Laurel A. Ness: Friday Night Randomness: August Favorites

I know, it's really late to be doing the August Favorites, but I skipped several months on my personal blog, and the idea popped into my head to start writing them over here, since I'll likely be doing a lot of my blogging here now.

So, let's jump right in, I guess!

Best Reads:
OK, I can't help it. I'm going to have to pick my very own books this time. You have no idea, after all the hours I've spent at the computer, how fun it has been to read the books on my own Kindle, cozy in my own bed at night or sitting on a comfy couch for stolen moments here and there during the day. And, frankly, I LOVE this story. Not because I wrote it, but because it's a beautiful story God placed on my heart. I surely cannot take credit for that. But, also, because there are elements of me in the story, I probably "feel" it more than other readers do. Disregarding the fact that I had to pay to download my own books onto my Kindle (lol--can you believe that one?), it has been a blast!


Click here to download this new eBook series!

My other book favorite will be mentioned in another category. You'll understand in a minute! :)

Foodliness:
Steve Wise's caramel corn. He's a friend of ours who makes the best, non-sticky-and-totally-delish caramel corn. His recipe involves a microwave and a paper bag. It's always a hit when he brings it to a gathering.

As far as something available to everyone, a favorite snack in August for my son and me was kosher dill pickles. Whether they were Claussen or Aldi brand, we had a taste for them for awhile there!

From the Makeup Bag:
Love me some Glimmersticks from Avon. The eyeliner glides on so easily, and you don't have to sharpen them. They ship from their website. I can recommend a really sweet Avon representative, too! :)

Click here for Amy Lingenfelter's Avon site.

A couple of my favorite products this summer are ones my dear friend Suzy-Q sent me in a lovely care package during my "grueling" days of navigating my way through the troubling waters of independent authorship for the first time. The first I want to mention is L'oreal Colour Riche Balm lipstick. Smooths on like butta, ya know? ;) Moisturizes the lips and the color is light but totally shows up.

The last Makeup Bag favorite for August is also from L'oreal. It is the Visible Lift Undereye Concealer. The older I become, the darker those pesky dark circles are. Nothing seems to cover them totally, but this product is smooth, easy to apply, and stays in place pretty well. The coverage is decent, too.

Skin Care:
Yeah, even at my advanced age (ha ha), I still get the oilies in the T-zone, especially during the summer. And Dear Son is reaching the age when he is wanting to combat that same problem as well. I found myself reaching for the Equate brand of "Sea Breeze" at Walmart this summer. Talk about a blast from the past! Every time I open the bottle, I think of my teen years. ;) DS has graduated on to some mild Clearasil pads in a jar (he doesn't have acne, but is trying to keep his face clean to prevent it--yea for him!) after seeing his cool older cousin use something similar. That's okay. Just means my trips down Memory Lane will last longer. Actually, another thought that hits me every time I open the bottle is, "This stuff is probably really awful. I wonder how many chemicals are in it. Should I look at the ingredients and find out? Nah! I'll just finish this bottle and then buy something healthier again." Just being honest here.

Musically Speaking:
Well, I'm going to have to do it again, and name my favorite song for August as the Landon Austin song, "Once in a Lifetime," which he so graciously allowed me to use for my book promo trailer. It's a beautiful song, but it's an absolute wonder that I didn't get tired of it, as many times as I heard it while making the video. I had never made a video before, so it took a. Long. Time. And, you know, you want to try to have the video match up with the music track in certain ways, so it's very tedious work to have particular notes match with particular frames and stuff like that. All that to say, I heard the song sooooooooo many times, but still love to hear it.

Can't see video? Click here.
Landon Austin's music: Click here

Home Theater:
We enjoyed watching Princess Bride together as a family

I discovered a show on Netflix that I haven't had a lot of time to watch, but have enjoyed the first few episodes. It's a Hallmark show called Cedar Cove.

Another favorite movie from August will be mentioned later in this post. :)

Candle:
In the above mentioned care package, my sweet friend sent me the perfect summer candle: Lavendar Lemonade, in a pretty yellow-painted mason jar. Love!

App:

Just discovered the I Heart Radio app. Well, I had heard of it before, but just started using it. Not bad.

Click here to find out more.

Human:

The late Corrie Ten Boom. Dear Son and I read her book, The Hiding Place, together this summer. I had read it before and had seen the movie, but it had been many years. I was reminded, and DS learned, of the tremendous sacrifice the Ten Boom family made on behalf of others, who were in a desperate situation. The horrendous, inhumane treatment Corrie and her sister Betsie endured were so difficult to read. When I was reading aloud to DS, my voice would break sometimes with my tears. But what was so precious was what they chose to learn and hang on to. They discovered truths and internalized them in ways they couldn't have without their suffering. Amazing human being. Amazing book.