February Recap!

Another month done and gone. By far my favorite part of February was going to my weekly gardening class. I am on a mission to make both our front and back yards beautiful. I’m slowly learning about plants, garden design, garden maintenance, etc., and I’m getting more confident. I already have some plans for our front yard. I killed a whole patch of stuff last year, and I’m finally ready to replace those poor little guys. Our backyard is slightly more intimidating. It is almost all shade and has some drainage issues. Moreover, I’m not even sure what plants are already planted back there. I can see hydrangeas, but I know there are bulbs below the ground, too. I’m going to just have to wait to see what sprouts up over the next few months…

But my indoor plants are doing great! I finally counted, and I have eighteen potted beauties. This is what my kitchen looks like on watering day…

Most are single plants–because, thus far, I’ve been too scared to put multiple plants in each container–but I love them in all their simplicity. True, I have a couple bigger ones that are struggling (I can’t quite seem to figure out where they want to be…more sun? less?), but the vast majority are thriving. And it makes me happy.

Anyway, as for, you know, books, I read an okay number this month–and a couple that I especially loved. The News from the End of the World was really good, and I’m predicting The Impossible Fortress will make my list for best books of the year. (Click on a book cover to see my full review.)

I also reviewed eight books on food allergies–a mix of adult nonfiction and children’s. It’s a lengthy post, but if you want to better understand and manage life-threatening food allergies, you might want to give it a looksie.

In other news, my favorite swoon-worthy article from last month is this one from Buzzfeed:  29 Ways to Create the Reading Nook of Your Dreams. Love.

And my favorite quote:

And because I can’t resist, here’s my favorite orchid shot from The Orchid Show here in Chicago:

Okay, that’s it. I’m going to go read. Seriously, my TBR list is out of control. At least most of the books I’ve got aren’t going to be published until April or May, so I have time. But still. In this moment, I’m feeling somewhat overwhelmed. 😬