It is usually a pretty important ritual for me to look back at the past year with gratitude, and then to make small resolutions for the year to come. If I am being completely honest, this has been a hard year to do that for. I am not sure if I have ever had a year that was this much of a roller coaster before, but even so it is important to find things I am grateful for.
I started the year by launching the Shop page on my blog. Words will never adequately describe how hard my not-tech savvy self worked to pull that one off! I persevered, and now there are several free downloads there for you to enjoy. I am really proud of myself for sticking it out and learning something new and challenging.
Find them here: https://www.hodgepodgehomesteading.com/shop/
Not long into 2024 I lost a dear friend. The world has been a less magical place without her, but I am so desperately grateful that I got to have her in my life.
One thing that this difficult year has been good for, is my wardrobe! For some reason I have found hand sewing very relaxing, and with all of the chaos of this year I have somehow managed to make a ton of new wardrobe pieces, without ever dusting off my sewing machine. It actually got to the point where I was rolling up my projects into little bags and taking them around with me like I do with my knitting. (I say this like it’s past tense, since this post is reflecting on 2024, but I have definitely not stopped. I am halfway through hand sewing new curtains for almost every window in my house for literally no reason. I am sitting 2 feet from my sewing machine doing it.)
Here are a few of my favorite makes from 2024:
The skirts are both lovely and warm and have been staples this winter. The pink gingham dress is gorgeous and deserves to be re-photographed. The flowered sheet dress was actually photographed in a hotel room in the town I now live in! I was sewing it during our house hunting trip.
This is probably my favorite dress I made this year. It makes me so happy to wear it! I can’t wait until it is warm enough to pull it out again.
I shut down a volunteer project that I had run for about 6 years. There was a part of me that was sad to see it end, because I couldn’t find someone to take it over. It is very easy for me to find gratitude for all of the years I was able to be involved in this way though. It was truly a privilege to be able to be a part of this.
I almost don’t know what to write about the rest of my life for this year. It’s been a little bit of everything. I’ve been the happiest and most hopeful I have ever been, and grieved profoundly. Been grateful for my wonderful community of friends, and then left them all behind. Found time to do a few small family road trips in the midst of trying to wrap up an entire life. Did the declutter of a lifetime in order to be ready to move (and all of the chaos and disaster that inevitably comes with that). All in all we arrived at our new home this fall feeling a little bit shell shocked if I’m being honest…
My biggest gratitude is being able to be here. Moving all of the way to New Brunswick wasn’t a decision we made lightly. I was the result of plans years in the making. Life doesn’t have a lot of respect for plans I’ve found, so the details ended up looking very different than we expected. Being able to be here is something I absolutely don’t take for granted though.
I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunities that this move have brought us. We have the chance at a much quieter life, and one more in line with our ethics. We have so many opportunities that we would never have had otherwise, and can give our kids somewhere as beautiful as this to grow up.
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