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Entries from November 2007

For Parents Only

Shaunti Feldhahn is known for unlocking the mysteries of relationships for men and women. Now she turns to a parent’s relationship with a child, particularly a child of the opposite sex. Drawing on the results of a nationwide survey of kids and teenagers, she explores questions such as:

  •  What do moms need to understand about the “tough and tender” boy who values respect over love?
  • What do dads need to understand about their daughter’s need for affirmation?
  • What are the six biggest pet peeves teens have about their parents?

Understanding the answers to these and other important questions can help parents make the holidays a time of celebration and unity, not strife and friction.  

For Parents Only offers a unique look into a child’s mind and frees readers to communicate in healthier ways as they discover that understanding their kids may not be as complicated as they think.

Shaunti Feldhahn is the author of For Women Only and numerous other books, with sales totaling nearly one million copies. A nationally syndicated newspaper columnist and public speaker, Feldhahn earned her master’s degree at Harvard University. She and her husband, Jeff, have two young children. Lisa A. Rice is the associate editor of Christian Living magazine, the mother of two teenage girls, and a screenwriter and producer.

All I Want For Christmas...

This is the first year that I can remember William going through a catalog and circling the things he wants for Christmas.  He wants drums for Christmas which we are actually getting and yesterday he told us he wanted a guitar!  I told him that those were kind of higher priced items and that I didn't think he would be getting both for Christmas.  He said, "I know!  I could get the guitar for my birthday (Dec 13) and the drums for Christmas!"  Dick and I both laughed at that.  Just like a six year old to solve the problem by adding the guitar 12 days before Christmas.  I think he understands now.

They have both said they want a dog for Christmas but I don't believe that will be happening this soon.  We definitely want to get one some day but I'm not ready for the dog supplies just quite yet.  We have talked about installing one of those electronic fences that keeps them in their own yard.  Just not sure when.

Home Improvement

Yesterday was a fun day - we did our school work early while Dick worked on some home improvement projects.  After a lunch of grilled cheese and tomato soup (surprise, my boys liked it), we all went to Lowes and Walmart to pick up a few needed items.  Dick installed a new (to us) front door and it looks awesome.  It has a large oval glass inset and lets in plenty of light.  I will post pictures later. 

We also bought a floor lamp for the living room.  We have a living room - dining room combination and the living room portion has no light at all!  We did some arranging and had to even use an extension cord because of the plug placement but I got that thing put together and it looks great.  Just those little touches really added to our living room.  There's no telling what some paint and sheet rock will do!!

Letter From Santa


Want to send the kiddos a FREE Letter from Santa?  Identity Direct offers personalized gifts with the "My Special Christmas Adventure" and their "Letter from Santa" being two of their most popular items.  This year customers can customize and personalize a letter from their children and then receive it in your inbox.  It is a full color letter that you can print and give to your child.  This is a neat way to thrill your children with a personalized letter from Santa.  You might find some other personalized gifts at Identity Direct that you can't live without!

Snifflies

Today Jonathan and I are staying home from church.  He has a little cold and wasn't feeling so great.  So we've been snuggled up on the couch and he is in TV heaven - he is watching non-stop PBS, LOL!!  Sometimes I just don't get how they watch the same programs over and over AND the same episodes over and over!

Dick put on his handyman hat yesterday and took care of a lot of little  jobs around here that he's been wanting to get to.  I now have new mini blinds in the living room and two new ones on the French doors going out to the deck.  He also replaced a stove element and the silver bowls beneath all of them!  My favorite has to be is that he put new latches on the kitchen cabinet doors that weren't closing correctly. 

Real Estate Experience

I've always thought being a real estate agent would be a great job. I bet it would be but can you imagine selling Colorado real estate when it is this cold? Brrr! Maybe it is the perfect time of the year to buy though - people are very motivated to sell their homes.  Thinking back over our home buying experience, I'd have to say everything went just about perfect!  After wanting to sell for so long, the perfect opportunity came along - we listed, had an offer the next week and were moving out at the end of the next month into our new home.  Patience is the name of the game here!

