- one thing that changes life

“Let the dying moments remind us where to find the living…” – an absolutely beautiful post by Emily.

- Black Bean Hummus

Yes, Lord. Thank you, Lord.

And just an FYI: I prefer lime juice over lemon juice in black bean hummus, but the Holy Spirit may lead you in a different direction.

- Kingdom: A Journey through Matthew

Our church has been studying the book of Matthew for the last few months, and the whole series has been so rich and timely and good. I thought several weeks ago that I wanted to link specifically to Bart Box’s sermon on The Sermon on the Mount, and the fact that I just remembered probably says a lot about my current mental state. Anyway, the whole series is excellent (this past Sunday’s message was exactly what I needed to hear), so I thought I’d share.

- Notepad/Mousepad

I love having a notepad right by my computer, and if it can double as a mousepad, all the better. This past week I ran in the bookstore for a few things, and when I saw this cute, encouraging notepad/mousepad, it made me smile. It’s colorful and handy – especially if you’re like me and still like to write out your to-do lists the old-fashioned way.

This one is also mighty cute.

- ESPN Tournament Challenge

If you’re interested in joining our 4th Annual NCAA Tournament Challenge, you can join our group now. We can’t fill out brackets until after Selection Sunday (March 11th), but feel free to go ahead and join the group.

- Fatao’s Heart

A six year-old little boy named Fatao lives in poverty in Burkina Faso and suffers from a heart defect called ventricular septal defect. He needs heart surgery, and he’ll have to travel to India to get it. So while Fatao is part of a Compassion Child Development Center, his medical expenses – approximately $23,000 for travel, visas and surgery and follow-up care – are so great that Compassion is helping him through their Medical Intervention Fund.

You can get more information on the Compassion blog, and you can make a one-time donation on the Compassion website. Just a few dollars from each of us would help so much.

Have a great weekend, everybody!

1. A letter to a Pretty Girl

My friend Annie’s most recent post is so good. Chock-full-o-wisdom for teenage girls. And for 20-somethings. And for any-somethings, really.

2. Lisa Leonard pearl by pearl earrings

I think these earrings are the perfect blend of modern and traditional. You could wear them on your wedding day, or you could wear them with jeans and a cute t-shirt. Love.

3. Otterbox Defender iPhone Case

I’m one of those people who thinks the trouble that we’ll go to to protect, you know, OUR TELEPHONES is sort of ridiculous. But when we switched cell phone providers and got new phones a few months ago, I realized that my tendency to drop my phone + a fragile phone = a need for a good cell phone case. I asked D to order me the heavy-duty case of his choosing – just to please get it in turquoise if he could.

I thought that the turquoise might make me feel better about turning my cute new phone into a glorified vinyl brick.

I have to say, though, that I have adored my heavy-duty Otterbox Defender case. It’s very grippy, so it makes the phone easy to hold, and the grippy stuff also keeps the phone from sliding around on my desk or passenger seat or wherever. There’s also a protective screen that goes on top of the real screen, so there’s no risk of the phone getting scratched up in my purse. AND, when I *may* have accidentally dropped my phone on our garage floor a few weeks ago, I picked it up – fully prepared to see all manner of shattered glass – and the phone was totally fine.

Otterbox, you’ve made a believer out of me.

4. OPI I Have A Herring Problem

I have worn all sorts of gray polish the last six months. Gray with a touch of green? Check. Gray with a touch of brown? Check. Gray with a touch of purple? Checkity check check.

I’m a little gray’d out. So when I saw this shimmery dark blue the other day, I thought it looked like a fun change-o-pace. I’ll let you know how it goes after my next trip to the nail salon.

5. Ben Rector – “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”

Like most people, I was so sad when I heard the news about Whitney Houston’s death a couple of weeks ago. I have loads of great memories associated with her music – which is why this Ben Rector video made my heart smile.

Have a great weekend, y’all.

