Here are 10 (ish) things that have caught my attention this month! From a tart lemon pie to cooperative board games and more… Feel free to chime in below with things you’ve been up to and appreciating these days! 🙂
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Ten Good Things: April 2022
1. I just finished reading I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives by Martin Granda and Caitlin Alifirenka which is an memoir of two students from Pennsylvania and Zimbabwe who are paired to be pen pals. Their interactions end up changing and shaping each of their lives as well as their families. This was an excellent book, one of those nonfiction books that reads like fiction, and it is powerful in its reminder of the impact even small things like a letter can have on the world around us.
And it was an immediate reminder for me to go and write letters and send pictures to the three children we currently sponsor schooling for through Compassion International. Sometimes it seems like such a small thing but it can be these small things that can mean so much.
2. Another nonfiction for my list this month, apparently it’s the 10th anniversary of Austin Kleon’s Steal Like An Artist: Ten Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative. A short and sweet read! Also, perhaps somewhat appropriately, you may recognize my list-of-ten-things format from some of Kleon’s writing.
3. Kid’s pick for books this month would have to be Mouse Soup by Arnold Lobel. We probably read this book 20 times (or more) in the past few weeks and my four year old loves it every time! Thankfully, and this speaks to Lobel’s greatness, us adults enjoy the book as well. A particular favorite is the story with the crickets.
4. Into games? Depending on the group you’re with, cooperative games can be the best, it’s like a giant group puzzle to figure out as a team! We just got Forbidden Desert which we are excited to try out. It’s part of the same game series as Forbidden Island which we already know and love. PS: The art work on these games is fantastic, if that’s something you’re interested in!
5. We were given a kit for planting our own basil plant. I’m not really a gardener (at all) so I’m not really sure if this poor plant will survive… but in the meantime it looks very cheery on the windowsill! We shall see if fresh herbs are in my future.
6. Did you do anything exciting for Easter? We made this lemon pie– the yellow color and tart lemon flavor seem very spring-ish and fun! (And it’s easy which is always a win 🙂 )
7. I finally got a chance to watch Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and I really enjoyed it. Super exciting to have an Asian-led cast for a Marvel movie! Plus there was a glimpse of Macau during the film which was an unexpected bonus for me since I lived there for a year and it has a fond place in my heart.
8. Kid’s pick this month is the show Where’s Waldo which is of course based on the search-and-find books of the same name. Honestly, we put on the show just trying to find something both the 4-year-old and the 7-year-old could agree on 😉 But we were pleasantly surprised by the exploration of different cultures and the focus on puzzle solving. All-in-all it turned out to be a fun time for all of us to watch together!
9. Writing Prompt: If you had to describe your current project in only ten words, what would you say? How about only five words? Three? One?
10. Take advantage of the spring weather and get outside! Take a walk today for even just a few minutes and just look at the world around you: What do you see? Take a closer look at something ordinary and notice its details.
As always, feel free to chime in below and let me know what some of your favorite things have been lately! Take care!
PS: Some of you regular readers may notice that my bi-monthly post schedule will change slightly the next few months as we hit summer. Have no fear, the posts will continue! If you have any suggestions for topics you’d like to see covered next, feel free to send me a message anytime 🙂
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