April was a month; it had thirty days. I can say that much about it, anyway. Lennox and I went to see Tina Fey and Amy Poehler on their Restless Legs tour, and that was fantastic! I don’t remember anything else noteworthy, aside from the sheer number of panic attacks I experienced. I am, as they say, not doing well. But who is nowadays?

Money

I spent more money in April than any other month so far this year. I bought some stationery items and the soundtrack from Balatro, a game I’ve never played. Lennox plays it, though, and I hear its soothing theme music over and over until I sometimes need to hear it when he isn’t playing. (LOL!)

I spent $6.00 on my regular sewing subscription this month and $78.35 on a couple of vintage blouses. (Those blouses were great, too!) I once again spent an eye-watering amount on books: $199.61. I don’t feel guilty about this. I had the money, I wanted them, and buying books isn’t against my rules. Next month is likely to be a low-earning month, so I’ll probably spend a lot less.

It was a “stock up” month, so we went slightly over our grocery budget, as expected. This is cyclical, and the year-to-date average is still slightly below budget.

Writing

I haven’t been writing as often as I used to, but I have been getting more out of the short sessions I’ve managed to do. I’m planning on participating in a daily flash fiction challenge in May, so hopefully I can get back into my old writing habits. Quality is good, but quantity makes quality more likely.

Goals

I listed eight goals for April. Some of these will change from month to month, and some will remain the same.

Writing
+ Write short story
+ Send newsletter (goal to be removed if not accomplished in April)

I did both! It was nice to remind my handful of readers that I’m still alive.

Household
+ Reorganize desk area and office supplies storage
+ Try one new recipe

I also did both here! We discarded an old secondary printer, which opened up a nice chunk of space in my desk area. That made it easy to rearrange my office supplies, which I’d intended to do for a long time. I had supplies that I used once or twice a week in a completely different, inconvenient place. I was able to move all of those things into easy reach. I tried two recipes in April: White Beans with Miso, which was just okay (I’ll tweak it if I make it again), and Lowcountry Red Rice, as suggested by my friend Kitty, which we loved. It’s going to be a repeater, for sure.

Money
+ Finish and bill two annual clients
+ Spend 10 hours on certification training

I finished and billed those clients, but I only spent about 3 hours on my training. This was partly because I overestimated the time I would need. I think it will be more useful to track my training in a different way, maybe by number of modules passed.

Personal
+ Finish therapist-recommended workbook
+ Sew one project

I finally sewed something! I finished some linen trousers that I cut out last summer. I also altered some ready-to-wear lounge pants by removing the elastic cuffs from the hems. This was the second time I altered this particular garment. I bought it secondhand, replaced the too-loose waistband elastic last year, then removed the uncomfortable (and dated-looking) cuffs. These pants were worth saving and updating. They’re well-constructed and made of great, sturdy fabric — a nice reminder of how quality garments can be made to last. As to the other goal, I did do some work in my workbook, but didn’t quite finish. I’ll forward that goal to May.

Goals for May

Writing
+ Write short story
+ Participate in 30 Days of Flash Fiction
+ Send newsletter

Household
+ Rearrange upper kitchen cabinets
+ Try one new recipe

Money
+ Complete three modules for certification training

Personal
+ Finish therapist-recommended workbook
+ Sew one project

Everything Else

• The heat is already here. It’s not true summer weather yet, but it’s in the mid-80s every day. Ugh.
• I read (or listened to) 20 books this month.
• I recently dreamt that I discovered the hidden tomb of an ancient pharaoh, but instead of treasure or mummies, it was filled with Pepsi products, mostly cans of Diet Pepsi. I don’t know what my subconscious is up to, but I guess it hungers for lesser cola.

And that was April.