Scripture of the Month:

“The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name.” –Zechariah 14:9

Quote of the Month:

“O, posterity, you will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in heaven that ever I took half the pains to preserve it.”

 –John Adams

It’s only natural during this time of fireworks, patriotic celebrations and family time to think about the cost of all of it. And because of the recovery and clean-up still going on in Joplin, my thoughts have turned to the day when everything will be made perfect. Every wrong righted. Every injustice soothed. Every hurt erased. Every question explained.

Like many of you, I’ve contemplated how quickly life can change, and lamented about its pace. Truly we are a breath, a mist, a vapor. The piles of debris are neater and are slowly disappearing. There is still work to be done. There are still welcome pies to bring to those who are settling into new, and sometimes temporary homes as they wait for theirs to be rebuilt. There are still meals to bring for those who are grieving. Cards to be sent. Prayers to be offered. Long, empty spaces for those whose loved ones are gone; those who face the daily obscenity of just one fork, one plate, one glass, where once there was a noisy family.

 For every complaint and concern I have, I’ve tried to remember that I am blessed to be alive to do those things. I’ve made more of an effort to sit poolside with my girls every day possible and when I’ve grown so hot I could hardly stand it, jumped in with them to play and savor their squeals and giggles as they stand poised on the line between childhood and girlhood.

These days, sultry and languid, lived by the back drop of the ice cream truck’s tinny songs, church camp days and CIY conferences, and the soundtrack of cicada concerts accompanied by lightning bug strobes will not come again, not even next summer, when the season rolls around.

So soak up summer until the laughter and presence of those you love emanates from your very skin, meshed with the scent of coconut sunscreen and the thousands of little memories that make up our lives.

 

 The porch of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan, is 660 feet – the longest porch in the world!!

From Our House to Yours

When this reaches you, we will be just 3 weeks short of the one year anniversary of Greg’s kidney transplant. Although complications can always arise, there’s just something exciting – a big “whew!”– about getting to that mark. Daily, we marvel at the contrast between this time last year, when we were barely hanging on, trying not to worry about what the future held, and this one – each day Greg is blessed with normal energy and what we’ve laughingly come to call “regular tired.”

Our youngest three all have milestone birthdays this summer: Emmy, 15 with a legitimate learner’s permit in hand- make that “in wallet” (I will have to save for more frequent natural hair color attacks); Ellie will become a teenager; Elexa reached double digits! There is something surreal about having your baby reach a decade of age. As always, I have pulled each on my lap and leafed through their baby books and told them again about how the day they were born and how very much they are loved. Our oldest, Eden, lost all of her furniture during the tornado, as it was in a storage unit until she finds an apartment that will take both her and the puppy. As we talked about what all had been in there, we suddenly realized that the wooden chest I’d had made for her first Christmas was in there too, along with her baby book and her special childhood Barbies. Although most of her other sentimental stuff and school papers were in safe keeping at her house, this news hurt my heart. I’m  going to figure out how to recreate something to share with her on her birthday this September. We were struck again with how easily things we take for granted in life can become “last times.”

Emmy made the unwelcome pronouncement just a few days ago that there are only 43 days left until school begins! Her sisters shushed her and refused to even contemplate an end to summer. There’s still lots to come.

Ellie and I embark on our very own 2-day purity retreat and I refuse to think about only having this privilege one more time. I look forward to time with just her and would love your prayers for our time to be honored with God’s presence and blessed with the sweet kind of memories that will last a lifetime, even as I seek to instill in her God’s astounding plan for her.

May God touch you through every summer song, night breeze and shooting star!

Cindy

 

Book of the Month-biography

 

 

Contest

Send us an item on your “Bucket List” under the comment section of the newsletter on the website — www.cindydagnan.com – and be entered into a drawing for a Summer Perks Prize!

F.Y.I – Summer Safety

*Sparklers burn at 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, so beware of letting tiny hands hold them!

*9,400 children are injured in lawn mowing related accidents every year; 25% of them are younger than 5.  [Parents, 38, 7/11]

*Falls are the leading cause of unintentional injury for ALL kids 14 and under. [Parents, 32, 7/11]

On Our Table   -Family Night Favorite Bread Bowl Dip

1 lb. sourdough bread round                           2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

¾ lb. crisp fried bacon                                    ½ yellow onion sautéed in 1 T. butter

1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese                                1 ½ c. sour cream

Hollow out bread, forming bowl.  Mix all ingredients and fill bowl. Wrap in foil and place on baking sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for 50 minutes. Serve with sourdough bread chunks, crackers and raw carrots and celery.

During the summer months, our family has always conducted something called “Super Summer Family Memory Nights.” These weeks, our family night includes far more than the homemade buttered popcorn and Andy Griffith/Waltons/Brady Bunch-type fare – we use the time to bond the truth of God’s Words to our girls’ hearts with memorable fun.

Each week, one memory verse is assigned. We hand out the typed sheets to everyone on the kick-off night. [We began when our youngest was 2 ½ years old; we highlighted a shortened version for her, but she usually knew our version by summer’s end, just because of all the repetition!] We begin our evening by reciting our verses. Small prizes are awarded to those who know their verses [a candy bar, fun notebook, pen, game for all of them to share, a coupon to stay up late] and thanks to friendly peer pressure, all the girls – and their parents—have learned all of them. The verses build on each other, so that by summer’s end, all of us have committed 9 verses of scripture to memory (12, if we do the bonuses, which have the biggest prizes!).

We pray together, do a REALLY fun devotion, sing a few choruses and then let the snacking and shows begin!  They love that one night is an ice-cream Sundae bar; another is a buffet of cheese cubes, fruits, veggies & dip and tiny desserts; one night is a jammies run to a fun destination.

We often use the Heritage Builders Family Night Tool Chest Books [Introduction to Family Nights, Wisdom Life Skills and Tried & True for Teens,] are some of our favorites. One year, we adapted Group’s Kids’ Travel Guide to the Ten Commandments and included knowing those commandments in order as part of our memory work. All of the lessons are easily adapted and we have added and cut as needed to fit age and interests. They don’t take more than 15 minutes.

All four of our girls still talk about the evening on our driveway, where a roll of Mentos candy was added to a 2-liter of Coca Cola and spurted everywhere, a vivid visual reminding us to be contagious Christians whose joy spilled over on others.

Another favorite was making a list of our worries in sidewalk chalk, the summer of Greg’s kidney transplant. In the middle of those worries, we wrote one of our verses: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” We prayed on top of those worries and let the garden hose wash and make of those worries a beautifully rainy tapestry, whose colors mirrored the sunset.

We’ve had scavenger hunts and planned tricks. We’ve ended the summer with a family talent night and laughed until we cried. One  year, our oldest daughter, for her “talent,” dove in the pool at our annual end -of -summer Bed & Breakfast getaway and touched the drain! She has always been terrified of them since she read that someone’s long hair once got them sucked down a drain. We teased her mercilessly and applauded hysterically when she conquered her fear for those few moments.

Our girls have written their own Psalms, surrounded by the bounty of God’s world, serenaded by cicadas, and all of us have written down the five things we’d want to tell each other if we knew those would be our last words.

We begin the summer season, as we do the back-to-school season, with a family meeting. As our girls grow, we have wanted our summers to blend relaxation with productivity and memory making with down time. We agree on a few guidelines that prevent lots of nagging and arguing.

