Saturday, March 31, 2018

Weekly Mews: March 2018 in Review

I am linking up to the Sunday Post hosted by the wonderful Kim of Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. I am also linking to Stacking the Shelves hosted by the great Team Tynga's Reviews and Marlene of Reading Reality a meme in which participants share what new books came their way recently. I am linking up to Nicole of Feed Your Addiction's Monthly Wrap-Up Post, where any book bloggers who write monthly wrap-up posts can link up and visit other bloggers to see what they have been reading. 



Spring is definitely here. I can feel it in the air. Yesterday was a beautiful day. The high was 89F. Luckily this Easter Bunny knows filling eggs with chocolate that will be is a no no this time of year. We do not have any big plans for Easter, although this Easter Bunny has everything ready for baskets and the egg hunt in the morning. After that, it will likely be a typical day in our house. If you celebrate, I hope you have a nice Easter!

March did not turn out quite out as originally planned, although we had enough advance notice that it did not feel like it all that much. My two week break from blogging was semi-productive. Mouse was sick for the first week, and I was sick for the second week. And now Anjin finds himself under the weather. Add to that our spring allergies . . .On the fun side, we celebrated Mouse's birthday early on in the month, had a visit from my brother and his wife mid-month, and my mom just got into town this past week. I got to see some of the photos from my mom's trip to Greece, and hear about what a great time she had. While I couldn't participate in the March For Our Lives because of a prior commitment, my mom and a good family friend were able to. I was with them in spirit, you can be sure. I loved seeing the crowds of people join together for such a good cause. My mom's dog's health took a turn for the worse recently, and while the medication seems to be working, we are still keeping a watchful eye on her for any more seizures. She's an older dog and the timing couldn't be worse with my mom due to go in for surgery again the second week in April.

Rehearsals for the Wizard of Oz got off to a good start, and Mouse is enjoying her new classes, especially musical theater. Fundraising for the show is in high gear too. I really hate fundraising, but it's a necessary evil. Shows and activities are not free, after all. Report cards came out. Mouse got to go horseback riding with her Girl Scouts troop. The day horse camp was one of the activities the girls wanted to spend their cookie money--that and Disneyland, which we will be doing in April. Mouse's dance studio generously donated a teacher and a classroom and gave the Girl Scout troop a free dance lesson in March as well for one of our meetings. Mouse, of course, was excited to show off her dance studio to her friends. Mouse's school Open House was this past week--and she got an opportunity to take me and her grandmother on a tour of her classroom. I had to take a little quiz to see if I knew my daughter's favorites. I missed a couple, including her favorite book. I guessed Maggie and the Monster. She put War and Peace (she likes it when I read excerpts to her at bedtime).

The new supervisor started in mid-March. I and another supervisor have been tasked with training him. Hopefully having him on board will bring us some relief after having been so short staffed the last couple months.

I hope to get to comments and visiting blogs in the next week or so. It is hard to do when my mom is in town and with my in-laws coming next weekend, my computer time is extremely limited. Thank goodness for the schedule ahead feature for blog posts!

My reading in March was about average for me. The reading fever of the first two months of the year seems to have subsided. I decided to knock off some of the paranormal romance novels that have been lingering on my Kindle because I knew they would be quick and easy reads. I finished the last of my Going Postal Mail books for this round, and enjoyed it quite a bit. I also made sure to read March's TBR List winner, which many of you voted for.

Here is what I read in March:
  • The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henríquez
  • Hooked on a Phoenix by Ashlyn Chase
  • My Tempting Highlander by Maeve Greyson
  • My Seductive Highlander by Maeve Greyson
  • The Storm King by Brendan Duffy
The Book of Unknown Americans is probably my favorite book read in March. The Storm King comes in at a close second. I loved that the weather here was somewhat stormy as I read it--it added to the atmosphere for The Storm King quite nicely! My least favorite is probably Hooked on a Phoenix, but it was entertaining overall. My reviews of all three are still to come.

