Keep Up With Our Kitchen Table Creations!

Thank you for stopping by! It always makes me smile to see comments, likes and new friends. The best way to see what we've got going on at our kitchen table is to follow us on Facebook! Check out facebook.com/OurKitchenTableCreationsByMW and "like" us. Since I usually do any updating on the go, the Facebook page and Twitter get many more updates than blogspot.

This year instead of resolutions, my family, and many of my friends, selected a word that would guide them throughout the year. I played with many words and even thought about stealing a word someone else was using! Some of the guiding words being used by those I love and respect are strength, patience, exercise, opportunity, and balance.

Maybe it would be nice to have some BALANCE in my life. However, that was quickly vetoed as I thought about the ways in which I work best. There is no balance about that...and it works for me. I throw myself all the way into whatever endeavor I have going right then and give it every bit of passion I have. It works. I'll stay at school for an entire weekend, I've been known to sleep in my classroom on the couch when really working on something wonderful, or I'll be locked away in my studio for hours on end until my friends think I've become a hermit. Like I said, it works for me!

Then I thought maybe INTENTION or INTENTIONAL. I was thinking that the things I do should be done on purpose- intentional. When we focus on the food we are eating, we tend to eat things that are better for us. Intentional eating helps me make better food choices. I figured doing everything in my life intentionally would be good as well. However, I started thinking about spring when I'm fulfilling my role as pitching coach. Intentional walks came to mind and that won't work so well as my go-to strategy! Then my mom pointed out that it wasn't really a "nice" word. Say it a few times. Intentional, INTENTIONAL, InTenTionAl. Do you really want to say that word to yourself for an entire year? As usual, I had great intentions with that one but...not so much.

After much thought and discussion with my loved ones, CREATE was set as my word. It is pretty silly that when the word "came to me" it was like this great epiphany! Of course this will be my word for the year! What's even funnier is that a few years ago I bought a necklace that has the word CREATE on it from my good friend who makes hand stamped jewelry- check out her amazing pieces at danidearrings.com! Every aspect of my life calls for me to be creative. As a teacher I have to let my creativity shine through each day as I approach issues with my students and provide interesting curriculum for them. With cooking I love to be creative and that helps me to do my intentional eating (and that's the LAST time I'll use that word in this blog!). Obviously, to keep the walls full at Kelly's this month (even though I've been there for 5 months so far, I'm still taking it month by month...make that day by day, and counting it as a huge blessing all along the way!) it will take some serious creative thinking. Even with my workouts I need to create things I enjoy doing. Some call it aerobics, I call it interpretive dance. Sometimes when I'm "running" I will gallop or skip or shake my booty (on the treadmill of course...can you imagine seeing that on Washington Street?! HA). And because I do like to stay busy, I have to get creative to fit it all in.

Watch for the updates (on facebook at OurKitchenTableCreationsByMW) each day as I work my word during 2012! It's already been an amazing month and I'll be sharing pictures and updates on the creations. Okay...off to create dinner and a few more pieces I've been wanting to do!