The Saturday Six

One.

Source

I eavesdropped on hundreds of author conversations during my WBCL days. I listened to Lynne talk to authors about their topics of passion, how they write, what they write...all of it. But one of my favorite authors to listen to on the subject of writing itself is Colleen Coble. And therefore, I loved this post she wrote about continuing to grow as a writer. Even if you're not a writer, I think some of the advice in here crosses career lines and can speak to you, too!

Two.

Source

I haven't talked much on the old blogaroo about oils lately, but they're still going strong in the Shafferland household. Ryan usually gets about one cold a winter, and I'd read that the oil called R.C. was good for the respiratory system, so I bought a bottle to get him through last winter. He loved it and felt like it really helped him. I loved that for him, but I thought the stuff smelled like ripe floor cleaner. LOL! Well, last week, after spending an evening in the chilly wind and rain for that softball game gone awry, I came down with a cold myself. My colds get so crazy out of control and last forever {two weeks minimum}, and I just don't have time right now with a retreat coming up, where I have to speak four times in one weekend. So I pulled out R.C. for myself and found that it still smells like ripe floor cleaner, but it's a powerful little thing! I rubbed it on my chest and inhaled it, too, and I will say that this cold  has not magically evaporated, but it has not gotten as bad as my colds normally do. Worth suffering through the ripeness, for sure!

Three.

Source

I just love Carmella Rayone's blog of simplicity in living, and this week she blogged about modest kitchens. While some of these may be a bit too rustic for me, I loved the pictures.

Four.

Source

Ryan mentioned to me this week that he was surprised I hadn't ever finished decorating our guest bath. I confessed it was because I wasn't sure what theme I wanted to use in there, but I think I may have found one! A nautical theme with this sign worked in!!! 

Five.

Source

A couple of weeks ago, I told you about the utility vest I got from Simply Bliss Boutique, and today I wanted to tell you about something else intriguing I spied on their site! Shirt extenders! They're like camis that go under your shirt, but the lace on the bottom is quite long, so it gives a great layered look without making too-hot-by-nature people like me wear a whole extra shirt. They have one in black and one in ivory, and I'm pondering both, because my current camis with lacy ends always shimmy up and get lost under my shirt. {Side note: they also have skirt extenders, which create the same effect for skirts/dresses that are too short for your liking!} 

Six.

Source

One of the beautiful blessings of the blogging world is the chance to meet people that geographically, you'd never have the opportunity to know. And one of the blessings of the book world collaborating with the blogging world is the chance to meet authors whose blogs you'd not found yet (though you may wonder how you missed it!), and at long last, you get to hear their stories.

That is how I "met" Sarah Rodriguez: through her new book, From Depths We Rise: A Journey of Beauty from Ashes. Sarah has a blog, but somehow, even through all its many shares throughout the road she's walked, it never made its way to me, so I had the privilege of learning her story through her book.  

Her story started out much like most of us would consider our stories: terribly ordinary. She grew up in Oklahoma, lived in a good home with good parents and was a good student and good athlete at a good school. But as she so wisely states in the introduction to the book, "all the things I simply viewed as normal were gifts I didn't even know I should be thankful for until they were stripped away piece by piece.

In another typical young adult move, Sarah transplanted to New York for work after college, and there she met Joel. Though she had no intentions of meeting and marrying a New Yorker, Joel captured her heart and they married. A year or so into marriage, they moved back to Oklahoma, thinking ahead to their someday-desire to start a family. They thought Oklahoma seemed more family friendly than the cramped-and-loud lifestyle of New York City.

And that's where normal ended for the Rodriguez family. Faith-shaker after faith-shaker pummeled them. A multi-year battle with infertility. An unexpected cancer diagnosis for Joel. Treatment, success, and celebration. The pursuit of IVF treatments and the news of twins on the way. Miscarrying one twin. Celebrating the survival of the second baby while simultaneously grieving the first. The devastation of cancer returning to Joel's body. More treatments, mixed in with their son's birth. And though he fought hard, Joel's body succumbed to multiple complications, and Sarah and little Milo were forced to say goodbye.

And that's just the first half of the story. Sarah's decision following Joel's death surprised everyone and began to plant seeds of hope where loss prevailed.

Written in a conversational blog-voice, this book is a quick read and certain reminder of the importance of embracing even the smallest moments, because in no time, they could be the only memories to cling to. Sarah wrestles with the same things any of us would wrestle with in her shoes: do miracles still happen today? Will they ever happen for me? Her tenacious faith in the face of loss after loss is inspiring.

She's not Super-Woman. Sarah is ordinary, just like you and me. But her faith and trust are extraordinary and this book is a beautiful reminder of how beauty really can rise from ashes.

* I received a copy of this book from Barbour in exchange for an honest review. *