Book Reviews Posted in March (but not necessarily read in March):
Non-Book Review Posts in March:
New to My Mouse's Shelves in March (you can thank her birthday and the school book fair)


Amelia Bedelia's First Valentine by Herman Parish & Lynne Avril
Fancy Nancy: Oodles of Kittens by Jane O'Connor & Robin Preiss Glasser
The Fish with the Deep-Sea Smile by Margaret Wise Brown
Dear Girl, Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Paris Rosenthal & Holly Hatam

Raggedy Ann in the Magic Book by Johnny Gruelle, illustrated by Worth Gruelle

Isadora Moon Goes to School by Harriet Muncaster

The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? by Mo Willems
When I Grow Up by Tim Minchin and Steve Antony

Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts
Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Peter Brown

Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann
When Sophie Thinks She Can't... by Molly Bang

The Princess in Black and the Mysterious Playdate (The Princess in Black #5) by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Katie Fry, Private Eye #1 by Katherine Cox & Vanessa Brantley-Newton
A Paw-some Mystery (Barbie and Her Sisters in the Great Puppy Adventure) by Mary Man-Kong Space Princess (Barbie Star Light Adventure)

Barbie Video Game Hero Code Racers by Elisabetta Melaranci, Federica Salfo & Francesco Legramandi

And then because I couldn't help myself (for me):

Crimes Against Magic (Hellequin Chronicles #1) by Steve McHugh

A Glimmer of Hope (The Avalon Chronicles #1) by Steve McHugh

Hexed Detective: An Uncanny Kingdom Urban Fantasy by Matthew Stott & David Bussell

What I Watched: I may not have been able to read while sick, but I managed to watch the second season of Dark Matter. I also am in the middle of the second season of Jessica Jones. My daughter and I have started re-watching Mia and Me, a part live action, part animated show about a teen girl facing various obstacles in her real life and then stepping into the shoes of an elf and solving problems there as well. We also have been watching the television show Spirit Riding Free, which we both love. We haven't actually seen the movie the show is a spin-off of yet, but one of these days I am sure we will.

Those of you who watch The Walking Dead, how are you feeling about this season so far? The Saviors latest "weapon" is sure a doozy! 

What I Am Grateful For:  My mom's safe arrival for her spring visit. I am also grateful for the generosity of the dance studio directors for opening their doors for our Girl Scout troop--they are a great group all around. The fun time we had at the horse ranch. The girls had a blast. And I love seeing Mouse so happy. And I appreciate my boss's willingness to cover for me so I can attend Mouse's award ceremony at school this past week.

What I Am Looking Forward To: Disneyland with Mouse and her Girl Scout troop in April. Life getting back to some semblance of order in another week or two.


Challenge Update:

#COYER Winter Switch ~ The challenge ended on the 9th of March, and I did better than I anticipated. I completely forgot to link any of my book reviews to the website though--which seems to be a common problem for me. Oh well. I am satisfied with how it turned out just the same.
What's In A Name Reading Challenge ~ I still stand at only having read one book for this challenge. I probably should work on this one more.

The Grand World of Books Reviews Bingo ~ I am sure I can cross some books off of this list, but I just haven't had time to fit what I have read into the categories. Hopefully I can do that by next month's wrap up.

Unruly Reader Bingo ~ See above comment.

2018 Witches and Witchcraft Reading Challenge ~ I have read the first three Innkeeper Chronicle novels by Ilona Andrew so far, which fit into this challenge. I plan to post my reviews soon.

2018 Discussion Post Challenge ~ I have only managed to post one discussion post so far this year. I have ideas. I just need time to write the posts!

2018 Blog All About It Challenge ~ I have been able to stay on top of this one. This month I wrote about Favorite Scents.

Les Misérables Read-Along ~ I understand now why many people seem to get stuck on Waterloo. Yeah. I would too if I wasn't determined to read this book. I was so relieved when I saw Thenardier's name pop up at the end of the Waterloo section. A connection to the rest of the book! I am now about two chapters ahead in my reading.