1. Voluspa Goji Tarocco Orange candle

This candle is the hands-down, no question, not-even-a-contest best candle I’ve ever owned. It’s sublime, really – a perfect mixture of floral and citrus with just a hint of spice mixed in. Plus, it makes the whole house smell great, not just the room where it’s burning.

2. Udi’s Natural Artisan Granola

I like to make my own granola, but lately things have been a little cuckoo and it’s just been easier to pick up a bag at the store. The Udi’s Original is my favorite store-bought version that I’ve tried so far. It’s not greasy at all, and it’s not in big huge chunks, so I don’t feel like I’m trying to break open a rock when I eat it. I love the pistachios and bananas chips – oh-so-delicious!

3. Sesmark Rice Thins – Sesame

I’ve been buying these crackers for a couple of years, and I’m still amazed by how great they taste with, well, anything. They’re gluten-free, which is a delightful bonus, but mainly they’re crispy and tasty and perfect for dipping.

4. Erin Condren Life Planner

I have tried to be one of those people who keeps a calendar on my computer. I HAVE TRIED. But at the end of the day, I can’t shake my love for writing everything out on a calendar. Yes, my phone has a great little calendar app, but I can’t use colorful Sharpies on that calendar app. End of story.

After my beloved Blue Dog 12-month desk calendar was (apparently) discontinued, I finally broke down and bought an Erin Condren Life Planner. It’s a little pricier than my normal calendars, but if you’re patient, you can get a good deal by using a coupon code. All of the designs are great-looking, and I had the best time figuring out how I wanted to personalize my planner cover. Right now you can get 40% off a personalized gift label / life planner combo while supplies last – just use the coupon code ILOVEACOMBO at check-out.

(Nobody from Erin Condren contacted me about mentioning that, by the way.)

(I just saw it in an email from them, so I thought I’d share it.)

5. Cheeky Maiden Facial Soap

I know that it’s a tiny picture, so you’ll just have to trust me when I tell you that there is a whole lot of goodness in that little bar of soap. It’s 100% natural, smells great (lemongrass & tea tree oil? I believe I will), and it has made my skin very happy indeed. Plus, it’s only $2.99. TWO DOLLARS AND NINETY NINE CENTS, PEOPLE.

6. Obagi 5% Vitamin C Serum for Eye Area

One of the great ironies at this stage in my life is that waking up in the mornings and hopping out of bed is easier than it’s ever been, but sometimes it takes my eyes a couple of hours to catch up with what my body is doing. I’ve tried a couple of different eye creams, and while they kept the under-eye area moisturized, they didn’t really help with puffiness. But this Obagi Vitamin C Serum is a wonder. I dab it under my eyes after I wash my face in the mornings, and it has helped the skin underneath my eyes so much. There are some stronger percentages of Vitamin C Serum available, but the 5% is perfect for me – doesn’t make my skin dry, doesn’t cause peeling.

All righty. I need to go light my candle before I wash my face and put Vitamin C under my eyes so that I can eat granola and sesame crackers while I consult my calendar to see what I need to do today.

Or something like that.

Have a great weekend, y’all!

This post by Angie is absolutely beautiful.

Happy Weekend, y’all.

1. If you have an extra $3.96 sitting around, then I would like to encourage you to add this little nugget-o-wonder to your Christmas music collection.

It’s a Christmas EP by Act of Congress. And IT IS A DELIGHT. I just found out about Act of Congress, oh, yesterday, but it was totally love at first listen. I may have to put their version of “Carol of the Bells” on permanent repeat. So good.

2. Yesterday my pastor wrote a blog post about grandparents, and I may have needed a tissue or four when I finished reading. Consider yourself warned.

4. My friend Anne’s post about installing a backsplash cracked me up. And it also reminded me why I rarely attempt home improvement projects.

5. I can’t wait to sit down and read every single one of the Favorite Things posts on Nester’s blog today (with a great guest post by Hayley, by the way). Makes me want to have a real-life Favorite Things party of my own.

Happy Wednesday, everybody!