Nature | February 2026

 My favorite picture of this month's collection is the first picture of the Yucca seeds pod. 

This time of year is pretty brown outside. I found some oak galls on an oak sapling. My sons had fun opening them and finding a little wasp pupa (I missed my chance to get a picture of the pupa.)

There are a lot of dried Yucca stalks around our lot. I thought the seed pods looked interesting from these angles.

There are a variety of birds that are active now. I hear woodpeckers in the mornings again. One morning I went outside to jump on our trampoline and found it riddled with these seeds and bird droppings. I deduced that the birds must sit in the branches above and snack and poop out these seeds. I admit the seeds were quite annoying underfoot while they looked pretty interesting. After I had some pictures I looked up some references to find out that these are Hackberry tree seeds.

The explanation for what happened with January's nature pictures is that I was able to capture some beautiful pictures of a gorgeous sunrise when we were in Canada. The morning was so memorable that I wanted to commemorate it with a few verses of poetry. I worked for a whole week on the poem to go with the pictures. After dedicating so much time to the poem I wanted a little recognition so I found a few literary magazines to submit my poem. The catch is that they don't want the poem to be published anywhere else before submission. I didn't want to publish the pictures on my blog without the poem and I can't include the poem until I hear back from the magazines. I don't really expect to get published but I can hope. 

Gingerbread Houses 2026

We held a gingerbread house decorating party on New Year's Eve this year. This is the second year we made gingerbread houses on New Year's Eve.

 This year it was a big party with many cousins. I baked enough gingerbread house pieces for every child and adult to have their own house.

We had so much fun!

I made a short video to show all the houses and creativity displayed this year.

Happy New Year everyone! The grace of God be with you, in you, and around you in 2026!

Link: Blog post with 2024 gingerbread houses.

Link: Blog post with 2025 gingerbread houses and recipe.

Moon Setting And Sun Rising

 

Last week the moon was full. One morning I saw the moon setting it looked so amazing. The picture doesn't even come close to showing how pretty it was. 

At the same time the sun was beginning to rise.

It was a memorable experience. On one side of road to the western horizon the moon was setting and on the other side of the road to the eastern horizon the sun was coming up.

I imagine that the timing of the sunrise this time of year made this possible. I don't think it happens every full moon.

I like to use the site Date and Time to look up sunrise and sunset times. They have some other handy tools and astronomical information on that site.

Psalms 19:1

The heavens declare the glory of God;

 and the firmament sheweth 

his handywork.

Gingerbread Recipe For Gingerbread House Making

 

Last year I bought a gingerbread house cookie cutter set. The recipe on the back of the package worked well. I used the same recipe this time. 

I made a triple batch and it was the perfect amount. We made 5 houses and had a few spare parts. If we hadn't needed our spare parts we could've made 6 houses.

Gingerbread Triple Batch

1 1/2 cups Butter, room temperature  

1 cup Sugar 

1 cup Molasses

1 TBS. Ground Cinnamon

1 TBS. Ground Ginger

1 TBS. Baking Soda

3 Egg Yolks

1 TBS. Vanilla Flavoring 

3/4 Salt

6 cups Flour

Place sugar, molasses, cinnamon, and ginger in large sauce pot over medium low heat. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. 

Remove from heat. 

Stir in baking soda. 

Stir in butter one tablespoon at a time, sitting well after each addition. (Room temperature butter is really helpful for this step.)

Add egg yolks, vanilla, and salt, stirring to combine.

Add flour, a cupful at a time, stirring to combine. 

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until dough comes together and is no longer sticky, adding flour a tablespoon at a time if necessary. 

Place dough in refrigerator for 2 hours or until thoroughly chilled. 

Divide dough into 6 sections. Working with one section at a time, roll out each section to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out cookie and house pieces. Place on cookie sheet. 

Bake at 325°F. for 12-18 minutes or until edges are lightly brown. 

Remove from oven. 

Cool on cooling racks. 

Once cool assemble with royal icing.

