Dear Friends,
Today I’m delighted to share this space with my friend, Melanie, who is one of my major writing inspirations.
Although I was initially intimidated by her — she’s a real writer, after all, has authored several books, and is an award-winning professor of writing at a university — I soon learned that Melanie is also an encourager, a kindness monger, a humble advocate and mentor, and a loyal friend. Now Melanie has released her latest book, my favorite so far, and I think you’ll see immediately why I’m sharing it (and her) with you. It’s titled Worthy: Finding Yourself in a World Expecting Someone Else. For those of us who grew up in conservative Evangelical Christian culture and have felt enormous pressure to conform in order to fit in — for those of us who have desperately longed to be wildly and truly ourselves with all our magic and mess, as though that is who we were created to be all along — this book is a life-giver and a game changer. Vulnerable, funny, heart-wrenching, and deeply true, Melanie shows us the way to discover that we’re already worthy of love exactly as we are. Which is what I hope we do here every day. ...
I stumbled across Christine at a bazaar a few weeks ago, and I was completely enchanted by her hair blossoms. From teeny, tiny blooms in neutrals to HUGE, full, colorful flowers, I loved every one and bought my fair share because they’re afforable ($2-5 each), and I decided they’re perfect as stocking stuffers. Of course, that was before I decided to keep most of them for myself, but theoretically, they’re ideal to give away. 
I’ve known Nathan since he was in diapers, which I’m positive is the way he was hoping I’d open this giveaway.
admit it; I’m hard wired to prefer buying gifts from artists and crafters and small business owners because, unselfishly, I want my money to benefit real people and not a group of already wealthy shareholders, and, selfishly, I really love giving one-of-a-kind gifts. Last Christmas, I pinged my friend