Monday Musings No. 53

Monday Musings No. 53, a weekend update + 5 Things: what I read, watched, and discovered this weekend and more.

Good Monday morning musings friends. Happy New Year! How was your weekend? Did you enjoy a quiet New Years eve or did you ring in the New Year with fireworks?

Holiday Musings

Christmas was quiet this year. Our parents and siblings celebrated at home so it was just my brother and I and our little families. A small, food filled celebration with lots of laughs, games and fun.

Often times we are traveling during the holidays and the run up to the new year is rushed. This year I took the week off and enjoyed a staycation. An entire week with nothing to do or should I say nothing pressing to do.

I organized papers, my office and closets. Read stacks of magazines and books and relaxed.

Of course there were appointments to keep. The HVAC company was here to address the heating problem. We need a new compressor which has been ordered. In the meantime we are adding and subtracting layers depending upon the weather.

Fergusons delivered our long awaited refrigerator. And last but not least our cabinet maker came to fit the panels and attach hardware. After a year our kitchen is finally finished. The only thing we are waiting for is our appliance hardware which is on back order again, currently we are using temporary hardware.

We welcomed 2023 at home with dinner and movies, a relaxing end to the old and to the new year.

New Year New You?

Is it just me or are you tired of all of the non-stop diet, cleansing, reinvention commercials and posts on social media every day this past week? Once the last Christmas package was over there was an onslaught of these things.

Let me remind you, you are allowed to enjoy the cookies, candy, treats and food you ate over Christmas and New Years, there is no need to feel guilty.

You do not have to change anything about yourself because someone on social media tells you too. You are an amazing, beautiful person just the way that you are.

January 1st is a day on the calendar, it isn’t THE DAY! Nothing magical or sinister happens if you make or do not make a change January 1st. You can make a change in your life any day of the year, or any second for that matter if you choose to.

Don’t let society or social dictate your size or your feelings or sell you a “snake oil” to be instantaneously fit, skinny, wrinkle free, younger, older or whatever.

Everything in life takes work and if changing your size or shape is on the calendar this year it will involve more than a magic elixir.

Ok, Grab your coffee, tea or chocolate and let’s get on to 5 things.

+5 THINGS

1. READ

I finished this book this weekend and LOVED it, which is ironic because I have never read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe or any of the Narnia chronicles.

Once Upon a Wardrobe

Megs Devonshire sets out to fulfill her younger brother George’s last wish by uncovering the truth behind his favorite story. The answer provides hope and healing and a magical journey for anyone whose life has ever been changed by a book.

1950: Margaret Devonshire (Megs) is a seventeen-year-old student of mathematics and physics at Oxford University. When her beloved eight-year-old brother asks Megs if Narnia is real, logical Megs tells him it’s just a book for children, and certainly not true. Homebound due to his illness, and remaining fixated on his favorite books, George presses her to ask the author of the recently released novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe a question: “Where did Narnia come from?”

Despite her fear about approaching the famous author, who is a professor at her school, Megs soon finds herself taking tea with C.S. Lewis and his own brother Warnie, begging them for answers.

Rather than directly telling her where Narnia came from, Lewis encourages Megs to form her own conclusion as he slowly tells her the little-known stories from his own life that led to his inspiration. As she takes these stories home to George, the little boy travels father in his imagination than he ever could in real life.

Lewis’s answers will reveal to Megs and her family many truths that science and math cannot, and the gift she thought she was giving to her brother—the story behind Narnia—turns out to be his gift to her, instead: hope.

If you need more book suggestions check out My Book Shop on Amazon.

2. WATCHED

I don’t watch tv but I do watch series and bloggers on Youtube. I am partial to home tours, gardens, travels vlogs and English country homes. I recently discovered Madeline Olivia and love her vlog, I think you will enjoy following along as she and her husband decorate their Cornwall cottage.

3. WEEKEND LINKS

What happens to all of those unsold Christmas trees?

In search of an attainable New Year’s resolution

Why Do the Rich Get Richer — Even During Global Crises?

Is Live Music Broken? It’s Not Just Ticketmaster, It’s Everything.

Too big to fail: How the Cheesecake Factory defied the restaurant industry’s rules of success.

The 2022 Food Trends We Never Need to See Again

A Guide to Doing Nothing for People Who Are Really Bad at It

What Makes a Rose Good Enough for the Rose Bowl Game? An Expert Explains

4. FINDS

I have not been shopping or buying anything this past week but there is a plethora of sales if you are looking for gifts for next year or for celebrations this year.

Anthropologie

Belk Brooches 

Boden 

Chico’s

J Crew

H&M I love this sweater!

Hot Chocolate

Mark & Graham

Plaid 

Talbots

5. IN CASE YOU MISSED It

Reflection Questions for the New Year! 

Resolutions are something that I made when I was younger and like most everyone else after a few weeks gave up on.

Instead as I reflect back on 2022 I have been asking myself  a few questions.What do I want? Where do I want to go this year? Physically and mentally. Who do I want to be? Is there a change in my life, or lifestyle that I want to make? What is important to me? Is there something in my life that no longer serves me?

There are an infinite number of questions you could ask yourself about your health, relationships, work, school, finances, goals, etc.These are the 25 questions that I wrote in my journal to reflect on this week and to use a a guide as I write my goals for the year.

Typically I feature of weekend meanderings but Kim, Juliet and I took the week off this week. Make sure to come back this Saturday January 7th for our first post of 2023.

UNTIL Next Time

I hope that you had a lovely weekend and that you found something on Monday Musings to enjoy. If you missed any of my musings you can find them all here.

Take care and thank you for spending part of your day with me. I will see you soon.

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