Sunday Stew: August 7, 2011

Sunday Stew is a weekly meme hosted by my gal pal Shannon of Books Devoured.

Bookmark Event of the Week:  Did you know that registration for Book Blogger Appreciation Week (BBAW) is now open?  The event, created by Amy Riley of My Friend Amy, runs from September 12-16 (and I'm supposed to be helping with promotion!  A *fine* job I"m doing.)  Sign up to participate, nominate your favorite blogs, and join in all the book blogging goodness!  You know you want to...

Around the Web:  Today is the very last day to enter all the wonderful giveaways in the Summer Giveaway Hop.  Over at Backseat Writer, you can enter to win a copy of the book, Passport Through Darkness by Kimberly L. Smith.  I said in my review that the book "ruined me" because despite knowing about the travesty of human trafficking, I was amazed at Smith's determination to leave her corporate life and DO SOMETHING!  Her story inspires me to do something--ANYTHING--to improve the lives of people right where I'm at. I do believe that this book acted as a catalyst in my passionate campaign to inform people in the U.S. about the wonderful foster care and adoption opportunities available in the states.

 If you do nothing or read nothing else on my blog today, please, please, please visit Make Way Partners online.  While you may not be a Christian (yes, it is an organization run by Christians), I believe it is essential that we all learn more about human trafficking, that it happens HERE, and that we do something to help (just being informed helps). 

And, of course, here's a giveaway...

My pal, Girl From the Ghetto, is hosting a giveaway on her blog of the same name for a bunch o' books she dragged back from Book Expo America (BEA).  She is giving away ONE ARC to FIVE people who comment, Tweet, write a blog post, and so on.  The worst part is that she's got some funky tendonitis thing going on with her hand and is having issues blogging.  Feel better, friend!  The giveaway runs until @NerdGirlBlogger receives 2K Twitter followers and it is an international giveaway (no P.O. boxes).

Around Me:  It's been quite an eventful week!  I got bit by a werewolf (full story on "Friday Faves: Werewolf Attack Edition"), I've been feverishly trying to catch up on blogging (full story on "Where She [Me] Went"), fixing up Backseat Reader (yes, it *does* look a bit different, doesn't it?) after the right sidebar mysteriously disappeared (evident to no one but me), and our garden was attacked by torrential rains yesterday.  BFF Sarah and I also hosted my Bible study's picnic, which was moved indoors due to inclement weather conditions.  Below are some EXCLUSIVE "Sunday Stew" pictures, just for you guys!

Here's my werewolf attack injury.  My hand is mostly bruised and swollen, but I think I'll survive and won't be howling at the moon anytime soon.  Maddy the Shih Tzu just *had* to get herself in this picture.  I'm sure Hira will advise me on treatment.

Since our vampire hunting has reached a summer lull, BFF Sarah and I decided to use our stakes (which rant from bamboo twigs to now six-foot stakes) to keep our hulking tomato plants upright.  Remember when my garden used to look like this?  (Note:  You can't even see our garden decoration and the plants grow above the panes of Sarah's bedroom windows.) That was before the days of staking.  And, yes, there are tomato cages in there--somewhere.

When I planted my "extra" zinnias, I wasn't even sure the 6" plants would survive.  After last night's storm, the over 3' tall plants needed some loving help from our 4' stake collection to regain upward movement.  The zinnias used to be this big! (Note: Trust me on this!  They grew about 2' since the photo was taken.)

This week is a BIG week for a lot of reasons.  My good friend, Shari, is getting a hemicolectomy this Wednesday, August 10.  We've been calling it her "hemi." Despite our levity, the operation is serious and necessary to remove carcinoid tumors (hers are cancerous) that were discovered when Shari had an emergency appendectomy in April.  Shari will be in the hospital for 5-7 days and then will be recuperating until mid-September.  Please pray for her.  I'll update you in next week's "Stew" (and via Twitter!)

Also coming up this week: tomorrow I'm getting *another* root canal.  Now before you all thing I have poor dental hygiene...let me explain WHY I have all these dental issues.  Apparently, I have weak teeth due to medication I had to take while my teeth were forming.  I am relieved to know that it's not my fault (I floss every day, use a Sonicare toothbrush, mouthwash--the whole nine!).  Still, I'm not thrilled to have dental issues at my age (or any age.) 

Additionally, Mom and I are both going to the same foot doctor on the same day half and hour apart--Mom for her more serious foot ulcer, which is healing (Thank God!) and me for my neuroma/bursitis.  Please keep these foot, dental, and most of all, Shari's surgery in your prayers! (And let me know how I can be praying for you.  If you don't want to share it here, shoot me an email.)

So, what's going on with you?  Read any good books lately?  Have a garden?  Spill the stew!