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Monday, November 28, 2016

Linger Moments ~ No. 5

lin·ger
/ˈliNGɡər/
verb
  1. to stay in a place longer than necessary, typically because of a reluctance to leave.


  1. You know those moments: the ones often catching you by surprise, causing you to pause a little longer than perhaps intended.  You are invited to take a moment to linger before jumping in to the start of a new week.


1. The Grove Christmas at Passion City Church


The Grove is a monthly gathering for the women of Atlanta and is an extension of what Jesus is doing in and through Passion City Church.  Hosted by Shelley Giglio and The Grove Team, these gatherings are centered on Jesus and focus on being a place where women can be Rooted in the Word of God, choose to Flourish where they're planted, walk in Freedom in Christ and truly live, and offer their lives as Shade to those with whom they come in contact.  

The Grove is hosting their annual Christmas Gathering on December 5th and 6th!  Their gatherings take place at Passion City Church in Atlanta (515 Garson Drive) and begin at 7:30 (although the doors open way before that and I've heard people start lining up as early as 4:00!!).  I was fortunate to receive an invitation to one of these gathering from a dear friend for the Grove's Christmas Gathering back in 2013.  I've enjoyed attending their other gatherings over the years and always leave completely encouraged.  If you're in the Atlanta area, these events are DEFINITELY worth checking out.

You know those shows- you see them pop up again and again in your "Top Pick for Ashley" category on your TV viewing source... You've probably even seen friends talking about them on social media.  Then [a few years later] you decide to finally check them out and think, "Right on, Amazon.  This was a good pick for Ashley."  My most recent encounter with this cycle happened with the Amazon original series, Mozart in the Jungle.  The title intrigued me enough to try the show out and I was instantly drawn in.  The story line is about a young maestro taking over the New York Symphony and his developing relationship with his assistant, an oboist trying to make it in the orchestra.

What I really love about the show is not only the hilarious story line (and obvious musician jokes I can totally geek out to), but also how I felt motivated to intentional piano practice.  Teaching so easily takes over my music time each day, and it's nice to have a reminder that's it's a good thing to work on my own craft.

Seasons 1 and 2 are available on Amazon Prime with a Brand New Season 3 premiering on December 9, 2016!

I finally finished the book that was on my October reading list (gulp).  Y'all, this book was one of the best I've read in a while.  The story is set in England in the late 1800's and begins with eight year old Aurelia finding baby Amy outside in the snow.  Against her parents' wishes, Aurelia helps to raise the orphan baby, never to discover from where she had come.  Fifteen years later, when the Aurelia passes away, Amy is banished from the home but not before receiving the first clue to a secret treasure hunt, created for her by Aurelia before she passed.  The treasure hunt takes her all over England and ultimately reveals Aurelia's secret.  Don't let the fact that is took me so long to read this book trick you- it really was a page turner, and I highly recommend it.  

Monday, November 07, 2016

May Designs

If you've been around my blog for a while (or especially if you know me in person), you know my affinity for May Designs' May Books.  These personalized notebooks are so fun to create and I've thoroughly enjoyed making them over the years.  So, you can imagine how thrilled I was when one of their representatives offered to GIVE AWAY a CUSTOM Classic Notebook to one of my readers, FOR FREE!!!  This gift includes complete rationalization from the cover, to the monogram, to the inside pages!!!

I was first introduced to May Books by a piano student, who's mother gave me a Classic with the calendar pages for Christmas 2013.  I will admit that I was a bit worried about the lack of space (I was used to a HUGE academic planner with 15 minute intervals), but I quickly fell in love with the size as it was light-weight and super portable (and easily fit into my purse).   That fall I order my own academic planner and had such a fun time personalizing the cover and monogram!


Another thing that I love about these books is how the company is always coming up with new inside pages!  This past Lent, they debuted a "40 Days of Prayer and Gratitude" insert with adorable water-colored pages.  They released a newer "Gratitude First" insert for this November along with super adorable Holiday 2016 covers (be sure to check out the "Cross Stitch Red & Pink," which looks like a winter sweater :).

To enter this giveaway, simply visit May Designs and comment your favorite design on this Instagram post!  It's totally that easy :)  Thank you to May Designs for sponsoring this giveaway (which includes a Classic May Book (you choose the pattern, monogram, and inside pages) and free shipping in the US)!  As always, all of the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own :)