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Back in September, I wrote that ordinary days are a privilege and a gift. We just had a week of uneventful, boring days and I was almost euphoric about it.
Some ordinary things from this week: Working together to complete a puzzle on the kitchen table. Keeping a blazing fire in the fireplace. Staying cozy indoors while it poured outside. Washing piles upon piles of laundry. Reading a silly read aloud to my littlest boys. Making progress on my cross-stitch project. Watching the kids strategize and cheer each other on as they played their joint Saint Nicholas gift. (I found it secondhand for cheap – BIG hit!) Driving around to see the neighbors’ lights and decorations. Getting sick myself after caring for two kids with colds. Reading and reading and reading.
Hoping to document the abundance around me all year long!
Around here, abundance looks like…
+ decorating our Christmas tree. Just recently, I got a taste of the consumerism-pushing influencers on Youtube – new tree, new decorations, new new new. (I’m sure it’s even worse on social media.) Can I just be the voice of reason and say that not only is that financially unrealistic for most people, but it may also be removing important family memories in the process? There is something special about the comfort of the same, the repetition of things that make us a family. Our tree is a hodge-podge of glass ornaments and kids’ crafts and non-breakable bulbs and DIY creations made over the years. I love to listen to the kids as they remember the when/where/hows of each piece. Our tree isn’t internet-worthy, but it’s ours. And isn’t that more important?
+ getting a much-needed surprise Chip Drop. Our woodchip pile was pitifully small and I was starting to worry about how we would keep our permanent pig paddocks fresh through the winter. God provides!
+ apparently getting all new floors! The second opinion was sent to insurance and it looks like they’ve approved the replacement of not only the ruined half of the dining room, but the entire first floor. We’ve been here, there and everywhere looking at samples and I’m pretty overwhelmed. So many choices! Hoping to settle on something classic that we’ll enjoy for years to come. Thankfully, the work won’t begin until after Christmas so I have a bit of time to make a decision.
+ selling three unneeded items for the Car Loan Payoff Plan: a decorative Christmas garland, a book and a slip. After shipping and fees, I made $10.01. Not much, but every little bit helps.
Reading //
- The Rules of Discernment: A Practical Guide – Rule 2 from Megan Hjelmstad at Spiritual Direction
- Vapid Vibes: What does our culture want us to want? from Peco at Pilgrims in the Machine // “Sometimes, in life, affirmation is deserved. Some entitlements are legitimate. Encouragement is always good. But we have started to normalize narcissistic specialness. More than ever, we think we can function and succeed on ego fumes and the vapid vibes of hype and sentiment.”
- Gratitude in Adversity, Lessons from St. Jeanne Jugan from Emily Malloy at Theology of Home // “Life presents countless challenges. It is the gratitude cultivated in the face of adversity that leads us up the mountain toward holiness; a gratitude that can only be formed in detachment from our own will as we conform ourselves to God’s.” A beautiful saint!
- Living Intentionally in a Tech-Driven World: My Journey to Balance from Miltiadis Raptis // “It’s important to recognize that technology itself isn’t inherently bad. It has brought us countless benefits, yet many people believe it’s to blame for the shallow relationships and procrastination that plague our society. The truth is, the fault lies within us. Just as sugar isn’t responsible for obesity—it’s our overconsumption of it—technology isn’t to blame for our lack of meaningful connections. It’s how we choose to use it.”
New Additions to The List //
- Paddling My Own Canoe: A Solo Adventure On the Coast of Molokai by Audrey Sutherland
- Advent of the Heart: Seasonal Sermons and Prison Writings, 1941-1944 by Alfred Delp
- Time of the Child by Niall Williams
- Jeanne Jugan: Humble So As To Love More by Paul Milcent
Watching/Listening //
- How To Be Extremely Frugal | Better Spending Habits In 2025 from 2 Sister Bees
- 4 Tips to PREPARE for NO SPEND JANUARY 2025 from Kate Kaden // Making goals and getting inspired for the new year!
- Creating a Beautiful Phenology Wheel: Nature’s Calendar from Marion’s World // This is incredible.
- Why You Should Take Ownership Of Your Education – The Education Revolution! from Rob Pirie
Loving //
- this “Rockefeller Center Joy” Christmas puzzle // We picked this up at a local toystore on Small Business Saturday. So many cute details!
- these battery-operated candles for the windows // Quite possibly my favorite Christmas decoration to put up each year. So simple and beautiful.
- this little poem:
Oh gosh I love that poem at the end. Such beautiful winter vibes.
I am so happy for you about all new flooring. That’s going to be so lovely.
And finally, I love that your tree is also a hodgepodge of items. It makes me so happy to look upon all the color and sparkles and creativity that went into the ornaments that adorn our tree. Not to mention that our kids, like yours, love to talk about the memories.
Yes! It’s like the tree shows the passage of time in a really unique way. I remember buying those non-breakable bulbs when I had little kids who loved to smash ornaments together. I remember the craft kits that they put together with relatives. I remember choosing the glass ones that represented their hobbies/loves that year. You just can’t replicate that family culture and history with a new, “aesthetic” tree every year, you know?
I am so glad there is another family with a very un-Pinterest worthy tree!!! I have old ornaments from my childhood and almost every year I make my kids a new ornament so when they grow up they can take their own memories and decorate their own trees!! I wish chip drop would give us a surprise…. Waited for months and never got anything.
I love that tradition! I never got my act together enough to intentionally buy ornaments for each child every year, but I do think that might be fun to start once they move out and have a tree of their own. Tucking that idea away for the future… 🙂
And that’s too bad about Chip Drop! We have had better luck when we agreed to the $20 delivery fee (it seemed fair since we live out in the country) and we make sure we renew our interest every time they send out an email. It sometimes takes months to connect with someone but I’m always so grateful when we get the good news!