From the Front Porch

Happy Thursday from the front porch you guys. How was your week? We hope it was a good one!

I gotta say, as much as I love Christmas and the holidays, it felt really good to get back into the swing of things this week.

Did you guys feel that way too?

We’ve been trying to keep a normal routine despite dealing with the whole severe cold/sinus/flu thing that’s been going around. Honestly, we’ve had so many different symptoms over the past 10 days, I don’t really know what to call it.

Like many of you who’ve had the same thing, we’ve been drinking gallons of hot lemon water and green tea, making lots of chicken noodle soup and trying to get as much rest as possible when we can.

Thankfully, all our Christmas decorations are down now save for a few wintery trees. While we don’t have the energy to jump right into deep cleaning and decorating, we have been able to complete Week 1 and 2 of our 52 Weeks to a Simplified & Organized Home Challenge and it feels fabulous.

Scenes from our week…

Speaking of which, all these items came from decluttering our kitchen cabinets this week, can you believe it? Next up, the Pantry as we get ready to tackle Week 3.

Enjoying a little reading break while the house is mostly bare and awaiting fresh inspiration.

If you’ve been following along on our journey of caregiving, wheelchair ramps, damaged and broken legs, you already know my bestie S who also runs our website had a big goal of getting crutches by Christmas.

Well, she didn’t make her Christmas goal but after seeing progress on her x-rays last week her doctor finally fitted her for a pair!

She was able to stand up for 34 secondswith help which is the first time she has been upright since October 25th.

Obviously, S won’t be able to use the crutches until she goes through physical therapy and regains strength in both legs so she’s still in a wheelchair but it’s super exciting to feel like she is finally making noticeable progress.

Quote of the week & Free Printable…

Reading this week…

My book of the month for January is, You’re Not Lost, by Maxie McCoy.  Maxie has her own blog but she also guest posts on one of my favorite fashion blogs, Carly the Prepster. I’m only a few chapters in so I’ll keep you posted in the coming weeks.

Watching this week…

I’ve been on the Marie Kondo bandwagon for a while now, so it was fun to actually see her in action via her Netflix series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.

A few of our favorite posts from around the web this week…

*Wait until you see these before & after transformations from 2018! They will definitely give you some inspo if you’re planning diy or home projects of your own this year.

*It’s not too early to start thinking about planning a trip for Valentine’s Day. This Airbnb in Stowe, Vermont would definitely be a cozy place to start.

*If you’ve always wanted to learn calligraphy, now’s your chance! I can’t wait to start this series and download these free Modern Calligraphy Alphabet worksheets.

*I love this video my cousin Brian sent me on Writing Names in Copperplate Calligraphy too. You’re the best, Brian, thank you!

*9 Body Positive New Years Resolutions

*10 TED Talks to Kick Off 2019

*15 Ways to Keep Yourself Accountable

*This post was a good reminder on How to Make a Full Day Fulfilling.

*This post, “What Happened to Me I Used to be Organized,” was totally relatable.

On the Menu this Week…(just as a sweet reminder the person that makes the menu doesn’t eat beef or pork so keep that in mind when you see this feature each week, wink wink)

Monday: Pan Fried Cod in Lemon & Basil Sauce with Steamed Veggies

Tuesday: Chicken Tostada Casserole

Wednesday: Black Beans & Cauliflower Rice with 1905 Salad

Thursday: Chicken & Kale Waldorf Salad

Friday: Old Bay Shrimp Rolls and Zucchini Fries

Saturday: Sweet Potato, Apple and Tumeric Soup

Sunday: Quick & Easy Basil Pesto Gnocchi with Side Salad

Sweet Treat to Try this Week…

Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramelitas

Here are a few green cleaning finds from Amazon…(Affiliate links have been provided for your convenience. You can read our full disclosure policy here)

 

Swedish Dishcloths (I have these in the goat print and they help cut down on our paper towel and sponge use. They have other prints too)

Glass Spray Bottles

Lemi Shine Appliance Cleaner

Essential Oils Starter Kit

The Complete Book of Clean: Tips and Techniques for Your Home

Light N Easy Multipurpose Steam Mop

Dr. Bronners Sal Suds

Metal Caddy

E-Cloth Window Cleaning Pack

If you’ve missed anything on the blog lately, here’s a peek at what we’ve been up to…

52 Weeks to a Simplified & Organized Home Challenge with Free Schedule & Checklist Printable 

How to Organize Your Kitchen into Work-Friendly Zones

2019 Home Goals List

Simple Cleaning Routines with Free Printables

I hope you all have a peace filled and happy weekend.

We have a busy few weeks coming up so I’m planning to enjoy this last weekend resting up and resetting the house for the winter season.  I have a needlepoint project I can’t wait to get started on and I’m hoping to read a bit and nap as much as possible.  Honestly, after the last few months, it feels like the biggest luxury to be able to enjoy the quiet gift of January.

Whatever you have planned I hope it’s something you’re excited about too.  I can’t wait to see you back here on Monday.  Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Many blessings,

CoCo

Similar Posts

6 Comments

  1. Gald to hear S is making progress. I had to take care of my mom before she passed and it was so much harder than I ever thought it would be. Thanks for another great week. I’ll be organizing this weekend.

  2. Julie Blanner says:

    Thank you SO much for sharing!

    1. Thank you for making this calligraphy series available, Julie, we are super excited to get started! Big hugs, CoCo

  3. Hope you have a relaxing weekend Coco. I loved all your organization posts this week, they really put me in the mood to get started on my own spaces. Great news on S’s progress.

    1. Thank you so much for your sweet words, Sarah! I definitely need these organization posts too so it’s going to be fun for all of us to do this together. We appreciate you keeping S in your prayers and we hope your weekend is fabulous. Hugs, CoCo

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *