I’ve been struggling to maintain a good daily routine lately, but looking back, March had many upsides. I’m extremely grateful for Covid restrictions lifting, for a busy March break with lots of visiting, and for signs of spring… even though it was snowing today!

Read

I’m not sure what happened to my reading in March, but I did read The Horse and His Boy aloud to my kids. [Update: This evening I finished Hattie Big Sky, a novel about a sixteen-year-old girl homesteading in Montana during World War I. It took me a long time to read, but I became invested and am planning to listen to the sequel. Side note: I would let kids read it, if they can handle some harsh realities.]

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Here are some fun picture books we checked out of the library: Rabbit Makes a Monkey of Lion, The Token Gift, Atlas of Amazing Architecture, and Paolo Emperor of Rome.

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Do

• My parents came up for a visit, which involved lots of talking, eating and puzzling, as well as visits to the park and the feed store
• We also had a visit from one of my cousins and her family, which involved lots of talking, baking, and tea drinking, as well as a visit to the gas station
• I twice had lunch with a friend, which is a rare and pleasant occurrence for me: at Thornbury Bakery Cafe and Frog Pond Cafe; we also enjoyed shopping together
• We had a bonfire and built snow forts with several church friends
• The kids and I had our first picnic of the year (the air was warm, even if there was snow and ice on the ground)
• I spent quite a few hours planning our homeschool curriculum for next year

Eat

• When my dad was here he brought me several ingredients from an Asian grocery store (dried shiitakes, mirin, gochujang paste, kimchi, tamarind paste, asafetida), some of which have already come in handy for making bibimbap (next up Thai and Indian food experiments!)
• We made a breakfast charcuterie board inspired by this post
• Check out this cat cake, made almost entirely by my now 9 year old!

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Listen

I have not been listening consistently, but have really appreciated the Women of the Bible podcast lately; each series focuses on one women (e.g. Ruth or Abigail) and really digs into the relevant Bible passages

Watch

I’m sure I’ve mentioned before how much I enjoy watching birds outside my kitchen window. The main visitors to our safflower seed feeder are a pair of house finches and several black-capped chickadees. We occasionally see cardinals and juncos too.

Thanks to commenters on the blog I just watched the first season of the new All Creatures Great and Small… and loved it so much! I wish I could watch an episode every night for the heart-warming relationships, amusing scenarios, and lovely scenery.

Meditate

“He has told you, O man, what is good;
    and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
    and to walk humbly with your God?” – Micah 6:8

Any March favourites you’d like to share?