Here are ours for this summer:

• Bed made & clean clothes put away daily
• Only one block of TV/movie time daily
• 15 minutes of Webkinz or Facebook [oldest only] or Wii daily
• Devotions & exercise daily
• Generally, in bed by 11:00 p.m. and up by 9:30-10:00 a.m.
• One special day to do Summer List activities every week
• Weekly rotation of learning to do laundry, dishes, cooking w/ mom
• One sloth day each week in which you can stay in your jammies and just do chill-out activities

I’ve included this year’s memory work to help you get started. Every family is unique and what works for one won’t always work for another, but part of the fun is adapting and treasuring each other! I can’t wait to hear all about what you do!

Super Summer Family Nights 2011

June 10

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds…but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:23-25

June 17

“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.” James 5:16b,17

June 24

“Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” I Peter 3:8,9

July 1

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” I John 5:14, 15

July 8

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” I Timothy 6:6-8

July 15

“Do everything without complaining or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life.” Philippians 2:14-16a

July 29

“Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day, otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied…then your heart will become proud and you will forget…” Deuteronomy 8:11,12a, 14a

August 5

“Don’t be afraid, the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them” And Elisha prayed, “o LORD, open his eyes so he may see.’ Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” II Kings 6:16,17

Bonus:

#1 – Review – Books of Old Testament – $5.00 dessert of your choice during our B & B weekend

#2 – “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I see: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life…I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.”  Psalm 27:4,13,14 – $5.00 dessert + $10 credit to For-All Bible

#3 – “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and … my fortress, I will never be shaken. One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.” Psalm 62:1,2,11,12 – Both of the above prizes + $15 credit toward one “extra” item of back to school clothing.

Scripture of the Month: “But I trust in you, O Lord;…my times are in your hands.” Psalm 31:14,15

Quote of the Month: “We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” Thornton Wilder

     Our world is vastly different than that we lived in during last month’s newsletter: on May 22^nd, at 5:46 p.m., Joplin was hit by an EF-5 tornado, packing 200 mph winds and a 20,000 foot debris column. Like a monster on a feeding frenzy, it ate 13.8 miles of our city. As one National Guardsman put it, “It ate well.”

     Five blocks away in our church basement, we had just finished practice with several of our talented youth who play in the praise band for Solid. We joked about how mothers feel compelled to text our children about tornado warnings and boss them around if we’re not together. One young man sheepishly wondered if there’d be enough damage to cancel school for the few remaining days. He had no way of knowing that the high school would be virtually gone within minutes. Our youth minister asked me if I were worried about losing our home again.

     “Nope,” I assured him. “Already done that, so I think we get a free pass.”

     He grinned at me. “Yeah, that’s what Job said.” I swatted him with a handy Sunday School magazine.

     My second-born daughter had been texting her friend who was at Academy Sports with her family; when texts no longer came in she turned to me with panicked eyes. Only later, when we saw the wreckage would we realize that although her family was able to walk away [their brand new van had vanished, leaving only a license plate], others in that same building had not.

     The basement is so thick it seemed we heard nothing; barely even the wail of sirens. Then, 2 texts. To our minister from his wife, who was on duty as a nurse on the 7^th floor of St. John’s hospital. “We’ve been hit.” And then nothing… [After midnight we would hear that she was safe.] Another text limped in from the wife of one of the men in our church, who had just been closing the business where she works: “Help me. I’m trapped in the rubble at U.S. Cellular.”

     My husband, her husband and son left immediately. They were able to recover her and the other two colleagues who were with her. Their position in the tiny bathroom under a plastic table somehow shielded them. Later we were to find out how devastating the sights and how heartbreaking the scenarios they confronted. I drove my scared girls home and packed all of my husband’s equipment [gloves, boots, flashlight, change of clothing to exchange for his soaking wet, debris-filled set] and drove it back to him; he basically lived at the Emergency Operations Command for the next 8 days.

     Each story that reached me, broke my heart. People who came by our home or called wanting me to text Greg or anyone a description of someone missing [our cell phones didn’t call for several days after that initial few moments]. Stories of heroism. Of brokenness. I will write later about some of these; the initial rawness is devastating.

     My husband and hundreds of other first responders, family members and survivors saw and heard things that should not be witnessed. The fallout from that will have to be rebuilt, even as heavy equipment moves away the rubble. The pictures imprinted on my mind are seared there, engraved with laser-like intensity. There will be no one without scars.

     For the rest of that entire week there were constant storm warnings and tornadic conditions. It rained daily without fail and the lightening invariably struck the ground in nearly every storm. Two officers were struck by it; one, a young patrol officer, Jeff Taylor, did not survive. Daily there was something to mourn.

     Questions, hard questions, pelted us like the hail in the storm. And yet…grace was there too. Evidence of God’s hand and protection. This storm was Sunday evening and not on Monday when the streets, businesses and schools that were hit would have been filled. Individual examples of those who walked away or were rescued with no other explanation than God. We have seen an outpouring of generosity from total strangers that defies description.

     For those festering doubts, slithering and rotting among the destruction of our town and the cracks in our souls, I have no easy answers. Though I believe Romans 8:28 and Jeremiah 29:11 with all my heart, there are occasions—and this is one of them—when a litany of quotes and pat answers will not suffice. We should not even try. Even as we cry out to heaven, I believe all heaven weeps with us. Sometimes we should not try to explain. We cannot. But we can cling to the God of all Comfort, gripping even with the merest fingernail faith and know that our God is big enough for our toughest questions. Someday, all will be revealed and more importantly, will be made right.

     Until then, we can just hold those who weep and mourn with those who mourn.

    Fast Funnel Facts:

• The Joplin tornado of 5/22/11 is the most destructive single tornado in the United States since they began recording them in the 1950s.
• Meteorologists have been studying this storm very closely because of its uniqueness; this tornado was multi-vortex and didn’t leave the ground.
• More than 12,000 volunteers [there are far more who were not registered with any organization or who were local] have come to Joplin to help with everything from triage to search & rescue to beginning the clean-up process.
• 8,000 structures and 750 businesses were destroyed.

 

From Our House to Yours

     No media members were present during the 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. shift, on the days I volunteered at the check-in station for all law enforcement and National Guard units. But I saw them and marveled, even at that sleepy hour.

     The sight of so many who cared so much for our community, who signed in by flashlight even as lightning lit up the pre-morning hours and thunder grumbled in the distance, who signed out after wearying 13+ hour shifts, who smiled in response to my thanks, was humbling. Over and over again, I heard the words: “No problem. We wouldn’t be anywhere else.” “We wanted to come.” “Wish we could do more.”

     I heard the murmur of morning briefings, and once, the solemn words of prayer spoke over those who would go out to unspeakable tasks: searching for survivors, but finding broken pieces; answering the unanswerable questions; taking up posts at the temporary morgue; telling family that someone they loved would not be coming home.

    And so, flushing toilets in the church with buckets of rainwater, assembling care packages for families who had nothing, searching for items that were needed to donate and registering the flood of volunteers became an obsession. We wanted to do something, anything! I answered heart wrenching phone calls and wept in frustration when I could not get information for someone who was wild with grief.

     These 17 days later, it seems odd to hold a sense of satisfaction to have found modest bathing suits – that fit and were within budget—for all of my girls in the wake of this destruction. Just as it seemed incredibly hard to focus 10 days after the storm, when I looked at my calendar and discovered that I had eight different 600 word pieces due by that afternoon. 

     And yet, life goes on. I was still required to meet my commitments and fulfill work that would help support my family. I still needed to cherish, to support, to be wherever needed and to pray.

     I needed to be grateful for having a house to clean. For children who needed picking up from school. For the routine of life. For having my husband’s strong hand to hold, even if only for a few brief mid-night hours. For the unmistakable hugeness of one grateful fact: I was not planning a funeral.

     On the one-week anniversary, I sang the song, “Held,” as a photo montage of the destruction played. “This is what it means to be held, how it feels when the sacred is torn from your life, and you survive. This is what it is to be loved and to know that the promise was when everything fell, we’d be held.”

