Here are some notable reads from the last couple of weeks:

Pathway to Freedom — overcoming any addiction.

Introverted. Quote: “My challenge…is to keep introversion from enabling or excusing sin… I can excuse selfishness, self-centeredness, escapism, lack of hospitality, rudeness. I can stay away from people and excuse it as being just the way I am, as being who I am. I can be shy and quiet when the Lord calls me to be strong and bold.”

Some Thoughts on Guns and YouTube Scoldings as Parenting Tools.

10 Churchy Words We All Need to Know.

Why I Read Jane Austen — written by a young man. Austen is not just for girls!

10 Common Misconceptions of the Wannabe Novelist.

Five Publishing Hurdles and How to Clear Them.

Password Check. An amusing piece for anyone who has ever been frustrated with password verifications (and they do seem to be getting even more frustrating!)

A couple of things seen on Pinterest:

Scott Hamilton’s testimony:

Sweet version of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star with time-lapsed views of overhead stars.

I didn’t think I had enough “laudable linkage” to make a post this week, but I find that I do have a few things you might find as interesting as I did.

How Much Is a Homemaker Worth?

Why Do We Write?

Dancing Duets: lovely post on helping our children fulfill their dreams rather than ours.

Seen on Facebook:

Seen at Pinterest:

Seen at Challies: this had me literally laughing out loud (note: though the guy uses a cigarette in the last part of his routine, I don’t promote or condone cigarette smoking.)

Here’s my Saturday synopsis of scintillating reads  and views from the Web this week :

Thank God for “mundane, anonymous, nondescript people.”

Let’s Make a Deal. The mistake of thinking quiet time with God is in exchange for Him giving us a “good day” rather than an opportunity to fellowship with Him.

An Unlikely Friendship. Great example of friendship with different ages.

Making Room for Writing While Mothering.

How to Find Free Kindle Books. I especially liked Inspired Reads (It is not a totally Christian site, though. There have been a few things on there I could not endorse.)

25 Handmade Gifts For Boys, HT to Lizzie.

Cute Valentine’s Sayings. Lots of neat ideas for kids’ Valentine exchanges.

Seen on Lisa‘s Pinterest:

Saw this at Bobbi‘s. Utterly mesmerizing to watch.

A murmuration is a flock of starlings. (I didn’t know that before!)

And one violinist’s response to a cell phone interrupting his concert:

Hope you have a great Saturday! After having to keep my foot up most of the week, I’m going to try to get some housework done today. Not fun, but satisfying once it is done.

Here are a few things I found interesting on the Web this week:

The Differences Between Religion and the Gospel. Excellent. No, it’s not the video you may have seen floating around Facebook.

How to talk to God with His words.

How to Disagree Online Without Being a Total Jerk. Excellent.

What to Do When Life is Hard….from one who knows.

Being Polite, HT to Lisa.

I want this habit.

Does Fiction Lie? Thoughts on Truth and Christian Story-telling.

Grace-Motivated….Dieting?

Basic sewing tutorials for the beginner.

35-second chocolate cake in a cup.

I didn’t see the concert for the 25th anniversary of the musical Les Miserables, but I stumbled across this rendition of “Bring Him Home” from four different tenor who have played ValJean through the years. Lovely…though Colm Wilkinson will always be ValJean to me:

Here are some things I found interesting online the last couple of weeks. Perhaps some might be of interest to you as well.

What to Do If You Wake Up Feeling Fragile.

The Importance of Superficial Reading the First Time Through. I put the book mentioned on my TBR list.

Bible Reading Plans. You may have seen many posts like this the last few weeks. I think there is a plan for any personality, temperament, or way of thinking. The important thing is to be in the Word regularly.

You’ve probably seen a lot about resolutions, too. I put links to the posts I’d found thought-provoking at the bottom of this post where I tried to work out some of my thoughts about it all, but a couple more are Teenage Resolutions and Resolutions on Growing Old With God.

Four Tips for Scripture Memory.

An idea for Christmas cards.

Making a take-out menu binder. Neat idea. I have a folder for menus and coupons, but this takes it a step further.

Tips for getting organized in the new year. Lots of really neat ideas.

I’ve pinned a number of crafty, organizational, or food-related posts on my Pinterest boards recently, probably too many to list here, but if you’re interested in more of those things, I invite you there. 🙂

And a couple of funny pics:

Happy Saturday!

I meant to mention yesterday and forgot, but my second newspaper column came out last Sunday: Christmas Grief, Christmas Hope. I don’t mean to sound self-promoting, but thought some might like to see it. I wasn’t sure how far the editor would let me go in sharing the gospel, but thankfully he didn’t edit out any of it.

Here are some good reads from round the Web the past couple of weeks:

Celebrating the Excellencies of His Name -Prince of Peace, by Petra Hefner. Beautiful, both in substance and style.

Ladies: Do Not Shy Away From Theology.

A Snapshot of Finishing Life Well. Neat video of 90 year old man caring for his 91 year old wife. “This is what love and faithfulness looks like.”

Finding a “quiet time” in a mother’s life that is far from quiet.

A Game Plan For When You Start to Worry.

