My Empty Shelf Challenge Update #2

Wow! I just checked to see when I did my last Empty Shelf Challenge Update, and it was back in March! At that time, I had finished reading 12 books. My goal for this year was to read at least two books a month, for a total of 24 books for the year.

So how am I doing? Since March, here are the books I have finished reading:

  • Mission Drift by Peter Greer
  • The Antelope in the Living Room by Melanie Shankle
  • Esther by Beth Moore
  • How People Change by Timothy Lane
  • Dancing with My Father by Sally Clarkson
  • The Beauty of Broken by Elisa Morgan
  • Hope Rising by Scott Todd
  • The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
  • Rhinestone Jesus by Kristen Welch
  • Chasing Francis by Ian Cron
  • The Nesting Place by Myquillyn Smith
  • Animal Farm by George Orwell
  • Radical by David Platt
  • Grace for the Good Girl by Emily Freeman
  • Me, Myself, & Bob by Phil Vischer
  • Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman

Well, since the end of March, I have read 16 books, which brings my total to 28 books for the year! Woo hoo! Guess I should have upped by goal a bit.

Of course, this does not mean that I am going to stop reading for the year, that just wouldn't be right. So you might be thinking, what is in my book pile right now? Glad you asked:

my current book reading pile

I pulled out our copy of Operation World, so I can really start learning more and praying for the countries where our Compassion sponsored children live. Not really sure if I will read the whole book (it is a really thick one!), but I am thankful for resources like this one.

The Time Machine and I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist are books for our upcoming school year (which we plan on starting next week). And The Best Yes and You and Me Forever are books for me to read and learn from.

Hey, do you have a Goodreads account? If so, you can find me there and follow along to see what books I am reading next.

I would love for you to share what books are in your book pile. Won't you share them in the comments below?

Tackle It on Tuesday: Car Seat Blanket

If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, you know that I like to work on projects, of all types. I love that we have access to so many resources that can be made into beautiful items to display, use, and/or share with others.

progress on car seat blanket

Last week, I started on this car seat blanket with the yarn I purchased at my favorite yarn shop up in the foothills. The pattern was free with a purchase, and I thought this yarn would be perfect for this project. The blanket will measure 14 inches wide and 20 inches long when complete. I have about 8 inches still to knit before the blanket is complete. 

craft room progress

We had our yard sale over the weekend, which means I was able to clear out more boxes from the craft room. I know this room still needs a lot of decluttering, but I am really happy with the progress being made in here!

curtain project

One reason I am happy that progress is being in the craft room...there is actually room in there to work on projects! God continues to bless me with opportunities to earn money for my next trip with Compassion!

This time, I will be making some curtains for a friend. Her family just purchased a cute little trailer. She is working on adding a glamping factor, and she asked me to make the curtains for her! 

So this week, I really didn't finish any projects, but I have made good progress on a couple of projects. I would love to know what projects you are tackling this week. Share them with me in the comments below.

Back to School with Compassion

One thing I have been learning as a Compassion sponsor and advocate is a better sense of geography!

world map

And I don't feel bad admitting this, because we learned at the Experience Compassion Conference at the end of June, that even Scott Todd didn't know where the Dominican Republic was when he became a Compassion sponsor in college.

As Compassion sponsors, I believe one way we can build a better relationship with our sponsored children is to learn more about the country where our sponsored children live. Compassion's web site has a Where We Work link with access to help us learn more about each of the 26 countries where Compassion is currently working to release children from poverty in Jesus' name.

compassion child with stars

So I want to challenge you to earn a gold star!! Do a little research and tell me the following in the comments below:

  1. What is your sponsored child's name and what country do they live in? You would be surprised the number of times I ask people where their sponsored child lives and they can't tell me!
  2. What is the capital of the country where your sponsored child lives?
  3. Tell me one unique fact about the country where your sponsored child lives.
Too Small to Ignore

See this book? If you answer all three questions above, you will earn three gold stars! Each gold star gives you a chance to win this amazing book, Too Small to Ignore, by Dr. Wess Stafford. 

But in order to be eligible, you must leave your comment prior to Thursday, September 4th at noon Pacific time. Winner will be notified by e-mail, so please leave your e-mail address in your comment so I can contact you if you are the winner.