28 Day Challenge!

Friday was the beginning of the longest short month of the year...February. By now, the anticipation of a white Christmas is long past and our oh, so pleasant two-day January thaw ended very abruptly over the past few days. The first day of spring is still a long way off, especially here in Ohio.

 I love December, with the anticipation of Christmas, and for that month, don't mind the shorter daylight hours because they are warmed by the soft glow of holiday lights and candles. But once we've said "Happy New Year" the bottom just seems to drop out of my life. I can usually make it though January, although with each passing week I find myself spending more time mindlessly surfing the web and watching television, and less time in active pursuits. By the time February rolls around, I'm mired in my own enertia and it takes every ounce of willpower I can summon just to get through some days.

 

So for the 28 days of February, I'm going to try to do one positive, constructive, creative, or uplifting action each day. I know there will be days when it will be more than challenging not to fall into my February slump, days when the gloomy clouds don't part to let the sunshine through, but that's ok. I know that once March arrives, those first early blooms will poke through the soil and spring will be on the way once again!

So far, I've cleaned up my crafting space and storage closet, so hopefully some new art projects will take care of the constructive and creative part of my goal. And while cleaning, I rediscovered "Through Artists' Eyes: An Exploration of Bible-Inspired Art" by Joe Garland, Cindy Garland, and Jim Eichenberger, a three-book series I purchased a few years ago and never quite started. I'm looking forward to working through some of my favorite painters first, starting with my "main man", Vincent VanGogh.

One more "find" during my two-day cleaning frenzy was a set of two cute little cross-stitch pictures made by my daughter when she was little and I was still doing cross-stitch. With just a simple frame, they will be a cute addition to grandson Jackson's bedroom! Hard to believe, but I do think that this year February just might be a very fine month!

What about you? If you're like me, and don't live in a warm and sunny climate, how do you get through the dreary winter months?