Snapshot from Along the Broken Road: April 2014

A photo of me:


1) Candle scents* this month:
Peppermint Swirls. Lavender Vanilla. Lilac Blossoms. Vanilla Cupcake. Beachwood. Tulips. Strawberry Buttercream. Ocean Blossom.

2) What I am reading this month (you can find me on Goodreads!):
The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag (Alan Bradley) - I really enjoy this series. The stories move right along. Flavia is a humorous, engaging, unique voice. Though I guessed correctly whodunnit, I did not see the "why" coming at all. Definitely looking forward to reading more of her adventures.
90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death and Life (Don Piper with Cecil Murphey) - I found this book very moving. The relating of events was a little disjointed but I think that made it feel a bit more authentic, more like how a conversation might feel. It may have felt less real to me if it had been laid out like a novel. Don Piper's personal experiences certainly made me pause to think about some things, that's for sure.
The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship (Lisa Verge Higgins) - I wasn't really sure where this book was going, at first, and then I wasn't sure how it was going to get there. By the time I reached the last third of the story, I finally got it: We all have a fear. Maybe we won't admit to having it. Maybe we call it one thing, when in reality it's something else. Maybe we truly just can't see it. But it's there. And the only way through it, the only way to beat it, is to leap. It's terrifying. We might be wrong. We might mess up. We might get hurt. But if we're lucky, we don't leap alone. This book was a love story, but not in the traditional romantic sense. (Well, maybe just a little.) It actually reminded me a lot of the core of the show "Sex and the City": This book was a love story each character has with herself, with her biggest fears and deepest hopes, and with Her People. It was both predictable and unpredictable. A good read.
Night Road (Kristin Hannah) - The story felt somewhat predictable to me, though there were a few details that caught me off guard. However, the characters were overall likable and despite the inevitable path the story took, it was still engaging.
A Killer Maize (Paige Shelton) - Most of the way done with this one. Enjoying it quite a bit.

3) Movies I saw:
Not a single one. The DVR is jam-packed and baseball season is in full swing.

4) Calendar image for the month:

Moo.

I can never resist saying moo when I see cows. I say it short and succinct. No drawing out the "oo." The reason is this:

RIP Test Track moo sign.

5) New recipes tried this month:
Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Citrus - My sister-in-law made these for Thanksgiving, using a recipe her daughter shared with her. I thought they would be a nice bright addition to our Easter menu.
Buttery Garlic Green Beans - So easy and so yummy. These will definitely be added to our regular rotation of veggie sides. We have veggies with just about every meal. It's nice to have some variation!

6) Restaurants where I ate:
Perkins (Corry, PA). A couple of restaurants in the Cleveland airport on our way to and from Pennsylvania.

7) Five things I am loving this month:
1. Baseball season. The off season is lonely.
2. The smell of Easter lilies.
3. Florida strawberries. We managed to buy a flat just as the season was winding down. Into the freezer they go for shortcake over the next year!
4. The skies. They have been crazy gorgeous this month. Sunrises. Sunsets. Blue skies with white puffy clouds. Interesting cloud patterns. Storms rolling in.
5. Photos that make me bounce and squeal when I see how they came out.


8) Three goals I had this month and three goals for next month:
1. Find a slab of granite for the bathroom vanity counter. (Chosen, paid for, cut, and installed.)

2. I'd like to find a little new-to-me music for my iPod. It's been far too long since I've added anything new to the playlist. (I found seven songs to add to the iPod and I'm building a list of more.)
3. I'm going to be modest on magazines this month and shoot for twelve, because I will be traveling again in April, and clearly that poses an issue. (Half. Only *six*. ::sigh:: Travel and returning home with a cold foiled me.)

1. I need to start weeding through my nail polish, now that it's sandal season again, and tossing all the bottles that are goopy, separating, or so low in the bottle that they are a chore to use so I keep skipping over them anyway.
2. I think it's time to invest in some more wooden hangers.
3. Eighteen magazines this month. I need to make up for lost time. There's no travel scheduled and other than plans for one weekend, I have nothing on the calendar.

9) The best part of this month and the worst part of this month:
The best: I know it seems as if they shouldn't be enjoyed, but I really enjoyed the Holy Week services at church.
The worst: The rain for the outdoor Sunrise Easter Service. That made for a soggy, chilly morning!

10) A photo I took this month:
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*All scents are Yankee Candle, unless otherwise noted.