Thankful

Well, Thanksgiving is over for another year.  We had one of our best ever, I think.  The boys woke up that morning so excited that you would think that it was Christmas morning.  They were especially happy that our family was coming over.  I got up fairly early and put the turkey in the oven for 2½ hours.  When it was finished, in went the ham and then the dressing.  Everything went perfectly.  Dick borrowed some chairs and a couple of card tables for the kitchen.  The children ate in the kitchen and 8/10 adults ate at the dining room table.  Last year it was sunny but this year it had started to get cooler so the kids didn't do much playing outside!  When everyone left, the boys and I did some napping on the couch and we watched TV together.  It was a great day.

Customized Gift Cards

I think the new gift cards available are so cool! If you don't know what to give that special someone, a VISA gift card is always a good way to go. What's so unique about the ones you can get through Gift Card Lab is that you can customize them! Just upload your own picture, add your gift cards to the shopping cart and personalize the card with the recipient's name and a message. I love this idea!

It's A Wonderful Christmas!

It's a Wonderful Christmas I've been listening to Michael W. Smith forever.  Well, maybe not forever but for as long as I can remember.  The first time I heard one of his songs was when I was a G.A. camp counselor; at the end of the summer they played his song, "Friends" and all the counselors cried and cried.  I've loved and listened to almost everything he had done.

Did you know he has a new Christmas CD?  It's called "It's A Wonderful Christmas" and it's a wonderful CD!  His piano playing is as beautiful as always but I also really enjoyed the orchestra that he has playing with him.  Give this to everyone on your Christmas list - you can give it to them early but I guarantee - they won't mind getting it on Christmas day!  I think I won't be limiting this one to just the Christmas season.  I'll load it up to my iPod and I'm good to go!!

The Day After

Grandkids 2007

I took this picture of my Mom and all her grandkids right before everyone was ready to leave. We took several - everyone was looking at me in this one! :) [Link to visit: popup blocker]

Walking The Distance



I've started walking around our property for some exercise lately.  We have almost 3 acres but how far in distance am I walking?  1/2 mile?  A mile?  Am I even walking a mile?  It was making me a little bit crazy not to know.  My solution?  An inexpensive pedometer from Walmart only cost me $4 and some change.  I set it up went for a walk and voila - there's my distance!  Works For Me!

e-Mealz report:  I have two weeks under my belt and it has been fabulous!!  I wish I had found about it much sooner.  I was tickled to find out that the creators of e-Mealz live about 2 hours away from me.  Good stuff - Good stuff!!  (What I said about it last week.)

Hee Hee!

I haven't made up my mind yet but I *do* love Chuck Norris - so this is for your (and mine) enjoyment!

Question of the Day

Who do you turn to if the techie things die? 

I am fairly tech-literate and can manage or figure out a lot of things.  When I don't know what to do, I usually ask Ashley's hubby, Butch, what I should do.  Believe it or not, occasionally he doesn't have all the answers.  That's when I break down and call tech support.  It makes me crazy when things don't work the way they are supposed to.  My iPod has been in the shop for two weeks now.  They are waiting to get approval on whether or not to fix it or junk it and give me another.  [link: bustiers] Either is okay with me since I have my music saved. Now if both of my computers crash, I'm in trouble!

Fitting In

Sometimes it is very challenging and funny to try to creatively fit in certain links into this blog. Sometimes I try to use a link in a regular conversation that I might have and sometimes I just let you guys know that I have a link to share. If I had a teenage girl, I'm sure that fitting in the link Hannah Montana tickets would be fairly easy - I hear she is quite popular.  I have actually seen the show a time or two while visiting my nieces.  That's a talented little girl!!

Making A List, Checking It Twice...

