April started with our spring break trip to Arizona. It was absolutely amazing and the girls had so much fun. Aveline doesn’t remember going previous times so it was nice to see her experience things as if it was a first for her. Soccer season also started for the girls and all of the craziness that comes with it! Here is our life lately April and what we have been up to.
Books I’ve Read
- Ghost Child by Caroline Overington- Rumors swirl about the incident that occurred years ago on an estate in Victoria, Australia where a boy died. What really happened? 20 years later, his sister struggles with the ghosts of her past. I really enjoyed a book by this author last month and decided to read her debut novel. The different perspectives gradually reveal what truly happen. It was very interesting! 4/5
- Seatmate by Cara Bastone– Gwen and Sam are seated next to each other on a bus to NYC. Gwen is in a rush to make a once in a lifetime interview. Thing don’t go as planned and Sam helps her along the way. This was actually an audioplay, not an audiobook. It was scripted specifically for audio listening. It was cute, but nothing to write home about. 3/5
- The Mountain and the Sea by Kwarme Dawes– Esther is a widowed artist living on an island Jamaica when she comes across an injured man in the midst of an approaching hurricane. He is naked and has no memory of where he is from or who he is. She takes him to her home to try and uncover the mystery of his past. This was a good book about emotions and our true selves. 4/5
- Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley– Daunis Fontaine feels stuck between two worlds. Half Ojibwe and half of French descendant she doesn’t feel as though she fits in. Then Jamie, the new recruit on her brother Levi’s hockey team arrives. Daunis is drawn to him. But everything changes when Daunis witnesses a murder thrusting her into an FBI investigation of a lethal new drug. This was absolutely fascinating. I loved the characters and how real and multi-faceted they were dealing with real-life issues and problems. Highly recommend. 5/5
- The Quarter Storm by Veronica G. Henry– Mambo Reina Dumond runs a healing practice from her New Orleans home. She is drawn into a murder investigation after a ritual slaying in the French Quarter, police arrest a fellow vodouisant. The plot and setting had a lot of potential. I think where this book fell a little flat for me was in the lack of background knowledge on vodou. The author seemed to expect the reader to know about different terms and practices which were confusing at times for me. 3/5
Products I’ve Tried
- Lomi- We were able to try out Lomi over the past month and a half or so. Lomi is a composter that can compost food waste in only a few hours. It was a bit of an adjustment remembering to set our food waste aside, but now the entire family is good about it. It’s fun to see the compost after running a cycle. I’m impressed at how quick it is and how it is able to reduce the waste to such a small amount. It’s nice to think about reducing our waste overall as well.
- Sunday Lawn– I have been able to try quite a few of Sunday’s products to review. Overall I’m really impressed with the value and quality of them all. We ended up cancelling our lawn service last year because we had so many issues with them. This summer we are doing Sunday. It’s really easy to use with no guesswork (they figure it all out for you). And the Bug Be Gone and Dandelion Doom work really well. I love the nutrient pouches and how green our lawn looks from them. Two thumbs up!
Recipes I’ve Made
- Chicken Satay & Pad Thai– Claire got a Raddish box to try out and made Chicken Satay and Pad Thai for us for dinner. It was AMAZING! The recipes were straightforward and the food was delicious. The only change I would make is to double the peanut sauce (because we wanted more) and double the sauce for the Pad Thai to give it extra flavor.
- Black Forest Trifle– Claire had been wanting to make trifle so we found this recipe. It was easy to put together and tastes delicious.
- Chorizo and Shrimp Paella-I found this recipe in my Better Homes and Gardens magazine and pinned it to try later. Two thumbs up from Matt and the girls thought it was delicious, too.
- Dill Chicken & Everything Bagel Biscuit Hotdish
- Chipotle Pork Tenderloin with Squash and Green Bean Salad– This was another BH&G recipe. The pork could have been more flavorful. I would have marinated it first, but the squash and green bean salad was really good!
- Lemon Cake– We came home from Arizona with 2 fresh sweet lemons to use. I found this recipe and although it took some time, it was worth it. I made lemon curd with the lemons then got store bought lemons for the cake part. We had enough lemon curd to use for toast at breakfast. Yum!
- Sourdough bread- One of my goals this month was to try a new recipe with my sourdough starter. I tried this and honestly I still prefer this one. My family does, too.
- Sandwich Bread– Claire and I made this as part of her science fair project, but we enjoyed it as a family. She only needed a slice! It’s Avie’s favorite bread now. It’s easy and makes great toast. I would recommend baking it with foil on top so it doesn’t overly brown though.
Currently
- Consuming- All the Easter candy! Get it out of my house!
- Feeling- It’s been a fairly chilly spring with only a few nice days sprinkled in so I’m feeling COLD! I’m looking forward to the weather warming up a bit.
- Finding- Every year we have issues with our plants being eaten to nubs by the bunnies. I have been constantly finding more and more of my tulips and hostas eaten. I’ve tried various sprays and granules, but no luck. I am going to have to resort to little fences (which I don’t care for) around some plants. If you have advice, let me know in the comments!
- Following- This past weekend and into the early part of the week I followed my hubby down to Palm Beach. He had a meeting there (first of this type since the pandemic) and I was able to tag along and stay at the Breakers. Not exactly hardship!
- Spending- I was able to spend some time with Claire at her school for a Muffins with Mom breakfast this month. It’s been cancelled the past 2 years and I was so excited to go again!
- Family update
- Matt- Matt has had a lot going on with his family and his dad going through some health issues, especially this past month. Thankfully he is in the recovery process, but I know it has been stressful for him and his family.
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- Me- I did another half marathon this month that wasn’t nearly as good as my last one. It was disappointingly rainy, very windy, and humid. Then I hurt my knee partway through and just couldn’t keep my energy level up. I am taking a few weeks off of running to see if that helps. Fingers crossed!
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- Claire- Claire started soccer this month with a local team and scored the winning goal this Saturday for her team! After only 1 win last season this is HUGE! It’s fun seeing her confidence grow. And she starts swim team next month once soccer is over. I can’t wait! She also participated in the science fair on the differences of leavening agents. It was super cute! Claire had a blast at her (late) birthday party held at Goldfish Swim School. Such a great place to host a party!
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- Avie– I was shocked at how she has suddenly taken a turn with her swimming skills. There are a few things she needs to work on with consistently using her arms, but I see lots of progress. It’s fun to watch her grow. She also started playing soccer on a team this season. It’s nothing short of hilarious.
APRIL GOALS Recap
- Hem jeans- Done! I think I was putting it off because I was nervous, but they turned out well.
- Shampoo bedroom carpets- Done! They look so much nicer!
- Try a new sourdough recipe- Done! I tried this, still prefer my original though.
- Get summer vacation set- Not yet. My FIL has some health issues he is recovering from and we are waiting to see how he does. That will determine if we take a trip near my in-laws this summer or elsewhere.
- Sign Claire up for swim team- Done! I’m looking forward to seeing her compete this summer.
May Goals
- Get Claire and Avie signed up for VBS– We always do vacation bible school and I need to get the girls signed up. I hope to volunteer as well.
- Work with contractor- Since work will be starting on our house there will be some decisions that need to be made. I don’t want to be overwhelmed though so no extra goals!
LINKING UP WITH ANNE & WHAT’S UP WEDNESDAY
