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Top Ten Holiday Events

Top Ten Holiday Events

Sigh.

The kids left Monday morning, and ever since the house has been quiet. Too quiet in my opinion, even with the washer, the dryer, the dishwasher and the radio going. Nobody wanted the celebration to end, and the good-byes were hard. To keep the good times in mind a little longer, I’m rolling out the top ten events from our holiday weekend.

10.  My blow dryer died. You may consider this a wacky top ten entry unless you’re privy
to this important fact. The blow dryer was over 30 years old. Used almost every day.
If word of its longevity gets out, the blow dryer industry could pay big bucks for the
relic. They’ll want to study it to learn how not to construct future blow dryers since
they prefer small appliances to wear out the day after the one year warranty expires.

9.   The Google Analytics program installed as part of this website’s facelift is working.
No big deal to computer geeks, but this aging non-techie goes to sleep dreaming of
conquering the internet one successfully installed program at a time.

8.   I won 2 (or possibly 3) of the half-dozen Carcassonne games I played. Granted, the
wins were due more to lucky draws than well-thought out strategy. But it’s nice to
know a strategy game can be won by someone more at home in Candyland than in
medieval France.

7.   The most hotly contested item in our extended family’s white elephant gift exchange
was the Romance Novel Magnetic Poetry Kit. The copy on the package described it
as “a box full of bodice-ripping word magnets.” And as their final winner, all I can say
is boy howdy, are they ever! Should the fact that they were my son and new
daughter’s contribution to the game disturb me?

6.   Integrating word magnets from the Romance Novel Magnet Poetry Kit into its
owner’s turns while playing Carcassonne makes for a very interesting game. Don’t
ask me how I know this.

5.   The winner of the New Year’s drawing at www.DifferentDream.com (for a copy of
Different Dream Parenting) was a mom who stumbled onto the site looking for a
devotional book for parents of kids with special needs. How cool is that?

4.   We met my brother’s new vizsla pup, Maisie, during our extended family Christmas
on Saturday. His beloved dog Maggie was recently diagnosed with cancer, and he
will be saying good-bye to her in the next few months.

3.   The digital picture frame was a hit with Mom. She spent all afternoon on Saturday
watching the pictures go by.

2.   Sunday was a blast: cooking with the kids, watching the pilot of Parenthood
together, playing games, opening presents, walking, and talking. (Watch for
recipes from our holiday week in future posts!)

1.   Our Christmas Eve service was a time to reflect upon how deeply God loves his
children. These good times with family are just a foretaste of the eternity made
possible through the gift of God’s Son, Jesus.

What were your top family events this holiday season? Leave a comment to share a few!

Three Thoughts for Thursday 10/20/11

Three Thoughts for Thursday 10/20/11

Presenting…three new thoughts for Thursday. I’ve been working on them all week!

  1. When you’re kids leave home and you think the nest is empty, be warned! The monsters who eat socks, mittens, and stretch gloves still lurk in the corners.
  2. Barely two weeks until the FREE Inclusion Fusion web-based conference about special needs ministries opens on November 3. Oh, yeah. I’m pumped.
  3. 3.When an author sees the first copy of her book, it’s a lot like seeing her baby for the first time. All she can think is, “Did that really come out of me?”

Now, it’s your turn. What’s on your mind this Thursday?

How Was Your Week?

How Was Your Week?

We called the kids this weekend, like we do every weekend. Sometimes, they’re excited to share the adventures of the week. Sometimes, they’re frustrated and need to vent. Sometimes, they’re unsure and want advice.

But sometimes, they don’t have much to say. (If you know our kids, you know this doesn’t happen very often.) However, this week was apparently a slow one. For both of them. And their spouses. So instead of telling about their lives, they asked, “How was your week?”

“Well,” I quipped, “since Thursday your dad’s back went out, my camera died, and the check engine light came on in my car.”

Long pause with both kids. I could hear the gears shifting in their brains. “Mom’s supposed to give us good news. Tell us funny stories. Not dump on us.”

What they said was, “That’s too bad.” Another long pause. “Did anything good happen?”

