books, world vision, marathons & yucky summer head colds

 morning friends.

let me just say it's a good thing most of this was already in my drafts

because this head cold or whatever yuck i have is making me feel real fuzzy.

wanted to share a couple of books i'm currently reading.

i was a huge Judd's fan in the late 80's and early 90's

and have always thought ashley was such a sophisticated beautiful actress.

for the last 10 years she's been quite the humanitarian traveling through asia

& africa as an advocate for women in the sex trafficking industry 

and others in poverty.

while she & i are on two completely different planets spiritually,

i am truly enjoying her memoir.

the last calender year has been an eyeopener for me regarding the HIV/AIDS crisis

the orphan crisis and the sickening amount of slavery that still exists.

with events such as Passion & my latest passion with Noonday Collection

i'm continually trying to educate myself in these matters.

 

 speaking of the Passion Conferences

i'm also reading Matt Redman's "mirror ball".

incidentally , matt's wife beth is also an advocate and passionately involved

in the A21 campaign

 & for more light reading i'm also enjoying the book club with edie.

all my advanced placement literature taking daughter's jaws dropped when i informed

them i would be reading The Odyssey.

& speaking of justice,

i'm loving how all of my chatter is actually somewhat connected,

my friend ruth

owner of Carol & Company

is preparing for a marathon. a full marathon. not a wimpy half like i've run.

but 26.2 miles.

she's selling these super cool lenny & eva cuff bracelets

free shipping, & the proceeds are going to World Vision.

i mean come on.

you can wear a great bracelet & help bring clean water to children around the world.

read here for more information

 

and now for just a little random life in the last few weeks.

i'm loving jeanne's latest bag and feel very cute at publix when i cruise in for my daily

groceries. yes i still have yet to master shopping with a list. in advance.

justin's chocolate hazelnut butter served with a banana.

life changer. 

rockstar ballerina being fitted for another pair of pointe shoes.

i love having a dancer in the house again.

 

mr hospitality,

always excited to see us

fear not. he doesn't live outside. 

i have all the hair on my hardwoods to prove his existence inside our home.

skinny cords at target. 23 bucks.

super cute & comfy.

 

after spending the day trying on skinnies

i was prompted to check a fashion statement with one of my college girls.

proof that we all need to have relationships

with people at least half our age. at all times.

 

letter day from our little man in uganda

is always a highlight.

sweet little guy. listen to what he said through his letter interpreter...

"he sends greetings to savannah, madison, emily and caroline

& he's glad he has so many sisters.

&

"he's very happy to be a part of your family"

&

"his family loves you so".

tears...

 alrighty my friends

i'm on day three of some kinda yuck that is completely kicking my tail.

i'm crawling back into bed & spending the morning with skeeter & minny

book club, a few good books & a give away

 

my router has been giving me fits all day 

so this post has taken me all morning to get rolling...

anyways

if you haven't seen already, my fave blogger, aka edie, is starting a book club.

click on the above image & it'll take you right on over.

we're  taking " chronological approach"

"as a way of following the development of western civilization 

and how one writer’s work builds on the writers before them"

therefore

we're going to begin with The Odyssey

(gosh i feel so fancy regardless of the fact that i copied & pasted her spoken word)

& friends. i must admit hanging out with edie will make you feel very intellectual.

while she's quite the hottie

she's also a brainiac

which is a tad intimidating

but being so down to earth

she loves friends like me who actually have to google "the odyssey" 

just to make sure i'm using correct spelling.

 so wherever you may land on that continum why don't you join us...

 

i also wanted to share a few books i read this summer & am currently reading

i am really enjoying the ESV Study Bible

english standard version

The Mirror Ball by Matt Redman

Billy Graham's Nearing Home

Nicholas Kristof  "Half the Sky"

& for teenagers,

"the message// remix: solo"

"not a fan"--a great book which now also has a teen version

 

 love my ever growing collection of the penguin classics

two amazing men, Billy Graham & Ronald Reagan.
i love reading anything about them.
"i love you, ronnie", is a precious book with some of the love letters he sent nancy...
makes a sweet gift.

dan read "The Reagan Diaries" this summer.
many a night while we were in bed reading before turning out the lights
he would read a sweet portion from the diaries about how President Reagan always missed nancy when she was away. what a legacy of love & what a good man...

& my favorite read of the summer

was "Kisses from Katie"

read in 24 hours & is a life changer.

i highly recommend this for your teenage/college age girls.

 

Karen White's "the Memory of Water"

which i did enjoy 

but i'll tell you is based around a few characters with bipolar which made it a little heavy

but i did enjoy how the story was written.

another favorite was "A Sweethaven Summer"

by my personal friend, courtney walsh.

a sweet, sweet story about friendships & healing hearts.

courtney has just released her latest work,

" A Sweethaven Homecoming"

& has offered a copy for one of you.

please leave me a comment & tell me your favorite book.

i'll post the winner monday!

