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Hello, Reader.

Are you a tea drinker? Do you drink yours hot or cold? With or without sugar? Did you know June is National Iced Tea Month? And that there are myriad health benefits associated with tea consumption (especially if you skip refined or artificial sweeteners)?

My kids all love tea, and on Monday, several of them talked me into driving to a little loose-leaf tea shop in Gladewater (half an hour away), just to enjoy some brimming cups of specialty teas together. It was my daughter Rachel's 24th birthday, so that was a fun way for us to celebrate. Then we came home and played board games.

Since tea is top of mind right now, I've decided to make that the theme of this week's link list. Enjoy!

Free resources for you this week:

• ​Tea Time Trivia Test - how much do you know about this long-time popular drink?
• ​High Tea Word Find - race to see how fast you can spot all the tea-themed words
• ​Tea Time I Spy Game - a fun counting game for the youngest tea drinkers
• ​My Cup Runneth Over Coloring Page - features hand-drawn cups & saucers galore
• ​No Crumble Sugar Cookies - a perfect treat to pair with a nice cup of tea

What I'm reading this week:

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A friend of mine recently read G.K. Chesterton's ​The Man Who Was Thursday​ aloud to her children, then loaned her copy to our family so that we could read it as well and discuss it with them afterwards. Amazon calls this book "a thrilling classic that belongs on every bookshelf." And I will admit that the story was intriguing. It grabbed and held my attention and kept me guessing throughout. There were several points in the narrative that my husband and I laughed aloud over the absolute absurdity of the events being described. But the overarching metaphor felt forced -- almost as if Chesterton tacked on as an afterthought. An allegory should lend clarity to complex topics, not to further muddy already murky waters. This book is more bizarre than brilliant, in my (admittedly unpopular) opinion.

This week's reader request:

A reader wrote earlier this week to ask for "a prayer for success on exams." I do a lot of praying with my kids on that topic, per their request. Even during summer break, as two of them are scheduled to take more CLEP tests tomorrow. So making this printable was as easy as writing down all the things we normally pray for on test days, but making them rhyme, so the prayer will be easy to remember.

On the podcast this week:

Loving Life at Home: Episode 88 ​ON ACCEPTING UNCHANGEABLES​ Each and every one of us has been born with qualities that cannot be altered and into circumstances beyond our control. The question is, how will you approach the unchangeables in your life? Will you learn to accept & live with & maybe even appreciate them? Or will you allow bitterness & resentment over those unchangeables fester in the depths of your heart? Listen Now

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Progress on last week's goals:

It doesn't happen very often, but I finished everything on last week's to-do list: I ✅ bottled a new batch of Winkie's Tonic, ✅ sewed my down comforter into the duvet cover, ✅ emailed June's Bible memory challenge to my kids and grandkids, ✅ celebrated my daughter's birthday, ✅ cut my husband's hair, and ✅ finished quilting my spring flowers quilt (although I still need to bind the last two edges, which I hope to do today on my way to Dallas).

Personal goals for this week:

• hem black dress for my mother
• attend my daughter's graduation dinner
• play Clue with friends on Friday
• drop Rachel back at the airport Saturday
• review the book of James & quote to my memory buddy
• empty 2 more boxes in the garage
• donate 1 more filled box to Goodwill
• weed 1 flower bed in my backyard

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. 😊