I thought back to earlier in the week. “Well, yeah. Discovery House Publishers is doing a second printing of A Different Dream for My Child. And they’ve hired a freelance publicist to promote Different Dream Parenting for the first four months after its release. They told me it’s not because I’m a pest, either. It’s because they want to help parents of kids with special needs tap into the resources and support the book offers.”

Their responses this time were immediate.
Effusive.
Congratulatory.
Obviously, somebody taught them good manners growing up.

This morning, I got more good news.

The Toyota fix it man advised tightening the gas cap before bringing the car in. Lo and behold, the gas cap was loose.

The camera repair would cost half the price of a new camera…and I’ve been coveting a new, lighter camera which will also qualify as a business expense…and I still have unspent birthday money.

Hiram’s back didn’t get worse over the weekend, but metaphorically speaking, his check engine light is still on. So this morning he’s getting tuned up by the chiropractor who is much cheaper than the Toyota fix-it man.

Now I can give expected response to, “How was your week?”

“Good, kids. Thanks for asking. Good and getting better by the minute.”

Cheesagehtti

Cheesagehtti

Even though home cooking meals from scratch has been the routine this week, none of the recipes were new and noteworthy enough to warrant posting. The reason for this lack of ingenuity escapes me, though I’d like to say it’s because of the excitement surrounding the arrival of Different Dream Parenting in the mail. But that would be a blatant plug trying to get more exposure for the book, something I wouldn’t dream of doing on a recipe post. So I won’t mention it.

Instead of making excuses, I’ll share another recipe from the Family Camp Cookbook. Cheesaghetti is a cross between spaghetti and lasagna. It’s a winner at camp with the cooks because it’s easy to make and serve. It’s a winner with diners because it’s tasty and filling. So give it a try and see if it’s a winner at your house, too.

Cheesaghetti

1 pound hamburger
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 – 28 ounce can chopped tomatoes
1 – 6 ounce can tomato paste
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/3 teaspoon basil
1 pound spaghetti
2 cups cottage cheese
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese

Brown hamburger and onion. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, mushrooms, seasonings, and brown sugar. Simmer about 30 minutes until thick.

While sauce simmers, break spaghetti into thirds and cook according to package directions. When done, drain and toss spaghetti with cottage cheese. Spread in a greased 9 x 13 pan.

Sprinkle 2 cups of mozzarella over the spaghetti mixture, then spread sauce over that. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over that. Bake at 350 degrees until hot and bubbly.

Welcome to the World, Baby Book!

Welcome to the World, Baby Book!

I am proud to announce the arrival of Different Dream Parenting: A Practical Guide to Raising a Child with Special Needs. The cutie arrived this morning with very little warning. I barely had time to answer the door before the UPS man delivered the bouncing, baby book, swaddled in a bubble wrap envelope.

The man in brown left in a hurry, so I had to remove the protective covering alone. One rip and one pull, and the new baby was in my hands. After a few glorious minutes checking to see if all 24 chapters and 6 appendices were present and accounted for, I snuggled this little charmer next to the cherished family teddy bear and started taking pictures.

Different Dream Parenting (nicknamed DDP) is heftier than older sibling, A Different Dream for My Child (known as Different Dream). The new arrival weighs in at 336 pages compared to 272 pages for Different Dream. But one look at both of them, and there’s no doubt they’re from the same family.

If you want to see DDP this month, you’ll have to stop by the house for a visit. If you want your own copy before November 1, you can visit the Discovery House Publishers website and purchase your own beauty. (List price is $12.95, but the website price is $11.65.)

After November first, DDP will be available at books stores, Amazon, Christian Book Distributors. From that day on,  DDP will be running around FaceBook, Twitter, the blogosphere, and who knows where else. So keep your eyes open for this busy member of the Philo clan.

If you see DDP when you’re out and about, help the new arrival get around. Give my baby legs and wings. Buy the sweet thing. Take DDP home to read. Or give the book to someone who needs the encouragement inside its covers. Help DDP find the special needs families it was born to touch.

Welcome to the world, Baby Book!