Preparing your heart and home for the holidays

I bet some of you are thinking, "It's about time we heard from her!" Others might have wondered if we fell off the mountains somewhere in North Carolina. Then the rest of you might be so busy with your own holiday preparations you could care less that I haven't updated my blog in weeks.

But for those of you who are wondering, chomping at the bit to hear from your favorite "sister pastor" I'm back. I've been here all along, just writing in another place. My project? A book I'm calling "preparing your heart and home for the holidays." It is a book that challenges you to "make the holidays holy" mostly by not doing too much. The hiliarious irony of it all is that I am the least qualified to write such a book!! For, I of all people, need to STOP DOING SO MUCH!!!

Anyway, since the 2nd week of November I've written 57,612 words. I'm not sure how many pages that is, but it's about two of my books that are sitting on Lifeway bookstore shelves right now! The chapters are really daily devotions. They cover topics from "Don't miss Thanksgiving" to "What about Santa Claus" to "Preparing for the New Year." If we get this one published (which I sincerely hope that we do), it will take you from the week before Thanksgiving through Christmas and into the New Year--are you ready for this?....

....in 40 days.

Clever, I know. All I need now are a few more home decorating ideas and recipes to sprinkle throughout. We've been hosting this book as a class and have picked up quite a few decorating tips and recipes, but I could use a few more. So, if you have any you'd like to have published in next year's holiday bestseller--send them to me (just include your source).

Hope you all have been well. I'm now off to "prepare my heart and home for the holidays." So, you might not hear from me again until the New Year.

Merry Christmas.