Fresh 2013 Home Ideas?

Calendars, journals, online banking…all of my notes, checks and appointments require a second-thought.  Did I get the year correct?  Another change, yes, but it is also another opportunity.  A new, fresh season arrives.  I think about a new beginning.  What shall I read this year?  Something new on my dream list?

Well, what about my home!  This refuge of comfort and safety, so needed at the end of a long day, plays a huge part in our fresh chance to bless others.  Not to mention, it is so cozy and relaxing when the cold wind is blowing.  I think I’ll ponder a list of ‘resolutions’ for the new year in my home’s existence.

It is so much fun to find new ways to display our personalities through home décor.  I prefer to use the special items in my possession, rather than buying new pieces.  The well-used, sentimental books, photos and teapots tell stories as they rest on the dainty doilies and tablecloths.  If my teacups could talk they would reminisce about the wonderful women and young ladies who have chatted and cried while sharing about tender topics over steaming tea and muffins.

Let’s see…Grandma Churchman’s cups dress up the piano.  Grandpap Mann’s shoe last prompts my mind as it stands by the coffee server, “How did he repair the same pair of shoes over and over during the Depression?”  By far, though, the best memories this year will come as I listen to the hearts revealed by our guests as we share a cup of coffee or evening meal.

Miles and Milestones

view from my front door

Our golf cart was my mode of travel January through August.  Today, as the year ends, there is a beautiful white carpet of snow on each branch of the hundreds of trees within my view, in all directions.  Our wood stove is providing a picturesque dancing flame performance.

We were blessed to sell our home within three days of placing it on the market.  So now I have the privilege of watching my grandsons play baseball, piano and basketball. My granddaughters are discovering the joy of friendships and the arts.

relaxing view January through August 2012

As is my habit, I’m taking stock of the past year of my life.  I’ve traveled more miles than I care to remember on highways and interstates.  Carefully I’ve packed my dear mementos and antiques.  To my amazement not one got broken. 

Milestones have been crossed this year as well.  We lost two family members this year and others within my immediate circle are struggling with real health challenges.  As I evaluate my own personal achievements and mistakes throughout the difficult days this year, I am reminded to stop, learn, and begin to implement positive changes in my thinking pattern and future.  I don’t want to waste any opportunity to grow in knowledge or strength due to the unexpected challenges.

Approaching is 2013, I am looking forward to the new year.  The thought of a fresh beginning invigorates me.  Again this year I continue my desire to read and digest information.  I hope to discover new aspects of the retirement stage of life.  Learning to knit would be fun.  Yes, there will be unexpected occurrences throughout the months.  But maybe, just maybe, I’ll have a better, informed response because I just experienced 2012.  Another entry on my milestones in 2012,  Always Another Milestone

Old and New Memories Each Christmas

The birth of Christ calls for "The Celebration of the Year!"  But one of the lovely parts of this acknowledgement is the compilation of memories.  Sometimes the reminders come in the form of family favorite recipes.  Somehow there is warm and fuzzy feeling when we see the pumpkin log, thumbprints or fudge dressing up a pretty Christmas plate.  

Oh, my heart dances as I find a place for each old or new decoration. Tea pots, books, angels, tins, I never grow weary of reminiscing each December while finding just the right spot for this year.  New memories await but the well-used, time-worn items are always my primary treasures.

 

It's Turkey Time

stuffing in the making



almost too pretty to eat

my favorite dining partners

Time For My Annual Reminder



Christmas 2004
Sydney, Zoe, Haley, Timmie

Checking back on my post of November 25, 2011,  Atmosphere of Christmas, was time well spent this week.  I really needed a reminder to settle myself about which parts of this season should receive my energy.  This has been one of the busiest years of my life.  And, I am not getting any younger.  Brain fog has visited me often as stress, travel,and the loss of loved ones have taken a toll.

So, I hope to intentionally focus on loving, listening, laughing and celebrating.  This will, in itself, take a lot of energy.  My plan of action:  slow down and look at my Ideal Christmas magazine, enjoy photos of Christmases past, spend an afternoon admiring the crafts and recipes in my Better Homes and Gardens and Southern Living Christmas issues, and baking pumpkin logs and on and on...  



2004 Andrew



Christmas 2011
Megan, Grandpa, Ashley



2011 Grandma and Tessa

Heart of Thankfulness

Another November, I enjoy listing my thanks each year on my blogs because it centers me.  A time of reflection that comes during one of the busiest seasons of the year, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  So this year I offer thirty, one for each day of the month, reasons my heart is filled with thanks:

v Exceptionally thankful for our new home

v Travel safety provided over numerous road trips

v Memories of two years of life in a retirement oasis

v A treasured visit with my sister-in-law, Mary Lou

v Recorded memories shared by my Aunt Betty, ninety-two years young

v A new maltipoo puppy, Muffin

v Searching our roots with my granddaughter, Sydney

v Autumn beauty

v For direction from the Word of God

v  To have spent time on this earth with a humble stepfather, Tom, who loved my Mother deeply

v Our nimble and talented granddaughter, Haley, has the opportunity to cheerlead and support her school

v Delicious pumpkin-pie cake

v God’s patience with me

v Witnessing my Mother’s amazing endurance through illness and loss of her beloved husband

v Sharing a weekend with my brother and sisters, laughing, remembering and crying together…

v An impromptu tea party with Megan and Ashley, two of my ‘Princess’ granddaughters

v So grateful to stay in the home of Aunt Gail and Uncle Palmer during a difficult family funeral

v Friendships that have stood the test of time

v Warm, friendly neighborhood

v Turkey and my Mom’s stuffing recipe

v Freedom to vote in a Presidential election

v Soul-mate, friend and love of my life, my husband, Joseph

v Warmth of our wood-burning stove

v A day of remembering at the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania

v Forty-two years of marriage and counting…

v The speedy sale of our previous home

v ‘Coffee times’ with my sister, Nancy

v Recently acquired photograph of my deceased mother-in-law and father-in-law taken almost seventy years ago

v Blueberry French Toast and orange juice

v Listening to Stardust and Moonlight Serenade

My 2011 Thanksgivings
November My Thanksgivings

Precious Times

‘Busyness’ would be a great word to describe 2012 for me.  Many road trips, buying and selling our home, grieving through the loss of my Mom’s dear husband and my beloved sister-in-law, finding a new church home, and we just got a maltipoo pup this week. 

Last week, though, was a totally precious time.  Our family celebrated my Mother’s 85^th birthday.   My siblings and spouses came from three different states.  My three children and their families, blessed with fourteen of my mom’s great-grandchildren, shared cake and memories with all.

Admiringly watching my Mother, I am reminded that this is what life is all about.  What a blessing to share our time with a woman who has lived so many years of life.  Her mind and heart are informed by days and years of living.  All the experiences she enjoyed or struggled through have brought her to today.  As I witness her smile and appreciation for her family, I’m confident the value she places on each person and each moment in time, flows from her awareness of just how precious life is.