I must pat myself on the back for picking some great books in the month of April!  I feel like I can say that because I just picked them off of a shelf, read them, enjoyed them, and I’m sharing them with you. The Art of Beatrix Potter I enjoyed this book on a few different levels.  First off, I liked learning more about Beatrix Potter as a writer, artist, and creative.  This book is part biography with family photos and details about her childhood and how her stories and art began and evolved. I also enjoyed this book as a subject to study as an artist.  There are so many delightful sketches and watercolor paintings, as you would imagine.  I always learn so much from studying other artists.  I feel overwhelmed at the idea of sketching a street scene, but I can learn how to do it by making

Welp, it’s April 23 and we’re just now getting to March’s books of the week.  That’s just how things have been going lately.  I have definitely put too much self-imposed pressure on myself in a variety of areas and it’s starting to compound.  I know other over-achievers will sympathize.  You know you’re doing fine, but every little thing that slips through the cracks or gets done a little later than desired starts makes you feel like you’re not doing enough.  It’s completely unfair to ourselves and completely ignores the numerous things you’re doing right and well, but it’s a cycle that’s hard to break nonetheless.  Especially when busyness is a kind of sanctuary during stressful times. So, I’m typing it out in the hopes that acknowledgment works as a kind of antidote.  And I’m sharing it in the hopes that others who are feeling the same way will find safety

I have really enjoyed sharing a book of the week this year, but I’ve realized it’s just given me another excuse to buy more books when I really didn’t need another excuse!  I already have way more than 52 books to share and recommend!  But, it has been fun to look for new books and revisit old books that have stuck with me through all of the moves and purges. A couple of weeks ago, Jeff and I went out to dinner and then hit Barnes & Noble.  We usually split up, since we like to browse different sections.  He likes books about nature, fishing, history, theology, and I like books on decorating, art, cooking, gardening, crafts, creativity, and business.  So, yeah, we’re not hanging out in the same aisles!  I have my little route that I take from the magazines to the discount books to the cookbooks then to