From the Archives: January Memories

I thought it would be fun to pull up some posts from the past. After all, I've been writing here at Pursuing Heart since 2010, sixteen years ago now!

These posts bring back memories for me, and maybe will bring some encouragement and inspiration for you as you read them. Click on the link below each photo to view and to read ...

Jan. 2025: Starting Out the Year with Good Books

Jan. 2023: A Collection: January Books and Cozy Winter Decor

Jan. 2021: Starting Out the New Year : In the Kitchen

Jan. 2019: In the Kitchen: Make-Ahead Dishes

Jan. 2018: Quieting My Heart: In Memorial

Jan. 2014: When it's Okay to be Helpless

Jan. 2013: Digital Scrapbooking/Mid-January

March and April Recap

It's hard to believe sometimes, but this is the calendar year of our 75/80 birthdays! The first number is mine, the second one my dear husband's! At times we look at those numbers and are in disbelief, and at other times, we are realizing that ... yes, it is true; those numbers belong to us. 

Related to our ages, we have been involved in a big change in our home ... and thus, it has been rather quiet here on my blog the past few months. (I have not had the time to write here a few times a month, as I often do.) We have been fully involved in the process of the most amazing, and most unexpected change in our home!

When our six kids (and their families) were all home for Christmas, they gave us the most amazing idea that we should remodel two smaller bedrooms on our main floor into one larger Master Bedroom! The primary purpose of the remodel would be for us to move our bedroom from an upper level of our home, onto the main floor. Why hadn't we thought of that before? This makes so much sense especially as we are growing older.

Our two sons came up with the idea, and one of them drew up a plan that was just perfect. A builder that we know was available to start on it the last day of February.

Over the next three weeks, we went from having two smaller bedrooms on our main floor (pictured in the photo here) ...

To having a beautiful, spacious Master Bedroom Suite, complete with direct access to the bathroom on the main floor. It is absolutely lovely, beyond what we would have dreamed of on our own. Our bed is on the north end of the room, and ...

on the south is a cozy seating area!

In preparation for this remodel, we needed to move everything out of those two existing rooms. The rooms each held a fairly large closet just filled up with things. Who could even imagine how much we had stored in these old closets? Together with also going through things in our old bedroom, and also in my husband's former office, we have been quite busy these past two months. We have had boxes and piles of so many things all over the other rooms of our home, as we have made decision after decision of what to get rid of, and what to keep. It has been a lot of work, and it has brought us a lot of joy, too! 

The process of our remodel continues, as we are choosing to continue slowly, taking our time with making the best decisions. We still need to put up new curtains, put up another bookcase, purchase some comfy swivel recliners, and add some more decorating touches to our new bedroom suite. Such a fun process; we are loving our new space so much. And love being on the main floor; so fun, and so very essential as we enter our 75/80 year!!

We also just returned from a seven-day trip to visit two of our daughters and their families ... one near Dallas, TX, and the other in McCook, NE. It was the perfect time to get away, and enjoy several significant events that some of our grandkids were involved in. We are thanking God for the gift of family, and also thanking Him for the idea they have given us to have this remodel done, creating such a restful, refreshing space for us.

A New Year: Journals and Planners

January is the new week

between Christmas and the new year.

(Emily P. Freeman)

Here we are at the end of January, one month into the new year already! Christmas was such a joyous time for us with all of our six grown kids home + most of those dear ones they have added to our family here with us, as well. We were 24 in all here in our home for Family Christmas on Dec. 27th! (Click here to see a photo of all of us around our big dining table for Christmas Dinner ... scroll down to the bottom of the post to see the photo.)

And since then, we have been cherishing the memories, at the same time that we have needed to enter into a New Year with all the responsibilities that life brings to us. I have also needed to totally embrace the quote above, giving myself room this whole month long, to pay attention to all the things that I love to do after Christmas and before the New Year! January has truly been my week between Christmas and the New Year.

At the beginning of a new year I love taking time to pause, to reflect on all the ways God has been with us in the previous year, and also to think through and pray through the thoughts and ideas on my heart and mind for the new year.

