Hello sweet friends, after a three week hiatus it is lovely to be back. I am approaching this first month of the year differently. Here’s to Friday Favorites A Gentle January.
I always leave my holiday decorations up through the full 12 Days of Christmas. As I sit here in my cozy kitchen all of the decor has been taken down except for the Christmas tree in the family room. This year I’ve decided not to rush. For the past two years I have lived my life at such a frantic pace. I no longer wish to do this.
Friday Favorites A Gentle January
During the week after Christmas I barely got dressed each day. I slept, ate and slept again. I was completely exhausted. The past two years it was if my word of the year was YES. I said YES to everything. While that brought about some lovely experiences, I am ready to use the word YES selectively in 2026.
We recently made a huge life transition in that Mr. Decor has retired from his job with Lockheed Martin. His last day was this past Tuesday. So our new normal has yet to establish itself yet.
One change we have made is that he is taking over cooking dinner two nights a week. On the menu tonight is Crispy Halloumi With Tomatoes and White Beans.
A Calm First Reset
This past week I set a goal of cleaning out one closet or cupboard a day. Yesterday it was just one single drawer. This feels achievable. I am making decent progress and have no end date for this project.
I enjoyed this article from The Cottage Market that focuses on A Calm-First Reset instead of a frantic I must clean and organize everything mindset.
A Winter Garden
I’ve continued with my walks with Grace. There is so much beauty to be found in a slumbering garden. The snow covered images shared in this post delighted my heart.
A 1910 Restoration
A vacant 1910 bungalow in Northern Michigan received a beautiful top to bottom restoration. Every detail was so thoughtful!
A Whimsical Delight
These free motion embroidery snails and mushrooms make my heart smile. It’s a perfect project for using up fabric scraps. I am thinking I might make some in traditional Valentine colors.
I’ll be back next week with a small bathroom refresh. I’m pretty proud that this makeover. It had a $0 budget and was achieved!
Have a wonderful weekend.
Laura
Oh Laura, I am glad I’m not the only one to finally realize that I needed to slow down and not say yes to everything and everyone. This past year was very busy, yet I feel that I did not accomplish much. I have slowly started my inside refresh while Richard works on the outside. Your little snails and mushrooms are adorable! Congrats on Eric’s retirement! See ya soon!
Love, Michelle
Sounds like a great way to start the new year! Happy 2026 to you and your family!
This is the kind of post I love from you — warm, personal, and what’s up now. I love that Mr. D is cooing two nights a week and that looks delicious! Like you, I have tried to make reachable goals this year. As I take things to the basement to put away from Christmas, I must bring up a totebag or armful of things to either toss or go to charity. So far, two bags of clothes and a few household things I will never use again. I tackled part of the linen closet, too, and next week, an overloaded baker’s rack in the kitchen or an area in my office. I realized I have to have small steps but regular ones! Even a drawer — those can take forever!