In February, I thoroughly enjoyed taking part in The F.I.G. Collective (Finding joy In Gratitude), hosted by Elisabeth from The Optimistic Musings of a Pessimist Blog. Filling out Elisabeth’s worksheet of Daily FIGS helped me stay focused on the good things in my life, and reading the FIGS of other bloggers brought a smile to my face. What a wonderful and timely project!
Here’s my list of daily February FIGS:
- Visiting with my parents
- A lovely walk on a cold, crisp day
- Nicole’s yoga videos
- Pancakes
- Sleeping well
- Dancing to 80s music
- Baking cookies
- Fresh air
- Laughing so hard, I cried
- A special birthday celebration
- Every tree branch coated with frost, sparkling in the sun
- Sewing a little doll (who will be introduced soon!)
- Warmer temperatures after below zero
- My Valentine!
- Getting new end tables and lamps
- Time with kitties!
- A Zoom meeting with one of my art groups
- My favorite mug
- Went for a drive
- Ice cream was on sale
- Roast and potatoes (and ice cream)
- A cozy nap
- A blog comment from an IG friend
- A good dental appointment
- My favorite mug (again!)
- Sewing clothes for my little doll
- I made pizza!
- Decorating the dollhouse, getting ready for a St. Patrick’s Day party!
The grand highlights of my February were:
- Reading The Blue Castle with the Cool Bloggers Book Club, hosted by Engie at The Time for a Change Blog. What a lovely book!
- Nicole’s yoga videos – these gentle stretches helped me so much!
- Reading everyone’s FIGS uplifted me every day.
- Leaving social media – what a good decision that was!
I continued with my 365 Somethings Project, drawing doodles in my sketchbook every day. I discovered that acrylic paint markers are fun because they’re opaque and bold and don’t bleed through the paper in my sketchbook.
Drawing is meditative for me, so I’ve really come to enjoy my daily sketchbook practice. These are not finished works; they’re certainly not perfect, and some are downright bad – and that’s OK. The goal is to enjoy the process, not to create masterpieces.
March has historically been my least favorite month of the year. Not only do we lose an hour to Daylight Savings Time, but horrible weather combined with calving season and running a livestock feed store have led to exhaustion and dread year after year. And last year was the most exhausting March EVER due to my week-long eye radiation procedure. But now that we’re retired from the feed store, I’m hoping March will be much more bearable. I’m going to keep writing a daily list of FIGS to help me stay focused on the good things!
What was the highlight of your February? How do you feel about March?
What a great list, Michelle! Those little doodles look like they’d make great postage stamps, or the whole of them looks like a very cheerful quilt.
February is my favorite month, with March a close second (that hateful time change—just stop it, Congress!). But you certainly make up for it in the summer, when we are hot, dry, and smoggy or smoky around here.
Like you, I don’t do social media. But are our blogs considered social media? Mine doesn’t feel that way, because I own it, not some faceless robotic controlling behemoth. My readers are people I’ve met and know in real life, with a few delightful exceptions of people I’ve gotten acquainted with via the internet. (Like you! 😎 )
Thank you so much, Jana! I agree that blogs don’t feel like social media. They’re social in a good way, but not controlled by algorithms and corporations. I’m happy to have met you, and getting to see your art is a great joy! I hope you have a beautiful March!
SO many good things to be grateful for!
I haven’t been on TikTok since that Saturday I cried to Mike, and it’s been so good for me. I’m glad being off social media is something you’re grateful for too. 😘
Thank you, Kari! It’s amazing how being off social media has calmed my mind. I’m glad you’ve enjoyed some time away from it as well.
Well. You know I love absolutely everything about this post. Everything.
The miniature printable. That is just…there are no words.
Isn’t having a favourite go-to mug the best?
I agree with Jana – your daily sketches look like a delightful quilt!
You – your blog, your attitude, your creativity = one giant FIG in my life. So happy to call you my friend <3 Thanks for joining in this month.
