OY! KRISTEN

Watercolor Your Own Valentines Cards.

I've been doing this thing where I am actually trying to follow through with my New Years resolutions. It's actually kind of hard. Why is it such a struggle to do the things that are in my heart?! It shouldn't be. Especially because my resolutions were hilariously self-centered and with the purpose of intentionally having more fun. My whole philosophy this year was "set the bar low", so that I could be uber proud of myself. Ha. Now that I think of it, I have got to get to the gym this month...

Watercolor painting was one of my resolutions because it seems like a relatively easy (and beautiful!) way to ignite my creative brain. It's been a looooong time since I've gotten crafty, but I am, at my core, a creative individual. I know that if I take the time to be intentional and invest in myself creatively, it will be good for my soul. And probably my skin.

This is the moment where I should mention that I am not an excellent watercolor-er, but that is hardly the point of the exercise. This was fun. Who needs to be having more fun? Don't act like you didn't just raise your hand in your heart. On top of the whole, "Let's have fun by watercolor painting today!"-thing, I also really love giving people presents, so I decided to make my own watercolor Valentines this year. I was inspired to do this by my bff Natalie, because she used to make her own cards and it was SO evident that she put special effort and thought into each one. So I put my best effort forward and you should try it, too!

// Don't laugh at my picture. It was the exercise round and I was just blowing off steam. WHY AM I DEFENDING MY ART TO YOU. //

Watercoloring Your Valentines:

1. Set up your spot.

I laid down newspaper, set out my paint set & brushes, fetched a bit of water, and snagged some flowers for inspiration. When I say "snagged", I mean it. They weren't my flowers. They were my mom's from my dad. Side note, no matter how old you are, it just warms your heart from the inside out to know that daddy bought flowers for your mommy. Sigh.

2. Find a friend.

In my case, I convinced my sister to join me in this endeavor. And she is endlessly more creative and talented than I. No seriously - she actually painted those roses, I just copied stuff I found on Pinterest. But getting shown up by your sister is the best feeling. Because, you know, she's your sister and she's so cute it hurts. If she only knew.

3. Set the stage.

I'll admit it. We know how to party. We made my new favorite granny beverage, turned on some French Cafe Pandora and went to town on our feelings. And I've got the heartfelt cards to prove it. Okay, you could have basically done exactly what I did with a set of Sharpie markers from Walgreens, but just so you know, they are all hand-painted with watercolors. So there.

// I came up with this one all on my own. I'm actually quite proud. //

Fetch the Paints!

Do it! Paint your feelings! Make up cheesy sayings and put brush to paper! I guarantee that you will feel so fun and fancy free after doing so. And also, tell your dad to buy your mom flowers. Because somehow it will weirdly make you feel great, too.

Happy Valentining to you :)

Resolutions. Lists. Whatnot.

Resolutions are silly.

And yet I am SO typical. I want to do all the ones that are just completely run-of-the-mill and obvious. Exercise more. Read more. Watch less TV. Learn something new. Blah blah blah. This post is much more for my own sake but sometimes it's fun to share the loopy journey our minds take during the month of January. I don't think you have to be super Type-A to feel the resolution energy. It's another thing entirely to actually do something with that mind energy. Here's my scrawling list of resolution-esque things to play around with over the next few months.

Work It.

Obviously, exercise and get back in shape. Like for REAL shape. It's been a long time since I've had a waist, due to this. And I've been rocking this lingering double chin a bit longer than I had anticipated. I got a gym membership a while ago. I've been twice.

A note about this: I can differentiate this goal from previous years because I don't want to exercise to achieve some kind of bikini body (omgaaaah is that season coming soon? Curses.) I really, really want to be strong. And able. To chase my child around and keep up with him and be healthy for him. It's amazing how growing your family really showcases your own personal weaknesses. And I don't just mean emotionally and sleep deprived and all that. I mean physically, too. That child just wears me out. And I'm young! I want more children! I am realizing that I have to strengthen my core, my back, my legs and arms - just to keep up with the daily lifting and moving and playing that we do. I shouldn't be feeling tired at 11am and have sore knees and headaches all the time. Clearly, some things are out of balance. I'm still mulling over some serious changes in diet, vitamins and supplements (that are all breastfeeding-friendly!), but in the meantime, figuring out how to incorporate more exercise into my daily routine would be a really rad start.

Paint Stuff.

I want to get back into painting with watercolors. Once upon a time I DID THIS. Just for funsies. I just think it would be really lovely to spend my afternoons watercoloring. Don't laugh. And don't remind me that I have a newborn and I can barely keep our doctors appointments straight, let alone HAVE A HOBBY. I already know all of this. But I'd like to defy the odds. I'd like to watercolor paint again. So there. Although, it does sort of seem like the kind of thing you see some French babe do in a movie and nowhere else.

"Is that a Ferruginous or a Red-Tail?"

And birdwatching. I really want to get into birdwatching. And maybe have a bird passport. You know. For marking off all the exotic birds I want to see in my lifetime. The non-exotic ones should count, too. We've got some hawks in our neighborhood that I've started naming :) I really like this particular "goal", because I can bird watch in my back yard. I can bird watch today. I can look out the window and see birds. NAILED IT. Moving on.

Write "Me".

I've been assessing this little blog of mine. I love it. It's not perfect, it's not exactly what I envision, and there are things I've love to change/do more of/do less of. But mostly I'd like to continue to make strides to grow it in a way that is organic, fun and "me". I am grateful for this forum as a way to document our family's journey and celebrate life's sublime moments. I'm so grateful for how it's connected me to such wonderful friends and the broader online community. Yes, there is a lot of hate on the Internet. But not everywhere.

I hesitate to really expand beyond these goals because having a lengthy to-do list of resolutions is the most surefire way to accomplish nothing. I mean, I bought a planner this year, so I might actually show up somewhere on time in the very near future. That would be PROGRESS. I'm ready to reel my life back in and focus a little bit more on my personal wellness and development. I share these little goals with you because I know many of you are sifting through your own goals, both personal and career-oriented, and sometimes it helps to share in the journey together. To keep accountable. To encourage. To watch birds.

What are your goals? Have any tips on how to follow through? I would love to hear!