Can it be April already? I feel like this has been the fastest year ever. In an effort to slow down and reflect on this past month and what I enjoyed, I’ve come up with a list of things that I would like to share with you. My hope is that these things bring some happiness into your life as well.
One thing I’ve recently discovered (and I know I’m a little late to this party) is Kari Jobe’s new album The Garden. If you’ve never had the pleasure of listening to this mega-talented woman sing, please go to YouTube and have a quick listen, then head over to iTunes and download The Garden or any of her other amazing music. I tend to listen to praise and worship music during nap time at school and one day I was scrolling through my usual list of instrumental praise music and decided I wanted to listen to some Kari. (Sidenote: Her Pandora station is pretty fantastic too.) There was a playlist for The Garden, so I decided to listen. I’m so glad I did. The song, “The Garden”, almost had me in tears. It’s so beautiful. It will bless your soul. Go listen!
Switching gears to beauty. I got Sarah Jessica Parker’s new perfume, Stash, for Christmas. I’m still loving it. It’s technically a unisex fragrance. I love it so much for myself, though, that I’d be intrigued to smell it on a man. There’s a warmth to it that I just love. I wear it day and night but like to spritz on a little extra when going out in the evening. It’s just so lovely. Stash is sold at Ulta and is available in a rollerball if you’d like to try it without committing to a whole bottle. I know fragrance is so individual, but if you like warmer scents, you might like this one.
Can we just talk about these for a second? Perhaps my favorite candy of all time. Let’s just say that I love them so much I’ve been known to say that these better be in Heaven when I get there.
This month brought the return of Designated Survivor. We recorded the show when it originally started but never got around to watching it. One night when our DVR was cleared of everything else that we watch, we pushed play and were hooked. The season premier was so great and last week’s episode!! Y’all!! Are you watching too? You need to go catch up if not!
Paul’s not a huge movie watcher, but if I can get a “guy movie” in his sights, he’s going to at least consider it. Cue Hacksaw Ridge. Mel Gibson may have a reputation of being a bit crazy, but the man can make a movie. It is a war movie with its fair share of gore, but the story was so beautiful. And one I had never heard before. It tells the story of Army Medic Desmond Doss and his heroic actions to save 75 of his fellow soldiers ALONE. He did all of this without firing a single weapon and was awarded a Medal of Honor. It was an inspiring story of standing up for what you believe in and not backing down even when the odds are tremendously stacked against you. It’s a must watch.
I’m a pretty avid reader, well, more so in the summer than during the school year, but from August through May I like to listen to audio books. This month I listened to The Girl in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware. Boy, was it a good one! I am not a scary movie person or a ghost story person. Not once in Louisiana did I want to go on one of those ghost tours in New Orleans or in St. Francisville. When I watched The Grudge in college, I was so thankful that my dorm roommate was not in town because I slept with the lights on for three nights. I do not do scary stuff. This book, though it had some scary parts, is a thriller which is slightly less scary to me. I can do thrillers most of the time. This one is about a woman who goes on a cruise and thinks she hears and sees something horrible, but when she tells the people in charge of the cruise, no one believes her. Everyone thinks she’s crazy…or do they? That’s all I can say because I don’t want to give anything away if you’re intrigued and want to read it. If this is your genre, you’ll like it. I did figure out the ending before it all unfolded, but that’s okay. I got to have that moment of victory in the last chapter when my suspicions were confirmed.
As a teacher I am so fortunate to get to still have a Spring Break. It was glorious to sleep in and be lazy. That’s me in PJs and slippers mid-morning.
I finished a series I was watching on Amazon called Z: The Beginning of Everything about Zelda Fitgerald. I didn’t know she was originally from Montgomery. Thought that was pretty cool. It was a fun show, and I love that it’s a period piece. I am a sucker for that 1920’s fashion. Zelda was a real spit-fire, and I kind of liked that about her.
I also got to go shopping with my mom to a new store (well, new to us) called At Home. Y’all, it was like Heaven. We had made our way around the store, though not all the way through, and I stopped and looked at my mom and said, “This is what Heaven is going to be like for me: home decor, Cadbury Mini Eggs, and Jesus.” 
March also brought a reunion with some very special old friends. I have been friends with these people for nearly 20 years. They are the kind of friends that even though all four of us hadn’t been together in almost seven years, we fell right back into our pattern of easy conversation, jokes, and hilarity that may or may not have involved a belt that contracts your abs for you. We went around the circle talking about our current life situations including jobs, relationships, children, and even some crazy neighbors one of us has-I mean REALLY crazy. It was good for my soul to see these people that feel like family, and I pray we get to do it again before seven more years passes us by.
Well, that’s what I’m loving this month. Have any of you also discovered some of my favorites from March? Do you have some great music, books, beauty items, or T.V. shows you are loving lately? Tell me about them in the comments. I hope March was great to you and here’s to an even better April.
It was huge and had rows and rows and rows of clothes, books, shoes, toys, knick knacks, and I didn’t even attempt to look at the furniture section. I knew I’d want to leave with something, and there was not room for furniture.
My sweet Mama.