I’ve written many times about how much I love ZenniOptical’s terribly affordable glasses, and I see that they now have a newly upgraded website!  With two thousand plus frames to choose from I love their new search options that help to narrow down choices, and their virtual try-on frames feature.

You can upload a photo of yourself and slap some frames on your face online to see how they look before you buy! In the past I’ve just gone with frame sizes and shapes I know work well on me, and it has turned out, but this is even neater!

So, now I can narrow it down SO quickly to find..say…women’s single vision glasses with medium to large size frames in purple!

Normally I go for the sturdy child-proof, bendy type frames, but let’s just imagine…

Congratulations to Judith who has won our contest for a copy of Daily Guideposts 2011!

I’ve emailed you, please let me know your mailing address within the next 72 hours!

I pray that God uses this devotional to speak to you this coming year!

I know it’s not my imagination, but the world of medical uniforms has been changing over the past decade or so.  Where ‘scrubs’ were once relegated to those dull army shades of pukey green, now medical personnel are looking pretty spiffy in cute prints and bright colors.  It’s not quite at the point where if I show up at the emergency room in my sweats I feel like the staff look better than idea…well, maybe it is at that point now!

Sometimes there are even…flattering cuts!  I actually found myself wondering where one dental staff member got her dental uniform (it WAS very cute!)  It sort of had a crossover, surplice type of empire top going on, very stylish.  Of course men can also get manly, hunting inspired burnt orange scrubs, and those just getting started in their career can go for basic, clearance scrubs (hey, at least they won’t kick you out of the hospital!)

Scrubs – there’s much more variety than there used to be!

My finger joints have been becoming progressively more sore as the days go by, and for the past three days or so they’ve been feeling full-blown arthitic!  They are stiff, swollen, and hard to bend and move without intense pain when I wake in the mornings.  Then they are sore and achey throughout the day and hard to work with.

Apparently, it’s a combination of fluid in the joints and the hormone relaxin that loosens joints.

So, it looks like I’m stuck with pregnancy arthritis until after the pregnancy is over and the swelling and joints go back to normal.

Glad to be pregnant, not so glad to have sore hands all day!

In our local large city we often see signs for donating cars for kidney research.  Cancer charities are now accepting car donations, where they sell your car for the highest price they can get for it, and the funds go towards cancer research.   Because of the widespread prevalence of cancer it is much more common to know someone who has been lost to cancer, or is a cancer survivor.

Personally, I’ve both lost relatives, and had relatives come through surgery for cancer and come out with a clean bill of health on the other side.  Cancer is something that people tend to feel very passionately about combatting, and as a result, I can definitely see people getting behind the move to donate cars to cancer charities.

There is even a big of a ‘perk’; when you donate your car you receive either an iPod shuffle or a $30 Visa gift card.  Now, of course, your car is worth more than this, but that’s where the donation part comes in!  You also receive free towing (in case your car isn’t running!) and a tax deductible receipt.  Now, if you really have a junker, the iPod might sound pretty good!  Donating your car to cancer could just save you from having to have someone haul it off to the scrap buyer.

Cars can be in any body and mechanical condition, any make or model, and donations of motorcyles, boats, ATVs, RVs, and property are also accepted in the effort to raise funds for cancer research.  Donations can also be made in the name of a loved one (perhaps a relative who has succumbed to cancer, or even honoring one who has overcome the disease.)

It isn’t hard to find out how to donate your car; this particular organization accepts donations from the main 50 states, and once the donation is completed the towing company will be there within 24 hours!  Pretty fast way to clean up the yard if you have a few hulks sitting around like we often do out here in the country!

Well today was town day…and I forgot to take my mail to the post office .

I also left behind a bag of screws that I bought for Larry.  Thankfully the cashier followed me to give me the screws!

I haven’t left my purse behind yet…but it’s only a matter of time.  It seems like a late pregnancy ritual with me – forgetting my purse somewhere….

Ah, hormonal mind tricks!

Although nothing can compare to the ravenous thrill with which I devoured Before the Season Ends, Linore Burkard’s first Christian Regency romance, the closing of the trilogy that novel spurred provided a satisfying conclusion.

Following Ariana’s younger sister Beatrice through her conflict over two potential suitors, we’re able to see Ariana and Phillip’s relationship as it has matured into deep, married love, and delight ourselves in the younger Forsythe’s antics.

The Country House Courtship is still certainly well written, and O’Brien, once obsessed with Ariana, has matured into the man his early appearances promised.  It’s also very exciting (if unconventional) to see Philip and Ariana taking an active role in the parenting of their children despite their upper-class status and the cultural norms of their society.

Readers may find some of the plot of Before the Season Ends somewhat derivative, as some of the main action points very closely parallel the middle installment – The House in Grosvenor Square.  I have to say that nothing has quite equaled the delightful inventiveness of Before the Season Ends and none of the following novels has lived up to the promise of the first entirely.

CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW AT CHRISTIANBOOK.COM OR AMAZON.COM!

Explaining God to small children can seem like a daunting exercise at times.  After all, God isn’t someone we can physically see, so He can seem like a very abstract person.  Yet, He is a person that we are called to love with all that we are.  We’re also called – as parents – to teach our children to love Him.

What is God Like? written by renowned novelist Beverly Lewis, helps to make God more accessible to young children.  Lewis covers many of the major traits or characteristics of God through a conversation that takes place over the course of an entire day between an older brother and younger sister.

This warm, casual format presents theological truths with accuracy yet without intimidation, and is interest-holding enough for my four-year-old to sit through the entire book in one sitting.  Scripture quotations on each page helps to under gird the points made within the text itself.

Artist Pamela Querin’s illustrations are simply marvelous!  I’m not quite sure how she does what she does; if I had to guess I’d say a combination between watercolors and pastels.  Whatever she’s up to, the result is a breathtaking, multi-textured cascade of color filled with wonderful light and shading.  Her work is realistic while still being obviously art, it’s hard to capture in words, but we all enjoy these illustrations greatly.

It’s wonderful to find a children’s picture book that takes God seriously and teaches children about Him while still holding great appeal for little ones.  I’m very happy to have this book in our collection.

CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW AT CHRISTIANBOOK.COM OR AMAZON.COM!

The day after a trip to the city is always a bit challenging.  Where to put all of our new acquisitions?  How to deal with the large piles of clean laundry waiting to be put away?  How to make room in the pantry for all of the new groceries?

Well, somehow we can cram!  The groceries have found homes, MOST of the laundry is put away, then it’s on to the great finds on used books and the serger we found at the Goodwill (only $35, and it works!)

I’m glad God likes to shop with us and provide for our needs, it’s just sometimes tough adjusting to the new belongings once they arrive!

If you are a fan of Regency-era novels (think Jane Austen), and the television/film adaptations you’ll be familiar with the site of huge, English country estates covered with ivy and vines with large walking grounds.  The thought that these were homes for single families is really amazing (of course, we also have HUGE homes today even here in North America for the nouveau-riche.) The Knavesmire York Hotel was such a home, and it’s large enough to now be serving as a hotel in the York region of England.

Of course, there are now amenities that Jane Austen couldn’t have enjoyed in her day – an indoor heated swimming pool, free car parking, and all the modern conveniences that we’re so found of!