Lindsey and Kristi are always looking for things that help make their tomorrows better. In this episode they each share a few of the things they've enjoyed over the last three months. 

 

Kristi Recommends

@sharonsaysso on Instagram for practical (and funny) government knowledge

therapy because it's always good to process

a daily walk--and because Kristi finds walking boring she has a daily "walk and talk" on Instagram stories that helps keep her accountable

Lindsey Recommends

her new cellphone ring holder (she ordered this 4 pack)

blue light reading glasses (Lindsey's came from Walmart but these are similar)

Instant Pot Bible for great IP recipes bc googling on the phone is hard even with a new ring holder

We're sending some things to our own version of Pub Board (which is when a writer's manuscript is up for review by all the people at a publishing house). These are stories both written and visual that we really love right now:

Bridgerton (did you hear our bonus episode??)

Runaway Bride (and other 90s favorites for throwback movie time with family)

Pudge and Prejudice (YA retelling by AK Pittman)

Becky Wade Bradford Sisters Series

Tell us what you're loving this winter and what all is helping you make tomorrow better than today. 

 

Be sure to follow us on our socials @aroughdraftlife on Instagram and Facebook as we let it go into the new year! We're planning a LIVE EPISODE and want to hear from you--what should we discuss?

As always, find us each @lindseypbrackett and @kristiannhunter on Instagram or Facebook. Find out more about Lindsey’s and Kristi’s books on their websites, lindseypbrackett.com and kristiannhunter.com.

If you enjoy A Rough Draft Life please share with a friend and/or leave a review.

Have you watched the new Netflix series Bridgerton? Get Kristi and Lindsey's perspective on it as writers, as Christian women, as moms, and as fans of the Regency era. 

 

We discuss how the show compares to the book, how we feel about the casting, costumes, and cinematography, and how much human nature can be seen in the depths of this entertaining story. 

 

And look! We've got a Patreon now: https://www.patreon.com/aroughdraftlife

Sometimes life doesn't happen the way you plan and sometimes your plan doesn't work out the way you hoped. Such is the case with this week's episode. Lindsey and Kristi attempted to record before the virtual school day last week and the results were... not up to standard. 

There was something really big and important we wanted you to know though, a gift from us to you later this week. 

To find out more listen to this week's tiny non-episode.

Such a delight to welcome bestselling author Katherine Reay to the podcast today! We chat everything from books to running to kitchen fails and offer up some practical tips for editing your life to include a healthy habit or two.

 

Meet Katherine

Katherine Reay is a national bestselling and award-winning author of several novels, including DEAR MR KNIGHTLEY, THE PRINTED LETTER BOOKSHOP and her latest, OF LITERATURE AND LATTES. She has enjoyed a lifelong affair with books and brings that love to her contemporary character-driven and literary-rich stories. Katherine’s has also written one full-length nonfiction work, AWFUL BEAUTIFUL LIFE. She holds a BA and MS from Northwestern University and, after seventeen moves, lives outside Chicago, IL.

 

Links Mentioned

Vinegar Chicken with Crushed Olive Dressing 

On Writing by Stephen King

Couch to 5K (if you want a program)

Buy Katherine's books

Katherine on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter

And don't forget that you can now have A Rough Draft Life host your virtual celebration! 

Click here for more details.

Welcome to the first episode of 2021! Lindsey and Kristi discuss what they want to let go as we head into a new year, and offer some practical solutions for starting new habits. 

 

What can you let go in 2021? 

looking for a quick fix (Lindsey)

chore control (Kristi)

ruled by numbers (Kristi)

people's opinions (both)

HIGH SCHOOL DRAMA (both, note: we aren't in HS)

not front loading/reacting instead of acting (Lindsey)

Edit Your Life Ideas

use mini-deadlines to get the stuff done

have check-in points with an accountability partner (Kristi's is the delightful Regina Jennings who gave great advice one of our first episodes last year!)

establish boundaries such as non-work days/hours 

makes a yes/no list for the year or season

Links Mentioned

Superchick High School 

Regina Jennings

Join the Community

 

Be sure to follow us on our socials @aroughdraftlife on Instagram and Facebook as we let it go into the new year! We're planning a LIVE EPISODE and want to hear from you--what should we discuss?

 

As always, find us each @lindseypbrackett and @kristiannhunter on Instagram or Facebook. Find out more about Lindsey’s and Kristi’s books on their websites,  lindseypbrackett.com and kristiannhunter.com.

 

If you enjoy A Rough Draft Life please share with a friend and/or leave a review.

How much do you know - we mean really know - about the first Christmas? Was there a donkey? Was it on December 25? How many wise men were there? Let's find out. 

 

Questions Discussed in this Episode:

Were Mary and Joseph living together?

How pregnant was Mary?

Did Mary ride a donkey? 

Why did the innkeeper not let them in?

Did Mary give birth alone?

Is Christmas really on December 25?

What about the shepherds?

Were the Wise Men/Magi kings? Did they come on Christmas Day? How many were there?

What about the Christmas Star? Was it over the stable?

 

Links Mentioned:

Willow Tree Nativity

Liturgical Calendar

Advent

Air BnB

When Jesus Was Really Born

In today's episode we chat with bestselling author, Elizabeth Musser, about her family's unique Christmas traditions, influenced by decades spent living abroad in Lyon, France. We'll discuss how 2020 is shaping our perspective on traditions and hopefully inspire you to try some new ones this year!

