It’s April and I’ve started Camp NaNoWriMo. It’s exciting that I get to track the number of minutes I spend revising my project, rather than counting words written. Before I get carried away with that, here are some of my favourite things from March. Enjoy.
Books
I read some decluttering books that motivated me to go through my house and donate several bags and boxes of things we no longer used. (I still have to go through my endless accumulation of papers, but I’m not going to rush that.)
I also read two novels that I would recommend (with the caveat that they dealt with some sad subject matter.)
How could I forget how much I love Sharon Creech? I listened to Hate That Cat as an audiobook. If you love the poetry of William Carlos Williams or Edgar Allan Poe or Alfred Lord Tennyson, check out this book!
Finally, here are two sweet picture books we’ve had from the library this month. My four year old has memorized the first one, and the second is based on a true story.
Food and Drink
Lately I can’t get enough of this lemony, buttery tea.
I hadn’t eaten rice pudding in ages; a recipe from this cookbook more than hit the spot.
Last weekend I made pulled pork in the slow cooker using this recipe, and ate it with mustard barbecue sauce from this cookbook and some dilly coleslaw that I made up out of my own head.
I can’t forget to mention the sunflower cupcakes with marzipan honeybees we made for my daughter’s birthday. Cute & yummy.
Purchases
A few weeks ago I decided to try to get through the year without buying any clothes for myself… so I went to Value Village to find pants for my husband instead. I also found white planters with chalkboard labels, a thick white bath mat with pattern of concentric circles, and a DavidsTea iced tea cup. 🙂
I mentioned recently that I want a houseplant. Well, I bought two potted plants at the grocery store: grape hyacinths and miniature daffodils. I only have to keep them alive for a few weeks and then I can plant the bulbs in my garden. I love seeing the touch of spring in my dining room.
Activities
- Finally hanging pictures (from our honeymoon in Iceland) in our master bedroom
- Renewing our zoo passes (I’ve already been four times; I love to get my money’s worth!)
- Beginning a new round of revisions to my novel
- Taking to the kids to the park in the afternoons, now that the weather has warmed up slightly
- Having a childhood friend of my husband’s over for supper with his wife and baby girl (she was adorable, and after we got all the kids to bed we played games and ate caramel corn)
Bible Verses
Sow for yourselves righteousness;
reap steadfast love;
break up your fallow ground,
for it is the time to seek the Lord,
that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.
– Hosea 10:12
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
– John 20:30-31
I haven’t bought clothes for myself since December and am going to see how long I can go without buying more. What I have discovered is that if you resist the first urge to buy new clothes, it becomes easier as time goes on. Also, I highly recommend taking time to fold each piece of clothing carefully, feeling the fabric between your fingers and appreciating the beauty of the garment. I have found that being mindful of each garment helps you fall in love with them more, to be content with what you have, and discover which items you truly love and what ones you could do without. It would be a helpful exercise for people trying to declutter, minimize or come up with a capsule wardrobe, as well.
That’s good advice. Sounds like you’ve been reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. 🙂 My one concern about my sabbatical from clothes buying is that I have little summer clothing, so maybe I was a little rash in my decision…