February is an odd month that seems both long and short. With fewer days, it flies by even more quickly than the other months. But it also contains the worst of winter weather, making us eager for the month to get over.

Two bright spots in February are Valentine’s Day and my daughter-in-law’s birthday. We also enjoyed a mission’s emphasis at church over three Sundays rather than cramming it into a single week with extra services.

Jim spent much of the last several weeks painting the interior of the house–family room, small living room, kitchen/dining area, two hallways, the master bedroom, many of the ceilings, and an extra coat in the master bathroom (which is the first room he painted a few years ago). Along the way, he repaired cracks, thoroughly dusted everything on the walls, washed windows, and cleaned or replaced window blinds. I washed the curtains and helped with some of the dusting, but he usually had most of that done before I knew about it. The house looks so nice, and it feels good to know all the nooks and crannies have had a thorough cleaning.

It worked out nicely that he could get a room done during the first part of a week and then have a few days to rest or attend to other things before starting the next one.

Though I think he still wants to paint a couple of ceilings, the main part of the house is done. He’s taking a break before doing smaller areas like the laundry room, pantry, and closets. The pantry and closets will require taking everything off shelves, so it will be a good time to sort through things before putting them away again. That will be a big job, but I should be up for it in a couple of weeks.

Creating

February is a busy card month. I make Valentines for the immediate family plus a card for my daughter-in-law’s birthday.

This was Jim’s. I would normally choose more masculine colors for his, but this came from a pack of Valentine-themed paper and expressed what I wanted to say.

This was for Jeremy, my oldest son, who likes foxes.

The fox is a sticker, and I added the heart with a foam square so it stands out from the card.

This was Jason’s. I looked through Valentine images on the Cricut machine, and this caught my eye. He’s not into gnomes, but he does have a long brown beard. 🙂

This was Mittu’s.

I used a lacy corner punch on the bottom of the heart.

This was the outside of Timothy’s.

And the inside:

I had seen this idea on a reel on Instagram and had to watch it several times to see what to do.

This was Jesse’s.

And this was for Mittu’s birthday, with the image done on the Cricut.

Watching

We really enjoy the new version of All Creatures Great and Small, which just finished its latest season. Its seasons are two short!

We watched the end of the second season of The Rings of Power, based on Tolkien’s stories which take place before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Two of my favorite things from it are the Old Tom Bombadil song with Tolkien’s lyrics and this quote from Celebrimbor, the elven smith. In the penultimate episode, in a moment where almost all hope is lost, Celebrimbor and Galadriel lament that Sauron deceived and used them. Galadriel says she wished she had been stronger. Celebrimbor says: “It is not strength that overcomes darkness, but light. Armies may rise, hearts may fail, yet still, light endures, and is mightier than strength. For in its presence, all darkness must flee.” That almost made me cry. I don’t know if the quote is taken from Tolkien’s writings or if the screenwriter came up with it, but it’s so true.

The actor that played Celebrimbor, Charles Edwards, did an excellent job (others did as well, but he stood out to me). When he is deceived by Sauron and not in his right mind, and then comes back to himself and realizes what Sauron has been up to–such a range of emotions!

Another good one was The Last Rifleman, about an Irish WWII vet who escapes his nursing home to attend a D-Day celebration in France. It’s based on a true story of Bernard Jordan, but apparently only in a broad sense. It was still moving, though. On the negative side, there were a few instances of taking Jesus’ name in vain.

We also enjoyed Mr. Malcolm’s List, which seemed Jane Austen-ish. When a wealthy suitor doesn’t call on a young woman any more, she is indignant to learn that she hasn’t met the qualifications on his list for a potential bride. She ropes her friend into a scheme of revenge, but the plan doesn’t work out as hoped. The only objectionable thing here is that some of the dresses are low-cut.

Reading

Since last time I have finished:

• Ezekiel: The God of Glory by Tim Chester, a six-week Bible study. Though I did gain some benefit from the book, I didn’t really like the format. It was meant to be just a “whistle-stop tour” of Ezekiel. But I’m not sure Ezekiel is best studied that way.
• The Librarian of Saint-Malo by Mario Escobar, fiction. A librarian’s assistant in Saint-Milo, France, tries to hide and protect books while suffering the effects of a Nazi takeover during WWII. I didn’t really connect with the main character, and the ending fell flat to me.
• Between the Sound and the Sea by Amanda Cox, fiction, audiobook. A young woman is hired to restore an old lighthouse. She finds lighthouse keeper’s logs which don’t match up with the official ones, inspiring her to find out where they came from. Very good, with multiple layers.
• The Tiny Crown by Susan Barnett Braun, fiction. A teenager discontent with her mundane life gets to go on an unexpected trip to England, the land of her dreams. While there, she tumbles through a wall into another realm and finds out royal life isn’t quite what she thought. Though this is a YA book, I enjoyed it a lot.

I also finished an audiobook recommended by a blog friend, but it had numerous problems. I haven’t decided whether to review it.

I’m currently reading:

• Hebrews for You by Michael Kruger with the ladies’ Bible study group.
• Daniel for You by David Helm.
• What’s a Disorganized Person to Do? by Stacey Platt. I’m still slogging away at this, but I’ve made progress.
• The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume 3: Narnia, Cambridge, and Joy, 1950 – 1963, compiled by Walter Hooper. My Kindle app says I am only 26% through this book though I read from it often. The hardback is over 1800 pages.
• The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien, which I was inspired to read by The Rings of Power series since I wasn’t familiar with much of the lore The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings was based on.
• Good Hope Road by Lisa Wingate
• On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, Volume 1 of the Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson. This is a children’s or teen’s series, but I’ve heard it’s good. It’s been made into an animated series, so I want to check into the both the books and animation to see if I’d recommend them for my grandson.

Blogging

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

• Time Alone with God.
• Do You Know How Much God Loves You?
• He Knows My Name.
• When We’re Shaken.

Writing

My next chapter is due for presentation to our critique group mid-March. I’m combining what was originally two chapters. I got a good running start at it but it still needs work.

Looking ahead

One good thing about the end of February is that we’re one step closer to spring! We have my husband’s birthday to look forward to the first week of March and “Pi/Pie Day” on the 14th. And a lot of cleaning and sorting when Jim starts painting closets and the pantry. 🙂

How was your February?

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