Simple Life

I can't wait for the weekend! Yes, I know it's only Monday, but on Friday Doogie's coming home for the first time in 69 days! I have missed him so much, and I know the feeling is mutual. He texts and calls me now more than he did when he was staying with his dad! On Saturday, we're celebrating Thanksgiving with Jesse's family. His brothers both come up for open weekend of deer hunting, so it's become a tradition to hold the big family meal that night. Mia will get to see her cousins, Hana and Nora, whom rarely sees and looks up to so much. On Sunday, my mom and stepdad are taking out my family and my step-brother's family to Golden Corral. There aren't a whole lot of us, but we're noisy enough to take over a good portion of the restaurant! Those two meals, plus the promise of two more Thanksgiving meals the following week make this one of my favorite holidays!

Simple Life by Thom Rainer and Art Rainer is the book you've been looking for to help you get your life under control. The authors are father and son who previously wrote the popular Simple Church. They focus on four major areas where readers need to simplify their lives: time, relationships, money, and God. Then they break down those goals into four areas: clarity, movement, alignment, and focus. Through several surveys and studies they determined where people are feeling the crunch of being stretched too thin without having quality relationships in their lives. Using these studies and Christian principles, they offer the opportunity for hope for real change. There are a lot of books that promise to fulfill just one of the goals of Simple Life; the Rainers do it better and all in one book.

I'm starting a new book contest today for Tracey Bateman's Thirsty. Perfect for fans of the Twilight series, it's a Christian spin on the vampire story. If you'd like the chance to win, either leave a comment here or send me an email before 10 pm on Thursday, Nov. 19. I'll announce the winner here on Friday, Nov. 20. Good luck!