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Happy Homemaker Monday, A Fresh New Year

HappyHomemakerMonday 6 Comments

Starting my post a bit late on Monday. We’re technically still on Christmas break around here so spending the day at a leisurely pace. J goes back to school tomorrow. My husband returns to work Wednesday. I (so far) return to work on Friday. And who knows what G’s college schedule holds.

In fairness, he’s told me. I just don’t remember, something about 8 week online courses starting later. Believe it or not, he’ll have his associates degree when this semester ends. Enough future talk, let’s get back to the present.

I’m excited to continue to join in with Sandra over at Diary Of A Stay At Home Mom every Monday in 2021! It’s a great supportive community of bloggers.

Moving on to look at our week with the categories:

The Weather

Just announced to my husband that the sun is out! Been a few days. The year started with a snowstorm for us and it’s been clouds every since. And fog. Lots of fog. It’s also been in the 20’s. I think we’re supposed to hit the 40’s later. With a few chances for snow and/or rain. Hooray for Winter!   

On The Breakfast Plate

I just ate lunch but breakfast consisted of apple cinnamon instant oatmeal and a blueberry English muffin. Plus coffee and vitamins.

As I Look Outside My Window

This morning I saw fog everywhere but now I see blue skies. And birds. Mostly sparrows. A few cardinals.

As I Look Around The House

The Nativity and too many treats still covering the kitchen table (and that’s after freezing many) are the only reminders of Christmas past. Amazing how it suddenly seems bigger isn’t it? I do need to do a bit of a deep clean.

What I’m Wearing Today

Olive green corduroy pants, a gray sweatshirt, and panda slipper socks. No, I don’t match at all.

Currently Reading

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig. It’s intriguing and I had to stop myself from staying up too late reading it last night. Most likely I’ll finish it at J’s baritone lesson tonight.

On The TV For This Week

We just watched the first two episodes of the new season of Kobra Kai on Netflix. Trying to limit it to 1-2 episodes a night. Not sure but if Prodigal Son is back this week, I want to catch that one. Otherwise, hit and miss with all the streaming stuff. Started watching Scientology and the Aftermath with Leah Remini on Netflix (disturbing) so want to try and finish it.

J mentioned wanting to see The Emperor’s New Groove so we may watch that as a family. (We all had a family viewing of The Little Mermaid last week).

On The Menu This Week

My extra vegetable with each dinner starts next week as this week I’m focusing on clearing out the freezer, fridge, and pantry.

MONDAY: French Toast, bacon/sausage, strawberries *J has a baritone lesson at 6:30*

TUESDAY: Pork chops, crunchy coleslaw *J’s first day back at school after break/in person week*

WEDNESDAY: Minestrone soup, lasagna squares, salad and Three King’s Cake for dessert *Epiphany*

THURSDAY: Roast in the crockpot (may switch this up with Wednesday)

FRIDAY: Maybe steak bites and baked potatoes or OUT *I work 8:30-5:30*

Something Fun To Share

I need to work on this area. Seems I’ve come up blank ever since it became a category. How about a photo as I look inside my window? Looking into the one of the windows in the front.

 

Favorite Photo From The Camera

Taken on New Year’s Day.

 

Quote For The Week

The secret to happiness, you see, is not in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less. (Socrates)

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In case you’re wondering, I used to blog at So Not Organized but switched over for the new year to a brand new blog. Needed to change hosting so started fresh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

List of 21 for 2021 Maybe

List of 21 for 2021 6 Comments

Wait. Let’s remember my word for 2021. Twenty-one things? Too many. I’m cutting my list in half (almost).

Here’s my list of 11 things I want to do in 2021

 

  1. Read 72 books
  2. Join in for every single Happy Homemaker Monday post
  3. Keep a kindness journal
  4. Serve a vegetable with every main meal in addition to/instead of potatoes
  5. Buy and savor a “fancy” (read expensive) magazine each quarter (so 4 times)
  6. Spend at least 5 minutes outside every day
  7. Observe one sugar free week each quarter (sensing a theme with the quarterly things here)
  8. Follow a nightly skincare regime
  9. Learn a craft
  10. Participate in Rudolph day on the 25th of each month
  11. Save and preserve my old blog, So Not Organized (maybe in book form or on a flash drive?)

Before I go into more detail about my items, let me just say that no, this is not everything I want to do in 2021. I could easily list 10 more items or 20 or probably even 30. However, I’m happy with the 11 I’m choosing for this year. At the end of the year, I hope I’ve done more than just these 11 things. If I haven’t, that’s okay. After all, my word for 2021 is less.

And since it’s still the Christmas season for a few more days (the Epiphany is January 6), I’m not planning on starting my list officially until next week. Giving myself a break (and an extra few days to eat cookies!).

And by focusing on less, I hope to do more. Do you have a list of things you’d like to do in 2021?

