Author Archives: mittonmusings

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About mittonmusings

A Canadian, lifestyle blog with an inspirational twist!

Winter Reflections: Finding Hope Beneath the Snow

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Welcome back. It is another snow day here. I hear parts of Russia are worse off, their snow piles are as high as the street lights! No comparison here, but another snow day, nonetheless. We are Canada — known for the snow. I guess Russia is, too, though. I cannot image further up north. Brrrr. I shiver to even go there. Alas, I can only speak for us, and here, no school buses are running and we are still digging out. Our back door is completely blocked from the snow falling off our roof. The bar-b-que and garden hose are completely buried. Yes, we left the garden hose out because we didn’t get to it before the snow came. I suppose we will deal with that in spring. Don’t hate on us. We’ve also had to move our recycling and garbage bins to the front door because the snow is piled so high.

The view from our back door.

The girls have been locked up in their coop for days. Okay, they are not locked up… they have the ability to go out, but they do not like the white stuff and I have not seen them venture since you could see grass on the ground. I am sure they are bored to tears. The rabbits, too, are locked up in the (warmer) barn. They need some real sunlight. At least they are getting along so they can be out together.

The children and myself are pretty housebound, too, these days. I cleaned out the pantry the other day. Later today I may tackle a closet. It’s been bitterly cold so I have to go out to refresh water for the creatures, but other than that… where is there to go? I have no money to spend. Work, of course. Hubby is still commuting. Highways seem to be okay. Kudos to our snow clearing folk. They are earning their keep this year!

Yet, there is always another side to the winter blahs. The moon was beautiful last night as I tucked everyone in. A clear, sliver of silver against the black silhouettes of our little forest. I see from posts the Northern Lights were spotted again in our area. It was quiet and peaceful. The snow crunch crunched under my feet. The stars were out on the black sky. A gentle reminder of good things in the middle of the rest of the hardships of winter. I changed my letter board from my Christmas greeting:

So, where is my reflection leading us to today? I was imagining spring. I ordered another batch of chicks to hatch for April! I’m looking forward to when all this snow melts, but dreading what we may uncover underneath. The dog dug up a hockey puck the other day. I’m sure there are several dog tennis balls out there in the field… and, um, other dog “presents” that will soon be coming to the surface when we dig out. I was thinking about being buried. Not in the literal sense, as in when you’re dead, but buried alive.

I love the television show Hoarders. They used to call it Hoarders, Buried Alive. Where people are literally buried in their stuff. Clothes, bags, paper, trash and who knows what, piled to the ceilings of homes. Other times it’s animals and a collection that has got out of hand. I get that need to nurture. The folks usually have good intentions, but get too caught up and get overwhelmed. It’s sad, but the show aims to help, I suppose. Working to clean up and clear out… with promises to work through the mental health and triggers that get folks in that sort of trouble. Good people who struggle.

Which sums up quite a few of us. Good people who struggle. Perhaps we are not buried alive by our physical stuff, but many, many people carry such heavy burdens today. Wayward family. Health crisis, unemployment, or just simple hurts that weigh heavy on our hearts. Perhaps this winter weather makes it worse. Locked up like my chickens, just eating and getting chunky. Or needing sunshine, or to see the clear sky on a cool night, like my bunnies.

Waiting for spring….

If you’re feeling it today, friend, know that I am hearing you. I trust I will be #gracious (as my my year intention leads) to those who need it. To my self when I need it. To lead others to Jesus when I cannot do it by myself. To allow winter rest to rejuvenate our souls instead of bury them. Spring eventually comes. Hope is there. Reach for it, yearn for it, seek to find it. Then come here to join me in the journey. I got you!

