Share 4 Somethings in January 2025

This has been quite the month for blog posts! With trying to squeeze in 10 days worth of Hawaii travel posts I've had to do lots of finagling. Some days I posted 2 posts, sometimes I posted on Saturday (like today!) but I just couldn't pass up some of these fun link parties I enjoy so much.

It's time for the first Share 4 Somethings of the year with Jennifer and the prompts for the entire year will be the same each month—some things we loved, some things we learned, some things that went well, and some things we let go of. 



Some things I've loved: Celebrating Ian's college graduation, celebrating Alec's 19th birthday, finally finishing the puzzle I started before our Hawaii trip! Seeing the Van Gogh Immersive Experience was really neat too. 








Some things I've learned: I taught myself to use digistamps (digital stamps) they basically look like coloring pages when you print them out but I'm playing around with what I can do with them and figured out how to add background shapes using the Cricut. 


One I printed myself

One I used the Cricut for


Some things that went well: We've been eating really well... perhaps not the healthiest but definitely well with hearty soups, casseroles, and hot sandwiches. All the good things to keep us cozy and warm. Here's a sneak peek at 3 new recipes coming to the blog over the next few months:

The best warm ham and cheese sandwiches ever

Our take on Bolognese with penne

cabbage and quinoa soup

Some things I let go of: This month I have really had to let go of my goal of reaching 10,000 steps most days. It's just been so cold and windy and raw that walking outside isn't doable most days. Instead I'm turning to more weight training and home workouts and some days I don't even do those and just focus on rest and relaxation.  


Comments

  1. Maria RineerJanuary 25, 2025 at 8:08 AM

    Congrats to Ian! What a great accomplishment. And that cake looks so decadent and good! I was impressed you had blog posts up during your trip. If I tried to post five days a week, I feel like writing would be just about all I did (slow writing probs!) so it is not for me, but I am impressed when others do it :). Speaking of posts, looking forward to the recipe posts!

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    Replies
    1. Joanne January 25, 2025 at 9:44 AM

      Thank you! He loved that cake; he's my chocolate/peanut butter guy so when I saw that at the store I just knew he'd love it.

      I tend to have most posts written & scheduled to publish two weeks in advance so writing up posts for when I was gone was actually quite easy for me (especially since so many of them were end of the year/wrap up posts). I almost always bring my laptop on vacation and, since I'm up earlier than everyone else, I blog in the morning while waiting for them to wake up. It helps to upload photos from the previous day and write a brief summary of what we did too while it's fresh in my mind.

      Delete
  2. DianeJanuary 25, 2025 at 9:12 AM

    What a fabulously fun post to read, sounds like a fantastic month for all, great looking young kiddos, yummy looking food and beautifully designed cards!! Have a happy day!!

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  3. Amy JohnsonJanuary 25, 2025 at 9:26 AM

    Congrats on Ian's college graduation. I can remember when you were homeschooling all three boys, and now you have a college graduate. Time flies. Soon you'll be a grandma like me.

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  4. CathyJanuary 25, 2025 at 9:45 AM

    I've never heard of Digistamps, but I love what you've done with them. Happy Birthday to your son and congrats to the college grad! Have a great weekend.

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    Replies
    1. Joanne January 25, 2025 at 9:47 AM

      Thank you! I hope you have a great weekend as well.

      Delete
  5. Tanya January 25, 2025 at 9:53 AM

    Congratulations to Ian! It only got into the 20's here for the last few weeks, but that was way too cold for me to walk. I'm happy we're warming up again and I'm getting back to my routine.

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    Replies
    1. Joanne January 25, 2025 at 12:50 PM

      We had temps in the negatives this week; I never like to see that! We're warming into the 20s today and it looks like we might even get into the upper 30's and low 40's next week. That is starting to sound so warm to me. 😂

      Delete
  6. Kim January 25, 2025 at 10:59 AM

    Mmm...that bolognese looks delicious. I'm actually making that tonight! I've also been a little easier on myself with my walking goals. You're right, it's too brutal to walk when it's 15 and windy outside. No thank you! Haha!!

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    Replies
    1. Joanne January 25, 2025 at 12:52 PM

      We had never had Bolognese of any kind before but we really liked it.

      Delete
  7. JayneJanuary 25, 2025 at 1:37 PM

    Your food looks yummy! We love bolognese in our house, the kids can't get enough of it.
    A big congrats to Ian and I hope Alec had a great birthday too.
    Enjoy the rest of your weekend. :)

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  8. CindyJanuary 25, 2025 at 4:02 PM

    It sounds like a really good month, despite not being able to get all the walks/steps in! I have had to let go of that as well (although it didn't cross my mind for the prompt). Mine is more health related since we have a treadmill in the basement. Your food pictures do look good. Have a great weekend!

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    Replies
    1. Joanne January 26, 2025 at 9:02 AM

      We have a treadmill in the basement too; but it's cold down there as well... and I really hate walking on a treadmill (though I certainly COULD have).

      Delete
  9. Kim CarberryJanuary 25, 2025 at 4:20 PM

    What wonderful things to celebrate and I would love to see the Van Gogh Immersive Experience, I love his art.
    The Digi stamps sound interesting and look so pretty.
    That food looks so good especially the ham and cheese sandwich!

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    Replies
    1. Joanne January 26, 2025 at 9:02 AM

      Thanks! I learned a lot about Van Gogh and saw some new and beautiful works of his that I just loved.

      Delete
  10. Lydia C. LeeJanuary 26, 2025 at 1:08 AM

    If you want to keep up your 10k steps, may I suggest dancing indoors? It doesn't take long to rack up the step count. And best fun...I loved the Van Gogh - we had it straight out of lockdown and still with number restrictions, it amplified the beauty and magic of it all. So sad tho. #ShareFourSomethings

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  11. Laura @ Our Grand LivesJanuary 26, 2025 at 8:06 AM

    Looking forward to your upcoming recipe posts... especially that soup! A college graduation and a birthday for your boys... lots to celebrate! Congrats!

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  12. Kari January 26, 2025 at 11:32 AM

    It looks like you had a pretty wonderful January. ❤️💕

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  13. PamelaJanuary 26, 2025 at 2:16 PM

    Congratulations, Ian! Happy Birthday, Alec! I wish the Van Gogh Experience would come to Seattle. I really would like a cutting machine; I'm torn between the Silhouette Portrait and the Cameo. I'll have to do some more research as it's quite an investment.

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  14. NatashaJanuary 26, 2025 at 7:24 PM

    I would love to see The Immersive Van Gogh experience. And yes, due to the cold, I've had to let go of more days walking to work than I would have liked this past month.

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  15. Hena TayebJanuary 26, 2025 at 7:53 PM

    Lots to celebrate. That cake looks amazing. We went to the Van Gogh experience a couple of years ago and found it enjoyable.

    ReplyDelete

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