Thursday Things #78 (The new project is LIVE!)
It's here! 🎉 The big announcement + a good read, a new show, a beautiful song and an Advent book list. 💛😍🎵📚
Welcome! Every other Thursday, I share a handful of things I'm loving, reading, watching, listening to or just discovered. In other words . . . what I'd text you about if I had your number or mention if we met up for coffee! I'm so glad you're here. :)
It’s the first day of December and also: TODAY IS THE DAY. 🎉
Excuse the ALL CAPS SHOUTING but YOU GUYS. I’m beside myself. Years of dreaming this project up + months of working on it… and today is the day I get to share All The Things with you.
No but really. It’s called All The Things. Because of course it is. (Yes, I did write “This is the last stroll down memory lane for the fall and I'm excited to finally (soon!) share all the things with you.” in TT #77. It was 100% intentional and also — you’ve heard me use that phrase so many times, I figured no one would see it as a tiny clue. But leaving little easter eggs is just too fun. ☺️)
This email is longer than normal because, announcement! Let’s jump right into Thursday Things first, then move to a giveaway and info on All The Things.
This week's Thursday Things: a good read, a new show, a beautiful song and an Advent book list.
The Wingfeather Saga
I mean. I MEAN. You know how much I love this series, right? I’ve shared it in TT before, and my long-suffering friends have heard me talk about it no less than 40 times.
Earlier this month, I had a little book exchange at my birthday party. Everyone brought a (wrapped) book they loved and couldn’t put down — and then we each described our book without giving it away. After drawing numbers, everyone got to pick a book, unwrap it, and take it home. Needlesstosay, all our To Be Read lists grew by a dozen! My choice was easy: I brought the first Wingfeather and described it as “This book is smart and funny, about family and hope, and there’s a story beneath the story.”
And now it’s going to be an animated series! (The first episode releases tomorrow.) I’m fully convinced it won’t compare to the books, but still really excited to see some of the characters I’ve come to love. And maybe, just maybe, the series inspired a blog post that will land in your inbox next week. Maybe.
P.s. This link takes you to the first book, but I highly recommend listening via audiobook (my library has them for free via Libby, so check there!). Andrew Peterson does all the voices and it is absolutely phenomenal.
An Advent book round-up
Advent is a celebration, a time of remembering and waiting, and ultimately―a season marked by hope. I didn’t grow up knowing about Advent, but now I can’t imagine the Christmas season without it. Slowly reading through an Advent devo has become a very helpful and meaningful practice for me in the midst of all the gatherings and hurrying and buying that come with this time of year.
Two years ago, I began compiling a large list of Advent books and Bible Studies for individuals, families and kids. I added a few new ones this year, so I thought I’d share the round-up post today in case you’re looking for one to sit with this season.
P.s. My favorite of all time is The Greatest Gift (I've re-read it almost every Advent since 2013).
Song: Be Born in Me
In which I share an unpopular opinion: I don’t hate the song Mary Did You Know?
However, there’s a 100% chance that when it came on the radio this week, I sang “She diiiiiiid” into the silence between “Mary did you know . . . . that your baby boy…”
(Y’all, she knew. She really did.)
ANYWAY. Whether you love it or hate it or find yourself somewhere in between, consider this the ‘better version’ of Mary Did You Know?
Hopefully the video embed code works perfectly with this new platform, but if you don’t see a video above, you can click here for the song! These lyrics get me every time:
“I’ll hold you in the beginning,
you will hold me in the end.
Every moment in the middle,
make my heart your Bethlehem.”
For those in a season of ‘a lot’
Phew. This, yes?
Every once in a while, I design an image for a client that *I* need in that exact moment. And then I set a timer and wait until it goes live so I can share it with you. This was very much one of those times. We have a loaves and fishes God, a right here and right now Emmanuel-on-all-the-days God, a God who is enough and also immeasurably more. Thank God.
The quote below is from Holley. You can read the full caption here.
It’s okay to set down those heavy expectations and embrace more grace. Let go of striving and take hold of knowing you’re already beloved. Speak to yourself like you would a friend. You’re doing better than you know. You will get through this. You are already loved.
What you have to give today is enough because you serve the Jesus who turned loaves and fish into more than enough for a crowd. He will supply. He will multiply. Search for joy, cry when you need to, choose to be fully alive. God said His name is “I am” so the place you will find Him is not in some perfect future. It is in this imperfect present moment.
All The Things
In which I talk with my hands, smile a lot, and ramble about my heart and hope behind All The Things:
If the video doesn’t show above, you can click here to watch.
