“Life is like February, short and sweet.”
–Unknown
Life From Houston, Texas
February has come and gone! Historically I have never been a big fan of the month of February, I honestly don’t know why. But in recent years and certainly this year this is starting to change. My beef with February is becoming a thing of the past.
This month turned out to be a very active one for me here on my website and I couldn’t be happier. It feels as though a fog has been lifted and I am off again on my way once more.
If you read my blog you will know that last year (2025) I became pregnant and I think the general fatigue that comes with pregnancy really took a big toll on me. I just didn’t have the energy to do the things I usually enjoy and that included blogging, reading, and writing.
My baby was due to be born February 18th, 2026 but due to pre-eclampsia complications she ended up being born early (January 8th, 2026). Thankfully it all worked out in the end and my little Holly Claire is now one month old and counting!
Being a new parent has been the best thing ever! I love my little girl so much it feels like my heart might break, lol. It’s such an intense and beautiful feeling and I am so grateful for the blessing to have her in my life.
She has of course become my whole world! Thankfully what I have discovered is that even though as a new parent I don’t have time for much I do in fact have time to read books and February has interestingly become a month when I have read more than ever before.
Books Read This Month
My Favorite Read
Read my book blog post here.
My favorite February book was Black Woods, Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey. I like when writers take personal experiences and spin them into stories people can enjoy and that is what the author did here. In various interviews she has stated that this book is her most personal yet and that she waited until her parents passed away to publish this work.
I also enjoy reading this author’s work because her love for Alaska is very evident to me. She does such a wonderful job of describing the landscape and plant life that as a reader it is obvious to me that she cares about the state in which she lives, its people, and its plants and animals.
-POTENTIAL SPOILERS-
This book is also my favorite this month because I greatly enjoyed message the books ends with – that your life is your own and you get to make of it what you want.
In the book Birdie, the main character’s mother, struggles throughout her life to overcome her mother’s abandonment. As a young mother herself Birdie wants to be different, better, than her mother had been but really as the story progresses we see the cycle repeat itself. Birdie is marked by her childhood trauma and we see this through her somewhat destructive behavior as she tends to be a thrill seeker. She aches to find happiness, contentment, belonging, and love but has a hard time identifying it in healthy ways. For instance as Birdie gets to know Arthur and decides to take her daughter and move out to the wilders with him she thinks she has finally found what she has been looking for her whole life. Unfortunately it’s really more of the same. Yes Arthur isn’t technically a bad a guy but in the end he is bad for Birdie and her daughter.
Emaleen, however, choses a different way. Yes, she loves Alaska and ends up returning to her home town but she chooses forgiveness. She tries to better herself and is able to recognize a good and a bad thing when she sees it. Like all us, she may be pulled by instinct but she chooses to evaluate the situation and adjust as needed. I love how in Emaleen readers see that there is hope to love and honor your parents no matter how messed up they may have been but to also choose your own way in life.
Arts & Crafts
Crochet
Aside from reading I have also been enjoying crocheting again. I used to do it a lot years ago but stopped because life got in the way. It was my baby Holly Claire that got me back into crocheting. In the months leading up to her birth I made her a blessings blanket, a blanket where every stitch symbolically represents blessings, prayers, and positive vibes I hope she is covered with throughout her life. Since finishing her blanket I had the itch to keep going, to crochet something else, perhaps a new blanket. There is something about holding soft cozy yarn in between my fingers that is very rewarding, not to mention having a cute blanket after.
I tried looking for a fun march themed blanket pattern out there but didn’t find anything I really liked so in the end I decided to crochet the same pattern I did for baby Holly only in green colors. When finished I’m hoping to drape it over our nursing chair.
If you are interested in crocheting this blanket yourself you can purchase the pattern from ETSY here.
Around the House
Decorating
As a new homeowner and first-time parent there is an endless list of things we need around the house. Rugs have been a standout for me. I purchased a circular one to put in front of our nursing chair and it is kind of a game-changer. I love having a soft and warm little rug underfoot during those 3 am feedings rather than our cold, hard tile floor.