And so, in the midst of other responsibilities this month, I have been making space all through the month for my "beginning of a new year" process ... reminding myself not to hurry and rush with these steps, but to give my heart and mind space to take all the time that I need.

Are you a journal and planner person? Setting up my journals and planners at the beginning of the year has always been a process that brings me joy. Having a well-kept home, a home and life that is run with creativity, care, and organization are things I love. They are a reflection of the love and character of God, feeding my own soul, as I serve and love those around me. So I love to reflect back, and to look ahead to another year.

The place I start, and of most importance to me as I start out in a new year (and also each season and day of the year) are my (in)Courage Devotional Bible, and my "Devo Journal" (pictured above). (I also use other tools; my Chronological Study Bible plus various books and study guides.) These are what hold my heart and my mind together ... pausing during my days, reading God's Words to me, listening, and allowing His Truth to settle deep into my heart. I use my devo journal to write down what I learn, to often write down some verses word-for-word, so that His Words, each word, can sink in deeply to my heart. I love to make verse cards, as well, with my favorite verses, as seen in photo above. I also write down my responses in my journal as i read and learn, sharing my heart and my thoughts; writing out my thanks to God, and writing out my need of Him, asking for His help. 

Show me the right path, O Lord;

point out the road for me to follow.

Lead me by Your truth, and teach me,

for You are the God who saves me.

All day long I put my hope in You.

(Psalm 25:4-5 NLT)

From this connection and relationship, made possible by God's love, grace, and mercy ... I also set up my planners for the new year. I've used so many different planners through the years, some purchased, and now for quite a few years, I have created my own. It does take some time to do so, but is a joy to personalize them for myself and the interests and passions He has given me.

I've used a blank notebook (purchased through Amazon) for several years in a row now. It's divided into six sections, each section with pastel colored pages. It is my Yearly Planner, set up for the entire year. I use the first section for monthly calendars, the next four sections for the four seasons of the year, and the last section for misc ideas. I have created different charts and pages to print out, and paste into the notebook.

Within each of the four seasonal sections, I create a pretty cover page, because beauty always lifts our hearts, and encourages us! The next pages under WINTER are set up to help me keep on track with the things of priority to me. These pages cover a variety of topics: ideas for my devotional time, life together with my dear hubby, our family, friends. Also keeping track of health/exercise, home care (including cleaning), "In the Kitchen", writing on my Pursuing Heart blog, digital scrapbooking, and more. 

Also, I have another notebook I use weekly and daily, implementing the ideas that are recorded in my Yearly Planner. These weekly and daily notebooks are set up seasonally, one notebook for each season of the year. This probably sounds rather tedious, but for me, it is life-giving. Writing things down helps me to think more clearly, helps me stay on focus, and encourages creativity for me. So it is a joy.

I have a two-page spread for each week within each season. On the first page, I've created a print-out with my main focuses/priorities, where I write specifics in through the week.

Across from the print-out of priorities, I have a weekly calendar page where I record events for the week.

Next are the daily pages. At the start of the day, you would most likely see multiple post-it notes covering the daily page, reminders of things that need my attention that day. I most often choose to write down what I actually did on a given day, in late afternoon or evening, instead of listing things directly on the page at the start my day. This helps me, task-driven person that I am, to hold tasks more loosely, and depend on God to lead me through each day. And at the end of the day I can celebrate what He has helped me get done by writing the things down. (Maybe this practice is partly due to my age, in my mid-70's, helping me remember more clearly what each day held!)

Well, this is just a brief glimpse into the journals and planners that I use. They are not an end in themselves, but they help keep me on the right path. Maybe one small part could be an encouragement to you, even if you are not one who needs to write things down. We are each uniquely made!

As we journey through our days this year, in the good and the hard times, we can continually find moments to pause, to slow our busy lives and notice the gifts from our loving Father. His greatest gift to us is His presence with us. From Christmastime continuing throughout the entire year: Immanuel: God with us. Our journals and planners can be a tool to help us focus on what is of most importance, instead of being a slave to busyness and confusion.

In the Kitchen: Menu Planning, Spice Organization, and a New Recipe

Having some type of a menu plan especially helps me to be more consistent with cooking for just the two of us. Of course, it definitely helps when cooking for a crowd, but I need it just as much for a meal for two. 

