Stephanie Rische

Blogger and Writer: Capturing Stories of God's Grace

Friday Favorites for October

friday_favorites_headerHappy Friday, everyone! Here are some of my favorite things from the last few weeks. Enjoy!

For football fans who love books, or book fans who love football . . .

These NFL-inspired book covers are downright clever. Anyone else want to read Island of the Miami Dolphins? NFL Teams Reimagined as Novels

For anyone who’s still a kid at heart . . .

These timeless quotes from children’s books may have been intended for children, but perhaps we need them more as adults. Quotes from Children’s Books

For my fellow grammar geeks . . .

If you are the type who is passionate about your vs. you’re and its vs. it’s, I promise these grammar-inspired cartoons will crack you up. There’s even a tip about why you should never date an apostrophe. Things You’ll Only Find Funny if You’re a Grammar Nerd

For anyone in any relationship of any kind . . .

I had a chance to hear Brené Brown speak at a conference earlier this year, and I really appreciate the way she nails the personal and interpersonal ruts we get ourselves into. This article offers a simple phrase that can change the whole trajectory of a conversation. Brene Brown’s Biggest Life Hack

 

Friday Favorites for August

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For anyone who read the fabled Aesop as a kid . . .

Who knew we had Aesop to thank for expressions like “Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched” and “Necessity is the mother of invention”? 19 Everyday Expressions That Came from Aesop

For anyone who loves to drink in a good book . . .

They’ve created a “drinkable book” for people in countries where it’s difficult to find uncontaminated water! Bug-Killing Book Pages Clean Murky Drinking Water

For anyone who loves a good “happy cry” . . .

My husband, Daniel, works with individuals with disabilities, and he recently shared this video with me. It captures people hearing their loved ones’ voices for the first time, and I promise you’ll need tissues. Deaf People Hear Sounds for the First Time

For anyone who appreciates the power of proper punctuation . . .

Good grammar may not save your life, but it just might save you a parking ticket: Missing Comma Gets Grammar Nerd out of Parking Ticket

For anyone who has wished for a do-over in a conversation . . .

This mom of a child with a disability has something to teach us all about how to handle insensitive questions. Instead of becoming defensive, what if we invited people in instead? What I Wish I’d Asked the Woman Who Questioned Our Use of a Handicapped Parking Spot

Friday Favorites for June

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Happy Friday! Here are a few of my favorite things recently. Hope you enjoy!

For personality-type fans . . .

I admit it: I’m a personality-type junkie, so I found this description of the worst-case scenarios for various personality types fascinating. I’m an INFJ (but the description of ISFJ is pretty spot on for me too). The Definition of Hell for Each Myers-Briggs Personality Type

For anyone who wants the inside scoop on authors’ snacking habits . . .

Did you know that Agatha Christie drank heavy cream—without coffee!—while she wrote? Or that Emily Dickinson made homemade bread each morning? 9 Famous Authors’ Favorite Workday Snacks

For anyone who wonders what it’s like to get old alongside someone else . . .

What if you could fast-forward in time and see what it would be like to get old together with another person? This video simulates the experience: Young Couple Gets Increasingly Aged with Make-up and Revealed to Each Other

For Scribble aficionados . . .

In case you’re wondering, onesie, shizzle, hashtag, and cakehole are now legitimate on the Scrabble board: Go Forth and Pwn for Shizzle Say Scrabble Word List Guardians

For anyone making a big decision . . .

Summer seems to be a time of big decisions: graduations, weddings, moves, and the like. This article offers a practical checklist for when you’re facing a tough choice: http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/4-questions-ask-when-making-big-decision

 

Friday Favorites for March

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Happy Friday! Here are a few of my favorites things lately. Hope you enjoy!

For anyone who celebrated National Grammar Day . . .

It was National Grammar Day earlier this month, and I found these grammar-themed haiku hilarious: 24 Haiku in Honor of National Grammar Day

For anyone who loves a theme party . . .

These literary-themed parties will hold you over amid the doldrums of March: 8 Literary Party Themes 

For anyone who needs to be reminded of the power of what we say (and don’t say) . . .

When’s the last time you told someone you were proud of them? Good words about encouragement from Shauna Niequist: Use Your Words

For anyone who needs a laugh today . . .  

In general, I’m not pro-vandalism. But these vandalized signs make wonder if I should reconsider: 33 Vandalized Signs

For anyone who is waiting for something . . .

Some wise words on waiting well from Nicole Eunice: “Is the difference between good and best usually only found in waiting?” Waiting Doesn’t Care How You Treat It

Friday Favorites

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For book lovers who love coffee and coffee lovers who love books . . .

These descriptions of what famous authors would do when ordering coffee is one of the funniest things I’ve read in a long time. They’re all great, but I especially liked this one: “Charlotte Brontë goes up to the counter for a cup of tea and Reader, she orders it!” If Authors Ordered at Starbucks

For anyone who’s still recovering from Valentine’s Day . . .

Great thoughts about love and marriage from Beth Moore. A Valentines Post: I Believe and I Don’t

For word geeks . . .

Although there are at least a million words in the English language, the 100 most common words account for over half of the words we use. This cool site lets you type in a word and find out its ranking. The Long Tail of the English Language

For anyone who is wondering if the little things they do matter . . .

