February Monthly Report

It's time for the February monthly report. See past reports here.


February was really tough. Saying goodbye to George was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. He had been slowing down over the last year or so, but things went downhill pretty fast. Right before Christmas we shifted our focus to palliative care, and just tried to enjoy the time we had left together. I couldn't bring myself to say it at the time, but that's why I disappeared for a while. We had the help and support of Laps of Love, who helped us navigate the process. He passed here at home, in my arms. It was devastating, but the most peaceful thing we could do for him. Thank you for all the love you've shown us, it means a lot. I wanted to share this artwork that my friend Melissa Averinos did of him. What an angel.


I didn't do a whole lot of anything in February, but I did force myself to do some crafting. The main thing I worked on this month was a few weaving projects. I don't know why, but weaving has really hit the spot during this time. I think because it is so repetitive and mindless for me. I started and finished a long scarf with a skein of sock yarn and some lace-weight yarn. I also started a worsted weight scarf too, which I am still working on. I weave on a 10" Cricket Loom by Schacht.


Towards the end of the month I set myself a goal of getting two quilts in the mail for quilting by the end of February. I had the tops done but needed to make backings for both. It may not sound like much, but it was kind of daunting. I spent most of my time the last few months taking care of George, so it felt like a lot. I'm glad I pushed through and did it though. I know it will feel good when I can get those finished, hopefully it will help propel me forward.


My only sewing finishes this month was another set of scrunchies. I love the ones I made over the summer but I'm always misplacing them. Figured a few more were in order. Plus it was my scrap project for the month, so win-win. I used this tutorial from Made Everyday.


To keep myself accountable for my stash goals, I track my yardage for fabric and yarn each month. Read more about how I track here. Here is how I did in February:

February Fabric
Used up: .25 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: -.25 yards
Year to date: -7.875 yards

February Yarn
Used up: 642 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: -642 yards
Year to date: -1035 yards

No fabric purchases this month, so despite my very small amount of fabric I used up, I'm still in the negative. Will this be the first year I never have a positive "year to date"? We'll see! The scarf I finished used a good amount of yarn, so my yarn yardages are already off to a great start this year.


I did a lot of baking in February, including a coconut cake for Michael's birthday. It was the same basic cake I made for his half birthday this Summer, but this time I frosted it with cool whip and we liked it much better. The buttercream I made for it last time was too sweet and too rich. The cake recipe is from Smitten Kitchen Every Day*.

*Note: Any links marked with an asterisk in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click through and buy something, I make a small commission, at no extra cost to you.


I also made everything bagels. Our favorite bagel shop in Madison, Bagels Forever, had a variety called "New Everything" that had all the everything bits on the inside of the bagel instead of the outside. They were Michael's favorite, so I've been wanting to try recreating them. My first go turned out pretty good! I use this basic bagel recipe from King Arthur Baking, and I used about 43 grams of everything bagel seasoning from Trader Joes in the dough. I topped them with sesame seeds because I find they bake more evenly with the seeds on vs. nothing on the outside. Plus, we love sesame seeds.


It was a snowy month. Hurry up Spring!