     Held. Not exempt from suffering, from loss, from destruction. Just held by the One who loves us more than life itself; the One who has engraved us on the palm of His hands; the One who turned His back on His own Son in order to save us. I can rest there, even as I beat my flailing fists against His strong shoulders and beg to know why.

     I thank all of you who sent prayers, supplies and gift cards to those in our town. To those who sent gift cards to the First Responder families who lost their homes. To those of you who thought to send your encouragement and thanks to my own husband during these past weeks. Know that it was treasured.

     Life always has sweetness, so savor lemonade stands, Farmer’s Market, family vacations, stargazing on blankets in the front lawn, porch swings, lingering sunsets and the brief gift of lazier days.

     May God hold you in the coming months!

     Cindy

 

Farmer’s Market Chips

Slice zucchini squash very thinly. Dip slices in milk and coat with seasoned breadcrumbs.  Brush cookie sheet with olive oil and place zucchini “chips” on the sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes, until golden. Serve with Ranch dressing as a dipping sauce.

Teachable Trivia

James Patterson, a popular summer read author, holds a Guinness Book World Record for the most hardcover fiction bestselling titles by a single author: 65!

There are 7 Harry Potter  books and 8 movies. The worldwide box office take of the  first 7 films  $6,372,809,090! I can’t even say that number!

52% of girls ages 14-17 say they’ve gotten involved in a cause they care about through social networking sites.  –Girl Scouts USA

LIME-AID – The cancer-fighting properties in limes remain in the blood stream up to 24 hours after consumption! [That’s 4 times longer than similar substances in green tea.] –Family Circle, July, 2011

News

Watch for the Super Summer Family Memory Night schedule, June Book of the Month and Strawberry Freezer Jam posts later this week at www.cindydagnan.com

Two of Cindy’s short stories – “Something Real” and “Beating the Heck Out of Romance”  were chosen for the anthology, Everything Romance, to be released by Waterbrook Press later this year!

Quote of the Month: “Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week.” Spanish Proverb

Scripture of the Month: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  Matthew 6:34

  

  

Worry tomorrow does not rob tomorrow of its problems, but it does rob today of its strength.  That’s for certain. And yet, worry we do!  I usually joke that it must be working since 90% of the things I worry about don’t happen anyway!

Often, we fall into bed exhausted, but our minds just won’t turn off.  Our To Do List spins and looms larger under cover of darkness.  We are postive that we don’t have enough time to get everything done and won’t have enough money to cover the bills. 

Did we yell at the children?  Scar them for life? Spend enough time with our spouse? Remember to send a note of encouragement to our friend whose been down?  Did I get that uniform washed for the track meet tomorrow? And – yikes! We signed up to bring brownies for Teacher Appreciation Day; that’s tomorrow too.  And we weigh our options: trudge downstairs at 10:47 p.m. and whip up brownies from the box mix or leave 10 minutes early to run by the grocery and get storebought.  Guilt wins out [we’re not sleeping anyway, right?] and we throw back the covers and wearily mix up our version of the real thing.

We look at the clock and already feel the tired we know will greet us upon the jangling of tomorrow’s alarm.

I wonder if it isn’t time to change a few things.  First of all, we could use all of our sleepless moments to pray.  To turn over those worries to God. Keep a notepad by your bed; write down any legitimate tasks that you don’t want to forget so they won’t keep you awake.  Write ridiculous worries on a separate sheet and  tear those guys up.  God is on it!  He knows what we need BEFORE we even ask! And use the moments it will still take before peace takes over and you drift off to sleep to pray for every name or situation that comes to mind. So much more productive than worrying ourselves to sleep.  Or out of it.

Secondly, take out that Big Deal Scale and polish it.  Is what we’re fretting over going to matter tomorrow in the big scheme of things?  Will it matter next week?  Next month?  If our worries over daily things truly aren’t bigger than an 8+ on the scale, what if we just didn’t…worry about it!

Dusting didn’t get done this week?  You get a pass.  Have to whip the Febreeze out from under the counter to spray your child’s pungent uniform?  Ah, well.  That will surely heighten the appreciation for a clean one during a less busy week.  Name your dust bunnies.  Snuggle with your children and read an extra story.  Tell your spouse that you’d like to wait up for him and watch a favorite show together or take a walk.  Text your friend and tell her that a 30 minute slot for coffee or an icy lemonade is happening THIS week, no matter what.

See, don’t you feel better?

New!  New!  New! Sign up for Spiritual Training for Your Children!

If you are a mother of teen girls or gradeschool girls, Cindy is now blogging for Heritage Builders, a wonderful site for parents who are concerned about the spiritual upbringing of their kids.  In addition to these blogs, you can also sign up  to receive blogs written for dads of teenage or gradeschool girls, homeschooling help, grandparent and lots more!  Here’s one link to get you started:

 http://heritagebuilders.com/MomsofGradeSchoolGirls/

http://heritagebuilders.com/MomsofTeenageGirls/

A sample blog will be posted on Cindy’s website this month as well.

From Our House to Yours

I have just returned from two wonderful April speaking engagements, one to Illinois and one to Texas.  Fresh on my heart are the laughs, the tears, the hugs and the beauty that these talented women created everywhere – from the pink and brown chocolate centered themes in Illinois, to the bandana covered tables sporting Starlight mints, salt and pepper shakers and napkin holders in cast iron skillets my high heels and cowboy boots are holding on to the dust and the memories.

I’ll be posting pictures on the blog as I get them and I thank you for the prayers; judging from the way God’s power moved, we were prayed up!

By the time this reaches you, Greg’s transplant will be 9 months old! We are still thrilled and have been able to share his story with so many.  Because of Trish’s wonderful spirit and her willingness to share the intricacies of her kidney donation, we know of at least one other pair [a father & son] who will have the surgery this summer!

Look for summer newsletters to be full of writing news, devotions, quick tips, fun, easy recipes and ideas for treasuring your troops when school is out of session.

As always, I so love hearing from you and I pray for you often!  Enjoy this last month of spring – God is covering the hills in rich emerald carpets and dotting them with baby calves and lambs just for your pleasure.  Isn’t He good?

Chocolate hugs,

Cindy

Speaking Highlights

Monday, May 2 – Ozark Christian College, 4-State Men’s Spring Banquet: Building on Life’s Toughest Questions

Tuesday, May 3 – taping for Rock On! Christian television show, St. Louis, Missouri

August 26-27 – Retreat – New London, Iowa

Mom Kiss: Making homemade strawberry freezer jam with your kids.  May is National Strawberry Month! [see future blog for recipe]

Mom Hiss: End of school paper trail of announcements and last minute stuff to do!

Fast Facts:

I don’t have a iphone, but if I did, this is one ap I’d have to have: RunPee

It cracked me up and I’m certain some good-hearted woman somewhere invented it!

When you’re at the movies and really have to go but don’t want to miss the good parts, this app tells you the best time to go! Free at iTunes.com

You can up your chance of leaving the supermarket with a cart full of fruit, NOT chips, by paying in cash, reports a recent study! [Parents, 86, April 2011]

Quick Tip

Use a tall wire mesh trash can as an attractive place to stash rolls of wrapping paper and other supplies in the corner of an office or mudroom.  You can easily see what you need at a glance!