Prefer text instead of video? —> For years, I’ve dreamed of creating a central place online where I can send more gifts your way, where we can know one another better, one “home” for all the things — words and videos, ordinary life and behind-the-scenes of writing projects, books and downloads. A community-centered space I own that isn’t built on borrowed land (AKA social media apps that can disappear or be hacked at any time). And I’ve heard you loud and clear: You want the same things, a space to share and be encouraged, words that meet you right where you are, behind-the-scenes and more ordinary day-to-day life, a book club of sorts, community and goodness in your inbox and in the comment threads.
My website (KaitlynBouchillon.com) isn’t going anywhere. All new blog posts will continue to show up there. But emails? I’ve moved from a program called MailChimp to a program called Substack. And our “home”? It’s called Good Things. Under that umbrella is Thursday Things and All The Things!
Here’s what that means for you:
Thursday Things will continue to land in your inbox every other Thursday. You’ll also continue to receive new blog posts via email. The email address you receive this from will look different because it’s from a new program, as will the design of the email itself, but nothing else changes — unless you want it to!
One amazing thing about moving to this platform? I can keep on sending everything your way, as normal, but I also have the option to create an additional space that goes deeper and offers more content — if you want to receive it!
Enter: All The Things. (I feel like I need confetti! 🎉 )
Everyone who subscribes to All The Things will receive Thursday Things as well as:
surprise gifts in the mail + giveaways
digital prints and lock screens (every other month)
private Zoom calls with authors and friends (every other month)
access to our private All The Things Instagram account where I’ll share more behind-the-scenes and ordinary, daily life + host IG lives
first-word news about writing/life updates
Y’all. Y’ALL. It’s going to be so fun!
For over a decade, I’ve created free content online — actual thousands of articles, devos, images, IG/FB posts, emails, prints and lock screens. God willing, over the next decade there will be a thousand more. But as a single, self-employed woman who very much needs to pay her bills (ahem), I need to move from a platform that charges me to send an email to you (Yep, true story. MailChimp charges me lots of monies every month for ‘holding’ your email address, which allows me to send TT and blog posts your way.) to one that allows me to keep on sending emails and also create extras for paid subscribers.
I said more about the cost in the video, but I want to reiterate: If you don’t become a paid subscriber, you will still receive everything you’ve been receiving! It’s really important to me that nothing goes away… I’m just adding more in.
If you only want Thursday Things + blog posts, wonderful! You’re all set. 💛 If you also want to receive All The Things, upgrade by subscribing below:
As a little “thank-you” from me to you, I’m going to mail a small Christmas gift to the first 25 people who subscribe to All The Things! :) There may still be a few available in January or they could all be claimed by the end of this weekend — I truly don’t know what the response will be, but when I started thinking through how to kick this off, sending gifts out felt like the exact right thing.
I’ll announce the names of the first 25 on our private All The Things Instagram account, and if you’re among the first 25, you’ll receive an email asking for your address.
OKAY. PHEW. Thanks for sticking with me through all the words about All The Things. Now it’s YOUR turn!
I’m super excited about this change. (In case you couldn’t tell in the video…) By moving to this new platform, there’s now room for you to share YOUR favorite things in the comments, like an old school blog post comment section. Many of you already regularly replied to Thursday Things emails with *your* newest favorite thing, and now there’s space for everyone to share and find news faves from one another. A gold mine of treasures, all in one place.
Share one or two of your current favorite things (loving, reading, just discovered, etc) below! And just for fun, one person will win a $50 gift card to DaySpring.com. (I’ll randomly select a comment on Tuesday, 12/6, so there’s time to use it for last minute Christmas shopping.)
Whether you subscribe to All The Things or not, know that I’m truly so grateful you’re here. Thursday Things will continue to land in your inbox every other Thursday, as usual… but now there’s a space for more Good Things — if you want them. :)
Thank you for being here, whether this is your first email from me or you’ve been along for the ride for the past decade. Thank you for your patience as I created something new. Thank you for sharing your thoughts so I could make sure All The Things includes the extras you want to receive. Thank you for supporting my writing. Just, thank you.
Here’s to lots of Good Things to come. 💛
P.s. Your email inbox recognizes emails from me that were sent via MailChimp (the email program I previously used for Thursday Things) but this program is brand new and, unfortunately, very likely to land in spam/junk. (If you click any of the links in this email or engage in the comments, it’ll help your inbox know it’s not a spam email and you do want to receive it in your inbox going forward!) I’ll send it out via MailChimp tomorrow in the hopes that everyone sees we’ve moved to a new space — but don’t worry, you won’t get double emails going forward.
I read Where the Blue Sky Begins by Katie Powner recently and it was amazing! I laughed and cried which is the mark of an awesome book for me. I am also loving Christmas lights and music!
Doggone! My library doesn’t have the audio of The Wingfeather Saga books. You’ve made me curious! Just finished Becoming Mrs. Lewis, which is on Kindle Unlimited. Excellent read.