Book Review - Family Squeeze by Phil Callaway

If you’re in the “Middle Ages”–sandwiched between the “greatest generation” and the “gimme” generations, busily juggling both with no relief in sight, then this book's for you. Children are driving, and parents are not. Money is tight and so are your favorite jeans. And things that never ached before are beginning to give you trouble! For every baby boomer who wonders if it’s possible to navigate the Middle Ages with grace and style, Phil Callaway offers plenty of hope and a little hilarity, too. Because there’s nothing like a smile to make wrinkles less noticeable.

This book was of interest to me because I am seeing more and more of our friends beginning the process of helping to care for their aging parents. My mother turned 84 this year and although she's living on her own now, we know that it's just a matter of time before we'll need to help even more, or potentially have her come and live with one of us. Phil takes some very difficult situations and helps us to see how to make the best of them. More importantly, he shares how he has learned to give them over to God, who is the ultimate helper in all situations anyway. I recommend this book to anyone going thru or anticipating that next phase of life.

Sorry, I don't have any extra books to give away this time. It's too bad, because it's a great read! Visit Amazon here if you want to buy the book.

Author Bio:

Described as “Dave Barry with a message,” author, speaker, and television host Phil Callaway has written twenty books, many of them bestsellers and is a popular speaker at conferences, camps and marriage retreats, coaxing laughter and tears from audiences worldwide. Of his personal accomplishments he rates the following highest: shutting off the TV to listen to his children’s questions (twice), taking out the garbage without being told (once), and convincing his high school sweetheart Ramona to marry him (once).

And the winner is....

...well the competition was fierce, but after all was said and done, Linda is the winner of the "Experiencing The Resurrection" book!

CONGRATULATIONS, Linda. I'm sure you'll like it. It will go out in the mail today.

Thanks for entering.

Only two days left to register for the drawing for the free book. Look at my post from last Saturday and add a comment if you want a chance to win.

I'll be posting a new review this Friday too, but I don't have a book to give away for that one, so take a chance while you have one.

Check out these cute pics that Amy took when we went to lunch with my mom and older sis on Friday.

Can you see the mischief in their eyes?

Don't forget to add a comment to my post from Saturday so you can get in the drawing to win the free book. The odds are good so far.

Come on guys...leave a comment on my last post so I can send this free book to someone.

Thanks!

You can win a FREE copy of this hardcover book if you comment on this blog entry!

I will be honest and say that I haven't had a chance to read the whole book, so I can't really comment on it personally. Below is a quick summary to give you an idea of what it's all about. I hope that you have an awesome Easter!

I will be drawing the winning name and announcing it next Friday, March 28th, to allow time for more folks to add a comment.

What does the resurrection of Christ really mean for us? What does it reveal about the heart and mind of God? And what real differences can the miracle of the resurrection make in your life today?

Discover answers to those and other questions as you examine God’s Word with this book, Experiencing the Resurrection by Henry Blackaby and Melvin Blackaby, and it's companion study guide. You will receive the hardcover book (not the study guide) if you win the drawing

The Experiencing the Resurrection study guide is packed with practical notes, advice, and questions for reflection, this highly interactive guide—ideal for small group or individual use—shows you how to witness Christ’s resurrection in and through your life. Each chapter of the book is explored in a flexible one-week format with “life change objectives” that arise from applying the truth for each day to your life.

Author Bio:

Dr. Henry Blackaby, president emeritus of Blackaby Ministries, is the author of more than a dozen books, including the best-selling classic Experiencing God. He has spent his life in ministry, serving as a music director and as a senior pastor for churches in California and Canada. Today he provides consultative leadership on prayer for revival and spiritual awakening on a global level. He and his wife make their home in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. Melvin Blackaby coauthored with his father, Henry Blackaby, the Gold Medallion winner Experiencing God Together. He travels extensively as a conference speaker. He and his wife and their three children live in Cochrane, Alberta, Canada, where he serves as senior pastor of Bow Valley Baptist Church.

