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Hello, Reader.

Can you believe August will be here before week's end? And before we can turn around twice, school will be starting again.

So the kids and I will be working at marking the last few items off our summer bucket list the next couple of weeks, including a few fun August holidays like the ones listed below. Hope you'll make the most of your final weeks of summer as well!

Free resources for you this week:

• Aug. 3 - National Forgiveness Day - any day's a good day to practice forgiveness
• Aug. 8 - International Cat Day – this coloring page is purr-fect for cat lovers
• Aug. 11 - Son and Daughter Day – pray for your sons and daughters with our free guides
• Aug. 12 - National Julienne Fries Day – a great day for making sweet potato fries… yum!
• Aug. 16 - True Love Forever Day -is true love? this printable is full of tell-tale clues!
• Aug. 18 - Messy Art Day – do something creative & don't worry about the mess
• Aug 23 - National Cheap Flight Day –Use these tips to score FREE airline tickets (like we do)!
• Aug. 29 - Lemon Juice Day – celebrate with lemonade and our citrus coloring page​

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What I'm reading this week:

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​Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green My husband and I listened to John Green's Everything Is Tuberculosis together after a daughter-in-law recommended it highly. And she didn't mislead us: It was a fascinating and enlightening read with lots of personal and moving stories of the afflicted. Green traces the history of consumption, "once romanticized as the malady of poets," which still claims more than a million lives a year. I had no idea it was still so prevalent -- although the fact another of my daughters spent three months working in a tuberculosis hospital in Jordan last year should've clued me in that TB continues to ravage many parts of the globe.

What we're watching this week:

My husband took to see Fantastic Four: First Steps over the weekend. I was pleasantly surprised by how pro-natal the film was. It is by far my favorite in the Fantastic Four franchise. I have too many thoughts about this movie to share in this newsletter, so I'm going to try to get a full review written for my blog this week.

This week's reader request:

I got a request recently from a fellow breast cancer survivor for a daily blood pressure tracker. So I designed one and am sharing it here, in case anybody else has to keep a record of vital statistics:

On the podcast this week:

Loving Life at Home: Episode 91 ​HOW TO CHANGE COURSE WHEN YOU'VE DONE IT ALL WRONG​ A listener wrote me recently to say she’s made more mistakes that she can count and would like advice for getting back on track: “How do I change course when I’ve done everything wrong?” She had lots of other great questions, too, and I'm tackling all of them in this episode. Listen in and be encouraged. Listen Now

Progress on last week's goals:

I finished about 90% of my to-do list last week. I ✅ recorded and released a new podcast episode, ✅ decorated my back-to-school tree, ✅ pared down my inbox to <50 messages, ✅ tidied my boys' bathroom cabinets, ✅ painted a tote bag sample for my co-op craft class, ✅ assembled my algebra student notebooks, ✅ played pickleball with family, ✅ attended white coat ceremony for incoming medical students, ✅ enjoyed fresh peaches and ice cream at Efurd Orchards, and ✅ recorded first chapter of Love Your Husband.

The only thing left undone? I've not yet ❌ made the baby gift I planned for my friend (but ✅ found a frame that will fit the finished project, so I know how much space I have to work with). I'm excited about this one and will try to post progress pictures on Instagram.

Personal goals for this week:

• drive to Dallas to visit my mom
• take kids & grandkids to Music in the Garden at Arboretum
• make baby gift for friend
• repair 2 backpacks
• post movie review on Loving Life at Home
• organize costume buckets in garage
• get 6-month follow-up mammogram
• record 2 more podcast episodes (I want to get ahead before school starts)
• quote all of Romans 6 to scripture memory buddy
• redeem Fetch points for $50 Amazon gift card

By the way: I'm loving this super easy to use app! I earn points at stores, restaurants and shopping online. And for a limited time, if you download Fetch with my referral link or use code K65DU, you'll get a bonus when you submit your first receipt.

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

1. ​Pray for me & my family
2. Invite a friend to subscribe to this newsletter​
3. Listen to my podcast​
4. ​Buy one of my books​
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, please let me know. 😊