Seasonal Favorites // Spring 2022

Spring flew by quickly. I feel like I blinked, time-traveled, and landed in the middle of summer. I want to share some of the sweetest moments and the things I enjoyed during this season before I blink again and find myself in autumn, having skipped summer entirely.

Wine & Cocktails

‘French Fizz’ from Trader Joe’s has been a favorite throughout spring and now into summer. It’s the perfect summer sipper poolside or inside after a long walk. It’s not too sweet, making it ideal to pair with a charcuterie board at your next picnic or with this Carrot Cake recipe.

For cocktails, Stephen and I have enjoyed two of our favorites: the Lemon Martini (post coming soon!) and the traditional Daiquiri. And trust me, you don’t want to miss out on Stephen’s post about how to order and make a proper Daiquiri—it’s one of my favorites!

Books

In February I revisited J. R. R. Tolkien’s Letters, especially the letters he sent to his son (Christopher Tolkien) when he was fighting in the second world war. Tolkien lived through and fought in the first world war. The wisdom and advice he passed on to his son are unparalleled. Reading Tolkien’s letters provides hobbit-like comfort. I highly recommend it!

Other worlds I’ve visited include The Starless Sea, Little Women, The Brothers Karamazov, and for light-hearted fun The Zodiac Academy series and Lore Olympus. Reviews on all coming soon!

Sewing

I’m slowly working on a new quilt, but in between, I’ve made a new skirt (Lord of the Rings themed), a new dress from an early 1940s pattern (give my Instagram Reel a heart!), and I altered the skirt pictured below that I scored for $8 at Design Archives in downtown Winston-Salem.

Easter

It’s the best day of the year and this year was special because I celebrated five years since I was received into the Catholic Church (read my conversion story here) AND the best part: Stephen and I found Jesus (you can see our selfie with Him below).

“Faith and Reason are like two wings of the human spirit by which it soars to the truth.”

Pope John Paul II, Fides et Ratio

Music & Podcasts

My music choices have been so random lately, but here they are:

I Say a Little Prayer // Aretha Franklin
American Pie // Don McLean
Dancing in the Moonlight // Toploader
House of Cards // Radiohead
Heat Waves // Glass Animals
La ritournelle // Sebastien Tellier

For Podcasts, I’ve really enjoyed listening to the Blessed Is She Teachable Tuesday podcast on my walk/bike ride to work. It’s been so refreshing and good for my soul to listen to God’s word before I begin my day.

I really enjoyed listening to The Joe Rogan Experience #1824 talk with Lex Fridman and #1757 with Dr. Robert Malone, MD. So, so good.

Home

Finally, one of my favorite things about spring was our home.

It’s cozy.

We’re always rearranging and making it better. And the best part—the magical thing—about our home is that it feels good to leave for walks, dates with each other, and little adventures—and it feels even better to come back.

That’s how a home should feel. And if it doesn’t feel that way to you, well, you have the magic to make that happen. So rearrange a thousand times until it feels just right. Clean, dust, or don’t, but whatever you do, make it yours.