The Gentlemen's Gamble

You know I like when authors convince me (they don't have to try that hard) to read their books (if it's the type of book I would read). See my post from September 14, 2024.

I found out about a new series that came out this year written by multiple authors called The Gentlemen's Gamble series. The idea is that this group of friends make a wager when they're younger that whoever is the last to marry has to pay each of the others in the group 100 pounds. They kind of forget about it and then years later one friend writes to all the others that he has gotten married and reminds them all about the wager so it's a scramble for them all to get married.

A couple fun things about this series are: 1) the authors kept the release order of the books secret so we didn't know who was going to lose the wager. 2) each of the books have the same prologue but written from the hero of that book's point of view.

I haven't finished the series yet (I'm still two books away- I've listened to four on audiobook) but I do know the order of the books at this point. The series introduced me to a new author (and the last two books are from authors I have not previously read so I'm still waiting) and I got to read books from three authors who I have read books from before. One of them is Anneka R. Walker, who is one of my favorites, as you know.

In April, the authors held a Gentlemen's Gamble virtual event where they talked about the books and answered questions. It was pretty fun. Before the event they emailed BINGO cards so we could have fun catching little things that were mentioned throughout the event. 

They also did some giveaways and I won a tshirt. It says, "Team Gentlemen. Honor Intact. Hearts Compromised." 

I am enjoying this book series and I'm glad I found out about it.

 

 

Spring

 

Thanks for the Visit, Grandma and Grandpa

Our last day with Jeremy's parents here, I introduced them to the movie, Seeking Persephone. I had to get my April viewing in and my mother-in-law has similar tastes. Nichole was too busy with finals so she wasn't able to watch with us. First time not watching it together (we've watched it and introduced it to new people every month since December). My mother-in-law liked it.

After we watched it, Jeremy's parents took us out for lunch at a restaurant we'd been wanting to try for years but hadn't yet. Milagros. It's in Orem by Winco so we pass it all the time. 

I enjoyed the experience. The food was yummy and the company was great. 

 

That night after we said goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa, the kids and I opened up a bag of jellybeans to celebrate Jelly Bean Day, April 22.

It was also Earth Day so Lucky kept joking about there being earth flavored/dirt flavored jelly beans. I had to explain that these weren't Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. Starburst Jellybeans are our favorite kind of jellybean.

 

O.K. Here's something I dealt with that night. Looking at the packaging, Jellybeans is one word but Jelly Bean Day is two words (well three but the Jelly Bean in Jelly Bean Day is two words).

Can anyone explain that? It's been bothering me.

"It's Always Fun When Grandpa Comes"

When Grandpa comes to visit and brings a bunch of hot sauce, it's time for a hot sauce taste test. We cut up some chicken nuggets to dip in the sauces (and had chocolate milk as needed) and we had a great time. Even though Grandpa likes them "watery eyes, burn your taste buds" spicy, none of these had quite that level of heat. We were all able to enjoy the experience with burning tongues that didn't last too long.

 

We gave Jet a container with regular ketchup to dip his chicken nuggets in because he wanted to be involved. A couple of family members decided not to participate and that's just fine.

 

Cheddar Fries Day 2026

Cheddar Fries Day, April 20, was a busy day so dinner was quick and simple. Pasta with rotisserie chicken and whatever sauce and fries with cheddar cheese on them to celebrate the holiday.

 

Bread Bowls and Ogre Stew

As previously mentioned, Jeremy's parents came for a visit. It was lovely to have them here. We got to see them when we went to the baby blessing in Idaho the week before. They got some good time with their grandkids there then came to spend good time with their grandkids here (and their son and daughter-in-law).

One meal we had while they were here was Ogre Stew (you know we love it- most of us) in bread bowls. Yum. 

The recipe for the bread bowls I use is Italian Bread Bowls from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. I wanted to make sure I made enough bread bowls so I doubled the recipe but I neglected to separate it into two different bowls for the first rising time. Ha Ha Ha.

I went about my business with a timer set and when I finally looked over, it was so high then a little bit later it was dripping down the side of the bowl. Ha Ha Ha. Everybody got a kick out of that since everybody was there hanging out on Hanging Out Day, April 19.

The bread bowls turned out and the stew in the bowls was sooooo good, of course. I love the recipes in The Fablehaven Cookbook. 

By the way, April 19 was also Garlic Day and Ogre Stew has garlic powder in it. 

Velociraptor Awareness Day 2026

I made sure this year that Jet's velociraptor was involved in a lot of what went on April 18, Velociraptor Awareness Day. I haven't always been as diligent as some years.

 

In no particular order, the velociraptor helped with:

 

Food prep (although I don't know why I don't have a picture of it with our dinner)

 

Dishes

 

Encouraging us to eat our cheeseball that we didn't eat the day before (we were busy that night)

 

Taking care of a sick little boy

 

Video games

 

Recording voice for a school project

 

Recycling 

 

Thank you, velociraptor. We are aware of how helpful you are and are grateful you helped us get ready for a visit from Grandma and Grandpa.