War and Peace Read-Along ~ Although I am a bit behind, I find myself enjoying my time with War and Peace these days.  I still do not have all of the characters straight, but several stand out to me now and I find myself interested in their stories. Surprisingly, I am most enjoying the scenes on the battle field and with the soldiers. Although I was really curious to see whether a particular proposal would be accepted or not--and I thought it was perfect the way that one played out. I'm anxious to get back to those characters and find out what the fallout is going to be. My daughter has become a fan of War and Peace. She says because there is a prince and princesses. A good friend of mine suggests it might have more to do with the fact that my daughter enjoys my reading to her--and sharing my own books with her. While I am not reading the entire book to her, I do read passages to her at bedtime.


How did your March shape up reading and life wise? What was your favorite book you read in March? I hope you all have a wonderful April! Happy Reading!

Mouse's Birthday Cake

 Unicorn in a box

 Glow in the dark miniature golf

Cuddling with the baby


 Mama and her 6 week old

Horse Painting. Literally. 

Grooming Rambo as he makes a funny face for the camera

Riding Rambo 


 © 2018, Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

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54 comments:

  1. Whew you've had a BUSY month! Sorry to hear about all the illness, on top of allergies! Hopefully you'll have a healthy home soon :) Mouse seems to have a lot of great things planned for her spring, she's going to keep you hopping ;) Hope your mom's surgery goes well and the dog is ok. Have a great week!

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    1. Berls - It was very busy! And it's still busy. LOL I guess this is my life now. We all got better--and now we are sick again, wouldn't you know it? Ugh. I just want to be healthy.

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  2. Wow, what a busy month! I hope you're all feeling 100% soon. I'm glad your mom's trip was so much fun. We wanted to participate in the march but it didn't work out with our schedule.

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    1. Kathy - I was feeling better, but am now sick again. :-( I can't win in that regard, I guess. My mom is doing great, thankfully.

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  3. You have been very busy. Cute cake. I love Amelia Bedelia, I have a collection of them I hope to share with my great niece when she is older ( she is only 2). I hope you have a nice Easter

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    1. Ellen - Isn't that a great cake? Mouse was very happy when she saw it. Amelia Bedelia was a childhood favorite of mine and I am glad my daughter enjoys the books as well.

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  4. Happy Easter! We're not doing a whole lot either, will be a quiet one this year. And yay for spring! 89? Wow. We're lucky to get 40's, spring is still kinda MIA here lol.

    How cool that your mom and a friend were able to march! And yay for horseback riding! My daughter is joining the school equestrian club and she's all excited. :)

    The Walking Dead- boy what a mixed season this one has been for me. Is it terrible that I want someone to kill Simon ASAP? lol How are you liking Jessica Jones 2? I liked Dark Matter a lot, shame it didn't get renewed for a new season...

    Have a great week!

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    1. Greg - Thank you! I hope your Easter was nice too. It feels like it was forever ago now . . . I hope your weather has warmed up.

      That is so neat that your daughter is joining the school equestrian club! Mouse would probably love something like that. One of my cousin's daughter competes in equestrian events. We haven't been able to attend any of her competitions as she's on the East Coast, but we love to see the videos and photos.

      What did you think of the Walking Dead finale? I am so glad Simon was taken care of. I haven't had a chance to pick back up with Jessica Jones 2 again yet. Hopefully this coming weekend, I can at least fit in an episode or two. That's sad about Dark Matter. I really enjoyed the show.

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  5. March has certainly been hectic! Mouse is so fortunate to have you as a mother, ensuring she gets to experience all sorts of activities and I love the fact you both read so much together:). I hope that you all soon feel a lot better - I'm guessing the allergies become less of an issue as the summer starts - hopefully! I loved the Innkeeper Chronicles - I'm looking forward to seeing what you made of them. Have a great weekend and I hope your mother's surgery goes well.

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    1. Sarah - Ah, thank you! I am glad we are in a position to let her experience a variety of activities. I actually wish we read more together than we do these days. :-S The Innkeeper Chronicles are such fun books. I really enjoy the series so far.

