Winner! Chocolate Cheerios Pack

The winner of the Chocolate Cheerios Pack was #138 heaventrees.

Terrible.....Very Bad Day*

This morning was shaping up to be a "Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day"*, but I ran into just the right person at the right time.

After a restless night, John's alarm went off at 6. I was glad when he reset it for 6:30. Unfortunately, I didn't hear him get up. My MIL woke me up at 7 (when she realized that wasn't me in the shower).

I realized, as she was taking her first bite of donut, that Crunchy was supposed to be fasting for blood work at the doctor. (Oops! Sorry baby girl! Gotta take that away!)

The car window was covered in ice, but I thought we would still make it to Chewie's bus stop in time. (That is his, alternate bus stop when we miss the first one.) Wrong. So we had to drive Chewie to school, making us late for Crunchy's doctor appointment.

We like to prepare our kids for what is coming, but we may need to rethink that plan with Crunchy. As soon as she learned they were going to draw blood, she began freaking out. Major meltdowns followed.

We survived the blood draw with lots of tears (including my own) and headed to school. In Crunchy's room, I found now one, but two substitutes. There was a sub for her long term sub (who has been here since Christmas) and a sub for her associate (aka "teacher's aid). Yikes! I left my cell number just in case.

Then I headed to the library to pay for a lost (?) book. Our school is very much into the Accelerated Reader program. Crunchy has not had a new book in 3 weeks because she didn't bring back one of her books. So I waited for Mrs.M. to finish with a Kindergarten class she was working with so I could pay up. I asked if we could double up on AR books so Crunchy can try to reach her goal (in the next 2 weeks). Mrs.M was not happy to learn that Crunchy had not been able to read AR books all this time. I was nearly in tears as I talked to her. (She was nice;I was just starting to feel overwhelmed.)

I finally headed out (late for my 9:oo appointment) and I saw my friend Meg (who teaches art at various elementary schools). She asked the customary "How are you?", but she wasn't happy with my half-hearted "fine". She pressed just a bit, and I threw out a few of the stressors in my day, so far. She said, "Stop!" (walking) and caught up with me. Right there on the sidewalk in front of our school, Meg wrapped me in a hug and held me while I cried. Then she prayed for me.

Ironically, last night after a discussion about healthy families, our group talked about how we often lie when people ask how we are doing. Or if we do answer, we quickly find out they didn't really want to know. I am so thankful that Meg was there right when I needed her. And that she didn't settle for "fine".

*Apologies to Judith Viorst who wrote Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

Boys are Odd...

Or so I learned from my 4 year old son, Munchie. Here was the conversation:

Munchie: Mom, how old with Crunchy be on her next birthday?

Mom: 7

Munchie: 7 is a boy number.

Mom: Really? I know 7 is an odd number. Does that mean boys are odd?

Munchie: Yes.

So there you have it. Boys are odd.

Bragging about my MIL

I have been blessed with incredible in-laws. My family has known them since I was very young. My father-in-law was actually my Sunday School teacher in 6th grade. Little did I know that in 3 years I would begin dating their oldest son, and in 7 years I would become part of their family.

My MIL has always been quite creative. She was an excellent seamstress when I met her. Over the years she has become proficient at cross stitching; tole painting; and beadwork. But her latest hobby has been stained glass. She took a class at the Adult Center in town and has been going nearly every Friday since.

Her first project was a daffodil.

For Christmas, she made ornament for each of the grandkids. The girls got ballerinas (like in the Christmas ballet The Nutcracker). The boys got Little Drummer Boys (as in the song). She personalized the hair on each ornament for the child.

Chewie's drummer boy (with brown hair)

Crunchy's ballerina (with blonde hair)

Munchie's drummer boy (with blonde hair)

But her current piece is my favorite. Chewie is quite an artist. A while back he made a picture of a bird soaring over a mountain.

Mamaw is making it in stain glass. It isn't finished yet, but it is already beautiful. I can't wait to see it with the sun shining through.

Dressing up and acting out

Last night, our church held its February Follies (which is done every other year). This was my first experience with Follies. It was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. Our theme was Rock through the years. We had appearances by Chuck Hairy, Pat See Kline, Pat Beat-The-Tar, and Bud Ugly and the Dew-Ops. We have a lot of very talented people in our choir (including some professional musicians).

A couple of my acts were cut, but my big act was Diana Bossy and the (Hippy) Extremes. I was one of the Extremes. We did Stop! In the name of Love. I am told my hip action was quite extreme! I have been told the red beehive is a good look for me. What do you think?

