The other big milestone around these parts is that my 3rd book, The Me Project, is being released in just a few weeks and I couldn’t be more excited.

If you would like your very own copy, (and since this is my favorite book ever, I hope you will…) you can get it – at a discounted price! – and see more about the book, here. (the book will be discounted until the end of the month.)

And, if your group is interested in finding out more about doing The ME Project, we have a whole leaders kit for you to use.  (And of course, I would love to come speak to your group – I promise you we will laugh…)

We will be going through parts of the book on the blog. So if you’ve created a list of goals for the New Year, you’ve already taken the first step in the book. (Doesn’t it feel good to be ahead of the game…)

Thanks for helping me celebrate – and for all your contributions to the book. You are a blessing to me.

400th Post and a Deal for my Bloggy Friends

I had read several of Cindi’s books before, but I had a built in prejudice about her. You see, Cindi and I had been in the running for speaking at the same retreat. And the retreat committee chose Cindi. OH did I mention that it was at my own church? Bitter – party of one.

Sadly, I had to get over my lingering resentment as Cindi is a very, very cool chick. (Drat.)

She not only is a talented writer, but she wrote of an subject that is close to my heart: Are you expecting others – especially the men in your life, to meet the needs that only God should be meeting? Here is a description of the book:

Are You Ready to Experience True Love?

Do you long to have your emotional needs met, yet find that your husband or those close to you cannot always bring fulfillment to your life? Through the pages of this book, Cindi helps you take your emotional expectations off of the people in your life and leave them with the Lord resulting in a new you and more harmonious relationships. Through this book, let Cindi enable you to:

• experience unconditional love knowing God is your constant companion
  
• enjoy the closeness of expectation-free friendships
  
• move your marriage from surviving to thriving
  

Cindi continues to be cool since she is letting me giveaway a copy of her book. Leave a comment on and you will be entered to win.

To see more about Cindi’s ministry, books, speaking, check out her website at: Strength for the Soul

Book Giveaway – Letting God Meet Your Emotional Needs

Yep, I didn’t know what it was, either.

Here is what Wikipedia says about it: “Steampunk is a sub-genre of fantasy and speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often Victorian era
England—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date.”

Here is what a Steamtop Computer would look like:

We were invited to the ball by Young Adult Fiction author Shelley Adina, creator of the All About Us Series of books. My kids fell in love with Shelley – Kimber because she got to dress up in all of Shelley’s Victorian garb, Justen, because she shares the same agent as Jim Butcher, his favorite author. Here is a picture of the girls before the ball:

So the other cool thing is that Shelley is giving us three of her books in the All About Us series. I will be giving away all three of the books to one of the readers who leaves a comment on today’s post.

These books are great for the young ladies in your house, but I have to let you know, they are a guilty pleasure for me as well. (Think Gossip Girl without the smut…) You can find out more about Shelley and all of her books at: Shelley’s Website

How cool is that? Not only could you win a set of books for your girl, you can shock her by knowing with Steam Punk is…

Do You Have Daughters? Have I Got a Give Away for You!

So Roger and I decided to go out for dinner – hit an air conditioned restaurant and cool off. So we went out – and once we ordered our Grilled Polenta appetizers we realized that we picked the only restaurant in modern America that did not have air conditioning. Double Ugh.

So in celebration of hot-sticky weather, I am sharing one of my favorite Frozen Gourmet Recipes that’s perfect for BBQing. (Oh, and if you are like my agent who Twittered about how the sun was gleaming off the snow in Colorado this morning, this recipe is great for the oven as well…)

Also, I will be giving away a copy of my cookbook The Frozen Gourmet this Friday, randomly drawn from one of the commenters to this posting. Let me know what your favorite hot weather dish is – two chances to win if you actually include the recipe!

Teriyaki Chicken

We make this marinade again and again – it is much better than any prepared marinade you can find in the store.

4 each    Chicken legs and thighs (or use six chicken breasts)

1/2 cup    Soy sauce

3 tbs    Honey

1 tsp    Grated, fresh ginger

2 tbs    Dry sherry (optional)

1 clove    Garlic, minced

2    Green onions, thinly sliced

1. Prepare: Place the chicken in a gallon plastic bag. Mix the remaining ingredients together in a bowl. Pour the mixture over the chicken. Seal the bag.

2. Freeze: Place your bag in another gallon bag and lay flat in the freezer.

3. Serve: Defrost the chicken. Pour off marinade and bake chicken in a pan at 350° for 30- 40 minutes, (or until no longer pink in the center.)

Servings: 4

First Give-Away of the Week – The Frozen Gourmet

One of the dates we loved when our kids were little was to bundle them up in their car seats and drive around until they fell asleep. Once they were good and knocked out, we would pull in to our local drive in theatre and watch a real live grown-up movie.

Obviously, this works best if you have kids who are sound sleepers.

Another cost-cutting advantage to this date besides saving on babysitters is that your car acts as a giant purse. You can smuggle in as many snacks as you like – guilt free.

Question for you:

Share your brilliance. What are you going to do this weekend to make sure that you and your husband have some fun this weekend? Leave a comment below!

Friday Fun Day – Is it Possible to date and have kids at the same time?