What's Up Wednesday: April 2025

Wow, was April ever full of a lot of fun and good things! We started out the month with a dance show, are ending it anticipating another dance show, and the weather is definitively spring which just makes everything so much better!!!

Answering these questions monthly helps me reflect on the past month and I really appreciate having a record of what we've been up to. The questions come from Shay at Mix and Match Mama and Sheaffer at Sheaffer Told Me Too.

image from here

 

What we're eating this week... My principal bought dried apricots at Costco and shared them with me earlier this month. I remembered how much I love apricots so we bought a bag too. They're so good and I've been enjoying snacking on them this month.

We also ended up with a ton of frozen bananas in our freezer so I baked five or six batches of banana muffins this month. I was determined to clear our freezer out and now we're down to three frozen bananas which is a much more reasonable number to have on hand.

What I'm reminiscing about... Well, I'm writing this while I wait for Rachel to get her dance photos done so clearly I'm reminiscing about her first show :)

Rachel as a gem in Aladdin in May 2016. Who is that tiny child?!?!?!

What I'm loving... I am loving the beautiful weather we've had this past week. I've been hanging out laundry, sitting outside reading and drinking Coke with lime, and generally just living my best April life!

 

What we've been up to... As I mentioned above, we started out the month with Rachel being in a dance show. All the dances were based on musicals and Rachel was a zebra in The Lion King and Glinda in Wicked, as well as a dancer in The Greatest Showman.

Sam attended his second semi-formal...

...and Janice and I attended a Blossoms and Brunch event where we drank mimosas and made bouquets. I will write more about this next week, I hope!

 

Emily and her family came to visit us. We survived with nine people in our house and one shower!!! When is that renovation that I've been dreaming about happening again?!?!?!? Seriously though, we had so much fun hanging out with them and then spending a day in Toronto together.

Rachel and I even got to go up the CN Tower while they were in town.

 

And I've been on a few spring walks, discovering the flowers in a woods near us.

What I'm dreading... Well, I'm in the midst of dealing with horrible spring allergies so, on the plus side, I'm no longer dreading them. sigh. I picked up some extra meds for Rachel and I last night and if these don't do the trick, we're heading to a clinic to see if we can get some extra help. My one eye is permanently itchy, red, and watering. I look awesome.

What I'm working on... I've been working on getting our pansies planted and now I'm waging war against the squirrels. The squirrels dig them up and I replant the pansies and it's a continuing cycle. I need to remember to sprinkle cayenne pepper around the pansies so the squirrels will leave them alone.

 

What I'm excited about... I'm excited about various things decorated with bunnies for spring! Hahaha!!! Rachel and I found seasonal spatulas at Wal-Mart and then Janice crocheted me a bunny garland for our dining room.

What I'm watching/reading... Well, the spring dance performance information was ten pages which I highlighted and then Rachel's friend's mom and I coordinated rides for our kids and I also have some volunteer commitments so I'm closely checking the dance schedule to make sure I'm not missing anything. It's going to be a full two weeks from now until performance weekend. And then of course I'll be watching Rachel dance!

 

As for reading, I participated in a low-key way in Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon this past weekend. I read three books and they were all pretty good.

I'm also currently working my way through Babel by R F Kuang and I don't know what I think of it. Have you read it?!?!?

What I'm listening to... Well, since I'm writing this at dance I'm listening to a bunch of excited dancers who are getting their photos taken in all their costumes. It's more than a little chaotic! When it's quieter, since our windows are open, I'm listening to all the birds chirping. It's chaotic in a different way :)

What I'm wearing... I'm wearing such an eclectic mix of clothing these days. Some days it's warm enough for capris in the mornings and other days I'm looking for a sweater. Layers, layer, layers -- it's all about layers. I've definitely ditched my socks for the season though which makes me sooooo happy!!!

 

What I'm doing this weekend... Well, it's my birthday on Friday and we're celebrating a friend's 50th birthday on Sunday so, besides dance, it's all about birthdays this weekend!!!

What I'm looking forward to next month... I'm looking forward to the dance performance of course, and after that I'm just looking forward to a slightly slower month before the craziness of June, and the last month of school, hits. I'm also looking forward to some good times out in the yard, getting it in shape for spring. I've been seriously neglecting yardwork so far this spring and it's starting to show.

 

So that's what's up with us this last day of April. Here's hoping I can actually make some headway on getting my allergies under control so I can enjoy being outside even more.

10 On The 10th: April 2025

I'm going to be playing catch up on the blog for a few weeks and decided I'd go in chronological order. So this is my "10 on the 10th" post for April. What is unique about this post is that I actually took all the pictures on the tenth of the month for the first time this year. Maybe this trend will continue?!?!? :)

7am - morning coffee

7:07am - Dave had joined me and agreed to pose for a picture. I really appreciate our morning catch up time.

7:47am - do you see the bunny in our backyard? Also, I don't remember why I was leaving for work so late. Usually I try to head out between 7:35 and 7:40. Maybe Dave drove me this day???

12:03pm - my principal was telling me how good the Costco dried apricots were and then gave me some to try! She was right, they are delicious, and we ended up buying a bag later that week.

4:03pm - it was SNOWING after work. Ugh.

4:41pm - I drove Rachel to dance and then bought some flowers for my friend. She had driven Sam to and from the dance the night before so I wanted to let her know I appreciated her. I thought the bright colours would bring some spring on a snowy day.

6:26pm - Wal-Mart often has seasonal spatulas and Rachel and I picked these up the previous night. I like the fact that they can be Easter or spring as I will be using them well past Easter! Hahaha!!!

6:27pm - Banana muffins ready to bake. We had 18 bananas in our freezer at the beginning of April. Thus, I baked a lot of banana muffins this month!

