Monthly Musings - Welcoming A New Year

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What are you doing New Year's Eve? I guess that's the heart of at least a couple of the New Year's themed questions for this edition of Monthly Musings. Holly at Pink Lady and Patty at Good Better Best co-host this monthly sharing of tips, tricks, and conversation starters. 

1. How do you ring in the New Year?

It's changed over the years. For many years we celebrated with friends, getting together to enjoy a spread of party snacks and play games, and then toasting the New Year at midnight. The last few years we've been a little more low-key, celebrating with just family, or having a few people over. This year we'll have our son and his family over and they'll stay the night. They weren't with the rest of us at Christmas, so we'll open the remaining gifts that night, watch some movies and play some games. I will plan on having a big breakfast ready to go in the morning.

2. Any special New Year's Eve or New Year's Day traditions?

I started off thinking there's nothing very unusual, but once I got past our midnight and the ball drop tradition, I thought of something that's special to me. Whatever else we do, we watch the ball drop in NYC, and just like everyone else, we wish everyone in the room a Happy New Year, and the couples kiss. We used to always pour everyone young and old a glass of sparkling cider to toast the new year, since our parties included children and people who didn't drink. We do sing Auld Lang Syne and know the words beyond the first line! I love that song. Here's one of my favorite versions:

Okay, here's my special one. On New Year's Day, I love having 'Niejoashe Koake' (Low German for 'New Years Cookies'). This was a favorite treat of mine when I was a kid, and I've occasionally remembered to make them myself for my family. Now that they're top of mind, I'm going to plan to make them this year! The name 'Niejoashe Koake' comes from the Dutch and German Mennonites who immigrated to the USA and Canada. The same basic recipe is also known as Porzelchen (High German), Oliebollen (Dutch), Croustillon (French), or Dutchies (English); and they are simply sweet fritters with raisins. Why are they associated with New Years? I haven't a clue. Here's our recipe, if you're curious:

Niejoashe Koake (New Years Cookies)

4 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

3 tbsp butter

1-1/4 cup milk or cream

2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

flour, enough to make a spongy batter (I used about 2 cups)

raisins, lots of them!

Mix the first six ingredients together well, then add flour and mix until batter is spongy, sort of like a very thick pancake batter. (I should have taken a picture of that because I realize now it's hard to explain!) Mix in as many raisins as you and your family like. I like lots, my kids don't like raisins, so I made some fritters before adding the raisins. Drop by spoonfuls into hot oil and deep fry until golden brown. The fritters tend to turn over by themselves as they cook, but they may need a little help. Drain on paper towel, and dust with icing sugar. (Some people prefer them rolled in granulated sugar, but icing sugar is my preference.) I recommend cutting open one or two of the first ones to make sure they are cooked all the way through - if you make them too big (which I tended to do), they may still have uncooked batter in the middle even though the outside looks done. They are best served warm and fresh. 

3. Favorite New Year's Eve memories?

New Year's Eve 1989, my husband and I were in Las Vegas to ring in 1990s! We'd gone down a couple days after Christmas and met his family there. We spent a few days together at the casinos and a couple shows. Casinos weren't really our thing at all, but his parents wanted us to meet them. Turned out their flight left during the day on the 31st, while we didn't fly out until later on January 1st, or maybe even the 2nd. At any rate, we were there on our own and it was fun and different! I've always said Vegas was near the top of my list of cool places that didn't really interest me, and yet there we were!

4. Show us some New Year's Eve outfits. We need inspiration.

I'd be no help here. My New Year's Eve outfits are pretty much jeans and long-sleeved tees and not much different than any other day. Or if I'm staying home, it will be my comfy lounge pants.

5. What are you most looking forward to in 2024?

I don't really know yet! So far we haven't made any specific plans for vacations or events coming up. I am planning to go full time at my job sometime after the holidays, which means I can look forward to some additional income. I guess in general I could say I'm looking forward to being more involved at church and with the chorus, and to feeling more at home here.