Royal Icing (AKA Construction Glue)

3 Egg Whites

3 1/2 - 4 cups Powdered Sugar 

Beat with whisk to form thick icing. Spoon into plastic bags. Snip a small hole in the corner of each plastic bag to make a piping bag.

The March Woods (Poem)

 The March Woods

By Henry Beer

Come out into the woods,

And leave your cares behind.

The trees and flowers there

Will cheer the heart and mind.

There's beauty in the woods,

Though strong the March wind blows.

The sap from maple trees

Into the buckets flows.

The trees as sentinels

All leafless there they stand;

The budding trees foretell

That spring is nigh at hand.

Come out into the woods,

And see along the stream

The pussy-willows fair

With robes of silver sheen.

The violets budding forth,

Beneath the leaves are seen.

The mosses and the ferns

Are robed in vivid green.

Come out into the woods,

This anxious life forsake.

And here in God's great realm,

New friendships you shall make.

Hearty Chili Recipe!

 This is the way my Mom makes Chili. It is very flavorful and hearty. I learned from her to use a variety of beans. It makes for a nice presentation.

 

Hearty Chili Recipe

1 lb. Ground Beef or Turkey or Deer 

1 Large Onion, Diced

5 Garlic Cloves, Minced

4 TBS. Chili Powder

2 tsp. Salt

1 15oz. can Black Beans, with liquid

1 15oz. can Kidney Beans, with liquid

1 30oz. can Pinto Beans, with liquid

1 quart or 1 28oz. can Crushed Tomatoes

In a large soup pot, brown the ground meat. Pour off grease if necessary. 

Add onion and cook until soft.

Add garlic, salt, and chili powder and cook 1 minute.

Add beans and tomatoes.

Simmer 30 minutes. 

Or, pour into crockpot and cook on high 2 hours or low for 5 hours.

Serve once all the flavors have melded nicely.

Serving Suggestions:

Top each bowl with shredded cheese, sour cream, and green onions.

Serve tortilla chips, corn chips or cornbread on the side.

Add a big scoop of macaroni and cheese to each bowlful to make delicious Chili Mac.

The Best White Chili Recipe!

1/4 cup Oil or Chicken Grease

1 Onion, diced

5 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 1/2 tsp. Oregano

1 tsp. Cummin

1 Shake Cayenne Pepper

2 tsp. Salt

1 6 oz. can Green Chili's

3 cups Cooked White Beans, Canelli, Great Northern, Navy, or Garbanzo (or 2 cans with juice)

2 cups Cooked Chicken, Shredded or Chopped

4 cups Chicken Broth

16 oz. Sour Cream

Sauté onions in oil or grease until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic, oregano, and cumin, sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute 

Add cayenne, salt, green chilies, beans, chicken, and broth. Bring to a simmer. Simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Mix in the sour cream. Continue to cook until just heated through.

Enjoy!

This soup is tasty on it's own or garnished with tortilla chips, and shredded cheese.

New Year's Eve Hats!

 Happy New Year 2021! We wore paper crowns at our celebration. I designed my crown with sewing in mind. I used yarn to make stitches on the border. I glued on some buttons and pictures of quilt blocks.

Why do I make hats for New Year's Eve?  This tradition started 3 years ago when we were home by ourselves for New Year's Eve. We were not going anywhere or having anyone over to our house. On top of that Mr. In The Mid-west was working that night. I wanted our supper to be a little festive. I thought if I made paper party hats for everyone we would have more fun! :) And it was more fun! It is a tradition I would like to keep.

The First New Year's Hats

Last year I learned about fascinators. Fascinator definition: a woman's light, decorative headpiece consisting of feathers, flowers, beads, etc. attached to a comb or hair clip. They are so pretty! I wish I could incorporate them into daily attire. For New Year's Eve 2020 I made a GIGANTIC fascinator out of a paper flower. If anyone would like a good tutorial on how to make paper flowers HERE is one I recommend.

Do you have any fun New Year's traditions? Tell me what they are in the comments section!

I Have Been Sprouting!