If you don't win the free book and want to buy your own copy, please visit Amazon.com here.

I just found this great engagement photo of our nephew, Jeremiah and his fiance, Amber. They're getting married in June. Aren't they a great looking couple?

I am so sad...I just spent an hour working on a blog post, then somehow accidentally deleted the whole thing while I was on the phone with my mom. Now I have places to go so I can't recreate it. I'll go ahead and post the pics and maybe add some text later.

Some of my favorites from Terry's dad's visit and the flowers from Catalyst (see note in previous post).
Click the links to get news on our family. It's amazing what you can find on the web these day:

Amy Schubert
Daniel Hann
Jeremiah Hann
Matthew Hann
Nick Sheffield

Terry & Ginny Hann - Great article about them being hospice volunteers

FLOWERS MAKE ME FEEL LOVED...

I know that there are probably very few people left who check my blog, since I've been so bad at posting. Hopefully it will get better. Flowers have been a big part of my life over the last few weeks and just I LOVE IT!!!
I love seeing flowers of any kind and feel truly blessed when I get the chance to enjoy them at home or in nature. They remind me of how much God loves us because He gives us gorgeous gifts like this that are here today and gone tomorrow. How much more must He love us since we're created in His image? Here are just a few of the ways that I was blessed by God's creation over the last few weeks.

The first two pics are of our front yard. Normally this is "desert landscaping" which is lots of rocks, some cacti and a few other plants. This time of year these gorgeous daisy-like flowers bloom and there are more and more every year. This year we also have several other kinds of purple flowers. It's amazing and we don't have to do anything to get them to grow!

The next 3 pictures of the blue succulent, fuchsia ice plant and orange flowers are from two weekends ago when Terry's dad (Terry) and his wife, Ginny came to visit from North Carolina. While they were here we took them to Boyce Thompson Arboretum and Lost Dutchman State Park near the Superstition mountains. It was too early for most of the flowers but there were a few nice ones and the base of the mountains was covered with a gorgeous carpet of green .

This past weekend we drove up to Lake Pleasant with some friends and hiked about 4 miles on the Pipeline Canyon Trail. The poppies were outstanding! Here are just a few photos that don't do it justice. You just had to be there. The last one has the reflection of the water from a creek below in the background...kinda artsy. I like it.

I also had one more unexpected encounter with flowers last week. On my first day of work at my new job, in the middle of the afternoon I had a delivery from the florist! It was this adorable bouquet of spring flowers in a big coffee cup and it came from Bruce, my boss at my previous job, and from the whole Catalyst team there wishing me all the best. How sweet is that!!!! It makes me smile just thinking about it. They are all so precious to me. I do miss them. Sad thing is that I took pictures of the bouquet and now I can't find the pictures. I need to keep looking and I'll post when I find them. I felt very loved.

Lots to post about from the weekend, but I start my new job today. I'm excited!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR DEAR SON (Saturday, March 1st)

We have guests arriving to stay with us for the weekend (will post more on that later) but I didn't want to miss wishing Kevin a happy birthday for tomorrow.

We are so blessed to have two awesome kids (that are now adults)! I just love watching them grow and change and follow their dreams. These are just a few things that I love about Kevin (in no particular order).

• I love that he can make anyone laugh. He's so funny with a crazy off-the-wall kind of humor and you just can't help laughing with him or at him. He's not afraid to do goofy things and make a fool of himself.
  
