Humor, Life, Photography, What I Kept

what i kept – february 2025

Kari

i began writing this monthly post unintentionally in may 2022, motivated by an unexpected and deeply personal loss. your engagement with these posts means so much to me. i wasn’t sure i would continue after that summer, but now, it has become a cherished part of my monthly routine.

thank you for reading along each month.

february summed up in a photo; reiki and edibles
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on clearance at world market.
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“mom! biscuits is drinking!”
same, daphne
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we have two stink bugs that got trapped in our house, and now they’re wintering with us because i couldn’t bring myself to put them outside in the extreme cold.
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It was so cold that day, the birds at the window feeder huddled close to our warm house.
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I’ve been seeing this quote pop up in a lot of places lately. 💜

i found this song back when i was on tiktok (nine days and counting…). a girl shared her aunt lisa’s spotify playlist after she died, wanting to honor and appreciate her aunt’s music. this was one of the songs on that playlist. i’ve been listening to it on repeat ever since. and for days now, i’ve also been thinking about a stranger’s aunt—someone i never knew but whose love for music now lingers with me. there’s something really beautiful about that. 💜🌈

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52 thoughts on “what i kept – february 2025”

  1. Kari, that first quote about breaking generational curses is something I’ve been saying for years and years. People like to blame their family (mother, father, sister, brother, and relatives) for things they continually fall “victim” to. Whatever happened to me when I was a child, based on things that other’s have done or said, it’s up to ME to learn from them and move forward.

    That Georgian saying is soooooo beautiful!

    LOVE me that cute little squirrel!

    And I also love the drawer chest. OMG, it’s stunning!

    Thank you so much for sharing that song. I’m going to favorite it on my Spotify!

    Wishing you a superb week, my friend! X

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    1. Isn’t it great? It really is up to all of us.

      SO beautiful. I love it so much.

      That’s our yard squirrel! He and his friends have their nests in the trees in our backyard. I love them too.

      That piece was my grandmother’s. It’s so beautiful and means so much to me.

      I hope you enjoy the song as much as I have been.

      I wish the same for you, my friend! 😘💜

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  2. When it comes to stink bugs, I borrow a page from Cobra Kai: mercy is for the weak. We get dozens of stink bugs in the house every winter, I won’t hesitate to transfer them out into the cold (if I haven’t already vacuumed them up or drowned them in the toilet, of course).

    I swear I’m otherwise a very tolerant person!

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  4. What a fabulous song, from someone’s Aunt Lisa. Love it! It sounds like you’ve been having just as much fun this month as the rest of us. My husband noticed how much fun I was having by the increase in swear words coming from my mouth. It culminated over the weekend with me using the term, ‘bumfuckery’ for the first time ever. ‘Nuff said!

    Squirrels and dogs for the win! I miss you on Tiktok :( I’ve recently become enamored with ‘core panda bear’ toks. Onward and upward for March. XO

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    1. Right?? I knew you’d appreciate that!

      LMAO, bumfuckery is an amazing word! I might use that.

      I miss you too! I miss the funny TikToks, and yeah, Instagram reels just aren’t the same. BUT my peace of mind is so worth it. I’m glad I’ve found Pandas on TikTok. It sounds like the perfect place to be amidst all the bumfuckery. 💜

      Onward and upward!

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  6. I have a bird feeder in the backyard that I keep stocked with delicious sunflower seeds. And how do the birds pay me back? By pooping on the welcome mat by our back door. THE NERVE. I think it’s because it’s warmer by the house, but it feels like a direct insult. I’m feeding you and you pay me back with this literal shit?! Rude.

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    1. YES! All good things.

      Amen to that! It’s been 50 degrees here this week too, so windows open all around! The birds are chirping, the squirrels are dancing around the yard, and the dogs are exhausted from all the outside play. Again, all good things. 💜

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  9. We had a birdfeeder like that too and found a squirrel in it one day too! We moved it over after that and then spend a few weeks watching him figure out how he could try and reach it. I think my favorite photos is the dog face/yoga post one. That really made me smile.