Cake Off For a Cause

To support ovarian cancer research, Electrolux and Kelly Ripa have created,"Kelly's Cake Off For a Cause". Kelly joined forces with cake decorator Buddy Valastro, from TLC's "Cake Boss," at a fun event to bake lavishly decorated cakes in support of The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF). They invited five teams of baking enthusiasts to take part in Kelly's Cake Off, where they used what they learned from Kelly and the Cake Boss, to decorate their own cakes.

Visit Kelly-Confidential.com, to see these masterpieces and cast a vote for your favorite cake from Kelly's Cake Off. For every vote cast, Electrolux will donate $1 to OCRF as part of its $500,000 commitment to help fight ovarian cancer! You can even decorate and send a special virtual cake to a friend, family member or someone you love. For every cake sent, Electrolux will donate another $1 to OCRF. You can vote and send a cake every day! You can also learn some of Buddy's top cake decorating tips on the site.

Still not convinced to check them out? Everyone who logs on to the site and sends a virtual cake will be automatically entered for a chance to win every baker's dream: a stylish new Induction Range from Electrolux.

I was not provided anything free for posting this, but I did receive an entry into a contest for an Induction Range as part of a MomSelect Campaign.

Chocolate Cheerios! Giveaway

If you know me, you know I LOVE chocolate! I am not a big fan of cold cereal with milk. But my family loves cold cereal. My husband and all three kids would eat cereal several times a day, if I allow them. I do like to eat dry cereal as a snack. Sometimes I mix several of them together for a sort of "Gorp". (Add popcorn, nuts, etc.) Since General Mills recently switched whole grain and reduced sugar in their cereals, I can feel good feeding this to my kids! Add chocolate to the mix, and we are talking: Yummy!

Here are some great recipes to try:

Strawberry-Chocolate Cheerios® Parfaits

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Start to Finish: 15 Minutes

2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
4 containers (6 oz each) Yoplait® Light Fat Free strawberry yogurt
2 cups Chocolate Cheerios® cereal

1. In 4 parfait glasses or clear drinking glasses, layer half of the strawberries, half of the yogurt and half of the cereal. Repeat layers.


2. Serve immediately

Chocolate Hazelnut Marshmallow Balls

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Start to Finish: 15 Minutes

1/2 cup hazelnut spread with cocoa
1/4 cup milk chocolate chips
14 large marshmallows
Toothpicks
3 cups Chocolate Cheerios® cereal
Round wooden sticks with one pointed end or craft sticks
(flat wooden sticks with round ends)

1. In medium microwavable bowl, microwave hazelnut spread and chocolate chips on high 30 seconds; stir until smooth. Place cereal in shallow dish.
2. Insert toothpick into marshmallow; dip in chocolate mixture. Roll in cereal to coat completely. Place on large plate; remove toothpick. Repeat with remaining marshmallows. If desired, insert round wooden sticks into each for pops.
3. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until chocolate is set.

14 servings

Chocolate Cheerios® Marshmallow Hearts

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Start to Finish: 1 Hour 45 Minutes

Crust
1 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 cup Chocolate Cheerios® cereal, crushed
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups miniature marshmallows
Topping
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 bag (11.5 ounces) milk chocolate chips
4 cups Chocolate Cheerios® cereal
Candy sprinkles, if desired

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with foil. In large bowl, mix all crust ingredients except marshmallows with electric mixer on low speed until crumbly. Press firmly into bottom of pan.


2. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from oven. Immediately sprinkle with marshmallows. Return to oven; bake an additional 1 to 2 minutes or until marshmallows just begin to puff. Cool while preparing topping.


3. In large saucepan, place all topping ingredients except cereal and sprinkles. Heat over medium-low heat just until chips are melted and mixture is smooth, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in 4 cups cereal. Immediately spoon warm topping over marshmallows; spread to cover. Sprinkle with candy sprinkles. Cool completely, at least 1 hour.


4. Using foil to lift, remove mixture from pan; remove foil. With deep 2 1/2-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out 18 hearts. Store loosely covered.

Thanks to MyBlogSpark, I have a chocolate spa gift set to give away to a reader. It comes with a box of Chocolate Cheerios, a chocolate scented spa kit, and a ceramic cereal bowl.

To enter, leave a comment. Anything goes (as long as it is nice!)

