A sentence a day in April

 We had another great month!  April flew by in the blink of an eye and while our weather was all over the place, we made sure to make the most of those warm, sunny days whenever they cropped up. 

1. I slept until well past 7 on Saturday morning after picking Alec up from SkillsUSA at 10:30 last night (when we had woken up at 3:50 am that Friday morning to get him dropped off in time!) then worked in the kitchen putting a post roast in the crock pot, making a salad, cutting up broccoli for dinner and a bunch of fruit for our breakfasts this week.  I then did the laundry and made some Easter cards before settling on the couch to read, blog, and relax. It was a rainy, cool, and miserable April day.  4,984 steps

2. Evan and I went on a hike around Pulaski on Sunday afternoon (and I really only remember that because of our photos!).  7,968 steps. 

3. I had a hair appointment Monday afternoon so I started my day nice and early at the grocery store, then flew through schoolwork with Evan before running a few more errands (bank and library).  Ian gave notice at his work and only has 2 weeks left until his new job starts! 7,715 steps. 

4. It was a beautiful day out and Evan and I could not get through his schoolwork fast enough!  We headed out hiking for nearly an hour and a half and I finished my day with Alec's first track meet of the season. 14, 312 steps. 

I missed both his discus throws so I was determined to capture every javelin throw!

5. It was a dreary, windy day so Evan and I stuck close to home. I worked on painting the insert for our bedroom wall that my husband finished this weekend and did a couple of workouts in the basement. 6,226 steps

Just waiting for my husband to install it and put the trim back up.

6. Evan and I headed out to hike at Purgatory chasm after he finished his schoolwork.  They're working on a huge construction project at the chasm so only select trails were open. We stopped for lunch at Panera Bread on the way home. My mother in law brought over girl scout cookies and my mom sent us some flavored popcorn for Easter. 10,088 steps 

7. I had my annual check up right in the middle of the morning so we didn't do much of anything this day- I worked out, used a set of Colorstreet wraps on my nails, read my book, etc.  It was a pretty windy and chilly day out so we had no desire to go hiking after lunch either. Alec, Evan, and I enjoyed a very lazy first day of April vacation. 8,286 steps.

I had to throw on my sweatshirt to get the mail and even with that it was cold

8. I spent my morning making some cards and running a few errands like picking up books from the library and getting my ring cleaned and inspected then spent the afternoon driving with my husband to pick up some RZR and jet ski supplies.  4,556 steps.

9. I spent a good portion of my day working on scrapbooking pages 3,088

Shrimp stir-fry over teriyaki cauliflower rice

10. I spent my morning grocery shopping and prepping food before cleaning the entire upstairs. After lunch Alec, Evan, and I headed out on a hike around the Thompson Dam. 12,193 steps

11. Alec, Evan, and I went out to lunch at a new to us place called Jersey Mikes and then to the zoo. We had a wonderful afternoon of animal watching before stopping for some homemade ice cream on the way home. 6,535 steps 

12. Alec had track in the morning and I was taking him clothes and shoe shopping in the afternoon so I spent my morning cleaning house; tackling the whole downstairs in one fell swoop.  (for whatever reason my step counter didn't work this day)

13. After making yet another salad and cutting up more fruits I spent my morning deep cleaning the kitchen then pulled out all the patio furniture since it was in the mid-80's!! I spent my afternoon in the sun reading while Alec headed out to work and Evan had his friend over. (another day the step counter malfunctioned!)

14. Even though it was going to be another HOT day (90!! in April?!), I talked the boys into an early morning hike and we checked out a new place called Stillwater Scenic Trail. After our hike and lunch, I took a shower to wash off the bug spray and changed into a skirt and tee. 10,331 steps. 

I thought this painted area under the bridge was so cute!  All words of encouragement 

Tuna wrap with butternut squash fries and an apple

Boston blackout ice cream

15. My husband and I took off just after lunch for a long day of errands/ a date. First stop was picking up the new rims for the RZR then over to pick up Alec's uniforms. We decided to head into Mystic for the day and went shopping at the village before heading to an early dinner at the Captain Daniel Packer Inne-- it was delicious!!  (7,538 steps-- though I don't wear it out on date night I did have it in my purse)

I brought the jean jacket and wore it most of the day

The old Inne

16. I was up early on Sunday and went to get groceries by myself since Ben wasn't feeling well. The heat wave officially ended and we had a cold, rainy day hanging around the house. I got Ian signed up for his fall semester and the boys got the dock put in. We pulled out my Christmas village so Ian can start making his diorama background for it he's been planning. 4,429 steps. 

