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Hello, Reader.

Father's Day is just around the corner, so I'm sharing a Father's Day-themed link list this week, just as I promised. I hope that it will help you celebrate and encourage and express love/ appreciation to any special fathers in your life.

My own father passed away nearly 19 years ago. He would've turned 91 on Father's Day (June 15) had he lived to see it, but I'm so very grateful for the years I had with him and for the kind of dad he was. I share a bit about that in this week's podcast, as well as offering encouragement to those who've missed out on having a loving, supportive, and involved father in their life. Fortunately, we have a heavenly Father who stands ready to fill that void.

Free resources for you this week:

• ​Father's Day Worksheets - perfect for young children to fill out for Dad
• ​A Prayer for Fathers - free printable prayer guide to use all year long
• ​Old-Fashioned Coupon Book - great last-minute gift idea for Dad
• ​Father's Day Cards - pick your favorite, print it out, add a message, and mail
• ​A Father's Day Coloring Page - I love the verse that forms the basis of this free printable

What I'm reading this week:

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My son and grandson have been listening to the Anne of Green Gables collection on Audible together, and my daughter and I joined them in progress during a 3-hour drive to Houston last week. The final book is one I've never read, Further Chronicles of Avonlea. (aff link) Each of its 15 chapters stands alone, making it a perfect book to share on the road with family members who hadn't recently completed the rest of the series. Warning: Keep tissues handy if decide to read it, too. Tears sprung to my eyes during several of the short stories, but my favorite was "The Brother Who Failed." I came straight home and ordered a hard copy of the book, since our boxed set didn't include it. That way I can go back and read the first few chapters I missed. ​

What we're eating this week:

Although I did make a bunch of soup & salad for family dinners in our Airbnb's full kitchen, we ended up eating out for at least one meal per day during the past week.

As is my custom whenever we travel, though, I use AAdvantage Dining to choose the restaurants we visit. That way, we earn 5 miles per dollar spent and sample a wide variety of tasty fare in the process.

This trip, we dined on brick oven pizza, black bean burrito bowls, and yummy gyros in The Woodlands and had tasty Thai and delicious Lebanese dishes in San Antonio.

My adult kids were asking about details and directions for signing up for the AAdvantage Dining program (which is 100% free to join), so I thought I'd share those links here, as well.

Even though our family has not historically been "frequent flyers" (with the possible exception of a couple of jet-setting daughters and a son in the Army), we've been using frequent flyer programs like AAdvantage dining and mileage-reward credit cards for decades.

In that time, we've earned 31 free roundtrip tickets to Europe, 5 to Hawaii, 4 to South Korea, and more domestic flights than I can count or remember. It only takes a few minutes to set up your account, and then you will automatically earn miles anytime you dine at a participating restaurant (whether you know it or not -- no reminders or special requests needed to earn).

On the podcast this week:

Loving Life at Home: Episode 87 ​LOST & FOUND: A STORY ABOUT MY DAD​ ​ I’m sure that, in the midst of the childhood crisis I was experiencing at the time this story first happened, my father never dreamed what a lasting and far-reaching effect his response would have in my life, but it did. ​ Listen Now

Progress on last week's goals:

I only finished half of last week's to-do list, primarily because we've been out of town for seven days straight (instead of making a return stop at home as originally planned to do laundry and tie up some loose ends between trips). So here's my complete progress report:

I ✅ repaired my broken cabinet door hinge, ✅ had my annual check up with my OB/GYN (who was thrilled with my bloodwork 👍🏻), ✅ attended the THSC Convention in the Woodlands, and ✅ visited my son Samuel & family in San Antonio.

But as of this morning, I haven't ❌ strained or bottled my latest batch of Winkie's tonic, ❌ finished mowing my lawn (although I did ✅ edge and ✅ weed-whack it before I left town), ❌ sew feather comforter into duvet cover, nor was I the one who ❌ picked my daughter Rachel up from the airport (but I ✅ have been spending lots of quality time with her before she has to head back to Germany).

Personal goals for this week:

• strain/bottle Winkie's Tonic
• fix my down comforter
• email June's Bible memory challenge to kids and grandkids
• finish my current quilting project
• celebrate my 3rd daughter's birthday
• cut my husband's hair

If you enjoy this newsletter and would like to support my work, there are five ways for you to do that (pick one):

1. Forward a copy to a friend with an invitation to subscribe, OR
2. Follow me on Instagram and comment on a post, OR
3. ​Buy one of my books and leave a positive review, OR
4. ​Listen to my podcast, then leave a review on your favorite platform OR
5. Hit reply and say hello 👋

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Thanks so much for all your help! I'll be back next week with more links, reviews, and resources. If you have any special requests, just hit reply and let me know. 😊