What To Do In January
There are so many things to do in January! January is a month ripe with possibilities and fun and savvy things to do! Here is a list of some of the great things to do this month.
My inner clock works with the seasons and the holidays in a year. I ebb and flow and wax and wane along with the calendar. It’s because I was a first-grade teacher and we lived by the joys of each month and learned from holiday to holiday.
WONDERFUL JANUARY
There are so many things to do in January!
January is the month of new beginnings! I love the idea of a new year and a brand new clean slate. In first grade, we had many “do-overs”. If you needed to start over, it was okay! Actually, it was encouraged with a hug and a bit of cheering on. There was always grace to give life another go!
That is how I look at the month of January! It’s time to forget the failures and hurts and bad things that hold us back and be free to move forward!
As much as I love the let’s start over-ness of January I really can’t stand resolutions. They are fake tries, mostly. Lip service! A vain promise that is never kept. Resolutions are almost always broken before the month is out. And how can that be a good thing?
Instead of resolutions, I like to think of positive and doable things I am motivated to let into my life every January.
WHAT IS YOUR WORD OF THE YEAR?
I know many people who choose a word that motivates them in a positive direction. I am not one of those people either. Until this year. I had no intention of choosing a word that would guide my life until God stepped in. God pressed into me for days and left me with the word TRUST.
He knows I don’t come by trust easily. Yes, I trust Him but I feel I need to let go of the world of anxiety that meets me every morning and sometimes nags at me all day. This is my time to let go and let God. However, “let go and let God is not in the Bible. Rather, “Be still and know that I am God” is, Psalm 46:10.
I think God wants to refresh and restore the joy that seems elusive some days.
If January holds the promise of a clean slate or a do-over for you, mark it in some positive and productive way! Make your life better by the blessing of January!
PUT AWAY CHRISTMAS
We just said goodbye to our Capital Hill children. My daughter, son-in-law, and my three little grandsons stayed with us for 5 days of Christmas and New Year’s fun! They left our home in wonderful order and the cupboards bare.
But today is all about starting to take down Christmas 2022 and get my home into winter 2023 mode.
Putting away Christmas is probably on your list too!
I don’t rush putting away Christmas. Putting away Christmas with next year in mind is the way to go. I work the same process every January as I clean up Christmas so I am ahead of the game the following Holiday season.
You might like to read this helpful post Putting Away Christmas With Next Year In Mind. It’s full of smart ideas!
DECLUTTER AND CLEAN UP
Way before blogs and Pinterest and Instagram I read woman’s magazines. And you know, if you read them too, that January is all about getting our homes in shape!
Declutter and clean up!
No wonder! After the holidays that are all about the abundance of decorations and gatherings and celebrations and feeding people and lots of guests and family, our homes (or MY home) could use a bit of spit and polish!
Every January I read THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO A CLEAN AND ORGANIZED HOME. It is my home bible of sorts! This post came about as a result of many posts I’d written about decluttering and cleaning our home over the years.
And these posts came from decades of finding the best practices in maintaining a clean and tidy home.
Here are just a few tidbits of fabulously helpful info you will find…
DECORATE FOR WINTER
Winter is a beautiful, often snowy month here in Lancaster County. So decorating for winter is easy. I like to add lots of cozy layers of pillows and throws and keep my decor rather stripped down and minimal.
I add life to my home with flowers and plants and herbs in my kitchen!
Whatever your winter decorating style is change things up a bit to celebrate the season in your area.
MAKE PLANS FOR ANY DECOR CHANGES IN THE NEW YEAR
Every January I like to take stock of our home and begin to plan for any new decor changes.
It’s good to refresh some of the things in your home.
I like to go to every room in our home and sit for a while looking at everything in that room with fresh eyes. And I make a list of the things I might want to change or move around or get rid of.
I was sitting in our living room with a pen and paper and decided that the clock above the white buffet needed to be retired. I found this clock a decade ago at Kohl’s on a super sale. It had a brown face that I painted and has lived above the buffet ever since we moved here.
The clock no longer works and the paper face is yellowed. So it is time to replace it. And since I am replacing the clock I’m thinking about getting two tall candlestick lamps to go on either side of the NEW clock. The lamp that is there now can go in the kitchen.
I love January for moving around our furnishing and refreshing our home with a few new things.
PLAN HOME PROJECTS
Although we have a running list of projects big and small to do around our home, January is a great month to solidify all those hopes, dreams and plans!
Last year, our “big” project was to paint the golden oak stairs! Look for how we transformed two stories of stair and loft railing into a black and white classic soon.
My next small project is to hang six pictures of our grandchildren on the landing of the stairs and add museum lights.
Our biggest home project in 2023 is to put an addition in the basement. We need a bit more room for the grandkids! I’ll update you as our project moves along!
January is a great month to make plans for the year.
JANUARY IS A GREAT MONTH TO BUY…
You can find lots of bargains in January! It’s smart to hold off and buy what is on sale!