 

 

Snow Bird and Birds in the Snow

Birdwatching 8 Comments

A snowstorm greeted us on the first day of the year around here. I was happy as I recalled last year starting with a beautiful day. An opposite start to the year means an opposite kind of year, right?

We had lots of warnings about our storm so I’d stocked my bird feeders early. I think the birds were happy about that.

Did I cheat and sprinkle some bird seed on the deck rail for better close-up photos? Maybe.

And did other persons in the house complain when I opened the door for these shots? Loudly. Still, look at all those cardinals!  Worth the cold breeze to capture them on camera. Not all pictured but I counted around 13.

So many birds to start off 2021, a good sign indeed!

Last year’s news (earlier in the week):

The hawk returned to our backyard. And though not pictured, seemed to be enjoying a songbird dinner. I think the squirrels were all too fat for him to carry. Must be their defense, eat all the bird seed and become too heavy for the hawks.

Other birds spotted during 2020 and into the new year: a pair of blue jays (hoping for decent photos soon), chickadees, tufted titmice, robins, crows, nuthatches, red-bellied and downy woodpeckers, and Carolina wrens.

What birds did you spot to end the old year and begin the new one?

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Joining in with the Bird Depot hosted by Anni at I‘d Rather B Birdin’

 

P.S.

In case you’re wondering, I used to blog at So Not Organized but switched over for the new year to a brand new blog. Needed to change hosting so started fresh. Still me and still planning on sharing birdwatching posts each week.

Happy New Year! My 2021 Word

2021 Word Of The Year 2 Comments

Before I share, I’ll just admit I’m a bit hesitant to pick a word this year. Last year I chose “home” and we all know how that turned out. Global pandemic. Stay At Home Orders. Ahem.

Don’t worry, I didn’t pick “travel” for this year. So if the zombie apocalypse happens it’s not going to be on account of my word. Ha!

In all seriousness, I like the word the I picked for this year. It floated into my mind sometime right before Christmas and just stuck. It might sound a bit negative when you first hear it but I’m using it in a positive way.

Drumroll….announcing my word for 2021:

 

LESS

 

And in an epic fail already, I’ve already gone a bit extra and come up with a “fancy” catchphrase to go along with my word. Want to hear it? Of course, you do! Here it is:

Less Stressing and More Blessing

I’m sure I probably heard that somewhere in passing and can’t take full credit for it but it popped into my mind. I think the phrase serves as a good reminder of my word. Hopefully, the catchphrase helps me reign it in when I’m trying too hard and need to do less.

And no, I’m not thinking of my word in terms of the minimalist movement ever so popular (especially in January!). Maybe I’ll clear out a few things or maybe I won’t. Here’s how I mean to apply my word this year:

Less junk food/more vegetables

Less worry/more relaxing

Doing Less for everyone else/More teaching them to do for themselves

Lowering my expectations/achieving more

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Frankly, after last year, I’m tired. Aren’t we all? And I needed an easy word. Really, I have high hopes for focusing on my word this year. Last year, I struggled to find a word. And I’ve found in years I struggle to find that one word, almost forcing it, I do worse.

Years like this one, where the word simply whispers itself to me as the old year draws to a close, I do much better. Here’s to a much better year for all of us!

Did you or will you pick a word for 2021?

 

 

Cold Moon

Just Photos No Comments

No lie about that moon. I was cold while standing outside snapping these photos. Photos are a mix of captures from my bridge camera and the newer one. The bridge camera takes better close up photos of the moon while the 3500 captures the clouds around it better. Asking too much to get both in one shot. Well, at least asking too much of this amateur. Hope you enjoy the photos!

Just a few from the Nikon D3500:

The rest from my Nikon bridge camera with the special “moon” setting, first my “accidental” shot:

And finally, a couple close-ups of the cold moon:

If you hopped over from So Not Organized, thank you!

Saturday Sunrise

Just Photos 2 Comments

I shared one photo over on So Not Organized but I was in such of awe of the last Saturday Sunrise of 2020. Here are the other photos I took. A little squirrel enjoyed his view from our front yard maple tree as well. You can see his silhouette in a few of the photos.

Looking Forward

Chitchat On My Mind No Comments

It’s still December of 2020 as I type up this post. My plan is still to switch over to this site starting on January 1. You may find this site a work in progress while I share new posts.

Either way, I’m fairly confident in saying I don’t think I’m the only one looking forward to putting 2020 in the rearview mirror. Not that I’m superstitious (well, maybe when it comes to Chiefs football and spilling salt. As an aside within an aside: My kids make fun of me but I always throw a little salt over my left shoulder when I’m measuring out the salt and spill a little. Something I saw my own mom do or talk about often. The memory fades. Something to do with warding off evil spirits. Might throw the whole container of salt over my left shoulder on New Year’s Eve!) but I’ve been hesitant to post on my new site over here too much in 2020. Don’t want to taint it prior to the new year.

