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Hello, Blossom!

Are you as excited as I am that Spring is "officially" underway? I'm itching to be outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine, digging in my garden beds, planting flowers and veggies, and enjoying the song of little birds who are at this very moment building a nest on my back porch

So, naturally, springtime is the theme of this week's link list. I hope you enjoy both the resources and the season they celebrate. And if you're not already welcoming warmer weather in your part of the world, I hope it won't be long in coming!

Free resources for you this week:

• ​Springtime Word Scramble - How fast can you decipher these garden-themed words?
• ​A New Creation - Check out our free Bible memory cards and copy work printables.
• ​5-Minute Task List - Not ready to commit to a full spring cleaning? Then try these quick wins.
• ​50 Fun Things to Do in the Spring - Here's a whole bucket list of seasonal memory makers.
• ​Fragrant Aroma Coloring Page - This pretty printable features Ephesians 5:2.
• ​Go out with Joy - Yet another hand-drawn scripture page for you to color.

What I'm reading this week:

I'm just a few chapters away from finishing an audiobook I probably never would have listened to had christianaudio.com not featured it as one of their monthly freebies a while back. Written by pastor Greg Laurie, it's entitled Steve McQueen: The Salvation of an American Icon. I normally don't read celebrity biographies, but I've always loved McQueen's performance in The Great Escape, and I found the story of his journey to faith interesting, albeit profoundly sad in parts.

What we're watching this week:

I have a couple of grown daughters who've been hankering to see the 2021 remake of West Side Story, so we watched it as a family this week. The music is beautiful, the cinematography stunning, and the dancing top notch -- but the storyline is absolutely gut-wrenching.

If you're unfamiliar with the plot, I'd recommend checking out the Plugged-In Online review before deciding whether to view this musical yourself. I'm not sure what my girls were expecting, but probably not what they got. I don't think either of them realized West Side Story is a modern day retelling of Shakespeare's tragic Romeo and Juliet and -- with the exception of some upbeat song and dance numbers -- is not a feel-good movie by any stretch of the imagination.

It is timely one, though, in that it shows the inevitable death and destruction that follow when racial tensions are inflamed, disastrous decisions are made, fathers are absent, hatred and hopeless despair embraced, and any light of the gospel is conspicuously missing. My favorite character was Valentina, primarily because she was the only one of the lot who demonstrated any common sense. She loved her neighbors, even in their brokenness, tried her best to point them in the right direction, yet willingly helped them pick up the pieces when they failed to heed her good advice.

What we're eating this week:

My husband was post call yesterday and was therefore home when I made another Hello Fresh meal for lunch. He laughed out loud when I told him what we were having -- Hot Honey Brussels and Ricotta Flatbread (which, incidentally, was delightfully delicious) -- but he was consoled to learn I'd also warmed up a huge, heaping bowl of leftover spaghetti with meat sauce for him.

Progress on last week's goals:

Well, I only finished two of my four stated goals last week (namely, I ✅ took that shuffle dancing lesson and ✅ hosted our first family 5K/fun run), but I got all sorts of other stuff accomplished that I didn't realize at the time would be on my plate. So I don't mind bumping those other two goals to next week.

My goals for this week:

• make freezer meals
• organize closet desk
• submit swag bag freebie for upcoming Homeschool of the Future Summit​
• attend our county Republican convention
• finish planning/ packing for our upcoming west coast trip -- California, here I come!

Another poll for you:

I appreciate all the suggestions I received for our Leprechaun Lunch last week. Accordingly, I put pistachios, cole slaw, and pesto pasta on the menu this year (and added them to my Green Cuisine post so I'll remember them in the future, too)!

This week's question: Do you have a green thumb? What flowers, fruits, or veggies are you most excited about growing in your garden bed (or window box) this year?

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