I am writing this from the couch in the living room watching flames dance in the fireplace while snow swirls outside. Later, I will put on my snowshoes and head out with Cigo for a field walk. I will stop at the barn to check on the chickens and Cedar. Then I will return to our cozy comfortable house.

The farm is my favourite place to be, whatever the season.

What we present online is usually a highlight reel. The best of our lives. Not the hard or mundane. My first paragraph in this post is no different.

Shortly after I wrote it, the fire fizzled out. When I went for my hike with Cigo, I didn’t strap my snowshoe on properly and it was close to falling off.

I repositioned the logs and the fire rekindled. I stepped carefully, held up my toes and the snowshoe stayed on. Sometimes life requires adjustments. It can still be beautiful and fun, even when it takes extra work.

January has been a beautiful and fun month. We had my Mom’s birthday and celebrations lasted for four days. We skated on the pond and went skiing. We had a thaw and then a deep, deep freeze and lots of snow.

The chickens, who have gone into an untimely moult, have been staying inside. We’ve had some unfortunate feather situations and less eggs. Cigo bounds through the snow and comes home with snowballs frozen into his fur. Cedar, who has the thickest fur, rarely stays in the barn and is determined to break into the house. He comes running anytime the door opens and has perfected his timing for sneaking in while I’m wrangling buckets, baskets, leashes, dog, eggs and mitts. He’s also discovered there are sometimes treats–like our gingerbread house or my Mom’s birthday cake.

Life is beautiful and fun.

Here are some other things I’ve enjoyed this month.

I’ve used Passion Planner as my daybook for years. Their goal setting template is a useful tool, especially at this time of year when people are looking for a reset. I gave it to all of my final year students at the end of last term.

I read The 5 Types of Wealth between Christmas and New Years, and it’s stayed with me. It reinforced what I value and how I make decisions for my life. Though I have some quibbles about the author and class, I think it’s a good reminder of what’s most important in our lives.

“You should decorate and design your house… to make you happy.” I love this designer’s philosophy. I also love her happy house.

A perfect meal for a cold January. This Sweet Potato Chickpea Chili is simple, quick, full of vegetables, tasty with a bit of heat–even for this non-chili fan.

I’ve kicked off home goals 2026 with Ellie’s playroom. She would like multi-coloured tie-dyed walls, so we’ve been looking at wallpapers, but haven’t had any luck yet. I’m considering trying sponge painting. Anyone have any advice?

January wraps up for us with another big snowfall. We’ll be starting the week shoveling out–and a day off from school. I have some client work and marking for my course. I’m also planning on tackling a tricky task in Ellie’s playroom.

How has January been for you? Share something highlight reel worthy… or maybe not so much.