Currently: vol. I

I really want to get into the groove of this blogging business, but I am still struggling. I am struggling to make it all fit in a nice and neat little package along with a sporadic part-time job, freelance design work at home, house cleaning, trips to Arkansas, Etsy sales, being president of the downtown organization, church website updates, and my sanity. So to fill my desire to want to make a blog post, but feeling too overwhelmed and not knowing what to write, here is my Currently, Vol. I post. 

Thinking about: All the things I need to do. Do I try to write up a few blog posts? Clean my floors? Go buy paint for the new cabinet we bought? Work on a custom logo design? List new cards? Have a snack? Organize the files on my computer? 

Watching: Wishing I was watching Designing Women...and eating pizza.

Planning: Updates to our church's website, logo designs, greeting cards, trips to AR, t-shirt sales, lunch, Organizational meetings, the weekend...to name a few.

Loving: My husband and the fact that I get to spend all weekend with him celebrating my upcoming birthday. Donuts and the new Cinderella movie? Yes, please. 

Disliking: Being cold. Saturday was such a tease, and I had big plans this week for soaking up some sun while cleaning out my horrendous flowerbeds and my car. Please bring sunshine for my birthday.

Listening: To the clock in my living room that my brother said sounds like a crazy ceiling fan. Thanks, baby brother, for making me realize how annoying that clock (that I had never even noticed before) really is.

Feeling: Cold feet. I don't mean the nervous kind, I mean my feet are cold. Always. I just need some sunshine, y'all.

Craving: Taco Salad. I have been trying to eat a lot more salads (and by a lot more I mean any salads) lately, and clearly any salad is better if it has the word taco before it.

Making: Greeting card designs and soon...taco salad.

Dear, self.

Dear, self.

You have what it takes. 

You may not know it yet, but you do. You will see. 

I know you have your doubts, but please look past those feelings and see all of the things you have to offer. Remember all the things you have overcome in the past. Stop second guessing yourself. Stop selling yourself short. Stop looking at other makers/bloggers/wives/women and thinking that they are better than you because maybe they make quilts, sell their organic whatever it is, or cook five course meals for their husbands while simultaneously breastfeeding and doing yoga. 

Wake up. Look at your strengths. Be proud of your accomplishments, and then use them to power you on to the next endeavor. You may fail, but that is okay. "Failure is success in progress." (According to Google, Albert Einstein said that. I am going to go with that.) 

For once try to see yourself as others see you. Stop thinking that all those nice compliments are people "just being nice." Realize your value...your talent...and how freakin' cool you are for just being you. No one else can be you, so just do your thing. Stop worrying about if you look dumb. Someone probably thinks you're dumb, but so what? Sometimes being "dumb" is a lot of fun. It is a lot more fun than worrying about pleasing everyone or fitting in or following a trend, so just do what you want, and do it to the best of your ability. 

You are rockin' this whole "you" thing, so just keep doing what you are doing. Every morning try to take a step back and realize that you are on your way. You may not know where you are going, but be determined to make the trip a fun one. Work your butt off, and even though the results may not be what you imagined...they will be pretty great. 

xoxo, 

Katie 

Monkey Bread Muffins Recipe

I feel I should start with a disclaimer that I am not much of a cook. I have a very small rotation of meals that I can make consistently, and they involve a lot of dumping, stirring, and serving. Nothing gets too complicated around here. Many of my seasonings come out of packets, and in this example the biscuits come out of cans. But don't let that deter you because these are the bomb.com. Unless you are a health nut or committed to a diet, because this ain't no weight watchers' recipe, folks. 

This recipe is so insanely easy. The basics came from two different recipes from Pilsbury, but I combined and adjusted them to make a smaller batch using just one can of biscuits. This recipe makes 8 good sized muffins (1 biscuit=1 muffin), and they reheat just fine for a Sunday morning before church. 

Monkey Bread Muffins

One 16.3 oz can biscuits (I use honey butter)  

1/4 c. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon 

1/2 stick butter 

1/4 c. (heaping) brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 8 cups of a muffin pan with nonstick spray. Cut each biscuit into fourths. 