The photo above shows the menu planner that I am using this year; sitting on my kitchen counter, ready and handy to refer to. The photo above was taken on Feb. 13, with the recipe written in for that day - a delicious new recipe I tried. We loved the Creamy Tomato and Spinach Tortellini Soup we had that evening. 

On the post-it notes you see the other two recipes that I had selected to use that week for main dishes. I made Teriyaki Salmon the next day (Valentine's Day!), a favorite of my hubby's. We love that recipe!

I like to be flexible with my menu plans, usually waiting to fill in the daily squares as I go through the week. But having the recipes picked out ahead of time helps so much, also gives me the time needed to shop for the groceries. And I like the flexibility of using the post-it notes. 

And on the additional days of the week when I am not preparing one of the recipes that I have picked out to use, you will most likely find us heating up a homemade freezer meal. I usually have a ready supply of those on hand in our extra upright freezer. This happens naturally as I continue to prepare my recipes as they are originally written, even though there are just two of us at home now. Instead of down-sizing them for just two of us, sometimes I will even double the original recipe so that I will have a number of freezer meals - for us, and also to share.

Last month we gave our kitchen a little new year gift! Our spice collection was becoming a bit of a mess. So many spices, and it was becoming a challenge to quickly find the ones that a recipe called for! 

So it was the right time to purchase some new spice racks, and also some new spice jars! I used my label maker to make the labels that you see on the jars. The round labels on top came with the purchased jars. Why did I wait so long to do this?! Click to see the spice racks (I purchased two of these), and the spice jars that I purchased from Amazon. And click for the label maker that I purchased a few years ago, and that I use often!

And back to that new recipe that I tried out mid-February ... here's a photo of it! I put several meals of it in the freezer, and yesterday we pulled out one of those freezer meals to use. It was just as delicious after being frozen, thawed, and heated up in the microwave as when I made it fresh earlier this month. Click here for the recipe: Creamy Tomato and Spinach Tortellini Soup.

(A few changes I made to the recipe: I doubled the recipe, and also substituted 1 can of crushed tomatoes for 1 of the cans of diced tomatoes ... also used chicken broth instead of vegetable broth. I chose to freeze it with the tortellini already added to it - instead of how the recipe describes doing it. The recipe also suggests adding cooked sausage to it, which also would be delicious!)

 

A Collection: January Books and Cozy Winter Decor

Closing out this first month of the year with a few book recommendations! The winter months are the perfect time to curl up with a book, especially during the evening hours. My dear husband loves to read, as well, and we both even prefer a good book over watching tv. 

I had the joy of reading three books this month ... one nonfiction book, and two fiction books. And I loved them all! A nonfiction for learning and growing, and fiction books to relax with in the evenings. I also have just started reading my second nonfiction book for this year: Holy Hygge, and am loving it, as well. I recommend each of these books.

My three books completed in January:

The Story Keeper - by Lisa Wingate

One of my favorite authors for fiction, I like how Lisa Wingate draws us into the hearts and lives of the main characters. This book (a birthday gift from a daughter - thanks, Sara!), is set in the Appalachians, and is the second book in her "Carolina Chronicles" series. 

Heaven Rules - by Nancy DeMoss Wilgemuth

My husband read this first, and highly recommended that I read it, as well. It is such a timely read, especially in the confusion and heartache of the times we live in. The author uses Daniel as a backdrop as well as multiple personal stories, to remind us that we know Who is ultimately in charge, and Who we need to keep our hearts and trust focused on.

A Heart Adrift - by Laura Frantz

I love to have a historical fiction book to pick up and read, and Laura Frantz never disappoints. My favorites need to be accurate to history so I can learn, and also carry a redemptive quality. This book definitely meets those qualities, and is set in 1775 as the threat of war with France loomed large over colonial Virginia. 

I'm also going through A Lovely Life season by season, and finished the "Winter" section during January. Melissa Michaels gives such good insight and ideas for "Home-Making", and "Soul-Tending" each season of the year. This beautiful coffee table style book, a gift from my dear hubby, is a delight and inspiration. 

