Settling in to 2026
Still tweaking the household management of 7 // 2025 books
Happy New Year! How are you feeling about the year that just finished? Have you had a moment to reflect, or even draw up a list of what it was? I’ve been organizing my desk space with a new set of file folders. I went through our Quicken summaries from last year to be sure our expenses and budget were relatively accurate. I’m building a list of our family’s 15 favorite meals so I can cycle them more routinely into a twice-a-month cycle. In short: I’ve been doing things inside, but I am already dreaming of summer days when I may once again refuse to go inside for hours and when that moment comes I will say “don’t worry, you’ll get organized in January.”
Despite having run a household of seven for some time now, there are still so many organizational things I’d like to be a little better at. At the top of the list? A good place to always have a running list of new recipes I want to try. Should it be a note? An email draft full of links? A document with a short link on my phone? 2026 goals.
Lately I have been loving: turning a movie on while I make dinner so I can have 30 minutes of quiet to savor a recipe with a glass of wine and the windows fogging up with the heat from the oven against the cold night. Wearing cozy long underwear around the house like I live in a ski lodge. The way life always has so much to teach us.
Books I Loved in 2025
I shared in a recent newsletter that for my 40th Birthday my husband Joe asked forty friends to each send me a book. Some people sent several books! My librarian friend who is in her sixties joked “I’m glad my husband didn’t tell my friends to do that for my birthday.” But you know, 50 new books is a beautiful thing at my age. Those books became most of my reading for the last year, although other random library finds worked their way in, like Rick Steve’s youthful travel journals, written before he even considered becoming THE joyful jolly American travel authority he is today.
Here they are, I recommend them all! I used Storygraph to keep track of books this year, but my 14 yr old used Fable and her year-in-review was really fun. Funny tiny book I think about a lot? The English Understand Wool. Book that made me want to have Teddy Roosevelt to dinner? The River of Doubt. Book that made me realize I know nothing about Herman Melville? Dayswork. The perfect winter mystery that will make you want to journal more? Frozen Winter.
Other things we’re up to…
The 12 yr old is preparing to go to India for ten days with her grandparents! Part of me wants to just hand her a map and a journal and say, “Have an amazing time.'“ Another part of me wants to compose the perfect reading & film list to deep-dive prepare. So far I have downloaded the audiobook of Covenant of Water for her, to begin with. One of the greatest books ever in my opinion. Do you have any favorite books set in India?
Joe and I are really looking forward to the movie coming out about Ann Lee, the woman who founded Shakers and brought the movement to America. Joe’s bookshelf is full of books on Shaker furniture, and we’ve also been able to visit one of the Shaker villages that still exist in New England. She’s one of those characters from history who managed to stick to her vision and stay kind while she was at it. It looks like the filmmakers & actors did an incredible job, we can’t wait.
I have a list of dinners written in pencil that’s stuck on my fridge. Usually between 15-20 options for an informal two week meal plan. If I see a recipe that I want to try I just write it on the list. If I try a recipe and we don’t like it I erase it from the list. Low tech but it works for me!
I think the best book EVER about India is Shantaram, though it may be too mature for your daughter. Would love to hear more about how the trip came about, I'm so excited for her!