Links, Books, and Other Things I Love – September 2016 Edition
Once a month we share articles, books, and things we love at Leigh Kramer’s What I’m Into.
Here are some of my favorites from August and what I’m looking forward to in September.
1 Second Everyday
[If you can’t see the 1 Second Everyday video, click here]
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Around the Web
• Your Political Facebook Posts Aren’t Changing Your Friends’ Minds – They’re only judging you for them.
“Those long rants about how Trump is a bully and a buffoon, Hillary is a crook, and conspiring against Bernie Sanders has doomed America forever aren’t changing voters’ minds, a new study found.”
• What Does a Dog Want More — “Good Boy” or Treats?
“Is social reward on the same footing as food, or is it potentially more valuable?” he wondered.
“Our responsibility is to point people to Jesus, to tell the Story of Jesus, and to tell of our own story with Jesus.”
• To Lose Weight, Spend 45 Minutes in the Kitchen, Not the Gym
“While it’s true that exercise has many health benefits beyond weight loss, if you have only 45 minutes a day to spare, choose your kitchen, not the gym.”
• A Visual Guide to How Terribly the World’s Best Human Athletes Fare Versus Most Average Animals
“Usain Bolt might be the fastest man alive, but an average warthog could probably take him.”
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On Reading, Writing, and Blogging
• Write Blog Posts in 30 Minutes with 5 Questions
It’s not a magic formula, but “after writing down answers to the 5 questions, you’ll be left with a crystal clear outline for your blog post.”
• Your Pictures on Facebook
Does this happen to you, too?
• Audiobooks: The Fastest-Growing Format in Publishing
“Smartphones and multitasking have stoked an explosion in audiobooks. . . . Audiobooks are the fastest-growing format in the book business today.”
• Currently Reading
- We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
by Karen Joy Fowler - Without you, There Is No Us
by Suki Kim - The Jesus Creed
by Scot McKnight - The Telling Room
by Michael Paterniti
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Things I Love
• Reinforcements
We’re heavy into wedding planning mode for Jenna and Trey. When Morgan came home for the weekend, she went straight to work to keep us on track.
• But it’s not all work. We had such fun at Jenna’s bridal shower!
• So thankful for my besties who celebrate life with me!
Kay, Lisa, and Selwyn
• Then Jeff and I left for a get-away to Seattle, Washington.
Mount Rainier
• Doing scary things . . . not scary to Jeff, but for me it was terrifying to cross the Nisqually River on this “bridge.” Somehow I made it.
Being a true tourist
• Reuniting with friends who moved from Alabama to Seattle
Scott, Kirsten, Lisa, Jeff
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On the Blog
Do you know who you’ll vote for in the election? Here are 4 things to pray about, regardless of your political party.
The young black lady approached us white women to ask about hair. But it was so much more. I know we’re going to be alright.
• You Remember What You See—I Can’t Forget This
I pass the fire again in my neighborhood. But what I didn’t know was what was burning. Until later.
• Want More Grace? Books, Quotes, and a Giveaway
Read 31 quotes of grace. Or click through to read full paragraphs from 26 books on grace. Or download all the articles as a free pdf.
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What was one of your highlights in August? What are you looking forward to in September? Please share in the comments.
What a great list! I’m going to check out the 5 questions blog post method and the selfie vs. tagged photos are hilarious! Blessings!
Thanks, Donna. That article on 5 questions is one I tagged to return to again myself. Some good, simple advice that I should follow more often. 😉
Love this! I’m always amazed at the variety of things you share!
Thanks, Michele. It’s always a fun post to pull together, but one that could have no end. ha. I finally just have to say enough and stop. 🙂
What a fabulous mother-of-the-bride you’re going to be! Can’t wait for pics, stories, details!
;-}
You’re sweet, Linda. Thank you. I appreciate you. I am excited more and more about the wedding (especially as I keep crossing things off my to-do list!). 🙂
Great info. I’ll check out some of the links you gave.
Have a blessed Sept!
Thanks, TC. Hope you and your family are well. I had just visited your blog this morning to see if you had anything new up. But I’m guessing you are being present right where you are and as you should be. May you have a blessed September, too!
August was a transition month of my youngest starting his last year of homeschooling and my other son heading back to college. My husband and I took a long weekend to do a mini retreat and it was wonderful. For September I am most looking forward to settling into a routine, going on a scrapbook retreat with my sisters and getting to know wonderful women who are learning to be healthy again through healthy habits.
I was in your shoes just a few years ago, Karen. That last year of homeschooling actually turned out to be one of the easier ones, thankfully. 😉 Both sad and happy, at the same time, for that year of “last” everything. It sounds like you and your husband are already doing well in spending time alone to transition to potential empty nest next year. Your retreat next month also sounds so wonderful! Enjoy.
I think that it will be the easiest as well. I think what will be hard is the emotional piece with my youngest. He doesn’t know what he wants to do and can really get anxious about it. But I am going to be here and try to enjoy the moment. Great to hear from someone who has been through it.
Yes, that emotional part is the hardest. Praying that your son finds direction and peace so mama can too. 🙂 Your attitude is the best to stay present and enjoy the moment!
Hi, this was my first time stopping by your blog. I loved the beautiful photos from Seattle! And the wedding planning photos are so fun; it gave me a flashback of my own wedding planning.