Mix cinnamon and granulated sugar in a medium bowl. Roll quartered biscuits in the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Place four pieces in each muffin cup.

 Melt the butter and mix with brown sugar. Pour 1 tablespoon over each "muffin". 

Bake for 13-15 minutes. 

Enjoy with a big glass of milk. 

And don't be fooled. I eat two of these babies at a time. 

Tips: 

*The baking time seems to vary each time on these. I set my first timer for 13 minutes, and then I set timers at 2 minute increments after that until the inside is done when I lift up on one of the pieces.

*Don't leave them to cool in the muffin tin. They get really sticky really fast, and this make them more difficult to get out of the tin.

*Don't make these for breakfast and then leave the dirty tin sitting in the kitchen all day while you shop at IKEA and have lunch with your guy. This stuff sets up like glue, y'all. You will regret it...especially if you have to hand wash dishes like this girl. 

Now go get the stuff to make these, so you can have them for breakfast tomorrow! 

xoxo, 

Katie 

February Funk

February Funk n. 

NORTH AMERICAN

a state of blah; lack of motivation that occurs in the second month of the year, resulting from cold weather, lack of sunlight, and longing for fresh flowers. 

"I have accomplished very little this month because I have been caught up in the February Funk." 

synonyms:

a (state of) depression, a bad mood, a low, the dumps.

I know I am not the only one feeling this. Right? Tell me it isn't just me. 

I am sure I must feel it every year, but good grief, folks. This is getting ridiculous. It is that feeling where I want to do and make and change and fix and grow...but I just can't seem to find the motivation. I have all of these inspiring ideas, but all I want to do is lay on the couch wrapped in blankets with food and a Diet Dr. Pepper. 

I have dreams of garden planning, business happenings, rearranging furniture, switching wall decor, deep cleaning, getting back to jogging...but I think all of that will just have to be on hold until at least mid-March. 

I just don't have it in me right now. 

So I made cookies. 

Here's to the weekend and hoping Monday brings some new motivations!

Do you experience anything like this? What do you do to get over that hump? 

xoxo, 

Katie 

Be an Encourager

Encouragement.

I never truly realized the value of this one word until I became an adult.  As kids we get green ribbons just for participating in the science fair, trophies just for playing t-ball, and a t-shirt just for entering the tournament. We get accustomed to praise and encouragement.

It seems that now, as adults, we need that encouragement more than ever. We don't get awards just for showing up to work, and sometimes, even when we work our very hardest, we feel like no one even notices. After 20 years full of green ribbons and cheerleaders, life happens, and this all sort of stops. Because of this many adults struggle just to keep on keepin' on. 

When I started this post, I came really close to talking specifically about creative adults. And while I do believe it is totally applicable to them, I realized that (duh) it doesn't matter what a person is doing, we all want to know we are doing it well. So why is it so hard to tell someone they are doing a good job? 

I, for one, have been so guilty in the past of just assuming that if someone was doing something I thought was great, someone else probably thought it was great too and was most likely telling them. So, I figured they didn't need to hear my compliments because they had them pouring in daily. 

The truth is, it doesn't matter if you get 2 or 200 encouraging words.
EVERY KIND WORD COUNTS.

So today if you see someone doing something great, don't hesitate to tell them just how great it is. If you know someone who is just great all around, go ahead and let them know how super you think they are. We don't always think of the effect that a bit of encouragement can have on a person, but think about how it makes you feel? I know without the help and encouragement of some particular girlfriends, I would not have had the confidence to open my Etsy shop. I would not even have had the confidence to keep creating and doing what I love to do if not for their support. It was more valuable than they probably realize, and I am so thankful to have them around.

We all need a little pat on the back every now and then, so next time you see someone deserving of one...don't be stingy. Whether it be a note, a hug, an email or comment, don't hold back. It might just be a time of day when they need it most. You never know.

My new goal? Be an encourager. I don't mean to go tossing around crazy half-hearted compliments to anyone and everyone for every little thing, but a bit of genuine encouragement goes a long way. So if you know someone who is working extra hard, is in slump, or doing something super amazing, pick up your pom poms and make them feel good about themselves. It might just make you feel good too.

xoxo,
Katie