I think we have narrowed down what we are getting the boys for Christmas. They haven't asked for a playstation 3 or video games - no, William just wants a drum set and you know what? I think that is what Dick is intending on getting him. I know I have to be in agreement and I am - it just amazes me a little that we are actually going to. We are going to get Jonathan a Basketball goal - one of those adjustable ones.  I have some other fun things to give them - one or two things being some review products - yippee!

Found A Snake

Yesterday we found our first snake around here. Dick and the boys were cleaning up a brush pile back by the barn. It was just a little garter snake but they killed it anyway. th burial policy around here is that we don't bury snakes. William was so fascinated by it and couldn't keep from touching it - eww! I guess I'll need to toughen up some since I'm a mom to boys. Another thing about boys? I can not keep them out of the dirt!

Fitness Equipment

How many of you think you will be getting fitness equipment for Christmas? How many of you think you will actually use said gift? I wish I had all the money I have spent on items like that. Years ago I bought a treadmill...I also bought this...contraption. I don't know what it is called. You sit on it and pull the handlebars towards you while pushing out on the pedals (lifting your body weight). Sigh. Nothing replaces good old fashioned walking - although I would like to have a stationary bike...

Are You Ready?

It's been a very good weekend around here. [link:real estate franchise] I woke up bright and early Saturday morning, printed out my e-mealz menu and went grocery shopping - it was that easy. (Have I mentioned how much I love e-Mealz? LOL!  The afternoon was spend taking it (majorly) easy.

Today after church and lunch, we took the boys to see Underdog at the theater.  They had already seen it once but really liked it - I thought it was a cute movie.  Tomorrow is full swing into Thanksgiving preps - are you ready?

Friday Felicities

  1. e-Mealz - I love it, love it, love it!!
  2. New healthy habits (I've been walking)
  3. Wonderful, cooler temperatures
  4. Thanksgiving is right around the corner!
What about you?  What things make you happy?  Make your post and if you like, come back here and sign Mr. Linky - and tell others how to participate, too!

We Have Winners!!

For Parents Only - The winners are Holly @ Really? Wow! and Melissa in IN

Splitting Harriet - Congratulations to Heather @ Madame Rubies and Sue @ Window To My World

I will be honest with you, these books will not be going out this week but if all works out, my goal is to do it at the first of next week.  Send me your address!!

Thanksgiving Menu

This year I am hosting Thanksgiving at our new home.  I am looking forward to it because we are going to have so much room to walk around!  My sisters (three of them) and my mom always bring something to contribute to the meal.  Most of my family is more into ham than turkey so that is what I am going to be making.  What are you having?

Here's our menu

Turkey
Cornbread Dressing
Mashed Potatoes
Corn
Broccoli Casserole
Mac & Cheese (for the kids)
Cranberry Sauce - we loved the canned kind
Green Beans
Rolls
Jello Salad
and several desserts.

I've noticed that e-mealz has a holiday plan option available but holiday meals are pretty easy to figure around here!  I plan on making a turkey soon though - the boys just want one!!

Works For Me Wednesday - Menu Planning Heaven



I'm sure you've all see those menu subscription services where, for a price, you can get a different weekly menu emailed to you.  I've seen them and never gave them a second glance because seriously, why would you pay for something that you could do yourself for free - especially with all the free recipes on the internet?  Why indeed!

But then...last weekend I was searching for some good menu ideas and it was taking forever - truly it is a chore for me - and I stumbled upon one of those very services and I was very interested for several reason:
  1. the service offered several plan options:  low carb, low fat, POINTS (Weight Watchers) and plans for couples-only.
  2. the options were available with aisle to aisle grocery lists from your local grocery store (Kroger, Publix, Walmart)
  3. the menus are family friendly and rarely repeat
  4. the cost is about $1.25 a week - $15 for 3 months.  (I enter the coupon code DAVE and got 20% off - $12.50)
I was sold!!  I subscribed, downloaded and went shopping the same day.  The grocery lists are based on the current week sales at your grocery store and are priced around $75 (two person plans are about $34 week).  Most of the prices for the grocery items were right on the mark.  I have cooked every night this week - we haven't eaten out since Friday and we usually do a LOT of this.  I'm tickled!  I bet you will be too.  Oh, by the way, the POINTS plan has the Weight Watchers points for each recipe.

