Life Lately | March 2025

life lately March 2025

March blew by so quickly-literally! Our weather was nonstop wind this month. Many days wind speeds were over 20mph with gusts even higher. Hopefully spring calms down a bit in April. Although the girls start long course swimming in April, the meets don’t begin until May so we *might* have a little extra time on the weekends. Here is our life lately March 2025.

Books I’ve Read

45 Things to Do Before You’re 45 by Julia Tuffs– Charlie is a suburban housewife feeling unfulfilled and perimenopausal, so she creates a list of 45 tasks to complete before her 45th birthday in an effort to rediscover herself. This was not good. Charlie is extremely unlikeable and ungrateful. 1/5
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yaros– Violet Sorrengail is a fragile but determined young woman forced into an elite war college for dragon riders, where she must fight to survive deadly trials, political intrigue, and an unexpected romance. It’s an engaging story that really kept my interest. My only critique is Violet’s characteristics aren’t always consistent in this book and in the next. She’s supposed to be clever, but then at crucial moments acts so clueless. 4/5

Recipes I’ve Made

BBQ Cheddar Meatloaf– I loved the flavor of this! It could have used a bit more breadcrumbs though. I doubled the recipe as well. We put hot honey over top and it was delicious!
Baked Pineapple Salmon– We had this last night. It was easy to make and had a refreshing tropical twist with the pineapple.
Irish Potato Soup– We had this for St. Patrick’s Day with some soda bread. It was so good!
Air Fryer Pork Chop Bites– I wanted to try some air fryer recipes and this was one. It was super flavorful and easy to make.
Crispy Chickpea and Sweet Potato Bowls– This was another air fryer recipe. The girls LOVED it. I really liked the crispy chickpeas and sweet potatoes. I cheated and made the dressing out of ranch with added Tajjin. Bonus? Super fast to make. There were barely leftovers.
Cheddar Bay Ground Beef Cobbler– Matt loves cheddar bay biscuits. When I saw this recipe I knew I had to make it. I added some vegetables like corn and bell pepper and decreased the cheese in the filling by half. There was 1 cup of cheese in the filling and 1 cup in the biscuit mix. I would probably decrease the milk in the biscuit batter by a 1/2c.-1c. too. The extra milk made the entire dish a bit soupy. But the flavor was fantastic and the topping was so good.
Philly Cheesesteak Sliders– We all enjoy sliders. They are fast to put together and make delicious lunches the next day. These were good, but I think they need a bit more flavor when I make them again.
Cannoli Cake- The girls made this for us. It’s very good although I think the ganache would have been better with milk chocolate chips and if it was thicker. We ended up using it like a sauce and drizzling it over each individual serving.

Products I’ve Used

Dubai chocolate bar – Matt ordered this for me as a sweet surprise. It was so good and creamy! We loved the crunchy texture of the filling, too. Although the package recommended to store it in the fridge before eating, I liked it better room temperature.

Designer Whey Protein powder– This is my favorite protein powder that I have repurchased multiple times. It’s thin and not clumpy at all. I normally mix a scoop with about 16oz of water and then a tablespoon of Skinny Syrup to add flavor. Since I don’t drink coffee, it’s a nice morning treat for me.

Rub N Buff wax- I finally gave into the temptation from Tiktok and purchased some Rub N Buff. So far I’ve tried it on some frames and I’m debating trying it on a light fixture. It’s easy to use and goes a long way. What have you used it for?

Currently

Avie was excited our cat finally visited her bed!

Loving- The entire family has been loving cream horns lately. I picked them up as a treat from Walmart and the girls enjoyed them so much I had to get more!
Adding to cart- Last week I posted some Spring Rain or Shine Picks and added one of the dog collars to my cart. It’s so cute on our dog!
Reading- I’ve heard so much about Fourth Wing I decided to get the audio book so I can start it. It’s nice the books are so long.
Watching- Matt and I just finished watching Running Point. We both really enjoyed it. I love Kate Hudson’s character. She is so clever! Can’t wait for season 2.
Listening to- I love anything with a good beat, but Pink Pony Club and Abracadabra have been stuck in my head almost all month!
Family Update-
- Avie- Avie has been starting to enjoy reading longer, chapter books like Junie B Jones and Dogman. I love seeing her reading endurance and enjoyment grow! She also competed in a Goldfish swim meet and beat 2 6th grade boys in the 50 yard butterfly. We have decided it’s her last month there since club swimming will keep her busy.

- Claire- Claire began confirmation classes on Wednesdays. She has been enjoying it so far and the youth pastor seems to make it really fun. She is back running more often with me and hopes to do a 5K with me next month. With the other GS Cadettes, Claire planned a meeting where the GS Daisy troop earned their Safety Award Pin. The Cadettes earned theirs as well.

- Me- I’m currently “enjoying” my spring break this week…as in getting all the boring appointments and errands done I don’t normally have time for. I’ve also been increasing my mileage and training for an upcoming half marathon in April.
- Matt- Matt is really looking forward to some sun when he takes the girls to Arizona next week during their spring break. I know he is happy to see his parents as well.

It was a cold cookie booth for Claire!

March Goals Recap

Get girls signed up for summer camps- Done!
Decide when to take our summer vacation– I have a potential time to look for flights.
Schedule something fun for me during my spring break- Halfway there, I have a massage booked and want to book a facial as well.
Eat dinner in the dining room at least 1 time a week– Sort of. We tried once. I need to get better about this.

April Goals

Get a travel agent or plan summer trip- I’m at the point of getting a travel agent since I don’t know where to start with the place we want to go.
Plan the the remaining activities for Girl Scout Daisy meeting- I want the Daisy troop to earn a journey badge (more involved). I have one meeting planned, but want to plan the other 1-2 meetings we will need.
Organize game closet– I need to go through the basement and clear out some of our games and craft kits that we don’t use anymore.
Purchase new chair or new pots- I drag my feet with big purchases. We need to replace our pots (still) and a leather chair in our living room. I’d like to get at least one of these in April.