I didn’t get a tablescape done in time for this post, so here is my Japanese Inspired Tablescape from my New Year post in 2020, along with recipes. Everything on the table except the flowers and napkins came from my thrift store and estate sale excursions. I love these lacquer dishes and they blend nicely with the black stoneware with the gold embellishments I use mostly around the New Year weekend. This year I am planning to donate more dishes and tablescaping stuff, and just have less stuff all around.
Most years, I put out an all white table for January. Here is one from a past post, I have since donated the snowflake dishes back to the thrift store.
Wildlife has been stopping by, with the deer hanging around a lot lately. There is a doe and two adolescent female fawns that has come by several times, but I couldn’t get pictures of them. Then this buck came by to munch on some green undergrowth in the forest. This is the one with the broken antler, previously he came by with another male.
This time he was alone. His antlers are growing, and look more symmetrical now, but you can see the one on the left (the deer’s right side) is shorter.
The new squirrel with the white tufts behind its ears was back, and has quickly become accustomed to getting a peanut butter sandwich. He has taken to announcing his arrival by climbing up to the kitchen windowsill to peer inside and look hungry, hoping to get fed.
Last week, this one was here at the same time. It also has white tufts, but acted a lot like Oliver. So, did Oliver grow some ear tufts, or did this one just get acclimated to a soft touch in this house quickly? Could these be some of Oliver’s (or maybe it is Olivia’s) offspring?
On the feeder, I am still doing bird counts for Cornell’s Feeder Watch. I caught 8 goldfinches in one photo one day.
A red bellied woodpecker stopped by on a clear day.
I was excited to see a pair of bluebirds having a discussion over the suet one day.
Then, I was super excited to see them check out the birdhouse. We set this up for the Carolina Wrens, but two years later they were still not using it. So, My Sweet Babboo widened the hole to the requirements for bluebirds. I have high hopes they will find it acceptable when nest building time comes. Forgive the blurry photo, I was trying to get the shot before it moved off. I have another shot, even more blurry of the male sitting on top of the house while she poked her head inside.
Inside the house, I have changed over to a cleaner decor, with mostly white. It is a refreshing change from the fullness of autumn and Christmas. On the bathroom counter, a white rabbit with a wheeled cart holds a bit of faux greenery. It is the year of the Rabbit in the Chinese zodiac calendar. As if I need an excuse to get my rabbits out, LOL!
I put my White Crazy Patch Mini Quilt on the frame, then added white candles and a white glitter wax pine cone to the vignette.
I love the shapes on this seafood dish, designed to serve raw oysters, or baked scallops. I bought it to bake with, but I’ve never used it for that. It is displayed on a stand on the cookbook shelf.
Today, I’ll spend my day doing the things I want to do all year long. My grandmother always said no chores on New Year’s Day or you’ll do nothing but chores all year. She always wanted us to visit her that day too so we’d visit all year. I plan some sewing, some football watching with My Sweet Babboo, fun food for grazing, and chatting with friends. I hope you have a very Happy New Year! What are your plans for the day?
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From My Carolina Home 
Sounds like you have a nice day planned. I love the white touches you put out. Nice clean start to the new year.
My oldest daughter and oldest son both have hockey games today so we will be at the ice arena a lot today. I am also hoping to have some time this evening to go through my quilting WIP and make a plan to get them done this year.
Happy New Year to you, Carole! I, too, am taking it easy today, but not by choice. I start 2023 under the weather with a cold, so today is all about some napping and resting. Not a bad thing to do on a football Sunday!
Happy New Year, Carole. Enjoy the relaxing day ahead. It sounds perfect.
Happy New Year! Imagining those white tufts as little ear muffs for squirrels. Spending the day sewing up odds & ends while waiting for a new sewalong.
I love the idea of what you do on New Year’s Day being what you will you do all year long. We’ll talk to our kids, have football on, and I’ll read and sew. All my favorite things! Happy New Year, Carole!
I have no idea what I will be doing today – maybe a nap! a lot in the neighborhood were very noisy last night with fireworks and I swear I heard gun fire as well out here in the country which was extremely loud for over 30 minutes – I might get in some sewing
Happy 2023! I’ve finished our “special, holiday breakfast” and the Blackeye Peas are in the slow pot and am heading to the sewing room. We opened the back door at midnight to ” let 2022 out,” and opened the front door to let “2023 in.” Last night we placed $$ outside & this morning brought it in .I think we’ve covered all the new year’s traditions. Looking forward to a great year!
Happy new year, Carole!!! Looking forward to more stitching in 2023!!!
Happy New Year, Carole!
Happy New Year to you and your husband! A little bit of sewing, football and visiting with the kids is on the agenda. A very good start to the new year!
I like your mom’s recommendation! I think I’ll follow suit — watch the parade, read, paint! Does making dinner count? No, but figuring out yet another new way to use our ham might! Happy New Year, my friend.
