No.618: Ten Things I Loved in January & Other Highlights from the Month

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What a way to enter in the new year!  Snow upon snow upon snow…

TEN THINGS I LOVED IN JANUARY

1. my Christmas Cactus still blooming into January
2. kombucha (my favorite flavor is passionfruit + tangerine)
3. a warm church on a bitterly cold winter day
4. the anticipation for the growing season ahead
5. how peaceful the world feels the morning after a snow storm
6. kids big enough to dress themselves in gear and help shovel the driveway
7. the Novena of Abandonment
8. seeing the sunset as I close up the chicken coop at night
9. big bowls of chili and homemade tortilla chips
10. new friendships

THREE LESSONS I LEARNED

1. Farm animals are incredibly resilient. // January has been so cold and I’ve been a complete worry wart over the warmth of my animals.  Turns out they don’t need much!  The hens have a coop full of fluffy pine shavings and the pigs all cuddle together, completely buried in straw.  Despite the chill, they all seem happy and healthy!
2. I don’t miss Facebook.  Like at all. // Late in December, I made the decision to permanently delete my Facebook account.  I only logged in sporadically, but kept my account “just in case” and because I had special pictures saved.  For whatever reason, I got a wild hair in December and decided to take the plunge, even though I had doubts just like with I did with Amazon Prime.  (I mean…talk about a first world problem.)  I was able to easily download all of my photos and they even gave me 30 days in case I changed my mind.  (I didn’t.)  In the weeks since, I have felt great.  There is no temptation to “check in” and see what’s new.  No watching dumpster fires of friends completely destroying each other due to different beliefs.  No ads bombarding me with stuff.  One more step toward a more intentional life right here in the real world.  (P.S. I also haven’t been on Instagram in months and once I figure out how to save those photos, I’m making the jump there too.)
3. “Hearing trains” is actually tinnitus. // When I was a kid, I would occasionally complain of “hearing trains” in my ears.  It’s so hard to describe without sounding crazy, but it’s continued off and on, even into adulthood.  Anyway, I was listening to a personal testimony from a woman with some health issues and one of her symptoms included hearing trains.  The doctor she was speaking with casually answered, “Ahh yes, that’s typical of tinnitus.”  I was floored and so happy to hear that it’s an actual thing!

A SIDE HUSTLE/MORTGAGE REDUCTION UPDATE

After the success of my 30 day super mega declutter/resale challenge last year, I really wanted to incorporate the process more regularly.  I have a goal of earning $5,000 through various side hustles in 2022, which will go toward our mortgage principal.  Reselling our outgrown/unneeded items is one avenue I’m using to get to that goal.

+ I rebooted my old Kidizen account and cross-posted some of my children’s outgrown clothing there.  I watched this video from Ginger Marvin on Youtube that was so helpful.  It’s been years since I’ve been on the app and since I’ve been gone, they’ve also added a “Mama” section, so I tried a few adult pieces as well.  Only two sales so far, but I’ll take it!

What I found and sold in January:

+ 2 ornaments
+ a sweatshirt, sweater, shirt and puffer vest from my closet
+ 4 books
+ a kneading blade from a broken bread machine
+ a pair of football cleats
+ a preschool math curriculum
+ 2 dresses, 3 shirts, a bathing suit and 3 pajamas from the kids’ unneeded/outgrown bins
+ a preschool backpack
+ a potty training seat
+ an Ikea pillow sham
+ a Flipbelt running belt and a running compression calf sleeve
+ a pair of snowboots
+ an XBox game
+ a set of mini spreaders

Number sold: 28
Total amount earned after fees: $227.57