– I just posted a new Kellogg’s $100 Visa gift card giveaway. Just so you know, there’s a winner every single week – it’s not that all the entries from each week get thrown into a pile at the end of all 12 giveaways and there’s one $100 winner from my blog. OH, NO. There’s a winner every single week. I just drew for the last three winners, in fact. So if you enter every single week, you have a chance to win every single week. Just so you know.

– The third Laughing Cow $150 giveaway is still up and running. And again, every time I publish a new Laughing Cow post, you have a chance to win.

– The Juicy Juice giveaway doesn’t close until the end of this month. Just FYI.

Why am I feeling a little bit like Bob Barker right now?

– Do the Compassion blogger trips waste money? Shaun has some answers.

– There are very few people who make me laugh like Mr. Barnes does. (link via Annie)

Happy Tuesday, everybody!

I didn’t post many links this summer because, well, I just didn’t. I actually don’t have a single valid reason. However, as always, I’m happy to blame my lack of consistency on the heat. THE HEAT RUINS EVERYTHING.

But today there is a slight hint of fall in the air (a hint that will no doubt be obliterated by the BLAZING HOT SUN within the next few hours), and I’m feeling motivated to do a linky catch-up of sorts. No doubt your sense of ambivalence is PALPABLE.

Giddy up.

– Okay. So our pastor, David Platt, has written a book called Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From The American Dream, and I think it’s safe to say that God has used Radical to hit sort of a collective cultural nerve. And also, from a personal standpoint, to STEP ALL OVER MY TOES.

In a couple of weeks my bloggy friend Marla (edited to add: I just corrected ANOTHER mistake) :-) is hosting a Radical read-along. It’ll last for about nine weeks-ish, and all you need to participate is a copy of the book and a willingness to share what you’re learning.

I haven’t talked to anyone who’s walked away from this book unchanged. And if you really, really want to read it but just can’t afford it right now, let me know via email at boomama205@gmail.com. Just put “Radical Book” in the subject line.

– I loved Jon’s post about making horrible trades. And as an English nerd, I was sixty-four kinds of happy when I saw how he tied the post together at the end. So good.

– My new Kellogg’s $100 Visa gift card giveaway is up and running and waiting for your comments! (edited to add: comments are working now)

– If you’re a blogger, my friend Mary needs your help getting the word out about something – and you might make a little bit of extra money in the process. Here are the details.

– When I read this poem that Priscilla posted, I thought, “Oh. I am totally printing that out and putting it on my refrigerator.”

– For mindless entertainment, you can’t really beat MadMenYourself. Because whether you watch the show or not, you’ll enjoy sporting a kicky flip hairdo with your pointy eyeglasses.

– Ever thought about the pop culture divide between you and this year’s college freshmen? Take a look at the Beloit College Mindset List for the class of 2014. It made me feel old. REAL old. (via Throwing Things)

Happy Tuesday, everybody!

– A few of y’all have asked where you can find the funky hanging baskets that I mentioned in Monday’s post. We got them at Lowe’s (in the indoor garden center), and they were about nine dollars each. I can’t find them on the Lowe’s website, but they’re made by Gardman, and they’re called the 12″ Braided, Water Hyacinth Hanging Basket Cone. According to Google, you can find them online, too.

– One day last week I found a recipe for fish tacos with lime-cilantro crema and thought I’d give them a try. I made them last night (with tilapia instead of red snapper), and they were DELICIOUS, OH MY WORD. They were fresh and light and hearty all at the same time. I’ll definitely make them again.

– I so enjoyed Mary‘s article at myrecipes.com about how to raise brave eaters. Couldn’t agree with her more.

– I would totally buy an East Dillon Lions t-shirt if it weren’t, you know, TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS. Personally, I think Eric Taylor would tell the NBC folks that they ought to be ashamed to charge that much for a t-shirt. But first he’d pull his cap way down low over his eyes and then pace a little bit. And yes, I watched the season premiere this past Friday night, and yes, JD McCoy is dead to me.

– Priscilla has written a really great post about an open mailbox. You read that correctly. A post about a mailbox. And I loved it.

– If you want to read Angie Smith‘s book I Will Carry You but haven’t bought it yet, you can download a free copy at barnesandnoble.com (thanks, Angie, for the tip!).

Hope y’all are having a great Wednesday!

Every once in awhile I’ll have a week that looks like it’s going to be wide open – footloose and fancy free, if you will – and then the week starts and within a few hours I realize OH NO, WEEK CHOCK FULL, NEED TO MAKE TO-DO LIST FOR ALL REQUIRED TO-DO LISTS.

So basically what I’m saying is that this week is shaping up to be a little cuckoo. But that’s okay. This cuckoo shall pass.

And now, a few links of note:

– Our pastor, David Platt, has a book coming out today, and I am not kidding one bit when I tell you that the primary message in his book could very well turn your whole life upside down. The book is called Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream. It will make you uncomfortable, and it will leave you convicted. Trust me on that.

– Pete Wilson’s book, Plan B, also hits stores today. It’s all about how God does His best, most life-changing work in seemingly hopeless situations. I think it’s so interesting that Pete’s book release coincides with a time when many members of the church that Pete pastors – Cross Point Church in Nashville – are facing some unimaginable circumstances.

– My friend Heather is super-creative, and I think this birthday party idea is so clever and fun. Even if it is outside in All The Nature.

– I love it when the people on SNL start to giggle during a skit, mainly because most of the time the inappropriate laughing is funnier than the skit itself (Debbie Downer and Matt Foley are the exceptions, of course). Anyway, I was ever-so-delighted to see a list (with video) of SNL’s Top Ten Cast Member Crack-Ups. (via Throwing Things)

– No Idol post from me tonight – I’ll be watching but not re-capping. It’s been a hectic couple of days around here, and I am craving a little family time and also some sleep. Sometimes it’s good to have relaxation goals.

Hope y’all have a good night!

– According to at least one writer, American Idol is “all about Ryan now.” Verrrrrrry interesting.

– I related so much to Lindsay’s post about freedom in worship. Absolutely beautiful.

– This idea for a do-it-yourself ottoman is fab. I could not build said ottoman, mind you, but I bet my hubby could. (via Apartment Therapy)

– Shaun explains why, sometimes, we really need to pull the rope. And the comments are just as great as the post.

– A song by the always delightful Dave Barnes about how much a man loves his wife? Yes, please.

It’s dreamy, isn’t it?

– I am deeply and completely in love with Top Chef Masters. In some ways I like it more than Top Chef (less focus on drama, more focus on food). Are any of y’all watching?

– I just put up my second post for the Tropicana Juicy Rewards campaign, and thanks to BlogHer, you can enter to win a $50 gift card. I’ll announce the winner of the first post’s $50 gift card tomorrow.

– Apparently bacon is now “our national food crush.”

– I love swimsuits from Lands’ End because they’re really well made – nothing flimsy about them. You can mix and match pieces that work best with your body type, and the Lands’ End folks also understand the importance of underwire, CAN I GET AN AMEN, OH THANK YOU.

Anyway, Lands’ End is having a sale Friday through Monday. But if you use a special code and PIN today, you can get the sale prices a day early. The sale is 25% off all regularly priced items (swimsuits, clothes, shoes, whatever) AND free shipping. The promotion code is LESHOP, and the PIN is 6413.

(By the way and in case you’re wondering: I am receiving approximately zero American dollars for sharing this info – I’m just telling you because 25% off makes me happy.)

– This post of Amanda’s made me laugh out loud.

Happy Thursday, y’all!