April’s Loving the Ordinary List

Spring is a time of renewal and rebirth. April’s Loving the Ordinary List offers daily ideas for enjoying this season.

It’s time to clean the cobwebs inside and outside you and your home. Dream about gardens and porch afternoons. Let’s open the windows and ourselves to some Spring. Here is April’s Loving the Ordinary List of ideas for adding everyday joy to life and curating or fine-tuning what we’ve already created.

1. National Sourdough Bread Day—Explore the nuances of sourdough starting and baking. Sourdough bread is not yeast bread; it is made with a “starter”: flour and water that naturally ferments. If you are purchasing a loaf, look beyond the label to the ingredients. True sourdough bread doesn’t include yeast or ‘sourdough flavor,’ as some ingredients read.
2. The opening day of baseball is here. Learn a few baseball terms; Major League Baseball has a good glossary. Then, pick a team to follow (a local little league, high school, minor league, or major league) and cheer loudly.
3. Let’s look around the kitchen to see what needs refreshing. It’s spring! Let’s move things off the counter, above the cabinets, and on the windowsill. Then, clean it well, but don’t automatically put things back the same way. Switch items up, take something away that you never really liked, or add a plant. This month, I will post a blog on the new trends in kitchens—inside and outside. Look for it here.
4. Start a new spring tradition. Or come up with unique ways to decorate for Easter – Check out my Pinterest Easter Board.
5. Purchase a new item to take your exercise routine outside: lightweight walking sandals, a basket for your bike (riding your bike for errands counts as exercise), a sun hat to protect your face and hair while hiking, or an outdoor yoga mat.
6. Make a new wreath for your front door; here are some ideas I have collected on Pinterest.
7. National Walking Day – Roam around your backyard, take pictures of spring, and share them with others who cannot get out or live in a cooler climate
8. Check out the kitchens of famous chefs. How can you incorporate some of their ideas into your kitchen? 
9. National Cherish an Antique Day – add a cherished item to your kitchen.
10. Check out banking fees and programs. Sign up for one that will help you save money and grow wealth.
11. Cut a spring flower, make a flower arrangement, and create a new tablescape. This month, I will post in our Facebook group how I created mine.
12. Create a message center for the family’s activities & notes; here are a few I have collected on Pinterest.
13. Check out some new trends in Kitchens. What can you do in your kitchen? This month, I will post a blog on the latest trends in kitchens, both inside and outside.
14. National Gardening Day – Weed, divide, and edge flower beds & landscaping, then host a seed/plant/herb exchange. Plant cool season herbs, vegetables, and flowers, such as annual herbs parsley, cilantro, kale, spinach, lettuce, radishes, peas, potatoes, fragrant annual sweet peas, calendula, https://www.seedsavers.org/cool-season-crops. Or have a radish taste test. Check out the many varieties with levels of spiciness. Make a radish sandwich or taco pickles, or add some to your favorite potato salad recipe. Radishes grow quickly in cool weather.
15. What can you do for your soul this month – even if it is one hour?
16. Purchase a new floral dress, lightweight wrap, straw purse, or dressy sandals—something special for a spring outing.
17. Start a gratitude journal – “A gratitude journal is a diary of things for which one is grateful. Gratitude journals are used by individuals who wish to focus their attention on the positive things in their lives.”
18. Make a spring dessert – key lime pie, rhubarb pie, or strawberry shortcake 
19. Sign up for city, school, church, or neighborhood volunteer events. It is a great way to meet new people and help out. – Create a page in your Curated Life Journal.
20. Kitchen appliance maintenance, what is it?
21. Healthy Cooking 101: learn how to set up your kitchen to stay healthy. 
22. Earth Day! Purchase a pretty refillable water bottle to cut down on purchasing plastic bottled water. If you buy bottled water, please recycle it (be sure to purchase products made from it). This will save you money. Check out this site for savings: https://20somethingfinance.com/bottled-water-versus-tap-water/. Having something beautiful to keep with you may inspire you to drink more water throughout the day. 
23. Pull out, find, or make an apron, table runner, or potholder to set off your spring table. 
24. Read a cookbook; it contains many tips, menu suggestions, and expert advice. Here’s my list of favorite cookbooks.
25. Look for a new local business that gives tours, socially distant or virtually, about local food flavors, a new cooking shop, or skills.
26. Start a family cooking binder and recipes. I will post an event in our Facebook group to discuss this as a group project.
27. Science of cooking – what are the basics needed for baking?
28. Explore the herb family and flavors of mint. Make a Mint julep, Moroccan tea (green tea & mint), or Mock mojito.
29. How well do you know your friends? Listen to their stories. Here’s a guide to prompt some questions.
30. Find a meet-up, free lecture, author, or virtual class to start exploring one thing you’ve always thought about—hat making, worm composting, smoothie making, or hand crocheting.

I hope the April Loving the Ordinary List has sparked some renewal and rebirth in you. I know that just getting outside after a colder season brightens us inside and outside. So please do take a moment to dream about gardens and porch afternoons. Let’s look around our kitchens and homes to add a touch of Spring.