February

After getting back home to Texas we got back to our normal routine worked on crafts, leatherwork, sewing, and of course baking. I was not adjusting well to Ro not being with us but I was thankful for FaceTime. There were not many days that I didn’t FaceTime him.

I did a little sewing here before we went to Kentucky but didn’t finish it until we got back. My mother-in-law used make these table (things) for every holiday and I have several of them. I wanted to try to make a spring one for our kitchen table and it didn’t turn out terrible if you don’t look too close 🤷‍♀️.

I had a really rough time with my headaches while in Kentucky in January but it was back to the doctors offices Chad and I went when we got back. We always try to go on a lunch or dinner date in Lubbock on doctor days. This time it was an Italian restaurant called Orlando’s. We shared a plate and couldn’t believe how much food was on the plate.

Next up on the agenda was to can potatoes. I am new to canning and have just been trying out different types of food. For some reason potatoes go bad quickly here so we thought it would be a good idea to try. I scoured Pinterest for a blog on it and recipes for it. So I got to work on prepping 30lbs of potatoes. I did small diced potatoes, cubed potatoes and French fries…. That was a lot of work! Next up was soaking the potatoes to get the starch out, so after 4 soaks later it was time to pressure can them.

When I have good days I try to cram as much into my day as possible (I don’t like to just sit around). While I was on Pinterest I found a recipe for lemonade and strawberry lemonade concentrate. If you have never hand squeezed lemons and want sore hands make lemonade concentrate ( I don’t even like lemonade 🤦‍♀️). I squeezed and squeezed and squeezed lemons 🍋 for hours. When I was done I decided I never want to squeeze another lemon in my life ever again. But I did make several jars of concentrate. and unfortunately the lemonade was just okay….

I have been enjoying making new bread recipes. I used to be scared of making bread because of the yeast, once I figured out what temperature to make the water/milk so I didn’t kill the yeast, it was so easy. I found the best sandwich bread recipe along with a few other fun recipes that I will have to keep on rotation.

My dad has been doing some blacksmithing and has been making knives. He made a letter opener that was pretty neat, and for Christmas he made Chad a meat cleaver. Chad of course had to make a cover for the knife. They are both so talented and do amazing work.

Since our lives aren’t busy enough, we decided that it was the perfect time to get some chickens and a couple turkeys. They are absolutely adorable and I love that the turkeys will crawl up on your neck and go to sleep. I’m sure the cats thought we lost our minds as they stared at the baby chicks in an old playpen. Btw it is perfect for baby chicks to keep them contained indoors while it was too cold outside. One of the baby chicks had a vitamin deficiency, she was very weak and her little feet would curl up. I taped her feet to a piece of cardstock and put her in a small box away from the other chicks. A few days later she was back to normal.

Unfortunately, a few days later there was an unexpected family emergency so now I divide my time between Kentucky and Texas. Chad likes to tell people that I left him for another man haha! Carla is now the chicken and turkey whisperer but was not happy about the turkeys pooing on her but now she enjoys them (I think🤔 )since they live outside now.

I love spending time with him and watching him grow and see his personality blossom. He has a way of bringing happiness everywhere he is.