Best of February 2021
Here we are, month two of taking note and sharing the positive things that pop up in my life. Have I noticed a shift in perspective? Not sure if I’m being honest. I will say I am really feeling just better in general in regards to my outlook on life. I have definitely noticed that I need to remind myself pretty frequently to pay attention and shift focus onto the joyful and fun things. It’s still so easy to get bogged down by the grey days. Still, I’m excited to keep going and I hope you enjoy reading along. Without further ado here is my best of February 2021! Hope these things bring you some joy because they definitely brought me some.
BEST NEW SKILL OF FEBRUARY 2021
To tie into my goal of buying less I wanted to learn how to fix the clothes I currently own. Darning socks seemed an easy introduction. I figured if I’m garbage at it at least they’ll be on my feet and no one will ever see. Turns out I actually already had the necessary supplies to darn socks. Maybe that is misleading all you really need is a needle and thread. It really helps if you can get a flat round surface to put into your sock and stitch over. This makes stitching easier and ensures you don’t stitch through two layers of the sock. In normal circumstances, I hate hand sewing but something about darning is mindful and relaxing. I now get really excited when I find holes in my socks. It’s always lovely to learn a new skill with the added bonus that my socks have longer lives. Will this be the thing that convinces me hand sewing isn’t the devil? Maybe.
BEST TV DISCOVERY OF FEBRUARY 2021
I remember seeing ads for Superstore years ago and thinking how dumb it looked. Eating a slice of humble pie now because this show has made me laugh out loud every single episode. The heart of it is in the quiet everyday interactions between character working a retail job. Of course, sprinkled with hijinx and the infuriating incompetence of difficult customers. If you have worked in customer service I’m pretty sure you’ll find this show delightful. It’s low stakes in the best way so I don’t get anxious while I watch. You can also enjoy this show on Netflix.
BEST DOCUMENTARY DISCOVERY OF FEBRUARY 2021
In February I went on a deep dive into the War of the Roses ( The conflict over who ruled England between 1455-1487) The history just fascinated me. If it wasn’t a youtube video about the War of the Roses it was podcasts and articles about it. Then I came across the documentary Richard III: The King in the Car Park. What fascinated and delighted me is that unlike a lot of documentaries this one is hosted by a comedian and a passionate amateur who is potentially a little too emotionally invested in the story of Richard III. The content is fascinating in and of itself but the dynamics going on make for interesting viewing as well. If you have any fantastic documentaries about history let me know!
BEST MUG OF FEBRUARY 2021
I am an avid tea drinker and a good tea mug is a true treasure. There is not much better than a good-sized tea mug. Not a teacup but a tea mug! These mugs from Cornishware make my heart happy and they go up to a 15oz size. If you need some cheerful content in your life give their Instagram account a follow!
Maybe they make me happy because they remind me of these mugs in Wallace and Gromit. My cupboard is currently packed full of mugs so I can’t justify buying another one. But as soon as there is available space I will be getting one of these happy mugs. Until then I’ll keep enjoying the cheerful content they are putting out on their Instagram account.
BEST KIT OF FEBRUARY 2021
When 2020 started I spent so long researching all the creative classes I wanted to take. As we all know 2020 didn’t go the way any of us really wanted. Won’t lie I cried a lot about not being able to take the metalsmithing, pottery, and woodworking classes I was so excited for. A month before we went into our first lockdown I had just taken a leatherworking class and wanted to try so much more of that. I knew all of those things had to be put on the backburner as there were more important things going on. Fast forward to now and BEHOLD THE MOST AMAZING DIY KIT AROUND! The Shoe Camaraderie sells DIY sandal making kits!
What a wonderful idea! Check out all their things and join me in making some sandals! How exciting! I’m obviously so excited at the idea of making my own shoes. More than that I think it was a timely reminder that even though things look very different from how I would like it doesn’t mean that there isn’t a way to accomplish some of the things I’d like to. I can’t go to a class with other people to learn new skills but there are companies making these great kits to bring that experience into my house.
BEST NOOT NOOT MERCH OF FEBRUARY 2021
I’m a little torn about this one, it appears to be from a fast fashion website, which isn’t fab. I suppose I am spared the temptation to buy it regardless of its dubious origins since it’s one of my goals to not buy any new clothes. HOWEVER, nothing can stop me from looking and laughing really hard at this shirt. What a lovely throwback to the bizarre claymation show Pingu.
BEST SNACK OF FEBRUARY 2021
It’s a sad reality that in a pandemic world there are a lot of restaurants closing down. One such, now closed, restaurant made the bold and borderline sacrilegious dish Pachachos. Essentially nachos but with waffle cut fries instead of tortilla chips. I normally like to keep it classic when it comes to nachos but these were so tasty! Needless to say, I was heartbroken to never again order a pint and Pachachos. That was until a friend suggested we could make them ourselves. MINDBLOWN I would never be so bold but I’m thankful I know people who are. We made an evening of it. The end result was almost identical to the original. If you’re feeling a little glum maybe make yourself a bold snack that you’ve been missing. It definitely was a highlight of my month.
BEST BIRTHDAY OF FEBRUARY 2021
I’ll be blunt February is a terrible month to have a birthday. Not only do I have the worst birthstone, blah amethyst, but also it’s cold and miserable and everyone is still broke and suffering from seasonal depression. I don’t think I’m usually a dramatic person until it comes to my birthday. I’ve been worried about getting old since my 16th birthday (you can eye roll at me I accept it). This year though has been an absolutely magical birthday experience. The lovely people in my life made me hilarious gifts based on our inside jokes. Then had a relaxing day at the Westin Hotel in Coal Harbour with a dinner at the Revolving Restaurant (all covid safe). All these lovely people made me feel very special and celebrated. This year was one for the books. Thankful for another year in the books and the possibilities in the year ahead.
BEST LAMP POST OF FEBRUARY 2021
This short and sweet. I love love love this lamp post. It is so delightful! Also what a brilliant piece of design. It’s a lamp post, it’s adorable, and the umbrella offers cover to the bench underneath. I just stood gazing at it and smiling. If you want to enjoy it for yourself take a lovely stroll around Lafarge Lake in Coquitlam.
BEST LINOLEUM OF FEBRUARY 2021
For pretty much the entirety of February I’ve been without a kitchen due to renovations. No oven, no sink, no nothing. Before this happened I would never have believed I could get sick of eating out. But doing that for a whole month, short 2-3 days, was exhausting. I’ve never wanted to cook so much in my whole life. But now that we have a kitchen sink again (YAY I never want to wash dishes in a bathtub) I can look back and appreciate the silver linings. For one I can’t remember a time I ate dinner with my family so often. We all have busy and different schedules. With the freedom of a kitchen, we tended to all eat at different times. Getting to spend that time with them made my heart happy.
Second favourite part of this renovation was the revelation of this AMAZING linoleum under the wood flooring. I may be alone in my appreciation (My attempts to convince the rest of the house to keep it after the renovation did not go well). This flooring makes me want to put on ABBA and become a dancing queen. I can’t say it’s ‘good’ flooring but I love it anyway and it makes me happy to know it is still there underneath the new additions.
SUMMARY
These are my ten best things in February 2021. I hope you enjoyed them but if you didn’t they still made me happy. What are some of your best things from February?
-Hannah
P.S. if you want to see last months ‘best of’ you can read that here: Best of January 2021
