Hello, I hope you're doing great! I felt it was time for a little life update, which has been treating me well—something I'm sure you're happy to hear. I still sleep a lot due to that medical thing I've mentioned before. However, it hasn't stopped me from enjoying my days at home. For the first time in years, I went through winter in a content state.

I thought I'd recommend some things that have been keeping me busy, presented in list form. Maybe you could try at least one of them?

Literature. My goal was to read two books this month; I only finished one and started on the other, however. I completed She and her Cat, by Makoto Shinkai and Naruki Nagakawa. It covers four sweet, heartfelt stories about cats and their owners, from both perspectives. If you like slice-of-life anime, I think you'd definitely enjoy it. If not, you can also give it a try—it's very short! The book I recently started is The Mystery of the Blue Train, by Agatha Christie. I'm still at the beginning, so my opinion has yet to be formed, but I was surprised at the sweet tone one of the best mystery writers out there has!

I got both of these books during a trip to Amsterdam, at the beautiful English bookstore Waterstones. If you find yourself stuck in a reading slump, I would recommend spending some time in a nice bookstore and pick one or two beautiful looking hardcovers.

Ex libris stamp. I bought a personalized ex libris stamp on Etsy. Entwined with peonies and my name emboldened, I've stamped my favorite hardcovers, which has brought me a lot of joy. Personalizing my favourite objects makes me feel like more of a person. I've also started marking my favourite passages in my books. I found this a bit scary at first, but then I thought, but would you really want your books to just sit on the shelf, untouched, unloved, forever!?

Homemade apple pie. It is surprisingly easy to bake an apple pie, it's just a bit time-consuming. I can assure you that you feel like a professional baker when the artwork is done, though. I've been using a cake mix for the crust. When it's in the oven, a warm cinnamon smell fills your house!

My brother and I made a big pie for a movie night with friends. A sweet friend of mine prepared a slice, with two scoops of ice cream and a tuff of chantilly for everyone. One friend couldn't join us because of work, so we put a slice in a bento box and delivered it to her house. She was over the moon!

Oven roasted veggies. Especially, tomatoes, onions and garlic. Pop them in the oven with some olive oil, and now you can either use those to make creamy tomato soup or creamy pasta sauce—or something else, but those are the two options I tried. Even someone like me, with two culinary left hands, can make something yummy out of this. My favourite recipe is this fall pasta from a lovely lady on Instagram, that I made with fresh tagliatelle. It is an easy to make, fulfilling dish.

Tiny Lego plants. I bought a box of (fake) Lego for me and each of my siblings (in-law) as a little surprise. Amidst coffee and sweet treats, we forgot the weight of adulthood, lost in the joy of crafting miniature wonders, pressing together tiny colorful bricks. Especially for my confused sister, who repeatedly dropped her flowers by accident, creating a mess of blocks. Don't worry, we helped her out after. :-)

I got my younger brother a sunflower, my older brother baby's breath, my sister-in-law roses, and myself a pot of lavender. The sunflowers and lavender can be seen in the image below...

Museums. Just a few days ago, I went to visit Museum Panorama Mesdag. It was even more impressive than the picture I had saved in my memories. It's huge, and full of color and personality. I really like Mesdag, an artist who found beauty in the mundane; normal people and the beach from his home, painting with his equally talented wife by his side. He really is an artistic gem of this country.

My family gifted my parents a museum pass for their wedding anniversary; to visit all museums in this country for free, for a year. They have yet to use it, but I've heard nothing but good things about it. Now they can have as many culturally focused dates as they want! :-)

Of course, there are more things I did. I baked cinnamon rolls and several types of cakes, made lasagne, a lot of soups, pastas, and learned how to make the perfect scrambled eggs. I got my nails done (pink, with white Miffy nail art!) and dyed my hair strawberry blonde again. My friends and I booked a trip to Alicante! I got a bunch of different flowers, bought myself or received as a gift from a friend. I started a new sketchbook, with a baby pink cover, that handles watercolor well.

That's it for now! Until the next chapter unfolds, may your days be as sweet as a slice of apple pie shared with a friend. I noticed tulip season is starting already. Maybe you could get a small bunch of them to brighten up your room a bit.