Tis I. The one who overdid it in March and faceplanted in April as a result.
It’s been a hell of a month, y’all. Not only am I nearing the end of a huge writing project, but I’m already plotting two new ones. Somewhere in the middle, I’ve had to remind myself to rest before my body decides to return to factory settings. Keep reading below to hear more.
💕Aimee
Personal Happenings
After a mega-productive start to the year, April has been a month of slowing down. I didn’t plan it that way, but my body literally said “whoa bitch” and made me rest. In general, I have two modes: superwoman and couch-troll. Either I’m doing all the things or none of the things, but I’m trying to find a more sustainable balance. Let’s call it supertroll.
If my body needs a day off, I rest. But the next day, I log into work the second my kids are on the school bus. No procrastination. And it’s working for the most part. I’ve returned to my writing project feeling refreshed and eager to start, and the work goes faster as a result. However, I’ve been hitting these fatigue walls more frequently of late, I think because I’m nearing the end of a months-long marathon of a project. (More on that below.)
However, each time I brainstorm new projects, I’m filled with new energy. That’s exciting to think about.
Happenings at Home
One of my annual goals is to refresh the rooms in my house. I’m not doing full renovations or anything, but I have been replacing worn out rugs, touching up paint, buying a picture or two, donating the excess. That kind of thing. I pick one or two rooms a month to focus on, depending on how much work they need.
This month, I redid our dining room and also cleaned up our front and back yards for the warmer months. I planted a tomato garden, which is currently being eaten by slugs, but I’m kind of okay with that because slugs are cute. I mean, why should I expect to harvest their tomatoes when I can buy my own at HEB?
In other news—we have a small grove of trees on our property, and I can hear at least 3 nests of baby birds. I love this time of year before it gets too hot. Come July, I stop going outside as much until the fall cold fronts start rolling in.
Granny Hexagon Blanket
This month, I finished a months-long crochet project—a hexagon granny blanket that I made for my husband. I wanted it to look like stained glass. And let me tell you, this blanket took forever. I’ve made granny square blankets in the past, but they were done in a flash compared to this one.
The yarn is from Ruby and Roses – their 2025 advent mini-skeins plus 6 skeins of Persian (the green color), all fingering weight with stellina added. Yes, you read that right. I used the thin stuff because I love the way it feels. Basically, I asked for this project to take forever, but it’s so worth it in the end.
For the pattern, I used a basic granny-hexagon tutorial on Youtube, then employed my own creativity to join them together. (I’ve been crocheting for 20+ years, so I have a good working knowledge of what to do.) If I had to point out a similar joining technique, it would be this join-as-you-go tutorial, only I converted it to a hexagonal shape rather than square.
(BTW – there are no affiliate links on this page.)
What I’m Writing
I started a major manuscript revision at the tail-end of January, and I’m please to say I’ll be done next week. My book feels leaner and cleaner now. I’m delighted with the results but am looking forward to being done. At that point, I’ll set it aside for awhile before I touch it again. Then it goes to beta readers.
I’m also plotting two new manuscripts and couldn’t be more excited. This is my favorite part of the writing process. I love entering that realm of possibilities.
What I’m Reading
I just finished The Pairing by Casey McQuiston. While the plot didn’t always take me where I expected, I enjoyed the specificity in her prose. Every page contained lovely details that transported me somewhere else.
Next is Bury our Bones in the Midnight Soil by VE Schwab, which I started earlier this year but had to put down for other priorities. (I’ve been searching for comps in another genre.) I’m excited to pick it back up again. I love the music in VE Schwab’s prose. Her books never fail to fill my creative well.
See you next month! Supertroll signing off.