I also bought a large rug for my new craft room and it makes a big difference. It’s cool how a rug can really bring in a vibe to a room or just somehow make it seem more put together.
Gardening
I have always loved to garden but in our San Diego apartment I was very limited in space. I only had a small balcony and whatever indoor plants I could fit. Still I made the most of it and on several occasions managed to completely fill my balcony with plants. Now, however, in our new Houston, Texas home we finally have a backyard and I love it! I am so looking forward to all the planting and gardening things.
A few considerations – HOA. Our neighborhood does have an HOA so in time I am sure we will find out what is and is not allowed in terms of landscaping and gardening. Also I was pregnant until very recently and so have not been able to do much in the garden. Of course gardening is a slow progress so I look forward to taking my time and doing little things as the seasons roll on.
- INDOORS
For now, indoors our orchids have been the champions of the lot. Not only did they manage to survive the long trek from San Diego but they are thriving!
Three of my five orchids are flowering again for the first time. I am so excited that they love their new home as much as I do.
- OUTDOORS
It is of course wintertime and as such the outside garden situation is pretty dormant. Despite that there have still been things I have been able to do. We recently moved to Texas so we still have things in boxes we are working on unpacking. A box I was very happy to open was the one containing my hummingbird feeders! I put one of the feeders up and need to find the hanging chain for the second one. I may need to buy a new chain since I haven’t found it yet. Anyway point being that my feeders are set up for the spring hummingbirds. In San Diego we had hummingbirds year round but here in Houston I don’t think that is the case. I guess I’ll find out as the year progress.
I also put up my bird feeder. It doesn’t seem like the birds are interested. I haven’t seen any of them going up to the feeder at all which is a bit disappointing. It interesting because we also have squirrels in around our house and I haven’t seen them trying to get the foo either. Maybe they just don’t know it’s there yet. I’ll try to be patient.
We also trimmed our orange tree! When I was interned at the hospital in January I watched a lot and I mean a lot of Monty Don’s gardening videos and I learned that in spring you trim for new grown while in fall you trim to cut off what you don’t want growing back. I am excited that we went for it this year and trimmed back our tree. I hope it helps to keep it healthy and happy.
Lastly, I have started to spread flower seeds around our yard. This is our first year in this house and our first year in Texas so we have a lot to learn regarding what grows well here but for now my husband bought me a bag of Texas native wild flower seeds and I started to sprinkle them around the house. I am so looking forward to to seeing them grow. Really hope they grow. Actually I’m a bit worried I might be allergic to bluebonnets which are the Texas state flower. I say this because I remember one year I went to the Anza Borrego Desert during a super bloom and had a pretty bad allergic reaction to the flowers there some of which I believe were bluebonnets. Well, I guess we’ll see what happens.
Food
Soy Ginger Salmon
We had this meal early in the month but for sure it was my favorite thing! Not only did it look beautiful it tasted delicious too!
I am a big fish lover but my husband is not so having seafood at home is always a treat. He is the cook around the house so I really can’t complain.
He really liked this dish too so it was a hit a for us both and as far as level of difficulty he said it wasn’t very hard to make so that’s another reason to like this dish.
Here is a link to this recipe in case you would like to make it for yourself or your loved ones in the future. Bon appetit!
Looking Ahead
March
I am hoping for more self-care in the month of March. I feel like February was all about getting my bearings. Baby Holly was born prematurely and my pregnancy journey in the end was really rough both her and I ended up spending two weeks each in the hospital. She had to stay in the NICU and ended coming home with us at the tail end of January. It’s only now, at the end of February that I feel we are all getting into a grove. My postpartum recovery is a lot better and I am finally able to move around and do stuff around the house. So being that things are normalizing I want March to be a month were my husband and I can start to care for ourselves a bit more. Do more of the “fun” activities that bring us joy, fix things up around the house and just start getting back into our bodies a bit more.
I am excited for March and just feel so happy and full of hope. Hope it is a good month for all of us!
until next time!
Angelica Sophia 
Leave a comment