Friday Favorites

I can’t believe next week is Thanksgiving. What in the world has happened to this year? It has been so wonderful, and so unexpected. Right now it’s raining and dreary outside, which is only putting me in more of a mood to decorate the house for Christmas. I’m craving cozy, comfortable, and warm. Soft lights and beautiful music. We usually wait until next Friday to decorate, but there’s a good chance we’ll start this weekend and throw in a local Christmas parade for good measure. I just want to savor the season instead of rushing through a big to-do list this year, and if that means a little Amy Grant Christmas music a week earlier than usual, I’m ok with that.

Does it get better than Amy Grant for Christmas? I think not.

Next week I’d love to kick off a “Community Favorites” section of this post, so share your favorites with me on Twitter, leave a comment on this blog post, and I might give you a shout out & share! On to this week’s favorites (affiliate links included).

Waiting Here For You by Louie Giglio – I’ve been looking at a lot of devotionals recently, for a variety of reasons, and this one is standing out as one of my favorites. A visually beautiful advent devotional, this book will take you on a journey through scripture, meditation (some reflections, some Christmas carols), and prayer to prepare your heart for the Christmas season. This is a celebration of waiting in a season that promotes hustle.

Be One by Natalie Grant – On my last trip to Nashville I made a last minute decision to catch a show at the Rhyman. It was worth every penny of the ticket and the Uber ride to hear Steven Curtis Chapman, The Willis Clan, Jeremy Camp, and Natalie Grant – and to sit in the very front row of that amazing theater. Natalie’s new album is phenomenal and will be on repeat as soon as you download it. Amazing voice, beautiful heart, incredible woman of God.

The Comeback by Louie Giglio – This is one busy guy! An advent devo AND this inspiring book, both of which are becoming quick favorites for me. Don’t we all love the idea of a great comeback? Rooting for second chances and looking for our redemption stories are the things that great books, movies, and our own lives are made of. No matter what season of life you’re in, Louie’s book will encourage you that it’s never too late for God to write a comeback into YOUR story. I love how he weaves scripture examples with real life stories to show us that all of our stories will look different, but that redemptive comeback will always, always be better than what we planned. This one also has a study guide you can grab if you’re looking to kick off the new year with your small group!

On the Night You Were Born  by Nancy Tillman – We don’t own any of Nancy’s other books on Madi’s book shelf, so when this one arrived for all the Chick-fil-A Mom Panel members, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But it came right in time for Madi’s birthday, and I admit I might have gotten more than a little teary-eyed. The illustrations are incredible and the celebration of the day a little one is born? “You are the one and only ever you.” Yep, it’s officially a new favorite for us.

eBook Basics – Apparently I’ve decided to do a bit of “basics” series. Creative Basics, Gift Guide Basics, and now, eBook Basics! I put this simple “how-to” together for the writers who took the Write 31 Days challenge, but wanted to offer it to you as well. Whether you did a Write 31 Days series, have another series on your blog just waiting to come out of the archives, or have a plan to do an advent series, this eBook will walk you though a super simple guide to turning your blog content into a PDF eBook, with the set up links you’ll need to sell it on Amazon.

Lego Baseplates – It seems as though there are going to be quite a few Legos under our tree this Christmas, from our Lego Advent Calendar to whatever it is my husband seems to be asking for. So we thought it might be fun to convert one of our old end tables into a Lego table for Matt & Madi. I’m not sure why Amazon is restricting these to 2 per customer, since I need 4 (rude) but they’re going to be perfect to glue to the top of the table so the little and big kid can build to their heart’s content. Now to find storage for all the little pieces.

Shutterfly Christmas Cards – Now is a great time to order Christmas cards from Shutterfly. I already ordered ours (might give you a sneak peek of the photo shoot in the next few weeks!) and they have some great coupon codes you can stack right now. Everything on the store is 40% off with code SAVE365 and you get a free 8×11 calendar (those make great grandparent gifts, by the way). Plus, you can get free shipping on an order over $39 with code SHIP39, and if you want to get some address labels to match your cards you can get 60% off with code DEAL60. Happy shopping!

Q’s Race to the Top – One of our favorite bedtime routines is to play a game with Madi. It gives us a chance to do something fun as a family, and it’s a great way for Madi to learn some great sportsmanship lessons (she’s a bit of a sore loser. We’re working on it.) This super cute game is her new favorite – and the way the game is built to teach social skills & manners while including some really fun – and age appropriate – physical challenges, keeps us all interested and working together. Madi also loves the book about Q that came with the game, so we can play AND read as a family. This would be a great Christmas gift to a preschooler on your list this year!

Open Your Bible Online Study with LifeWay – I love the girls at She Reads Truth and it’s been so fun to promote their first study with LifeWay: “Open Your Bible.” If you’re looking for an online study to do in the New Year, I’d love to invite you to join us January 7th – you can sign up at lifeway.com/openyourbible. Hope to see you there!

Cents of Style Sale! Need to stock up on stocking stuffers? Head over to bit.ly/centsofstylewintersale and grab some amazing accessories for just $5! Add $20 to your cart and you’ll get this Madalee Petite Triangle Necklace free PLUS free shipping with code FAMOUS5. Woop! Happy Friday! (Limit one free necklace per customer; don’t use the “quick shop” option to add items to your cart or you won’t see the free necklace offer pop up!)