6. Asleep by 10pm or ring in the New Year?

I have no doubt we'll be ringing in the New Year! My husband and I are night owls as it is and almost never in bed by 10, so staying up until midnight is not a problem.

7. Do you have a word or goals for 2024?

I didn't choose a Word of the Year the last couple years, but I think I might do it this year. I'm still deciding what it will be, but based on what God has been talking to me about, it will probably be "Sabbath" or something related. I'm still working on a list of goals as well, and it will include the usual "lose weight/get healthier" and "get better organized" types of things! I'm planning to share those in my first Twenty-Six Lists link-up. The first list in the 2024 Edition of Twenty-Six Lists on A Fresh Cup of Coffee will be Accomplishments (2023) and Goals (for 2024). The link-up will open on January 9th and be up for two weeks if you'd like to share your list of accomplishments and goals! (Find out more here: Introducing Twenty-Six Lists)

8. Best self care tips to share in the New Year?

Celebrate the small steps and daily choices on the way to the bigger achievements. Figure out a routine that helps me stay accountable and motivated but doesn't make me feel pressured. 

9. Paper planner? Electronic planner? None? Share your favorite brands or apps please.

When I was homeschooling I had to keep track of all the lesson plans and I used a combination of paper and electronic planners, but over the last couple of years I've relied far less on planners and don't have a Daytimer or anything like that. I love these Note Nook pocket calendars and have one hanging by my desk in order to keep track of bills and such. 

I use the Google Calendar to keep track of activities and appointments, family birthdays and anniversaries, and I do a bit of blog planning and meal planning on that calendar as well. I use the website Remember The Milk to keep all my to-do lists - they do have an app but I didn't care for it and just stuck with using the website. When it comes to meal planning, I have two websites that I've been using and will have to rely on even more as I go to full time hours - MyFreezEasy and Plan to Eat. I don't use PTE to plan every single meal, and I didn't use it a lot over the past couple months, but I'll be going back to using it almost daily! It's so useful in consolidating the ingredients lists so I can plan dinners and make it easier to know what specific ingredients I need to buy and combine that list with the staples list of things I buy regularly. It's also really easy to save recipes from the web and much more efficient for me than using Pinterest and then having to sort through all my Pins! If you use my link to check it out - Plan to Eat - you'll get 20% off your first annual subscription! (And of course, full disclosure - the referral link will earn me a commission on your subscription as well.)

10. Black-eyed peas on New Year's Day - Yea or Nay?

We've never had black-eyed peas for New Year's but I'm not opposed. I didn't know that was a thing until I was an adult so I just never tried it. 

So what are you doing New Year's Eve? Leave a comment and let me know!

 

I'm linking up with Monthly Musings hosted by Holly at Pink Lady and Patty at Good Better Best.

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 ©2006-2023 HS Coffee Break/Just A Second/A Fresh Cup of Coffee. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. https://morecoffeebreaks.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

 

Tell Us About . . . Celebration: Reflecting on Victories and Milestones

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Fresh Cup of Coffee helps continue the coffee breaks and conversation. 

I think Christmas is about celebration and come on, on the inside everyone wants to dance. ~TobyMac

I love birthdays, holidays, and anything that calls for a celebration. ~Kim Zolciak-Biermann

We've just celebrated Christmas, and celebrating a New Year is right on the horizon. Many folks start celebrating the Christmas season at the beginning of December, or around Thanksgiving time. Some of us pack it all up on December 26th, and for others, that's just the second day of Christmas and that season of celebration will last until January 6th and Epiphany. Only a couple of weeks ago many people were celebrating Hanukkah. Maybe, like me, you have a birthday to celebrate this month, or maybe even an anniversary.

Celebrations are about remembering important events, marking milestones and victories, and honoring the people in our lives who are part of those happy occasions. We celebrate religious holidays, national days, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, retirements, and many other big events in our lives. And we should!

