Weekly Roundup

This is my first weekly roundup for 2013! I love reading blogs, but the best part about reading is sharing awesome finds with my friends. 

Here are a few posts that have caught my attention lately:

• Donald Miller (Storyline Blog): Do You Believe You are Good at Relationships? The Question Matters. Wow, I didn't realize what I think about the type of friend I am could make a difference. 
• Kate Bryan (The Small Things Blog): The One that is Hard to Write. As I read this post, tears streamed down my face. I know how she feels. Someday I will write about our journey.
• Jan Scott (Simple Bites Contributor): My Secret for Easy Entertaining during the Cold Winter Months. I would have never thought about making the main dish the day before having guests over. What stress would be relieved by making the food ahead of time. 
• Hannah Hurley (Hurley Love): I met a fellow blogger and it was amazing. I was blown away by Hannah writing this post about me. I am honored to have gotten to meet her. 
• Gretchen Rubin (The Happiness Project): 21 Day Relationship Challenge. I love being reminded of ways to help my relationships, especially with my Hubster. Gretchen's ideas are simple, yet really impacting.

What have you been reading lately? What posts have caught your attention?

Weekly Roundup

 

These are the posts I've enjoyed reading recently: 

• For the love of hummus ~ Emily shared a basic hummus recipe and then a few ways to easily change it. I've been loving eating hummus on carrots, cucumber, and pitas lately, so I can't wait to try making my own. 
• thanks to coffee I'm thinking about voice ~ Rachel opened up about how overhearing a comment made by a coffeeshop employee to another employee caused her to reflect on her own tone and voice. The most challenging lines she wrote were: "Words matter. I'm watching mine."
• 12 Characteristics of a Well Functioning Family ~ Corey wrote this post and I have found it very insightful. "Every family functions ... on some level." My favorite characteristics: numbers 1 and 5. 
• funfetti cupcakes ~ Julie has some pretty amazing recipes on her blog. I found her through the It's a Girl Party I particpated in last week. The hubster absolutely, positively, LOVES funfetti cake. I can't wait to try this recipe.
• Christian Call of Sharing Your Table (& Hospitality) ~ I really appreciated this post by Kamille. "This life, it's meant to be shared." Read and be encouraged.
• Loved people love people; you don't ~ I don't think I've had a weekly round-up that doesn't include something from PC! This time, he delves into the love of God that has been hard for me to believe. "Many of us have not truly accepted that love nor believed that love enough. Many of us attack ourselves and tear ourselves down for a myriad of reasons, and with each one, deny the fact that we are tenderly and deeply loved. "

What have you been reading? I hope you have had a wonderful week! 

Weekly Roundup

Hello Friends, 

It's been a while since I've done a weekly roundup, so I thought today would be a perfect day to do so. Here are a few posts that I've enjoyed recently. Click on over to the posts, you'll be glad you did!

• Anthony has been blogging about our trip to New York City. He posted 3 different coffee shops we went to and enjoyed. The first shop Blue Bottle Coffee is here on the West Coast, specifically San Francisco. The second post is about Stumptown Coffee, who are in Portland, OR. And the third, Caffe Vita was our favorite find. And guess what? They have stores on the West Coast too! I think it's really funny that all of the coffee shops we loved in NYC were West Coast based. 
• Rebecca wrote an article about "Helping a Friend Through Pregnancy Loss or Grief" and I cannot express how much I appreciate this post. When a dear, dear friend of mine had a miscarriage two years ago, I did not know what to say. So I did what I thought was best. Nothing. Looking back, I know this was not the best idea. I've always been afraid to say something dumb or insensitive, however Rebecca's thoughts have given me a few tools to use in the future (sadly, if that happens again to someone).
• Alicia shared a recipe for Morning Glory Muffins that sounds super healthy and delicious. I can't wait to try them! A side note: each week she hosts Try New Adventures Thursday and it's a way for her to be more interesting and help others along the way. 
• Ashlee is a local Sacramentan. Recently, I was flipping through a magazine and saw a two page spread highlighting her maternity fashion. Very cute! She wrote about Comparison and how she's planning to take 24 hours a week to unplug. Yikes. I wonder if I could even do this? She challenged her readers to do the same. 

What have you been reading lately? I am in need of some crafty ideas, do you have any suggestions?

Weekly Roundup

I enjoyed the following posts this week, I think you will too!

The Best Apple Cake~ Andrea shared this recipe on her blog and I happen to know that Apple Cake is one of my hubster's favorite foods. I can't wait to try this one out!

Vulnerability Births Hospitality~ My blogging friend, Kamille, wrote this article and I loved every word of it. The line that really caused me to pause and reflect was this:

The truth is, we all have bits of awkwardness, dull, talk too little or too much. Yet, what makes us attractive and hospitable is that we don't have it all together.

It's in our weakness, where Jesus pours out his lavish grace and shines.

How to Embed Tweets & Ways to Use Them ~ Amy is a blogging guru. At least once each week, I learn something new I can try or incorporate into my blogging. This article about Twitter was quite helpful.

Healing begins in the beliefs ~ What would a Weekly Roundup be without a post from our dear friend, PC? God has been speaking to me a lot the past few days and weeks about my beliefs. PC has wisdom that can only be gained from life lessons and allowing God to work in his heart.

But if we truly desire healing and change in our lives, we have to look at our belief systems. Change is going to require insight and changing some beliefs we have deep down about our self, others, and God.

What have you been enjoying reading lately?

