February is another of those in-between times, is it Winter, is it Spring? February can’t make up its mind.
Friday, January 31
(Yes, I know I’m cheating with the dates here. I’m over it.)
I find myself outside planting some daffodil bulbs. I lost a bag of them I had saved from last year and completely forgot about them in the fall. I found them a few days ago and agonized about what to do with them. They were trying to sprout in their paper bag, poor things. So I quickly scramble outside, grab my shovel from the shed, and dig in. Thankfully the weather was warm enough the last few days to melt off the snow and it’s predicted to rain for the next couple of days, indeed it is raining a bit while I dig. They might not come up till later, but they have a better chance than being left in a bag.
Saturday, February 1
My husband marries a delightful couple today. I get to go and it’s so fun to witness their joy and love for each other. Many blessings to them!
Wednesday, February 5
We take all the kids out to get our passports. We had all the applications filled out and papers ready at hand. Things went pretty smoothly. It’s a process to do eight of anything, but the lady helping us at the post office was very organized and great with the kids.
Friday, February 7
I finished reading The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell this evening. This is the perfect book to read between my heavier readings of A Tale of Two Cities and The Betrothed. I needed something light and fun and this book fits that bill. I guess I am a fan of the journal style, hence this newsletter style.
Saturday, February 8
I made some delightful sourdough yesterday and we eat the last of it today. I also slice a bag of Meyer’s lemons that I’ve gotten from Azure. I can have fresh (frozen) slices for months this way.
Tuesday, February 11
I finished reading Confessions of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell. The first book was so engaging that I immediately ordered the second one, even before I finished the last one. This one was also delightful. I’m going to have to order all his bookseller books since I love his grumpy humor. Having also worked with the public in retail I get his amusement over the odd things customers can say and do.
Thursday, February 13
We finished reading The Green Ember series by S.D. Smith in our night-time read-aloud tonight. We began reading this series of books back in March of 2024. We just finished the fourth book. That’s almost a year to read through the series. I do love this series, but I was beginning to feel the drag of it taking us so long to finish. I’m rethinking how we structure our night-time read-aloud because of this. I’ve included reading aloud as part of our nighttime routine ever since we began having babies and it has looked different in different phases of our children’s lives. I feel it’s time for a shift in the groupings of kids and in the types of books we are reading, but I also don’t have clarity yet on what that looks like.
Friday, February 14
My husband whisks me off for a lunchtime date today. The kids look after themselves. It’s a whole new life phase, having kids big enough to babysit their siblings. I’m loving it!
Sunday, February 16
We have friends over today and they stay all day. My poor introverted heart struggles with days like today. I do love having people in my home, and one-on-one time with people is usually pretty energizing. But for some reason, today felt draining. However, these friends only come once in while, so I make it work.
Wednesday, February 19
A child has to go to the dentist today. Swinging school in the morning, the dentist in the afternoon, and then service and choir practice at night feels like too much. By the day’s end, I’m bushed.
We haven’t had much sunshine these past few weeks. The gray skies can feel oppressive. I’m anxiously awaiting the coming of spring. I long to see if my daffodils come up, and which of my plants from last year will self-seed and come up again.
Friday, February 21
My older two children and I attend an Andrew Peterson concert up at Grove City College tonight. We only know a few of his songs, but we are bigger fans of his books. I’m also a fan of The Rabbit Room, which he co-founded. It was a great concert and it was great seeing how casual and approachable Andrew seems. We had a lot of fun but it was a two-hour drive home after the concert ended at 9:30. I’m driving and the lights whirl around us from behind and in front. Raindrops scatter the light over my windshield even more. I hate to admit I’m getting older most days, but I feel like an old lady when I have to drive at night. I’ll be dragging all day tomorrow because of the late night tonight.
Saturday, February 22
We saw a couple of purple finches today at our feeder! I haven’t seen one of them since we moved from Vermont, so their rosy colors were a burst of delight for me.
Sunday, February 23
Today is my husband’s birthday! We celebrate birthdays in our house by giving the birthday person their choice for breakfast and dinner. Since today is a Sunday, that means dinner is lunch. Apple cobbler for breakfast and meatloaf, rice, and veggies for lunch. Strawberry rhubarb pie for dessert. Homemade presents and a storebought one. We revel in the day to celebrate the man I love who has makes our beautiful life possible, both with his hard work in his job and his shared vision of having a close-knit family that reads and celebrates together.
Today is also the launch of the #the100dayproject. This year I’m choosing to complete a bucket list project of mine of making a personalized playing card deck. I’m choosing to incorporate my collection of favorite words that I pinned on Pinterest. It’s a weird quirky project, but I’m happy about it, and I look forward to having a functional thing to use at the end of it all.
Monday, February 24
My newest art piece “Stars Burn Bright” is launched into the world today. She is beautiful and powerful and I’m so happy I made her. I’m always a little in awe that I’ve been trusted with this gift of art-making. It’s humbling to be an artist. I make art because I am driven to it, something in me that God has given to me, and I must do. But I also feel that some of the pieces I make are made to be seen by others. I’ve never fully understood that, but I also trust in it. I will make art no matter what, and plenty of what I do is never seen. But sometimes viewing art can move people closer to God and that is my hope when I share my work with the wider world than just my family.
Thursday, February 27
Today was a homeschool field trip to the Westmoreland Museum of Art. They have a Homeschool Day once a year. We went last year, and I distinctly remember how disoriented I was getting there, finding parking, feeling like Greensburg was an alien place from our cozy home of Mill Run. Going this year felt very full circle. We’ve been going to Greensburg weekly since last fall. My confidence in finding the museum and parking is so different from last year. We enjoy the exhibits. Lunch in the van. Then we stop at the Connelsville library on our way home and get more books for the weekend.
My daughter and I finish reading The Chestnut King by N.D. Wilson tonight. This is the last book of the 100 Cupboards series. We’ve been reading his books, intending to go through his entire canon. But we both need a break from him for a bit. So we decided to switch over to L.M. Montgomery for a bit.
The weather is already warming and breaking here on the mountain. I’ve been able to resume my morning walks. I’m even hearing birds in the morning, which delights my heart to no end. I do enjoy the stillness and quietness of winter mornings, the crisp cold air. I also enjoy the light twittering of birds and the smell of the earth thawing and preparing for spring’s arrival.
Our next couple of months are already feeling packed. The beginning of Lent is this month, and even though we are not Catholic, I do like to maintain a discipline of giving up something for the time leading up to Easter. I’m still deciding what it will be though. My kids’ next theater production is at the end of March. This is a busy full life I lead, and I am fully blessed amid the chaos and the mess.