I had been looking at this calendar on Etsy for a while and I finally decided to make the purchase.   I purchased it from Girl In Gear Studio  and the “girl” does awesome work. It totally fits my day job. 

I am expecting a great year!!! 

My goals have been set

 I’ve already been booked for a corporate function

and

God is good…all the time. Have a great day!

Here are a few holiday music suggestions that I wanted to share with you.  Some of these I had the pleasure of enjoying throughout the holiday season, but some will be new to my playlist this year.

Clark Family Christmas (album)- Some of the highlight songs include “O Come Emmanuel”, “Drummer Boy”, “Silent Night” and “Celebration”

Helen Baylor – Mary Did You Know (single) - Helen’s version is probably one of the best covers that I have heard.  I love it!!!  It has so much emotion and the arrangement is soooooooo nice.

Naturally 7 – Joy to the World (single) – This group is an acapella group very similar to Take 6, but their sound is different. They put a nice little twist on  the traditional “Joy to the World” that I am sure you would enjoy.

Aaron Lindsey – Coming Home For The Holidays (album) –  This cd is  a great mix of instrumental and vocal Christmas music.  If you have never heard of Aaron Lindsey, he is an awesome producer  and talented musician.  He has produced for  Israel Houghton, Martha Munizzi, Darwin Hobbs and more.

Mariah Carey – O Come All Ye Faithful/Hallelujah Chorus (single) – I will admit that I am a fan of  a few of Mariah Carey’s Christmas songs.  The woman has an amazing voice. But this particular song is one that she sings with her mother, who is an opera singer.  This song is so beautiful.  I could see a group of praise dancers doing a nice routine on this one.

Okay, let’s get to shopping folks!!! It’s time to go ahead and add something fresh to those Christmas playlists. Will you be putting new songs in your holiday music collection?

I decided to do the 12 Days of Christmas for my husband a couple of years ago. I was soooooo excited because I knew that it would make him smile and I like to see my hubby smile. It was such a sweet and cute little thing to show my appreciation.

If you plan to do this for your husband, start thinking about little things that he has mentioned throughout the year. He may have mentioned something really small that he wants. Use some of those things as gift ideas for the 12 days. Be as creative as you can. The gifts that my husband will get really don’t have anything to do with the 12 Days of Christmas theme, but I don’t think that he cares. It’s the thought that counts.

1. One Pack of Cushy Socks
2. Two things to shave with (Shave Soap & Shave Oil)
3. It’s Red, It’s Green, It’s a candy cane full of M&Ms
4. Four layer slice of cheesecake (Red Velvet Cheesecake)
5. Five golden rings ( a can of pineapple slices…he loves pineapples)
6. Six pairs of dress socks
7. A small box of chocolate Whoppers candy
8. Eight ounces of Jalepeno Cheetos
9. Nine Fruit Roll-ups
10. A pack of gum – 10 pieces
11. Music (the cd he wanted had 11 tracks – how cool is that!!!)
12. Twelve Pack of Sparkling Green Tea

And there you have you it – 12 Days of Christmas for my husband. It wasn’t perfect, as I didn’t get all of the numbers right, but you can make up  your own ideas.   What do you think about doing something like this for your spouse?

More details to come!!!

I have to say that I had an awesome time singing at my old church, Green Pastures Christian Ministries.  I am definitely honored that they would choose me to sing at their anniversary event.  The choir, Shepherd’s Flock, was awesome!!!  All of their songs choices were just great.  I loved hearing them sing again.  They even backed me up on my songs…so I am truly grateful.  Here is a clip of me singing I’ve Got the Joy Joy Joy.

Let me just say that I loved both of these songs well before they became popular.  I hear them on the radio or on my iPod a lot, but I don’t skip over them, because they are great songs. 

“Nobody Greater” was introduced to me by a friend and actually I don’t think that Vashawn Mitchell had even released his version.   The song had been made popular by praise teams all over the country, clapping their hands and singing in unison.  The song was, in a sense, re-made by Vashawn Mitchell.  He  slowed it down, added a few lines and produced a great piece of music. It’s a an awesome song that I loved then, and still love now.

I found “I Give Myself Away” on a blog and immediately sent it to my mom because I knew that she would love it.  Truth be told, the song became very instrumental in her daily worship. I purchased William McDowell’s cd and I was amazed at all of the pure worship that came out of it. On the cd, he pairs “I Give Myself Away” with “Here I Am to Worship”.  It’s such an amazing combination.  I loved it then and I still love it now.

Can you all think of any songs that are overplayed, but you still love them?