Exciting Announcement!!!

I have just published my first ebook (yea!) called A Recipe For Christmas JOY ($9.95). It is literally every bit of Christmas wisdom I have gained through my years of being a mom striving to keep Christ at the center of our celebration and having fun while doing so.

Here is the introduction:

Are you searching for some Christmas JOY? Do you long to find peace and happiness in the midst of the crazy busyness that is the Christmas season? This book is meant to help you do just that! It is filled with ideas for

• balancing your commitments



• organizing your holidays



• creating memories with your family



• celebrating with great food



• not blowing your budget



• (most importantly) keeping your focus on Jesus

JOY: A Simple Recipe

You have probably heard it said that JOY means Jesus, Others, and Yourself—in that order. But what does that look like at Christmas? This book is filled with thoughts on how to include all three components— including making time for yourself! I hope that by using this “recipe” throughout the Christmas season, you will find true JOY and your family will reap the benefits.

For years, I thought that if I just did enough and strived hard enough, my family’s Christmas would be that picture-perfect, Norman Rockwell Christmas I desired. But then reality inserted itself in the form of illnesses and bills, bad attitudes and exhaustion. I realized that I needed to lay down my ideal Christmas and allow Jesus to reveal what He had for me through the season. And so, I am including amidst all the recipes and ideas some thoughts, some scriptures, some things to ponder. I hope that this will be a book you come back to year after year to enjoy and learn from.

Here is an overview of what you will find in this book:

• how to make Jesus the center of your Christmas



• a complete menu for Christmas dinner and a traditional New Year's Day meal (with recipe's!)



• a week by week checklist for organizing your Christmas



• helpful websites



• suggestions for easy meals on those busy nights



• how to observe advent in a way that will work for your situation



• ideas for decorating for Christmas and instructions for gifts you can make



• many tried and true recipes for Christmas goodies



• 25 ways to make the holidays holy days



• fun and creative ways to reach out to others at the holidays



• list of great Christmas read alouds for you and your children

• a week of devotions for the week between Christmas and New Year's

Click on the "JOY" button on my sidebar to order the book (I'm using Paypal, a secure site that will process the payment.) Once your order is processed, you will receive the book via your email address as a pdf file. (So make sure you give the correct email address.) Just think-- no waiting for the book! You get it right away so you can start dreaming and planning your Christmas celebration.

I have poured my heart into this book and to know that people are buying it will be beyond thrilling-- and it will help us put presents under the tree this year, too. Let's just be honest.

But don't just take my word for it. Lindsey just posted a review here.