Hello and Happy February
With all the change, uncertainty and devastation that January held, it didn’t feel like a proper start to the new year. Through moving into my new home was such a bright spot for me personally, the rest of the month felt like a chaotic blur—something I’m happy to leave behind. I’m ready to shift gears and welcome a fresh start with the new month. Thoughts of spring are slowly creeping in, and I can feel my creative side defrosting and coming out of hibernation!
On Tap this Month
This month is about building sustainable habits, embracing my inner Ina in the kitchen and Martha in the garden, taking time to be creative, to show appreciation for others, and romanticizing the everyday.
Creating (& sticking to) Routines
This seems like it would have been my focus for January, but I think we can all agree that it was a bit of a strange month. Coupled with the move, I feel like I’m just now getting my footing and able to settle into more of a daily routine. I’m starting to get my morning routine down (wake up, drink water, walk Astor, make coffee, + journal), and now I need to start implementing routines into other areas… aka working out and getting more steps in.
One routine I put into place when I moved is a weekly/monthly/quarterly cleaning schedule. With a larger home comes more chores, and I broke it up by day to keep myself from feeling overwhelmed. Knowing that the kitchen is deep cleaned on Wednesdays and mirrors are wiped down on Tuesdays helps keep me on track and on top of maintaining the house.
Prepping the Garden
Undoubtably, the thing I’m most looking forward to this month is starting my seeds. I’m beyond excited to have a yard with raised garden beds–and am going to be attempting to have both a cut flower garden and vegetable garden. Some of my seeds need to be started indoors several weeks ahead of the last frost, and learning about this process has been so exhilarating. I found this spreadsheet which has been SO helpful in planning out my garden. This month, I’m starting my Scabiosa and Poblano pepper seeds–wish me luck!
Home-cooked Meals
I first realized my love of cooking in during the pandemic – I survived off meal kit deliveries and quickly became addicted to chopping/dicing and setting up a mise en place. My fondness for cooking fell to the wayside during my time in NYC… my single square foot of counterspace wasn’t exactly conducive to whipping up extravagant meals. Having a large (and organized) kitchen in my new home has reignited that love and has me experimenting with new recipes. I’ve been challenging myself to try at least two new ones each week. You know those ones you bookmark in cookbooks or pin on Pinterest and never come back to? This is my year of actually following through on recreating those meals myself.
My ‘In the Kitchen’ board is a little peak into some of the recipes I’m excited to try if you need some inspo yourself!
Little Gestures
My mom gave me a morning journal recently, and one of the thought-starters in it is ‘what act of kindness can you do today?’… and honestly, this made me take more of a pause than I’d like to admit. It’s easier than ever to isolate ourselves and get wrapped up in our own worlds. I want to make it a priority this month to be less dialed in on my own life, and a little more tuned into how I can spread joy to others. Sending a handwritten note, delivering flowers, or taking a friend out to coffee are all little gestures that can go a long way in making those around me feel cared for and appreciated.
Embracing Creativity
My nieces gave me this watercolor workbook for Christmas and for some reason I’d been putting off using it. It was like I was waiting for the “perfect” day to sit and be creative. I had a couple hours of free time this past weekend, so I decided to sit out on my deck and finally start one of the paintings. It felt incredible to do something with my hands (other than scroll) and it was so therapeutic.
I realized how important it is to let ourselves play more regularly, and to do so without judgement. My watercoloring wasn’t perfect, but it was fun. I’ve started rereading ‘The Artist’s Way‘, which is all about taking yourself on little creative dates, so I’m making it a focus this month to allow myself to be free to explore and create.
Romanticizing the Everyday
This wouldn’t be a February focus list without mentioning Valentine’s Day. I’ve never been a fan of the holiday in the traditional sense, but I’m changing my perspective this year. Instead of being romantic only on the 14th, I’m focusing on romanticizing little things, every day. Instead of writing this post at my desk, I came out to the sofa with a cup of coffee, lit some candles and am cozied up by the fire. I also recently upgraded my toothbrush and hand soap, making even the most mundane tasks a better experience. Making little moments more intentional makes me fall in love with my own life — and that’s a Valentine’s concept I can get behind.
February Bucket List
