February is welcomed here like the Mother Ship returning to the outpost with fresh supplies and news from home. (Pardon, so many of my children are sci-fi fans, I’ve begun to speak their language!)
Love | It All Begins with YOU
The Shack | February Book Club
Buy the Book * Watch the Trailer * Buy the Soundtrack
Special Preview Showing March 2nd, hosted by Delilah! Get your tickets HERE!!!
My February Book Club pick is a New York Times best selling novel many of you may be familiar with, The Shack, by William P. Young.
It’s one of my FAVORITE books and has been adapted into a major motion picture coming out on March 3rd. Sam Worthington and Octavia Spencer star in the movie, which also features my friend Tim McGraw.
Since the movie will be here soon, I decided it was a great time to pick it up and give it another read.
It was just as thought provoking and fantastic as the first (several) times I read it! Did I mention it was one of my favorite books, ever?!
At the center of the story is Mack Phillips who has experienced a tragic loss. A deep depression ensues and he finds himself questioning the very basis of his existence, his purpose, and experiencing a profound crisis of faith.
Led to an abandoned shack enveloped within the towering coniferous forests of Oregon’s Cascade wilderness by a letter that appears 4 years after the tragedy, Mack has doubts but decides to make the journey. There, he meets a woman with the odd name of “Papa” and two more strangers that initially leave him filled with even more confusion.
Yet through the experience Mack not only rediscovers himself, but takes to heart lessons of love, loss, and forgiveness, leaving with an understanding of how to live again after the unspeakable happened; walking out of the gloom and into the light.
Tim and Faith lend their voices to the soundtrack with “Keep Your Eyes On Me” written and performed by this beautiful couple. Listen to the song and watch the movie trailer HERE.
Pick it up, give it a read, then go see the movie when it comes out March 3rd!
Special Preview Showing March 2nd, hosted by Delilah! Get your tickets HERE!!!
Buy the Book * Watch the Trailer * Buy the Soundtrack
Buttermilk Biscuits & Gravy
Nothing in my family says LOVE like biscuits and gravy! Eating them transports me back to my grandma's breakfast table...
All Things Work Together for Good | Myasthenia Gravis
Baby Delilah was a healthy, active baby and toddler, meeting all her benchmarks on time or early until she was 2. At that time she was afflicted by a mysterious illness and became unable to walk or move, her eye drooped, she became lax and unresponsive. Rushed to the hospital, there was no answers.
Lemon Angel Hair Pasta | Maria Martella
Borax Ice Crystal Fun!
A friend recently told us how to make these cool ice crystal decorations using borax and boiling water.
How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind | January Book Club
I've got a great new book for January's Book Club!
How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind: Dealing with Your House's Dirty Little Secrets
by Dana K. White, Creator of A Slob Comes Clean
Available at Thomas Nelson!
and Amazon
For those who truly know me, or who have ever been to my home, they know clutter is an everyday reality.
I won't say I "struggle" with it, because I have come to accept (for the most part) that having 18 children between my husband and I, a gaggle of grandchildren, foreign exchange students, friends who need a place to stay, a farm to run, etc. etc., comes with clutter. Lots and lots and lots of clutter. But at some point I have to say "Enough!"
When I pack away Christmas, it's always a good time to take stock and get rid of things I don't need or use. Somehow taking down the tree brings on a cleaning bug that makes my tidy temperment extend to the rest of the house.
My January Book Club pick couldn't come at a better time! Dana White's How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind is a fantastic guide for bringing your home out of the mess and learning how to keep it under control!
“The dirty little secret about most organizing advice is that it’s written by organized people,” says blogger, speaker, and decluttering expert White. “But that’s not how my brain works. I’m lost on page three.”
A Slob Comes Clean is Dana's blog, which chronicles her successes and failures with her self-described “deslobification process.” I'm told that at first she used the name “Nony” (short for aNONYmous), because she was embarrassed about sharing what a disaster her home had become.
With How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind, Dana K. White has truly come clean. No longer a silly pseudonym, White shares her name and the strategies she's developed, tested, and proved in her own home.
She now knows how to reclaim space, the habits that make the largest impact, and how to keep the clutter under control... and she's willing to pass on all her tips, tricks, and secrets to those of us who still have challenges to overcome.
I appreciate her REALITY-BASED cleaning and organizing techniques. We are not robots. Life happens. White gets this. She debunks the biggest housekeeping fantasies and helps readers learn what really works in real homes, with real people (not Pintrest Peeps.)
Here's a step-by-step process with strategies for getting rid of enormous amounts of stuff in a little time. Start your New Year off with a clean counter and move on from there!
How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind is available at
Thomas Nelson
Amazon
"Do one thing every day that scares you."
Many folks I know are happy that 2016 is slipping away and a new year is here! With the changing of the calendar comes new chapters, challenges, and fresh starts.
Merry Christmas! May your world be complete.
This Holy Season, FORGIVE
It's Christmas, let us rejoice in the birth of our Savior! What better time to decide to Forgive and Let Go?
A Special Thanks | The Butterfly Circus, Puracyn® & Balsam Hill
Please join me in giving a special THANK YOU to these three sponsors who have generously contributed to the NGO I founded, Point Hope, a voice for forgotten children.
The Butterfly Circus | Life is full of second chances and the ability to be happy not because of how others define you, but how you define yourself.
The Butterfly Circus is donating a portion of all sales to Point Hope. Such a blessing to those we care for; I'm eternally grateful.
This delightful short film is about The Showman, Mr. Mendez, who travels with his Butterfly Circus across a sad and dreary American landscape during the great depression. Along the way he spreads hope and opportunity for a second chance at happiness.
It is a wonderful story to share with your family, not just during the holiday season but the whole year through. Grab some popcorn, your top hat (I'm sure you keep one handy) and find your seat for a big top adventure.
