The year 2025 is coming to an end, so it’s probably just the right time to write a summary blog post and reminisce on all the things that made this year a little better. In the past, I have done NY Resolutions and barely ever stuck to the plan. But who says that you aren’t allowed to change things up? Instead of making plans for the year to come, you can think about all the things that you’ve accomplished or feel grateful for having in your life and helping you get through life’s hurdles! Let’s do it!
Growing a rose garden!
One of the things I look forward to in the coming years is growing an entire flower garden of roses. Considering that I’ve only been living in the countryside for a little over a year, what I’ve accomplished so far is pretty impressive. I started with a few rosebush plants last year, and expanded to climbing roses this summer. Right now, I don’t really have a plan for my roses. Whatever grows, I’m fine with it! I can always move things around. I’m happy enough with the roses that bloomed this year. I’m even happier that my neighbour from across the street gave my mother a few saplings of the kind of roses that are used for making jam. I know that it’s only gonna get better with time. Everything needs time to grow and get strong.
Making my own clothes
Earlier this year, I bought a new sewing machine with lots of accessories for all the different kinds of sewing I’d like to learn in the near future. I got one of the cheapest models, which just so happened to be on sale. Imagine my surprise when I saw the overlock foot included as a standard accessory! I’ve already used my new sewing machine to make a linen skirt. I look forward to making more things, learning how to quilt and do machine embroidery, and trying not to buy all the pretty fabric at once (I still have to store it somewhere).
Vegetable garden
This year’s harvest was quite an experience! I deliberately didn’t want to use any chemicals to get rid of pests or weeds. My mother did buy one bottle of Roundup, as advised by some neighbours, but we never got to use it. And after I saw a lawyer over on TikTok talking about all the lawsuits the company is involved in due to the thing causing cancer… Yikes! I’d rather cut out a few bad spots from my potatoes than risk getting seriously ill. All things considered, I’m happy with how our garden turned out this year. We grew a ton of radishes and spinach. The strawberry season was delightful! And I even managed to toss a few things in the freezer (I’ll need to get a big chest freezer next year, to store things from the garden).
Home renovations
This year has been tough! I might have overestimated my capacity to make an old cottage livable in a span of a few months. I got to spend a cold, damp winter in here and learned my lesson. The circumstances that had forced me to move in before the house was ready may have been stronger than me this time. But because of that, I got to learn a valuable lesson. It’s important to plan ahead and budget! Buying a house shouldn’t be a spur-of-the-moment decision. I got lucky, but if I were to do this again, I would’ve prepared well in advance and done more research about… well, everything. It’s another December in the cottage, and now I get to sit in a warm room and not worry about humidity ruining my personal library. As the year is coming to an end, I look back at it feeling grateful for this amazing experience and all the new skills I learned, and make a to-do list for next year.
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