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  6. wow 89! Very nice weather. Aww, it looks like she got some great new books!
    My son and I watch The Walking Dead Sunday on nights religiously. I know, Negan is too much already and his latest weapon was genius, evil genius. And just when I thought Carol would find love, bam, he's turned!
    Happy Birthday to the little one, that cake is too cute. Unicorns are popular lately. It all looks like alot of fun :)

    Enjoy your week and hopefully the new trainee works out well and eases the workload.
    And sending good thoughts for your moms upcoming surgery. xo

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    1. Naida - It got pretty warm for awhile there. Then it turned cool again. So many ups and downs. It's worse in other places from what I hear though.

      What did you think of The Walking Dead season finale? I don't really follow Fear, but I think I might now that Morgan will be crossing over onto that show. I really like his character.

      Thank you for the birthday wishes for Mouse. She loves anything having to do with unicorns. :-)

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  7. Mouse's birthday cake is adorable!

    And I hope the new supervisor gets the hang of the job soon!

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    1. Eustacia - Isn't it cute? I was really pleased with the way her cake turned out. :-) The new supervisor is doing very well, thank goodness. He seems like a good fit on our team.

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  8. oh enjoy disneyland! It'll be awesome. :)

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  9. Wow, you’ve been busy. Mouse’s books and birthday cake look cute. Have fun at Disney. Happy April!

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  10. Our allergies are horrible right now in south Texas. Everyone is blaming their allergy problems on Hurricane Harvey. I’m not really sure one can blame a hurricane for these troubles!

    Readerbuzz.blogspot.com

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    1. Deb - I really hate allergies. I hope your allergies subside soon!

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  11. Oh jeez hon, you’ve had one busy month. Sorry about the illness going around, and about your mom’s dog. Mouse’s birthday cake is adorable, and I hope she had a great birthday! She is one busy little girl.

    We just finished Jessica Jones and loved it, hope you do too. :)

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    1. Jenea - Thank you. I wish I could say we are all feeling healthy now, but we ended up getting another round of illness and are working our way through that now . . . There were some good days in there somewhere. LOL I am glad to hear you enjoyed Jessica Jones. I got sidetracked from it and hope to make time for it again in the coming weeks.

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  12. You definitely had a great month! Love Mouse's birthday cake...and I'm glad about the marches.

    I loved The Woman in the Window. Enjoy the new week.

    Here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES

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    1. Laurel-Rain - The Woman in the Window was a great read! Thanks for visiting!

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  13. mOuse cake is so cute! I hope you loved the Book of Unknown Americans as much as I did!

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    1. Daniela - Mouse loves unicorns. :-) The Book of Unknown Americans was a great book.

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  14. Happy Easter to you too! Glad to hear Mouse's rehearsals are off to a good start and OMG, how precious is her birthday cake?!

    I hope you and your daughter have an amazing time at Disneyland. Disney is the best!

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    1. Suzanne - Thank you! I hope you had a happy Easter as well. The rehearsals are going well. Some days I get to peek in and other days, not so much. LOL Disneyland was a lot of fun. Mouse had a blast. :-)

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  15. WOW, sorry about all the sickness. Rambo is so adorable - photobombs his own picture! I love it. Have a great week and hopefully the allergies will not be to bad this year.

    Mary my #SundayRoundup #12!

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    1. Mary - Thank you. We traded that sickness for yet more . . . The end of it all has to be coming, right?! Rambo is a handsome horse, isn't he?

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  16. Happy Easter. And congratulations on you daughters birthday last month. The pictures look great.
    Sounds like March was pretty busy for you.
    Have a great week and happy reading!

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    1. Maureen - Thank you! I hope you had a happy Easter and are doing well. April has been busy too. Hopefully this coming summer will see some slowing down . . .

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  17. Sounds like you had a good March and had some fun to boot. I love that cake - bet Mouse adored it. But I'm curious - why paint a horse?

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    1. Barb - Mouse was very happy about her cake. :-)

      The horse ranch we visited also offers therapy riding for children with special needs. Evidently painting the horse is something they do as part of the therapy. It was something new to me too--and upon researching it, I guess is a bit controversial.

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  18. Sounds like a busy month for you but I'm glad to hear Mouse had a wonderful birthday. The cake looks lovely too; my youngest had a similar one for her last birthday. :)

    Hope you've a great week, Wendy. Can't believe it's April already.

