No. 134: What to Eat, Read, Wear and Watch in April
Plus the March favorites
We’ve officially wrapped Q1, how do we feel about it? I always toe the line between setting big goals and accepting the reality of what the start of a new year inevitably brings along with it and I’m thrilled for Q2—April, May and June always bring such a fresh energy with their lavish amounts of sunshine, fresh produce and sleep-in mornings. An embarrassment of riches, truly. Despite welcoming back longer daylight hours ealy in the month and officially marking “Spring” on the calender, Something about March still feels decidedly lumped in with Winter in my mind. April, though? With her strings of rainy days turning dirt patches and bare trees to lush gardens and blooms on branches? Easter with her reminder of the hope of the Gospel, the joy of the Ressurection and her egg hunts and honey glazed ham? April is new. April is fresh. April is Spring.
We have a trip coming up in a couple weeks that has been liferaft on rough waters the past few weeks and I can’t wait to share all about it. Until then, we’ll be talking about Spring Cleaning and preparing for the rapidly approaching end of the school year. I’ll have an exclusive video here on the gold standard preparing a couple spaces in my home for Spring and Summer—I’m talking deep cleaning, organizing and the whole nine yards—a look into my far too thorough preparations for a road trip and a personal newsletter to take us to the end of this beautiful month. Weekly meal plans and outfit diaries will of course be delivered every Sunday as always. I’m so glad you’re here for the ride.
stanley water jug. roz hair treatment. tenoverten nail polish. target barn jacket. ryan hall y’all youtube channel. titus study. nuuds pajama set. calm. paleo chipotle ranch sauce. kids allergy supplement.
What to Read:
I said I’d report back with a review of The Bee Sting and I have to do that with quite a few disclaimers. This book is a read at your own risk situation because for me personally, parts of it needed to be skipped over in the equivalent of closing my eyes and plugging my ears during a movie. The book is downright vulgar at times, and not in the “smut” way I think of when women describe reading what is essentially porn. Parts were very difficult to get through and past, but the writing is astounding, there’s no other way to put it. The storytelling and character development rivals anything I’ve read and I’ve never run to Reddit faster than I did after reading the last page of this book. It’s almost 700 pages so it took all of my reading energy this month, but take this as more of a review than a recommendation.
I’m also pitching a request for bookish podcasts. I haven’t been listening to podcasts as much lately aside from my go-to few, but I stumbled apon The Readheads Book Club and found the titles revealed many books I’ve loved across the board being discussed. I haven’t even listened to an episode aside from saving many, but I’m welcoming your recommendations.
What to Watch:
What kind of person would I be if I didn’t recommend Singing in the Rain for April? Last month’s recommendations still stand strong—Emma, 10 Things I Hate About You, The Sound of Music, Notting Hill and It’s Complicated. But I’d also add Sense and Sensability, the live action version of Cinderella and for kids, the colors and etravagance of Nanny McPhee make it the perfect choice.
Based on the description, I’m looking forward to watching Étoile this month since it’s a dance show from the writers of Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Miss Maisel. I’m a sucker for any film surrounding dance(I was raised on Center Stage, Coyote Ugly, Stomp the Yard, Step Up and Save the Last Dance after all) so I’ll give this show a try and will let you know what I think in the April edition of this letter.
For the cinema hounds, this Rotten Tomato article is a great guide for the month. And I’m still begging you to watch 2017s Adrift for no reason other than I was so moved by it that I can’t stop talking about it weeks later.
What to Eat:
There are many, many rainy days in April here in Texas. The heat tends to return, but ultimately it’s unpredictable. I’m looking forward to what I determine the last month I’m willing to make chili on my stove til’ October with the Award Winning Chili Recipe I’ve used for years. Lots of honey cornbread, extra corn chips and all the fixins’ would make for a perfect meal for a stormy night. We’re in the thick of sports season which means Fridays are for Football, Saturdays are for Soccer and Sundays are for Basketball. I need meals that are borderline instant, often portable and preferrably lend themselves to meal-prep. Buffalo Chicken Avocado Wraps, Cracked Out Turkey Pinwheels, Healthier Homemade Crunchwrap Supremes, Mediterranian Dense Bean Salad and Simple Pad Thai that can be served cold on the sidelines make for a more labor intensive version of this ideal. Walking Tacos, BLTs, Grown Up Lunchables and Crockpot BBQ Chicken to be added to either potatoes, sourdough rolls or your favorite buns all serve as the easier spectrum of meals that are a sports-day dream.
We almost bought a Jersey Mike’s franchise at one point in time—that’s how much we love it. I can’t wait to make this Sub in a Tub recipe because look at it and try to tell me it’s not everything your dreams are made of. (My Mom is from Detroit and my Dad is from Houston so this might be niche, but it’s undeniably dreamy in my mind.)
When it comes to Easter, since we’ll be out of town for the Holiday the menu will look quite a bit different, but typically we start with an extra decadant French Toast breakfast spread and have some form of scalloped potato with Paleo Honey Baked Ham, a spectacular salad (maybe my favorite Strawberry Salad that I can’t stop making) and perfect Paleo Carrot Cake in the afternoon. I’d love to know your go-to Easter recipes because this is deeply important to me.
If you’re not yet a paying subscriber and you don’t have access to the weekly Meal Plan, this Sunday post is one of the most common reasons people choose an annual subscription. If you’re in a meal rut, let me do the hard work for you here.
What to Wear:
My ShopMy is updated every single week and the shop you’ll likely be most interested in is my Most Worn Work From Home Shop and the Vacation Edit. There are three specific things on my mind right now that I can’t stop thinking about—
Scarves in All Forms
This movement has been picking up for a couple seasons, but it really reached a head lately and I’m so inspired. The idea of adding interest to an outfit simply by tying on a square scarf or bandana makes me giddy and I’ve already worn some of my own scarves more than I had in years thanks to this moodboard. Here’s a roundup, but thrifting is the best route for this one.
A Great Denim Shirt: The Wardrobe Workhorse
My denim shirts get used more than most thing in my wardrobe. You know I’m no stranger to denim on denim, but I also love a denim shirt used more creatively to add a layer of texture to every outfit. It has a way of softening and elevating at the same time. I linked my favorites here and I just got this H&M Denim pullover recently to add to the lineup. This is the one I can’t stop thinking about after hunting it down recently, I hope someone snags it while the ridiculous sale is still going on because that embroidery has my heart.
Green & Red
The shade is important here since a true red and a true green will feel Elf/Santa Clause/Mistletoe adjacent. A warmer tone of each, though, is something magical. I’ll dip my toe in with just a touch rather than full extremes, but I can’t wait to incorporate this into my wardrobe.
That does it for this month’s edition of the favorites. I love these roundups and while some months I can hardly narrow down my favorites and some I find that I was just reaching for the same thing. This was one of those months. I hope you’re buzzing with excitement and rejuvenation for the month ahead and I’ll see you here, same time same place, to serve as your weekly reminder that you’ve finished another week. Friday morning delight lives on.
Have a beautiful weekend, friends.
great round up, as always! the fashun boards are so dreamy, and I had no idea about Étoile 🤩 homemade crunchwrap supremes are such a fun, special treat in our house, especially bc I can make mine with SHRIMP 😋
Thank you for all of the great links! Especially excited to try the allergy supplement for my kids!
I wanted to recommend “The Currently Reading” podcast. It’s a weekly show with tons of good reading recommendations without spoilers. I also joined their Patreon for the extras. I’ve been listening for about 5 years now and really look forward to Mondays when the episodes come out.
Happy Friday!!!!