Currently: February 2016

And then it was March…

In February we enjoyed the slightly slower pace of post-Christmas life, survived what were most likely the last blasts of winter, and began filling our spring calendar with and looking forward to spring break day trips, school events, soccer games, dance recitals, birthday parties, visitors, and home improvement projects. The second busiest season of the year starts tomorrow!

Writing
A couple of my Red Cross pieces - both related to blood donation, a cause near and dear to my heart - went up earlier this month. The links are below if you are interested in reading about why the people in my life donate blood and/or what superheroes, superpowers, saving lives, and blood donation have in common!

Why Do You Save Lives?

What's Your Superpower?

Reading
This month I started four books but only managed to finish one, not because the books didn't intrigue me, but because there simply aren't enough hours or enough days for me to read as much as I'd like. I finished In a Dark, Dark Wood by Susan Ware and loved it; I found the characters interesting, the storyline engaging, and the plot twist delicious. (Mysteries always include plot twists, so if you like the genre enough to read this book, you're already anticipating a twist of some kind and I didn't spoil anything by revealing the existence of a surprise at the end.)

Watching
When it came to February movies, "Jurassic World" rocked mine. I also enjoyed "Kung Fu Panda 3", but I can't get back the 92 minutes I spent watching "Jetsons: The Movie". The one bright spot: Tiffany - of "I Think We're Alone Now" fame - voiced George Jetson's daughter, Judy. Tom and I appreciated the blast from the past. (I picked up "Jetsons: The Movie" for Will and Hallie for Valentine's Day - thankfully it only cost me $4.99.)

Listening To
In preparation for going to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in March, Pentatonix came out and the musical soundtrack went into the car CD player. I first saw Joseph on stage (I think) as a seventh grader, and starting that evening I listened to the soundtrack on repeat until I had learned every single word to every single song. As often happens for us Broadway lovers, another musical  eventually usurped Joseph and before I knew it I'd moved on to new lyrics of new songs. I have listened to Joseph periodically throughout the years, but not regularly, which made the fact that I still know all the words to all the songs even more impressive to Will and Hallie.

"It was red and yellow and green and brown and scarlet and black and ochre and peach and ruby and olive and violet and fawn and lilac and gold and chocolate and mauve and cream and crimson and silver and rose and azure and lemon and russet and gray and purple and white and pink and orange and blue."

Nailed it.

Trying/Using
Tom and I started talking about buying an edger right after we bought our first house in Michigan. We finally bought (err, well, received one as a gift thanks to my parents) one this past Christmas, 11 years later. I honestly don't know how as homeowners we managed our lawn as long as we did without one. I can already tell that using it once at the beginning of every spring and a couple of times throughout the summer would have saved us HOURS of weed-wacking our way through the tough Texas grass and snipping our sidewalk edges with scissors (go ahead and laugh) back in Michigan.

My parents purchased us a Black & Decker, mostly because we like our other Black & Decker brand lawnscaping tools, but I have no affiliation to their brand. I kind of like the orange though...

Wearing
Last weekend I wore a pair of capri-length athletic pants to Will's soccer game (I like to walk or jog around the field while the boys warm up). On our way home he politely asked, "what are those things you're wearing?"

I looked down at my outfit, and using his reference to "those things" as a way to rule out anything singular, determined he must have referring to either my shoes or my pants. "Pants?" I answered, somewhat baffled by his question.

"No…"

"Workout pants?" I elaborated, still confused.

"No…they're not pants because they're too short. They're not shorts because they're too long. Are they called spants? Or ports? Ohm I bet they're called shants. That sounds right."

Then he turned and walked off, without waiting for me to confirm or deny his determination.

So in case you're wondering, in February I wore shants.

Eating
Though spring won't technically arrive for a few more weeks, the weather here in Texas has felt fairly spring-like (by my Midwestern standards) recently. I certainly don't stop baking when the temperature changes; I do, however, often skip over heavy, dark-colored (i.e. chocolate) desserts in favor of those that include fruits, showcase light flavors, and appear spring-like because of their color. I made both of these desserts this month, and both knocked our socks off. If you want to try a fresh new dessert for spring, give these a try!

Lemon Crumble Bars (with fresh Lemon Curd)
Pistachio Pudding Cake (with Pistachio Buttercream Frosting)

Drinking
I can tell you what I'm not drinking enough of: water. I need tips on getting my recommended daily amount - have any?

Happy Leap Day, friends!