Thank you so much, Elisabeth! You have brightened my day and I’m so happy to call you my friend and FIG, too!
OMG NICOLE’S YOGA VIDEOS MADE YOUR LIST!!! How happy this makes me! Eeeee! I’m thrilled!!!
The March time change is brutal. Especially up north, it just gets so dark in the mornings. March isn’t a bad month for me though, as my anniversary, Mark’s birthday (he will be 21!!!) and Rex’s birthday (he will be 4!) are all in March. Actually they are all on the exact same day. You’d think we could spread it out a little. I’m hoping this March will be easier for you!
I love all your drawings. Also your handwriting is so beautiful and so YOU.
Your videos are so wonderful, Nicole! They’re just what I needed, and I do the stretches often. I wish you a happy anniversary and happy birthday celebrations! Those have to make March more fun, even if they’re all on the same day! I am opening my heart and mind to letting this March bring me good things!
I don’t ‘hate’ a lot of things, but I can truthfully say I hate both the time changes. I wish they’d adopt one or the other and leave it. It drives my already crazy sleep pattern right off the cliff. You are embracing positive thinking, and that is always a good thing. We have two family birthdays in February so that is always a good thing. March usually drags along and throws in some snow along the way. I love for April. 🙂
I agree – just pick a time and stay with it! It’s such a pain! Our March is starting off with beautiful weather, which means it will be so depressing when it snows again.
The Blue Castle is high on the list of February FIGs! It’s such a gem of a book, and we got to read it together. I can’t wait for Monday to start talking about it!
Here’s to a much calmer March going forward!
It was a gem of a book! I can’t believe I hadn’t heard of it before now, and I’m excited for the discussion on Monday!
I had a difficult dull February but was able to add a weekly gratitude to my Good Things jar so that was positive. The rest of the month was a slog but I did do a lot of blog maintenance as my last post explained. I adore March, love it, and think of tomorrow, March 1st, as my own personal New Year’s Day. Of course anyone is free to join me in this. 🎉
I’m sorry February was a slog for you – but it did inspire you to organize your blog, and it looks great! I wish you a happy March New Year’s Day!
Thanks Michelle. I don’t know if you realize it but your replies aren’t showing up on my WP feed meaning I have to come back here to read them— which is fine, but unusual. Also when you leave a comment on my blog your icon within the WP system says this blog doesn’t exist. Just a heads up.
Thank you for telling me, Ally! I’ll see if I can figure it out. Aarg – computers!
Oh so many FIGS. So happy to read them.
As you know February is one of my favorite month. This year it was so so busy I did enjoy it but it felt long and at the same time flew by so fast.
I printed the worksheet, filled day one and then forgot all about it.
I love reading the Blue Castle too.
Thank you, Tobia! I’m glad you got to enjoy February even though you were busy. I know exactly what you mean that it felt like a long month that flew by! Mainly because of the weather for me – we had lots of days below zero.
I love your daily sketches! They are so bright and cheery. I think you are right about just doing them; I mean, I think your sketches are great, but I get that to you some are not as good as others. But the important thing is to keep plugging along right? Perfect is the enemy of good and all that. I feel the same way with my writing and photos. I want to make them better/perfect before sharing them, but sometimes you just have to do it anyway! Thanks for the cheerful post!
Thank you so much, Kyria! You are so kind. It’s true that perfect is the enemy of good. I like showing these sketches as a compilation so there’s not a focus on just one page. It’s very satisfying to see my little sketchbook getting filled up!
Hi Michelle! At firstI thought this blog post was about figs, as in (fruit) figs, yummy, I thought ;)!
But reading on the list I love seeing your list of small/big blessings on daily base, life can be much more simple and easy, if you aren’t busy anymore with following several canals of social media, huh? Personally I prefer following your FIGS-list, as it could be mine.