Wire a clean baby jar, tie a small length of ribbon to the wire for hanging, wrap  jar with spring colored gingham ribbon, fill with water and add a small bouquet of spring flowers.  Hang from a plastic suction cup from your kitchen window for a welcoming, live display. [Good Housekeeping, April, 2011, 159]

On Our Table

  

  

  

  

  

Easy Homemade Pizza Dough

3 t. yeast

1 cup warm water

2 c. flour

1 c. wheat flour

2 T. olive oil

1 T. sugar

Sprinkle of sea salt

Grease mixing bowl w/ olive oil.  Stir yeast and water w/ fork.  Let rest 5 minutes.  Add all ingredients except olive oil.  When mostly combined, make a little well in the dough and add olive oil.  Stir completely.  Knead 5 minutes.  Cover and let rise 2-3 hours until double.  Roll out on floured surface.  Cover with approx. ¾ cup organic olive oil & basil pasta/spaghetti sauce.  Top with turkey pepperoni [or veggies or Itailian sausage, drained and rinsed] and sprinkle liberally w/ Italian 5 cheese shredded cheese.  Bake 10-15 minutes at 350 degree oven.  Serve w/ carrot sticks, yellow pepper wedges and celery sticks.  We double this to make two crusts and it more than feeds our family of six!

CONTEST – Read All About It

Visit the website to read more about May’s Book of the Month and leave a newsletter comment there. www.cindydagnan.com  2 lucky commenters will be chosen to receive a SIGNED copy of Julie Lessman’s book, A Passion Denied! You won’t want to miss out on this exciting new author and her historical fiction series.

 

   

 

Scripture of the Month: “Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5:13,14

Quote of the Month: “Take every opportunity to shut up.” ~Will Rogers

 Lately I’ve been drenched in WWII.  Clippings, biographies, fiction, first-person narratives.  I am ever astounded that I learn something new every time and how much I’m drawn to that nostalgia.  The courage and sacrifice of that time fascinates me.  What amazes me more is the power of Jesus’ name in that era…and all others.

From front-line battles to concentration camps to V-E and V-J services here at home, Jesus’ name invoked strength, victory and overcoming in truly hellacious circumstances.

But just when I fear that we’ve forgotten the power of the name, something wonderful happens.  We were in St. Louis a few weeks ago to hold on to some dear friends whose precious little girl was undergoing a sixth heart valve procedure.  When it came time for the doctors to put her under anesthesia and therefore, for her daddy & mommy to have to leave, she became restless and fearful.  Her daddy began to sing to her, “Jesus Loves Me.”  At the sound of His name, she was calmed.

Precious girlfriends, what are you fearing today?  What is stirring your heart and keeping you from any sense of calm or peace?  Try speaking Jesus’ name.  Do it aloud.  It’s not cliché; it’s not rhetoric; it’s not an incantation.  It is truth.  It is powerful.  I feel that I have been battling with some pretty intense spiritual warfare on our homefront.

I’ve prowled around at night, unable to sleep, praying, crying and often kneeling at my girls’ bedsides or laying my hands on a doorframe and whispering that Name that is above every name – Jesus. 

Wherever you are, take heart – He has OVERCOME!  I am praying for you.

*In an old-fashioned telegram, sentences ended with [STOP} because letters (up to a specified number) were included in the price, but punctuation marks were extra! 

 Now you can recreate one for a celebration, or a special someone at telegramstop.com and then snail-mail it anywhere in the world, for approximately $6.00.

From Our House to Yours

So it’s come to this – along with the myriad appointments and meetings on my husband’s phone calendar, there is a rotating list of weekend sleeping arrangements for our girls.  Oh, how they love pallets and giggling after a hard week of school work, track meets and band concerts.  Oh, how they hate admitting it’s not their turn to pick.  Or to sleep on the floor instead of the couch.  Sigh.  Weary of refereeing and relying on our aging brains to [“Come on, Dad, isn’t it my turn to pick?”] remember for them, it’s officially on the schedule.

As tempted as I am to shake my head at our girls, it boils down to an age-old struggle, one that we all still face: selfishness.  Sometimes, I notice that it’s not significantly better with age!  When I’m hot, I want to be colder.  If we go out to eat, I’d like to eat where I want to eat. I want to listen to whatever music I’m in the mood for, not have to exercise to be healthy and stay in my current clothes, to read and not play Chutes & Ladders or Clue if I don’t want to.  Frankly, I VERY much like doing what I want to do.

Sound familiar?  Man, I hope so! If not, I’ll just go ahead and confess here.  I can just be so selfish.  And if I’ve learned to conquer it outwardly, I still have far too many days where I’m fuming away inwardly because things didn’t go according to plan.  Or the way I’d like them to go.  And what has God had me doing about this?  Thanks for asking, but as long as I’m confessing, I’ll tell you something else – I’m not happy about it.  Or at least I wasn’t to start out with.  I firmly believe that He’s laid it on my heart to pray for others who are doing what I think I need to be doing.  To pray for their success, their ministries, their families, their hurts, their joys.  No excuses.

I’m not sure what God is teaching me yet, but I have been taking my daddy’s precious advice, since it lines up perfectly with God: when you are hurting, do things for someone else. 

On a beautiful note, we had Greg’s 8 month check-up in St. Louis and he is doing soooo wonderfully that they aren’t having us come back for a year!  This is such a gift – it’s not the usual way of things.  He’ll just be monitored through his local lab work.  Greg gains energy and strength by the day.  He is wearing me out, but I’m joyfully worn out trying to keep up with him.

College girl Eden is finishing up her, gulp, second year!  Emmy is running a mile in just a few seconds over 7 minutes.  Ellie’s flute is beautiful and lends wings to my heart. Elexa is finishing up her 4^th grade year and all the lasts that are coming with the final year of elementary.  The mama in this house is doing lots of sniffling these days.

I’d love to hear from you about your journey – what are you missing, mourning, mad about or victourous over?  I pray for you often and am praying even now that this finds the name of Jesus on your lips.

Blessings like crazy,

Cindy

Upcoming Speaking

April 8-9 – Zion UCC, Ursa, Illinois – The Chocolate Side of Life; Hot Chocolate for Couples; Chocolate Comfort

April 15-17 – Point, Texas – Area Women’s Retreat – The Showdown: How God Fights for You in the Battles of Life [Elijah!]

May 2 – 4-State Men’s Spring Banquet – Ladies’ Night – Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri –Building on Life’s Toughest Questions

May 3 – St. Louis, Missouri – taping for TV show, Rock On – Hot Chocolate for Couples

Fun Facts

I love all kinds of music: the eighties pop rock I grew up with; a few country songs that tell stories; jazz; big band; old hymns; classical, and yes, praise music.  We listen to all kinds of things at our house, but when I need an attitude check, I put myself on a praise music diet.  Music boosts our mood, sets it, or alters it.  So, it’s no suprrise that a new McGill University report [Family Circle, 5/11, 135]says that listening to music you like boosts your mood by encouraging the brain to release dopamine.  Listen well!

85% of adults wear their seatbelts, and in 2010, traffic fatalities were at the lowest level since 1950!  Hooray!  Now, let’s make it 100%.

Yes, you SHOULD wash all new garments that aren’t sealed in a package, says Philip Tierno, Ph.D. director of clinical microbilogy and immunology at New York University. [FC, 5/11, 136]

Wow!  75% of our sodium intake [which is usually too high anyway] comes from restaurant meals and processed, packaged food! [Woman’s Day, 3/11, 138]

The Value of Perseverance “The Life of Abraham Lincoln”

Failed in business  22

Ran for legislature – defeated  23

Again failed in business  24

Elected to legislature  25

Sweetheart died  26

Had a nervous breakdown  27

Defeated for Speaker  29

Defeated for Elector  31

Defeated for Congress  34

Elected to Congress  37

Defeated for Congress  39

Defeated for Senate  46

Defeated for Vice-President  47

Defeated for Senate   49

Elected President of the United States during one of the most critical period of our history  51

 

I feel as though many of us are going through tough times just now.  I’ll repost here what I posted a few weeks ago:  Don’t give up!  Don’t you dare quit!  God’s help always arrives at the right time.

