Work and Play with Nancy Ray

Have you ever heard of wintering as a verb? Well, now you have because today I am going to share with you 5 ways that I'm wintering this year. Resources from this episode: The Contentment Challenge Planning Worksheet Wintering by Katherine May Episode 108 - Book | Sleep Smarter Alone Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them!

So this year I'm doing something a little different. I decided early in November that I am not thinking about or planning for next year until next year in January. I am all in for 2023. I want to be present and finish this year strong. My eyes are on my kids, my husband, Christmas, and New Year's, and I just, for whatever reason, feel so strongly in my spirit that I need to not take time and energy in this month to plan and look at it. This is so different for me. Okay. I am a planner. I am a forward thinker. But there's just been some different life circumstances that have led me to this, so this episode is all about some end-of-year rhythms for reflecting on your year and how you can finish this year strong. Resources from this episode: Planning Worksheet Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them!

Today is my annual book club episode where I share my very favorite books that I read this last year in 2023 and also what I have planned for 2024. You can always find that current list updated at nancyray.com/bookclub or you can follow along and read with me if you choose. It is very relaxed or you can just catch up on the podcast episodes as I release them. So I'm excited. I read some really good stuff this year and I have some exciting picks for next year and I can't wait to share them with you today. Resources from this episode: Nancy Ray Book Club Val Marie Paper - Prayer Journal | use code "WORKANDPLAY" for 10% off Books I Read in 2023: Episode 212 - Narnia, Harry Potter, and the Wingfeather Saga The Chronicles of Narnia Harry Potter Wingfeather Saga Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt Episode 183 - Book | Four Thousand Weeks Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman Better than Before by Gretchen Rubin The Power of Writing it Down by Allison Fallon Episode 196 - The Blessing [Book] with Kari Trent Stageberg The Blessing by John Trent, Gary Smalley, Kari Trent Stageberg The Blessing Of A Skinned Knee by Wendy Mogel Try Softer by Aundi Kolber Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May Matriarch by Samantha Ray Episode 185 - The Minkies Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Earley, Troy and Ruth Simons Books I Wanted to Read in 2023: The Stories We Tell by Joanna Gaines The Lazy Genius Kitchen by Kendra Adachi Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends by Sarah Mally Books I Plan to Read in 2024: The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan Set The Stars Alight by Amanda Dykes Made for People by Justin Whitmel Earley Until the Streetlights Come On by Ginny Yurich The 2-Hour Cocktail Party by Nick Gray Take Back Your Time by Christy Wright The Stories We Tell by Joanna Gaines Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends by Sarah Mally The Green Ember Series Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them!

Get ready for the icing on the cake for the best kept secret to a holiday season full of joy and contentment. You ready? It's giving. It's giving. It's being intentional about giving away the resources that God has blessed you with. We're wrapping up this holiday series with the best episode of them all, holiday giving. Resources from this episode: Val Marie Paper - Prayer Journal use code "WORKANDPLAY" for 10% off God and Money by John Cortines The Blessed Life by Robert Morris Financial Peace University National Christian Foundation The Journey of Generosity The Giving Manger Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them!

There is something so sacred about food during the holidays. The taste of your grandma's casserole or your aunt's monkey bread, or your mom's Christmas Eve dinner. It can fill your heart and mind with so many wonderful feelings and memories. Food represents so much more than just a meal. It represents feelings of nostalgia and it represents just the most important parts of the holiday season, which is bringing people together around the table in love. I'm so excited just to have a little bit of fun on this episode and encourage you just to think about the food that you are having in your family over this holiday season. Resources from this episode: Patreon Christian Healthcare Ministries Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them!

I'm pumped to talk about a Christmas budget and Christmas gifts today. Guys, this can get so outta hand so fast, and also it can have such a negative connotation to it. Just making a Christmas budget feels like it's stifles all the Christmas cheer. But I'm here to say it doesn't. It doesn't. Making a Christmas budget actually brings me a lot of joy because it helps me to stay organized and focused on what I really, really want to be spending my money on. And it helps me not get so carried away that in January I look back and have a lot of regret. I don't. When I make a Christmas budget, I don't. And so today we're gonna talk all about how to make a simple and effective Christmas budget for you to follow, as well as how to create a gift tracking document so that you can keep track of everything really well this Christmas. Resources from this episode: Patreon Christian Healthcare Ministries GoodKind - Use the code WORKANDPLAY for 15% off Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them!

Okay. Deep breath everybody. It is time to tackle the holiday schedule. Dare I say, this is the main source of stress that we encounter during the holidays. There are so many different invitations, obligations, so many people and organizations who are all asking something of us. And today I am here to remind you, you get to choose your yeses and your nos. Resources from this episode: Patreon Christian Healthcare Ministries GoodKind - Use the code WORKANDPLAY for 15% off Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them!

Today I'm kicking off a new series on the podcast, and I am giddy about it because it's all about the holidays. We're all thinking about it already. It's the last week of October. We're looking at November and December, and I think we can feel equal parts overwhelmed and excited. So today I am starting a five-part podcast series. It's gonna be very short podcast episodes just to get you thinking about how you can create holidays that are full of joy and contentment. And I'll get into all the details of it. But here's what you can expect. The first episode, which is today, is gonna be about traditions. Next week it's gonna be about creating your holiday schedule. Then the next week, your holiday budget, and then your gifts, and then food. And I'm gonna be sharing all of the things that our family does while also just inviting you to think through and really, I don't know, analyze and consider what you want your holidays to look like. And I'm excited. I'm so excited about this. So I'm glad that you're here. Let's jump in. Resources from this episode: Patreon Episode 33 - Our Favorite Thanksgiving Tradition The Giving Manger by Allison Hottinger Duke Chorale Christmas Concert Behold the Lamb of God Album Christmas Jammies A Midnight Clear by John Nilsen Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them!

Hey there! You're in the right place for Work and Play with Nancy Ray. A quick note—the podcast will be taking a break this week (November 2), but I'll be back next week with an exciting new episode. See you then!

There will never be adequate words to describe what these book series have meant to me over the last year. They have been some of the best parts of my life. I kid you not, over the last 12 months, I sobbed at the end of each one. Not an exaggeration. And if I'm honest, today's podcast episode almost didn't happen because I already know it's gonna fall short of what I want to say about each of these series, but I decided to move forward with it because if it encourages you to read them with a kingdom mindset, I believe it will have been worth it. Let's dive into the three best children's series of all time. Resources from this episode: Christian Healthcare Ministries Nancy Ray Book Club Chronicles of Narnia Harry Potter Series The Wing Feather Saga Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them!