Begin anew again

Highlights of 2024, plus the usual monthly updates

Yesterday I took down the ornaments and this morning morning I unwound the twinkle lights from around the tree we chopped down ourselves on Mt. Hood. Soon it will sit on the curb, awaiting transport to the city’s compost. I thanked it for bringing us so much joy this past month, from when we turned on the lights in the dark mornings to when we turned them off before bed. I’ll vacuum up the needles and retrieve the chair we’ve been storing in our bedroom. The corner it inhabited will be a little bit darker tonight and that makes me sad.

In the absence of holiday revelry, I cling to my winter comforts. Sewing. Crafts. Reading in bed. Coffee in bed. Making soups and sheet pan dinners. Watching movies from a horizontal position on the couch. Yoga by lamplight. Soft sweaters and elastic pants. Blankets piled high. As it drizzles outside, I move slowly.

To ease into another year is the only way I know how to begin anew again. But before moving forward, I like to look back at the year prior, a ritual I’ve carried through every new calendar. Some highlights, big and small, of 2024:

I started a new quilt and finished another. I stopped dying my hair blonde. I went to a music festival without having a panic attack. I painted the kitchen cabinets sage green. I built shelves from scratch. I took up tennis again. I visited Mexico, Tennessee, and Iowa for the first time. I hiked 14 miles of the Oregon Coast Trail. I skinny dipped in the Pacific and swam in the Sea of Cortez. I silenced phone notifications and left my phone untouched for hours. I read 16 books cover to cover. I spoke on two panels about freelancing. I built a table for our backyard. I planted a wildflower garden. I perfected my snot rocket on runs. I learned how to lino print. I learned how to be more patient. I hosted many dear friends at our dining room table. I celebrated one year in our home, three years without alcohol, three years of Kona, five years of marriage, ten years of partnership.

We’re already five days in to 2025, and I’m trying to savor the stillness to slow down time. I don’t want it to go too fast, this precious period of time without plans or obligations or projects. Just the space to be, to breathe. Because soon enough it will be February, then March, then December again.

Leading with love,

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Monthly Shareables

Reading: I picked up the book Worn: A People’s History of Clothing again. I didn’t finish it the last time because it’s so dense, but I’m committed to making my way through it, even if slowly. Did you know that in the 1800s, women weren’t allowed to own anything except linens? It’s why they stitched their names onto quilts and things.

I’m also reading a few pages a day from the book Devotions, a vast collection of Mary Oliver’s poems, recommended to me by

Leslie Stephens

.

Listening: I’ve never been an audiobook person, but I realized that instead of sewing for hours in silence, I could knock out a bunch of books. I’ve been listening to The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan and learning so much!

Making: The Maker’s Overshirt in a buttery yellow corduroy, the All Well Cardigan Coat out of a thrifted blanket (above), and a bunch of lino block printed cards to replenish my stationery collection (also above).

Building: My sister-in-law gifted me this DIY Miniature Flower House, and I had so much fun building it over the last few days. It was the perfect way to zen out and spend time frivolously.

Wearing: I haven’t taken off this charm necklace since Steve gave it to me for Christmas, and these Donni pants are really as good as everyone says.

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January Mood

Fish motifs, quilts, embroidered garments, big pants, big buttons, thin stripes, woven things, and soft lighting.

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