January Daybook

Things have been quiet here on the blog lately, but that's because I've had lots of ideas floating around in my head!  I've been doing a lot of reading lately, and focusing on being present, my one-word goal for 2014.  

Outside my window...

A beautiful blanket of fresh white on everything.  We had 5 inches of snow yesterday evening and into the night.

frost on the windowpanes this morning...so simple and so stunning!

I am thinking...

...a lot about my January re-focus.  I used to kind of hate January--a whole lot of dreary cold and darkness after the  fun of the holidays, but now I actually love it!  It's a quiet time to assess, to de-clutter (both physically and spiritually!), to settle into a more peaceful rhythm which I find I desperately crave.  Trying to spend my time more wisely this year, I've been much more aware of how quickly the minutes and days pass.  I want to make the most of it!

I am thankful...

...for the the many books I've been able to read this past month!  My desire to spend more time reading coupled with a stomach bug which left me in bed has allowed me to 5 books in the past couple of weeks.  An amazing feat for me!  Although I've always loved reading, it usually takes me much longer to get through them.

In the kitchen...

...I've been making an effort to prepare slightly more time-consuming and "rewarding" meals this month, as opposed to the quickie stand-bys I was relying on in December.  And, as always each winter (and really year-round!), I've been on a major soup kick.  I want to try making these lemon muffins soon.  As with all my other pregnancies, I've been seriously craving citrus!  I've been wolfing down grapefruit, oranges and clementines with gusto!

I am wearing...

My favorite stretchy preggy yoga pants from Motherhood Maternity.  I pretty much live in them whenever I'm home!  During my first trimester the tighter panel-type pants always make my stomach do somersaults, so the loose yoga pants will be my uniform until this queasy stage passes (which will hopefully be only another week or two since I'm 12 weeks along now).

I am creating...

I've been in organization and  goal-assessing mode, so I haven't been doing much crafting lately.  What I've been doing is more like "mental planning"...does that count as creating?

Cute little Tufted Titmouse outside my window.  The boys made this bird feeder for me for Christmas. :)

I am going...

...to see a play with a friend in a few weeks that sounds fascinating, called Freud's Last Session.  A blend of psychology and theology--2 of my very favorite topics!  I can't wait!  And bonus--it stars Jonathon Crombie--the actor who played Gilbert in the movie adaptation of Anne of Green Gables.  Neat!

I am wondering...

...about starting my own "Happiness Project" on the heels of reading the book. I really loved this book--so much to chew on!  Has anyone else read it and started their own project?  If so I'd love to hear about it!  I'm intrigued by the idea of monthly goals with daily checklists for accountability (accountability is a very good thing for me!).  I just love the idea of making little manageable goals each month--sounds like a great path to self-discovery and growth.  Plus, it fits perfectly with my one-word goal for the year of being present.  I just finished the book a couple of days ago, so I haven't figured out how this will all look just yet. There's way more I want to say about about this book, so stay tuned! :)

I am reading...

 Aside from the Happiness Project, I've also been reading some fiction.  One of my goals for this year is to include more fiction in my reading.  I tend to gravitate toward non-fiction--memoirs, self-improvement and spiritual growth types of books.  But fiction is great, and I really need to fit more of it in.  I recently finished What Alice Forgot, The Rosie Project, Those We Love Most and Me Before You. I plan to write up a separate post about these soon, but just to quickly mention, my favorite was What Alice Forgot.

I swear I didn't pick all of these because they color-coordinate in various shades of red and salmon!  What a weird and funny coincidence!

I am hoping...

...I'll be getting my energy back soon!  This first trimester has really wiped me out--especially in the evenings.  I mentioned before that part of the reason I've been reading so much lately is that I was sick...well, the other reason is that I've been going to up to bed super early to lay down because I am just about done by 8:00pm! (So so sad, I know.)   Poor Kevin has barely seen me at night lately--I go to bed around the same time the kids do LOL!

I am looking forward to...

...diving into several new projects--organizational, self-improvement and the like.  When we moved last year we were in such a hurry to un-pack everything before Christmas and before Thomas was born, that we didn't really do the greatest job with organizing closets and drawers.  I'm excited to just go through everything thoroughly.  De-cluttering and organizing is such drudgery, but I always feel so great afterward!

I am learning...

Quite a lot about Europe in the 1600s.  That is the area of focus in our homeschool history studies right now, and it is fascinating!  I love learning right alongside the kids!

A favorite quote for today...

 "For the love of God and [others] I take care to appear happy and especially to be so.”--St. Therese of Lisieux

The Happiness Project expounds on this quote quite a bit.  It's had me thinking about how often joy truly is a choice, and how much it can bless others when we choose joy.

One of my favorite things...

Each evening I've been happily snuggling up with this cozy throw I got for Christmas.  It's so warm and wonderful--like wearing a stuffed animal!  LOVE it.

A peek into my day...

Thomas has been making this hilarious scrunchy-face lately!  He gets really into it and even exhales really loudly while he's doing it.  So so funny!!

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