You can find it here:  e-Mealz

Splitting Harriet - A Fun Blog Tour

Splitting Harriet (Tamara Leigh Series)

Edited to add:  I received two copies of this book today to give away - leave a comment and I will draw two winners!

I just loved reading  Splitting Harriet - it was a very fun read!  Harriet was a very real character and I think readers will really relate to her and the situations that she encountered.  She's a preacher's kid and a prodigal that has returned to her family and her church.  The book is based in Franklin, Tennessee - very close to me.   She has a nose ring, two tattoos and she is addicted to Jelly Belly's!  My kind of book!  Here's the "official" description of the book (get a copy of the book - I think you will love it):

The good news is that she has everything under control: apart-time position as director of women’s ministry, a churchfamily that adores her, a rent-free home in a senior mobile homepark, and the possibility of owning the café where shewaitresses. Nothing could tempt Harri to return to her old ways.

Nothing but a 1298 cc, liquid-cooled, sixteen-valve, in-linefour-cylinder motorcycle—and the church consultant riding it.

Reformed rebel Maddox McCray’s arrival at FirstGrace spells C-H-A-N-G-E for the dying church. And it just might mean change for Harri when Maddox sets out to convince her that even Christians are allowed to have fun. The story of a prodigal daughter’s transformation, Splitting Harriet reminds readers of God’s delight in forgiving, loving, and enjoying the ride.

Menu Plan Monday



Saturday:  Braised Steak & Veggies, Crescent Rolls
Sunday:  Spicy Sloppy Joes, Oven Fries
Monday:  Oven Roasted Chicken and Potatoes, Spinach Salad
Tuesday:  Sausage, Beans & Rice, Steamed Mixed Veggies, Fruit
Wednesday:  Ham & Cheese Scramble, Blueberry Muffins
Thursday:  Chicken Tortilla Soup, Mexican Cornbread

I Love You More



When I first agreed to review this book, I was concerned that it might be a bit young for my boys but it's not - it's one of those timeless books.  The kind that 10 years from now you'll still want to pull it out and look through it!  I Love You More, written by Laura Duksta and illustrated by Karen Keesler is a "flip book" - you can read it from one side, flip it over and read it from the other - it's like a mother's love because it never ends!

I love this book and will be sharing it with my boys often.  I think it is a great keepsake book and would make a wonderful baby shower gift!

I Think You're Safe!!

cash advance

Just Incredible - But Not In A Good Way

I can't believe anything would be worth this.

Win A Free Book!!



I will be joining a blog tour for the book "For Parents Only" by Shaunti Feldhahn and Lisa Rice during the last week of this month.  I am also giving away 2 free copies of the book.  If you are interested in entering the drawing, be sure to leave a comment below.  If you do win, it would be great if you would post a link to the book on your blog, mmm'k?  You have until midnight on Wednesday to enter - I'll draw the winners on Thursday morning!  If you can't wait until then, grab a copy from Amazon!