Years ago, when we were homeschooling our kids, I thought it would be good to use cultural celebrations from around the world to help us learn more about those cultures. It could quickly get overwhelming! Take a look at the December 2023 Office Holidays calendar for an example of what I mean! There are also countless less official 'National' Days for everything from cleaning out your fridge to eating ice cream, from honoring workers in various professions to celebrating your pets. Yes, a party every day can be too much, but do we really need to wait until a special day on the calendar to celebrate achievements and make our loved ones feel special?

Our time on this earth is sacred, and we should celebrate every moment. ~Paulo Coelho

While we are living in the present, we must celebrate life every day, knowing that we are becoming history with every work, every action, every deed. ~Mattie Stepanek

There's more to celebrate than just a couple of big holidays and birthdays, more achievements to celebrate than just weddings and graduations. Those are big celebrations, but there are lots of small steps getting us to those big days, and I started to feel like those should be made special somehow too. I didn't want to save my china for only one or two special occasions a year, or be completely unfamiliar with dressing up for something special. 

As part of our family celebrations, we use the china regularly. We take pictures of the whole family around the table (which is a whole family tradition with us!) or at the concert or event we're taking in together. 

Like many families, we turned some events into traditions with special things to set them apart. For instance, my daughter and I both sang in choruses, and she went on to study voice at college which meant various recitals. My daughter attended my chorus concerts and it became traditional for us to go out for dessert with friends afterwards. That carried on as a way to celebrate after her chorus concerts, and then for some of her recitals. 

One year our pastor preached a series on family and challenged the congregation to eat a family dinner at least one night a week. Well, our family ate dinner together about five nights a week, and at that time in our lives it was very common for the kids' friends to join us for those meals too. I remember taking pictures of our "family dinners" that month and sharing them on social media, tagging the church and #familydinnerchallenge or something like that, and telling the pastor that posting photos should have been part of the challenge! Most of our family dinners were very simple, economical meals, and sometimes eaten on paper plates, but they were a celebration every time. 

If we're honest, sometimes we don't feel much like celebrating, or it doesn't seem like we have much to celebrate. For me, 2022 had some really tough days, since my husband and I experienced two sudden job losses during that year. The second time we both lost our jobs! That was rough! But my husband found a new job quickly in both cases, and even though we had to quickly pack up and move at the end of the year for that new job, it seemed like just hard DAYS and we really had a lot to be thankful for so those hard days should have passed quickly. We really did celebrate the way God provided those new jobs and everything we needed!

But 2023 was a bit different, at least for me, as the loneliness and isolation of new surroundings started weighing on me after the whirlwind of moving and Christmas celebrations settled down. It was hard to feel like there was much to keep me going, and the celebrations of getting together with family were too far apart for my liking. Going to church became an even bigger deal, because I so needed to be with people and be reminded of God's faithfulness. It took weeks of encouragement and prodding from my husband and some friends for me to find the women's chorus that I joined. Joining the chorus turned out to be something to celebrate each week, as there was a sense of purpose in preparing and those ladies made a point of celebrating 'good news' and achievement every week. It took many more weeks for me to remember what confidence and courage felt like, and to start looking for a part-time job. When I found a job I liked and started working, that felt like a big achievement to celebrate too. 

The master was full of praise. "Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let's celebrate together!"

~Matthew 25:21~

In that parable Jesus showed how the 'boss' invited the servants who did a good job to celebrate the achievement and their promotion. There's a lot more to learn from that parable, but I think it is also an example that we can celebrate a job well done.

Every thing in life that's first should be a celebration or celebrated with a lot of oomph. ~Kriti Sanon

Celebration is a kind of food we all need in our lives, and each individual brings a special recipe or offering, so that together we will make a great feast. Celebration is a human need that we must not, and can not, deny. It is richer and fuller when many work and then celebrate together. ~Corita Kent

I think we need to celebrate a little something every day, every week, every month. Definitely the birthdays and anniversaries and graduations should be celebrated. So should special calendar days like Valentines Day and Thanksgiving. So should a baby's first steps, a student getting through exams at school, and wrapping up big projects at work. Then there are the milestone moments in life to celebrate like big promotions at work, an engagement, or the announcement of a baby on the way! And those wonderful unexpected occasions for rejoicing together, like a prodigal coming home, which was a cause for great celebration in another parable Jesus told! And yes, sometimes, for some of us, during some seasons of our lives, it is a victory just to get up, get dressed, and make it through a day, and if that's where you are, celebrate that you did it and you are loved.

