Monday, January 2, 2023

So What's New?

Besides the year I mean? Are you like me where it takes you about ten days in to find your rhythm post-holidays? I made peace with that years ago and honestly don't feel any pressure to have a long list of resolutions ready to go on Day 1. Nor do I feel any urgency to jump back into all the things or even to put up/clean up Christmas. 

Although as it happens, today I did do a bit of de-Christmasing. My plan was just to get all the ornaments off the inside tree, but one thing led to another and both trees are now un-decorated, the main tree is out of the house, Christmas dishes have been swapped out for the everyday ordinary (mostly...there's always a stray or two that hang out in the dishwasher), many many many towels have been washed, dried, and folded, and the furniture we rearranged to make room for our big Christmas crew is back where it resides the other eleven months of the year. 

Hubs and I had a mostly quiet New Year's Eve. We spent a couple of hours catching up with our neighbors, watched a lot of exciting college football, took some walks and some naps and did the tag-team thing we've almost perfected after nearly 40 years of marriage where he vacuums and I strip the beds and then I make him a BLT and he makes me popcorn and we talk about how cute our grandchildren are and how busy and how much we love having everyone here and how we also love just us. 

Yesterday I cleaned out my pantry which had gone totally rogue over the holidays and it makes me so happy to open the doors and see it all nicely organized. I was going to clean out my frig today, but I didn't have the energy for a full 'take it all apart' kind of clean. I settled for emptying all the bits of left overs and running the dishwasher. 

Tomorrow is another day filled with new mercies and enough grace to carry us through. 

I know some people like to charge into a new year as if it's something to be conquered, but I prefer a gentler approach. No big leaps, just do the next thing that needs doing while I contemplate what exactly I want this year to be and how I want to fill my days. 

I need to take some deep breaths at the start of a new year. Carve out time to pray and regroup here at home. I'll likely make a few plans and then remind myself not to hold them too tightly, and I'll let a few or maybe a hundred ideas bounce around my brain to see what sticks. 

Some people declare the first month of the year no-wine January. I'm declaring it no Hodgepodge January. I need some space right now to do all of the above so I'm taking a mini-break from the regularly scheduled random to make room for other kinds of random. The Hodgepodge will be back February 1st, which conveniently lands on a Wednesday. 

Wishing you a new year filled with lots of peace and joy...

 With pinky pink sunrise skies reminding us He's got the whole world in His hands. 

10 comments:

  1. Yes I'm slowing edging my way into 2023 too after a hectic Christmas period. It's lovely having all the family home but yes, the towels, the bedding, the things put back in the wrong places etc etc lol. It takes a while to get straight again and I think you are very wise to push the Hodgepodge back to February. Enjoy some quiet time Joyce and Happy New Year to you.

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  2. I agree that it takes time to ease into the new year. I am notoriously out of sorts in January so I too am taking it easy and being mindful of the fact that I don't HAVE to make resolutions. These memes that say "new year, new you" are problematic because I am not a "new me"; I'm the same person and should focus on improvement as I always do, not like it's some new novel thing. That's too much pressure. Anyway, happy New Year!

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  3. Oh boy, I hear you. February 1st sounds like a great day to start again. It's been very interesting regrouping since our kids left after Christmas. I still haven't done the bed linens. Finally today I'm back in my daily devotions. Our family Christmas gift to each other is a trip to Disneyland on January 17th. The first for our grands who are almost 6 and almost 4. There will be 12 of us. It will take some recovering after that trip, too. A very Happy 2023 to you and yours!!

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  4. I'm so glad you are taking a break from the Hodgepodge. I kinda need a break too. I love the photo...gorgeous! Take care my friend.

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  5. I started yesterday to take down Christmas. I have several more days of work to do before I will be finished. Way to go! I love your paragraph on New Year's Eve. You had such a busy 2022 you do need time to yourself. I was going to miss two weeks of Hodgepodge so this works out great for me. Enjoy your January!!!

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  6. I'm glad your break from the Hodgepodge is just a short break! I always go back in time and re-post a HP from years ago when you are on hiatus. Kinda fun to look back, but I look forward to February 1st! No resolutions or goals for me and I'm not even stewing over a word to pick this year. My decorations are packed away and I actually cleaned out the refrigerators, spurred on by the fact that it was trash night and I didn't want it all around for another week! I do still need to clean. Happy new year, Joyce! xo

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  7. Happy New Year Joyce,
    Thank you for your dedication with the Hodgepodge. I do not always get to participate but when I do, it is always fun. In fact, I would have missed this week. We have been getting so much snow. I have to shovel my paths to my hens. ;-) I have to clean the coop run from snow. Our snow banks are getting so high, it looks like I am walking in a tunnel to the coop. Ha!
    Love, Carla

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  8. Your time to spend as you so desire is much deserved and I for one, give my total endorsement. I look forward to having some time to think about my 2023 blogging and if it will go in a different direction or continue to be hit or miss while mostly missing. I will however, plan to meet you back here on Feb. 1.

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  9. I had no decision to take how to start the second day of the New Year, I just just got sick. I felt lousy and just had the strength to look for medication in my medicine cabinet and then I fell onto the sofa and suffered in silence. That lasted all week, once I got up and put all the Christmas decorations away because I just couldn't see them anymore. On Friday I called my doctor who came in the afternoon, I have a flu, without fever, running nose, coughing etc, just feeling bad and very weak. Now I have to take antibiotics and the Christmas boxes are still sitting in my spare room. My neighbors in the building are taking care of me, they are so sweet and became friends. "See" you then in February for a new Hodgepodge ! Take it easy !

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  10. Was holding my breath all the way through this post afraid you might be declaring all of 2023 to be a no-hodgepodging year. So glad you are just taking the month off. I really got off track on my blogging in August when we lost my mom. Hoping to get back at it more regularly again this year. Your hodgepodge questions are such fun to ponder and answer.
    Love your putting the house back together routine with the hubs. We were out of town 3 times the last 2 months of the year and I was ready to be home when we finally were. I love visiting and having the family visit us, but like you said, I also love just us.

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