I'm playing with blogger templates and css coding so please excuse my mess while I move things around and pretty up the place. I liked my old template but it was a little too dark for me....literally not figuratively. Plus as I gain more blogger experience I sort of want a more experienced looking layout. I'm not sure if this one will stick but I'm liking it as of today. Let me know what you think or if you have any problems with any of the links or buttons.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want something badly enough. They are there to keep out the other people" 

— Randy Pausch (The Last Lecture)

The Second is my recent read, Hide and Watch by Jill Hicks Lawson. This is a quick but a powerful read telling the story of how God's plans aren't always so clear but in due time he makes them clear. Its also a wonderful story of the strength the author had to go through her mother's illness and come out blessed in the end.


(check back in the coming week for my review of this one; plus author interview and fun and a book giveaway)

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Musing Mondays post, or share your answer in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks

It's a fantastic Friday for me. I have a coworker who has written an amazing book that's been published!

Have you noticed that it is easy to speak of God's faithfulness in times of prosperity, but that in times of suffering, such praise becomes lost?

In Hide and Watch, a true tale of sorrow and distress, of hope and triumph, Jill Hicks Lawson shares how she was spiritually transformed by overcoming her doubt in God during times of struggle. From enduring her battle with weight, her mother's kidney disease; to experiencing debilitating infertility and painful divorce; and eventually to becoming her mother's only hope for life, Lawson's personal accounts speak to the universal human experience of suffering, both physical and emotional, providing firsthand proof that, regardless of circumstance, God is in the business of giving hope.

By recounting moments of pain and progress, Lawson demonstrates that anguish is the only pathway to experiencing the dramatic joy and peace that result from God's intervention and healing, assuring those amid the battle that, in the end, what does not kill your faith makes it stronger.

In celebration of Jill's book, I'm hosting a "Hide & Watch" week with a review of the book,  an interview with the author, games, and how could we go without a book giveaway?  So stay tuned for more details.

I've decided to follow the lead of one of my fave bloggers and participate in MizB's Reading Challenges. Starting October 1st through to the end of December 2011. Here's the premise:
For this challenge, you should…

* Think about what is most important to you in your life… is it your health? your family? your friendships? your career? ALL of the above?

* Come up with a list of 12-14 things you can do this year to make that (those things) a priority in your life (maybe one thing/focus per month?)… what can you start (or stop) doing to get the fullest enjoyment out of your everyday life? What would make you feel that you were living your life to the best of your ability each & every day?

* Keep some sort of journal to record your progress!

Since I've not slept all night I won't even begin to list my things to do this year or even consider my priorities until I have some serious REM action going on. But I am looking forward to getting to know myself better and keeping tabs on myself when comes to my self development and keeping an eye on what is truly important to me.


**UPDATED**
Still no sleep but here's my list. I'll modify it and fine tune it as the year goes on and as I change focus. I think to live a full life you have to make adjustments. 

• My Family
• Grow closer to God
• Education (obtaining AA & transferring)
• Losing weight
• Personal life (my personal life non kid personal life)
• Write manuscript

• Make time (any small amount of time) for alone time for each of my children each week.
• Pray harder….more diligently
• Work on full load of classes from  now until May. Prioritize to get this done!!
• Make time for personal time other than school work or projects at least 15 minutes every day.
• Go out once every month or two with a non-family member for fun stuff. (No work or school related activity)
• Cut back on soft drink consumption.
• Increase physical activity.
• Write at least something every day. (This needs work. I have a project I’m working and I’d like to actually get the first draft completed and assembled by then end of 2011)