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    1. We don’t usually get squirrels in that feeder! We get chipmunks, but never squirrels. It made me laugh because he was in there for a while, and the birds were so annoyed they couldn’t get in. 🤣

      He’s my morning yoga buddy. 💜

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  11. Biscuits is drinking – that was hilarious. I like the walking each other home quote. It reminds me of our former pastor, who baptized most of our kids. He was amazing. He said a saint is a sinner who keep on trying. He also said we are all on the journey, and we are walking together . . . that’s where the quote reminds me so much of him. My dad and Curly and I went to see him in hospice, and it was a wonderful visit. He had us bless him and he blessed us before we left. Curly had big tears rolling down her face when she made the sign of the cross on his forehead. “I’m on my final journey. . . ” So true.

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    1. Aww, I’m so sorry he’s on hospice. Thinking of him, his family, and all of you.

      We really are all on this journey together. He was part of your journey, and you were part of his. How lucky we are to recognize that while we’re still here. 💜

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    1. I have! Finding Meaning was the first book I read after my dad died.

      I didn’t buy that mug, and I’m kicking myself for it… but I did find the artist on Etsy, and I have the print sitting in my shopping cart. (Melissa Koby)

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  14. I always love your quotes and book excerpts but for whatever reason, this round-up *really* hit the spot with me. Truly love that first one about breaking the generational curse.

    I hate stink bugs! They freak me out. I don’t squish them only because…well, they’d stink! And with that hard armor, they’d crunch. (Just typing those words makes me shiver.) I vacuum them out and dump the canister outside.

    When I saw that mug I was like, “OMG, where is that from?” I haven’t been to World Market in ages. Now I want to go! I wonder if they’d have any of these mugs left. (I have a mug addiction.)

    That one photo of Buddy’s face (because Biscuits is “drinking”) made me laugh so hard!

    And the photo of your grandma’s dresser (that’s who it belonged to, right?) with the way the light is playing on it, is just stunning. That truly is one of the most beautiful pieces of furniture I’ve ever seen. The way you captured the photo makes it “extra”.

    Love and miss you and can’t wait to see you in a few days! <3

    xoxo

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    1. I love that this month really resonates with you.

      Isn’t it funny which bugs bother us? I’m terrified of spiders, yet stink bugs don’t faze me—they’re just missing a few legs! 🤣

      I’m still regretting not buying that mug.

      It made us laugh too! He has such an expressive face.

      Isn’t it beautiful? The morning light in this room is amazing. I love that piece of furniture—it’s my favorite.

      I can’t wait to see you! It’s been way too long. 😘💜

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  15. Love the strange angle shot of Biscuits between your legs, that is such a quirky photo. I love the concept of kindness, I practice that I just wish more people did as well, I have been in situations where compassion for fellow a human (Me) is quite lacking 😔

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  16. I love the montage of pictures and connections you make. My favorite of this batch is “elementary kindness”. Barbara Kingsolver is a gem! And that dresser is fabulous!..surrounded by all the people you love. xoxo

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  19. You are truly a kind soul, Kari! To let the Stink Bugs live with you because you don’t want to put them out in the cold! I am not that kind. 😂 You saved so many lovely things this month. I really love the expression on the dog’s face!

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    1. Aww, thank you, Michelle! Last night, I went to the bathroom in the middle of the night, and there was one of them on the counter. It scared me! I was like, HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE?? Listen, if it had been a spider, I wouldn’t be this kind either! 🤣

      I love that expression too! He’s so funny.

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  20. My Kari, but your February has been filled with wonderful things to keep. Highlights for me were:

    Generational curses (or trauma) – it’s so important that we be the change that is needed to protect future generations from suffering.

    Big ticks beside the cheeky squirrel on your bird feeder, Barbara Kingsolver on kindness, the Ram Das quote, the piece on mental health, and I just love that gorgeous carved dresser.

    Such an important point about self care needing to be taught from the very start.

    <3 <3 <3

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    1. I love hearing what you connected with. I love all of these things, too. Lately, I’ve been journaling about self-care and why it hasn’t always felt necessary to me. I think a lot of us feel this way—like we don’t deserve it or that it’s indulgent. But I’m so glad to see the narrative around self-care becoming more mainstream. We need it. It’s as essential as drinking water or going to the bathroom—just part of taking care of our bodies.

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