Weekly Roundup

Hello Everyone! I hope you are all having a great week. I've been reading lots of amazing posts the past few weeks. I really missed the bloggers during the Holidays! Here are my the highlights of my week:

• How to commit to the end ~ I'm all about marriages lasting, as in "til death do us part." Tess wrote some great tips on what she's learned during her 40 years of marriage. My favorite one was: make forgiveness a way of life. Awesome!
• Boomerang ~ My hubster's posts are succinct and incredibly insightful! In this post, Anthony said: "What struck me more is what have I said about others?"
• Be a Great Mom in 2012: A Step by Step Guide ~ Even though I'm not a mom yet, I enjoy studying what other moms have learned. Kat describes the action plan she has for this year. 
• Homemade Refried Beans ~ Amy is one of my favorite bloggers and this week she shared how she makes delicious looking beans. It's super simple too!
• Can You Give it Up? ~ Jesse challenges his readers to examine the amount of time they're spending on technology. He gave a detailed look of his time spent on Twitter, Facebook, emails, etc. I'm reconsidering the amount of time I spend in front of a screen. And HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESSE!
• Three Favorite Food Philosophy Books ~ Jessica (aka Life as Mom) discussed 3 of her favorite books on what drives her food philosophy. Let's just say, I have added all 3 books to my list and hope to read them soon. I like that Jessica made small changes over time.

What have you been reading? 

Weekly Roundup

This week I'm highlighting some pretty awesome male bloggers. Okay, they might actually be the only male blogs I read, but I think they rock.

• Monterey: Day 1 and Monterey: Day 2 ~ A fabulous recap of our most recent trip to Monterey by my hubster, Anthony. He has a great eye for photography. I'm really proud of him!
• Old School: Don't Quit ~ Jesse blogged a poem that he found in an antique book his grandma gave him. This poem about not quitting was just the reminder I needed this week. 
• On the arts of following Jesus and shaving ~ PC wrote about the fact that each day we must choose to follow Jesus. Awesome!

What posts stood out to you this new year? 

Weekly Roundup

I hope you all have had a nice week. There were lots of great posts this week and it was hard for me to highlight just a few! But, I did it:

• Angie's Almost Pay Day Lasagna ~ I may just be slightly, err, totally obsessed with lasagna. Any food that has more than one type of cheese is a winner in my mind!
• How to be humble. ~ Jon Acuff...one of the coolest writers and bonus, he works for Dave Ramsey wrote this post and did I need to be reminded of this. Thank you, Jon.
• Shingle Springs Coffee ~ Anthony, my wonderful husband, officially started his own site and shared about the recent trip we took to this awesome coffee shop. 
• Mini Egg Nog Doughnut Muffins ~ Mini, egg nog, doughnuts and muffins all in one recipe! Sign me up. These look amazing and seem easy to make.
• Quick letter to my female students & Quick letter to my male students ~ Our friend, PC is a college pastor and is an expert on this age-group. These letters are insightful. I think you will really agree with them.

Thanks for reading my blog. Knowing I can share my thoughts is really an honor.

P.S. Next week I'm going to be sharing a series about 12 Christmas Characters.

Weekly Roundup

My findings this week:

• The Braided Bun ~ Kate is a hairstylist and posts lots of tutorials on amazing hair do's. I thought this one was beautiful and I hope to try it soon.
• Hospitable Acts: Putting Your Phone on Mute ~ Kamille wrote on a topic that I think is CRUCIAL for anyone with a cell phone to read. I love how she relates her story to how Jesus cared for others.
• Jersey Knit Bracelet ~ This weekend we got to spend time with my cousins in Southern California, while we were there, I made a few of these little bracelets. They are super easy, once you get the hang of them, and fun to make.
• No Boil Freezer Manicotti ~ Jackie guest posted at Erin's site and gave her recipe for manicotti. I love manicotti and can't wait to try this one out.

Did you find anything noteworthy this week?

Weekly Roundup

This week, I was inspired by quite a few posts and I thought you might enjoy them too:

• A Kind Wife ~ Joy emailed her husband asking what tasks he wanted her to complete each day and number them in order of priority. The response back spoke to me about what is really important in life. And it isn't necessarily a clean kitchen.
• Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix ~ Andrea gave a recipe for hot cocoa mix. I loved her recommendations!
• I am Not Enough ~ Amy always has a way of helping me see things differently. This post was exactly what I needed to read this week, or every. single. solitary. day.
• Flower Turkey ~ Steph wrote a perfect DIY craft for Thanksgiving. These little napkin rings look so easy, I think I could even make them! Hmm...do you think I'll have the motivation to make 40?
• 9 Tips for Dealing with Difficult Relatives Over the Holidays ~ Gretchen provided 9 tips for dealing with relatives, but I think the principles could be applied to anyone that is challenging to get along with. 

I am very happy to have today off. Thank you to all of our Veterans, past and current, for fighting for our freedom. Getting to share my opinions and beliefs is something I am truly grateful for today. 

How about you, what inspired you this week?

P.S. Next week I have something very fun planned for you all!

Weekly Roundup

I enjoyed these posts this week:

• Samantha wrote about something I have really been struggling with lately, "When You Fear People More than God."
• Jen shared a recipe for Milk Chocolate Marble Loaf Cake that I've been trying to come up with a reason to make. 
• My wonderful husband, Anthony, described the lesson he learned about Value from dollar bills.
• Mandi shared a tutorial for Fabric Gift Bags that would be great to use instead of paper gift bags for Christmas presents!

I'm on the lookout for more blogs to peruse. Do you have any you think I'd like?