AMAZON

Since I started this blog nearly ten years ago, I get a lot of random books sent to me. When I say random, I'm talking about books I had never requesedt to review, which includes the satire How To Be A Perfect Christian by The Babylon Bee (Multnomah; $19.99).

Here's the blurb from the back cover:

Do you dream of becoming the poster kid for Christian perfection? Then get ready to be baptized in the glorious waters of modern Christian Culture!

How to Be a Perfect Christian is a step-by-step guide to grow you up from a clueless Christ-follower into a supercharged megabeliever. Discover how to:

*Join The Right Church - See how to ditch that group of hopeless losers holding you back and find a church that's built around you.

 *Vet Your Pastor - Assess his command of sermon acronyms and alliteration - plus his grasp of dynamic gestures.

*Worship Like A Pro - Find out how to have a worship experience that leaves you with that all-important, addicting emotional high.

*Do Life Together - Master the art of never letting anyone get close enough to your life to see what a mess it is below the surface.

Wait! There's Much More - like acting the church potluck and serving the church without lifting a finger. This book is filled with everything you need to be your best spiritual self, even a free inspirational coloring page!

Final Thoughts

About the Title:

Are you ready to see your fixer upper?

These famous words are now synonymous with the dynamic husband-and-wife team Chip and Joanna Gaines, stars of HGTV’s Fixer Upper. As this question fills the airwaves with anticipation, their legions of fans continue to multiply and ask a different series of questions, like—Who are these people?What’s the secret to their success? And is Chip actually that funny in real life? By renovating homes in Waco, Texas, and changing lives in such a winsome and engaging way, Chip and Joanna have become more than just the stars of Fixer Upper, they have become America’s new best friends.

The Magnolia Story is the first book from Chip and Joanna, offering their fans a detailed look at their life together. From the very first renovation project they ever tackled together, to the project that nearly cost them everything; from the childhood memories that shaped them, to the twists and turns that led them to the life they share on the farm today.

They both attended Baylor University in Waco. However, their paths did not cross until Chip checked his car into the local Firestone tire shop where Joanna worked behind the counter. Even back then Chip was a serial entrepreneur who, among other things, ran a lawn care company, sold fireworks, and flipped houses. Soon they were married and living in their first fixer upper. Four children and countless renovations later, Joanna garners the attention of a television producer who notices her work on a blog one day.

Shopkins Hot Cocoa Mug Set

Believe it or not, there are only 21 days till Christmas Day, so if you haven't finished your gift shopping yet, then you better get to cracking at it.

Almost all of my shopping is finished, and most of the gifts are already wrapped and placed under the Christmas tree.

I know not everyone has their gift shopping finished ahead of time, so I've been posting a Holiday Gift Guide on this blog since Nov. 25th. However, I'm taking a one day break today from the event. Instead I've teamed up with Oriental Trading to bring you a neat little post that I have titled "Christmas Mugs & Sweets."

Oriental Trading is a party, school, and craft supplies company. Their website has a neat Christmas Store section featuring a variety of toys and games, Christmas party decorations and supplies, crafts, treats, candies, and gobs of other things.

Now finding the perfect gift for a loved isn't the easiest thing in the world to do as some people are just hard to buy for. If you happened to fall in this situation this year, then I would recommend the Shopkins Hot Cocoa Mug Set. Retailed at $9.98, the set includes two ceramic mugs with a Shopkins characters printed on them and two 0.71oz packages of Nestle Mini Marshmallows Rich Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix.


The Shopkins mugs are really cute with a colorful design that will easily appeal to children and even some adults. Nestle is one of the best brands of cocoas, so pretty much everyone will like the two hot chocolate packet.

DIY Travel Mugs

Now if you want to get really creative this year, you can always craft your own coffee tumbler set to give your family and friends. You can purchase DIY Travel Mugs (holds up to 16 ounces each) on the Oriental Trading website for $15.99 for a set of six. There is also directions on the website on how to decorate the mugs with Washi tape.

Now I've taken this idea, but I've changed a few things about it.

Along with the DIY Travel Mugs, the supplies I needed were the Jingle Bell Gift Tags ($6.49 for 24), the Red Washi Tape Set ($4.99 for three rolls), the Green Washi Tape Set ($4.99 for three rolls), and the Five Pounds of Holiday Chocolate Candy (currently out of stock), which can be purchased on the Oriental Trading website.

Billy's Thoughts:  To start off this year's Holiday Gift Guide, I wanted to feature a wonderful gift that would be perfect for a variety of different age groups.

Contains all five Naked Nutrition protein products in single serving pouches.

CLEVERFIT is the world's first precision fit adjustable collar stays for business, casual and formal shirts. For years men has been frustrated with the average collar stays made from metal, plastic, brass and sterling silver, which are rounded at one end and pointed at the other ends to help stabilize a collar.

Over time, regular collar stays can become warped, broken or even missing, but CLEVERFIT Collar Stays have been created to solve these problems by using a collar stabilizer mode. The CLEVERFIT uses the science of leverage and is able become a collar stabilizer in an extended positions.