Good morning, sweet friends! Welcome to Sundays Life Among The Blooms! Hope you have your cup of coffee or tea for some inspiration.
Here on Sundays, I talk about random things going on over at White Lilac Farmhouse and things that stop me in my tracks.
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT WHITE LILAC FARMHOUSE
Over Christmas and New Year holidays, I spent time with my family and friends. It was a wonderful time and enjoyed every minute of it.
It important to take time to slow down to relax. We watched movies and played games. We rung in the New Year with our wonderful neighbors and good friends.
New year new beginnings
When the new year rolls around, it is the perfect opportunity to renew yourself. We look at it as an opportunity for new beginnings.
Each year I do two things: 1) select two things I want to learn for the year; and 2) select a word for the year. I have been doing this since 2013.
You are never to old to learn something new! Over the years, I have taken harp lessons; retaught myself to knit; to wallpaper; learn to make homemade pasta (in Italy); etc. You get the idea.
Sometimes it is learning something completely out of my comfort zone. I do say that learning something new is refreshing. It can challenge you.
I have found that is brings me joy! A sense of accomplishment and inspiration too.
What two things did I choose this year to learn?
I want to learn how to make French Croissants. There is a lot to learn to master the art of making Croissants. I am willing to give it a try!
The second item on my list for 2023, learn to cut and put up molding. I am a DIYer. There are many projects in my house to do. I would love to put up the molding myself. Whether it is board and batten or a feature wall, I want to breakout those power tools in 2023.
My word for 2023 is “Healing”. It is not about a resolution to lose weight. It’s about healing physically, mentally and spiritually. It is a word to dig deep to get to root of issues in all three areas. I will talk about it more another time.
behind the scenes
Meanwhile, there has been a lot of things going on behind the scenes here. January is a big declutter and reorganize month for me.
Like many others, I go through the house to give it a good cleaning, purge and organize cabinets, drawers, closets, etc.
Another major task has been working behind the scenes on my blog. As a blogger there are lots of moving parts. Owning your website involves hours of work to maintain it.
Technology is constantly changing too. With technology changes, it requires a blogger to adjust and keep ahead with all of the “techie stuff”. Last weekend and most evenings this week have been spent doing maintenance and updating work.
It cost money to have a blog. It is why you see affiliate links, advertising and sponsored posts. The monies earn help me to bring you more posts and tutorials.
on the blog
I have a great post for some budget friendly ideas for Valentine’s. You can click on the link below to read.
How To Decorate On A Budget For Valentines Day
Great Storage Tips & Tricks Series
Throughout the month of January, I will be decluttering and organizing. I will be putting together some great storage tips & tricks series. Stay tune for another series next week.
BEAUTIFUL INSPIRATIONS FROM OTHERS
Look at these beautiful moss branches? My sweet friend Jennifer, Cottage On Bunker Hill has a tutorial on how your can make these moss branches.
Are you ready for the spring? Thinking about your gardens? My friend Stacy is a master gardener. She has this wonderful post on Easy-Care Cottage Garden ideas. If you are like me and love a Cottage Garden, you will enjoy her post.
This fresh lemon wreath by Wendy, WM Design House is a stunner. Lemon Trees are in season right now. Wendy used fresh lemons to create a gorgeous wreath. She has the full tutorial here.
A FEW FAVORITE RECIPES
Leslie, Feet Under My Table has a wonderful Coconut Cake recipe.
On Make Mine A Spritzer, Juliet shows us how to make a Lavender Meyer Lemon Tom Collins cocktail. It looks delicious.
How about a Milky Way Martini? My friends and I made these on New Year’s Eve. Beware they go down too smooth!
Milky Way Martinis
Vanilla Vodka – 1 oz.
Caramel Vodka – 1 oz.
Cream de Cacoa – 1 oz.
Bailey’s Irish Cream – 2 oz
Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake well. Drizzle Martini glasses with either caramel or chocolate syrup. Pour cocktail into two Martini glasses. Enjoy! You will love them!
Hope you enjoyed this week’s Sundays Life Among The Blooms. If you missed my previous newsletters click here. Enjoy you week!
Blessings to you, sweet friend!
Juliet says
Happy New Year, Tammy! I applaud your stretch goals for the year … when you get ready to make those croissants, please notify me ASAP so I can book a plane ticket and arrive just as they emerge from the oven. I know it will be worth the trip. As for putting up molding, I admire you for that … and will watch from afar with admiration. Thanks for including my Lavender Meyer Lemon cocktail … I’m mixing up a lot of them after a harvesting a banner lemon crop. Cheers! xo
Tammy says
Thank you sweet friend! I hope that they turn out amazing. If I can master it, I will bake you a fresh pan and have your hot chocolate ready for your visit.
Elizabeth@pineconesandacorns says
Tammy, you are going to love making croissants. Once you master “laminating the dough” you can make all sorts of things, like cronuts!
As for molding, that is funny because my husband and I are going to tackle that in our powder bath. It’s my husbands idea. Although I am great at demo and using some power tools measuring and math are my lest favorite part of diy. Good luck.
It is nice to see a blogger admit that blogging is a lot of work, and there are a lot of moving parts. So many act like you write a post and that’s it.
Have a wonderful week Tammy!
Tammy says
Elizabeth, I am looking forward to trying my hands at making croissants. I have never tried before and ready to give it a go! Yes, maintaining a blog is a lot of work that people don’t realize. Thank you for taking the time to read my post, my friend.
Leslie Watkins says
Oh, Tammy…I loved today’s post. My list is for learning, too…and I’ll wait to hear more on that word for the year. Thank you for sharing my coconut cake, friend. Wish you were here to enjoy it with me.
Tammy says
Leslie, your coconut cake sounds so yummy. We are never too old to learn something new!
Wendy McMonigle McMonigle says
What a fabulous post my friend! So sorry for being late to the party…. I too have been knee deep in tech issues behind the scenes. I love how you take on the New Year with your list of things to learn and an intentional word. And those martinis sound Devine. Thank you for sharing my lemon wreath, so sweet if you. I need to get back to my Saturday sharing posts!
Tammy says
Thanks, Wendy for popping over to the blog and reading my post. That wreath you made was stunner.
Cindy Rust says
Cleaning and organizing are something I need to do! I did manage to get our three spare rooms decluttered just before Christmas. Now to donate all the stuff I am getting rid of! My kitchen needs serious decluttering 🙂
Tammy says
Cindy, it never seems to end. There is always something to clean out.