The Saturday Six

One.

First of all, because the link didn't work for most of you last week, I'll start with a photo of our appearance in the Wall Street Journal article. When the writer sent me the link, it was just an open link {because I don't have a subscription either!}, and I had visited it several times prior to posting it. But somehow between adding it to the Six and the Six actually arriving, it became a subscription-only post. Womp womp. Fortunately I had printed off a copy before that happened, so here's a shot of our little 15 minutes of WSJ fame!


Two.

For those of you who are praying folks, may I impose a prayer request on you today? I am speaking at a women's retreat this weekend. I spoke once last night, and I'll speak once tomorrow morning, but today...TODAY!!!...I am speaking twice, and these two sessions are intense. I believe the Lord has much to say to these ladies, and I also believe I will face some pretty hefty spiritual opposition today. So if you have a moment to lift me up in prayer whenever the Lord puts my name on your heart today, I'd be so grateful. Thanks for letting me interrupt my own list for that!


Three.

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Ahhhh, the wearing-white-after-Labor-Day rule. To follow or not to follow? Anymore I think fashion rules are lax enough that you're allowed to do whatever you want, but I really loved this post by Anne in Residence, explaining good ways to keep the white without looking too summery!

Four.

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Speaking of fashion...I ran across a company I'd not heard of before! It's called Second Hand Fashions, and it works kind of like Stitch Fix, in that you send information to a stylist and they compile a box of clothing items to send to you, but the items are secondhand, and apparently the cost is lower. In full disclosure, I could not find anything on there about what the prices normally run, but if you like the idea of this kind of shopping but can't afford Stitch Fix, I thought I'd tell you about this one to see if it fits your budget better!

Five.

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I have been following Nicole on Instagram for a while...she and her husband are adopting and expecting a biological child at the same time. It's been faith-boosting to read their journey! But I also like Nicole's blog, and this post is really good; she shares some of the tools she uses in her Bible study. I always look for creative ideas, and this post is full of them!

Six.

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Christmas books in September?? Yes! It's true! Christmas is closer than we probably want to think! {Although I have actually done some shopping and I've started my Christmas letter already.}

Last fall, I read a Christmas novel, and while I loved the concept of Christmas fiction, I really didn't enjoy the book at all. I thought I'd try it again this year, but I switched authors, wondering if that would help me enjoy it better.

This year's Christmas fiction read is The Christmas Angel Project, written by Melody Carlson. I actually read a novel by her last year, while I was on vacation, and I remembered enjoying that book as a fun, light-hearted read. So I entered this new book with high hopes.

The Christmas Angel Project is a shorter novel - just 166 pages - and it's the story of four friends: Belinda, Louisa, Grace, and Cassidy, who are reeling from the unexpected death of their dear friend, Abby. Together, the five women had been part of a book club Abby started years earlier, and though the remaining four friends didn't have much in common with one another, Abby had been the glue that held them together and had been their biggest champion and confidante.

Days after her death, Abby's husband delivers gifts to the four women: Christmas ornaments Abby had hand-created for each woman just before her death. In their grief, the women find a renewed sense of hope for pushing forward with Abby's beautiful spirit of giving and loving. They work together to create a project to honor Abby's life and help them process their own grief.

I will say it took me about four chapters to really get into the book. The story didn't grab me from the very start. But once the purpose of the plot became evident, I was intrigued and eager to see what the women did with the gifts before them. The four women were easy to love, and I found myself cheering for them as they journeyed through the Christmas season.

Much like the other book of Melody's I read, this was a light and predictable read, but that seems to fit with a Christmas theme. It's a quick read and goes beyond just entertaining; it reminds readers of needs that abound at Christmas...needs of the soul.

* Thanks to Revell for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. *