Local New York Times best-selling author Courtney Walsh celebrates

friendship and forgiveness with the release of new Sweethaven book.

“The sequel to A Sweethaven Summer brings back well-remembered and well-loved

characters. This second book starts where the first one left off….With scrapbooking as the backdrop, readers who enjoy that craft will appreciate the addition to the storyline.”

—RT Reviews

The Sweethaven Circle—Jane, Lila, Adele, and Campbell—are together again in the latest novel, A Sweethaven Homecoming, from New York Times bestselling author and professional papercrafter Courtney Walsh. Readers will meet a new Sweethaven friend, country singer Meghan Rhodes, who has returned to her childhood home of Sweethaven. Walsh continues creating the genuine characters her readers love to know.

ps--we're having a big sale over at Noonday,
ya'll swing by

boots, big events, boys & a thinning crowd at the dinner table

hello friends!

 a few of you asked about the boots savannah was wearing

in yesterday's post, here. 

they're lucchese 

& while my love for this brand of boots runs deep & wide,

i have yet to pay full price.

i look at my boot purchases as an investment that i know will not only last for forever

but also be worn by a house full of girls!

(shopping justification at it's finest)

i love the fit of a lucchese & honestly, i just think they're the prettiest boots.

we have several pair & they become more beautiful the more they're worn.

i found some  here on sale for you

& i found this entire page of fabulous boots for you too.

 

do ya'll ever get knotted up trying to remember what you've shared & 

what you haven't?

no?

ok, well let me unpack the last couple weeks

& forgive the replay if it occurs.

so speaking of boots,

did ya'll hit up the nordstroms anniversary sale?

i saved a few pennies post beach vacation 

& scored these babies for a great sale price.

they actually fit over my who's your daddy calves.

& regardless of the fact that it will be well over 90 degrees here in atlanta until mid october

i can't wait to add these to the mix.

the school supply shopping event was an all time simplified maneuver.

only took 2 or 3 rounds

& a big ole target bill.

actually, we haven't received the UGA student's bill but it seemed easier this year.

doesn't she look 15?

what the heck.

she was choosing a verse for a little digital creation for her binder.

her latest favorite necklace can be found here

seldom a day rolls by where i fail to wonder

how on earth i ever got so fortunate to marry this man.

but that's another post for another day.

 we were heading out to a new spot to add to our date night repertoire,

verde taqueria in brookhaven.

that particular night the special was shrimp and grits taco.

talk to me.

& a pomegranate margarita.

delicious!

 

a little summer vignette in the kitchen

 trying to decide whether to splurge on this baby 

to use for photo sessions of course.

but at $200, at marshalls, i left that one & a grabbed another. 

i'll share that later too.

 

 we did however, leave with some cute shoes that were on clearance.

 first day of school cuties

so apparently i've worn the same outfit a few times lately.

that's his nickname for me so we stopped for a little cheesy shot.

not to make you hate me

but rather to share what an amazing man he truly is,

i must tell you, he sends me love letters in the mail.

on a regular basis.

hopefully this is the year caroline will fall in love with reading.

madison was not a reader. at all. until she began reading Harry Potter in the 5th grade
& now is a voracious reader.

i laid out a few choices to encourage caroline...

 

she ended up choosing The Lightning Thief & loves it!

praying this is finally the start of loving books.

served up a little back to school caprese salad

on a cute nora flemming platter.

more back to school cuteness

 

so, madison calls a couple weeks ago & says that while she was stretching

her kneecap rolled over to the side of her leg.

oh dear...

long story short

she ended up with torn cartilage

and a torn ligament ( mcl for all you athletic folks) requiring surgery 

.

every girl, and her mom needs a little pre-surgery mani pedi 

the morning of surgery

at our 5:30. hello. check in.

she had fuzzy itchy restless no-sleep at night weekend

thanks to loratab. now that that's out of her system she's beginning to feel better.

little bit getting fitted for her 2nd pair pointe shoes

emi started her new job at chickfila!

so proud!

so a sad sign of the times has occured.

with one away at college

& one working at chickfila

& one now with a new boyfriend

many meals at our family table for 6 now looks like this...

 

& speaking of boyfriends...

yes madison is now facebook official...

he's a great guy

he's mighty silly & usually receives many looks like this from her.... 

 

told you he was silly.

hello physical therapy

& a new fashion accessory... 

well that about wraps it up.

don't forget you have a great 30% discount available to you

at yesterday jewelry.

enter AUGUSTSALE at checkout...

either click on link above or the image below can take you there too!