April 2024 Wrap Up

Last post of April!  This has been a whirlwind month starting off with our vacation to Hawaii and it feels like it’s been nonstop since.

Now, we’re here to wrap up April 2024 and this is what went on over the weekend.

Lather

If you don’t have a Lather store near you, they have a great online store.  The Mother’s Day sale is in progress and everything is discounted 15%.  If you call a store directly, there is no charge for shipping as far as I understand.

Encanto

Denisse and I met Saturday and stocked up on Lather necessities and then spent the afternoon with some yummy Greek food, a walk through the Encanto-Palmcroft Historic Neighborhood and a visit to the Encanto Park.

The neighborhood is A++ in the charm department.  Each house deserves a spot on the cover of a magazine.  We were drooling over all of them.

Additionally, majestic palm trees line the streets.  I tried to get a shot of a lovely home and show the palm trees too.

Now I like to think of myself as an Arizona tour guide because hub and I love to just get lost and explore this beautiful place we live.

But!  The Encanto Park is a place we missed.  Did you know we have an amusement park right in the middle of Phoenix?  I did not!

In addition to that, there are two golf courses, a miniature railroad and a lagoon.

We had a lot of fun watching families celebrating birthdays and enjoying the kiddie rides.  Oh, and then praising the Lord that that phase of our lives is over.  Exhausting!

Phoenix Rose Garden

Nearby is a lovely rose garden with lovely color and some actual scent.  Rose gardens in Washington and Oregon are fantastic, and I’m not going to put this humble garden in that class.  But growing any rose in Phoenix is no small feat.

Walking through, enjoying the sunshine, listening to the birds and smelling roses was delightful.

Colorado and California Weekend

Sister Susie in Colorado has had two weekends messed up with snow storms.  I know she’s itching to get her summer flowers planted, but Mother Nature has other plans.

And those April snowstorms are why I no longer live in Colorado. 

Sister Monique and Peter took their new scooters to Berkley and rode around the Bay.  It looks like they had a lot of fun and I heard no reports of broken bones.

DIY Trellis

Last year hub made DIY tall trellises for our entryway to support our jasmine.  This year!  The plants are so happy with our rainy winter and their new trellises.  Right now they are in full bloom and the front porch smells so nice.

What I’m Eating

It seems like slow cooker brisket is on the menu frequently in our home.  This time, I gave it a BBQ treatment with a dry rub, some Ray’s sauce and, of course, a healthy dose of Tabasco. 

I’ll post that recipe separately this week in case you’re interested.

Served on a soft bakery roll with corn on the cob and sliced tomatoes felt like summer on a plate.  Side note:  Don’t bother with the corn – it’s not ready!

What I’m Reading

That’s sort of a teaser.  I have been reading a lot lately and since this post is getting kind of long, I’ll catch you up next time.  I’ve got some fun recommendations coming up!

Wrap Up

A great big surprise rain hit us Friday evening.  Not forecasted, we had a torrential downfall for about 30 minutes and then another several hours later.

Whatever our weather pattern was, we had lovely weather over the weekend and our yard continues to be very happy.

Of course, that meant another big patio furniture cleaning, but when that was finished, we ate dogs for lunch al fresco and then there was a lot of reading in my favorite spot in the shade.

Did you do something fun or productive to wrap up April? 

Any big plans for the week?  Let us know – you might motivate us.

Have a wonderful week and let’s get May started.

XO