Somehow we have blazed through the month of May…I’m not quite sure where it went…much like the pink blossoms in the first picture below that I captured early in the month & have long since disappeared, so too have the May Days rapidly moved on. I think that might have something to do with a very busy work month…in the midst of such a busy month, fun was had…these are a few of the things I was into during my May Days…

Pink blooms spotted en route to lunch one day early this month….

Reading…quite a few things – I’ll have reviews in a June twitterature roundup. Among the reads: The Reliable Wife – The Prodigal – That’s Not in My American History Book – Chasing Fireflies – and more…

Milk & cookies with The Lego Movie – somewhere over the Atlantic

Watching…another UK business trip provided an opportunity to catch up on several recent movies: Monument Men; Catching Fire; The Lego Movie; Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit…my church rented out a theater for “Heaven is for Real” early in the month…summer starts when I watch the National Memorial Day Concert on PBS & this year’s concert didn’t disappoint…since London seems to be in my circle now, I’ve started this new season of 24…

Listening…recent album acquisitions include the latest Need to Breathe

The season continues…

Crafting…keeping current on my Brewers Crackerjack – not thrilled with the gray patch from some disappointing road games…

Mom’s Strawberry Pie

Cooking…not quite as much…Mom’s strawberry pie…Santa Maria beans…roasted shrimp & asparagus go-to…

After a long day of project planning…

Sipping…a few good pints whilst in the UK…

Noshing…beans for breakfast as part of the daily English breakfast…fish & chips…a favorite salad (grilled chicken & pears with blue cheese, walnuts & balsamic) from a NJ diner when overnight for a training session…

Walking…for the 3rd year, I’m participating in the Global Corporate Challenge through work…so, it’s time to ramp up my daily steps…

Traveling…this 2nd work trip to the UK had me outside of London for most of the duration; however London tourist fun was still to be had on a gorgeous Sunday

My favorite perfume…from Capri!

Enjoying…a new bottle of my favorite perfume from Capri! For 9 years, I have “nursed” a small bottle of this lovely scent. It turns out that Liberty of London carries the Carthusia perfumes. So, a sparkly new bottle of Mediterraneo came home with me.

Looking Ahead…WI family will be here shortly for a fun family vacation & quite a few fun activities are planned for those days…another UK business trip in June is booked, including a weekend for fun…Mom & Dad are coming to visit around July 4th – yay!!…

Linking up with Leigh Kramer for the monthly “What I’m Into” round-up. What are you into these days?

How can 2014 now be 25% complete? March was a month of good intentions on the blog and very few posts – I’m queuing up several of these for the first part of April now. After a gray and rainy weekend and a fair amount of chilly days, it is nice to see the sun this week and an upward temperature trend – maybe we have survived winter and are indeed emerging into spring? As the calendar moves onto April, here’s a bit of “What I’m Into” in March as I link up with Leigh Kramer. 

Reading…was pretty low…I did finally finish “Cuckoo’s Calling” and think I will continue with the series when the next book is released. I’m currently reading “The Orphan Masters Son” – hopefully I’ll have an April twitterature roundup with a couple of completed reads.

Watching…An overseas trip brought the chance to see several “recent” movies on the long flights…I enjoyed each of my selections: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, About Time, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Crafting…knitting away on the Baby Sleep Sack for a co-worker; a spring shawlette has been blocked & is ready for use; the shawl I started on Super Bowl Sunday is off the needles & awaiting a good soak and blocking; a baseball themed knit is getting started

Cooking…I cooked quite a bit early in the month and less later in the month because of travel. Among the cooking highlights, a couple of “pin wins” where I tried something that I had pinned on my “Someday Recipes” board: Citrus Roasted Chicken with Sweet Potatoes & Pears; Sriracha Coleslaw to accompany pulled pork (made even better by using my homemade mayo).

Cheering…Mercer March Madness – for the 1st time in almost 30 years, my alma mater was in the big dance. While disappointed that they didn’t go farther, the win over Duke is quite a thrill. It has been fun to see friends & colleagues talk about Mercer – social media was filled with all sorts of fun – lots of articles to enjoy. I am Mercer Proud!

Appreciating…the return of Daylight Savings Time – it is so nice to have daylight left when I leave the office.

Brightening…up my wardrobe as the season changes. Pulling out the spring clothes from storage. The return of my pale aqua coat instead of the brown quilted one that was my winter workhorse. Picking up a few new pieces to incorporate into work & play wardrobes.

Traveling…a quick trip to Washington DC to see my TX girlies…a business trip to London that included a few fun & touristy moments in addition to productive work meetings…(highlights of both trips are already queued to publish)

Looking Ahead…April brings a couple of weekends of family travel…Easter in the ‘Ville…a first communion…with longer days and warmer weather, it’s time to dust off the patio chair & enjoy outdoor reading time…

Another month has come to an end…for being the shortest month of the year, this February also had points in time where it seemed very long. As we move towards March (and spring?!?), here’s a bit of “What I’m Into” for the month…

February Moments

Reading…As I mentioned in my Recently Read post, my focus was on books that I already owned. Not quite as many finished as I had hoped – but making progress.

Watching…Way too much of the Winter Olympics…a House of Cards Season 2 marathon…I finally saw Frozen and thoroughly enjoyed it – a good Disney musical

Crafting…I’m nearing the finish on a new shawl – I started it on Super Bowl Sunday and kept busy with it through the Olympics. I’ve also started on a baby knit for a co-worker’s first baby – it has been several years since I’ve had a baby knit on the needles.

Cooking…I’m now hooked on making homemade coconut milk (use this as my starting point)- even easier & tastier than homemade almond milk adventures. I started on a Whole 30 at the start of the month and only made it to about a Whole 12 before some business travel + snow storm limitations pulled me off course – so I’ve been focusing on Whole 30 at home and smart when away. In addition to the homemade coconut milk, some kitchen staples for me to be successful with this include “hard boiling” a dozen eggs in the oven each week, keeping homemade mayo in the fridge, roasting a big batch of vegetables…

Snacking…on a new homemade trail mix: freeze dried cranberries + freeze dried mandarin slices + freeze dried pineapple + coconut chips + nuts (cashews or pistachios). These days, I keep a bag of this in my purse or at my desk.

Avoiding…the monster potholes that are appearing because of the extreme winter weather. In the spirit of the Olympics, I have “christened” this the cross-country pothole slalom. In addition to the normal daily driving, I endured an ultra marathon event in this – a business trip up to Massachusetts meant I got to experience the course through 5 states: up on a Monday afternoon & back on Wednesday afternoon.

Lighting…citrus candles as a way to bring some cheer into the winter gloom. A large 3 wick sweet Clementine was burned clean in under a month. A recent sale had me stocking up on more citrus scents for the coming weeks (Pomelo grapefruit, Road to Capri, Lemon Leaf Mint).

Appreciating…storm preparedness and my ready box…when the ice storm came through earlier in the month – I knew I was ready to weather the power loss when it came. Stay tuned for my suggestions on a ready box.

Looking Ahead…to March…a possible spring break meet-up with my TX girlies in Washington DC…a possible business trip across the pond…time to “spring ahead” & the promise of longer days…

Linking up with Leigh Kramer’s monthly connection…