Snapshot from Along the Broken Road: April 2013

A photo of me:

I really ought to hand off my camera to T every so often so that every photo of me isn't of the low-quality iPad photo variety.

1) Candle scents this month:
French Vanilla. Honey Blossom. Clean Cotton. Blueberry Scone. Midnight Jasmine. Soft Blanket. Fluffy Towels. Tulips. Coastal Waters.

2) What I am reading this month (you can find me on Goodreads!):
Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever (Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard) - All I can say is wow. I had no idea how much I didn't know. Such an incredible book. I needed something easy next, while part of my brain was still chewing on the last book, so I went with the next book in one of my cozy mystery series, Fruit of All Evil (Paige Shelton) - Easy, fun, not much thought required, exactly what I needed. Then I decided to try out a new-to-me cozy mystery series, since I had it on request from another library in the county co-op and it was finally my turn to read Mistletoe Murder (Leslie Meier) - Another easy, quick read, and I will definitely read the rest of the series. That puts me at seven books completed toward my 2013 challenge to read 25, and right on target! I am about 60% done with another cozy mystery request that came in from another branch, Formula for Murder (Diana Orgain), which I should have finished by the weekend.

3) Three things on my mind:
1. This post about not waiting. It's ok to save something for "special," but if special never comes, these opportunities get wasted. It's ok to celebrate the everyday, to let something special *be* the reason the day is special, because it's better to enjoy while we can than to lose the chance all together.
2. The Boston bombings.
3. The people who shape us, who give us foundations, who contribute to the framework of our lives in ways we don't appreciate until we gain a little experience in life. And how we don't thank them enough for the role they played.

4) Movies I saw:
Ha. A movie. I can barely keep up with the DVR, between new tv episodes airing and baseball season, when the Sox have had a whopping two days off all month. Oh, who am I kidding. I'm not keeping up with the DVR either, but that backlog will come in handy during the inevitable off-days and rain delays.

5) Calendar image for the month:
This image just speaks peace to me.

One of the most beautiful (manmade) sights in the world.


6) New recipes tried this month:
Cheddar Jack Creamed Spinach. Potato Soup. Chicken and Wine over Parslied Pasta.

7) Restaurants where I ate:
We didn't eat out all month. Not even once. Crazypants.

8) Five things I am loving this month:
1. Baseball is back!
2. Using fresh herbs from our garden. Chives and parsley and basil!
3. Watching the tomato plant pop out blossoms like gangbusters!
4. We got an upright freezer! I love that we can stock up now and not be at the mercy of the smaller freezer that's part of the refrigerator.
5. We changed laundry detergents. Tide Original Scent makes me happy.

9) Three goals I had this month and three goals for next month:
1. Flip through all of the current issues of my magazines, plus at least five more from The Stack. (I got through the new ones, but no more.)
2. Scan 25 more old photos. (Not a single one. Fail.)
3. Do one Pinterest project. (Nope.)

Well then. I did actually accomplish things this month, I swear. I suppose three consecutive weekends doing Flower and Garden Festival cramped my indoor productivity. I'll try again.
1. Flip through all the current issues of my magazines, plus at least three more from The Stack.
2. Scan 25 more old photos.
3. Move my sweaters to the cedar-lined chest and find a more permanent home for my boxed wedding gown.


10) This month I looked forward to:
I feel redundant, but in our house, there is much anticipation for the start of baseball season. It really cannot be overstated.

11) Something that made me cry this month:
The scenes in the immediate aftermath of Lincoln being shot (in the book "Killing Lincoln"). I *never* cry while I read. I get sad, and once in a great while, a tiny bit teary, but I actually wept -- as in had to wipe tears off my face and from my eyes in order to continue reading -- while reading about the medical attention Lincoln received in the theater and how they carefully carried his failing body to a clean boarding room down the street, because the President of the United States should not die on the dirty floor of a theater.

12) A photo I took this month:

A favorite from Flower and Garden Festival. The soft, filtered sunlight gave these begonias just a beautiful glow.