Cadbury Mini Egg Brownies, recipe by Bakeaholic Mama from Pinterest (duh)

Katniss turned 4 and for her birthday, Z and I set up her new house, which we bought after seeing friends Christina & Shaun’s fancy hedgehog condo set-up! Katniss still acts just like a wee hedgehog, but she’s just entering her old age. The chart here shows she’s nearly 70 in people years. We love our little tripod so.

This week: Finally figured out how to pay my Ohio taxes even though I had cancelled my account. Dropped Bean Baby onesies @ Paper Doll. Takito Thursday with Stacy, Elisse, and Jen L. Gave Eliza a pile of old glasses to bring in to a place that donates to Lions Club. Dinner with Stephanie @ Chicago Diner. Lunch with Stephanie & the boo @ Handlebar. Dropped off expired meds at the Chicago Police Department. Dropped off a bag of clothes @ Township for the 12+ Size Clothing Swap in a few weeks at the Burlington. Dropped off Bean Baby onesies at Neighborly. Chipotle. Kohl’s. So much Veronica Mars-cramming; getting ready for the movie coming out 3/14.

Speaking to all that purging going on above, my friend Paige linked this 40 bags in 40 days post and it sounded like exactly what I needed to jumpstart my “spring” cleaning. I jumped in feet first and have been tackling something every day, even though you’re supposed to give yourself Sundays off. I flipping LOVE organizing, but I’m also a collector, so there is always something further I can tackle. There is also a 40 bags Facebook group of really supportive women (I’ve been on it about a week and I have not yet seen a post by a man) here. It’s really flipping cool to see a community with zero trolls, where everyone is cheering one another on.

In the midst of all my other goings-on, I started and finished Ready Player One. This was the best book I’ve read since The Hunger Games trilogy. I mean, it started off really solid, but by the end, I told Z I didn’t want to run errands because I wanted to stay in bed and read more. Like Bastian from The NeverEnding Story, I had a hard time pulling myself away from this book. If you grew up in and have any nostalgia for the 1980’s and pop culture, this is your book. One of the most positive endings I’ve ever read in post-apocalyptic fiction. It’s been optioned by Warner Brothers for a movie. I’ll go see it, but I bet they won’t do it justice, even if they somehow secure the licensing for all the video games, films, tv shows, and books name dropped in this book. Reading this book was an unabashed joyful experience for me. Read this flipping book, you guys, so we can talk about it! GoodReads people know what I’m talking about –> ^_-. Dear Author, Ernest Cline, my only complaint is that I wish this had been a trilogy because I *so* was not ready for this novel to end. Also, your website is awesome.

Films watched 10th week of the year:

20 Feet from Stardom *
The Mist
The Spectacular Now

* documentary

No films this week hit it home for me. The Spectacular Now…more like The Spectacular Meh.