I just finished sprouting my first batch of broccoli sprouts. They are delicious! They do not have an earthy, aka dirt, flavor that some sprouts have. They are not spicey either, like radish sprouts. They taste like very mild broccoli.

Broccoli sprouts are supposed to be very healthy for you. All sprouts are supposed to be healthy, but broccoli have particularly high levels of some cancer fighting substance. Here is a link to more detailed information from a qualified source.

I really liked the broccoli sprouts. I think I  will be ordering some more seeds to sprouts soon. I had fun growing something in the dead of winter. It will be a long time until I see vegetables growing in the garden. 

I have also heard that sprouts can help people that deal with seasonal depression. I am not sure of how, but someone who has the winter blues may benefit from including sprouts in their diet.

Obviously, I am not a Dr. and I encourage everyone to do their own research. :)

What do you know about sprouts? Have you ever grown any sprouts? Tell me about it in the comments! :)

Spring Beauty

On Thursday we spent a couple hours in the woods. I love being in the woods! Every time I get out in the woods I realize, again, just how much I love the forest.

The forest abounds with life! There is such a variety of plants, trees, birds, creeping, flying and leaping wild creatures.

I spy a squirrel!

The woods are quiet and still, and yet, at the same time, they are full of noises and motion. There are no cars rumbling and beeping. No electronic humming of refrigerators, dishwashers, or humidifiers. No ticking of clocks. But, there are bees buzzing, woodpeckers tapping, Cardinals singing, streams babbling, wind hissing, squirrels barking, limbs creaking, frogs chirping. The water glitters as sunlight reflects from it's surface.

When I go to the woods I feel a sense of peace and calmness. I have an enormous amount of gratitude well up within me. I thank God for the opportunity to be in such a beautiful place. I thank God for giving me senses to observe and take in the sights, sounds, and smells. I Thank God for putting variety and beauty into his creation. And, since I am in such a grateful frame of mind I think of so many, many blessings to thank God for providing. I am sure we all have special places where we feel in particularly reminded to be grateful and thank God. The woods is one of those special places for me.

As we walked through the woods we saw Spring Beauties, Violets, and Toothwort blooming.

It is early spring here, judging by the plant life. We have had a very long winter and spring is coming late. It is definitely welcomed! I only saw a few May Apples poking up through the leaves. Most years they have been up and unfurled for at least month by this time.

I didn't even see a single Trillium in bloom.

A lot Trout Lilies were up. I only saw a few that had flowered.

This little tree frog blended in well with his surroundings. I am surprised that we saw him.

My two year old was delighted! :)

I was very happy to see some Virginia Bluebells. They are lovely!

Psalms 40:5

 Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

Decongestant Tea

This tea recipe came from my sister-in-law and it really works! I have used it several times and always been impressed with how much better I feel after drinking this tea. It seems to break up congestion quite effectively.  While it is not the most pleasant tasting tea, neither is it completely terrible. I like the spice flavors of the cinnamon and cloves, along with the orange zest.

Decongestant Tea

1 quart boiling water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or 1/2 cinnamon stick broken up 
1/16 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tea bags of green tea
1/4 teaspoon orange peel
1/8 teaspoon of Thyme (or more)
4 cloves or 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves 
1 peppermint tea bag (optional)
1 clove of garlic, crushed

Steep for 20-30 minutes. Drink with honey, sweetened to taste. 

Realistic Paper Snowflakes

Snowflakes are six sided water crystals. Most paper snowflakes are four or eight sided.

I found some very thorough instructions for cutting realistic paper snowflakes on this web page Right Here. Please go check it out, if you are interested. There is a lot of good information on snowflakes with many details and some templates.

Here are the basic instructions:

Start with a square piece of paper.

Fold it in half, diagonally.

Fold the triangle in half.

Fold the new triangle into thirds. (This part can be tricky.)

Cut an angle off the top.

Cut your design. The templates from the aforementioned website come in handy here. Tip: don't leave more than 1/4 inch of dead space anywhere in your design.

Unfold to reveal your snowflake!