March 2025 Wrap-Up
🏠 When your house decides to pull a Taylor Swift and enter its chaos era (roof cave-in + septic drama = pure unhinged adulting).
March is that chaotic middle child of seasons - not quite ready to commit to winter or spring, so it's serving us both with the greatest enthusiasm. One day you're basking in sunshine, the next you're building a snowman. Tiny flowers are making their debut while little bugs are staging their annual comeback tour. Meanwhile, I have no idea what to wear.
Speaking of chaos, our house decided to join in on the fun this month! Picture this: our basement turned into an impromptu water feature (thanks to some septic tank drama), and our roof had a brief identity crisis and tried to find itself on the floor. But silver linings! My brother Alex (giving a quick shoutout to J. Alexander Plumbing) and Ben's friend Greg swooped in like home repair superheroes to save the day.
But hey, amid all this domestic adventure, I've been channeling my inner Marie Kondo! I’ve started my spring cleaning! I conquered the basement spider population (RIP to approximately 1000 eight-legged roommates), and gave my front door and entryway a glow-up that's so bright you’ll need sunglasses to enter my house. And I'm not even trying to hide how much I'm loving it! ✨
I'm one of those people who watches a YouTube video about home renovations and thinks "yeah... I could do that." And since no adult is watching me, I just head to the hardware store and grab whatever I want!
Here are some helpful home renovation tips I learned this month (use at your own risk):
If you're using caulk, get a caulking gun. Trust me on this one—a butter knife won't do the trick and will double your work time.
Sand your walls before painting them—it creates a smoother finish.
The top step of a ladder isn't for stepping on. "Then why is it there?!" you might ask. The only reasonable explanation I can think of: snack tray.
And here's a handy trick: rub a bar of soap along the edges of sticky wooden dresser drawers to help them slide smoothly!
Besides dealing with the leaky basement and roof situation, I've got several house projects in progress. I'm sorting through all the treasures stored in my basement, sprucing up my entryway (as you've seen), and planning to paint my kitchen blue and build a breakfast nook in the corner.
I'm trying to decide between the two blues in the images below (for the walls, not the cabinets like in the picture). I'm leaning toward option 2 since it's a bit lighter and would complement my dark brown cabinets better, but I'm still unsure...
Option 1:
Option 2:
I'm also tempted to paint my cabinets—my Auntie Jane painted vines and peppers on hers, and I absolutely love how they turned out. I'm aiming for a Mediterranean vibe in my kitchen. I want it to feel like stepping onto a sun-drenched patio on a Greek island. Something like this but in a Greek inspired design:
Next month I'll tackle the landscaping and start building my garden, but until then, I'm trying to teach the birds that when they hear "HOT TO GO" by Chappell Roan, it means it's lunchtime and the bird feeder is coming out.
I had my first film audition in FOREVER this month. It was a decent-sized audition too, which was great! It was for the lead in a horror film - and it felt good to get back in front of the camera. I don’t think I’ll get it, the character is described as ‘fit’ which is often just a polite way for folks to say ‘thin’ and I am not thin - I am fit though, but maybe just not in the way they want. I was reminded recently that my body is very strong. This powerhouse body of mine can deadlift groceries, squat like nobody’s business, and probably wrestle a medium-sized bear (a black bear, not a grizzly. Obviously). 💪✨
Maybe they are looking for my kind of fit ~ I guess we’ll see 😊
Currently Reading:
The Fox & the Falcon by CJ Piper
This is a sequel to The Deer and the Dragon by CJ Piper, a modern fantasy novel. I liked the first one—the first half totally gripped me, but somewhere after the midpoint it lost momentum. The cliffhanger ending didn't work for me, not because I dislike cliffhangers in general, but because I turned the last page thinking "...what? That's where it ends?! What just happened?"
Anyway, I decided to pick up the second book because the writing was decent and I was curious about where the story would go. But I'm having trouble getting through it. While it picks up right where we left off, it's missing an engaging pace. Everything feels like it's taking forever to build up momentum and get me reinvested in the stakes. I like many of the characters and I'm intrigued by the modern fantasy genre (which, for those who don't know, is just a fantasy story set in today's real world, with a couple of adjacent worlds too). But I'm just not loving it.
Have you read it? What do you think? Should I DNF it? I never DNF books, I force myself to finish them, but honestly…who has the time?!
Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland
Now this book I'm absolutely loving! Set in a fantasy world inspired by Korean folklore and history, it follows six individuals who band together to assassinate a king. The story unfolds through each character's perspective, and Mai Corland masterfully maintains distinct voices while keeping the tension high throughout. She's crafted a fascinating—though brutal—world. I'm thoroughly enjoying the journey, especially as an audiobook where the cast of voice actors brings everything to vibrant life. If you're looking for an engaging epic fantasy read or something similar to Six of Crows, then I'd definitely recommend this one.
Full Review of both coming soon.
Editing VS Writing
I’ve been struggling with going back and editing my work rather than writing something new. I’m currently working on a new book, a fantasy book (my first fantasy book!) I’ve written the first four chapters so far and outlined the whole story, but instead of continuing on every time I sit down to write, I find myself going back to the top and rereading everything I’ve already written.
I’ve heard writing experts recommend completing a first draft before heavy editing, to help maintain creative momentum and ensure the story's natural flow isn't disrupted, but sometimes it's hard to keep going - even when you’re excited to finish the story!
Pumpkin Patch Productions is throwing a party!
We’ve invited our Cast and Crew to a screening of the second season of Good Grief next month. I’m nervous about them seeing the new season, but I’m also excited to see everyone and get together.
And that's March - a month of home repairs, creative ventures, and weather that can't quite make up its mind. Remember, sometimes the best stories come from those moments when everything goes slightly sideways, and you find yourself googling "how to convince spiders to pay rent" at 3 AM.
Stay cozy, keep laughing, and maybe don't try to wrestle any bears,
Katerina 🎃✨
