Here, there, and everywhere. That is what our April has been like! We traveled to the southwest for a week, I went to Chicago for the day, and we went to Springfield for the weekend. But it was a great month and we all had so much fun. Here is our life lately April and what we have been up to since last month.
Books I’ve Read
- The House on the Water by Margot Hunt– Two college friends get together each year for a getaway. They bring their spouses and family this time. But when one of them ends up dead, they begin to suspect each other. This novella was interesting and I enjoyed the ending. 3.5/5
- Buried Deep by Margot Hunt– The remains of a woman are found in the Florida Keys decades after her disappearance. Secrets begin to come out as the people camping with her at the time share what really happened. I felt this was a bit predictable. 3/5
- Tell Her Story by Margot Hunt– Paige Barrett begins a podcast on a local cold case. She is shocked when she begins to find out new information on the case. Of all the novella’s by Hunt, this was my favorite! 4.5/5
- The Roommate by Dervla McTiernan– When Niamh’s roommate is suddenly murdered and her life slowly begins to spin out of control. I read this because I liked McTiernan’s other books, but didn’t think this plot line was developed enough. 2.5/5
- The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan– Cormac Reilly is the detective assigned with the reinvestigation of a seemingly accidental overdose twenty years ago. As the investigation progresses, he comes under pressure to arrest the daughter of the woman. While I really liked this story, the amount of characters and details became a bit convoluted. 3.5/5
- The Scholar by Dervla McTiernan– Cormac Reilly’s girlfriend Dr. Emma Sweeney stumbles across the victim of a hit-and-run one morning. The first mystery is that her ID doesn’t match her identity. I really enjoyed this second Cormac Reilly mystery. He is an interesting character. 4.5/5
- The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner– Nella is an 18th century apothecary known for making poisons. Caroline is a present day aspiring historian who finds a bottle with a strange bear figure etched on. How are they connected and what happened to Nella all those years ago? This was my favorite book this month. I liked how the women in this book took charge of their lives. 4.5/5
- When We Left Cub by Channel Cleeton– After the Cuban Revolution, Beatriz Perez is recruited by the CIA to infiltrate Fidel Castro’s inner circle. Is her desire for revenge stronger than her love? This is the second in the series and I thought it was better than the first. Beatriz has such a strong mind and focus that she doesn’t let anyone change. I admire that. 4.5/5
Products I’ve Tried
- Trinny London BFF De-Stress Serum– I shared this on instagram. If you didn’t catch it, this is a tinted serum. You can use it alone in place of foundation over your SPF or in addition to your foundation. Personally, I think it gives enough coverage to be used in place of foundation. But It’s not cakey or thick. It goes on smoothly and blends really nicely into the skin. I found it to be very lightweight. The consistently is closer to a serum in my opinion. I love that you are giving your skin lots of goodness using this, too. I was really happy with how radiant and dewy my skin looks when using this.
- Laura Geller makeup– I was really excited to be invited to the Laura Geller luncheon last week. It’s been too long since I saw my Blonde Squad girls! We were generously gifted some amazing gift bags at the event and I’ve been trying some new-to-me Laura Geller products. My favorites so far? The Italian Marble Blush stick and the Italian Marble Sheer Lipstick. Both are super moisturizing and feel really nice when applied. The blush stick gives a gorgeous natural flush. The lipstick hydrates and gives a little color that feels amazing! You can get a set of both together for only $42 on amazon which is a really good price.
Recipes I’ve Made
- Crumbl Copycat Sugar Cookie– These are so good! That’s the second recipe I’ve made from this website and I already can’t wait to make another.
- Stuffed Sweet Potatoes– I had some mashed sweet potatoes with avocado and egg when I met with Jodie and her husband in Arizona. They were so good I wanted to use them more. I made some for dinner with pesto and beans. Delicious!
- Salted Caramel Brownies– These are so good! I love the little bit of salt and how it enhances the sweetness.
- French Onion Stuffed Pork Loin– Matt made this and it was so good! Definitely a little extra prep to butterfly the pork loin and make the french onion stuffing, but I loved the flavor.
Currently
- Loving– I really like salt water taffy. One thing we always buy while in Arizona is prickly pear salt water taffy. It’s so good! It has a great combination of tartness and sweetness. It’s my favorite!
- Picturing– I’m picturing all the fun we had in Arizona and the Grand Canyon. It was a spectacular trip. Read more about what we did in recap my post.
- Craving- Spring is when I really start craving all of the fresh fruit and vegetables. I’m making less and less cozy comfort food and more salads and fresh side dishes.
- Wishing- I’m wishing for another meet up with these lovely ladies soon!
- Collecting- I’ve been slowly collecting paintings and frames to create some gallery walls in our home. So far they are just stored until I get enough to lay them out and get photos printed.
- Family Update
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- Me- I was asked to continue my virtual speech therapist position for the 3 schools I work with for next school year and I accepted. I am debating that being the last year though. I’d like to get back into elementary schools and work in the area, but continue only part-time. I had so much fun this month seeing the Blonde Squad at the Laura Geller luncheon and meeting Jodie. I’ve also been on a spring cleaning kick lately getting things organized.
- Matt- Matt had a good April with vacation and not too much travel. It was nice because starting this week, he will be traveling 3 weeks in a row. Yuck! He also got to see his family this past weekend at a family wedding. It was a good time.
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- Claire- Claire has made a lot of progress with her starts and turns in the class she is taking. It’s been amazing to see her improve. She had a pretty good first two soccer games, too. They lost, but she had a few good plays which is encouraging! She has a Girl Scout camp this weekend I know she is excited for.
- Avie- This girl is graduating from preK. I have so many mixed emotions, but I know she is very ready for kindergarten. Registration begins next week. I have her signed up for a cheerleading camp, poms camp, and want to get her signed up for Safety Town this summer. Lots of fun things planned!
APRIL GOALS
- Sign up for another race- I have a few I’m trying to decide between.
- Try dessert recipe from cookbook- Done
- Pick out charger plates- Done
- Make a headband holder- Done
- Sew on Claire’s Girl Scout patches- Didn’t get to this.
May Goals
- Sort through swimsuit drawer- I would like to go through and clean out my swimsuits and coverups. They are getting to be too much.
- Organize cabinet above stove– I stove a few of the kids’ craft items and baskets above the stove. I’d like to organize and clean it out.
- Sew on Claire’s Girl Scout patches– Last month was just too packed so I’m hoping to get this done in May.
- Buy plane tickets/hotel reservations for summer- We are hoping to visit Ireland this summer in August. After writing out the calendar and figuring out a 2 week block that we can go, I think we are finally ready to book flights.
LINKING UP WITH WHAT’S UP WEDNESDAY, OVERFLOWING WITH THANKFULNESS, FIRST FRIDAY FINDS
