we’ve had in awhile and the last that we will have for a few months. Life has just been really busy and promises to be moreso going into May and June.

This morning we slept in, took the convertible for a spin, shared a breakfast burrito and an almond croissant, got our steps, and found eggs at Trader Joe’s. When we came home, he polished the asphalt off the bottom of the car while I read a book.

Things have been stressful on a personal level recently, so I reread Katherine Center’s The Bodyguard. It’s one of my faves of hers, available on Kindle Unlimited, and a quick read.

All in all, what the doctor ordered.

Here’s what else has been going on this last week.

Easter was lovely. It wasn’t without its snags, but lovely nonetheless. Whether you had a fantastic Easter Dinner or one that needed some work, now is a great time to debrief! Take notes about the wins as well as the learns so you can make your celebrations even better next time!

For my part: 
1. I went with a super easy but still special meal. It wasn’t even what I originally planned but the simple lunch was so good, we made it our main meal and just had leftovers for dinner!

2. Most of the ingredients were items I bought on sale so it was very budget-friendly. The cheese and one package of crackers were the only “special buys”.

3. Flowers were yucky and expensive. I even returned some I bought because they were moldy under the wrappings. I dug into the Easter decor for an alternate table scape that I like just as well.

4. I had a massive cake fail on Saturday, but remade it bigger and better. Carrot cake for the win!

5. I set the table with a special breakfast in mind but kids had to leave early for church so it became the lunch table. And it worked out great!

6. I prepped everything on Saturday so that in the afternoon, it was just a question of unwrapping everything. So nice and easy!

Overall lesson: not everything goes to plan, but sometimes the pivots are even better! 

Since I ended up making the full size carrot cake, I’ve grazed on that all weekend. I probably gained a couple pounds but I think it may have been worth it. I do love that cake!

I made and froze a batch of Broccoli Cheese Soup and four loaves of sourdough bread last weekend, so that has also been yummy to dig into.

I’ve got no current audio book and I’ve been more into reading with my eyes than listening to anything. However, I was on the Come Over for Dinner podcast this week. Bess is so fun to talk to!

I did relisten on Thursday to make sure I didn’t say anything too dumb.

Giving up TV and Amazon Prime Video channels was a good move for my reading life. This month I’ve also tried to mix up the variety of books I’m reading as well. That has been fun.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold and No Two Persons were both really interesting.

I just started reading Jane Friedman’s The Business of Being a Writer and am finding it very encouraging.

Friedman’s section on mindset was very motivating, so I jumped back into my manuscript, ended up purchasing Scrivener and hope to get a routine figured out.

I need to be okay with this first one being bad, so I’m looking at just getting it done. Hopefully before we leave for Japan. Then I’ll revisit it and solicit feedback over the summer.

Thanks for your prayers and encouragement!