Scripture of the Month: “We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing…and so, Lord, where do I put my hope?  My only hope is in you.” Psalm 39:6a,7 NLT

Quote of the Month: “Books are the perfect entertainment: no commercials, no batteries, hours of enjoyment for each dollar spent.  What I wonder is why everybody doesn’t carry a book around for those inevitable dead spots in life.” Stephen King 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March can be a hard month.  It’s brilliantly sunny with warm winds whispering the promise of Spring in your ear one day, and a sky filled with pouting bruise-colored clouds yelling storm threats, the next.  And our emotions can tumble and rise right along with them.

As a result of my broadcast which aired on Focus on the Family last month, my inbox has been filled with equal parts wonder and heartbreak.  How it breaks my heart to receive such tender words from those whose marriages are on the edge of splintering.  While I am spending an agonizingly long time answering – and praying over that answer before I hit ‘send’—I realize two important things: 1) I don’t have any special expertise and what little I know about love is straight from the Author of it. 2) I am not in control of anything, but even when this world seems crazy, God is always, always in control.  Sometimes, we can just be there for someone.  Listening.  Praying.  Not being the expert at all. That thought alone has kept me from stomping around in a fit somedays.

You too?  Precious girlfriends, I’m nearly certain that some, if not most of you have something in your life that you’re struggling with.  Like the tulips along my fence, trying so hard to push up enough room in the frozen ground for their perky red faces to peek over their leafy green arms, it can often seem just too hard.  Frankly, quitting seems the better option.  We just want spring!

And then I remember these words, torn from an article and taped in my quote book, penned by Amanda West, a writer from California:

People who desire endless Spring must believe that winter is the end of all things.  They don’t know that life is sleeeping beneath the snow, waiting to spring up anew. They don’t know that the ice will melt away and that the new field of flowers will be more colorful, more brilliant and more beautiful than the first — just for having survived the bitter cold of this earthly life.  If they knew, they would stay warm in winter.

She was writing about life in heaven after death, but God can use the seasons of our life here to blanket us in His inexpressible comfort, to wake us up to something new or to allow a selfish something to die off, bringing beauty we’d never dreamed.  He is always, always up to something.  He loves you.  He cares more than you could imagine. Whatever is happening in your life this season, I pray that the next season finds you alive and beautifully strengthened.  Oh, how I love you.

 

From Our House to Yours

On March 1^st, I switched all the decorations on our porch and in our home to Spring.  It doesn’t matter to me what the calendar or the weather is doing, once March arrives, I am just done with winter.  March speaks of Easter dress shopping, bubbles, kites and sidewalk chalk.  Of baby animals, plush carpets of emerald grass and a rare sense of newness.  Resurrection is just around the corner.

We spent a few days doing our annual Spring cleaning, purging closets, tossing trash and discovering interesting things that have lodged underneath our beds for the winter.  While I love the jamming music we put on, the sun streaming through soon-to-be-Windexed panes and the sense of order and relative simplicity, I also mourn. 

For each thing the girls relinquish, place in a hand-me-down bin, or donate to a charity, holds a memory.  It surrenders a piece of their childhood and I have to cry a little on the inside.

Frankly, although change can be exciting, it doesn’t really thrill me.  I love things that are steady and stable a bit more than I love my occasional rushes into spontanaeity [a bit rare for a recovering Type A].  Sometimes I long for the days when my girls were tiny.  A boisterous mix of infant, toddler, pre-schooler and elementary girls. 

So I am fervently trying to relish each new stage.  For there are things to enjoy now, too.  Elexa’s last precious year as a fourth grader and working with her on words I have no idea the meaning of, for her county spelling bee.  Ellie’s deep compassion for her fellow students, collecting the underdogs and the down and outers like some collect trading cards.  Emmy’s rich spilling of her days and discipline as she follows big sister’s footsteps in track.  Eden’s zigzagging independence as she gains a puppy, learns hard lessons and lives mostly on her own.  Watching Greg approach the 8-month mark since his transplant and thrive! 

Proverbs warns us not to dwell too long in the land of what used to be.  And as hard as that is for some of us, let’s allow the windy days of March to blow away our fear and welcome these different things with a touch of wonder all their own.  Please drop me a line or share with everyone on the page and let me know how it’s going for you.

Blessings like crazy,

Cindy

 

My article “Bedroom Check-Up” was just published in the on-line Marriage Partnership Magazine. 

 Tiny Giggles: The only downside to being a stay-at-home mom is, very often the kids are there too.

People who regularly work overtime increase their risk of heart disease by 2/3s.  [Mary Ann Bauman, M.D., for American Heart Association “Go Red for Women] That includes constantly being on your laptop and Blackberry, tied to work, even at home.  Set yourself a time to stop work every day.  Reserve at least one weekend day as a work-free zone.  Do 10 minutes of something you truly enjoy every day. Declare TV or computer free evenings and actually DO something with your kids or your sweetheart.

Spring/Summer Speaking Highlights

College Heights Christian Church MOPS, Joplin, MO – Wednesday, March 16 – Hot Chocolate for Couples

Zion United Church of Christ, Ursa, Illinois – Ladies’ Retreat Day – Saturday, April 9

Area Ladies’ Retreat – Point, Texas [near Dallas] – Friday-Sunday, April 15-17 – The Showdown: How God Fights for You in the Battles of Life. For registration information, go to www.areawomensretreat.org

4-State Men’s Fellowship Spring Banquet, Ozark Christian College, Joplin, MO – Monday, May 2

Fall Women’s Retreat – Washington, Iowa – Friday-Saturday, August 26-27

The Chocolate Side of Life; Hot Chocolate for Couples; Chocolate Comfort

Congratulations to Mrs. Carrie Mayes, who will receive one of Leslie Sansone’s Walk at Home DVDs.  Her name was chosen from the comments on the February newsletter!

On Our Table

Cozy Mac & Cheese

1 lb. box elbow macaroni noodles; 1 cup shredded grueyere cheese; 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese; 1 cup Velveeta, cut into small chunks; 2 cups 1% milk; 3 T. flour; 3 ½ T. butter; ½ t. onion powder; ½ t. paprika

Boil water for noodles; pour in noodles and cook for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, melt butter in small saucepan.  Add milk and spices.  Whisk in flour and cook on medium heat, stirring frequently while sauce thickens.  Drain cook noodles.  Add in sauce and cheese.  Stir until well melted. Garnish with one tube crushed Ritz crackers and ¾ stick melted butter mixed.  Bake at 350 degrees, approximately  30 minutes. 

27% of adults admit to texting and driving; 26% of teenagers do.  Neither one of us should be.  Other no-nos while driving:

Reading

Applying make-up

Eating lunch

If you have an Android, iPhone, Blackberry or Windows Mobile, download this app – Drive.Safe.ly – for FREE at drivesafe.ly/download.  It will read you your text messages and lets you give a voice response.  There’s nothing so important coming in on our phones that we can’t wait til a stoplight, or better yet, our destination.

 

Top Toy Fads of 2010

Zhu Zhu Pets

Pillow Pets

Silly Banz

Mighty Beanz

 Quote of the Month: “Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.”  Edith Sitwell

 

Scripture of the Month: “The heavens declare the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.” Psalm 19:1

 [from left to right hosts John Fuller, Dr. Juli Slattery, me, Focus on the Family president, Jim Daly]

From Our House to Yours

The Focus on the Family radio broadcast will air on Monday, February 14^th!  You can find the times for your area on their website, www.focusonthefamily.org Thanks to all of you for your enthusiastic support and prayers!  Please pray along with me that this could be a tool for strengthening marriages and giving God glory beyond all that we could ask or imagine.

