Five Favorites (4): Nuns and wedges and free books, oh my!

  I wrote my five favorites, then hopped back up here to write an introduction that ties them all together and...I'm speechless.  I think the only thing these five have in common is that I like them. Hmm...


Dr. Scholl's Milestone Wedges. Can you believe these gorgeous shoes are from Dr. Scholl's?  I'm imagining they feel like pillows on my feet and are so cute to boot! Available at 6pm.     College Savings Accounts.
Lucia is a very, very fortunate little girl.  She has everything she needs and everything she wants (not that she really knows what she wants at this age!).  I love being able to direct family to her college savings account for birthdays and holidays.  She gets money for college and limits the stress caused by clutter from more toys that we just don't have room for (especially with the upcoming move!).  Super win-win situation.
   

Star of David bracelet.  Ever since I was a little girl, I've been drawn to Judaic jewelry, especially those with the Star of David.  I love the idea of honoring my Jewish roots (both the Jewish roots of Christianity and my personal heritage - my grandfather's family was Jewish).     

Nuns & Religious Sisters.  Before my last job, I don't think I had ever even had a conversation before with a religious sister.  My boss and several co-workers were sisters, though, and such a joy to get to know and work with.  I'm going to miss them.  Also, I had to steal this video from Jen at Conversion Diary because who doesn't love nuns at the top of the music charts? (Classical music, but still!)  I think it's so important that people in our society see that nuns aren't just characters in movies, but real people with their own unique interests, talents, and flaws.  And little girls should grow up knowing that religious life is a possibility for their future.   

PaperbackSwap.

I'm not sure if everyone out there is already on the PaperbackSwap bandwagon, but if you're not, time to hop on.  Basically, PaperbackSwap is a site that allows you to, uh, swap your books for free.  List the books you have that you don't mind getting rid of, pay shipping to send them to someone when requested, and earn a credit once your book arrives.  You can then use that credit to request a book from another member (and they pay the shipping to send it to you, so it all works out).

Sometimes you're on a waiting list a loooooong time before getting a book you've been wanting, but you aren't charged "credits" until the book is available and you request it, so it's worth it to put every book you might possibly want to read someday on your waiting list.  If you end up buying it/borrowing it elsewhere while you're waiting, you can just take it off your wait list. If you love to read, this is a great way to do it really cheap.  Obviously, the library is even cheaper, but if you think you may want to keep a book or have a hard time finishing a book before it's due (even with 1 or 2 renewals), this is a great way to build your library while getting rid of those books that are just lying around never to be read again.

I just got Sparkly Green Earrings through PaperbackSwap and it's a fairly new release and a book I'm definitely going to be loaning out to my mommy friends, so it was definitely worth the short wait to get it.

We're spending the next few days with my husband's family, including his grandpa that had a minor stroke last weekend.  We were told that he's doing great, but some prayers that the stroke has no lasting effects would be much appreciated.  And while we're on the topic, a woman I went to college with had a stroke at age 34 last week and is also recovering well, so add her to your prayers as well? 

Thanks so much for hosting, Hallie!