Finishing up this post by sharing a few photos of some of my winter decor around our home. I've been trying to focus more on the beauty of the season itself, and then will add extra decor for the various winter holidays, as well. 

A little silver tray with a touch of beauty on our kitchen counter, and with some wise encouragement as we start out our days.

The centerpiece on our dining room table was perfect for Christmas, and also for these next two winter months. I just changed it out a bit by adding the gray and white "table throw" that I purchased this month. Adding another layer adds a depth of warmth and cozyness, which I love these winter months.

The display above, on our dining room buffet, had a few other items on it during the Christmas season, which I changed out with a touch of green and spring to come. Small little touches that bring a sense of peace and beauty for each changing season.

And finally, a few quotes I love from the Winter section of A Lovely Life.

"Some of us stumble into our dream homes by creating something beautiful and attainable with what we have right in front of us."

"Short winter days might be exactly the gift we need. With less daylight for the hustle and bustle of activity, we can savor the downtime of longer winter evenings, of quiet activity and reflection."

A Collection: Seasons, Welcoming Autumn, Banana Zucchini Bread, Zucchini Muffins, Autumn Inspiration

 

I'm so grateful for the seasons. Our summer was beautiful and restful ... times with family and friends, enjoying our veggie, herb, and flower gardens. And our summer also was filled with difficulty, with many phone calls with my siblings from afar as we helped our youngest brother with his increasing health concerns with the debilitating affects of Parkinson's. The last portion of summer actually went by in a blur, as the concerns and the accompanying phone calls increased. 

In the midst of a beautiful and a broken world, our loving Father continues to comfort with His Words, His Presence, and also, His gifts of the changing seasons. And this coming season is one of my favorites ...

For the first time ever, I started slowly pulling out my fall home decor the last part of August already. Partly because I love it so much, but also because we'll be traveling for part of this coming season to be with my siblings as we are present with our younger brother. 

Summer was a time of planting and growth, and Autumn is a time to remember, to draw close to each other, to be grateful. I love the reminders for both the growth and the thanks in these words from Colossians 2:7 (NLT) ...

Let your roots grow down into Him,

and let your lives be built on Him.

Then your faith will grow strong 

in the truth you were taught,

and you will overflow with thankfulness.

A part of my seasonal decorating, pillows have become a fun way of filling our home with touches of the seasons. It's an easy way to add the colors of fall (or the other seasons), with a cozy, warm touch. And changing them out, adding a bit of change through the year is always fun and refreshing ...

Of course, the aromas of fall, are a big part of the season. It started the end of August for me when I baked delicious Banana Zucchini Bread (above), using up zucchini from our veggie garden. Click here for a previous post that gives a link to this recipe.

Muffins is another favorite way to use zucchini. Click here for the Zucchini Muffin recipe, shown above. Zucchini, chopped raisins, and chopped walnuts make this a delicious recipe. 

I also recently made another amazing recipe, also using zucchini ... click the following link to read a previous post: BBQ Ranch Grilled Chicken and Veggie Bowls. This is probably my favorite rice bowl recipe.

Yes, I love the seasons. Each has its own beauty, and are gifts from God for us to savor and enjoy in the midst of our beautiful, and challenging days. I've been loving the insight and ideas for each season in Melissa Michael's new book, A Lovely Life: Savoring Simple Joys in Every Season. Part of my Mother's Day gift from my dear husband, this book is packed full of big and small ways to enjoy and celebrate each season. And also, it's filled with such good quotes ...

Autumn is the season to reconnect your heart and soul

to the familiar pleasures of home and hospitality.

(Melissa Michaels, in A Lovely Life)

Simple Home Beauty: Bringing Autumn Indoors

Are you a "homebody"? I sure am! Maybe that word has a negative connotation to some people, but not to me. I just love the simple joys of home. So much of life happens in our homes. It's where we gather together with those we love, where we prepare our meals and gather around the table, where we come to be refreshed and energized for this wonderful, busy, full, and often crazy life.

Homebody: One who enjoys

the simple pleasures and activities

that center around the home.

Don't you just love this definition of "homebody"? It's taken from a sweet little book I'm slowly reading through by Melissa Michaels ...

dwelling: Simple Ways to Nourish Your Home, Body, & Soul. 

