The Housewife Journal ~ January 2026

   ~ January 2026 ~

photo brought to you by my mother in law💗

The new year came quickly upon us! Although the Winter isn't my favorite time of year, there are many blessings in it just the same. With the exception of the Christmas tree, all the decorations have been packed away and we're faced with a very cold, dormant landscape. I think it makes the Spring all that more beautiful!

Let us also take a moment to appreciate that I'm writing this before the month is over! 2026 is going to be a good year for blogging!

~ Out And About ~

Jonathan and I were blessed to be able to take a beach vacation way down south in Florida! We started in Naples, visiting my aunt and uncle who spend the winter there, then to Port St. Lucie where another family friend lives, and finally to St. Augustine where we visited friends who grew up with us in our home town. It was a nice trip, but very exhausting and we are so happy to be home!

 It ended up being the coldest week they had in Florida this January, but it definitely beat the cold rain at home!

We also took a few hunting trips if you couldn't tell by the cover photo... I went out in the hunting stand once this season. Jonathan got one doe this year in our backyard, much to my dismay. It always makes me sad for some reason, way more than chickens or cows dying. On second thought-- cows make me a little sad too. Nevertheless, it's food that we don't have to buy from the grocery store and it has saved us a significant amount of money and made me a more creative chef. 

~ In The Home ~

The home is looking very bare after all the Christmas cheer got stored away! What did I use as a table centerpiece before the Advent wreath?? I will say that it's nice to get everything back in order. I'm thinking about doing some Spring cleaning in the next couple of months. I'm not sure if said cleaning is meant to take place before or during the Spring, but it feels like it should be done before Easter-- a good Lenten sacrifice!

Another note: Jonathan will be moving his office out of our home and into his business's new office! That will free up another bedroom in our house. Eventually It will be a child's bedroom. For now, I'm deciding if I should do something with it temporarily, leave it as an empty room, or go ahead and paint/prepare for when we have kids. So many options!

This move will also free up our garage from work equipment, giving us more storage. There are definitely lots of home projects coming in the next couple of months!  

 

~ Kitchen Happenings ~

Because of our traveling, I feel like I haven't cooked very much. And yet, I feel like I say that every month! I have started up my sourdough more consistently. And one day, when pressed for time, I used dry yeast. It seems like it's been forever since I've used it! Thankfully, the soft pretzels turned out good. A little thicker and less aesthetically pleasing than I would have liked...but good! 😌

Now that it's really cold outside, I want to start making more soups with homemade bread. I tend to always make potato soup or chili. Any ideas for something different? 

~ Things I'm Grateful For ~

I'm grateful for the human mind! the intellect is a very underrated gift in my opinion. We are unique from animals in that we can discern before we do and say things. I'm grateful I don't have to be a slave to my passions and to my initial instincts. We can discuss and debate, think and change our minds, control ourselves. We can know God. We can know our neighbors in a way that our pets never will be able to. What a gift! Of course, mastering ourselves is not as easy as it sounds. But it's nice to know we all have the ability to. 

~ On The Bookshelf ~ 

I've been loving fairy tales lately! It all started after I found a copy of Grimms Fairytales at the thrift store. I always assumed The Little Mermaid was theirs, but it turns out that one is by Hans Christian Anderson. Jonathan surprised me by purchasing a copy of his complete book of stories! I've been slowly reading stories as I feel inclined and it's been fun to get back into reading fiction. 

I also binge-read a book on adoption by Dr. Ray Guarendi. He is amazing! I will definitely be getting his book on discipline when we have children. Currently I'm trying to find his interviews online so I can soak up more of his wisdom! 

~ Other Random Things Worth Mentioning ~

Did I mention we're starting to plan our Spring garden? There is some happy news for you! I mentioned in my New Year's post that we bought from St. Clare Seeds. I also went to Lowes and just picked out a few that looked like they would do well in our area. Here is what we've got:

A few are part-shade perennials in the mix (Columbines and Salvias). I'm hoping to plant them in the garden bed up against our chicken coop where we get less sun in the afternoon. That will free up the full-sun bed for the Zinnas, Snap Dragons, Sweet Williams, and wildflower mix. I will have to see what kind of light the Purple Coneflower requires.


That's all I have for now! 

Gina💕