This month your best buys will be…
At the top of my list are two new pairs of sheets. I love good quality white sheets and I need one pair and a spare!
MAKE SOUP
When the weather gets cold soup is on our menu! We eat it for dinner and the leftovers for lunches.
Click the little dots under the image below to see the different soups.
PLAN A TRIP
January is a great month to start planning a trip for the coming year! A weekend getaway or a cruise or a trip to far-flung places.
It’s fun to experience new places and see new things!
I love to travel by train! It’s so romantic! So I’m hoping Bobby will say yes to a trip out west by rail!
START A NEW HOBBY OR PICK UP AN OLD ONE
I’m looking forward to spending some evenings painting this year. Time got away from me in 2022. I did not pick up a paintbrush!
Do you have a hobby that brings you joy? Or is there something you always wanted to do? Schedule it and spend time developing your skills.
START A CLUB WITH FRIENDS
Instead of sitting around the house, start a club with a few friends!
I remember my parents were in a card club for years and years and as the kids got older and so did they the club morphed into a ski club (although no one skied) and then a game club and others.
I’m been part of a bookclub for a decade and now my friends and I are starting a game club! I think it will be so much fun.
I would also like to start a gourmet club, which is maybe not so gourmet! This year is ripe with club possibilities!
Friends, I could go on and on about all the fun, interesting, and savvy things to do in January! Whatever you do make it positive and happy!
Happy New Year!
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OTHER POSTS TO ENJOY
Hugs and Blessings,
Yvonne
I never comment, but read your posts often. I love this one because the inner Yvonne—so positive, so transparent, so faith filled comes forth. God has given you such a beautiful heart to love life and TRUST Him for how it unfolds as you share your own longings and lessons. I so appreciate your wisdom and giftedness, but really love who you are on the inside. Blessed 2023!
Sweet Sabra, thank you so much! God bless you!
Happy New Year! I’ve so enjoyed your past posts, so am really looking forward to 2023’s. But I do love that clock you are retiring. It looks so perfect in its spot. I get the need for a change, however, so can’t wait to see the new one!
Happy New Year! This was a long post but a good one. Especially liked the organized cleaning bucket. Some of your things remind me of FlyLady and are very helpful. One thing I have to say is that when your house is beige and shade of white, dust and dirt show up so fast you see it to tackle it fast!
I am an old fly lady disciple! Her tips are smart and easy!
Great post!
You have me an idea. My book club (together since 2008) has decided to not be a book club (some no longer have the time or inkling to read the designated book) but we enjoy each others company. We decided to meet every other month for lunch out or coffee at someone’s home. I might suggest we morph into another club such as a game’s club. Any other suggestions that I could throw out there would be appreciated.
Love your blog and look forward to another year of decorating and recipes.
Think about what you all enjoy and then make a club around it.
Wow Yvonne I wish I had read this post earlier today. The busyness of a non holiday got in the way. I cannot believe your suggestions are so in sync with mine. I have been praying for guidance in how to stay more positive in 2023. When you shared your word of the year being TRUST I sat here in disbelief. That’s it what I have been soul searching for TRUST. 2021 and 2022 led me through a multitude of medical tests and procedures
not counting a botched kidney stone surgery last August. I almost died a week later when I was re-hospitalized. Needless to say my TRUST in the medical arena dwindled but I kept pushing for answers. Changed a few physicians and tapped into a few amazing PA’s and I am feeling more confident with my care. One thing I have learned if something in my gut doesn’t seem right it probably isn’t. My goal this year is to focus on TRUST and ease up on feeling guarded.
I also have been more intentional with packing away holiday knowing that a some point this year we hope to find that perfect downsized home. I love keeping winter decorating items up at least through March…love the coziness although I am not enjoying the snow storm going on here in Minnesota right now. Making soup, planning a trip and creating a list of home projects it’s as if you have been a mouse in the corner of my home.
Looking forward to more great posts this year.
So glad you are through your medical issues! Happy New Year, June.
Your posts are special.……I read them daily and have learned SO much. Today you mentioned teaching 1st grade. I too am a retired teacher but I taught 2nd grade! I skim through other decorating posts but always return to yours as my favorite. Your decorating communication skills are outstanding but then again, that’s what teachers naturally do! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Oh, my Mary! Thank you! I’m so glad you are part of the StoneGable family of readers.
My hubby and I did a “bucket list” trip in September on the Rocky Mountaineer train from Vancouver to Banff! It was fabulous! You and Bobby would love it!! Do it! You won’t regret it! Cheers to a great 2023!
Oh, thank you so so much! That trip would be amazing!
Hi,Yvonne,
I so enjoyed reading some of your articles this am. My word for the last few years has been “grace”.
I have been looking for a bag like you have in your foyer that has Lancaster in it. Would you mind telling me where you found it? I am local. I just love it.
Appreciatively,
Claudia
AWWW! Thank you Claudia! You can find the bag here:https://rstyle.me/+lX32LtJMwHhH_KRod8O-pw