 

Meet Elizabeth

ELIZABETH MUSSER writes ‘entertainment with a soul’ from her writing chalet—tool shed—outside Lyon, France. Elizabeth’s highly acclaimed, best-selling novel, The Swan House, was named one of Amazon’s Top Christian Books of the Year and one of Georgia’s Top Ten Novels of the Past 100 Years (Georgia Backroads). All of Elizabeth’s novels have been translated into multiple languages and have been international best-sellers. Two Destinies, the final novel in The Secrets of the Cross trilogy, was a finalist for the 2013 Christy Award. The Long Highway Home was a finalist for the 2018 Carol Awards. Elizabeth’s newest novel, The Promised Land, released in November, 2020.

Elizabeth says, I love faith, family, friends, France, photos, flowers, and penning fiction. (I'm also pretty fond of alliteration.)

For over thirty years, Elizabeth and her husband, Paul, have been involved in missions’ work in Europe with One Collective, formerly International Teams. The Mussers have two sons, a daughter-in-law and four grandchildren. Find more about Elizabeth’s novels at www.elizabethmusser.com and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and her blog.

Links for Christmas Traditions Mentioned

Christmas Traditions in France

Advent (Church Liturgical Calendar)

Almond Tarts

Santons

buche

Find other fun Christmas ideas and holiday survival tips on our Pinterest boards!

Elizabeth kindly shared these pictures of her nativity set with all its Santons. Be sure to follow her on Facebook or Instagram for more glimpses into a French-inspired Christmas that's all about Jesus.

What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions? Are you celebrating any differently this year?

Edit Your Life with Us

Be sure to follow us on our socials @aroughdraftlife on Instagram and Facebook as we share our own Christmas traditions as well as how we're surviving the holiday family dynamics, scheduling, and gifting. 

 

As always, find us @lindseypbrackett and @kristiannhunter on Instagram or Facebook. Find out more about Lindsey’s and Kristi’s books on their websites,  lindseypbrackett.com and kristiannhunter.com.

 

If you enjoy A Rough Draft Life please share with a friend and/or leave a review.

Join us as we discuss the hard topic of family dynamics in the holiday season. No matter if you're together in person or on Zoom, there's bound to be some family tension surrounding your holidays. So how do you survive--and thrive--when everyone doesn't share all the same opinions or emotions or preference for cranberry sauce??

One of our best tools for figuring out how to handle family dynamics is the Enneagram. Some of our favorite resources for using the Enneagram as a tool to understand people's motivations:

The Art of Growth

@enneagramandcoffee on Instagram (Sarah Jane Case)

this article on flourishing during the holidays

Edit Your Life With Us

Name your absolutes for the holiday season and commit to walking away when the family dynamic might be too much. 

Maybe your absolute is ...

time together

maintaining family ties

one good meal

opportunity to see extended family

safe gathering

These don't have to be big, but they are the motivators you have for keeping the family dynamic from melting down if someone brings up the three Ps: politics, pandemic, pumpkin pie. 

If you don't think pie is controversial, Lindsey invites you to her family Thanksgiving.

When in doubt, you can always play this.

We are thankful for our listeners!

Be sure to follow us on our socials @aroughdraftlife on Instagram and Facebook as we share our own Christmas traditions as well as how we're surviving the holiday family dynamics, scheduling, and gifting. 

 

As always, find us @lindseypbrackett and @kristiannhunter on Instagram or Facebook. Find out more about Lindsey’s and Kristi’s books on their websites,  lindseypbrackett.com and kristiannhunter.com.

 

If you enjoy A Rough Draft Life please share with a friend and/or leave a review.

Ah, gifts. They can be one of the most joyous and stressful part of the holidays. 

Do you shop early like Kristi or last minute like Lindsey? (We suggest avoiding last minute to avoid a little stress.)

How do you decide who goes on the list? (Hint: Just say no works on this as well.)

Once you have that list, how do find a gift that fits the budget and the recipient? (Think a little bit outside the gift box.) 

We discuss all things gift planning related as well as why books make the best gifts and our ongoing Most Annoying Christmas Song voting bracket on Instagram. 

Come enjoy the fun!

There's no question your 2020 holiday schedule will look different than it normally does. Kristi and Lindsey discuss how you can use that to your advantage to make next year even better and how you can make this year awesome in the meantime. 

Brought to you from our make-it-work basement offices where Lindsey is launching a new book. Magnolia Mistletoe is available everywhere in print and ebook November 10!

You can celebrate with us and fellow author, Elizabeth Musser, at the live launch party on Facebook. 

Holiday schedules are tough. That's why we're here to help you PRIORITIZE, PLAN, and PONDER how you can keep from being a Schedule Scrooge. To keep us all from being Scrooges, be sure to follow us on Instagram for some fun stories next week!

Episode Highlights

PRIORITIZE

Decide what you most desire out of the holiday season. If relaxed meals are your priority, spread out the travel. If everyone on Thanksgiving is your priority, spread out your meal with dessert here, brunch here, etc. Forget everything that doesn't align with your priority.

 

PLAN

You need time to rest and maintain your routine. Keep in touch with normalcy by marking off days on your calendar. Protect your rest. If you can't do full days, find moments like meals or bed times or something like that.

 

PONDER

When the season is over, decide what you want to keep for next year. Put EVERYTHING on the table. You don't have to eat turkey. Kristi's family is okay with everything changing as long as her mom makes dressing. 

Edit Your Life Challenge

Determine your priority and put it somewhere you can see it and remember it.

 

 

Tell us how you're making life up as you go along by following @aroughdraftlife on Instagram and Facebook. As always, find us individually @lindseypbrackett and @kristiannhunter on Instagram or Facebook. Find out more about Lindsey’s and Kristi’s books on their websites,  lindseypbrackett.com and kristiannhunter.com.

If you enjoy A Rough Draft Life please share with a friend and/or leave a review.