Hello February!

After taking it easy during the month of January, it is fun to start thinking and doing and going again. That is exactly my plan for February. Cabin fever sets in hard this month. Kids seem to bicker more often and everything seems grey outside. I'm not sure when I last felt the sun's warmth on my face. Does spring really ever get here? I'm trying to push through these thoughts and keep my mind and fingers busy with intentional things to do. So I put together this small list of things that are making me smile this morning (even though it is barely February and I'm already craving that perfect June weather).

The first of course is my Valentine's countdown calendar, which is now dated and stuffed. Yes, a new tradition begins this morning.

I'm really pleased with the final outcome. While this wasn't a huge undertaking, I was honestly less than motivated. Now that it is completed and adorning my dining room window, I wonder how February would have come without it. I'm anticipating lots of fun evenings with the kiddos.

When coordinating the dated envelopes with the activity cards, I sat down with the family schedule. I put a small dot on the calendar when a day was accounted for making it easy to glance and plan. I'll admit, I did have a little help.

And it just so happens that the 14th falls on a Monday this year which is awesome because it is family night at the movie theater. That means each member will get in for just a buck! We are definitely going. With such a big family, it is not often we are able to do that kind of thing. Shhhh.... don't tell the kids though, it's a secret.

My garden is also making me very happy this morning. I know it is still very much winter and even as I write this Ohio is expecting a bad ice storm. But while turning pages in catalogs and contemplating heirloom varieties of tomatoes I can almost feel the sunshine warming my back.

So I'm off to gather supplies...

I scour the house and garage looking for remnants of seeds from previous years. Sigh, where did I stash them. After a quick search of the garage and trudging through snow out to the tool shed, they are found safe and warm in the basement. Upon inspection, half of the saved packets are empty. Sigh deeply again. Sort seed packets and find I still have an impressive selection.

(I order all my seeds organic. In the past, I have ordered from Abundant Life, Baker Creek and High Mowing. )

Bonus, I found a ton of saved yogurt containers. These make incredible starter pots and they are so much cheaper than purchasing actual 4 inch pots. With a starter container this big there is no need to transplant when your seedling quadruples in size and threatens to climb out of its starter cell. You can even fit two seedlings in a container if you need to. Start saving them now. Have your neighbors and friends save them for you too.

I settle down with a cup of tea, my catalogs and reference books to plan a garden. For the moment will only exist on paper but in a couple weeks my south facing dining room window will become a mini greenhouse table. The garden is usually planted in late May, so the seed pots will start occupying the space beginning of March. The schedule goes something like herbs (12 weeks prior to planting outside), peppers and eggplant (10 weeks), tomatoes (8 weeks), and melons and squash (4 weeks). Other stuff like onions, greens, peas, beets, beans, carrots, radishes and sweet potatoes are direct seeded.

The final thing that is keeping cabin fever at bay is knowing by the middle to end of March I am already outside photographing kids playing. It shouldn't be long now...

Ooooh, those chubby cheeks still make my heart sing with happiness.

Dear friend, what is making you smile today...