// Friday 5 - A Well Watered Woman //

Errrrrrmagawwwwdddd.  It is Friday. Not just any Friday, but the last Friday before school starts!  (At least here in Atlanta)

I will be poolside today soaking in the last hours of summer and am trying to get my head in the game for this upcoming school year.  At times when I get overly busy, I start to lose touch... lose touch with home, my spouse, my purpose, my faith, and my hair and nails.

A while ago - and I mean like a year ago, I read an article on the Five Attributes of a Well-Watered Woman.  It was so powerful to me as to what it truly means to be a woman who "lives from her roots", a woman who regardless of how busy she is or overwhelmed she is, still can be fruitful.

Here are the Five Attributes:

1.  I am going to be generous... especially when I feel that I can't afford to be.

Not just money, but time, love, and energy.  

2.  I am going to live vulnerable... even though others may scoff or take advantage of me.

In this world, sometimes being a woman is to build a wall and close yourself off.  I try to remember that being vulnerable and occasionally getting hurt beats being cold and removed any day.

3.  I am going to guard my heart by protecting my ears from the world's noise.

I CAN'T with Facebook these days.  People constantly sharing articles on airborne diseases, tipping dressers, child snatchers... you name it.  This means sometimes making the tough choice of turning it all off and having a little faith.

4.  I am going to be a servant.  This is what it truly means to be great.

Many may not know this but I am a teacher by day.  I teach in a high school full of kids that the world will tell you 80% will fail, 50% will be dead by the time they are 25, and 60% will turn to a life of crime.  I will be honest, I don't have to go to this job but I chose to.  Each time I consider leaving, teachers and students remind me of all that I have influenced.  I do it because I am good at it and I consider it a service.  I consider myself a servant.  Many of you can't go teach, but you can use your talents to serve.

5.  I am going to trust God to come through for me.

I will just leave this one right here.

Here's to being Well Watered ~

Have a great weekend!

Peace & Love,

Katie

Article Cred to http://arabahjoy.com/5-attitudes-well-watered-woman/

// I am Grateful for... Google //

One of the pillars that my business is built on is the concept of gratitude.  I am not picky either, I will show gratitude for anything that gets me from one point to another... even Google.

I just finished my first ever trade show at AmericasMart!  I debuted my prayer and gratitude journals in the Write-On category which is home to all things paper and stationery.  Throughout the show, shoppers would walk by and swoon over my booth.  I was super proud of it!  Many would come in and take a look around even though they weren't even buying stationery products.  While this completely warmed my heart, I felt that I owed it to everyone that this was not a professional build.  It was the valiant effort of my husband, myself, and a lot of Google.

When I first decided to do a show I knew that my booth had to be ON POINT.  I wanted hard walls and the space to feel airy and clean.  Christian and I in our 11 year marriage have owned a total of four homes.  Each of them being historic homes in need of lots of love.  We have torn down walls, installed kitchens, built decks, and done some light plumbing and electrical.  We felt well prepared to build three walls, but...

Turns out, building three walls that can stand alone with no support is a little challenging.  We could have built them with supports in the back but then that would eat into our space.  At trade shows, if you are given a 10x10 booth, you must have all of your display within the confines of that space.  So, if we used 12-15 inches in the back for support, we would lose a ton of actual floor space inside the walls.  Building a booth with three walls is like building a house of cards.  Then there are all the confines of the show that you must meet - nothing can be over eight feet (so it can fit in the elevator), certain tools are prohibited, and the booth cannot in any way attach to any parts of the building.  Lastly are the creases.  Since our booth was built out of panels, getting them to align perfectly made me want to pull my hair out.  Unlike drywall, you cannot mud the creases and sand them out.

We decided to go with a panel design.  We built fifteen panels each about two feet wide and a little under eight feet tall.  We started with eight feet of height but remembered that we had arm lights that would go higher, so we had to cut it down.  It was a constant struggle.  You have to think of EVERYTHING.  Then there is the one part we kind of overlooked... Where are we building this thing?  So, for two months we had this structure in our living room.  In fact, it was in two rooms - the wall was so large that we had to build it around some existing columns just to fit.  It was crazy.  We went through so much drama trying to get it perfect and it was really taking a toll on me.  I had moments of psychotic crying and total regret and then I would come back to it and be so proud of what we had done.  Go figure! The funniest part was that my five year old had no idea what it was for... when we left for the show, she said, "Good luck selling your walls!"  Ha!

In the end, the booth looked AMAZING.  The gratitude wall that I installed for shoppers to write on was a hit!  Buyers loved my candy and many felt that the space was super zen.  I won't bore you with all of the thousand details that we mulled through to build it (bring a bottle of wine over and I will tell you the whole process) just know that we were ultimately nominated for Best Booth in my category!  I didn't win though (pfft) ;)

We left our first ever trade show with FIFTEEN new retailers!  I am just over the moon excited that my prayer and gratitude journals will be spotted all over this country during this holiday season for everyone :)  I am grateful for you all... and Google.

Peace & Love,

Katie

My 5 year old deserves a promotion for sure...

Trying to get walls to stand strait in a 100 year old house...

I mean, there was no room for this thing!

What I saw every time I walked in my house

View while cooking - perfect!

My shopping partner

My calligrapher helped with my gratitude wall and it turned out great!

On our way ~ Move in day!

Move-In day!  The lights went off so we had to work in the dark!

Strict security at AmericasMart... 

Day one!  I was so nervous!

I loved our table set up!

Floral arrangement from Candler Park Flowers here in Atlanta - LOVE

Eeeek!  So pretty!

Buyers were LOVING our keepsake boxes - all journals arrive in them!

The wall!