A very Happy New Year to you Carole. I love the wise ‘Grandma’ words. Some of those old folk tales and adages just stay with us through our lives! They seem to come in the moment when we need them most. Mine came to me yesterday about cleaning your house before the new year arrives or else you’ll have a dirty house all year long. 🙂
Happy New Year to you! Thank you for sharing your projects, recipes, book recommendations, and day to day happenings with us all year. I really enjoy your blog. My Mom said the same thing about New Year’s Day – only do those things you want to be doing all year – no chores! I plan on doing some sewing, trying out your Hoppin’ John recipe, and relaxing and reading. Looking forward to your 2023 blog!
Oliver and Tufty?? they do know where to come for goodies. Happy New Year, may the coming months be happy for you and yours.
Happy New Year! Love your photos of the birds and deer! It is nice to go back to a more simple decor after Christmas and autumn.
Well, it seems your place is the chuck wagon for squirrels!!
New Years Day was yesterday and all I did was cook New Years dinner, did some painting and had a good read.
Your white pieces look lovely and fresh. Love your little White Crazy Quilt. I Always intended to make something similar but time hasn’t allowed that yet! I first saw your little quilt on a site showing Quilts and patterns and that’s how I found your site!!
As this is the 2nd day of 2023 I must tend to a bit of ‘housekeeping’. It is such a boring waste of time but has to be done!! Hopefully a little quiet read this afternoon. :))
More New Year blessings to you.
Hello
I love your white mini quilt and display rack. I have arthritis which pretty much limits the size of quilt I can manage. Do you have a pattern for this quilt, or even just the dimensions and where you got the display stand.
I live in North Vancouver,B.C. Canada, which is pretty much a cultural wasteland as far as quilting supplies goes.
Thank you very much for your assistance. Will I spend the rest of the year wanting quilting supplies…
Cheryl🥳
Amazon has them – https://amzn.to/3WDUCUq
Click on the highlighted text in the post for White Mini Quilt and it will take you to the post where I show how to make it. Generally, all wording in a different color than black is a link, and I try to link all previous posts that have patterns.
Thanks for asking!
Thank you and enjoy the football.
C
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Such lovely tablescapes! Happy New Year to you and your sweet husband. May you have a fruitful and blessed year.
Thank you. I always feel so refreshed and enchanted by your flora and fauna and squirrels! My favorite resale shop closed – run for the hospital – and always a source of great stuff. Now on the lookout for another. Thanks for Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! You have a nice day planned, enjoy every minute! Today I have a couple of the HS kids coming over to practice, and I am working on a couple of surprises to send to some special folks. I also need to reorganize the sewing room, and my sis and I are having a mini planning retreat to start the New Year!
Happy New Year to you both. On New Years Day we were busy traveling in our caravan along the wild west coast of New Zealand! We are parked up in a lovely spot overlooking the sea, such a beautiful view. Of course, it is summer here in my part of the world, and last night we sat outside with fellow vanners watching the sun drop down into the sea.
Wishing you and yours A happy,Blessed New Year
Marion,Marilyn and Joan
Wishing you a very happy New Year. I enjoy your blog a lot and find your enthusiasm for beauty very uplifting–thank you!
Happy New Year wishes to you and all the wonderful wildlife you have around you!
A very happy New Year to all! I spent New Year’s Day driving 14 hours from our Arizona home back to our Texas home. It turned out to be a good day for travel since the traffic was very light. I travel regularly between Texas and Arizona, so your grandmother is right, I’ll be traveling all year 🙂 I love all your birds! I have many Carolina wren nests around my house in Texas – they build nests in the oddest of places, and never in any of the bird houses I put out. I even found one of their nests in an open bag of house plant fertilizer on my porch! My sewing mojo kind of left me for a while due to some family losses in November, but I’m feeling it coming back and have started back in on my A Ribbon Runs Through It blocks. Sending happy vibes to all for a wonderful 2023!
Happy New Year, Carole. We spent our New Year’s Day visiting and having a breakfast at our son and d-i-l home after driving to Pittsburgh for two hours, then since our Christmas celebration with my husband’s family was cancelled due to our unforeseen cold snap and snow event last weekend, we celebrated and opened presents at his 91 yr old Dad’s house and travelled back home the wee hours of today, Jan 2nd. We celebrate Christmas through the Epiphany so all my Christmas decor stay up until the day after Jan 6th. Today is the Ninth Day of Christmas for us.
In do love your white new year decor. I have not one single thing in white, but bunnies I have so those will come out soon. I’ve enjoyed reading your blog for several years and can’t wait to see what the new year brings us from you. Happy 2023!
Happy New Year, wishing you health and happiness. The bluebirds are so pretty and their song is beautiful as well. I’ll cross my fingers for nesting bluebirds. Love your white mini quilt.
Alexandria
Happy New Year! I love your mini crazy quilt.. it looks so pretty with the candle xx