This has been the perfect month for finding out why winter is “the time for home!”  After a nineteen inch snow closed schools, cancelled ballgames and allowed us to be homebound for four entire days, we’ve played board game after board game [or is that bored game?], played in and shoveled snow, unstuck many a frozen mitten or scarf from the floor of the front porch, baked untold batches of cinnamon rolls and puppy chow, read books, held movie marathons and snoozed in front of the fireplace.  Frankly, it’s wearing me out.

When I posted something about it, other moms chimed in: “I’m way past snarky into mean territory.  My kids are scattering.”  “I don’t like anything they want to watch, play or eat.”  I had to grin, because isn’t that just like us?  We long for a slightly slower pace and then when we get it, we’re unsure what to do with prolonged periods of togetherness.

Still, though, I’m fairly convinced we need to treasure times of unhurriedness.  When our souls can be quiet and our schedules clear.  When the fury of the storm subsides and we look out on a world where deep, deep snow has made everything, even the ugly things, seem clean and pristine.

There’s a snap in the air and a crispness to the days that contrasts sweetly with the deepness of a too rare silent night. It’s my prayer that God might seem close to us, especially on the homefront during these frosty days and frozen nights.  For us to look in the face of a slate gray sky and see the constant display of God’s handiwork.

Upcoming Speaking Dates

Tuesday, February 8, Christ’s Church of Oronogo – Mom’s Connection – 9:00 a.m. “Hot Chocolate for Couples”

Monday, February 14, Focus on the Family Radio Broadcast

Tuesday, February 22, Carthage Community Teacher’s Association, “Take Your M.E.D.S.” 4:00 p.m.

Wednesday, March 16, College Heights Christian Church MOPS, 10:00 a.m. “Hot Chocolate for Couples” [rescheduled from February’s snow cancellations]

February Fun

Capture a snowy scene under an inexpensive glass dome, using a cake plate you already have.

On Our Table

Romantic Buckeye Candies

1 cup peanut butter

1 7 oz. jar marshmallow cream

¼ cup powdered sugar

1 ½ cups Rice Krispies

Mix first three ingredients together until blended; stir in cereal until thoroughly coated.  Butter hands lightly.  Shape into 1 inch balls. Chill about 45 minutes.

Melt 1 ½ cups chocolate chips and 4 t. vegetable oil in microwave.  Stir well.  Dip peanut butter balls into chocolate, allowing a bit of the peanut butter to show. [Small tongs or toothpicks work best] Refrigerate until set.

Mom Kiss: Kleenex boxes shaped like wedges of cake!  A fun treat for runny February noses.

Mom Hiss: Car Pets.  They look like colorful carpet pieces on steroids.  Can’t we just glue some plastic craft eyes onto the lint, partnerless mittens and stale Cheerios ALREADY floating around in our cars, SUVs and minivans?

Contest:

Post a comment about this month’s newsletter and one name will be drawn at random to receive one of Leslie Sansone’s Indoor Walking DVDs.

Quick Tips:

I’ve read it two places now, so it must be official: drinking a glass of orange juice [the real deal, not from concentrate] can help offset the harmful effect on your arteries when you’re having that – ahem – rare meal of fried foods!

Looking for a new, fun and most importantly do-able way to exercise when you’re stuck inside on endless snow days?  Leslie Sansone’s indoor walking program has a DVD with 5 different workouts, ranging from 18 minutes to 30 minutes; 3 of them using simple weighted balls to tone muscle.  They are easy and therefore, very motivating.  There’s one for every day of the week: 5 Day Fit Walk.

Dust Funnies

Women spend 17 hours a week cleaning.  That’s down from 26 hours 30 years ago.  Men have doubled their house cleaning efforts from 6 to 13 hours.  However, having a husband creates approximately 7 hours of extra work for women.  Still, make sure your husband knows you think he’s worth it![Family Circle, 18, 1/11]

Try freezing a few cranberries in ice cube trays to pretty up a much-needed glass of water this winter!!!

Wipe your windshield wiper blades with a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol to keep them from streaking.

Quote of the Month: “Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas.”
-Dale Evans Rogers
Scripture of the Month: “Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever.” Psalm 28:9

Taking Down Christmas
The mantle is bare. Garlands wrapped in twinkling lights and red glittery ornaments have been boxes until next time. Receipts have been filed away and Christmas cards looked at one last time. My thank you notes for gifts have all been sent. The hustle of family, company, shopping, last-minute errands and New Year’s is done. Party over.
And if I’m not careful, so is my good cheer. January stretches empty before me, the winter world a bare gray slate, with only the inky arms of naked branches making an etching against the sky. I hope for the lacy foil of snowflakes or an unexpected…I don’t know – something!
Our rooms seem strangely stark without the glimmer of lights, the anticipation of secrets and the holy hush of the season.
Why, I wonder, along with many of you, is it so much more fun to put up Christmas decorations than to take them down? Sigh.
But then, I rally. Though there are endings, this year is a new beginning, a chance for a fresh start and a grand reinvention. Yes, I know. My very first resolution was kept only for an hour and seventeen minutes! But still. There is hope. And fires in the fireplaces. Hot cocoa. Good books. Still evenings. A measure of rest. And over all things, the God of Second Chances.
So I can realize, along with Dale Evans Rogers, that Christmas is about a Christ child, not merely a season. That Christ lives in our hearts, so we really can have the spirit of Christmas every day.

Quick News
Hot Chocolate for Couples is now available as a KINDLE edition!

Cindy’s humor piece, “Desperate Housewives” was published in the November, 2010 issue of the MOPS graduate publication, MomsNext. To read the article here:

 http://www.mops.org/page.php?pageid=2919&srctype=body&src=2915&PHPSESSID=a2b83c0c3a05f55b365891078fde0268Upcoming

Speaking Highlights
Carl Junction In-Service – January 17
College Heights MOPS – Hot Chocolate for Couples; Wednesday, February 2
Christ’s Church of Oronogo – Mom’s Connection – Hot Chocolate for Couples; Tuesday, February 8
Focus on the Family Radio Broadcast Interview – February 14
Fairview Elementary Carthage CCTA – February 15
Smile Facts:
The quickest way to feel good about yourself might just be the good posture your mother bugged you about! According to an Ohio State University study, students predicted higher success rates for themselves on a list and a future job performance survey if they sat up straight. – Redbook, 46, Jan. 2010
Take regular breaks from the Internet – a large study at the University of Leeds in England revealed a link between Internet addiction and depression! [All You, 48, 1/21/11]

Try one of these activities instead:
Read a book; take a walk; bake something from scratch; meet a friend; make a craft; write a letter; take a 20 minute power nap; volunteer; clean JUST one drawer, cabinet or closet; read the chapter of Psalms or Proverbs that corresponds with the calendar date.
If you’ve missed following along with our Thursday morning So Long Insecurity Bible Study by Beth Moore, check out the posted discussion questions. It has been a liberating study for our group of gals.
Frown Facts:
It takes 200,000 frowns to make one wrinkle!
More than 200,000 kids visit the ER each year for playground-related injuries.
Congratulations to contest winners Leesa Chestnut and Claudia Mundell, who will be sent some beautiful stationery! Claudia shared about inheriting 3 of her grandmother’s letters postmarked 1946 and their sweet peeks into another time, filled with canning & simple joys. Lisa wrote about her friend’s homemade cards whose arrival in the mailbox cheered her through some of motherhood’s long days.

 [Ladies, please e-mail me your snail mail in order to send your prize!] To read their full entries, see comments under November Newsletter.