In every season there is something to celebrate, because we can always celebrate God's faithfulness and goodness to us.

Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;

his greatness no one can fathom.

One generation commends your works to another;

they tell of your mighty acts.

They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty―

and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

They tell of the power of your awesome works―

and I will proclaim your great deeds.

They celebrate your abundant goodness

and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

~Psalm 145:3-7~

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Tell Us About . . . is a monthly opportunity for bloggers to showcase their creativity. Each month one of the co-hosts will choose the word to focus on. On the third Thursday of every month we'll respond to the prompt "Tell Us About ---" which could be absolutely anything. And how we respond is also wide open. It could be a blog post with our opinions or reminscences; a poem, photos, a short story or whatever takes your fancy―it could even be a mix of all these! This month's theme is "Celebration" and our hostess is Deb of Deb's World

This post is linked at Is This Mutton

I'm participating in the Wednesday Quotes link-up hosted by Marsha at Always Write, and I'm using my "double dip" option as I reflected on 2023 and included quite a few quotes in this post! Wednesday Quotes is hosted by Marsha at Always Write. This post will also be linked at #WQ #52: Reflections on 2023/Writer's Choice

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 ©2006-2023 HS Coffee Break/Just A Second/A Fresh Cup of Coffee. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. https://morecoffeebreaks.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Scripture and a Snapshot - God With Us (Advent IV)

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to JOspeh, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because whatg is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

All this took place to fulfill what was said through the prophet: "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" (which means "God with us"). 

~Matthew 1:18-23~

Within your temple, O God,

we meditate on your unfailing love.

Like your name, O God,

your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;

your right hand is filled with righteousness.

For this God is our God for ever and ever;

he will be our guide even to the end.

~Psalm 48:9-10, 14~

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©2006-2023 HS Coffee Break/Just A Second/A Fresh Cup of Coffee. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. https://morecoffeebreaks.blogspot.com/ 

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WQ - Together For Christmas

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Fresh Cup of Coffee helps continue the coffee breaks and conversation. 

I'm participating in the Wednesday Quotes link-up hosted by Marsha at Always Write, and the theme is Christmas, of course! Christmas is a time for togetherness, and a time for family, and the prompt we're beginning with is the word "together". 

Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same diretion. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Within each of us there is an intense need to feel that we belong. This feeling of unity and togetherness comes through the warmth of a smile, a handshake, or a hug, through laughter and unspoken demonstrations of love. It comes in the quiet, reverent moments of soft conversation and in listening. ~William R. Bradford

I think togetherness is a very important ingredient to family life. ~Barbara Bush

In mere moments of togetherness, families forge their most indelible memories. ~Wes Fesler

If there ever comes a day when we can't be together, keep me in your heart. I'll stay there forever. ~A.A. Milne

My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that? ~Bob Hope

So every year when Christmas comes, I realize anew, the best gift life can offer is having friends like you. ~Helen Steiner Rice

A little smile, a word of cheer,

A bit of love from someone near,

A little gift from one held dear,

Best wishes for the coming year.

These make a merry Christmas!

~John Greenleaf Whittier

A voice of one calling:

"In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD;

make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Every valley shall be raised up,

every mountain and hill made low;

the rough ground shall become level,

the rugged places a plain.

And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,

and all people will see it toghether.

For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

~Isaiah 40:3-5~

Wednesday Quotes is hosted by Marsha at Always Write. This post will be linked at #WQ #51: Together/Christmas/Color Challenge Red and Green

PS - If you'd be interested in the Twenty-Six Lists link-up coming soon, you can find out about it in Introducting Twenty-Six Lists. 

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 ©2006-2023 HS Coffee Break/Just A Second/A Fresh Cup of Coffee. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. https://morecoffeebreaks.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.