Good and Perfect Gifts. Quote: “The little bulldog of a child (you know the kind…you tell them “no” and they stare a burning hole through you as they do the very thing you told them not to do) may, with the transforming power of the Spirit, one day become a stalwart witness for Christ.”

Reaction, Effect, and Christian Shock Jocks.

How to Write a Good Sympathy Card.

25 Clever Ideas to Make Life Easier.

25 Handmade Gifts Under $5.

50+ Christmas Stocking Stuffers For Men. Can’t endorse the whole list, but there are several good ideas there.

Roses From Ricrac. The instructions are in Spanish, so I can’t read them, but there are lots of photos in the tutorial and I love the end product. So cute!

Canvas Art, HT to Lizzie. Want to try this some day.

Fudge Puddles. Want to try!

Now I am off to tackle my to-do list for today. If only it were this easy! 🙂

see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

Here are some interesting things seen round the Web this week:

Six Helps for Sufferers from Elisabeth Elliot, HT to Challies.

How to Serve “The Singles” in Your Church.

Read On! by Patsy Clairmont, HT to Robin Lee Hatcher.

Affect Versus Effect. Great tip to remember when to use which. I tend to have to look it up, even when I think I am doing it right, just to be sure. Loved this cartoon at the bottom:

I do believe in using correct grammar, and I believe it can affect one’s readability, credibility, and testimony. But on the other hand, people tend to have no grace at all when they see grammar mistakes in others’ writings. When grading a paper or editing, that’s one thing, but in everyday reading I think we can overlook people’s grammar mistakes just as we would anything else.

Chicken and Cheese Lasagna Roll-Ups via e-Mom‘s Pinterest. haven’t tried these, but they look so good.

Free printable Christmas tags from Karla Dornacher.

Crafty stuff:

Stamp Storage System. Seems a little involved, but if you have a lot this might help you keep track of what you have and be able to find it.

Personalized “Happily Ever After” Plaque. Neat idea. Of course, you could put any phrase on it.

More phrases on canvas.

Love Button Wall-Hanging seen on Pinterest.

A simple tree tee — the design was made with scraps of trim.

Saw and repinned a number of neat things on Pinterest, too many to list here, but you can see them there if you like.

And finally, what would Saturday be without a couple of funnies:

For this to make sense you have to be familiar with the LOTR flms as well as the Jared jewelry commercials. It made me chuckle.

Hope you have a great weekend. I’m off to clean and cook for company coming tonight.

Don’t know how many people will be around today with shopping and visiting and such going on, but if you’re looking for a few interesting reads, here are some I’ve seen this week:

When the Battle-Weary Speak, We Listen.

Missionary answers. Great posts soliciting answers from missionaries about how churches can minister to them. Many helpful answers in the contents.

Sending gifts to missionaries, HT to Susan. Very helpful suggestions.

The following are from Pinterest. Love that place!

What to do with cards. Great idea!!!

Pretty organizational center.

Scrabble Home Decor.

Button wreath.

Button clock in embroidery hoop.

Neat idea for Christmas buffet table — cheese, crackers, or veggies in a Christmas tree shape.

Saw the first of these on Pinterest, the rest on Facebook.

Been there. 🙂

So true — those things are horrible to step on.

I feel that way sometimes, too.

Hope you have a great weekend!

I have just a few things to share this week:

Do You See the Warrior? Neat post about training rather than “taming” boys.

Michelle Duggar, Feminist? (No!), HT to Carrie. Quote: “Michelle Duggar is an admittedly extreme example of a lifestyle choice that challenges today’s feminist norms. But can we write off her choice as anti-feminist? Or is that in and of itself a violation of feminism’s first principle: choice?” I’m not up for birthing and mothering 20 children myself, and not advocating that for everyone, but it’s ironic that the feminist community so big on choice would criticize other people’s choices when different from their own.

Thanksgiving Ideas For Kids.

Bunnell Strings, HT to nikkipolani. Nikki shared about this group after they played at her church — five siblings staying together and supporting themselves by string concerts after the death of their parents. Here is a lovely original number:

Neat Thanksgiving veggie tray seen at nannykim‘s

Loved this on Facebook:

And a couple of funnies:

Time for my nearly-weekly round-up of interesting reads around the Web:

5 Signs of Spiritual Maturity in a Believer. I see I still have a ways to go…

Forest? What Forest?

Ten Reasons to Listen to Questions Before You Answer. Amen.

Man Enough to Love a Real Woman.

Make a Bible Timeline and good reasons for knowing Bible history.

A Collection of Rejected Titles for Classic Books. Pretty interesting. All’s Well that Ends Well just doesn’t have the same ring as War and Peace.

Free e-books about writing — today’s the last day.

Craft storage/organization:

Sewing/Craft Room Ideas, HT to Lizzie. Lots of neat, clever ideas!

Get Organized Challenge. Recorded webinars about various craft storage issues.

Craftiness:

Cute button project.

Scrappy Silhouettes.

Foodie stuff:

Homemade Twix Bars.

Cookie Monster Cupcakes. Very cute!

And a few funny pictures seen around Facebook:

Coming from a family of Star Trek fans, this struck me funny:

Have a good weekend!