If you start a book club and if you meet once a month, every month for almost three years, and if you have a book society retreat in the nearby city for a long weekend in January of 2023 and again in March of 2024, then you might find your book clerisy in February of […]
Books I Read in 2024 and Found To Be Delightful
January dances away on the calendar as I sit and type this. We’ve had snow and ice and snow again and cold temperatures to go with it all. I haven’t minded. Granted, I’ve been able to stay inside my warm and cozy house during most of it, thus not so much to mind. It has […]
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and Amazon Giftcard Giveaway
I laughed.I cried.It exceeded my expectations. Years ago, my aunt introduced us to the horrible Herdmans and the Best Christmas Pageant Ever. She lent us the book and the next year we watched the 1983 film adaptation. When the email landed in my inbox a month or so ago with an invitation to preview this […]
Clear Mind, Peaceful Heart and a Starbucks Giveaway
As July wanes into August and heat swirls and summer radiates a sunbaked haze, we nudge the a/c down a notch, fill up Stanley cups with ice and water, and send the sprinklers through another rotation. Early morning welcomes coffee on the porch, a chapter or two, and a bit of quiet contemplation before the […]
Gimme Some Sugar: A Delightful Devotional Giveaway
April tiptoed in with sunshine and a whole gamut of temperatures with some gusty strong winds dispersed throughout our days for good measure. It’s not quite the April I would order, but there you are.Chilly or ninety degrees seem to be our options. I would gladly rejoice in an abundant two inches of rain, but […]
Wherein We Find My Favorite Books Read in 2023
No. 1 All My Knotted-Up Life by Beth Moore No. 2 The Donkey Principle by Rachel Anne Ridge No. 3 On Getting Out of Bed by Alan Noble No. 4 My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman No. 5 Enchantment by Katherine May No. 6 Holy Unhappiness by Amanda Held […]
September Kaleidoscope
“Attention – deep, sustained, undeviating – is in itself an experience of a very high order.” ~ Roberto Gerhard Books Delightful Incidentals I measured flour and butter and sugar. A bit of vanilla and water and stirred up pie dough this last week of September. The oven hummed its pre-heat song as I rolled out […]
Wherein We Look at the Life Counsel Bible and Have a Giveaway
A week ago, this past Friday, the Life Counsel Bible arrived at my door for me to review, photograph, and share with you. {Pssstt…there’s also an Amazon gift card giveaway at the end of this post!} I have a small collection of Bibles, several from reviews and giveaways, that I’ve shared here at ADG with […]
August Kaleidoscope
With Open Hands With open hands, I bring my prayers, my questions, my people, my anxious fears, my happy tears,my gratitude spilling over,my laughter and love.I offer it to You,a sacrifice,my soul sings of doubt and despair, of delight and dancing. With open hands, I step into your embrace,Enveloped in the lavender scent of love […]
A Dagger Called…
Have you read Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis? My Book Club Society is currently reading it. Fascinating. I’m still undecided on all my thoughts and feelings about it, but we have had some GLORIOUS discussions. So thought-provoking. At the end of the fifteenth chapter, I placed myself in Orual’s robes and these are […]
A Bundle of Beauty and Books Giveaway
I love July. I always have. I’m sure this is in part because it is my birth month. As a kid, it was wonderful to have my birthday halfway through the year and Christmas in the second half. Obviously, this equates to gifts and celebrations! But I love the summer sun and the summer heat […]
June Kaleidoscope
Kaleidoscope:Combined from three Greek words:kalos (καλός), meaning “beautiful,”eidos (εἶδος), meaning “shape,”and skopos (σκοπός), meaning either “watcher” or “thing looked at.”Kaleidoscope: beautiful shapes to look at,observer of beautiful forms.Kaleidoscope:constantly changing pattern,medley, mixture. Kaleidoscope living.An observer of beauty. Delighting in Details. Noticing shapes and nuances. Giving gratitude for aesthetics and texture.Our lives are stories.Our stories are a […]
May Kaleidoscope
Where does LOVE show up?How does LOVE show up?Why does LOVE show up?When does LOVE show up?What does LOVE show? Turns out, east, west, north, south, love shows up in corners everywhere.It colors landscapes, adds spice to lunch prep, leans in to appreciate.Brings comfort in the middle of the night, inks encouragement and seals it […]
April Kaleidoscope
Kaleidoscope:Combined from three Greek words:kalos (καλός), meaning “beautiful,”eidos (εἶδος), meaning “shape,”and skopos (σκοπός), meaning either “watcher” or “thing looked at.”Kaleidoscope: beautiful shapes to look at,observer of beautiful forms.Kaleidoscope:constantly changing pattern,medley, mixture. Kaleidoscope living.An observer of beauty. Paying attention to details. Noticing shapes and nuances. Giving gratitude for aesthetics and texture.Our lives are stories.Our stories are […]
The Spiral Bible New Testament
{affiliate links in this post. Thank you!} It’s the first day of spring! The wind HOOOOWLS outside my windows.My good farmer man battles the dust and blowing dirt this wind kicks up. He sends me pictures of the curved lines furrowed in the dirt from tractor and ripper. Continued blowing dirt will ruin our wheat […]
My Favorite Delightful Books Read in 2022
Another year of reading is almost to the finish line.And then we get to begin again!Reading forever! 🙂I’m quite convinced my TBR and TBRR {to-be-re-read} stacks and lists are going to long outlive me. On the one hand this is so sad, on the other it’s so good to know I have so many books […]
Bits and Pieces to Delight In {December}
Friends in the Fog Sometimes the fog in the wilderness obscurs the beauty still abounding around us. At first glance a wilderness looks bleak. Feels forsaken. Even a deeper look brings confusion and lack of direction. Barrenness has a way of disorienting. Broken places pierce. Brambles, sharp with thorns, menacingly snarl.Our feet catch, knees buckle, […]