From Our House to Yours
Our children are rooting for a snow day. Having been back in school for a whopping 6 days, they long for time to play with Christmas bounty, bake things, invent elaborate games, sleep in, and just be.
For my part, I just finished a biography in which one word captured me – “unhurried.” It’s not typically a word that anyone I know would use to describe me. And yet, I long to be more like that.
The Wannabe Woman blog this year will certainly explore some of my efforts to be more unhurried, more fully present in my days.
I’d love for you to drop by www.cindydagnan.com and share with me your vision for the coming year!
My trip to Focus on the Family’s wonderful headquarters in December was amazing! I explored and breathed in the views in beautiful 62 degree weather, while my family back home bundled up for two days of 22 degree chills!
The radio broadcast experience was such an honor for me! I am happy to report that President Jim Daly is amazingly down-to-earth and genuine. Although he had just interviewed former President Bush the week before, he gamely met me and shared tales of his two little boys.
We met in his office along with co-hosts Juli Slattery and John Fuller to visit a bit before heading to the recording studio. We recorded for an hour and four minutes and as of this writing, the taping is scheduled to be their Valentine’s Day broadcast! You can check their website and time gets closer, for stations that carry the Focus on the Family broadcasts and local times.
Afterward, I had the privilege of talking over hot cocoa with the dedicated and talented producer, Eva Daniel, and then a private tour of the campus with Diane, surely their hospitality department’s best guide. She took me into the room where all the sound effects for Adventures in Odyssey are recorded and then through the chapelteria and welcome center, home to Whit’s End and an amazing variety of family fun, including a huge slide, aptly named with a play on words from a familiar Bible story hero in the book of Daniel. I’ll let you have fun checking that out.
Thanks to your prayers, I wasn’t nervous, although I did warn them that I might be their first-ever guest to fall off of the round raised dais on which we sat in rolling chairs to record! Happily, I made it through the entire time without falling or crashing into the visitors who sat in the guest area to watch the taping.
It is my prayer that God would use my passion for marriages to bless someone during this broadcast. I appreciate your support, your listening and your prayers.
Blessings like crazy,
Cindy
On Our Table
Taco Lasagna
[adapted from the recipe our dear friend & neighbor brought to us following Greg’s surgery]
1 lb. ground chuck
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped zucchini
2/3 cup water
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 can reduced sodium black beans, rinsed & drained
1 can Mexican diced tomatoes
1 can fat free refried beans
6 whole wheat flour tortillas
3 cups reduced fat shredded cheese [cheddar, Mexican or Colby jack]
Cook ground chuck & onion until done; add zucchini
Drain. Add water and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 2 minutes. Add in black beans & tomatoes. Continue simmering for 10 minutes.
Spray 9 X 13 pan w/ nonstick cooking spray. Layer 2 tortillas on top. Spread w/ ½ can refried beans, then beef mixture, and one cup cheese.
Repeat layers. End w/ last 2 tortillas and 1 cup cheese. Cover w/ foil and back 30 munties until heated and cheese is melted.
Serve with fresh guacamole, tortilla chips and salsa!
Fresh Guacamole
3 ripe avocados, peeled and mashed w/ fork
3-4 squeezes of lime juice
Sprinkle of sea salt
Garlic powder to taste
Stir well together.

Scripture of the Month: “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you…then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy.” Isaiah 60:1,5

Quote of the Month: “I’ll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams…”
I am writing to you on this, the first day of the month of my most favorite season of the year. I love all things Christmas – the legacy, the memories, the Savior, the manger scenes, children’s programs, carols, snow, fires in the fireplace, mugs of hot cocoa, ridiculous traditions and serious ones. I’ve enlisted my girls to clap with me each time we drive down Main street with its Victorian lampposts alternating lights of red and green, lit candle wreaths adorning their stiff iron arms.
If it’s the least bit overcast, I turn on all the cozy lights and Christmas bulbs, and light the candles early. The sound of Bing Crosby and classic Christmas tunes follow me into my office where I often sit, mug of hot cocoa in hand.
We’ve decorated the tree while watching It’s a Wonderful Life. Our church sanctuary is amazing, decked out with simple evergreens, lights, greenery, red and gold bows and a beautiful Nativity, flanked by festive red poinsettias. At the children’s school a tree so tall they’ve had to remove some of the roof tiles, sports handmade ornaments and in place of tree skirt, hundreds of donated cans and boxes of Jello and popcorn that will be distributed to needy families in our community. We’ve filled shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, gotten a few things for our local Crisis Pregnancy center’s wish tree and a few toys for the police department’s toy drive for the annual breakfast for 600 children who wouldn’t ordinarily have much of a Christmas.
As wonderful as all of that is, though, it’s at night as I sit in front of the tree and the fire that the wonder of this season falls freshly on me. For unto us – to us! A child is born, a Savior which is Christ the Lord. No wonder, the shepherds, the wisemen, and all who recognized Him fell to their knees. I pray that we will as well.

Fast Facts:
When the TV is on, adults spend about 20% less time talking to their children [to say nothing of each other] – and when they do, they’re less attentive to those interactions. What about playing music in the background? Or a favorite Christmas set, this time of year… Parents, December, 2010
Clement C. Moore wrote his famous poem, “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” in the 1800s during a trip to New York City’s Bower to pick up a Christmas turkey. It was a long carriage ride to the city from his house and he penned the verses first in his head as he drove! He first read it to his wife and 6 children that night. Since its first anonymous publication in a newspaper, it has become a national treasure, one that many of us read along with Luke 2, each Christmas Eve.
A typical 1600s English Manor’s Christmas dinner would likely have included:
Boiled partridge
Swan Pie
Two roasted geese
Three pheasants
Larks
Powdered geese jellies
6 dried ox tongues

 

 

 

 

 

From Our House to Yours
For 2 weeks, the charming country angel with grapevine halo and decorative plate of cookies sat unscathed and unmolested by the puppy. She perched on a small stool in the entryway, a harbinger of the Christmas decorations inside. But yesterday, in a fit of pique because I was upstairs vacuuming for too long, a bored Joy puppy SCALPED my Christmas angel! Strands of blond yarn hair littered my office and twigs of grapevine dangled from Joy’s snout. There it was in front of me: a live visual of how easily our Christmas cheer can be stolen. Too crowded shopping venues. Too many presents left to buy when the Christmas Club account has been drained. A rude salesclerk. A random car that swipes your parking place and then smirks about it. The present you’ve been hunting down is illusive. We run from scheduled parties to programs to plays to open houses to church services.
Perhaps it’s a more serious issue like a heart broken with loss when our spouse walks out on us or a parent dies. Yes, it’s wonderful that they’re spending Christmas with Jesus, but oh, how empty we feel, left behind. Maybe a child, a friend, or even you have been diagnosed with a serious illness. Christmas loses its luster.
I’ve been struggling a little this week. Perhaps it’s just coming down from the roller coast of emotions that has been our situation this year; perhaps it’s because I’ve allowed other things to rob Christmas of its shine and sparkle. I ponder this, and remember…
We sat in the little old-fashioned theatre just a mile from our home where we had driven to see the opening of The Nativity Story. The colas were watery and most of the popcorn was resting in our bellies or dropped in our laps. The movie was almost over, and then 5-year-old Elexa scooted onto my lap. The music swelled and a star over the Bethlehem night sky exploded with brilliance. Baby Jesus slid from Mary’s body in the miraculous way that babies do and Joseph and Mary greeted Him with exhaustion and marvel and tears of wonder. Elexa’s tiny hands gripped mine and I caught a glimpse of her face in profile. It was wet with tears. Even at that age, she understood what a profound event this was. And I cried too.
If you read this month’s scripture, you’ll know my Christmas wish for you [and for myself too] – that your hearts will swell and throb with joy; that you will glow with a radiance of all those who have seen that this baby changed EVERYTHING, and that this life, with all of its hurts and struggles is not nearly all there is!
At the end of the month, we will travel again to St. Louis for Greg’s 5 month check-up after the transplant. We are so very grateful for all that has transpired and for the tremendous witness that has come out of this. Thank you for your faithful prayers.
I have 2 remaining Speaking Events before wrapping up the 2010 year:
December 13 – Colorado Springs – Focus on the Family taping a Hot Chocolate for Couples marriage broadcast that will air on all radio stations hosting their programs in early February. Please pray for this endeavor that it will bless and encourage marriages!
December 20 – Carthage, Missouri – The Lighthouse building of First Christian Church – kick-off for Layman’s Christmas Services; 7:00 p.m.
Know that at our house, we will be praying for you. As always, I can’t wait to hear from you and all about the way you have celebrated this glorious season of our Savior’s birth.
Blessings and His incomparable riches,
Cindy