This is a beautiful post by Christie Purifoy about the unexpected hospitality God gives to us. “I think that the very quietest hospitality might just be the hospitality God extends to each of us.” Love Prepared Table

For anyone who longs for real connection in their life . . .

I love it when worlds collide, and this is a beautiful collision: on this podcast my friend from college interviews an author I work with. How cool is that? Sophie Hudson talks about her new book, Home Is Where My People Are, and they discuss good stuff like female friendship, what makes a place home, and the journey of faith for the “good girl.” God Centered Mom

Friday Favorites

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Here are a few of my recent favorite things. Enjoy, and happy Friday!

For anyone who loves a turn of phrase . . .

How can you narrow a list of beautiful literary sentences down to 51? Even so, here’s a start. One of my favorites: “In our village, folks say God crumbles up the old moon into stars.” 51 of the Most Beautiful Sentences in Literature

For anyone who needs another excuse to get swallowed up in a book . . .

The surprising lesson novels teach about empathy: Science Shows Something Surprising about People Who Love Reading Fiction

For anyone who was an English major . . .

These classic scenes from literature have been recreated with Legos. Hilarious! Favorite Scenes from Classic Literature, Lego Style

For anyone who’s trying to hold it all together . . .

Lisa-Jo Baker’s response to people who ask her how she does it all: “Here’s the obvious truth: I don’t. And what I do manage—I don’t always do very well.” How I Do It All

For anyone who’s experienced an awkward introduction at a party . . .

I really appreciated this simple yet profound insight about how we introduce our friends . . . and how we define ourselves. I want to start trying this right away. A Better Way to Introduce Your Friends

Friday Favorites for December…

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Here are a few of my favorite things recently. Enjoy!

For aspiring cooks . . .

This “edible cookbook” is the first cookbook you can actually read, cook, and eat. I think this might be the kind of foolproof cooking I need . . . Edible Cookbook

For my fellow grammarians . . .

If you’ve ever found yourself amused by unnecessary and often ironic quotation mark usage, you’ll get a kick out of this. The 30 Most Unnecessary Uses of Quotation Marks in History

For anyone who likes an encoded message . . .

Did you know that FedEx, Amazon, and Tour de France all have secret messages embedded in their logos? 11 Hidden Messages in Company Logos

For the word lovers . . .

Do you know what golem and claymore mean? How about taffeta and decoupage? If not, it might be because you’re the wrong gender. The 24 Words That Are Most Known Only to Men or Women

For anyone desiring true community . . .

“Vulnerability is less like a sweet golden retriever, all directness and love, and more like a cat—unpredictable, reserved.” Be Brave Enough to Make a Mess

Friday Favorites for September

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It’s that time again . . . time for a few of my favorite things! Enjoy!

For anyone loyal to their home state . . .
If you’ve ever wondered how your home state would be depicted in LEGOs, this post is for you. 50 States in LEGOs

For anyone looking for an excuse to read . . .
Apparently reading helps you read people’s minds and stave off depression. Sold! 12 Health Benefits of Reading

For anyone who gets that a marriage is about more than a wedding . . .
This is a great letter from Kristen Welch to her daughters about her wedding: “I can’t think of a single pin-worthy picture from the day. . . . But I wouldn’t change a moment of it.” What I Want My Daughters to Know about My Wedding

For anyone planning a literary-themed wedding . . .
I know I just said a marriage is about more than a wedding, but you have to admit these book-themed cakes are pretty amazing. You have to check out the one inspired by The Lord of the Rings. 10 Awesome Literary-Themed Wedding Cakes

For anyone who’s a word geek . . .
Apparently this is the longest word in the English language. Dictionary.com

Friday Favorites for July

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And now . . . for a few of my favorite things for July. Enjoy!

For anyone who has ever tried to articulate whether they like a book . . .
These book reviews by kids are part insightful and part hilarious. Case in point: “This was a good book but it didn’t make much sense.” Book Reviews by Kids

For bookmark aficionados . . .
I realize a scrap of paper or a receipt would work just as well, but I do love a good bookmark. These are fabulous—especially the bedside lamp bookmark. Creative Bookmarks

For anyone who has wondered if their marital status makes them less valuable . . .
Shauna Niequist nails it again: “Marriage doesn’t make you me more special. It’s not a status symbol.” You Are Significant with or without a Significant Other

For anyone who likes to devour books . . .
These cakes are literary and culinary masterpieces. Just wait till you see the Narnia-themed one! Gorgeous and Delicious Literary Cakes

 

Friday Favorites

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Here are a few of my favorite things lately. Enjoy!

For anyone who literally wants to devour books . . .
I was amazed by these lush photos of “the most memorable meals in literature.” Fictitious Dishes

For anyone who spends an inordinate time choosing the right font . . .
If you make a scientific discovery and announce it in Comic Sans, will people take you seriously? How Typeface Influences the Way We Read and Think

For anyone struggling to find balance in their relationships . . .
Shauna Niequist says, “Cooking and cleaning never built a marriage. But listening and memory-making and looking each other in the eye will.” On Laundry and Love Stories

For anyone who wishes they could take their favorite book with them wherever they go . . .
I love books a lot, but I’m not sure I’m committed enough for permanent inking. 20 Book Tattoos