April In Review

April was a busy month. Do I say that every month?

OK, before I get into reviewing and remembering last month, I need to get something off my chest; I was terrible at blogging in April. I had a hard time keeping to my schedule and meeting my goals. Sure, sometimes life gets ahead of blogging, but one thing I enjoy and want to prioritize is this space. It's not always easy, but I continue to learn and grow from my attempts to be a better blogger. In May I plan to renew my commitment to this blog and learning from it. I just wanted to say that, put it out there, at the beginning of a new month. 

Anyone else exclaiming their enthusiasm for their... trade, craft, blog, journal, instagram, etc...? Shout it out in the comments. 

Now on to April:

We spent a lot of time at home in April. We spent time chilling in the back yard with bonfires and cats, walking on our local beaches, planting, weeding, cleaning, crafting and catching up on sleep. Afternoon naps with cats are the best! 

We traveled some this month, too. Seeing friends and family and familiar places. Brooklyn's still cool, Cape May is still cozy, in case you were wondering!  

A good portion of April was just about going outside, enjoying the weather, spotting the #watchercats, and taking endless photos of flowers. 

A lot of sewing got done this month and some exciting things are happening for Mad Cat Quilts. Be on the look out for new work, new columns, new instas to follow! April was a time to grow!

In the spirit of growth, here are some things I learned, or relearned in April:
- TV is bad for me and my productivity (but I love it!).
- Getting up early is hard, but oh so satisfying. 
- I love seeing flowers I planted last year coming back again! 

April was plenty rainy, so here's hoping May sees tons of buds blooming!

April in Review

April was a surprising long month. At least, time seemed to go at normal pace, not zoom by as many months seem to. And what a full month it was!!

The month started out with parties and celebrations, planting, visits, and the weather warming up, life heated up, settled down, and I feel like we are cementing our place in this new environment. There is so much to look forward to in May, but let's take a look back at how awesome April was. 

1) Little nugget. 2)Springtime in Ocean Grove. 3) All the Pinks in Asbury Park. 4) A safe shard. 

I got a good amount of sewing in in April! I was right on track with making one quilt a month at the beginning of April, but I fell behind, somehow... I will try to make this up at some point. I've really enjoyed being part of the 2016 Finish Along, OMG, and Year Of The Stash, so far this year... I can't wait to continue.  

1) My May goal. 2) A new block. 3) Vintage squares. 4) A city by the sea.

Planting, plants, yard work, and the beach were big themes this month. Having a yard is great, even when we have to mow! It's really exciting to plant this year, while keeping in mind how it will look next year, as well. An opportunity I've never had before!

1) A broken bud comes inside. 2) An expected azalea. 3) Yard blooms. 4) Party Leftovers. 

April started out with parties but there was a lot of work to be done, as well. But we had some relaxing time with family and friends. 

1) The look of someone who should not be in the guest room. 2) The look of someone who should not be in the sink. 3) Flounder finds some space. 4) Just the right place. 

So many amazing things happened this April, you guys! I hope everyone out there feels as happy and excited about this month as I did, and I hope that feeling carries us right through May!

April in Review

Phew, April went fast! 
This month really felt like Spring to me, with daffodils making their debut and trees flowering like mad all over Brooklyn. We began to take more regular trips Down The Shore in April, which definitely heralds the warmer weather. 

1) Trees blooming in Park Slope... 2) and Kensington. 3) There were a few grey days and April showers. 4) And some spectacular sunsets. 

Work geared up for the family this month, what with warm days and the start of baseball season. But it felt good to get our hands dirty and change up our routine. Although we were worn out from the end of March, when it was still cold, family members fell ill, and we were generally tired and stressed, having the upswing at our day jobs cemented the start and change of Spring. 

1) Giant eggs for Easter. 2) My black metal album cover. 3) High contrast in Prospect Park Zoo... 4) and in Asbury Park. 

The month started off with great focus on our work at home as well. Quilting, blogging, and sewing were all chugging along in the beginning, but petered out a little towards the end of the month. I'm diligently trying to stick to the blog schedule (more on this soon) I have been working on since end of March, and doing well IMHO. I made my Finish Along list for Q2 and got working right away at the beginning of April, but at it's end I have no finishes to show for it. Other goals have been achieved tho! We got back into the house hunt, as well. Which is both invigorating and stressful. 

1) Olin Street, Ocean Grove, NJ. 2) West Cape May, NJ. 3) 8th Street, Park Slope. 4) 8th Ave, Park Slope. 

1) Serious Tavis. 2) Pensive Pallas. 2) Pondering Pit. 4) Bippi and a sun beam.

We were able to travel a few times this month, hitting some of our favorite spots, seeing family (although briefly), and watcher spotting out of town! We were able to walk some towns, some zoos, and some beaches .
At home, we watcher spotted, visited with friends, cat sat, made some food and ate out, went to the zoo, read books in bars, and general enjoyed the heck out of Brooklyn. 

1) I kept calling everything at the zoo "zebras" for some reason. 2) Finally back to beach combing. 3) Classic coffee. 4) Tavis refuses to DJ. 

So, happily and easily,  April budded into a beautiful bloom! It's Spring growth felt like it was propelling us with leafy tendrils into something new. We shot forward thru the month and now we can only wonder what May has in mind for us... 

April in Review

April was another month filled with work. Interesting and fulfilling work, but all consuming. I'm still loving my job, and I did get to balance it out with sewing, trips to the beach and zoo, and dinners at friend's houses. 

Blogging unfortunately has taken a lengthy ride in the back seat with only 4 posts in the last two months. There are some new posts in the works, but I'll need to find the time for creating them. Unfortunately, it hasn't been a priority recently. Luckily, April had the hopefulness and energy of Spring, Making me think all things are possible. 

1) April finally saw some real signs of spring. 2) Mushrooms and other veggies are popping up at the farmers market. 3) Brooklyn streets are blooming... 4) And the dogs are contemplating the possibilities of warmer weather. 

Although I started several new quilts, and worked on some current projects, April is another month without a finish. I hope May will be a more dramatic and dynamic sewing month. 

1) Flounder enjoys the sunny windowsill. 2) A very fancy duck. 3) Lunch time at the Prospect Park Zoo. 4) THe beginning of a quilt. 

One of our favorite things to do Brooklyn is to go to the Prospect Park Zoo and we were lucky enough to make two trips in April. We even alerted the zoo keepers to an injured peacock! 

1) The most manicured flower patch in Prospect Heights. 2) Lost limb at Sandy Hook, NJ. 3) Magic hour on the Outer Bridge Crossing. 4) A golden life at the Library. 

April had a good amount of visiting with family and friends. Steak dinners, walks in Brooklyn 'hoods, drives to NJ beaches, Easter dinners. Discussions of chess, flowers, birds. Watcher spotting is an obsessive, but relaxing, pastime. 

1) Alert Watcher, keeping an eye on the neighborhood. 2) Stephen's chess game, Mother's flowers. 3) Exotic zoo friends. 4) Sneaky peepers. 

The weather finally broke in April. People are shedding their winter clothes and attitudes, and heading out to see what Spring really has to offer. By the Library, Grand Army Plaza is booming, Prospect Park is blooming, and my little life is chugging along right in the middle. For next month I'd like to see some finishes, some giveaways (only 19 followers on instagram to go!), some organizing, reducing, repurposing. Both in quilting and in life. 

April, you showed us once again that Winter doesn't last forever, that hope springs eternal. Through rainstorms and renewal, budding and growing, April put us at ease and started us off to another Summer Season. May what do your blooms hold?