And do you love the various seasons of the year, as I do? The varying seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter each give us a sense of new beginnings, and also provide new and refreshing ways to bring warmth and joy into our homes, which in turn bring rest and refreshment to our souls. 

For each season of the year gives us opportunities to bring the beauty of outdoors even into our homes. Autumn is a prime time to showcase the brilliant and soul-feeding colors of outdoors! I thought it would be fun to share a few of my favorite indoor glimpses of the beauty of the season.   

I absolutely love this table centerpiece, purchased a year ago from Kirklands. The tablecloth and plaid placemat were purchased this year(the tablecloth on "clearance"), and I think the plaid placemat was either from Kohl's, or from Target. 

This little fall display on the dining room buffet is mostly from purchases from a few years ago, but the little cozy white house (with light inside) came from the "dollar" bins at Target this year!

And moving to another favorite room in our home - the kitchen!

This fall display (above) is on one of my kitchen countertops. First of all, you need to notice the beautiful tile backdrop that one of our sons-in-law put up for us ten years ago when he remodeled our kitchen and dining room for us (thanks, Tyler)! The muted olive green tray was a Christmas gift last year from one of our daughters (thanks, Cristy!), the gorgeous vase with fall flowers was a purchase from Kirklands this year, and the framed "Home Sweet Home" art was a purchase from Michael's this year as well.

On another counter in the kitchen, you'll see the fun little "Happy Pumpkin Spice Season" decor, a purchase from another year. Also the artificial green plant beauty was a gift from another daughter (thanks, Carrie!), and the Gold Canyon scented candle and stand were purchased from the same daughter who has been selling for Gold Canyon!

Some people are putting up their Christmas decorations already, but so far at least, I've always chosen to wait until after Thanksgiving Day. I just want to hang onto the beauty of autumn till then!

Our awesome God is the CREATOR

of all the autumn beauty, 

and it really does feed our souls! 

Such joy in bringing little glimpses

of His beautiful art into our homes - 

refreshing us, energizing us ... 

each day of this amazing season. 

Recipe Organization / Menus

Things have changed in recent years with my recipe organization. It has been a process, and over this past weekend, I took some more time to pretty much finish up the process of change.

The big change was switching over from collecting recipes on 3x5 cards, to collecting them on full-size paper (8 1/2 x 11 inch). I've been adding my recipes to Plan to Eat, an online resource where I store my recipes. From there, I can print them out, and also can freely copy and share them here on my blog, as well. 

But regardless of whether they are stored online or not, it is so much easier to have them printed out on full-size paper. I slip each recipe into a plastic sleeve, and store them in my various three-ring binders. 

I have one binder for my main dish and sides recipes ... and these are the label categories I use at the time:

Poultry

Beef

Pork

Fish/Other

Grilled

Slow Cooker

Soups

Sides

Salads

Beverages

Breakfast

Lunch

Breads/Rolls

And another binder for these categories of recipes:

Appetizers

Snacks/Parties

Cookies

Pies/Cheesecakes

Desserts

Thanksgiving

Christmas

And one more binder, with similar categories, for NEW recipes to try ... you can get a glimpse of this binder in the photo below. I like to print out recipes that look fun to try, and keep them in this notebook. I usually try to pick about one new recipe from this collection each week to prepare. Though I have many recipes collected in my two main notebooks, all favorites - I always love to try new recipes. It's what makes it fun for me to be in the kitchen and prepare meals ...

Each week I gather these notebooks and choose the recipes that I want to try to use during the coming week. (Occasionally I do several weeks at a time.) Sometimes it's a bit of a process, as I have collected so many recipes over 45 years of marriage! I took some time this past weekend to simplify my collection, removing those that I don't use anymore (even removing NEW recipes that I've collected and don't plan to use after all) ... and this should make it easier to plan menus in the future. 

In the photo above you see the recipes that I have pulled out of the various notebooks to try to use this week. I say "try" because I am very flexible with my menu plans for the week, and more often than not, change things around as the week goes on. 

Having my recipes easily accessible in my notebooks, and a menu plan made out for each week is a life-saver for me, and keeps me more consistently preparing nutritious meals. Maybe even more so in these empty nest years, when it is just too easy to grab food, or even pick up fast food more often than is good for us.