• I love that he has an amazing tenor singing voice and I hope some day he chooses to use it in public again.
• I love that he's so smart and creative and talented. You can just see glimpses of it in everything he does. I look forward to seeing where God takes him with that. The sky's the limit.
• I love his tender and gentle spirit. The name Kevin means "gentle", and he's certainly got a tender heart when it comes to people or animals that need love and attention. His grandmother once told me that she really appreciates the way Kevin has always gone out of his way to treat her with respect, carry on a conversation and listen to what she has to say, even when he was a young teenager, at an age when most kids don't want to spend an extra minute with adults. He always took the time to make her and others feel loved and appreciated. He also wants to take home every homeless creature that he sees at the pound or in the streets and can't stand the thought of harming anyone or anything.
• I love that he's so charismatic and handsome. (o.k. so maybe I'm a little prejudice) but actually people have told him that he looks like Chris O'Donnell.
• I love that he can talk to anyone anywhere! Once when he was in high school and we were on vacation in Canada, he went for a walk in a nearby cemetery and when we asked why he was gone so long, he said that he'd been talking with the caretaker. Another time when we were waiting for a bus on vacation, he struck up a conversation with some older ladies (in their 60's at least) and by the end of the conversation he had them laughing and offering him their snacks.
• I love his passion for writing. In first grade, he wrote a "Book of Monster Opposites" with illustrations and all (tall/short, happy/sad, etc.) . His teacher liked it so much that she used it as a project for all her students every year after that. All throughout his life, he has spent hours and hours writing every kind of book, poem or story that you can think of. I know that God will continue to use that gift somehow.
• I love that he has never stopped giving me hugs, even in front of his friends.
• What a precious son we have. We wouldn't trade him for the world!

Happy Birthday, Kevin. We love you forever.

Happy Birthday to me!

O.k. so my birthday's not until July, but today we had a new bed delivered that was my birthday present from last year. Terry knew I wanted a new bed. The last one we bought was a waterbed just before Amy was born (nearly 26 years ago) and the only thing left of it was the wooden pedestal with 6 drawers in it. Of course, you couldn't really see it under the dust ruffle, but I had always wanted a bed with a nice headboard, so Terry said I could get one for my birthday last year. I was shopping around and checking prices, but kept coming back to this one. It just reminds me of all those great beds of the past. It was a little more than I wanted to pay, but I kept watching and finally got it for $100 off the regular price, which was a big help.

Don't you just love the crystal tops on the bed posts? I think they're so awesome!

We moved the bed in front of the window and it makes the room feel much bigger. To finish off the room, I want to get some window coverings that match the bedding better, a bench or trunk for the foot of the bed and do some painting, but that will all have to wait till I can find a good deal and some more time to do the painting.

Shredder seems to like it. She was a bit confused the last few days. We had taken our old bed out of the room to get the carpet cleaned, in preparation for the arrival of the new bed, so while it was drying, we were sleeping in the guest room. She didn't know what to think because we usually don't even let her in that room. Anyway, all is good now and we should all be able to settle in to our new digs. Shredder also likes to hide and sleep under the bed, so this one will have a lot more room for her.

Oh, BTW, I also totally rearranged the guest room today. While we were sleeping in there, I realized what a pain it is if there are two people in the bed and the one sleeping next to the wall needs to get up in the middle of the night. It's a bit cozy in there, but now the bed can be accessed from either side, which is MUCH easier. Terry's dad and his wife, Ginny are coming on Friday, so I'm sure it will be much more convenient for them with this layout.

Stay tuned because one of these days I want to paint all the wood furniture in the room with some pretty pastels. I just love the look of the furniture at Maine Cottage! I probably won't use their paints or their furniture because it's too expensive for our budget, but I will definitely use them for inspiration. The hard part will be deciding on colors.

TrueFaced message:: Santa Claus Theology

Check it out. There are several clips of the TrueFaced Message video on YouTube. Just search "truefaced" to see more.

LOVE the OSCARS !!!!

