A SIMPLIFIED LIFE | DECEMBER BOOK CLUB

I speak to you about finding your serenity often. The holidays are the most trying of times to do this, and yet, if you are to "survive" them, or at least come out in the New Year relatively unscathed by the craziness of the months preceding, serenity (sanity!) is exactly what you must find!

Enter my December Book Club pick, A Simplified Life: Tactical Tools for Intentional Living, by Emily Ley.

For those of you longing to simplify the demands on your time, energy, and resources, those with complicated responsibilities, overwhelming to-do lists, and endless clutter that leaves you feeling overwhelmed, THIS is the resource you've been looking for.

Busy wife, mom, entrepreneur, and bestselling author Emily Ley knows how you feel. With a growing family, increased work demands, and more, she understands the struggle it is to keep the plates spinning.

In A Simplified Life, you’ll find Emily’s strategies, systems, and methods for permanently clearing the clutter, organizing your priorities, and living intentionally in 10 key areas—from your home and meal planning, to style and finances, parenting, faith life, and more. Emily will show you how to truly make the most of your days with realistic, achievable, and tactical tools.

“If you can’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of anyone else!”

Walk alongside Emily through each page of the book, working through her simple strategies toward your own goals as you simplify and make space for what matters most.

Know other busy, hassled, and harried folks striving to "do it all?" What a nice little gift for company, book club, coffee klatch, or church group gift exchanges! A great stocking stuffer... might I suggest the PERFECT gift to give oneself? The gift of A Simplified Life!

A Few of My Favorite Things | New Christmas Music!

Here comes Santa Claus with his sleigh full of musical gifts!

There are so many great Christmas albums out this year, and I'll be playing selections from each on the air.  Here's a sampling of some of my favorites:

 

Five For Fighting | Christmas Where You Are

Five For Fighting's new single, Christmas Where You Are, ft. Jim Brickman is special. Very special. Exceptionally special. Why? It honors our troops. Those whom I am so dearly fond of, who stand up and say "I will" protect our country, protect our people, protect our freedoms. These are the same men and women who very often find themselves separated from family and loved ones at Christmas and other holidays. 

Listen to Christmas Where You Are.
(But grab a tissue before you do!)

BUY THE SINGLE

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for King & Country | Christmas, LIVE from Phoenix. 

If you don't know about for KING & COUNTRY, you should! This incredibly famous Christian pop duo, who credit U2, OneRepublic, the Beatles and Goo Goo Dolls as influences, have an awesome sound. Their version of The Little Drummer Boy is unique and amazing! A great stocking stuffer for music lovers on your list.  Available now everywhere.

LISTEN to Little Drummer Boy

BUY THE ALBUM

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Holidays Rule | Volume 2  

Collaboration is a beautiful thing. Especially so when it comes to great artists and lovely music! A new album from Capitol records, Holidays Rule, Volume 2, is today’s artists with wonderfully fresh takes on holiday classics. A joyful and diverse collection of seasonal music featuring an array of superstars including Paul McCartney with his spirited new version of Wonderful Christmastime featuring, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots! Interested now, aren't you?! 

BUY THE ALBUM

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Lindsey Stirling | Warmer in the Winter

Do you remember when dancer/performance artist/violinist, Lindsey Stirling, visited the farm earlier this year? She was so delightful and while she was there, became a 'mother' to a brand new baby goat we named "Stirling" in her honor! Lindsey has a new holiday CD, Warmer In The Winter.

The album features renditions of holiday classics like Jingle Bells, the gorgeous Angels We Have Heard On High, and a playful You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch. And, on her newly penned original, Christmas C'Mon she teams up with guest vocalist, Becky G!!

You can catch Lindsey on tour by following this link:  TOUR

BUY THE ALBUM

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Pentatonix | A Pentatonix Christmas Deluxe

Take one listen to Away in a Manger and you'll know that Pentatonix has done it yet again. The incredible harmonies and sound effects that define this group is still hauntingly beautiful. I could listen to them all day and all night! The new Deluxe album features Jennifer Hudson on How Great Thou Art.

Don't miss their holiday special, Monday, November 27th at 10pm ET/PT on NBC! 

BUY THE ALBUM

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SIA | Every Day is Christmas

The fun and talented Sia gifts us with her brand new holiday album, Every Day is Christmas! For those who crave a little new with all the old classics, this is the album for you. SIA has written and composed  modern-day holiday songs that will be the next generations classics like Santa’s Coming For Us, Candy Cane Lane, Sunshine, and the so-adorable-it-can’t-be-real, Puppies Are Forever. 