Wonderful Maker

You spread out the skies over empty space
Said, let there be light
To a dark and formless world
Your light was born
You spread out your arms over empty hearts
Said, let there be light
To a dark and hopeless world
Your son was born

You made the world and saw that it was good
You sent your only son, for you are good

CHORUS
What a wonderful maker
What a wonderful savior
How majestic your whispers
And how humble your love
With a strength like no other
And the heart of a father
How majestic your whispers
What a wonderful God

No eye has fully seen how beautiful the cross
And we have only heard the faintest whispers
Of how great you are

You made the world and saw that it was good
You sent your only son, for you are good

What a wonderful maker
What a wonderful savior
How majestic your whispers
And how humble your love
With a strength like no other
And the heart of a father
How majestic your whispers
What a wonderful God

You made the world and saw that it was good
You sent your only son, for you are good

What a wonderful maker
What a wonderful savior
How majestic your whispers
And how humble your love
With a strength like no other
And the heart of a father
How majestic your whispers
What a wonderful God

How majestic your whispers
what a wonderful God

Flat Panel TV's

How many of you have flat panel tv's?  I know that I like the flat panel computer screens so I know I would doubly like the flat panel tv's.  I've been doing a lot of exploration lately and am convinced that wize.com is the place to go when you are contemplating this kind of purchase.  Like I've mentioned before you can find reviews and have them sorted by price, brands or even screen size.

Believe me, flat panel tv's aren't something you want to purchase without a lot of research beforehand.  The prices range from under $620 to over $10,000 so do your homework at wize.com!  They give each product a rank - if it has between 90-100 then you can buy with confidence but if it is between 50 and 74 you should proceed with caution.  Under 50 is not recommended!

Friday Felicities




This morning's Felicities are going to be a quick one for me - I am out the door for Friday school and will be gone all day.  My husband is the one that makes me happy today!  No matter what I am going through, even when it seems like the majority of the people I know "don't get me" - my husband does.  It is an amazing thing, this love.  How he can love me like I am is beyond me but it makes me extremely happy and thankful!

If you would like to participate in Friday Felicities, post on your blog and then come back here and sign Mr. Linky - be sure to leave the URL to your actual Felicities post.  If you don't mind, link back to my blog and let others know how they can participate.   You can read Nattie's Felicities archive by clicking the image above (you can use it too if you'd like).



Finding A Dehumidifier

Are dehumidifiers easy to shop for?  I mean how do you know which one to buy - aren't they all alike?  I know that Wize.com has a page on dehumidifiers that would help with that question.  I like the fact that I can click on reviews on individual brands of dehumidifiers to see how they fared with the public.

If you haven't checked out wize.com - I urge you to do so.  I also like having the ability to filter my search for products according to brands, price and even (for dehumidifiers at least) square foot coverage.  It's a neat little tool to have around.  Be sure to see their other categories available such as cameras, electronics, health and beauty and more.

Talking About Turkey

Shortly after Dick and I were married I started hosting Thanksgiving Dinner for my family at our house.  I had never cooked a Thanksgiving dinner and didn't know anything about turkey's so I was a bit lost.  At that time, my BIL (Elizabeth's husband) was a county extension agent and from his office Elizabeth got a booklet for me that has been my companion every Thanksgiving since then.  It is called "Talking About Turkey:  How to buy, store, thaw, stuff and prepare your holiday bird."

I highly recommend you contacting your local extension office to see if this booklet, or one like it, is available.  The first page I turn to is "buying the right size turkey" and it tells you how much to figure per person (1 pound per person).  Then, several days ahead I go to the chart that tells me how many days to let it thaw in the fridge.  From there you get all sorts of tips from how to wash it (if you've never baked one, you might not know!) to how long to cook it.  I love this booklet!  Of course you can get this information from the internet these days but the booklet has become as much of a tradition as the turkey itself is!

Thanks Elizabeth!

Good Morning

I think it is still morning, right?  *yawn*  I was awake pretty early so it seems like it should be much later.  It *is* later in Germany - almost 5 o'clock even (I didn't need a Berlin travel guide to tell me that - I just Googled it!).

Today I will clean my house.  No, I mean it - I will!  I also have to get ready for Friday school tomorrow.  We are studying Indians, Pilgrims and Thanksgiving stuff this month - should be fun, right?  I want to take a nap right now though.

Yeah, Right!