Bonus entries (leave a separate comment for each):
* Tell me how you found me (please be specific! regular reader, giveaway listing, etc)
* Add my button to your blog
* Follow me on twitter
* Tweet about this giveaway
* Follow my blog
* Subscribe to my blog

* Add this giveaway to a contest page or linky.

Winners must have a US address. Contest ends Friday, February 22, 2009

Chocolate Cheerios, prize pack, information, and giveaway were all provided by MyBlogSpark and Cheerios. I also received a box of Chocolate Cheerios from General Mills Pssst program. The opinions expressed in this post are mine, and I did not receive any additional compensation.

The Marriage Project by Kathi Lipp

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Kathi Lipp

and the book:

The Marriage Project

Harvest House Publishers (December 1, 2009)

***Special thanks to Kathi Lipp for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kathi is married to Roger, the Worship Arts Director at Church on the Hill in San Jose. They have four kids and live in San Jose, CA. When she’s not doing laundry, Kathi is a full-time speaker and writer whose articles have appeared in Focus on the Family, Today’s Christian Woman and Christian Parenting Today. Her first books, The Husband Project and The Marriage Project were both released by Harvest House.

Visit the author's website.

Product Details:

List Price: $12.99
Paperback: 232 pages
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers (December 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0736925287
ISBN-13: 978-0736925280

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Why The Marriage Project?


With every deed you are sowing a seed, though the harvest you may not see.

-- Ella Wheeler Wilcox


I have a shelf full of marriage books and I bet if you‘ve been married for any amount of time, you do too.


Most of the books that we own are great books. They talk about God’s desire for a healthy marriage, the theories behind a healthy marriage, and what a healthy marriage should look like if you apply these principles.


Some of those marriage books have had a great impact on my relationship with my husband.


Most of them? They ended up on our bookshelf as things I feel guilty for 1) not implementing on a daily basis and 2) not dusting.


When Roger and I got married we both brought two teenagers, two full-time jobs, and a host of volunteer activities into the relationship. There just wasn’t much time to be sitting up in bed after a long day, taking turns reading pages out of marriage enhancement books and staring longingly, with great resolve, into each other’s eyes.


On the other hand, Roger and I both determined to make this marriage work. We each had been in marriages that ended in divorce, and we were committed to being absolutely intentional to do everything we could, in God’s power, to see that we had a marriage that not only lasted, but also was honoring to Him and filled with joy.


That’s when the crazy ideas started to flow.


First, there was The Husband Project, where I challenged my friends (and myself) to bless our men for 21 days without expecting anything in return. While most women kept it a secret from their husbands, I had to tell Roger eventually (he had a right to know what book I was working on seven hours a day).


After that, Roger and I wanted a project to complete as a couple. The results of that are what you hold in your hand.


I wanted a way to bless my marriage that was very practical, fun, following God’s plan and purpose for marriage (and perhaps just a little bit flirty). I needed something that wasn’t just a theory about what to do about my marriage – I wanted some checkboxes. I wanted something that would instruct me, “This is what you do, now go and do it.”


That is what I needed, and that is what I ended up writing.


Becoming an Expert on Your Own Marriage


I’m definitely not a marriage expert. After one failed marriage and just four years into my second one, I’m probably not the first person you’d approach for marital advice. (Although the fact that Roger and I got married with four teenagers between us, and we’re still together, should earn us some kind of presidential Medal of Honor. Or at least a nifty certificate in a leatherette case.)


So I gleaned and condensed the very best advice from every marriage book on our shelves and adapted it into short, doable steps – or projects, that we could work on together.


This is how I have to manage almost every area of my life – whether it’s healthy eating, child rearing, Bible study, and most recently, marriage. It’s not enough that I know what I’m supposed to do; I need to have a plan to get up and do it.


Through these crazy little projects (most taking less than five or ten minutes) my husband and I learned new things about each other. We rediscovered what makes each other tick, confirmed some basics we already knew, and found new and exciting ways to encourage one another. While I may not be a marriage expert, I became an expert on my marriage.


I love how The Message Bible illustrates the words of James when it comes to putting feet to our thoughts:


Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense? (James 2:14-17)


We can talk about marriage all day long. We can buy books and listen to podcasts about how we should have great marriages. We can listen to sermons and do Bible studies. But, unless we put some God-acts to our God-talk, no one benefits.


Hundreds of couples have done the Projects before you. These simple acts have been proven to change not only people’s behavior, but also their attitudes. I pray that God pours out His blessings on you and your marriage as you put feet to His plan for your marriage.