Embracing The Declutter: Lessons from My Tupperware

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Well, as usual, great laid plans seemed to have gone a muck this week. New Year, new thoughts, new plans. Which, in my case, involved going room by room and cleaning and purging a few things. We got more stuff at Christmas, and it is time to be out with the old. And yet, here it is the middle of the week and I haven’t even got my blog post done, let alone extra deep cleaning. And the laundry? Why, oh why, is there always extra laundry? Not even extra… just regular stuff that is still not done! *Sigh* I suppose I have to be “gracious” with myself once and a while. (If you know, you know, if you don’t, read this).

However, I did get to one task last week… the Tupperware containers! We were given a big set of new (glass!) re-usable storage containers for Christmas, and I am eager to get using those, but we have a cupboard filled with mismatched, oddball, well used lunchables already that needed organizing. Our cupboard is an upper cupboard that is a full length lazy Susan… which is an okay spot for said containers, except that the top shelf is too high for me to see, and lids often get stuck over the sides, causing the lazy Susan to stick, and, well, you get it, we needed a remix.

It’s time…

Now, this minimal task didn’t take very long… I pulled everything out, wiped the shelving down, matched lid to container, stacked and put ’em all back in! Yet, it always surprises me what you end up with… where did this one come from? Did I buy this or did it some how end up in there hand me down from someone else’s goodies; or did the hubby “steal” it from work thinking it was ours? Now, you know me, I hate to waste anything, so I have saved all the take out containers, over the year, for animal feed bowls and the lids make good plant water catchers under pots. Eventually, they get cracked up and useless and need to be recycled as well. I just don’t have the counter space for them, though, so they got reduced down too.

All this to say, the task got done, and my shelves are tidy. The mismatched but still good containers got collected and have moved to the craft room… for possible use there. Yes, the craft room is on the purge list… but that is going to be a much, much bigger project!

Getting there…

As usual, the process had me a musing. How much are we like my Tupperware cupboard? We all have one of those collections. Useful, but mismatched. Each of us come in different sizes and makes. Some are sturdy glass with tight fitting, no leak lids that snap in place. Others are useful, but temporary. Easily recycled after their best efforts. Others are good, but don’t fit in with the group… they don’t nestle and stack together nicely, or they are just the wrong size, with weird lids. Perhaps stolen from another venue.

Of course, I am not talking about how people’s size or “type” are rejected, but you get the thought, right? I’m thinking about how God’s church is so diverse, and yet, each are set for their direct purposes. Our leaders are sometimes appointed for a time, but somehow get separated from their secure lids who have gone off to be plant pot protectors. Or those of us who are short lived. Useful, but made to bounce. Temporary. Others, the expensive glass — meant to last but easily shatter if not treated carefully. I love it.

All done!

Still, every now and then, God must decide He needs to clean out the cupboard. Rescue the lids who are fallen and stuck. Move the broken, recycle the cracked, and replace and re-organize. Some of us get moved to the craft room, for new lives. Others have done their jobs and are lovingly tossed in the recycle bin. I dunno. Maybe the thought is pushing it. Whatever the case, it has been very nice to swing that lazy Susan around and find exactly what I am looking for, complete with the matching lid. And if anyone messes it up, they are in trouble! Craft room… I’m coming for you. Stay tuned.

New Year Reflections: The Year of Being Gracious

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Well, Well, Well. 2026 Has certainly started off with a bang. I am already late for the first post of the year, and we are working on our 3rd snow day in a row off school and there is not a cloud in the sky. My chickens have not left the coop in weeks. They hate the snow. The rabbits and rats need cleaning. We have been hosting most of the holidays, and although we maintained throughout the season, for some reason our house fell apart in the last few days. There are empty boxes and doo dads and whatzits galore. Clean up has started, but it’s going to take a hot second.

Somehow, my #wordoftheyear seems grossly appropriate in light of the first week of January. We’ve had some strong feelings circulating around — things just seemed so “heavy” for a few family members. Let’s back track for a minute, though. Last year, 2025 was the year of “growth”. I failed again. I think. I couldn’t even remember what my word was… had to look it up. Our garden failed again. We made it through some milestones, but did we grow? I’m not sure. Realistically, I’m sure we did… but in a way that we focused on and purposed? Who knows anymore. So, it’s time for a new start.