Linda's comments inspired me to post a little about the Academy Awards and movies, in general. I watched most of the Oscars last night and as always there were moments that made me cry. I missed a little at the beginning, but I recorded it and the Barbara Walters Special so I'm planning to go back and see what I missed. This is one of the only shows that I actually mark down on my calendar so I'm sure not to miss it and here are some things that I love and observe about it:

• Getting to see what the "industry" folks think are the best movies of the year. I don't always agree with them, but it's good to know anyway. - for example, the movie that won Best Picture, (No Country for Old Men) I would never see again if you paid me. Oh, it's not that the movie wasn't well made and that the acting wasn't incredible, but the subject matter is just too depressing for me...a psycho serial killer that always gets what he wants. Too creepy and disturbing for me. The only reason I went in the first place was because I had not seen anything about the plot of the movie. My bad, for choosing something based solely on an actor. I'll do more research the next time.
• I love the emotion of the acceptance speeches and the fact that the dreams of so many people are realized that night. It just makes me cry to see them so thankful and humbled.
• I love the fact that actors come in all shapes and sizes. It gives us hope that we don't have to be absolutely perfect to be a good actor. Of course, in Hollywood it doesn't hurt, especially when you're a woman.
  
• When our daughter, Amy was young, she loved acting and singing and used to say that someday she would get an Academy Award. I really believe that she still could if she chooses to pursue a job in the industry. Now that she's probably going to be living in L.A. she has a much better chance at that.
  
• Who knows, with our son-in-law, Andrew's new training in audio recording, he could even be doing something in film sound mixing or editing someday.
  
• And our son Kevin, loves to write and loves the technology of special effects, so who knows what could happen with him too!
  
• I truly believe that all three of them have the potential to really do it. Wouldn't that be amazing to be a parent watching one of your own accept an Oscar? Wow! I just hope we're invited to the celebration.
• Fashion is not a heavy focus for me, but I'm so glad that folks have generally gotten away from the really outlandish outfits and are coming in more classic and glamorous garb. I just loved some of the dresses this year that made these already gorgeous women look truly spectacular.
• After living in the L.A. area for 18 years, and having friends and family in and around "the industry", it really makes you appreciate all the hard work and literally hundreds of people that it takes to make a movie. It's pretty cool that the whole city nearly shuts down that weekend to honor the awards show.
• I agree that at times its a bit ridiculous how much is spent on some of the junk that's out there, but when there's a truly memorable piece, it's well worth it.
• It's so awesome that the culture today allows for more independent pieces and that even lower budget films can make it big - the American dream for sure.

I agreed with Linda on many of her choices for top movies. Here are a few more to add to the list:

Schindler's List - (Linda - you need to see this if you haven't already)
Chariot's of Fire
Rain Man
On Golden Pond
The Sting
Sleepless in Seattle
It's a Wonderful Life

I'm sure there's more. Let me know your favorites.

Project update - Thursday (To keep me accountable)

As mentioned before I'm trying to finish a few projects around the house before I start my new job, so in order to keep myself on track I want to try to post some of the items I've completed.

Yesterday I took down all the "Winter" decorations. That would be anything that's not specifically Christmas, that I didn't feel like taking down in early January. Since the weather's getting nicer here, it just doesn't feel like winter any more so it's out with the snowmen, snowflakes, pine cones, etc. and in with the Spring decor and colors. Here are a couple of areas that were changed.

Top of the armoire in the living room:

Winter - I just love these trees from Crate & Barrel! I also got a gorgeous silver tree to add to the collection from my friend, Sharon.

Spring: (pictured at top) These are all things I already had (the sofa in here is red, so I stayed with those colors). I have a collection of bird houses. I don't use them as much as I used to, but still keep a few around.

Guest Bath:

Winter: Last year I found a versatile red, green and gold plaid shower curtain that can be used in the fall and winter. It goes great with the buttery yellow walls of either bathroom.

Spring: Another plaid shower curtain with wonderful greens, blues, yellows just brightens up the room. Those awesome aqua candles were a gift from from friend, Linda. They look great in this room! This bathroom is still a work in progress...more to do to finish it off. I'll probably bring in some flowers of some kind later, but I like where it's going.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!! (a little late)

WOW, I am so far behind on blogging! I just uploaded the photos from my camera of the events over the last month that I haven't posted about. Here's the list. I may not get to all of them, but this will help me remember what I've missed so far.

