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Hello Reader,

Can you believe how quickly 2024 is speeding by? One month down, eleven to go! And since February is but a day away, I'm making February Holidays the theme of this week's link list. At least, a few of the quirkier ones.

You may notice that both Valentine's Day and Presidents' Day are conspicuously missing from the following rundown. That's because I have so many free resources to share for both those holidays that each will be the topic of its own newsletter in another week or two. So stay tuned!

Free resources for you this week:

• Feb . 2 - Groundhog Day - try your hand at our brand new Groundhog Day Word Scramble​
• Feb. 3 - International Fake Mustache Day - a great dayt to take our Mustache Trivia Quiz
• Feb. 6 - Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day - study says a morning scoop aids concentration
• Feb. 17 - Random Acts of Kindness Day – our Punch Cards encourage kids to be kind
• Feb. 20 - National Muffin Day – bake a batch of blueberry, raisin bran, or egg muffins​
• Feb. 23 - National Banana Bread Day – try our recipe for banana nut bread...mm-mmm!
• Feb. 29 - Leap Day – time to sing froggy songs, study froggy life cycles and eat froggy food​

What I'm reading this week:

★★★★★ ​LINKED by Gordon Korman My daughter and I didn't intentionally set out to read a book about anti-semitism for Holocaust Memorial Day -- in fact, we got this book without knowing anything about the subject matter, simply because we like the author -- but our reading it ended up being very timely. When spray-painted swastikas start springing up all around the small town of Chokecherry, students at the local middle school set out to create a 6-million link paper chain as a way of remembering the Jews who lost their lives during the Holocaust. In the process, they learn a lot about each other and make some sobering discoveries about the past, as well. This is definitely a book I'd read again.

What we're eating this week:

Spicy chipotle barbecued beef meatloafs with roasted carrots and green beans -- another delicious dinner from EveryPlate. Yum!

Interested in trying this boxed meal service yourself? To get your first box free, just follow this link.

What we're watching this week:

Several of our grandkids came over for a movie night last night, so we watched Migration. It was cute and full of adventure and just a little bit scary at times.

As is the case with so many shows these days, the father mallard was cast as a bit of a buffoon, at least in the beginning. But his character grew a lot during the 90-minute animated flick, and he was something of a hero by the end.

On the podcast this week:

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Loving Life at Home: Episode 29 ​HOW TO FIND LASTING HAPPINESS​ Why does happiness elude so many people who search for it? The reason most people never find the deep and abiding sense of joy they seek is because they are looking for it in the wrong places. If you’ve ever wondered how to find lasting happiness, this episode of Loving LIfe at Home is for you. Listen Now

Progress on last week's goals:

I accomplished everything I possibly could on last week's to do list: I ✅ delivered my talk at the mother/daughter retreat (most of which I reiterated on this week's podcast). I ✅ finished writing and recording the M-A-M-A song for a funny skit several other moms and I performed for the girls. And I also ✅ slapped together costumes for the video game theme day our homeschool co-op sponsored this week (my kids and I went as Pac-Man characters).

Sadly, I ❌ missed the Rock & Mineral show (my grandkids had the flu). And the retreat organizers decided it would be easier to make bracelets, cards, and picture frames, so I ❌ didn't teach my quilting craft, either. Maybe next year!

Personal goals for this week:

• plan homeschool lessons for coming 6 weeks
• update passports for our youngest two kids
• clear out inbox (which got backed up again while I was working on that song last week)
• visit my mom and two of our grown children who all live in Dallas
• teach a sewing class for my daughters & daughters-in-law
• send my kids and grandkids a new Bible memory challenge for February

That's it for another week. What's on your plate for the coming month? Any special occasions or milestones you'll be celebrating? Hit reply and let me know!