one of the videos I took while in Sweden (I took 300 short snippet videos from March 1-5 alone!). This video was extremely enjoyable to film as I found the bottles and cans, stacked foods and packages as enticing visual ignition for my creative eye. Rhythm, shape, order, color, pattern, line and form….

Now, I’m a vegetarian, and much of this video was hard for me to take (both "take" on the spot and “take” after watching it at home!).

I did NOT find the meat clips beautiful, they turned my stomach and gave me the willies.

But I like honest reality, as well. So I am warning you… never before have I seen so many non-enticing (in my opinion) bits of meat. Yes, that is kangaroo, crocodile and cow tongue that you see in there. As well as lamb, bear sausage, rabbit, elk and a variety of innards and sea creatures. Yikes!

Have a nice trip to the indoor market in Stockholm! And I hope you can find the beauty in your everyday life!

Love & Sincerely, Katie