Whew. 2025 was something. Don’t get me wrong, there were some good moments.
Bear graduated college a full year early and started grad school. We traveled to Scotland. I finally had plastic surgery to remove my c-section pooch and had my stomach muscles repaired after the damage from 10-pound babies. I also cooked and knit a ton, while working on my Master’s in Gastronomy program. I also hosted a dozen or so parties, which I will write about in my next post.
But it was also a year of struggle. My mental and physical health took a nosedive, and constant stress wore me down. It also didn’t help that I started 2026 with the worst cold I’ve had in years, hence the later-than-intended post. I knew something needed to change, and not in a New Year-New Me kind of way.
As such, when I sat down to think about what I want to do in the year ahead, I decided to strive to cultivate joy daily in my home. I want to romanticize small moments and let go of things and practices that no longer serve myself or my family. I also want to complete some languishing projects and approach each day with intention rather than reaction. Mostly, I want to have the mindset that being proactive in cultivating joy should be a priority, rather than happenstance.
So, how are we going to do this? Here are some fundamentals I laid out in my planner:
- Stop waiting for special occasions. You deserve everyday joy. Light the candle, set the table, use the serving pieces, make the dinner you want on occasion rather than always trying to please others. Small things can take everyday moments from mundane to cozy comfort.
- Continue hosting and cultivate community. I love hosting, which sometimes feels like a lost art. Hospitality is a gift to others that brings me joy and builds bridges. That is important in an era where people feel more and more disconnected.
- Prioritize things that I know bring me joy and improve my mental health, even if it’s just a few minutes a day, like knitting, reading, using the good bath bomb, etc.
- Cook from my cookbooks and test more recipes. I have a massive cookbook library, but come meal planning time, I have fallen into bad habits of just doing the same-old thing because I’m mentally wiped. I am now ensuring that I pick out a recipe or two from my books to try each week so that I am always learning and experimenting, thereby proving that my goblin hoard is justified. Food and cooking are my passion, so I am actively restructuring the way I meal plan so that the mental load doesn’t get maxed out all at once.
- Personal care needs to be a priority, not an afterthought. I always feel better when I stick to wellness and skincare routines, and those have been the first to fall to the wayside in times of stress. Procrastination leads to apathy. And my kids don’t need to be reminding me to eat or take my meds, that’s for sure.
- Reset my home one room at a time, even if this occurs in small pieces, especially my bedroom, which is a catchall for “I’ll deal with that later.” Some clutter (honestly, a lot) needs to go. The laundry room also needs attention. These unseen-to-guests spaces are haphazard and are decidedly NOT bringing me joy. Therefore, I vow to chip away at our home so that every room feels purposeful and intentional.
- Finally finish my two biggest outstanding projects: revising and reprinting the family cookbook, and finishing Bean’s needlepoint stocking. I have resolved this every year for the past four years, and I am taking steps to make sure I succeed.
Though these seem like big goals, they share the same foundation–cultivate joy proactively and rediscover whimsy. I will be posting more this year, sharing recipes, meal plans, knitting/crafting content, honest reviews of stuff I bought with my own money, and more, so I hope you’ll come back.
Overall, despite the state of the outside world, I hope 2026 is a year where I focus on the joy within–including my home, my family, my community, and ultimately, myself.