I am trying really hard to get back into the habit of monthly what I am into link up. This is just plain fun. You should try it. As always I am linking up with Leigh.

August is always a little nuts because school starts. It is a rolling start in my house, first Juliet and I, then Christian so Priscilla gets to go to the babysitter. Plus we hosted the BBQ for church and also I hosted a Noonday Collection party. The upshot of that is my house stayed clean. It was fun, and made August go by SO QUICKLY. Here we are. September 1.

Beauty

I love a good lipstick. I am particularly fond of this coral color this month. It is light enough that I can totally wear on the daily. It is a little more fun then red, which I am sure will be my standard this fall. I have my eye on Fire and Ice. I am looking for something with some raspberry undertones. Suggestions welcome!

The Sally Hansen Gel polishes. It is two coats because something magic happens between the color and the clear. It is a little pricey but WAY way cheaper than the gel manicures I like. Also, my nails aren’t kinda peely at the end and I can do it myself. I have four colors already and have my eye on a matte grey. I am sporting the red this week.

Noonday collection- I had my doubts about Noonday Collection, but am now pretty  much sold. I even hosted a party this week. I thouroughly enjoyed myself and just like wearing all the jewelry I borrowed to try to sell it. Many of these will go on my birthday and Christmas list.

Le Tote- Elizabeth Esther mentioned this and had a half off code so I thought I would give it a try. The jury is still out, it is kind of fun, but not for every month and certainly not for fifty bucks. It will probably be a one and done thing for me. Unless you want to try it, then use my code for half off and see what you think. I like that I can do it multiple times in a month. I like that it comes to my house.

Food 

We have been grilling like maniacs and also very simply- chicken, burgers, keilbasa with barbeque sauce, hotdogs. It takes ten minutes and makes me happy. It makes the kids happy too. Two thumbs WAY UP on the grilling. I put Mckormicks Montreal steak seasoning or Tony’s on everything. Everything

Homemade Chex-mix. I use the Pioneer Woman’s recipe and add cheez-its. I always end up making back to back batches because you have to buy entire boxes of cereal. I also always end up eating said batches in about two days. I love homemade Chex-mix.

Alcoholic rootbeer- We especially like Not Your Father’s rootbeer. Coney Island’s wasn’t creamy enough for me. But we buy Not Your Father’s every chance we can get. It is a big hit at parties.

Teaching 

Since this is my last round of teaching, I am savoring the stories a little more than usual. I particularly love

Checkouts by Cynthia Rylant– love this one about moving to a new town and high school crushes.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber– I make the kids re-write the story from the wife’s point of view.

Robot Dreams by Isaac Asimov- Then we have a heated debate about whether or not someone was murdered. Where does life begin? What is the ethical responsibility of making AI?

Early Autumn by Langston Hughes– The kids love this story, so I love it to. They love to talk about love.

Writing

I am working on a book proposal and could for sure use your prayers. I am having a serious mental block. It is about identity, being a woman at church, and miraculous healing, so yeah…sort of vulnerable and a little hard to pin down.

I started an in-town writers group and LOVE it. One of the best things I have ever done for myself. We meet at a coffe shop, use a basic protocol (because we all like each other and would chat through our time) and I really need the accountability. Also, I needed to set a time for myself to stake the claim and say “this thing that I do matters.”

I am loving the additions to the modern day parable series. So far we have discussed dinosaurs, Dr. Who, and a pick-up truck. Seriously I cannot get enough. We have another awesome one coming up Thursday! If you want in, send me an email.

E-Course

My e-course starts MONDAY and I am THRILLED. I am just really proud of the work that I did for it, and I am very excited about the people taking the class. They are in various stages of dreaming and I am excited to see the clarity that they get from exploring their passions more fully. I can’t wait to get started and there is room for you! If money is keeping you back, please let me know and we will work something out. You can sign up here.