a rainy day...

 We're finally getting consistently into the 30's and 40's. Tomorrow will jump up into the high 60's and then back down into the 40's again. Our April showers seem to be mostly snow showers, though it isn't really sticking at this point. It will be raining and thunderstorming today and tomorrow.

This is Audrey's latest fold-out card from an Art for Kids Hub video tutorial. 

Micah has had a full week with homeschool co-op, MOPS, Adele's dance class and play practices. The three grand girls will be performing tonight and Sunday in the homeschool production of "101 Dalmatians". Audrey is a "poodle narrator" and Hazel and Adele will be dalmatians. :) I'll be babysitting Sully and Thatcher tonight and I'll go see the play on Sunday. It's been a big babysitting week!

My current reading pile...

I just finished The Gulag Archipelago. It was a long slog, but something I think everyone should read at some point. (At least the abridged version!) Especially the younger generation who seem to be ignorant of some of the history of the world. I also finished...

The story of a "marriage of convenience" and how love can grow in some of the most unlikely circumstances. Takes place during the Napoleonic wars and is filled with history.

Mags, you asked what I do with all these books after I read them. I usually donate them back to the thrift store, or occasionally mail one to a family member whom I think might enjoy it. Yesterday I took several down from the shelves and flipped through the beginnings of them and then tossed them straight into my donation box! I try to keep things rotating in and out so I don't get too many. I used to be a bit of a hoarder. I'm trying to overcome that tendency. No point in keeping things I'm not really looking forward to reading. That's why some of the impulse purchases are sent back without reading them. Too many books; too little time! :)

MK, yes, I've watched several of those Ruth Stout videos on YouTube and enjoyed them a lot! If I ever get around to gardening, that's how I'll do it! :)

I'm slowing down a little on the ATCs. I've "gone on homers", as we say, for the Continuous Round Robin swaps. That means I'll just get back my finished cards, but won't be sent cards that need work. I just need to get off the merry-go-round for a while. I'll still be doing regular swaps as the spirit moves me. 

These cards are for the April Weird Holidays swap.

The Save the Bees swap...

APC (altered playing card) Cats and a little something extra-8's

The Mice are Nice swap...

The Felis Catus swap...

The Found Poetry swap...

During my nursing school days (remember my nursing school days about 10 years ago?) I read a book for Sociology called The Blue Zones. It's about areas in the world where people live to be 100 or so with great regularity. I came across this cookbook at the thrift store. It's really interesting, though it will probably go unused, like all of my cookbooks. I tend to eat very simple things and prefer it that way. :)

But it's fun to look through.

I came across these at the bottom of my memory card and don't recall posting them. This was a swap called "Text Me". You needed to have some text somewhere on the card. Some of these were from cool old Saturday Evening Post covers. (Or it may have been the Foreign Language swap, since they seem to all be in non-English languages.)

Well, enough of that! I think it will be a day of reading, loafing and listening to the rain pitter patter on the roof. I'll venture out to the post office and then stay in where it's warm and dry until babysitting time.

Thanks for stopping by! I'll be by for a visit to all my bloggy friends. 

Love and shalom to all!