March came and went, exiting on a week of Flu Plague that I hope to never experience again. Then April came in like a lamb only to become a lion of work and a looming deadline for a huge project for our elementary school students. Needless to say, my time has been devoted elsewhere for the last two months but they weren't without some key joys.
Today, I celebrate those moments with some cheery highlights from the month of April.
1) Game Nights.
My husband and I acquired a new board game at the beginning of April: Eldritch Horror.
The game is based off of H.P. Lovecraft's stories of horror and doom. Investigators have to work together to find clues and use their skills to defeat the Big Bad and his minions before they destroy the world. It's a lengthy game play, but the intricacy and ode to literature is what I appreciate the most. Plus, it's so true to doom scenario that you won't win all the time. Challenging but thematically intriguing. A new obsession!
2) A New Wax Warmer.
I like our home to smell good, who doesn't? Usually there are candles burning or wallflowers blooming, but over the last few years we have developed a stash of wax melts with no apparatus on which to melt them. Tired of staring at the hoard, I finally decided to get a wax warmer.
After at least an hour of deliberation, I landed on this one:
And now our home is continually scented with all manner of delicious things.
3) Brazen by Leeana Tankersley
I received this book for review at the beginning of April. At first, I struggled to connect with the material, but with some distance, I approached it again with a different attitude and am so glad I did.
This book has served as a reawakening. I have begun to unearth parts of myself that I have left dormant or simply denied practice because it wasn't "me" or I considered too frivolous. I'm still journeying through the material but I eventually intend to use it again as a devotional. Highly recommend!
4) Rediscovering Drawing.
For a long time, I've called myself a "closet artist" only dabbling in my artistic talent for gifts or for stress relief found in adult coloring books. But when I decided to sit down and draw one of my favorite birds (the Resplendent Quetzal, drawn above), I realized that I enjoy doing it for myself too. For the first time, being called an "artist" (and being able to accept the title) doesn't send me into hiding and that's saying a lot.
5) Random Coloring Pages.
I mentioned that this past month has been fraught with a huge project for our elementary school writers' workshop, grades K-6th. The goal for our students was to write about themselves or a create a story that would be later formatted and hard-bound for their personal library.The project was multi-faceted. During the formatting stage, we were tasked with finding coloring pages for them to include in their books. This required several hours of searching, but there were a few gems I found along the way:
This super cute Daddy and Baby dinosaur that makes you go, "Dawwh..."
This random Doctor Who coloring page that popped up while searching for "hide and seek" pages;
And this snail, highly disinterested in soccer. I think he's my spirit animal.
They all brought me laughter in the midst of a very stressful day of deadlines.
6) Did you know? Sailor Moon Crystal has more episodes on Hulu!
When Sailor Moon was first released in the USA, I was probably in 2nd grade and I loved every minute. So when I found out a year or so ago that they were remaking the series closer to the original manga, I was stoked. I anticipated every release (done every other Saturday) and watched attentively because, subtitles.
Well, now they're dubbed too! AND there is a third season! I had NO idea! I'm so thrilled to get back into it.
Let the nostalgia commence!
7) OH! AND Samurai Jack is now on HULU, too!
What were some things that brought you a smile this past month?
Leave them in the comments below.