BUY THE ALBUM

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Train | Christmas in Tahoe DELUXE

One of my favorite bands is back this year with a DELUXE version of their holiday album Christmas in Tahoe. With 17 tracks on the album, there are old and new favorites.

Run Run Rudolph and Blue Christmas, This Christmas, and Shake up Christmas are all included as well as bonus tracks like, Please Come Home for Christmas.

Put a little Christmas Train under your tree!

BUY THE ALBUM

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Trolls | Trolls Holiday  

Troll lo lo lo lo, lo lo, lo lo... Trolls are back this sparkling season with a brand new holiday album and TV show, Trolls Holiday. The seven-track album features musical performances from the entire cast. The gang is all back including Anna Kendrick as Poppy, Justin Timberlake as Branch, and Zooey Deschanel as Bridget. Trolls Holiday is available everywhere right now!

LISTEN TO CLIPS &
BUY THE ALUBM

Trolls Holiday, the show, will premiere Friday, November 24th, on NBC.

WONDER | November Book Club

WONDER | November Book Club
by R.J. Palacio
Now a major motion picture

WATCH THE TRAILER

If they are going to start making movies like this, we are going to have to replace our definition of Real - vs - Hollywood.

WONDER, the movie, is based on the New York Times bestseller of the same name by R.J. Palacio. It is the story of an ordinary boy born into an unordinary body; one with facial differences that required multiple surgeries and kept him out of mainstream school settings until now.

When Auggie enters the %th grade at Beacher Prep, he becomes the most unlikely of heroes as his new classmates, and the community at large, struggle to find their compassion and acceptance. Auggie's extraordinary journey unites the community and proves that,

“You can’t blend in when you were born to stand out.”

WONDER will be in theaters on November 17th. It has a fantastic cast starring many of my favorites; Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Jacob Tremblay, Mandy Patinkin, Daveed Diggs and Izabela Vidovic. 

Hollywood just got real.  

BUY THE BOOK

From Tricks to Tinsel, Mantle Makeover Giveaway with Balsam Hill

Balsam Hill approached me this year with the idea of giving away some quality, realistic foliage that will take your mantle from Halloween through New Year's by swapping out a variety of accessories and timely seasonal pieces. Wreath, garland, candles and candle sticks can remain in place looking splendid throughout.

We paired up on "From Tricks to Tinsel, Mantle Make-Over Sweepstakes" where you can enter to win:

A White Berry Cypress Wreath and Garland (pre-lit,)
Set of 3 Faux Bois candle sticks in walnut, and
Three Miracle Flame Wax Pillar Candles.
Arms Full of Love, book by Delilah
Autographed photo of Delilah

Check out the inspiration photos at top to see how you might integrate your win with other fabulous Balsam Hill items to create a mantle that says WOW (or meow - your choice!)

Balsam Hill is the leader in realistic artificial Christmas Trees, beautiful spring florals and fall decor. Be sure to check out all their quality offerings at BalsamHill.com.

ENTER THE SWEEPSTAKES NOW

Same Kind of Different as Me | October Book Club

October Book Club | Same Kind of Different As Me
by Ron Hall & Denver Moore

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On February 1, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln approved the Joint Resolution of Congress submitting the proposed 13th amendment, which formally abolished slavery in the United States, to the state legislatures.

Astonishingly, entire families were held virtual captive in rural areas of the south, made to pick cotton, clean houses, take punishments and abuse, and live in squalid conditions for a nearly a century more; in rare cases up until the 1960’s!

In Same Kind of Different As Me, you’ll meet Denver, a man raised under this type of plantation-style slavery in Louisiana in the 1960s. He escaped, but what does a man unused to the modern world, and bitter to the soul do with his new-found freedom? He wandered, homeless, angry, and hostile, for 18 years in Dallas, Texas. 

You’ll also meet Ron, and international arts dealer, who’s lived a life so completely opposite that of Denver, that it’s difficult to mention them in the same breath.

And then there is Deborah, Ron’s wife, who is currently being held by a different hostage-taker, cancer.

How they all come together is, of course, a God thing. Deborah believed in the power of prayer, and listened intently for direction from God. She obeyed what she believe He was telling her to do, and charges her husband to rescue a dangerous homeless man… Thus an unlikely trio was formed.

Same Kind of Different As Me is the emotional tale of their story: a telling of pain and laughter, doubt and tears, a story of how one woman’s faith and trust in GOD saved a life.

Now an inspirational film with the all-star cast of Greg Kinnear, Renee Zellweger, Djimon Hounsou, and Jon Voight, you can pick up the book at any booksellers, and find the movie in theaters on Oct 20th. 
 

WATCH THE TRAILER