Which brings us around to this year. 2026. I have reached the stage in my life where I am old enough to no longer be cool, yet old enough to not care if I am. We are grandparents. We are now “grandma’s house” where you go to visit rather than live. We will likely be empty nesters this year, as the youngest goes off to post secondary education. We are seeking to step aside a little and let the next generation begin to shine. I’m not as tech savvy as I used to be. I can’t keep up like I used to. My eyes are a little weaker and I am moving a little slower. Things are quieter. And that’s okay.

I have discovered that the next generation is so in tune with their mental health… and yet are struggling still. There is a fragility among them. And I am not sure if it is a good or a bad thing. I’ve noticed that, especially since Covid years, people are more apt to say “no”. Rules of etiquette are wavering in the light of self preservation. Again, I can’t decide if this is good or bad. I’m caught in the world between “tsk tsking” the worship leader for wearing his baseball cap up front, and smiling at the little kid dancing down the aisles during candlelight service. I’m struggling to be kind at the grocery store to the young cashier, and fighting with online services who don’t have real people to call when there is a mix up — and there is always a mix up!

They are coming…don’t you worry!

In a world of A.I. and Amazon, I’m stuck with only a few tabs open — where others can flit between screens faster than I can Google how. I’m struggling, too, in the sandwich generation of keeping the peace. Although I see that according to the internet… I am even too old for that definition! And yes, I still use three dots to declare a break in thought! Yet, it’s not all doom and gloom. We’re not dead yet! We are going to try the garden — again. The spring chick orders have just come out… and you know I’ve looked at it! We are figuring out if we want to add goats and meat birds to Itsnotta farm. There are still pallets sitting in my (albeit snow covered) driveway. I want to learn how to refinish furniture this year. I need to clean and purge. I need to start doing Yoga again. Thirty years of marriage in 2026! That deserves a getaway, doesn’t it?

The grandbabies will come to the house and make us smile at all their new discoveries. We’ll have to ask for help now for things. We might do less while still doing more. Most of all, we will have to learn to be kind. Not to be stick-in-the-muds. To still try. To do it with wisdom, instead of narrow mindedness. To try and understand where the young moms are at in this fast paced society of constant change. Where the men who don’t know how to be men are at when the world is giving them conflicting views. Where the generation who has had everything handed to them still don’t know how to “adult”. And do it with a whole lot of grace. Originally, that was my word: grace. Although, with a bit of time, it’s merged from grace to gracious. That’s what I need to be in 2026. I love the internet’s overview:

“Gracious” means kind,courteous,and pleasant,showing politeness and good manners, often extending to others in a generous way, like a gracious host or a gracious acceptance of a compliment;

It can also describe a life of comfort and elegance (“gracious living”) *YES* or be used as an old-fashioned exclamation of surprise (e.g., “Good gracious!”).

Essentially, it implies charm, generosity of spirit, and thoughtful consideration, especially towards those in a lower position or in difficult situations.

Key Meanings:

  • Kind & Courteous: Friendly, polite, and showing good manners, even in tough spots.
  • Elegant & Comfortable: Suggests a lifestyle of luxury, ease, and good taste (e.g., “a gracious home”). *GOALS*
  • Merciful & Benevolent: Showing compassion or favour, often used for divine beings (“our gracious King”).
  • Exclamation: “Good gracious!” expresses surprise or mild shock.

So, there ya have it. 2026’s # wordoftheyear is “Gracious”… with the goal of embodying all of the above! Will you keep me accountable? Will you comment when posts come out that are not so gracious?! Focus. Focus. For now, though, I have to clean up my house! (lifestyle of luxury and ease, remember?) And hope that the family will be a little gracious to me for letting it get this way! Happy New Year, beloveds! See you soon…