Happy 2018!

Happy New Year! January 1st is always a time for new beginnings, when anything seems possible in the year ahead. Today dawned beautiful – sunny, cold, and crisp – and seems like as good a day as any to get back into the spirit of creativity that the challenge to “make something daily” embodies. Way back on January 1, 2012 I resolved to make something every day, and I did, for the better part of that year. I’m going to give it another shot this year, under much different circumstances.

Back then I was a stay-at-home mom with two young kids, restless and feeling a bit stifled by domesticity, looking for something to grow my own creative self apart from parenthood. These days, six years later, I work full time and have other demands, but have found myself again in a place where I need another shot of creativity.  My creative acts might be smaller this time (lunchtime work doodle? Fancy Saturday snack for the kids?) but my plan is to be mindful about taking even just a few minutes every single day to make something. In a perfect world, I might be able to post about it daily too, but I can’t get too uptight about that because life happens.

So, to kick off 2018 right, today I made black-eyed peas and rice (Hoppin’ John) with collard greens. This is a New Year’s Day tradition for our family, and the kids love it (around here, we call any dish with a hearty green and dried beans “beans and greens” and it’s a favorite dish). I gave the beans an overnight soak, rendered the fat from a smoked ham shank, and cooked the greens with more of the ham, finished with a splash of balsamic vinegar for some acidic balance. Now I’m going to relax with the family, sip a glass of something bubbly, and raise a toast to you, dear reader. My hope for you is that 2018 is filled with family, friends, love, and that you find the time to make something daily!