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    1. Melody - Unicorns are very popular, aren't they? :-) Can you believe April is already half over?

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  19. I hope your mom's dog is holding up well. And that your mom's surgery goes well too. I think her dog must be anxious for its owner, that might be why the dog's health took a turn for the worse. Animals can be so sensitive to these things :(

    Mouse's birthday cake looks amazing :) as well as the unicorn in the box :D I hope April brings good news and that you have a good month :)

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    1. Evelina - My mom's dog seems to be doing okay on the new medication. The vet is suspecting a brain tumor, but that would take further testing to confirm. The timing couldn't have been worse with my mom going into surgery. Thank you for your kind thoughts!


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  20. Happy birthday Mouse! The cake is amazing and she had quite a haul this month! The horse farm looks like lots of fun too. I'm sorry to hear about all the illness but hope everyone is feeling better or will be soon. I don't have much luck reading while sick either so I always end up binge watching something. Hope April is wonderful!

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    1. Katherine - Mouse says thank you. :-) April has been a busy month as well. And wouldn't you know it, we are sick again?!

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  21. You had a busy March Wendy. Sorry you all were ill but, glad u r feeling better now. Mouses cake is awesome! I loved seeing Mouses book choices (as well as yours). Hope your mom does well in surgery and that her dog improves as well.

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    1. Diane - I love that cake. :-) It tasted good too. Thank you for the well wishes for my mom and her dog!

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  22. Wow! You sure had a busy month! I hope you have a lovely April!

    Here’s my March Monthly Wrap Up!

    Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog

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    1. Ronyell - Thank you! I hope you are enjoying April too. :-)

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  23. Wendy, you should NOT feel bad that you don't post EVERY.SINGLE.DAY! This post has enough content and variety for a week's worth! Honestly, I prefer when people don't, but I get why it's a goal for bloggers. I'm definitely not one of them! lol

    Anyway, I'm very sorry to hear about your mom's pup and pray her surgery goes well. I love that they're doing "The Wizard of Oz," and am blown away by her loving WAR AND PEACE! I didn't know there were princes and princesses in it. I guess I really don't know anything about it all! lol And of all those wonderful books Mouse got for her birthday (that unicorn cake is incredible!), my favorite is OFFICER BUCKLE AND GLORIA. It's been a favorite for years! Picture book perfection as is the new HERE WE ARE by Oliver Jeffers. A masterpiece, in my opinion. I want to go miniature golfing there, for sure---SO cool, and the horses? Oh, my God, I love them. My grandfather had a stable, but we rarely went *sigh* Thanks for sharing all this WONderful stuff! :D

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    1. Donna Marie - It's hard to keep up when people post every day, isn't it? Like with books, there are too many great blogs out there to read. :-)

      Thank you so much for your prayers and kind thoughts. My mom's surgery went well, and her dog seems to be doing well on the medication. The seizures seem to have subsided for the time being. Hopefully for good.

      War and Peace does have princes and princesses in it, but definitely not the Disney kind. LOL I admit I didn't know much about it going in to it either.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  24. Oh gosh, Mouse/Unicorn in a box is adorable! So glad to hear she had such a good birthday and I bet she's thrilled to be going to Disneyland soon. Don't worry about being away from blogland - you have your hands full and spending time with your mom and loved ones is definitely a priority. Will be praying for your mom and hope she has a good surgery. Hang in there!

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    1. Iliana - Isn't that cute? I had to get a picture of that. Thank you for your prayers for my mom!

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  25. That cake is super adorable! Sorry that March was a month full of sickness---hope April is MUCH better!

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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    1. Nicole - I was really happy with how the cake turned out. :-)

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  26. Loving that picture of the rarely-seen unicorn-in-a-box! XD

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  27. The cake is so adorable! I wish I had one lol. March sounded so hectic, I hope April has slowed down for you and that you are all doing well. I hope your mom's surgery went well.

    Tina @ As Told By Tina

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    1. Tina - Thank you! I think the cake came out well. :-)

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