Blog Hopping

Why do the weekends have to fly by so quickly? Somebody please explain this to me. Weekdays can creep by at a turtle's pace, but fun days always whiz by in a blink. Sigh. We're traveling back in the dark of night from SC back to Charlotte after my sweet friend Leslie's wedding, which by the way was absolutely marvelous. She had a cocktail hour before the ceremony. And after. But still... just genius. Here's a free tip for y'all: don't ever turn down an invitation to a Greek wedding. Unless of course you just detest big fun & fabulous parties. But I digress... I just realized that it's been a few busy weeks since i last did a Sunday Blog Hopping post. I hate that I've missed posting a few of these; it's my favorite series mostly because it's all about sharing with y'all some incredible Blogs that you may not be reading yet. And the folder i keep bookmarks of sites I want to share is absolutely overflowing with some fantastic content I've stumbled upon lately! Here are the folks that truly captivated me this week - take a look:

 1. Michael Hyatt, the now retired Chairman of Thomas Nelson Publishers, writes a blog (and tweets) about leadership that is the best around in my opinion. Think of all the professional books you've read over the years and all the times you've wished to meet the author, ask him/her a few questions, or learn more when the book ends. Enter Michael Hyatt's blog. You can get all of that on a daily basis and so much more by following his site. I credit my husband Jeff for introducing me to Michael's space. Jeff's been a fan of his leadership training for years. Anyways, Mr. Hyatt wrote a post this week on marriage that i loved: What I Learned About Leadership From A Fight With My Wife. He & his lovely wife have been hitched for 33 years. Any couples that are still happily married for that long deserves our attention, no? If you're married or ever hope to be married, read this post.

2. There's not enough space on the internet to tell y'all how much I adore Miss Amy (now a Mrs to a handsome Mr, btw) of Fearless Homemaker. She's so beautiful, sweet, and charming you'd think she'd been born & raised in the South. Actually she hails from Boston, but is a Vandy grad who fell in love with Dixie and never left. She is the kind of girl Garden & Gun Magazine was talking about when they penned their recent feature Redefining The Southern Belle. Amy's recipe & recap post this week just proves my point. She entered the tomato recipe contest at Nashville's Tomato Art Fest, all while donning this darling little number. While she didn't win first prize, her recipe for Tomato-Jicama Stacks with Avocado-Lime Cream is a winner in my book! 

3. The word Copacetic (meaning: charming, delightful, peachy keen) has always been one of my favorite words (duh, it's my blog title) and a way of life I strive to maintain. Une-Deux Senses is one of many blogs I follow that defines Copacetic. Michelle, the author, is the epitome of downtown chic. She writes about everything from food to travel to fashion, music, photography and all that's in between. But her best series, in my opinion, is her Tailored Tuesday posts. It's this mashup of the latest fabulous place she's traveling (or planning to travel) and what's she's packing. Love. This week's selection is a blend of J Crew & Bangkok. So awesomely fun!

4. Jenny Steffens Hobick's site Everyday Occasions is my go-to for stylish, effortless entertaining ideas from party planning to floral arranging to home decor. And her recipes are always drool-worthy. This week she gave her readers a 2-for-1 comfort food delight, offering her recipes for French Onion Soup and also her French Dip Sandwiches. In a word? Yum. I could eat these every day. And I'm totally not joking. Take some time to peruse her site, especially her Essentials page. And did I mention her dog's name is Mr. Darcy? Just aces. Seriously, put her site in your Reader.

5. If you follow me on twitter, you may have seen my retweet earlier this week about the above video. It's a clip of Bill Hybels, Sr Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in Illinois, responding to the news that Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz canceled his appearance at Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit. Mr. Schultz had received intense vitriolic public media pressure from the gay community & a boycott threat because 700+ people think if you're a Christian then you're automatically "anti-gay", "haters", "intolerant", etc. You've heard the rhetoric before. Sigh. But the response from Pastor Hybels was likely the best expression of grace and Christ's true message of love that I've ever heard. I implore you, please watch this clip, Regardless of your opinion on the issue, I'm begging you - watch this. Then forward it to your friends, especially your gay friends, your atheist friends, and above all, your Christian friends.

6. I'm sure I've linked to Jessica's blog How Sweet It Is before on a Blog Hopping post, but I had to again after seeing these delicious cookies: Salted Mudslide Cookies. Lord have mercy. I'm a sucker for gooey chocolate. Add a touch of Kahlua and i'm sold. These will be made in my house this week. They may or may not be shared with my husband (or anyone else for that matter) however ;)

7. Last, but certainly not least, is the second sweet, charming, lovely Amy to appear in today's Blog Hopping roundup. Most of you I'm sure have been followers of Amy's Your Southern Peach blog. Some of you likely found my space from her Friday Five post a few weeks back actually. I'm still tickled pink over that! Amy writes such stylish, fun blogs about everything from home decor, fashion, recipes, her love of Dolly Parton and her adorable family. Oh and her weekly Sunday Best polyvore designs are beyond fabulous! But it's her post Return Of The Cocktail Hour from earlier this week about the new Magalog Society Social that's the subject of this entry. I love her reminisce of 50's chic cocktail hour and profile of antique & modern bar carts. Look through the images she clipped - they're gorgeous and all from Society Social's site, which is so cool, by the way. Just another in a long line of terrific ideas from Amy. If you haven't already, subscribe to her blog!


I hope I introduced you to some great new Bloggers & delightful posts for your Sunday. Be sure to list a few of your favorites in the comments section as well! Y'all stay cool on this scorching August Sunday and meet back here tomorrow for another Mangia Monday recipe :)