Savoring January

Did you blink? Today is the last day of January! I’ve done my best throughout January to savor the moments. You may or may not know I chose SAVOR as my One Little Word for 2017. And dangnabbit I plan to do it, even amid all the chaos surrounding us. The photo above depicts my visual effort to savor the month—one picture taken each day in January.

Savor—to taste, smell, relish, delight in. Doing something slowly.

Savoring FLAVOR…

I’ll start with food because that’s the first thing I imagine when I think of savoring something. In January, I cooked at home, a lot. And I came up with several new recipes including an easy cauliflower soup I’m pretty excited about. Let me know if you’re interested, and I’ll share the recipe on a later post. Simple and healthy, it has become my go-to sustenance for January.  

I also savored lots of flavor the last few days while in Colorado. I mean, seriously, have you ever in all your days seen a more vibrant salad? This is the Conscious Kale Salad from Zeal in Boulder. (Kale, roasted beet, pickled carrots & cucumbers, Brazil nuts, sprouted lentils, zeal vinaigrette.) I’m guessing many of you will turn your nose up at this (because in general, beets are misunderstood), but this colorful salad tasted wonderful. Afterward, my tongue was red like I’d been guzzling Kool-aid and everyone knows that’s a fun thing.

I found a new ice cream flavor that I LOVE— goat cheese by Pure Joy made locally in Siloam Springs, Arkansas (available at Ozark Natural Foods). This particular flavor is made with local honey and chèvre goat cheese from White River Creamery. Tastes like cheesecake and that = pure joy for sure.

Savoring FRIENDS AND FAMILY…

While I dedicated the month of January to writing, I still managed to spend time with friends and family. John and I celebrated our eighteenth wedding anniversary! My best friend from home visited one weekend. And like I said, I traveled to Denver to see my son and visit with my friend, Jenny (and her adorable children). These are the most important things, y’all— savoring time spent with people we know and love and the new friends we make along the way.

(Blurry picture coming your way, oh well.)

Savoring FUN…

Oh, if I could sweep up all the fun I had in January and sprinkle it around like pixie dust, I would. I read five books, saw two movies (La La Land and Founder), and attended A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder at Walton Arts Center.  And like I said, I traveled to Denver (via Dallas). Triple fun for that and several blogs to come.

Savoring FOCUS…

I focused on my writing and began attending Second Story Writer’s Workshop taught by Lela Davidson. Yay.

I converted an unused closet into a creative space. This is something I’d been planning to do for months and finally focused enough to do it. You can read more about this project HERE.

During my daily walks with Lucy and Annabelle, I really tried to slow down and not rush our time outside. And we were fortunate to have lots of unseasonably warm afternoons. Perfect weather to watch for signs of spring.

Savoring NEW FINDS and a bit of FLUFF…

I started my own version of bullet journaling which I believe is helping me accomplish more.

I found a line of office products from See Jane Work that puts a little oomph in what is typically white toast dull.

No, I don’t normally discuss beauty products on my blog, but finally, after thirty-eight years, I found a hairspray worth recommending—Kenra Perfect Medium Spray 13. I can’t stand stiff heavy hold and this magical spray doesn’t feel like hairspray at all.

So there you have it, a smorgasbord of things I’ve been savoring in January.

Things not so savory…

There’s always an opposite side to every coin—the not so savory things. Like the morning a squirrel took up residence in my kitchen. No bueno! And goodness knows there are unsavory things going on across the country that upset me to no end.

But here we go leaving January behind and heading into February. I’ll keep savoring what I can, and hope you will too.

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

P.S. Don’t forget to enter my giveaway going on now until Valentine’s Day. Click HERE and scroll to the bottom to enter.
P.P.S. Check my calendar for upcoming author events!

[tweetthis]How I savored #January @visitdenver @walton_arts #onelittleword #Zeal #winter[/tweetthis]

Musical Pairing:
Sam Cooke, Bring it on Home to Me