It's a new year and time to reflect back on the week and share FIVE of our FAVE blessings from it.
I do this with other like-minded bloggers who all link up at Susanne's site. WHY do we do this every week? because it is good to give thanks to God and look for the blessings He brings into our lives. He brings a blessing every single day. Even if it's just the fact that we woke up! We share our top 5 favorite ones. Here are my five favorite blessings from the past week.
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| Crossings Park Tuesday 31 December |
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| Crossings Park 31 December |
- "Winter" Walks: It's been winter for almost two weeks now and yet the beginning of last week felt more like early Spring around here in eastern New York State. I liked that I could go for power walks at the park, in the neighborhood, and on the bike paths without needing a lot of layers. I wore a thick sweater under my down vest and one day no hat was needed! I'm thankful for pretty places to walk and fresh air.
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| a "tree" charcuterie for our family party |
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| Girl cousins on my side of family l-r: my two: Courtney, Claire, then my youngest sister's girls: Emma, Mady and yes...our youngest daughters are the taller than their big sisters' |
- FAMILY FUN: Last Sunday, it was my turn to host my side of the family's Christmas gathering. Most of us have stopped giving gifts but I did have treat bags for each person who came to the party. Our oldest daughter invited one of her younger gaming friends, Kai, as Kai was alone for the holidays. My nephew (son of my sister Joy) had to leave early so missed the cousin photo. It was a lot of fun...I had ordered 4 different pizzas, made a big Spinach and berry salad, had two different charcuterie boards and everyone brought a platter of cookies. My sister Hope and her husband Donny brought a really good Chex trail mix instead of cookies which I appreciated. We had a lot of fun with everyone and we played 3 fun games: Taboo, a Scavenger Hunt and Generation Gap. I'm thankful we had everyone here and everyone seemed to like all the food, etc.
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- BREAKFAST: I am back to eating more protein for breakfast with added fruit since I know I've gained a few pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve. I've stopped eating sugar/baked goods and chips/dips/granola bars. I'm also doing "dry January" where one stops consuming anything alcoholic like wine, cocktails, etc. I do enjoy a nice glass of wine with dinner usually on the weekends, but I'm giving it up for at least a month. I am thankful my husband is also on board with this and said he's happy I won't be doing any baking as then he won't eat it! I'm also thankful I have added some protein to my first meal of the day as I discovered it cut downs on having a big lunch.
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| Living Room cleaned up from Xmas and re-arranged for Winter |
- CLEANING DAY: Wednesday was a day that Dave and I had set aside to just clean, put away the Christmas decor and then relax all afternoon. We were supposed to go on a hike in a state park for NYS's "First Day Hike"event but it was raining the entire morning so we said "nope". It felt good to get the living back in order and take down the tree, put away Christmas decor and leave up a few "winter" things like the Balsam scented snowman I have had for 20 years. You can see him in the first photo nestled in the Ikea chair. The Family room also got a good cleaning as did the kitchen. It was nice to spend the rest of the day with our books, some hot tea and just relax.
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| Quiet mornings with coffee |
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| Quiet evenings with herbal tea |
- QUIET TIMES: This past week, I have enjoyed quiet mornings, slow stretches and some yoga, good coffee, reading Scripture and good books and quiet evenings of reading, candle light, and hot herbal tea. I'm currently enjoying Christmas in Paris/Noel a Paris tea by Stash. I'm thankful for quiet times and winter is the perfect time to engage in hygge (pronounced hyou-ga). There is a reason why people in the Netherlands and Denmark are considered the happiest people in the world: between their non-violent ways, better health care systems, a much better political system than here in the states, better health in general, and this practice, it makes sense! I'm thankful Dave and I are adopting the hygge practice in our home this winter.
That wraps up the week..... we finally got a little bit of snow yesterday...just about a inch but enough to make it look like Winter again.
Have a restful weekend!
7 comments:
Your home look so inviting and pretty. It rained here on New Year's day as well and I spent the day inside relaxing. I had already put my Christmas away because my grandchildren came to spend the night over the weekend and I had to clear things out to make room for them.
We're taking our Christmas stuff down tomorrow, so I left the Christmas lights on all day today to enjoy.
I have to have protein for breakfast or I get dizzy and shaky within a couple of hours.
That Christmas charcuterie board is so cute! Glad the get-together went so well.
We were home NYE, too. The kids were here but left around 10 or so to avoid drunk drivers later on. I fell asleep on the couch but woke up in time to watch the ball drop in Times Square.
We've had a quiet rest of the week, too, much needed after all the enjoyable but busy Christmas and family activities.
I think the return to quieter days has been on everyone's FFF this week. It sure is nice, isn't it? Dan and I both received books for Christmas, so our evenings have been spent reading with less TV.
We had very warm, mild weather through Christmas, and then had snow on New Year's day. I should have listed that as a favorite!
Happy New Year, Faith.
Hi Faith! Yes, Christmas decorations are fun, but it's always nice to get things put away and straightened up. I always enjoy seeing pictures of the interior of your lovely home. We have a small bookshelf exactly like the one in your living room. I am trying to eat healthier in the new year as well. I enjoyed my time hearing about the first few days of your 2025. Have a great weekend. See you again soon!
Reading your post today felt like snuggling in a warm blanket! Such a comforting post. I've been trying to simplify my life and your quiet evening with books, candle light and herbal tea such so appealing. My goal this year is to eat healthier and bring down my blood sugars. You inspire me and your tree charcuterie made my mouth water! Have a blessed weekend.
Sounds like you had a lovely time hosting your family but yes it's good to get back to normal and put all the Christmas stuff away. Your room looks lovely. Ours is not looking great - we're preparing for decorators lol. We always have protein at breakfast - I'd be snacking all morning without it. Enjoy the rest of the weekend.
You had a great time with your family. I love seeing the cousins together.
Our Christmas decorations will come down after Monday, the 6th although we may leave the outside lights up a few more days (due to the frigid and snowy weather expected Sunday night and Monday). Your rooms look clean and cozy.
Have a good week!
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