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Here’s our list of current contests:

Dell is fairly well-known for offering coupon codes and special sales, so if you are in the market for a brand-name PC-style computer, you can find Dell coupon numbers at this website. There are codes for laptops, desktops, monitors, cameras, and more – most of them are very current and expiring in the next few weeks

They even have deals on those tiny little net books with the batteries that last SO long (7 hours!  My laptop doesn’t last nearly that long…wish it did!)

There are also some Dell reviews for the company in general and for specific models, but they’re all mixed up – you’ll have to read through them if you need something specific.  The coupons also work best if you’ve done some research in advance and have an idea of what you’re looking for, because this page is mainly text (no explanatory photos.)

Have fun with your back to school shopping!

90 Days to a Fantastic Marriage

Each topic begins with a troubleshooting checklist with signs that you might need to focus hard on the topic given if you display the behaviours listed.  Advice, personal experience, and teaching follows, with a “Weekly Quiz” and “Putting it Into practice” section wrapping up the week’s reading.  The weekly sections are somewhat longer than most non-fiction chapters are, so you may want to read them in several sittings.

I’m always up for a good marriage book.  Unfortunately 90 Days to a Fantastic Marriage is only a mediocre one.  Though published by Tyndale, a Christian publisher I highly respect, Hawkins seems to rely more on regurgitating pop-psychology self-help books than he does the Word of God or even his own clinical practice.

Personally, I find that highly annoying.  It smacks of a lack of depth, and a easy-spoon feeding sort of approach to marriage and relationships.  Somehow Hawkins’ style and reliance upon these secular-type advice vendors rubbed me the wrong way.  I was actually relieved to finish reading this book, which is unusual for me.

Still, there is good advice to be gleaned from this book.  Quite a few of the lessons included are those that my husband and I learned through very painful and difficult trials, so for me, it was a reaffirmation of what personal experience has proven.    If you are newly married and haven’t read many relationship books, then there are certainly lessons to be found here that will save you pain and build a more joy-filled marriage.

CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW AT CHRISTIANBOOK.COM OR AMAZON.COM!

Now it seems that even very slight imperfections warrant hiring a Cosmetic Dentist to do some upgrades on a grin.  I think that there is a very big difference though, between a young child having to maintain braces and an adult choosing to have some refinements done to their teeth alignment.

I remember a sweet science teacher of mine in high school who had braces though she was easily in her late ’40s.  Now they have “Invisalign” which is a set of clear, plastic, nearly invisible teeth straighteners made from plastic – a great option because it’s so much less visible!

Some before and afters of cosmetic dentistry in adults are fairly subtle improvements, others are more dramatic and you can definitely see why the patient wanted some improvements.

So, how about you?  Have you had any cosmetic dentistry done as an adult (had any work done)?  Personally I haven’t had any cosmetic dentistry at any point in my life, and a big part of that is that I just can’t justify the cost when it’s simply an appearance issue!

The Handkerchief Quilt

Illustrator Gary Palmer’s muted watercolors lend this lovely picture book an authentic vintage feel, and the story itself is touching.  As a homeschooling family, this title doesn’t suit us well with it’s subject matter, but it is heart-warming and would make a perfect gift for a beloved primary school teacher or addition to a school library collection.

Like many Sleeping Bear Press titles a free online teaching guide is available for extension activities.

CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW AT AMAZON.COM!

I’m not generally an avid fan of mysteries, but Kiss hooked me early on with the mystery of the heroine Shauna’s memory loss and the mystery surrounding the events leading up to and following the car crash that seems to have caused it.  Not only must Shauna struggle to decipher the world around her with a memory gap of six months, she also needs to stay out of jail, stay alive, and learn to deal with a mysterious new ability to access the memories of others.

The suspense of not-knowing the answers to Shauna’s dilemma and situation was maddening, expect this one to keep you up late at night as you read-on to discover what lies behind the incongruities in Shauna’s present – answers that can only be found in a past that is missing.  Mixed with the high-octane suspense Dekker and Healy provide a dose of romance that sweetens the pot without hi-jacking the storyline.

Kiss is most definitely delightful reading, and is perfect for losing yourself in a good story.  Dekker and Healy subtly weave in some faith elements as well in an understated way, though there isn’t an emphasis on redemption.  The themes the writing team explores instead tend towards the value of remembering God at work in the past, and the presence of God with us in challenging situations.

This is a brisk-paced story that will have you running along behind it, trying to keep up.

CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW AT CHRISTIANBOOK.COM OR AMAZON.COM (BOTH ON SALE!)

Truthfully though, Assaulted by Joy wasn’t quite what I expected.  Much of the book is devoted to Simpson’s life as a self-proclaimed “jerk” – his teenage angst and rebellion (most notably marked by his experiences with music and how they didn’t jive with his youth group), his dissatisfaction with life in general, and so forth.

Readers may also want to note that Simpson and his wife struggle with the decision to carry all of their children for as long as they can – there isn’t a distinctly pro-life stance presented here in the preservation of each tiny baby’s life.

There just doesn’t seem to be a lot of joy to go around in this book.  Even after the birth of his children the books emphasis is on feelings of overwhelm, medical challenges etc.  Maybe I missed the joy somewhere along the line?

Of course, this memoir is realistic for that reason – many of us struggle with feelings of overwhelm, angst, and frustration, especially when we try to run our lives on our own instead of surrendering all those details to the Lord.  Well, let’s be honest – sometimes even when we’re doing our best to hand these things over to the Lord.

I suppose I was expecting something more definitively joy-filled that distinctly celebrated children rather than being mired in the many struggles and discontent moments of life.  If, like me, you’re looking for a deeply inspirational read, this title won’t likely fit the bill.

CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW AT CHRISTIANBOOK.COM OR AMAZON.COM (ONLY $3.77 – ON BARGAIN DISCOUNT!)

Whew. I need God’s grace on this one! Still, I’m relieved that we won’t be having belongings in two homes, that is just TOO confusing for a disorganized gal like me, and makes homeschooling almost impossible!

Prayers appreciated – I’m going to have to work hard to find room for everything back at the farm!

BUT, it turns out he actually wants to grow it out a bit more!  He’s aiming to be able to pull it back into a short pony tail, so that should be fairly easy to keep trimmed . kamisori shears will definitely be a bit more than we’ll be needing!

He also has dead-straight hair so won’t be needing a chi flat iron or any types of flat irons. (Though I doubt men go in for those in a big way in any case !)