Nomination for Best Booth!

had to get some custom M&Ms

Attempt at a Panoramic

Move-Out day... bitter sweet

Saying goodbye :(

// Meditation Monday //

Mondays are hard.  That is why we are going to start a new series on the blog ~ Meditation Mondays!
We hope to share some of our favorite tips and inspiration for stress free meditating and how your prayer and gratitude journal can assist in documenting it!

First and foremost, ANYONE can meditate.  You do not have to be in the lotus pose in a cave in Nepal to be able to benefit from the practice - although that sounds awesome!

In our Praise & Petition Journals, I have created a space for a morning meditation and mind setting activity each day.  I think it is SO important to command your mornings.  I am strongly against rolling out of bed and looking at my phone or reading emails.  I have found that waking before everyone else, heading downstairs, getting a cup of coffee and spending about 10-15 minutes alone in peace and quiet helps me set the stage for my day.  Most days I use this space to write what I am feeling but other days I may feel overwhelmed and decided to meditate and journal that experience there.  Once I am done with my morning practice, then I read emails.  Reading them after meditation makes you more proactive, not reactive.  Command your day!

Here are three tips that can help make meditation less intimidating :

1 ~ It only takes a few minutes
You do not have to set aside thirty minutes for meditation... you can achieve huge results in just five!  I rarely time myself, I just start and stop when I am ready.

2 ~ Any position will do
Please people, you do not have to be in some special pose.  The commonly used "lotus pose" is only recommended because it helps you keep your focus and keeps your lungs in the best breathing position.  You can benefit from meditation while standing, laying down, or sitting in a chair at work!

3 ~ Just focus on breathing
The hardest part about meditating when I first started was clearing my thoughts!  I felt anxious just sitting still when I had a million things to do.  The best way to stay on track and clear your mind is to BREATHE.  Focus on breathing, pay attention to how it feels, take note of your lungs expanding and contracting, envision air moving through your body and feeding your organs.  Envision light bright air entering in your body and dark air moving out. After a minute or two, you will see a huge difference.


So, there you go!  Three easy tips for meditating.  Try them out and let me know what you think!


xoxo

Katie

// This is it! The WHAT, HOW, WHY and more! //

Ahhhh. The art of the perfect tease.  Welp - I didn't quite nail that!
A few weeks ago I went all over social media about the launch of the biggest thing in my life  ~ promising fun teasers.  Sorry.  Basically, starting a business is the HARDEST THING THAT I HAVE EVER DONE and I completely underestimated my ability to wear 10 hats.
Currently, I am:
~ website builder
~ graphic designer
~ chief design officer
~ logistics coordinator
~ production sourcing specialist
~ President of Sales
~ Social Media Consultant
~ Trade show booth builder (?)
~ Assistant to the CEO
and I just didn't have much time left to be the marketing guru I wanted to be...
Nonetheless, what I have created is still awesome and I CANNOT wait to tell you all about it!

WHAT

I get messages every week asking me, "Girl!  What are you up to?" And while to some I have revealed this project - to many, I simply have responded, "something awesome".  Well, it is here!  I have created a line of journals!  These are not just any journals, these are gratitude journals, prayer journals, and meditation journals. They are dated, semi-guided, and goal setting.

HOW

I know what you are thinking... journals?  YES!  I have been keeping a journal for as long as I can remember.  I have a closet FULL of old journals with tattered edges and full of ink.  Over the years, the way in which I write has change a lot.  When I was younger, I wrote a lot about school, friends, and sports.  In college, I wrote a lot about my family.  As an adult, I write a lot about the world and my revelations and experiences.  I write a lot for others - often filling my pages with prayers for people that I know, and even those that I don't.  I always strive to document gratitude in my journals.  This world is eternally broken, and finding tidbits of good are important to keep me stable.  Many times I have sought a journal that was perfect for this type of reflection and writing - and have not found anything.  I either find notebooks with blank pages or journals that are extremely guided and try to control my thinking.  Several years ago I created my own method.  I have used it for a while but about two years ago while sitting on my couch in my living room I told my husband that I wished that someone would just make a journal like I want, you know, pretty and stuff.  Well, his response rocked my world...  "Make it yourself!"  That sounded noble :)  I started the process and before long I was so deep into it that sometimes I felt I couldn't even see the end.  Finally, it happened.  Here it is - the journal that I have always wanted!  

WHY

I looked around for a journal to write down my prayers, gratitude, and meditations – but only found blank notebooks. I wanted something more, something with more structure, something more contemporary, and something more purposeful. I designed Praise & Petition as a journal to record my prayers so that I could look back on them and reflect, give thanks, and oftentimes refine my direction. I created this journal so that I could set goals. I wanted a place to write down my thoughts, my needs and my blessings. I wanted a place to remind me that even when my day is going well, there is still much to pray about. I wanted a place to reflect on my day, and focus on the tiny bits of perfection in it – a place to show gratitude. I wanted words of wisdom on all of the pages, much like my mom would offer me every day. I wanted it to be mobile – small enough to carry with me through the day yet big enough to be useful. I wanted it to be manageable, hence why I created it in six-month increments – because who can keep up with a year anyway? Most importantly, I wanted a place to go back and look through my prayers and see how they were answered. This is it, a journal that works the way my mind works.

THE NAME 

As I started designing these perfect little pages I realized that most of my personal journal writing was either a praise in the form of gratitude or a petition, a prayer or desire for something.  That is how I came up with the name - Praise & Petition.  I am so excited about these journals!  I have created two beautiful covers designed to appeal to different folks and am feverously launching a social media campaign that I hope to use to inspire people to use their journal daily.  So, without further adieu, here it is... the official website:

www.elizabethedmistonpaper.com

I know you have a million more questions so I would LOVE for you to click around my site and read about us!


Thank you to all of you who have encouraged me ~ I love you all!  MUAH!
xoxo

Katie