I always love book recommendations; so I enjoyed that part of the post as well. Language of Flowers and Big Magic are two of your picks that I liked too. and the Happiness Dare keeps getting my attention lately, I might have to read it?
Thanks for visiting today, Melissa. The wedding planning has had its ups and downs, but thankfully we are rejuvenated again for this final month. 🙂 I know it will come and go so quickly. If you get a chance to read The Happiness Dare, let me know what you think. I really enjoyed both her information as well as her writing style.
Well, I lived through August, and am alive to greet September. That was pretty cool, under the circumstances.
Glad you’re here to welcome September in, Andrew! Every day counts!
You shared some great links; I really loved the one about rethinking evangelism. And that picture of Lucille Ball. . . so funny and so accurate! Your photos of Seattle are gorgeous, glad you had a great trip!
Thanks, Kendra. The Lucille Ball picture really made me laugh. I know of a tagged photo of myself on a friend’s page right now that I would love to take down because it reminds me of that! 🙂
You’re braver than I am – I seriously don’t think I could cross that bridge.
Had to smile about the selfie vs. tagged photos. It does seem to work that way!
If I had known that bridge was there, I probably would have cut out that whole portion of our trip. 🙂 But it snuck up on us. And believe me, I was not a happy camper about it. ha. That and the mountain roads made me question why we didn’t just take a flat beach vacation instead. But it was beautiful and I survived so all is well. 🙂
This was such a fun post. Loved every moment of it.
Thanks, Debbie. The hardest thing about doing these posts is deciding what to cut out. There are so many good things on the web that are worth sharing.
Great month! No grass growing under your feet! especially on the log bridge…
I’m really enjoying your one second looks per day for a month. And yeah, with all the really important things you’re endeavoring, I appreciate the fact that you took the time to stop and smell the hibiscus… nice pink one.
That log bridge was the worst. ha. Definitely no grass there. I’m more comfortable with grass under my feet than water. 😉
Love all the photos. Isn’t it just me or who weird is it on the animals vs human infographic humans are the only one doing the high jump backwards. mmm, maybe we need to find a new way. LOL
Ha. I hadn’t noticed that, Jean, but you’re right…going over backwards might be the harder way. 🙂
So much good here! Three things that stood out: First, I loved the video! How do you do that??? Second, the truth about political posts. They only make us look like the fools. Amen? Third, that bridge is amazing! So glad I stopped by!
The video is super easy to do! I use the app from 1SecondEveryday.com. You just take a short video each day on your phone (or whenever you want to), and then you select one second of it on the app. When you’re ready to smash it all together, you just click the beginning and end dates and it works like magic (to me, ha).
I love the Lucy pictures because that is how it is done. 🙂 Those for sharing the writing a blog post in 30 minutes link. I pinned it to read later. I’ve added the Listening Is an Act of Love to my reading list. Thanks for sharing with Thankful Thursdays.
Aren’t the Lucy pictures great? lol. That’s how I feel when I get a notification that I’ve been tagged on a picture on Facebook; I dread looking. ha.
Lovely items on your August list!
I like the Big foot picture 😉
I. Glad you had a productive month. Praying the wedding plans go well
Have a fulfilling new month.
God bless
Thank you for your prayers, Ifeoma. We have less than a month now before the wedding…we’re all excited but also will be glad when they’re married and the planning phase is over. 🙂
That looks like a busy but wonderful month.
Busy but also pockets of rest. I’ve got to have that rest built in. 🙂
What a cute new photo of you, Lisa. 🙂 Congrats on your daughter’s upcoming wedding too.
Fun to peek through your list of books, kitchen tips, etc.
Jennifer Dougan
http://www.jenniferdougan.com
Thanks, Jennifer. We’re looking forward to adding another son-in-law to our family!
Best parts of August were hearing a good report from our Maryland granddaughter’s surgeon after a significantly difficult surgery and recovery in July AND traveling to our son’s in TN to celebrate his 50th birthday and HIS son’s 18th birthday.
I September I am looking forward to settling back into a more “normal” routine with more reading and writing to get ready to be on vacation in October. (I’m also taking a two hour photography class on exposure to go along with the book you recommended. (Smiling!)
That’s great news about your granddaughter, Pam! Answered prayers. I’m glad you were able to travel to Tennessee to celebrate those momentous birthdays. I’m guessing it was hot for your visit? 🙂 A more normal routine sounds good to me too…but I’ll have to wait until October for that. I hope your photography class will be enlightening. 😉 I wish I could attend with you.
I’m so glad to see you enjoyed The Serpent King and The Language Of Flowers!
I enjoyed both the novels and am now reading a couple more. This is the most fiction books I’ve read in a cluster in a long time. 🙂
What a fun post, Lisa! What an exciting time with your girl getting married! Loved the post about blogging and the book recs!
Thanks, Ginger. We’re getting more and more excited as the wedding date gets nearer! Hard to be believe that it’ll be here and gone soon.
I always love your round-up posts on Leigh’s linkup Lisa! And that FB postpic with selfies vs. tagged photos?!? YAASSSS! 🙂 I loved it and laughed out loud! Enjoyed your reviews of your recent reads, and added a few to my to-read list – yay! Thanks as always for posting!
Glad that picture made you laugh out loud too, Sarah. 🙂 It really cracks me up—even today I was wondering why my sister tagged a horrible picture of me on Facebook! ha. It’s one I would have instantly deleted. Oh well. It’s a pride-buster, and I need that too.