February has been a much better month that January. It’s gone by awfully fast, though, even with an extra day.

As a family, we enjoyed Valentine’s Day and my daughter-in-law’s birthday, as well as a visit from her mom and an excursion to the Ark Encounter, which I told about here.

Toward the end of last month, we watched Timothy early one morning while his parents went to a parenting seminar at church. That happened to be the day Jim takes the garbage and recycling out (we don’t have city pick-up where we live). He asked Timothy if he wanted to go with him to the recycling center, and he did. And he’s gone every week since then. 🙂 I don’t know if he liked watching the big machines that crush the garbage, or what. I imagine he’ll get tired of it pretty soon, but Jim has been enjoying the time with him.

Jesse, my youngest son, has had everything finally fall into place for his first house purchase. He’ closed yesterday after a couple of hiccups in the process. Shakespeare said, “The course of true love never did run smooth.” I think that could apply to house purchasing as well. Jesse is due to move in this weekend, so we’ll be helping with that.

Watching

We enjoyed the rest of All Creatures Great and Small, though the season seemed much too short.

The only other noteworthy program we saw was a movie based on a true story, The Hill. Rickey Hill had a degenerative spinal disease and wore leg braces as a child. But he loved baseball and was something of a batting phenom. His pastor father (wonderfully played by Dennis Quaid) wanted him to go into the ministry. He tried to discourage him away from baseball so he wouldn’t be injured. Rickey eventually signed with the Montreal Expos.

Creating

February was a busy month for card-making.

This was Jim’s Valentine card:

This turned out to be one of my favorite cards that I’ve made. The “To my Valentine” was done with the Cricut.

This was Jeremy’s:

He likes foxes, so I try to incorporate them.

This was Jason’s:

I had seen this design on the Cricut while looking for the wording for Jim’s and liked it. With this one, the Cricut sends the design to our prtinter, then calibrates how to cut out around it.

This was Mittu’s:

When I try to decide what to make, I might peruse Pinterest or the Cricut files, or I might just start looking through my supplies to see what materializes. I came up with Mittu’s card the latter way. The background paper and “Happy Valentine’s Day” were in a package of scrapbooking paper. I had the purple trim for the top and bottom in my supplies.

This was Timothy’s:

The heart is made of multiple layers of felt. I think I got the idea for this card fairly soon after finding a package of these hearts at Hobby Lobby.

This was Jesse’s:

I got the idea for this and Jim’s on Pinterest, but I try not to copy the cards there exactly.

I don’t think I have ever made one for my friend Melanie before, but as I was sorting through my supplies to make Mittu’s card, I thought Melanie would like this. They both like purple.

Then this card was for Mittu’s birthday:

Mittu likes sunflowers as well. The ones at the corners were multi-layered stickers. The greeting was done on the computer.

Then this time I wanted to share the cards I received.

The 3D card was from Jim. Cute!

For a closer look at the cards made by Timothy and Mittu:

I loved them all, but I am especially in awe of the one Mittu drew. I can’t draw much at all without it looking pre-schoolish, so I admire people who can. Jim looks a little like the older man in the movie “Up.” 🙂

Reading

Since last time, I finished (linked to my reviews):

• Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making by Andrew Peterson. I loved this book. It both inspired me and brought me to tears. I immediately started reading it again after I finished.
• When I Close My Eyes by Elizabeth Musser, fiction, audiobook. A desperate father takes on a hit job to get extra money for his son’s major heart surgery. But he succeeds only in putting his target in a coma. Then he finds out she is a best-selling author. So he starts reading her books. Meanwhile, the woman remembers her past while in a coma and eventually decides she needs to tell her family her secrets. Mostly good.
• The Winter Rose by Melanie Dobson, fiction. An American woman who helps smuggle Jewish children out of Vichy France takes two of them to raise as her own. But the children’s trauma isn’t over just because they’re on American soil. Very good.
• Dear Henry, Love Edith by Becca Kinzer, fiction. A romantic comedy of errors ensues when a man opens his upstairs to board what he thinks is an elderly widowed missionary lady. They keep missing each other, sustaining their mistaken impressions of the other. They leave notes for each other, which sets off their relationship. Not my usual fare, but it was okay.
• Take a Chance on Me by Susan May Warren. Ivy Madison moves to Deep Haven, Minnesota as the new assistant county attorney. She unexpectedly falls in love with Darek, a single dad who helps his parents run a resort. But then she realizes she is the one who crafted a plea deal for the man responsible for Darek’s wife’s death, before she knew any of the people involved. Good..
• Organizing for the Rest of Us: 100 Realistic Strategies for Keeping Your House Under Control by Dana K. White. nonfiction. Lots of good, practical tips.

I only listened to a bit of Susan Meissner’s A Bridge Across the Ocean, then I returned the audiobook. The story opened with a woman’s ghost roaming the deck of a ship just before it launches, and one woman senses her presence and speaks to her. I’ve enjoyed several of Susan ‘s books and was astonished to hear this. It’s not just that I don’t care for ghost stories. But Christian fiction (which I assume this was as everything else I’ve read from Susan has been) generally wouldn’t promote the idea of dead spirits on earth because that’s not what the Bible says happens to the dead.

I’m currently reading:

• Be Skillful (Proverbs): God’s Guidebook to Wise Living by Warren Wiersbe, nonfiction
• Be Comforted (Isaiah): Feeling Secure in the Arms of God by Warren W. Wiersbe, nonfiction
• Isaiah for You by Tim Chester, nonfiction
• Proverbs for Life for Women, nonfiction
• Life Without Limits: Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life by Nick Vulicic, nonfiction
• Dandelion Summer by Lisa Wingate, fiction, audiobook

Blogging

Besides the weekly Friday Fave Fives, Saturday Laudable Linkage, and book reviews, I’ve posted these since last time:

• When Small Frustrations Boil Over
• How Can we Love Like God Loves Us?
• Everyday Worship
• Assorted Stray Thoughts
• But I Did Everything Right

As we turn the Calendar page to March tomorrow, I’m looking forward to my husband’s birthday, “Pi Day” on the 14th, the official beginning of spring as well as more signs of it, and Easter.

How was your February? What are you looking forward to in March?

(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)