I do love the drawings in your sketchbook, you say: they’re not perfect, I don’t agree because this is YOUR personal art, and I think they are wonderful, sunny and lively. And, you say it yourself: it’s good to enjoy drawing, you find joy in it.
My month of February was both, bad and good. I started with the flu, but ended in my garage to declutter and cleaning out old, sometimes dirty (dustlayers) stuff of fourty years of hoarding stuff/utensils for many hobby’s (and I do mean MANY hobby’s)……the things I refound you don’t wanna know, hahaha….. :O)!!!! Now it’s almost ready and in a few weeks I can restart again making miniatures, hurray, that’s my thing!!!
At the other hand I’m sorry to read that the month of March was not a good one for you, so I hope this one will be better. March means for me the birtday of my daughter, who is the sun in my life, so March is a festive month for me. And although it’s also the end of the winter, it means spring is coming. (I live in an other side of the world, so perhaps it’s different for me). The circle of life…
Hugs, Ilona
Hi Ilona! I’m so sorry you had the flu – that can make everything miserable. How nice to have your garage cleaned up and organized, and hooray for getting back to making miniatures! I’m hoping that March will be delightful for both of us this year! Having a birthday celebration in March would help. No one in my family has a March birthday, but I’m going to have a St. Patrick’s Day celebration in my dollhouse!
I’m glad that your time away from social media has been good for you and it does not surprise me! It is such a cesspool for me personally! I wish I could give you like my husband and just dip in and out of it without it impacting my mood, but I’m not built that way.
I love all of your figs! And your drawings are so beautiful! I love the bright colors and the whimsy. I’m looking forward to being introduced the doll and their clothing collection!
February was a rough month. My high was getting together with some blogger friends while I was in Florida for a work conference. I don’t mind the month of March overall, some of it can be quite spring like we start off with my son’s birthday which is a great way to start the month!
Lisa, I wish I could have your husband’s attitude about social media too! I’m sorry Feb. was rough for you and I sure hope March will be better!
I’m excited to see the doll that will be introduced soon. That little penguin you drew in your sketchbook is so cute. Hooray for (fingers crossed) a less chaotic March. March starts all-things Irish in our home, and I baked Irish Soda Bread this morning.
My favorite thing in February? Hmm, maybe tackling some decluttering projects and enjoying the progress that I’m seeing. Plus knowing that Mini was able to sleep enough before she flew off for spring break (damn anxiety has continued to be an issue, but I feel like this was progress), OH! and seeing my fav English teacher from high school – not once but twice in February.
Hi Michelle! Your Figs printie is so adorable! (I was trying to actually read them from it when I noticed you had listed them below! Lol!) And as you can imagine, Anything in a dollhouse makes me smile from ear to ear! :):):) February here was pretty challenging (I was going to use a much worse word… but can upgrade my opinion now that we are in March!) The high point was probably my birthday at the end of the month…. a big one, but sunny, quiet, and no crises! It was actually above freezing for the afternoon! 🙂
March here in the Northern parts is always a guessing game… some years spring comes and stays, surprising my not yet ready for gardening self! And some years, it just stays winter forever. I am just glad that the weather forecast for this week is warmer after we get past tonight and tomorrow when it will be close to 0 degrees overnight.
I hope your March has good energy and healthy happy calves and not too much stress!! And I love your cheerful doodles!!! :):):)
The highlight of my February was when my brother-in-law and his family came to visit us. But there was much to be grateful for despite the difficulties of the month overall. February/March is the low point of the year for me because WINTER IS NEVERENDING, but I’m hoping that I’ll have some fun adventures in March and that will help me get through until spring.
Hooray for giving up social media! I have stuck it out with Instagram, but my feed is carefully curated to be about cats, food, and exercise, lol. I did give up Twitter and have found it to be glorious!
Love your daily sketches!
Thank you, Suzanne! A feed all about cats is the way to go! It’s interesting that I haven’t missed Instagram at all. I have missed a few things about Facebook, but I’m fine without them.