My Early Blogging Ideas

When I first started blogging, it was with those crazy lottery dreams of being a famous (and rich!) blogger. Turns out in my heart, I couldn’t do it. Not that I don’t believe the famous and rich (or simply those who earn decent incomes) bloggers aren’t genuine but for me, the steps involved in simply trying didn’t feel genuine. I still follow blogs from those days of lists of “follow back” and Facebook like days. Some I find relevant but most, I don’t even read.

For the most part, I seldom read past the first two sentence of a post containing the words “sponsored” and even before my kids became annoying teenagers, I couldn’t bring myself to put our entire lives on line (for profit purposes).  I enjoy reading posts from the heart about kids and families as long as they aren’t using their kids to “sell” me something. That sentence doesn’t sound quite right so hopefully, dear reader, you know what I mean a bit.  It’s annoying starting in on a post that sounds interesting to realize it’s a veiled attempt to sell me something.

I’m not a famous (or even almost famous) blogger earning a 6 figure (or any) income from my blog. And really, that’s okay with me. I prefer the conversational side of things and I don’t need money to chitchat with anyone.

Finding Readers

Of course, it’s not fun talking to yourself. So I still needed readers. See above about blog following and Facebook page likes. All the “advice” said I had to have a central theme on my blog.

Thus, the many posts about organizing attempts. (Don’t worry I’ll still share my attempts and failures over here.) And the title of my previous blog, So Not Organized.

As my kids grew and I learned more about life, I realized I needed more freedom in my blogging. All a mental game, of course, but I felt stalled by my blog title. So, new year, new blog with more freedom. Hopefully, my readers follow me over here from So Not Organized. I might have a few ideas to entice you all to stick around here and for a few new readers to join the party.

My Blogging Ideas Now

On this new blog, I plan to share more of my heart. More chit chat on whatever subject I feel like discussing. Note: I will still almost never discuss politics on here. One of the things I’m looking forward to in 2021 (hoping and praying for it) is a year where politics once again take a seat in the background. And we focus more on friends, family, and simply being kind to one another.

I want blog visitors to feel like they’ve walked into my house and sat either on the couch or at the kitchen table, enjoying a cup of coffee (or tea) and maybe a small treat. And we’ll share about whatever’s going on in our lives at the moment.

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I did manage to add a “subscribe by email button” over in the side bar, if you follow So Not Organized by e-mail, I’d appreciate it if you’d switch over and start following Chit Chat With Jean. Or you can always also follow on Bloglovin’ (also a follow button on the side bar). Thanks!

Spilled Tea and Hoping for a Jan 1 Site Launch

Chitchat No Comments

Forgot the frustrations of starting from scratch. Been a long time and now I can’t find the old tutorials I used to make So Not Organized. Still not giving up hope to have things the way I want on Jan. 1.

In chit chat news, I went inside a free standing Starbucks store on Tuesday night for the first time since well, possibly 2019. Might have ventured in one back in January of February of 2020. It’s certainly been a long year, hasn’t it?

Anyway, I needed gift cards, specifically one a for a secret Santa gift I was in the middle of dropping off at work. Turns out the grocery store location closes at 7p.m. NOT 8p.m. like I thought.

Happy news to me, finding out the free standing location was still open. Not sure when they closed, probably 9p.m. Even happier news, I could go inside the store! Couldn’t bring myself to order a gift card through the drive through. So, mask on, enter store. Still can’t meet to chat with friends but you can pick up merchandise/order coffee/buy gift cards, all inside the store.

Bought my gift cards. Then, decided since I was already there, might as well treat myself. Since it was after 8 already, I ordered a small (tall?) Chai tea latte. My new favorite Starbucks drink of choice. Onward to work to drop off my secret Santa gift since I wasn’t working the next day.

Spilling The Tea (Literally)

Drop off gift, check door to make sure it’s properly locked. Then, am I the only one? Get in car but wait, maybe I should check door one more time just in case. Do that. Come back to car. And realize my purse strap caught on my coffee (tea) cup and in a freak accident, turned it completely upside down in the cupholder.

Gravity is real, my friends. Suffice it to say not a single drop of tea stayed in the upside down cup. Instead it all pooled in the cupholder. A beautiful brown delicious smelling pond, no longer fit for consumption even if I’d had a straw handy.

Almost sums up this whole year does it not?

Starting Fresh

Uncategorized 2 Comments

After many years of posting on my blog over at So Not Organized, I’ve decided it’s time for a fresh start. I’m still not organized but I’ve accepted it. I’ll still share the same type of content, some of it about organizing but mostly just whatever is on my mind. Think of it as meeting me for coffee to hear about how things are going around here.

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