Nurturing 101

A special gift: 2016 calendar from my daughters with photos of our sweet grandkids!

I've been kind of captivated by this word recently: nurturing. And wondering if it is a good definition of what we as women, as wives, mothers, grandmothers, and friends, do, and what we are at the core. Isn't this where our hearts are? What brings us the deepest kind of joy? To be nurturers, life-givers ... 

I looked up the definition of nurture last week, and this is what I found from various online resources:

• the care and attention given to someone or something that is growing or developing
• as a verb: to feed and protect or support and encourage; to bring up; train; educate
• as a noun: upbringing, training, education, development, something that nourishes

Nurturing our children, our grandchildren, all of our relationships, can be compared beautifully to how we nurture the seeds and young plants in our gardens and homes. For with our gardens and with our families and loved ones, it really is an unconditional giving, and nourishing. And it is a daily, faithful commitment of time and energy on our part. And sometimes it even requires replanting, with very tender care. Sometimes the storms come ... and the only thing and the main thing we can do is to love and to pray. 

And always, we are nurturing: giving care and attention, supporting, encouraging, training, loving, and the most powerful form of nurturing we can provide for those we love - praying for them. For God is the most loving and powerful nurturer of those we love.

May our sons flourish in their youth

like well-nurtured plants.

May our daughters 

be like graceful pillars,

carved to beautify a palace.

(Psalm 144:12 NLT)

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I have a desire to write periodically on this topic of nurturing during this year, sharing thoughts, quotes, and ideas.

Nurturing has been part of my life as a mom and grama for many years. I have the great privilege of being the mother of six, mother-in-law of four, and grama of ten. A full life, and a full heart.

And I also have an important disclaimer: Though I have experience in mothering/nurturing, what I write here  is also for my own learning. In fact, I almost hesitate to write on this topic, for I know how far I fall short. For we do that as women, as mothers, don't we - we always strive for perfection. But there is only One who is perfect. And by God's grace and mercy, as we are nourished by His faithful love and care, we can continually grow as nurturers for those we love.

- - - - - - - - - -

Sharing a few nurturing hands-on tips and ideas this month:

Create a space, an individual space, for each child (or grandchild) ...

We all desire to belong, to feel loved and cared for, to feel noticed. One tangible way we can show love is to make a space for those we love. To let them know that we value them, and are thinking about them. 

Sometimes it can be expressions of the heart; a hug, a listening ear, a prayer. And sometimes it can be a tangible way that love and care are expressed ...

These "school boxes" are located on shelves in what our grandkids sometimes call the "art" or "drawing" room of our home. It came from a desire of mine to help them feel special and loved: a box of their own drawing and coloring supplies, with an extra little item added from time to time.

I have been surprised at how they love these boxes - fixed up just for them, with their own name on the box. It maybe gives them a sense of belonging, that their time in our home is anticipated and looked forward to. When a grandchild comes over, I love watching them pick out their box, and move it to the table in the room set up for their use. 

Individual time with a child:

A page from my digital scrapbook ...

One-on-time with those we love speaks volumes. But finding individual time with a child (or grandchild) can be a challenge. For usually there are multiple children to love and care for. It takes a special effort to make individual time a reality.

Our grandkids are growing up fast, and right now, there is only one who is not in school yet, though she does love the preschool that she goes to two mornings a week! Once a month, besides the times that we may be caring for her and her older brother, I love to have an "Eva Day". With just Eva. A time to focus on just her, and give her my full attention.

She always leaves our home so happy, and I end the day with a full heart ... and also, with a need to sit down and rest up from the day! It's always great fun for both of us, and also for "grampa" who also gets in a bit of time with her, as his office is in our home.

Individual time always makes us feel loved, doesn't it? It works this way with God - spending time alone with Him, reading His Words, listening, journaling ... and we are filled up. And from this overflow, we can do the same with those we love; spending one-on-one time in conversation, in listening and caring.

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For more of my posts on mothering:

Forever Close: The Heart of a Mother

Linking up with:
Intentional at Home Thursday
Tell His Story