Thursday Things #128
File this under unnecessary but happy.
Every other Thursday, I share a handful of good things I'm loving, reading, watching, listening to or just discovered. AKA the random good stuff we’d talk about over coffee or text if we had one another’s phone number. I'm glad you're here!
Hi hi, happy Thursday! We’re back for another round-up of random goodness. I’m writing this from Starbucks, pretending you’re in the empty chair across from me, and as always would love to hear what YOU have found over the last few weeks.
Feel free to share below!
Cue the random but good, here are a few recent things—
File this under unnecessary but happy.
It would be more than fair to say this is giving “very much in her early thirties” but yes, I did ask for a tissue box cover for my birthday and yes, my brother absolutely made fun of me. “Wait wait wait, you ASKED for that? Thought of it and chose it?”
Yeah man, I did. And isn’t it cute?
There are a hundred designs out there (I’m a little embarrassed by how much time I spent browsing this rabbit hole of the internet) but I landed on this one. No more standing in the Publix aisle trying to pick a box that kinda sorta maybe not really goes with my decor—now it’s grab and go and I get to see this on the coffee table instead.
Sometimes it’s the little things.
I didn’t know what I was missing.
Also little—but also great: these pens and these highlighters1. I’ve never been one to care about a specific type of pen (beyond Sharpie pens which are great, but not so much for daily use IMO). A few months ago, a local library had a book sale to make room on their shelves for new titles. One of the librarians gave a box of pens to everyone browsing (one more reason to forever love libraries) and I quickly learned what I’ve been missing.
This is so wildly low on the list of things that matter, but in the spirit of the random good stuff shared with friends over coffee—if you happen to be running low on pens, might I suggest these? And while you’re at it, I’d also recommend these highlighters. I bought them for class last fall and really liked them—they don’t bleed through and the colors are vibrant. (I haven’t shared this outside of the private All The Things Instagram account, but I’m actually in another class right now, so I still use them on a weekly basis!)
P.S. If you’d like to read about the fall class, here are two IG posts from when I shared publicly (ATT friends, there’s an earlier post in your private feed) + a much longer piece after the class ended.
Post One: Glimpses in paused dreams
Post Two: A chorus through the centuries and a truth to remember
And now for several Book Things.
First—a children’s Bible. If you read and loved The Jesus Storybook Bible, you’re going to want to pick this one up too. A number of friends recommended The Book of Belonging to me and, after reading through it last month, I’ll cosign that it’s both thoughtful and beautiful. There’s just something particularly meaningful about reading stories that are sometimes wildly familiar… but with a somewhat new lens, a fresh take thanks to lovely illustrations and words that are imaginative while holding to the true story under it all.
A snippet from the book description:
Through narratives, mindful practices, and guided wonder moments, children and grown-ups alike will learn who God is and be reminded over and over that God tells each of us, “You are Beloved, you Belong, and you are Delightful.” The Book of Belonging features forty-two Bible stories (twenty from the Old Testament, twenty-two from the New Testament) and rich, vibrant illustrations on every page (showcasing a variety of body shapes, ages, abilities, and skin colors).
Second—shifting gears (significantly) to romcoms.
Not the sentence you expected from me, is it? LOL. Ya’ll often ask for more fiction recommendations and I’ve found that it usually works best to share those in real time on the ATT Instagram account—I can say more about the story right after I finish reading, what I appreciated or didn’t love so much (we’ll keep the occasional “this was a miss for me, but if you like ___ it might be a good fit for you” mentions to a more private space, you know?), possible trigger warnings to be aware of, etc. But after returning one Katherine Center book to the library a couple weeks ago and walking out with another, I mentioned the books on both accounts—and thought I’d share specific titles here today in case you’d like to give them a try! Hopefully this makes it easy to reference later, too, if you find yourself wanting a lighthearted beach read in a couple months. My quick blurb is: The storylines feel a bit more unique (or even quirky) to me, the dialogue has made me laugh out loud a number of times, and I’d say these rely more on substance than spice (compared to many of the romcoms that top the charts). Now, there’s one that I did not like. But of the 6 I’ve read from Katherine Center this year (apparently I’m flying through her backlist of titles), they’ve all been 3-4.5 except the outlier.
One last book-related thing—To celebrate the “birthday” of Even If Not, my first book, I’m giving away a copy here and here! I’d love for you to enter either place (or both) before it closes tomorrow afternoon. Writing out how the different chapters of EIN each showed up, gently marking the day in the most ordinary of ways, was a sweet surprise to see woven together. Maybe next year I’ll return to the typical tradition, maybe this will be the new lens of pausing to find each theme still showing up in the here & now, or maybe it’ll shift once again. Who knows, but it’s a safe bet that I’ll say it once again, another year of repeating the words that—thank God—have held true:
I don’t know the “and” you’re living, but I can promise you this and I don’t say it lightly: You are not alone on these pages. His goodness holds true. Always, in all ways, on all days. Lent might linger long, but even now, Easter is on the way.
I am not an Amazon affiliate. I do, however, include DaySpring and Bookshop links when applicable. <3
Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors. I read an advanced copy of her newest book, The Love Haters, and absolutely loved it as well!
On the subject of pens… I have recently fallen in love with using Frixion pens for my planner! They come in an array of colors and they are ERASABLE!!!! So I can color code, but also not be worried about if plans change, because voila! It’s erased!