1. ANTICIPATE
I was excited to see news about Annie F. Downs children’s picture book, What Sounds Fun To You? It releases in October and is available for pre-order.
Emily Lex’s children’s book, Twirl, is coming in October too! Emily’s artwork is precious. She has pre-order bonuses right here.
And one more for upcoming books, John Mark Comer has Live No Lies coming out the end of September.
I’m also anticipating celebrating my parents’ fiftieth wedding anniversary and spending time with my family. We plan to spend a few days in Holmes County Ohio with them.
What are you anticipating as summer lazily rolls toward August?
2. BEAUTY
A quick sneak peek of a few new summertime beauties added to our line of flexis and hair accessories at Lilla Rose if you haven’t browsed yet!
Blossoms and blooms and flowers of all types bring me delight, so this new Ivanna design made me smile.
Justine is a super fun design for guitar and music people!
Bella pairs well with a summer evening + sweet wine + cheese + charcuterie! 🙂
Of course, I love Kristina! A cute camera with mixed metals.
3. CREATE
Remember the Rank Game review post and giveaway we had back in March?
{Hop here to see it}
Storyastic is launching a Kickstarter for three new games. They sent me a copy of Draul to try out. They have a great pre-order deal for all three games.
Here’s the explanation of Draul from the Storyastic Kickstarter site ~
DRAUL • The swift-swapping, flip-flopping, wild-wagering card game
“You’re dealt seven cards to build your best five-card hand. You might have a perfect hand… but now you gotta pass three cards to your right. You adjust your strategy and exchange two cards with the player across the table. Adjust again, then pass one to the left.
Now, you arrange your best five card hand to try to trick your opponents as you all roll over your hands one card at a time. Finally, before exposing your final card, you declare compete “UP” for the highest-ranking hand, or “DOWN” for the lowest-ranking hand, so you ALWAYS have a chance to change your strategy and trick your opponents to win right up to the end!“
Renae and I played a few rounds and it was a fun as we began to catch on to how to play each hand and round. Draul has several fun twists to keep it hopping. We thought it would be fun to try with a group.
I personally love the bright and happy colors of the game! 🙂 No surprise there!
4. DELIGHT
Mudita
This is a new word to me.
I love what it means and I’ve been pondering the depth behind it.
I stumbled across it last Thursday, and I can’t remember the book or article where I read it for the life of me.
Here are a few of the definitions Google provides:
• Mudita is a pure joy unadulterated by self-interest.
• Mudita is a Sanskrit and Pali word. It means ‘vicarious joy’, that is joy for someone else’s joy.
• Mudita has no counterpart in our English language.
• The traditional paradigmatic example of Mudita is the attitude of a parent observing a growing child’s accomplishments and successes.
• Mudita ( sympathetic joy ) is defined as taking joy in the good fortune of others.
It sounds like to me, Mudita is a delightful gift we can offer to other people.
I further know, I have not entirely mastered Mudita. Not even close.
I do rejoice for others. And generally, it’s not that I wish the good thing or circumstance away from them. However, the nigglings of envy and poor-me-ness do tend to pop up and down like whack-a-moles much more frequently than I would choose or like to admit.
I will rejoice, and unfortunately, also begrudge.
I think this is why this concept of Mudita jumped off the page and has left me musing on it.
I’ve experienced the pure pleasure of a kindred spirit friend who was ecstatic for me. I know what it feels like to have someone offer half-hearted acknowledgment or flat-out disinterest or disdain.
One feels better than the other. Just sayin’. 😉
May your day hold beauty, delight, and unadulterated Mundita, ADG comrades!
5. ENCOURAGE
Romans 15:4-6
“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
6. FAITH
This song by Andrew Peterson has been speaking strongly to me recently. I love how it names real feelings and struggles that most of us when we’re bluntly honest, have encountered if we’ve lived on this revolving planet very many days.
7. GRATITUDE
A few grateful highlights ~
- riding bikes with Renae to visit our nieces and nephew and meet their kittens, Cooper and Taffy
- wheat harvest completed! Safely and abundantly.
- catching a glimpse out the window of Renae in her hammock
- laughing with my son as he tells me about a slapstick joke from Get Smart
- my good farmer man taking me to the city overnight to celebrate my birthday…complete with chocolate + good food + pickleball + walking along the river + friends joining us the next evening at Kobes + putt-putt golf + bringing home a little lemon raspberry cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes
- hydrangeas blooming
- a bit of help with housecleaning
- eating Mexican street corn
- ice water
- a hot shower every evening
I’d love to hear your gratitude list!
Of Reading and Listening…
I thoroughly enjoyed these three podcast episodes ~
- Why Makers Struggle to Get Things Done ~ The Next Right Thing Podcast, Emily P. Freeman
- We Encourage One Another ~ Sally Clarkson
- Navigating Siblings Who Fight ~ The Lazy Genius, Kendra Adachi {this episode is great simply in the context of relationships if you’re like me and past the stage of shepherding littles}
And I thoroughly enjoyed reading Me, Myself and Bob by Phil Vischer.
Currently reading some in Lysa Terkurst’s devotional Seeing Beautiful Again.
So loving Peter Reynold’s picture books for children. They’re adorable and weave the best lessons in their stories.
A couple of questions….Where is your favorite place to buy books online? Do you prefer new or used? And have you tried chocolate-covered Nutter Butters? I did for the first time this month and let’s just say they are delicious! Also yummy this month ~ Zero Sugar A&W Root Beer and browned butter popcorn.
Also of note ~ I loved a good Whatchamacallit candy bar every so often as a kid and even now as an adult. {or supposed to be adultish, anyway 😉 }
I noticed a new candy bar sidekick of the Whatchamacallit at a truck stop. Meet the Whozeewhatzit! I have not tried it, but I love the name!
“Rivendell was the perfect house, whether you liked food or story-telling or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all. Merely to be there was a cure for weariness, fear and sadness.”
~ J.R.R. Tolkien.
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