6:32pm - I needed some tea on a snowy April evening. I drank out of the spring-iest mug I had. Also, when I looked back at my "10 on the 10th" posts from April of years past, I've drank tea out of this mug (and taken a picture of it) at least twice previously :)

7:09pm - I stopped buying tulips at the beginning of April, but it was still too cold for outdoor flowers, so Dave bought me this "transition" bouquet. I wanted to capture a photo of it in all its glory.

So that was April 10th -- a day consisting of early Spring snow, bright flowers, and muffins.

Friday Favourite Moments 2025 #17 (On A Monday)

Why are short weeks always the craziest weeks?!?!!? The weather last week was amazing so instead of writing blog posts, I was enjoying the outdoors. I worked on this post on Friday morning but I didn't get it done. Now it's Sunday night and I'm trying to finish it before I go to bed. Anyways, pretend you're reading this post this past Friday sometime :)

1) Mom's recovery

My number one favourite this week has been my mom's recovery. She had been having some post-surgery issues (nothing major) and made some major progress this week. I'm so happy for her!!!

2) Emily and family's visit

Emily and her family came from Pennsylvania to visit us last weekend! We had the most fun with them and a longer recap is coming soon. We really enjoyed hosting them (our first blog friends to visit us!), exploring with them, and generally hanging out!!! We hope they come back soon!!!

3) CN Tower with Rachel

Rachel has always wanted to go up the CN Tower but not everyone in our family enjoys heights. When Emily and her family wanted to do that, Rachel and I joined them. Rachel was so excited to go all the way to the top!!! (Again, more on this coming in a few weeks).

 

4) Starbucks with Rachel

On Tuesday, I had to volunteer at dance so Rachel and I grabbed Starbucks first. Since she had to wait for a bit before her dance class started, I said she could get a "venti" which she is rarely allowed to have. She was so happy!

 

5) Impromptu walk with a friend

My friend randomly called me on Wednesday night as she was headed out for a walk. We were just going to chat on the phone but, since she was walking not far from me, I headed out to join her in person. We enjoyed a short walk in some woods near us and I was so glad to connect with her, even if it was just a quick visit.

 

I also loved seeing all the spring wildflowers beginning to bloom!

6) So much outside time!!!

I got my pansies planted in my window boxes, I was able to sit outside and read, and I got a few walks in. The weather has been amazing and I'm so excited that it's actually nice to be outside again!!!

 

So those were some of my favourite moments from last week. These are the days when, if you're looking for me, I'm probably outside either hanging laundry, reading, or walking with a friend! Yay for spring!!!

Monthly Musings: Spring Hosting, Decorating, And Gardening

It's hard to believe but it's already the last Thursday of April so it's time for Monthly Musings with Holly who blogs at Pink Lady and Patty who blogs at Good, Better, Best. This month we're talking about spring and spring is my favourite!!!

1) Do you celebrate Easter, Passover, or another holiday in spring?

Well, Dave is Jewish and I am Christian so we celebrate all the holidays. Although this year was a little different. I was sick so missed the Passover seder and we had friends visiting from out of town so didn't really do a lot of Easter celebrating either. But normally we have two seders (one at my in laws and one at home) and we attend all the Easter services -- Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and my favourite one of the whole year, Easter Sunday.

2) Do you plant a garden? Any tips for those without a green thumb?

I don't actually plant a garden but we do have a ton of flowers in our beds. I plant things annually, and spring means it's time for pansies in the window boxes!

If you don't have a green thumb, join a CSA (community shared agriculture) to get fresh veggies or visit a local farmer's market. Also, I find most plants are more forgiving than you might think. If you're interested, try planting something and see what happens. The main thing to check is if a plant needs sun or shade and to water it if it's too dry.

3) How do you decorate for spring?

 My spring decorating has been very minimal in that I change the wreath on our front door. However, Janice just crocheted me a bunny garland that I think I will put up for a few months every spring. I LOVE it!!!

4) Desserts that just say spring to you.

Key Lime Pie. This is a newer spring dessert for us but I love it and the light green colour just says spring to me!

5) Favourite spring flowers?

My absolute favourite spring flower is pulmonaria (lung wort) which are a short little plant. They only grow about 4"-6" high. We have a couple of clumps in our yard and I love them so much! I also really love pansies.

6) Best tips for hosting spring events?

Spring is when we pull out the BBQ and throw together a few different salads. Spring hosting is so fun because we can be outside and it's easy.

7) Favourite beverage or cocktail that makes you think of spring?

I have a few but my favourite is a Coke with lots of ice and a squirt of lime. I drink it outside, sitting at the table, with a bowl of pansies in the background, laundry hanging on the line, and a book in my hand, and I am living my best spring life!!!

8) Vegetable garden, flower garden, both, neither?

I plant tons of annual flowers in pots but no veggies. Like I said above, join a CSA! We also get a ton of fresh veggies when we visit my parents in the summer. They have three vegetable gardens!!!

9) Favourite Easter/Passover candy?

Lately, my favourite Easter candy has been Lindt eggs and for Passover I really like chocolate covered matzoh. Unfortunately, this year, I didn't get either of them :(

10) Marshmallow Peeps? Gross or yes please?

Peeps are an American thing so I've never really had them but I don't like marshmallows so I would guess my answer would be "gross." However, Janice based her crocheted bunnies on the Peeps ones, and I LOVE it, so take that for what it's worth!

I am basically giddy because the gorgeous spring weather has hit here for a few days. I'm looking forward to being done work today, heading home, finishing planting my pansies in the window boxes, and then relaxing in the backyard with a Coke with lime and a good book. Bring on spring!!!