Preparing for the New Year!

 We had a wonderful Christmas!  Our best gift was our newest grandaughter, Olivia!  The joy that she  brings us!  What was also wonderful, is our granddaughter Sofia, and our son Chris were able to come from Florida for Olivia's baptism in November, and they stayed 10 days!  Also a great present for us!

 

We had our son Michael, his wife Kristin, baby Olivia, my brother in law and his wife, with our other son Sandy, and hubby and I for Christmas Day.  Christmas Eve we were at my sil for 7 fishes dinner.  Oh boy, so much eating at the holidays!!  Christmas Day, we made cappelletti soup (we made the cappelletti)  and a huge pot of Chicken broth.  Then I made a turkey breast, roasted, stuffing, mashed potatoes, two pumpkin pies, hubby made sausage stuffed mushrooms, we also had charcuterie board, Christmas cookies I made, my sister in law, prepared breaded veal cutlets, I also made a salad.  I think that's it.

New Years Eve, we will be watching our Olivia for a few hours for Michael and Kristin to go out to dinner.  We will celebrate, warm and cozy in our home, happy and grateful to enjoy all the Lord has blessed us with!

I have also begun purging again.  Our sons gave us a beautiful 14 pc, three ply stainless steel set of pots!!!  So we tossed all our old pots.  Which started a chain reaction in the kitchen.  Making space for new pots, purging old ones, then that led to the next cupboards... and on and on.  Yesterday I grabbed a garbage bag and tossed 56 items!!!  I am on a roll!

I would love to get all our rooms decluttered and neat for the New Year.  My friend mentioned to me that she had started going through her things and donating them to Goodwill or charities.  She has 4 boys,  all grown and married.  She asked them if they wanted dishes, pictures, just anything, and they said NO!   I think girls are more sentimental with things, I wanted some things that were my Mom's.  I had all boys as well, and they have everything they wanted, and don't want old sentimental things.  

This is how I plan on making it easier to keep our home clean and neat.  Less items, means more peace for us.  I tell my hubby the same, when the weather is warm, he loves working outside on our flower gardens and all.  I said we need to get all plants that come back every year.  Easier on us.  We are in our 70's, so I am all for easy!!