17. Ian started his new job and Ben stayed home from work sick so it threw our morning off a bit. But after a quick morning of schooling with Evan I took off to get gas, go to the library, deposit Alec's paycheck at the bank, then stopped at Stop & Shop to pick up those items I forgot at the grocery store on Sunday. Evan and I spent much of our afternoon watching Caribbean Life and I cooked up some chicken fajitas for dinner. 3,656 steps. 

I put my chicken/onion/pepper mixture over cauliflower rice and just a tiny sprinkle of cheese

18. As soon as the older boys were off to school and work I headed to the basement to workout and then Evan and I settled down to work on his schooling.  We tried a new hiking place but only made it about 15 minutes since it was just SO windy and raw outside. We settled in to watch TV and I tried to soak up all the warmth to take with me to Alec's track meet. 8,932 steps. 

19. Evan and I tackled his schoolwork early and then he had a friend over after lunch. I spent much of my day working on blogging and watching TV and running on the treadmill then ended my day helping my husband unstack wood (we always bring down lots of stacks of wood for our woodstove and only used 1/2 of it this year so we wanted to clear off the patio for summer).   8050 steps. 

20. I squeezed in a Pilates workout before Evan and I tackled his schoolwork.  We went for a hike around Pulaski and then met my mom, mother in law, our friend, and even Alec (who had a 1/2 day of school after his latest ServeSafe test) for lunch at the Railside Tavern. 10,793 steps. 

21. I showered after working out and got ready to start school with Evan... and then we decided to pack away all the books and head out to hike Mount Wachusett instead! I changed, we hiked, and we were home by lunch; where I showered again, changed back into outfit #1 and went to run a few errands. 14,565 steps.

22. I spent my morning cleaning the house while Ian worked on his schooling and Alec made Ian's cakes. In the afternoon Ian, myself, and my mother in law played cards--  I won again! (my step counter died mid-day)

23. It was such a miserable rainy, Sunday so I decided to finish up all the scrapbook pages for all the photos I have developed while Alec decorated Ian's cake; we finished off the day with a party for Ian with most of his grandparents.  (forgot my step counter entirely after leaving it charging)

3 layer cake with peanut butter frosting & peanut butter cup pieces throughout

24. I worked out in the morning, did some schooling with Evan and then we headed out on a hike. After lunch I took Evan shopping for new sneakers and some summer clothes. It was so quick and painless-- we stopped at Famous Footwear and went next door to Old Navy and we were done! 13,808 steps

25. I skipped my morning workout to get caught up on blog stuff then Evan and I finished up his schoolwork and headed out to hike; the water was so loud due to all the rain we had over the weekend. We hiked for just 45 minutes and managed to get back to the car just as more rain started falling. 11,723 steps. 

It's amazing to see everything blooming after 2 days of rain!

You can see where the water must have overflown the banks and covered the path here!

26.  Alec only had a 1/2 day so Evan and I spent a lazy day hanging around the house after a quick morning workout and finishing up Evan's school. 10,066 steps.

27. Another rainy day-- Evan and I finished school by 9 am and I spent the rest of my morning putting the pages and page protectors in the scrapbooks while listening to my book on Libby before heading to the library. We had a beautiful double rainbow after dinner! 6,032 steps.

You can see we got our solar panel stand back up; we're just waiting for the solar panels to be installed.

28. Evan and I headed out hiking after he was finished with school... and then I honestly just don't remember anything else about this day! 13,705 steps. 

29. We headed out for an open house at Johnson and Wales University and spent the whole day immersed in learning about their culinary program and campus life-- it sounds incredible!  10,296 steps

30. It was a cold and rainy end to our month; I spent my day helping Ian with his final paper for his class, helping Alec make a birthday card, and helping Evan and my husband clean off the patio and the yard. My husband and I went for quick RZR ride and then curled up to watch TV.  5,178 steps.

Linking up with: First Friday Favorites, Spread the Kindness,