GET YOUR COPY
Puracyn® Plus | Improving Wound Management Outcomes Across the World
This holiday season, Puracyn® Plus continued their efforts to give to those who need it most; every purchase of Puracyn® Plus will be matched by a product donation to Point Hope.
In an area of the world where there is very little medical care available, living conditions are often unsanitary, and small scrapes and abrasions turn into major medical crisis, Puracyn® Plus has been a God send. I cannot thank them enough for their generous support to the children that Point Hope cares for and others around the world!
Take advantage of savings on Puracyn® Plus and pay it forward for Point Hope.
BUY NOW
BALSAM HILL | The Most Realistic Artificial Christmas Trees, Christmas Ornaments & Home Decor
This Christmas season Balsam Hill is partnering with Point Hope to ensure children in West Africa have a safe happy life. Giving as gracious and welcomed as their beautiful holiday decor!
For every interaction with the post such as a comment, share and like, Balsam Hill will donate $0.50 to support our cause. The campaign will kick off on the 5th of December and run through the 25th of December. We encourage you to SHARE THIS POST with your friends as every dollar counts!
Point Hope and Balsam Hill will both be posting about this campaign on our social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram & Twitter. And while you're at it, please tell us about a personal experience with Christmas charity, given or received. Read more on Balsam Hill's Meaningful Christmas HERE.
Simply stunning artificial Christmas trees, wreaths, and garlands made at the highest quality. Free shipping site-wide for all Christmas tree products.
SHOP NOW
Once again, I'd like to thank these three generous sponsors who have taken the spirit of Christmas to heart and are giving to those most vulnerable and in need! To learn more about Point Hope and what they do, visit their site today.
POINT HOPE
My Visit with the Incredible Ms. Cyndi Lauper!
Listen in as Cyndi Lauper and I talk about Christmas traditions, hard candy, and oranges on the radiator!
Live in Grace!
Living in Grace sounds like a beautiful life, but it can be a challenge for each of us, especially if we grew up in a family where gossip and criticism of others was almost an Olympic sport!
I have shortcomings in this area myself. Do you?
Watch | New Christmas Music Videos!
Christmas music has been playing for a few weeks now, and there are so many great new singles out! I've been enjoying them and rounded up some of the best that have accompanying videos to share with you. If you're feeling a little bit Prancer or a little bit Vixen, press the play links now and give these a listen!
Be Grateful!
'Tis the Season! Of glad tidings and joy, of shopping and sipping, of gathering and gifts... of stress and hardships too. Life does not take a break for the holidays and many are still struggling as the Christmas tunes blare over the mall speakers.
Uninvited | December Book Club
Uninvited, Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely, by Lysa TerKeurst, is my book club pick for December. I chose this particular book because it is a beautiful, biblical, honest, and witty look at how we process rejection.
Delilah | Now on American Forces Network RADIO!
It's official! Just in time for the holidays...
As of Monday, November 28, 2016 American Forces Network is now carrying the Delilah show. Monday through Friday from 7:00pm until Midnight Central Europe Time and Japan/Korea time.
A Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving plans have been mapped out; who's going where and which students will be coming home for the holiday. I love Thanksgiving; on and off the air I declare this month a month of Thankfulness and I try to notice in more detail the many things I'm thankful for.
Delilah's 12 Stockings of Christmas Sweepstakes
All year long, I collect treasures I've run across to put into my great big Christmas Stocking so I can share them during my 12 Stockings of Christmas Sweepstakes. This year is no different and I have collected some phenomenal items!
12 lucky winners will be receiving a multitude of gifts; everything from the great music my show is known for to turkey deep friers!
Read the full story to get a run-down of all the goodies in my stocking and ENTER TO WIN!
Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love - Brilliant!
Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love airs on NBC on November 30 at 9/8c.
Nearly 16 million viewers tuned in to watch Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors last year... All 16 million I'm sure are excited that NBC is announcing the sequel Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love.
I've long been a Dolly Parton fan, from way back watching the Porter Wagner show at my grandparents and listening to their 8-track tape player (ka-chunck.) I've always admired her spirit, her faith, her delightful laugh, and her tenacity.
To say that I've admired her voice - well, how can I put into words what her voice and her music mean to me? She has inspired and uplifted me and touched my heart in so many ways. For every stage of my life, there's a Dolly Parton song that matches up; "I Will Always Love You," "Islands In The Stream," "Hard Candy Christmas..."
Last year I watched the story of her early childhood, Coat of Many Colors and absolutely loved it, as did my children. My mother grew up in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, in very similar circumstances, so not only did I find it a beautiful story of Dolly's younger years, but I could see my mother and grandparents as supporting characters in this hard-scrabble life.
I'm so looking forward to her continuing story in Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love which picks up where Coat of Many Colors left off. It stars the original cast which are all favorites of mine as well! Jennifer Nettles, as Avie Lee Parton, Ricky Shroder, as Robert Lee Parton, Gerald McRaney as Rev. Jake Owens, and Alyvia Alyn Lind as young Dolly.
"“DOLLY PARTON'S CHRISTMAS OF MANY COLORS: CIRCLE OF LOVE is the next chapter in the life of young Dolly Parton. The film delivers Christmas joy and peril as an unexpected blizzard threatens the Parton family while at the same time Dolly’s father (and his kids) make sacrifices to raise enough money to finally buy his loving wife the wedding ring he could never afford to give her. Meanwhile, an important person in little Dolly’s life begins to see that her amazing voice and musical gift might just be made for something bigger than rural Tennessee."
I know what my kids and I will be doing in the evening of November 30! Watching Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love at 9/8c on NBC!
Watch the trailer on Facebook, and on Twitter.