I have lots of pictures to share this month. I hope you enjoy this peek into what’s been keeping me busy in April.

Non-Fiction Books

During the past month the best books I read were all non-fiction. Have you read any of these?

• Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks by Ken Jennings
• Story Trumps Structure: How to Write Unforgettable Fiction by Breaking the Rules by Steven James
• Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art by Madeleine L’Engle
• The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction by Alan Jacobs (I read this at the end of March, so it missed the last “favourites” post, but I didn’t want to neglect mentioning it — highly recommended!)

Now I really need to read a good novel. Any suggestions?

Picture Book

I came across The Great Granny Gang when browsing at the library. What’s not to love about the rhyming story of a gang of grannies who thwart a robbery in progress?

Food

I’ve had the cookbook Food to Live By for nearly a year and have made some excellent recipes, but this month I made several others for the first time. I especially liked the Homemade Chai, Spanish Egg “Souffle Cake” (below), and Apple Bran Muffins.

Look at this gorgeous brunch platter!

Activities

One of the highlights of April was having a very good friend visit from New Brunswick for three days. We did plenty of talking, baking, and eating (see brunch platter above!), and also visited the zoo (where I saw the gorilla baby for the first time) and made some marbled stationery using cheap nail polish.

Also this month, one of my brothers-in-law had an 18-hour layover en route from Hawaii to Ottawa. It was fascinating to hear about the ethnobotany research he’s been doing in Solomon Islands. (Plus he brought presents! See below.)

A popular activity in our house lately has been playing this Eric Carle ABC game. Yes, it can get a little tedious, but it’s exciting to see how well my three-year-old is learning the alphabet and the names of all the animals. (Thank you, Aunt Emily, for the perfect birthday present!)

I finally went on Kijiji and bought a dresser for the girls, and even repurposed their changing table as storage for clothes they haven’t yet grown into. Thrifty points for using diaper boxes instead of buying plastic bins. 🙂 Organizing things gives me such a sense of accomplishment… I should do it more often.

 

Things

My brother-in-law brought these gorgeous coconut wood salad tongs and this woven purse from Solomon Islands.

The apple tree in our backyard is currently in bloom!

And a shout out for the small things in life: I take pleasure in having a miniature IKEA pencil by my bedside, so I can write notes on scraps of paper.

Bible Verses

This month I started my Bible reading plan over again, so I’ve been reading through Genesis and Matthew. Great reminders to…

… cling to God’s promises: “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (Genesis 28:15)

… be generous: “Please accept my blessing that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” Thus he urged him, and he took it.” (Genesis 33:11)

… focus on God’s glory: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

… stop worrying: “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (Matthew 6:27)

I hope you’ll share your April favourites in the comments.