The April Edit
True Confession: I miss living on the Coast.
If you’re a new reader, the Monthly Edit is a brain dump of everything I consumed (or consumed me) during the month. This newsletter is filled with recommendations and reflections that I hope will add value to your life.
This month’s Pinterest inspo.
Although I’m still not 100% sold on Hero Fiennes Tiffin as the lead, my husband and I have been enjoying Guy Ritchie’s take on Young Sherlock. The whodunnit features a disgraced, young Sherlock Holmes who gets wrapped up in a murder case that threatens his freedom. His first-ever case unravels a globe-trotting conspiracy and introduces James Moriarty as a friend and equal.
I’m flying through Season 3 of XO, Kitty! I echo Katy’s review of the series.
My husband took my son to see The Super Mario Galaxy Movie at the theater while my daughter and I were on our girls’ weekend. He loved it!
I wrote two newsletters this month that are jam-packed with kid lit recommendations for fans of the Masters golf tournament and those interested in City Planning as a career. They were a lot of fun for me to put together, so I hope you’ve had some time to take a peek inside.
This was a slower month for reading. I still finished 5 books and made some progress on Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas. I’m about 1/3 of the way in now. Other than The Shippers, all the books had slightly darker themes, which is hindsight is probably an odd choice for early Spring. I’ve got to be more strategic with my May book selections!
There were so many music memories from April. I love watching Coachella on YouTube. Highlights for me were Justin Bieber, Sombr, Disclosure, Lykke Li, Gigi Perez, The XX, The Strokes, Major Lazer, Wet Leg, Interpol, and Royel Otis. It’s sort of wild to get excited about some of the same artists I’ve been listening to for years. My kids have been on a Justin Bieber kick since! They love Baby. My favorite new releases this month were M.I.7. by M.I.A. (it’s weird, but give it a try), The Great Divide by Noah Kahan (early fave is Doors), and KONNAKOL by ZAYN (who I’m about to cancel because of his anger issues).
My oldest has always been a great eater (apple a day, salads for Kindergarten lunches, guacamole and chips as a snack), and her palate and willingness to try new things seem to be expanding rapidly. Lately, she’s been interested in sushi. Surprisingly, she’s been more adventurous than California rolls. She tried some Naruto rolls (fish wrapped in thinly sliced cucumber instead of rice) while we were at the beach. I love that for her! Sushi is such a fun, easy, and refreshing meal for the warmer weather. If you make your own at home, feel free to share your favorite recipes in the comments!
Remember when I mentioned our Girl Scout Troop had a visit to the Planetarium to earn the Space Science Adventurer Badge last month? The highlight of my month by far was watching the Artemis II splashdown live with my kids. I wasn’t following the mission very closely after takeoff, so it was by chance that we turned on the TV while trying to pack up our bags at the beach at the exact time the Orion capsule entered Earth’s atmosphere. We were all enamored by the brave crew. My sister lives in San Diego, so I immediately texted her to see if she knew what was going on. Of course, the landing was too far offshore to witness, but we chatted for hours as we all watched the astronauts’ recovery together. What an incredibly historic and special moment in time to witness as a family!
My daughter and I spent a weekend in Savannah, GA, with her Girl Scout troop to visit the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low. We cabin-camped at the 4-H center on Tybee Island and pitched in for meals and cleaning (kapers). It was a packed weekend. We had a jam-packed day on Saturday with a field trip to the Tybee Island Marine Science Center, walking around downtown Savannah (including checking out the fossil exhibit in the lobby of the JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District), taking in the sights and sounds of a trolley tour, and dancing the night away on a riverboat dinner cruise. It was a long day for the youngest girls, but it was worth it for the memories! The highlight of our trip was our Sunday morning house museum tour, lunch in the garden, and buying fun patches in the gift shop.
Another highlight of this month was adopting a new kitty. She’s about a year and a half old and was the last of her litter to be adopted. We sure are glad to be able to give her a forever home. She will be a true family cat, I can tell! She hasn’t shown any preference to any particular person; she loves to be loved. She greets me at lunch with a loud meow, tolerates the kids picking her up, and is so brave around our dog. So far, I’ve noticed that she adores sitting up high and looking through the window at birds! I’m still getting used to her 5 a.m. wakeup snuggles and zoomies. I’m still grieving the death of my cat Fern, but I hope that in time, I’ll feel that same deep connection with Essie.
Nina P. made my week by sharing a Spotify account that shares old GAP store playlists in a recent newsletter.
I’ve seen so few of the movies in this list of 52 Weeks to Film Literacy. How about you?
I’ve been enjoying my Pressed Leaves Kindle case from Michelle Martin’s A small collection. It’s my first with a hand strap.
ICYMI, I posted quite a bit on Substack this month. I guess the longer nights inspired me!
What was the best part of your month?
Elsewhere on the Internet: Goodreads / Storygraph / Pinterest
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What a precious little kitty! I'm sure she's delighted to be in your home - she sounds so sweet!