You Are Ernie



Playful and childlike, you are everyone's favorite friend - even if your goofy antics get annoying at times.

You are usually feeling: Amused - you are very easily entertained

You are famous for: Always making people smile. From your silly songs to your wild pranks, you keep things fun.

How you life your life: With ease. Life is only difficult when your friends won't play with you!

Wednesday

I've gone too long without posting but really, there hasn't been a lot to say.  Last week Jonathan pulled two keys off of my laptop.  Would you lik to guss which ons thy wr?  Heh - it was the "e" key and the number 4.  The 4 is easy to live without but the e key!???  I took my iPod in to be repaired last Friday - that too was because of Jonathan's nifty little fingers.  All I can say is thank goodness for the 3 year "anything goes" extended warranty.  I always buy them!!  Here's a link for you:  truck accident lawyers)

Last night our homeschool group had our All American Feast.  It's our answer to a Thanksgiving dinner - we had a lot of the traditional Thanksgiving foods.  The children have a little Christmas party in December but this time last night was for the whole family.

I posted my review for the book Deadfall on my Savvy Mom blog. I'm not through with the book but I am really enjoying it.  It's definitely a thriller and even though it is on the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance blog tour, it is a book that is geared toward mainstream audiences.  I highly recommend it!  You can visit the author at RobertLiparulo.com.

Procrastination

Today's question of the day over at the W@H boards asks what one thing are you procrastinating on?  Sometimes just keeping up with the day to day is enough to keep me busy.  I'd say one thing I procrastinate on is cleaning floors.  I do mop them but what I think they really need is a good get down on your knees and scrub them.  I procrastinate on that because going down on my knees hurts like the dickens.  This is really a new development, they also hurt going down stairs and when I first sit down.  Something about gravity and taking the weigh off your knees - for a split second your in suspension - that's when it hurts.  I'm not sure that makes sense.

Today I am headed to town for a few things from Walmart (I wonder if they sell colon cleanses).  We're short on a few supplies and if I want to pick them up so we don't end up going out for breakfast before I actually get groceries on Saturday.  We've only eaten out once since last Friday and that was a planned outing - this is a major accomplishment for us and something that I am really working on.

How To Buy New Products

Wize.com has lots and lots of product reviews. I mean lots! Their byline is: Millions of Opinions. One Score.  So what are you looking for?  I admit, when I bought my new digital camera, I didn't look at product reviews, I went for the best price.  Well, I take that back - I looked at price and then went with a name I knew in that price range.

I've been thinking though.  There are probably some fabulous products out there that we would never know about if we went by name only.  That's why product reviews are so awesome and why I will be searching them out for any major purchases in the future.  I like Wize a lot and how they gather sources for their rankings - they take great efforts to make sure the sources are independent.

Friday Felicities

  1. Hot coffee on a chilly morning.
  2. The weekend
  3. No candy in the house :)
  4. God's provision for my needs
  5. My Mom's pep talk!
Ok, it's your turn!  What things make you happy?  After you post, be sure to tell your friends how to participate and then come back and sign Mr. Linky.

Nattie is the original host of Friday Felicities.  If you would like to visit her archive of Felicities, click the image above.


Time Out Thursday



Time Out Thursday is all about making time for yourself.  Finding something specific that you can do just for yourself - to give yourself a break from all the hard work you do and let's face it, whether you work outside the home or you are a stay at home mom - you ARE a hard worker! 

So, post on your blog what you are going to do today for yourself - you can use my graphic if you'd like.  Be sure to tell your readers where they can go to participate in Time Out Thursday by linking back to Joyful Mother.  Then, please come back on over and post your Time Out Thursday url in Mr. Linky below!

Today I am going to pick some time after lunch to crochet.  The project is for me so I'm taking time out twice!!  I'm making myself a shawl to especially use at restaurants that are too chilly but I don't want to be wearing my coat.  That goes for church sometimes too - chilly that is.

Good Stuff


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