A Christmas Movie Play List
It’s a Wonderful Life
The Nativity Story
The Homecoming [Waltons Premiere Movie which preceded the television series]
Disney’s A Christmas Carol [animated version starring Jim Carey]
A Charlie Brown Christmas
The Christmas Card [Hallmark movie w/ Ed Asner]
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
Miracle on 34th Street
Little House on the Prairie’s Christmas on Plum Creek Episode
Eloise at Christmastime
[All of these are family-friendly, child approved and heartwarming with rich opportunities for family discussions and devotions.]
Watch next month’s newsletter for updates and the stationery set contest winners!

 Scripture of the Month: “[You are] the God who calls things that are not as though they were.” – Romans 4:17

Quote of the Month: “Writing a letter by hand is the communication version of a scenic drive.”  -Greg Philby, editor in chief, Midwest Living magazine

 

     Beautiful autumn greetings to you.  The big news here is that Focus on the Family has graciously invited me to tape a marriage broadcast on Hot Chocolate for Couples in Colorado Springs on December 12!  It will air in early February before Valentine’s Day.  I am sooo excited about the opportunity to share my passion for God and marriage with so many listeners.  I would treasure your prayers for me.

We were hauling another little girl around with us in addition to our own crew on the way to a youth night practice at church.  The air was just starting to crackle with the frosty beginnings of winter.  The minivan headed up Main Street and a round of clapping burst out.  Our family grinned as our guest puzzled, “What’re you guys doing?”  My girls exploded with laughter.  “Mom’s crazy about Christmas, and so we’re clapping because the wreaths are up on the lampposts, see?  She trained us.”

Indeed I have.  I love this time of year.  Everything about it.  The crowds, the families, the meals, the planning, wrapping, shopping and traditions.  The colorful switch as the hills change from cotton sundresses to brilliant flannels and the tender gatherings of Thanksgiving. 

And yet, in the midst of all it, sometimes we can feel empty; yes, sometimes I can feel empty.  For as much as our family has to be thankful for, there are areas of life that seem gray and uncertain.  I’m unsure which direction I should take.  I desperately plead with God for some answers, all the while forgetting that I live on His timetable, not mine.  That’s why I love this month’s scripture too – He’s already called it!  He sees it – our future, the way this painful season will become a beautiful tapestry, rising from the ashes.  He already sees it, and has called it thus, sweet ones.  Hang in there.  Hang on to the Hope that will not disappoint.  I promise.

      Given this month’s quote, I’ve been trying to do better about sending cards and letters to those I love, those who need appreciation or just something better to open than bills or junk mail when they walk to their boxes each day.  I have one precious lifelong friend with whom I refuse to trade e-mails.  We only write letters!  Still!  I treasure them.  They are newsy, filled with the latest from her family, her activities, books which she recommends reading and prayers for me, my writing and ministry and my family.  I curl up and savor every word and then get out my prettiest stationery and answer back.

     Perhaps you could make that your gift to someone this coming year – to write a newsy letter to someone far away, or take the time to get a stamp and a pretty note card, pen a scripture and a bit of affirmation and raise the flag on that mailbox!  And keep letting me know how I can pray for you.  Truly, I love hearing from you.

    CONTEST

     To win a beautiful gift of stationery in time for the holidays, just tell us about a special letter which you’ve received on www.cindydagnan.com

    I just finished speaking engagements in Michigan and Louisiana, and have just a few more events to finish out this year.  I will be speaking at a leadership dinner for deacons & wives in Webb City, Missouri on December 2 and at the Christmas kick-off in Carthage, Missouri on Monday, December 20^th.  I should have further details on that later.

     It’s been such fun to hear from those of you who are studying the Thursday morning Bible Study questions on Beth Moore’s So Long Insecurity with us.  We’re going to conquer this monster in 2011!!! If you’re new to this, I’m posting some every Thursday, 2 chapters at a time. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment and help all of us on our journey.

Fun Facts:

What a fun, easy way to be healthy – new studies show that those who talk with their spouse or friends on a daily basis are 50% more likely to live longer than those who don’t.

10.8 BILLION cranberries are consumed each holiday season, almost two berries for each man, woman & child on earth! [Ocean Spray]

From Our House to Yours

     Four days after Thanksgiving, we will be four months out from Greg’s transplant surgery.  He looks and feels better every day and we are counting each moment as a blessing.  Recently, the new kidney presented with a virus.  An estimated 60-80% of people have this in their kidneys, but the virus remains dormant unless activated by anti-rejection drugs.  After many weeks of worrying about weekly labs and numbers that were continuing to rise, they are FINALLY on the way down. 

     It has been a difficult journey because of its roller coaster feel, but one night, while holding hands and walking under the stars, we agreed to be thankful to God no matter the outcome; we’ve seen enough miracles in these past three months to last a lifetime. Thank you for your prayers.  We ask that you continue, as the numbers need to be in the negative range.

     Joy puppy turned a year old this week. We’re expecting her to wake up tomorrow, perfectly behaved and acting like a mature dog.  Our oldest daughter has been hanging around more for meals, grocery hand-outs, general advice and help with school papers; we’ve been delighting in that.  It’s hard for us mothers to let go.  With that in mind, we’ve relished every day that the youngest three invent games, play together or ask us to watch some play they’ve written, and listen to a story or a song they’re singing.  It’s true at last – I’ve turned into my parents:  “Get your nose out of that book and enjoy the scenery!”  “If you’re cold, then put on a sweater.”  “Oh girls, you’re growing up toooo fast.”  Sigh.  And they are.  Yours too.  Let’s not miss a moment.

Hugs from our house to yours,

Cindy

Mom Kiss: L’Oreal make-up primer.  It’s like affordable spackle for your face and if you let it sit on your face 2 minutes after moisturizer, whatever make-up you use goes on much better!

Mom Hiss: News that the new Miley Cyrus movie, LOL, scheduled for a 2011 release is slated to include Miley in skimpy costume, flashing her on-screen mom a Brazilian wax & kissing other girls.  Pray for the young people in show business to recover their worth in Christ and that they might hear of that great love from someone in that world.

On Our Table

Try this great recipe, invented by my mother for using up leftover turkey, a necessary disguise, as daddy didn’t really care for leftovers.

Day After Casserole

3-4 cups turkey meat, shredded

1 can cream of chicken soup; 1 small carton light sour cream

Several drops of Tabasco sauce to taste

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients together in buttered 9 X 13 pan.  Top with small package of Fritos corn chips and another ½ – 1 cup shredded cheese

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until hot all through.  We serve with a garden salad, rolls and iced tea.