I totally skipped April because, quite frankly, I didn’t have the energy to do anything other than crawl from the couch to the toilet and back again. There was only one thing I could think of that made me happy, no two: Saltines & my nausea prescription, which really did nothing but give me an hour of relief three times a day. With that being said, the first of my favorite things this month is:

THE 2ND TRIMESTER

While I’m not out of the woods yet with pregnancy sickness, I can say with absolute happiness that last week, at 14 weeks, I started holding down some foods. The joy that comes with only vomiting once a day is incredible! (I looked back through my calendar and realized that in the past 9 weeks, I have had 2 days where I have not been sick. I’m not asking for sympathy, but I also won’t lie: it’s been rough.) So now I’m into the second trimester–which I’ve heard referred to as the honeymoon trimester because it’s apparently the best one of all three–and this whole pregnancy thing is getting much better! Yes, we’re finding out gender and, no, I haven’t felt the baby yet. I’m excited to get a little bump though and start showing off him/her! Hopefully that will happen very soon!

ICE CUBES

Perhaps it’s pregnancy, perhaps it’s the warm weather, but…ice cubes. I don’t care what dentists say about chewing on ice. I’ll sacrifice my teeth for some crunchy water.

SUNSHINE

The warm weather has finally come and it’s lifting everyone’s spirits. Winter was so so so long and bitter and spring hardly lasted a second before we were in the 80s with humidity and an apocalypse of gnats. Tank tops and shorts are in full swing now and my whole spirit feels so refreshed to be able to walk outside without bundling up. That being said, those gnats!

FRONT PORCH MAKEOVER

On Memorial Day we did three things: we bought a car, we sold my old Camry (my very first car that I’ve been driving for 10 years!), and we painted the front door. Ever since we moved in, I disliked the red door. It wasn’t even a pretty red. It was just a generic, burgundy red. The front porch needed some major personality so, with the hostas now in full bloom out front, I gathered several paint chips and finally picked a shade of blue that was equally fun and non-trendy (I didn’t want to have to repaint it next year). The process went much quicker and easier than I expected. Kevin sanded the door, first with an orbital sander and then by hand with a fine-grit paper, and then we rolled the paint with a small sponge roller. We ended up doing 4 thin coats and letting it dry all day before hanging the door again in the evening. Sometimes I go outside now just so I can look at the door. I also got a large planter and spray-painted it bright teal, potted a fern in it, and hung a beautiful hanging basket that I bought at the Amish greenhouse in Kalona. Now I feel like the front of our house finally segues to the inside!