Hiatus

source: unknown

Hey lovely readers!
I'm going away tomorrow with some friends from church, and I'll only be back late next week. I'm so excited for a long road trip, badminton, games, chilling out, as well as getting a good chunk of reading time in (my order for The Book Thief just got in today!)
Well, I thought you should know that I'm not disappearing from the blogging world...just taking a break :)
Have a good week, friends! God bless.

Wishlist

Now again for a bookish post...
What do you use to keep your place in a book? I usually use scraps of paper or a funky magnet that my best friend bought me. (Lately, though, I've been using flashcards from school- makes me feel less guilty for getting lost in the world of Sense and Sensibility while I have a mountain of schoolwork on my desk!) This book hook would be the perfect way to keep your place, as well as keeping the spine of a book healthy.This one is definitely going on my Christmas wishlist.
(You can buy the book hook here. Found via A Cup of Jo)

National Victim's Rights Week

Alright, so I'm a day late in this, but I wanted to share this with you:
National Victim's Rights Week


"According to the South African National Calendar, September 15 through September 19 (Thursday through Monday) is “Victim's Rights Week.” I'm unsure how much media attention this will attract, but this is a great time to bring attention to the silent and forgotten VICTIMS of abortion, as well as the RIGHT TO LIFE that is denied to this group of human beings.

With this in mind, you are invited to participate in a “Victim's Rights Week Social Media Campaign” during this time. Social media, although not the only avenue for raising awareness about abortion, is a strategic one due to the large number of people active on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, etc." - National Victim's Rights Social Media Campaign, hosted by Abort97

The link for the event page is https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=200460950019933
and I encourage you all to participate. I've already seen the effects that it's had on people's pages, friends commenting on the abortion pictures and thoughtful updates. Even if you are not in South Africa, please feel free to join.

Stand up for life.
ABORT97. Expose it. End it.

You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you have made summer and winter.

I am honored to present to you the South African summer of 2011. She is beautiful this year, isn't she, ladies and gentlemen?

(photo from my favorite tree in my front yard that is blossoming.)
I'm so glad it's warming up! I love waking up to the early-morning heat and planning my days that seem to be extended by the sunshine. It makes the world a happier place and it's the first time all year that I've been able to feel my toes! Summer is my favorite season, the season for swimming, water fights, sun-streaked hair and a few other things. Here's a few of my summer faves:
The incessant sunshine.
Sunshine spills itself everywhere, and it's the kind that I really don't mind cleaning up.
Summer music
I have a few more chances to put together the perfect playlist that will forever remind me of Summer 2011. Beach Boys, Mumford & Sons, Owl City, and Jon Foreman? Don't mind if I do...
Summer reading lists
More sunshine equals more reading time, right?

(click any of the above photos to enlarge)
What are you doing this summer? What's on your summer playlist right now?

Laziness

Every. single. time.

I just had to share this with you. It made me laugh so hard because it's so true of me :) Hope your week is going well, readers!

C.S. Lewis’s Tips on Writing

Today I came across this amazing post from the blog The Unicorn Triumphant that talks about C.S. Lewis's advice on writing. I read it twice through. Such pitch-perfect and practical advice! Below are my favorite points that C.S. Lewis gave to a seventh grader:

(1) Turn off the Radio.

(2) Read all the good books you can, and avoid nearly all magazines.

(3) Always write (and read) with the ear, not the eye. You should hear every sentence you write as if it was being read aloud or spoken. If it does not sound nice, try again.

(4) Write about what really interests you, whether it is real things or imaginary things, and nothing else. (Notice this means that if you are interested only in writing you will never be a writer, because you will have nothing to write about…)

(6) When you give up a bit of work don’t (unless it is hopelessly bad) throw it away. Put it in a drawer. It may come in useful later. Much of my best work, or what I think my best, is the re-writing of things begun and abandoned years earlier.

(8) Be sure you know the meaning (or meanings) of every word you use.’

I'm thinking of getting it printed up all fancy and hanging it up in Walden! Read the rest of the post here where C.S. Lewis gives advice to a young girl and a lady as well as the seventh grader I mentioned above. He's got some gems.

I couldn't resist sharing this music video that I came across from the blog Musings and Music (<---check it out) Now I'm kinda obsessed, the words "Take my hand, I'll teach you to dance, I'll spin you around, won't let you fall down..." are stuck in my head. WARNING: You may cry like an infant while watching this. Get them tissues.