Monthly Musings in April

 It's the last Friday of the month and time for monthly musings with Patty and Holly. This month we have a wide range of topics we're covering. 


1. We don't really celebrate Easter or any other holiday in spring anymore. We used to celebrate Easter when the boys were younger and actually at home. Alec stayed at college this year and Ian was off starting a new landscaping job so it felt just like any other day; which was weird. 

I miss decorating eggs!

 
my brother in law used to host an outdoor egg hunt for our 5 kids that was so much fun

sometimes the boys had another indoor egg hunt at my mom's or at our house

They always had Easter baskets up until a few years ago too.

2. I do not plant a garden as I don't seem to be very good at growing things. I will try to grow a pot of basil again this year but that's about it. 

3. I don't do much to decorate for spring I'll put a wreath on the door and put out a new welcome mat. It's also the time of year I'll pull out our outdoor furniture and some yard decorations but I don't change anything inside.


 4. Hm.. I tend to like "lighter" desserts in spring like:

This no-bake chocolate lasagna (named for all the chocolaty layers


 a yummy, fruity trifle like this strawberry shortcake trifle 


  Or this no bake Butterfinger dessert


 5. I tend to love all the spring flowers but my favorites are tulips; in fact my wedding bouquet was white tulips.


 6. My hosting tips stay pretty much the same year round; try to keep it simple and focus on spending time with the people you're hosting. Though if the weather is nice enough take the party outside; it makes clean up so much easier.

7. I pretty much just drink water year round but things like iced tea with mixed berries or lemonade give me all the spring/summer vibes. 


8. I have never had any luck growing vegetables but I do have several flower gardens; I mostly stick to low fuss plants that come back year after year and require little to nothing in the way of upkeep. Things like hydrangeas, lilies, rhododendrons, and forsythias.



9. The only candy I think of as "Easter" candy are the chocolate bunnies; I like mine caramel or peanut butter filled. 

10. Marshmallow peeps are gross, to me, but they sure are fun to experiment with! We used to run all sorts of fun candy science experiments..we could NOT get the peeps to break down and dissolve. 

Linking up with: Thinking Out Loud,

Comments

  1. Maria RineerApril 24, 2025 at 6:03 AM

    Your spring desserts look so good! I will check out those recipes. Your experiments with the Peeps look neat but I hate to see a wasted Peep, lol!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne April 24, 2025 at 7:53 AM

      Thank you... but no one in our house eats them and my kids were always given them by other family members so we put them to use!

      Delete
  2. Kim CarberryApril 24, 2025 at 6:17 AM

    We don't really do much for Easter now that my girls are older. Good luck to Ian with the new job!
    Your wreath is so pretty and that chocolate lasagne looks delicious!
    I was telling my eldest about American Easter candy over the weekend and she didn't have a clue what Peeps were. I've never tried them, they don't appeal to me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne April 24, 2025 at 7:53 AM

      Thank you! I do remember trying peeps as a kid but I don't ever remember being a big marshmallow fan.

      Delete
  3. HollyApril 24, 2025 at 6:28 AM

    What fun spring desserts! Lighter but look pretty and delish!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Melynda@Scratch Made Food!April 24, 2025 at 6:33 AM

    Our grandson has brought celebrations back around, it had become quiet till then. Echoing otbers about those desserts!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne April 24, 2025 at 7:54 AM

      Yes, I've heard grandkids have a tendency to do that. As of now all my boys swear they're never having kids (but we'll see; I remind them all I used to say the same thing!).

      Delete
  5. Amy ScottApril 24, 2025 at 7:16 AM

    Would you put a Peep in a hot chocolate? What about in a s'more? The sugar that is covering the marshmallow makes for a very good s'more! I had a Latin teacher next door to me many years ago that let her students explode them in her microwave. hmmmm - maybe that is why she is not there anymore?
    I missed dying eggs too, but not getting my hands all stained!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne April 24, 2025 at 7:52 AM

      I don't eat marshmallow at all; not in a s'more, not in hot chocolate... just no.

      Delete
  6. JoyceApril 24, 2025 at 7:49 AM

    I love a strawberry trifle and make that in the summer months more than spring. But it's light so definitely feels like spring-y. We do mostly pots here and my basil went nuts last year. I made so much pesto and it was so good. I look forward to that again this year. We don't have the right kind of yard for gardening so pots it is. Have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne April 24, 2025 at 7:56 AM

      Yeah our strawberry desserts are really more summer too since they don't ripen up here until July sometimes. I stick to container gardening too-- we have pretty decent soil but so much shade that even my flower gardens struggle.

      Delete
  7. AnonymousApril 24, 2025 at 8:40 AM

    I bet you could grow a salad greens garden. I reside overseas part of the year in Saudi which is not very garden friendly. Years ago I brought salad greens seeds (mesclun mix, arugula, chard etc) and they grow like weeds here, and are good for cooking as well as salads. I can never figure out why they are so expensive in the States, given they require no effort and produce for months.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne April 24, 2025 at 9:19 AM

      I could certainly try; though the last time I tried to grow salad greens we had so much rain that year that they looked (and felt!) like seaweed in the soggy soil. But I know others have been quite successful.

      Delete
  8. Julie's Creative LifestyleApril 24, 2025 at 8:52 AM

    Those desserts look amazing and I bet taste delicious. I love those spring flowers and I hope you have a happy spring.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Dara @ Not In JerseyApril 24, 2025 at 8:55 AM

    I have never had a peep, as far as I can remember!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Memphis BridgesApril 24, 2025 at 9:19 AM

    The chocolate and strawberry desserts look/sound so good. I have made the chocolate lasagna before and it was a hit. Rhododendrons makes me think of North Carolina. I'm excited about the weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Good Better Best FoodApril 24, 2025 at 12:44 PM

    Your desserts look amazing. Thank you for joing us this month!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Nancy 's Fashion StyleApril 24, 2025 at 1:04 PM

    I'm not receiving mails from your blog anymore. I'm sorry, I've missed a few posts. Have to find out how I can subscribe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne April 24, 2025 at 2:25 PM

      Yeah, I'm not getting hardly any of my emails from most of the bloggers I follow either (including yours now that I think of it!). I've been reading up and apparently most email companies have started blocking them as spam but even when I check my spam folders they're not there. I don't know....

      Delete

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