Currently on January 29th

Loving... 
This wintery weather. Truly. I am not lying or pretending. I think this is fun weather and couldn't be happier. Now, before you all go crazy, I am fully aware it causes a lot of trouble for motorists, mail carriers, rubbish collectors, people who need to be outdoors, driving, etc... I understand it cancels plans and creates chaos for schools and isn't safe to be out in.
However. I like the adventurous nature it brings to life and the ever-so-slight bit of survival-mode. I grew up reading stories of pioneers out on the prairies with blizzards and needing a rope to get to the barn, and it really left an impression on me. I'm sure I romanticize it, but there will always be a part of me that wants to live life similar to that time period. And, this makes me feel like I am in a very small way.

Reading... "Educated," by Tara Westover. I am about a third of the way in and it has had some really hard parts to read. 

Excited about... Using my new camera. I still get a little bit giddy when I go to take a picture and remember I have a new one. Daniel got me an Olympus, E-M10 MarkII for Christmas. My Canon Rebel was working fine and I would still be using it and be fine. But it was getting a little on the bulky side for traveling and I was admiring the ease of wi-fi connection to the iphone and other more modern elements of a mirrorless camera. So. This has been fun.

Listening to...  Not to copy Emily from Jones Design Company, but...it was her recent post that urged me to play along with her "currently blog post" theme and I have started listening to the same podcast as her after her recommendation. I started way at the very beginning with a series of teachings on the book of Jonah. I was familiar with Tim Mackie before she mentioned it though, as Daniel discovered "The Bible Project" on youtube months ago. We have really enjoyed the "Read Scripture" series as a family.

Making... Daily multiple treks out to the chicken coop. I've shoveled a path and have been giving them extra feed and extra bedding for the arctic temperatures coming tonight and the next couple days. Bless one of the hen's hearts...she started laying, in January, no less! So all my tending is rather rewarding.

Dreaming of... Travel plans for 2019. Including an anniversary trip down south in February and hopefully Europe this spring. *claps hands*

Working on... Growing baby aloe plants. I've been babysitting my mother-in-law's aloe plant while they were in Australia, and even though they have returned from Down Under, I still have the aloe. I don't mind at all, in fact, it's been nice. It multiplied and I separated a lot of little aloe pups a couple weeks ago and I'm working on keeping them alive now. I am not one of those "plant ladies" though, so I'm selling extras.

Enjoying... Thinking back on my sister's wedding which was a week and a half ago. Oh my. It was a lovely day and I still can't stop thinking about it. She was...radiant. Stunning. And so, so, happy. More pictures later. :)

Wearing... Socks I knitted about 10 years ago. They are the first pair of socks I ever made and perfect for shoveling snow or just being cozy inside. 

Needing... This is not a need, but more of a "I could use". I realized it would be nice to store my rice flour, potato starch and other flours in cute jars rather than old plastic protein powder containers.  Something like this is what I have in mind... Maybe?

Thinking about... BOOKSHELVES for our basement. My Dad made me metal brackets, the boards are in the garage waiting to be sanded and stained and soon I will be styling shelves and arranging books. But. Those boards aren't sanding themselves. Need to get on that...