All week I’ve been collecting links for your weekend.

Some of you have awful weather this weekend and will probably be inside.  Games are a good way to pass the hours and this is a game that has succeeded in the impossible:  luring kids away from TV and electronics.  We always take this on Family vacations.

http://www.amazon.com/Mattel-R1983-Blokus-Game/dp/B001P06GX4

Next is a fun article called 5 Types of Friends Everyone Should Have.

I liked seeing which kind of friend I might BE.  You may discover that you play different roles with different friends.

http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/inspiration-motivation/types-friends-00100000101648/index.html

Want to practice taking photos indoors?  How about perfecting the ‘Selfie’?

http://simplystated.realsimple.com/2013/12/31/how-to-take-a-good-selfie/

I love flipping the pages of a magazine, but sadly many of the Shelter magazines didn’t weather the Housing Crash of 2008.  But, I have a favorite online Shelter mag.  It’s called Lonny and the name is a hybrid of LON for London and NY for New York, the two home cities of the founding publishers.  Lonny is hip with a bit of an urban vibe, but there’s a great article on a Ruthie Sommers called Once Upon a Time in the West.  Incredible photos of her ranch near Santa Barbara and her adorable kids.

http://www.lonny.com/magazine/December+January+2014/G4ACFTKNUUI/1

Next are three more offerings from Real Simple magazine.  

• Purging Your Pantry
• Organizing Your Closet
• Do You Know the Lyrics to that Song?

http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/organizing/kitchen/purge-pantry-00000000038421/index.html

http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/organizing/closets/inspirational-closets-00000000013792/index.html

http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/entertainment/arts-culture/know-lyrics-song-00000000013872/index.html

Winter is a great time to begin planning a remodeling project for your home.

There’s a site called HOUZZ that helps inspire you with the work of designers and decorators.  You can add things you like to collections for future reference.  You can even find and hire someone via the site.  My daughter is a Kitchen/Bath designer and she’s been contacted by prospective clients after posting her work there.

The website’s backstory is also interesting.  I’ve included a NY Times article about the Silicon Valley couple whose own remodeling project inspired the idea.

http://www.houzz.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/22/garden/the-home-that-inspired-the-web-site-houzz.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

If you haven’t seen The Book Thief you might consider it this weekend before it leaves theaters.  Or, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.  This movie surprised me with a very complex plot line and stunning cinematography.  The soundtrack will be a must buy for me as well.  The cast is perfect and it’s a feel good movie.  My favorite kind.

Once again I’m including the link to Ann Voskamp’s uplifting post, A Doable Life Change Plan for a New Year.

http://www.aholyexperience.com/2013/12/a-grace-plan-a-doable-life-change-plan-for-a-new-year-a-new-you-with-printable/

Take some time this weekend to draw near to God. 

God is at home; it is we who have gone for a walk.
Meister Eckhart