• Super Bowl party
• Valentine's Day
• My February Branch - Valentine's decorations (pictured here)
  
• Phoenix Suns & Dallas Maverick's game
• My office and last day of work at Catalyst
• Building our new Ikea dresser
• ODF Valentine's Dinner - Here's one of Randy & Linda dancing. Don't they look like they're having fun? They're such a cute couple. See more on Linda's blog here

The one below is one of my favorite photos so far...this is the Christmas ornament that I gave to Terry the year of our 25th Anniversary. The photo is from our 25th Anniversary party that our friends planned for us. What great memories!

So, I have time at home until Feb 29th (when my father and mother-in-law arrive), but I know that there are so many projects to be done around the house (over 30 on the list) that I don't want to spend all my time on the computer (which I could easily do). So I'll just allot a little bit of time each day or so to post, so I can get other things done.

Here's what I've done so far, since yesterday:

• Built a new dresser for the scrapping room to store gift wrap and other craft supplies
• Scheduled carpet cleaning (since I'll be home next week)
• Finally ordered the bed that Terry offered to buy me for my birthday (last July). It's on sale!
• 3 loads of laundry
• Made a good dinner - pot roast and vegetables

O.k., I'm off to work on my next project. Today, I'll be taking down all my "winter" decorations and putting up the spring stuff, since it already feels like spring here and Easter is just around the corner.

Sorry to have been MIA for so long. Good news is that I got the job with nearly everything that I was hoping for. Here are the stats:

3 resumes sent + one phone screening interview (saying they only wanted to hire full time) + one rejection letter received + interest from a second employer that I asked to hold until after the Uhlmann decision + one interview + one job offer on the spot from the Uhlmann Family Offices = One amazing God with impeccable timing!

I'll be working Monday thru Thursdays, 8 - 5 pm with Fridays off! Yahoo!!!!!

My last day at Catalyst was this past Friday and my first day with the Uhlmanns will be March 4th (at my request). I'm so excited about having 2 weeks to get caught up around the house and am looking forward to starting a new chapter in my career.

More to come to catch you all up on the last few weeks...saying goodbye to my dear friends on my last day at Catalyst, Valentine's Day, a bunch of other things that I can't even think of right now... check back soon and I promise there'll be more.

SNOW DAY...

I just got a note from the person I'm supposed to be interviewing with tomorrow. Here's what it says.

"I’m snowed in up on the Rim. It appears the storm is going to continue on through Monday night. Therefore, I want to re-schedule our Tuesday morning appointment. I’ll give you a call when I’m back in the valley."

Sounds like a fun place to be! Needless to say, I'll be patiently waiting for that phone call.

News of the week:

Do these guys look familiar? You're right. They don't look like anyone special to me either.

That probably explains how Eli Manning and his whole offensive line sat about 10 feet away from us at dinner last night and we didn't even know it was them until we asked someone.

Now, understand that we knew they had to be on a football team or something because they were all massively HUGE, except Eli, but they just looked so young that we had no idea they were professional football players bulking up for the biggest game of the year and for some of them, the biggest game of their lives!

Can you believe it! How random for us to happen to be in Chandler of all places, meeting a friend from California for dinner. I think we've had dinner in Chandler maybe once in the last 30 years.

It was kinda cool, even though I really know nothing about that team except that they beat our friends' beloved Packers (sad). We were at Firebirds (Wood Fired Grill) restaurant by the Chandler mall. I would have taken a picture with my cell phone but it was too dark.

We enjoyed catching up with our friend, Steve B and the food at the restaurant was pretty good too.

This is Eli Manning...doesn't he look too young to be a pro quarterback?

Hank Williams Jr, Hunter Hayes: Jambalaya

This little boy is just adorable!