Doing, Cooking, and Giving Thanks: February 2022

Happy Friday, friends.  I hope you have had a blessed week.  This last day of February – the 25th – is my nephew’s birthday so I must start with a shoutout!  Best birthday wishes, Stephen!!  Last month – on the final Friday of the month – I began a series, of sorts, here on the blog.  I enjoyed it and it seemed to be well-received.  So, here’s to another review of the past four weeks. I don’t keep a journal and I pretty much stopped using a daytimer or planner as well.  So, I am totally dependent on my grey cells (which is a tricky game) as I try to rehearse and remember February’s best moments – a little doing, a little cooking and, of course, always something for which to give thanks.  But, here’s to documenting them…

DOING.  There was a lot of Valentine preparing – and enjoying – this month.  I really enjoyed celebrating with my kiddos in Junior Church.  I also made chocolate-covered Oreos for some friends and had fun “sharing the love” that way!  Dunking Oreos proved not to be as easy as I remember it in the past.  They kept splitting and/or falling apart as I tried to get them completely covered.  I really think they have less filling than they have in the past.  No way to prove it but something seemed suspicious.  Just sayin, Nabisco! The rest of February, I kept myself busy cleaning out/reorganizing our “backroom” – aka our dump zone.  It really is not super disorganized but we had some things that belonged to our daughter stored there and she retrieved them.   However, the real impetus for pulling everything out (it has to get ugly first) was……wait for it.  Field mice!  UGH.  We have lived here thirteen years and have only had one mouse – and that was over a decade ago.  I don’t know what is different this year but it seems as if an entire mice community took up residence in our basement!  I have been totally unimpressed and on a mission to let them know they are not welcome here.  Let’s leave it at that – but, let me repeat….UGH!!!  On a much higher note, as I mentioned earlier this week, I also began planning a girl’s getaway.  I only mention it because organizing and planning my two love languages:)  And this month included both!  I am one happy girl.  Minus the mice!!

COOKING.  I did not try a lot of new dishes or dinner ideas this month.  I do, however, have one new sweet treat to recommend.  Strawberry Lemon Bars.  I found the original recipe here.  These were tasty.  The recipe cautioned (repeatedly) not to overcook them and well, I was a bit too worried they would be tough or some such, and I took mine out at the very first sign of brown edges.  They could have cooked a tad longer.  It was only the middle ones that were a bit soft so I tried to serve just the ones that were the most done.  I like that this recipe is for a 9-inch pan rather than a large 9 by 13.  Sometimes, you just don’t need that many dessert bars!  I made these for our monthly ladies’ meeting – which is a breakfast but, although sweet, they were well received.  And left the donut tray almost untouched.   They also have a pale pink icing which was lovely and perfect for February:)

GIVING THANKS.  Our daughter moved to a new place earlier this month.  She is so much closer to us.  She wasn’t terribly far away – mileage-wise – at the last house but the traffic, endless stoplights, and congestion were miserable.  It is so much easier now to get together or simply to “stop by” for a quick visit- both of which we have already done several times!  It’s great.  It also means we get to see and/or have the puppies visit a lot more.  (Puppies that are big doggies…but will always be pups to us!)  They have even stayed for longer visits overnight (puppy sleepovers!) on two different occasions.  In one month – yeah.  Sweet Bailey is just a senior lady.  She really likes her naps, takes her walks at a much slower pace, and her joints sure do get stiff, but she very much runs the show around here!  It has been fun seeing them – and their mommy – a lot more.

I guess that is goodbye to February.  Winter seems to be behind us which makes me one happy girl.  I’m looking forward to a new month.  Looking forward to more sunshine when the time changes, to opening the windows a bit and to all the wild animals to find their homes back outside!!  I would love to know what you have been cooking lately – or, especially, what you are giving thanks for this week!  Here’s to a beautiful weekend – and to a month full of blessings ahead.