Another month come and gone. Below are some of my favourite things from February,

Books

I’ve been trying to prioritize reading in 2016, since the list of books I want to read keeps growing ever longer. Here are the best fiction and non-fiction books I tackled this month.

• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (audiobook)
• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
• The Kitchen Counter Cooking School by Kathleen Flinn (audiobook)
• The Nesting Place by Myquillyn Smith
• The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe (audiobook)
• The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
• No More Christian Nice Girl by Paul Coughlin & Jennifer D. Degler

Food

• We had a church potluck on Valentine’s Day and I wanted to make some sort of heart-shaped dessert. I fondly remembered the Raspberry Jam Jams at the bakery where I used to work, so I Googled a recipe. This one turned out to be perfect.
• One night for a low-carb supper I made Szechuan Shrimp Salad using cabbage in place of the noodles. I call it another success.

Bible

I’d like to share a few Bible verses I came across in my private devotions throughout February.

• “Behold, you have instructed many,
      and you have strengthened the weak hands.
  Your words have upheld him who was stumbling,
      and you have made firm the feeble knees.” Job 4:3-4
• “Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves;
      therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty.
  For he wounds, but he binds up;
      he shatters, but his hands heal.” Job 5:17-18
• “But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” II Peter 3:13
• “And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.” I John 2:28
• “By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.”
  I John 3:19-20

Miscellaneous

I am still giddy whenever I get to see Nero, the king penguin chick at the Calgary Zoo. Here’s the penguin statue at the zoo and here’s Nero at five months old — isn’t he huge?!

On Friday I took the girls to the Symons Valley Ranch Farmers’ Market. We were plied with all sorts of delicious samples (quiche, curry, hummus, and more) and bought an assortment of lunch treats using only the coins I had in my wallet. Although it was sunny and 14 degrees Celsius, eating outside turned out to be ill-advised as the wind snatched away our napkins and overturned our little sauce containers, but afterwards the girls played with hoola hoops, plastic horseshoes, and a green wagon that they found. To top off our visit, there was a bonfire with marshmallows free for the roasting!

Saving the best for last, I had an ultrasound a couple of weeks ago. The technician was having a great time, giggling away, and everything looked good. Our baby is due on the Fourth of July!

What are your favourite books, recipes, activities, and miscellaneous things from the past month? I would love to hear.