Did everyone have a wonderful Valentine’s? 💕 I would love to hear what you did for the day. Don’t forget to Spring forward on March 9th.

Let the countdown for spring begin!!

When Valentine’s is over, that is my trigger to get busy with taxes. 😆 Since we have small businesses, there’s a lot to gather up and prepare. I learned a VERY long time ago from the beginning of the year to be diligent about keeping files in order. I use Quicken to help keep up with all my income and expenses, which I use at the end of the year when it’s time to print out reports.

Now that all that horrendous cold weather is gone and we are back in the 70s, I can get out on the lanai, enjoy the sunshine, get my hands dirty in the yard in the warmth of the day, and work on a project or two.

PBN (paint by number) Update – I purchased a beautiful landscape PBN kit, some paint brushes (pink of course, since only 1 came with the kit), and a paint tray.

It didn’t take me long to realize I needed more paint brushes because I needed a really fine brush and a larger one for this kit. The kit comes with one small paintbrush. The paint tray is for mixing two colors for certain areas per instructions.

If you look at the picture above, you can see that this is a very detailed painting with a LOT of small areas that need a small brush. It’s taken me a month just to get as far as I have gotten. The painting is harder than I thought, but I love the challenge.

And that light! It’s a wireless-operated light that fits on top of bottles. It’s supposed to be for your bar or where you have a lot of bottles for parties, etc. It comes in more colors and designs. I need the extra light for these old eyes, and I don’t have a plugin near the table I’m working on to plug one in. I have it sitting on top of a short bottle, so the light is directly on the area I’m working on.

Life Update – Life in an aging house isn’t fun. We’ve had a few leaks in our home that we caught early and fixed with no issues. But there was a leak behind the dishwasher that we hadn’t known about for a very long time. All the walls had to be removed and replaced. After all the repairs, we decided to add water sensors under the sinks and behind the dishwasher.

After only TWO DAYS of having those sensors put in, I kid you not, I was using the garbage disposal, and the sensor under the sink went off. I looked and saw the disposal was leaking! It had lived its life too.

That sensor saved us from having to redo the walls again. So, Mr. G installed a new disposal, and we are once again relieved that everything is running smoothly.

The sensors were really easy to set up, and you are notified by your phone if you are away from home. Just put them where water can leak, like under a sink, sync them to your phone, and you’re done! I have to say it was worth every penny!!

Gardening Tip – Did you know that spending time in the garden can strengthen your immune system? Soil is packed with beneficial microbes that help your body fight off illness, while sunshine provides essential vitamin D for immune support. Plus, gardening keeps you active and lowers stress—both crucial for staying healthy during flu season!

I haven’t been sick in years, and I wonder if it’s because I like to play in the dirt so much.

ZESTY OYSTER CRACKERS – Preheat your oven to 250°F. In a large mixing bowl, combine 1/4 cup of vegetable oil, a 1-ounce packet of Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning mix, 1/2 teaspoon of dill weed, and 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder. Stir the mixture until well blended. Add 5 cups of oyster crackers to the bowl and gently toss them to ensure each cracker is evenly coated with the flavorful seasoning. Spread the crackers out in a single layer on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Bake the crackers for 15 minutes, stirring once halfway through to promote even baking. Once done, remove the crackers from the oven and let them cool completely. Enjoy. These crackers are addictive!

😵‍💫FUN AND INTERESTING FACTS: What other interesting skills did Abraham Lincoln have besides being President and a lawyer? Our first president, George Washington, was also a general and a gentleman farmer. What other occupation did he have? Abraham Lincoln was a champion wrestler and a bartender. George Washington owned a whiskey distillery, so he was a spirits distiller. Now you know!