February Indoors

I'm still looking indoors for my February entertainment. Wintery weather continued for most of the month, but here at the very end, it's finally warming up a bit. It's been far too cold to work outside, other than removing the holiday greenery from my planters. By March, I'm tired of looking at evergreen boughs, because they look too wintery to me. Since it's too soon to plant pansies, my permanent planters will just sit empty for the short term. 

I find myself lacking much photo evidence of what I've been up to in February, except for sunset and flower bouquet pix. But trust me, we've been busy. With hubby retired, we're starting to go through the house, sorting and discarding, with eyes on moving our Nest! Nothing is set in stone yet, but it looks likely that we'll be returning to our home state of Michigan, to be near our family. Leaving my garden is going to be tough, but I'm looking forward to starting fresh on a smaller, more manageable nest. This one has gotten to be lots of work! We've decided it's time to take it down a notch, while still growing a few vegetables and flowers. Will keep you posted. 

For the first time since we've lived in Ohio, I found zero flowers in bloom by the end of February. It was a long, cold winter this year, instead of the mild winters we've been used to. Even my earliest bloomers are still sleeping. But the bulb foliage is coming up, so it shouldn't be long. 

With hubby at home, I find myself in the kitchen far more often, and have been surprised to find out how much I still enjoy cooking and baking. We often cook together, but he's usually the one doing the dishes afterwards. I finally figured out the reason that I didn't cook much when he was traveling is because I hate to clean up the mess, so I'm sure grateful that he likes to clean up after me. Here are a few of my photo worthy foods for February. During the cold weather, we made several batches of soup, on this night it was minestrone. I made us a little Valentine cake as I usually do, and admired this chef salad we created. We even made this massive stack of multigrain waffles. Since we are dairy free eaters, we struggle to find frozen multigrain waffles that are safe for us to eat. Instead, we bought a waffle maker and did it ourselves. For now, our freezer is full of waffles. Turns out we didn't need to double the recipe after all! Here's the recipe if you are interested. Multigrain Waffle Recipe Next time, I intend to add a hint of sweetness to the batter itself, probably maple syrup. I also made oatmeal raisin cookies, which I like to fool myself into thinking are at least borderline healthy. 

I'm a big fan of Valentine's Day, and as I said last month, I even decorate my home for it. In all of our home sorting, I found a hidden stash of old Valentine decor that I had forgotten about, so I added them to the mix. 

As usual, when there are no flowers to be seen outdoors, I keep my vases filled. 

My tiered tray had a couple different views this month, once I removed the Valentine look I showed you last month. I get the biggest kick out of changing the decor on this little tray in the middle of my kitchen island. Not sure why it's so fun for me, guess it's just a simple little way to feather my nest. 

I did complete a few crochet projects, since winter is a good time for crocheting. I thought I was done making scarves, but clearance Christmas yarn caught my eye, and I couldn't figure out what else to do with it besides making another scarf. I also completed another cozy afghan for my collection. I call this one my hat blanket, because I saw the color combination in a winter hat pattern. But since I don't wear hats, I translated the color scheme into a blanket instead. 

Took a little jaunt to the Franklin Park Conservatory to see the butterflies, and it was delightful! It's always great to see them again in the middle of winter. 

I'm still watching the sunset skies out the back door, with occasional jaunts down to the pond for a full view. Winter sunsets rarely disappoint. Plus I found a bonus rainbow! 

I hope to see you back here at the end of March. There will surely be a few early flowers to share by then. Can't wait! Thanks for stopping by, I sure appreciate it. 

Some Real Winter in January

 After several years of mild winters, real winter weather arrived with the New Year. This year, we've actually had snow that stayed on the ground for weeks, followed by a stretch of bitter cold. I love beautiful snowy days, but the below zero weather wasn't my favorite. With so much winter weather, we’ve done a lot of cozy things at home, like making soup, doing puzzles, crocheting warm blankets, sorting through closets, and planning next year’s garden. Maybe you noticed that I used the word “we” to describe my activities. You see, my hubster has officially retired! It has been so nice to do life together again. 

Blacklick Woods

Blacklick Woods

Burning Lake-Pickerington Ponds

Blacklick Woods

Let’s start January with a bit of crafting. I kept going with the crochet scarves I showed you last month until I had enough for my entire family. We had some laughs as we posed for a group shot with everyone wearing their scarves. Next, I made some more earrings. You could say that I’m an earring-aholic, and this way I can have a rainbow of earrings to match every outfit. After that,  I made some Christmas wall art that I didn’t finish in time to actually display. I finished up the month with one tiny project, the painted stick you see poking out of my houseplant. My granddaughters were visiting, and when they found wooden skewers in the drawer, they decided to paint them for various uses. Mine became a plant accessory, and it's special because it reminds me of time spent with my family. 

My favorite part of winter is the snow, especially if it’s the kind that sticks to the trees, making them especially scenic. If you know me well, you can probably guess that I went to my favorite parks to revel in it. 

Blacklick Woods

Blacklick Woods

Blacklick Woods

Blacklick Woods

Blacklick Woods

Blacklick Woods

Blacklick Woods

Blacklick Woods

Pickerington Ponds

Chestnut Ridge

Chestnut Ridge

But the snow was just as lovely at home in the garden. I especially like when the faded summer flowers are wearing snow hats. 

Since garden flowers are lacking right now, I decided to photograph a few of my favorite things inside the house. I’m sure we all have items on display that are filled with sentimental value, yet of little value to others. I often think that a decorator would probably try to convince me to remove them. No thanks, it’s items like this that make house a home. 

As January comes to an end, one of my favorite holidays follows. Yes, I decorate for Valentine's Day. You mean you don’t? 

And so here we are at the end of a very wintery month. Despite the cold and snow, there have been many sunsets visible over the patio. They haven’t been terribly dramatic, but I enjoy them just the same. Since the houses nearby block the best view, I could run down to the pond to see them better. But winter sunsets happen at dinner time, so the back door view will have to do.

 Hope to see you back here next month. We’ll surely have more winter in store. However, in the 20 plus years we’ve lived here, I have always had something in bloom by the end of February. Hope we can continue that this year! Until then, thanks for stopping by The Nest.