One Thousand Gifts–Week 25

251. Having to celebrate the 6th birthday of my 3rd son which means he had the privilege to go sleep on the top bunk.

252. Seeing his face when he opened up the card I made him – priceless!

253. angry birds….

254. putting the Lemax houses/animals out on the mantle

255. Survival Week at swimming lessons… which means the kids get to go in the pool all dressed-up!

256. First snow fall!

257. high temperature – though it melted the snow… – almost wish I could go camping!

258. my family

259. playing in the snow after swimming

260. my camera

Remembering Christmas

Remembering Christmas
Written by Dan Walsh
Published at Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group

About the book

Can one Christmas change a life forever?

Rick Denton lives his life on his terms. He works hard, plays hard, and answers to no one. So when his mother calls begging him to come home after his stepfather has an aneurysm, Rick is more than a little reluctant. What was supposed to be just a couple days helping out at the family bookstore turns into weeks of cashing out old ladies and dealing with the homeless guy who keeps hanging around the store. The one bright spot is the lovely and intriguing young woman who works at his side each day.

As Christmas nears, Rick's old life beckons, the hurts from his past loom large, and the decisions he makes will determine more than just where he spends Christmas Eve.

With skillful storytelling, Dan Walsh creates a Christmas story that will have you remembering every good and perfect gift of Christmas.

Who is Dan Walsh?

Dan Walsh is the award-winning author of The Unfinished Gift, The Homecoming, The Deepest Waters, and Remembering Christmas. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Dan served as a pastor for 25 years. He lives with his family in the Daytona Beach area, where he's busy researching and writing his next novel.

My Thoughts

I had the pleasure to discover Dan Walsh from the first book he wrote – The Unfinished Gift and since then I am totally hooked on his writings.  I have been blessed to be able to review The Homecoming and The Deepest Waters in the past as well and this year I immediately jumped on the opportunity to review Remembering Christmas.  Dan Walsh was able to catch my interest and keep me captive until the end of the story with Remembering Christmas.  I feel as though his writing is almost magic has he is able to portrayed a series of characters that will keep you

I am not a huge fan of Christmas novels.   I will admit though that the writings of Dan Walsh has capture my heart and I am always looking forward for his next novel when I finish one.   So far he has written three Christmas novels and each time I have enjoyed them quite a lot.  Each are different in their own way and each are worth reading.

In this particular novel, we will follow Rick Denton has he comes to help his mom and step-dad with their store after his stepfather suffered an aneurysm.    He goes reluctantly and during the weeks where he is there, a miracle happens.   His heart is transformed and God touched him at the core of his being.    He realize that his current life is futile and that ultimately his place is near his family.   

Throughout the book, you will encounter beloved characters as well as dramatic moments whether with the health of the stepfather, with the homeless person living next to the store or the thief who visited the store in the middle of the day.   Slowly but surely the heart of Rick will melt and he will come to realize that pursuing money, women and fame is not what he is called to do.

If there was one Christmas novel that I would recommend you to read this Christmas it is definitively Remembering Christmas. 

Remembering Christmas is currently free for the Kindle and Kindle app for the iPhone/iPad (Nov 27th 2011).  Visit the Kindle website to download it.   I am uncertain to how long this book will stay FREE so I would strongly suggest that you download it as soon as you can!

Note: The price mentioned is accurate at the time of posting, but please click the book cover or link to check the current price prior to purchase.

The Christmas Shoppe is available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, even at amazon.ca.

Disclaimer: Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Trivial Pursuit Bet You Know It Wii

Trivial Pursuit Bet You Know It (Wii)
From EA Games

About the Game

Experience the ultimate TRIVIAL PURSUIT experience with both BET YOU KNOW IT and Original on one disc!

In TRIVIAL PURSUIT BET YOU KNOW IT you and your family can play both classic TRIVIAL PURSUIT and BET YOU KNOW IT, all on one disc. The new BET YOU KNOW IT mode includes thousands of new trivia questions and a fun betting component that will keep everyone on their toes. Team up with or play head- to-head against up to three friends.

• All-new questions - Thousands of new questions for hours of fun
• Categories for Everyone - Fun, new categories like Jingles, 80’s Music & Movies, Videogames, Slang, and more so everyone can play along!
• Single or Multiplayer - Play to clear the board, or play with up to four friends
• With BET YOU KNOW IT, everyone plays on every turn! - Challenge friends and family and steal wedges to win the game.
• Classic and BET YOU KNOW IT gameplay - Enjoy your favorite trivia game, in an all new way.
• Compete with friends and family members for bragging rights.

Our Thoughts

Last Wednesday, we had friends who came over for supper.   After the kids were in bed, we decided to play on the Wii with try the new Trivial Pursuit Bet You Know It game that I had received to review.  It was perfect to have another couple to play with us.   We made the teams – men against women – and started to play.  You will get explanations as you start the game and you will also be able to decide how the game will be played.

The new Trivial Pursuit Bet You Know It is challenging to say the least.   The new version of Trivial Pursuit allows you to buy spaces and wedges if you have the money.  What is interesting is that this version of the game also allows the opponents to bet if the person will be able to win the game or not.   Once the bet are placed,  you receive your question.  Each question has a multiple choice and you are a time limit to answer.  We all found that the time allowed to answer the questions was quite fast.  To be honest it almost felt that you need to be a speed reader to be able to see all the question and answers.      If you win the bet you have place against the person, you earn double the amount you place.  If  you loose, you loose the amount you have bet.  If you answered the question, you win the chips that the players have lost.

Here’s some example of questions asked during the Trivial Pursuit Bet You Know It game.

I am pleased to say that the women won the game.   Afterwards, while looking at the options more, we discovered that you can also play the Classic Trivial Pursuit with this Wii game.   Two game for the price of one!   Fabulous! We decided to try it right away to compare the two and personally I must say that I prefer the Classic version.  One the questions are easier and Two my husband enjoyed it better.    My husband is not too fond of trivia type games but with the Classic version, he was able to get into it more.    With the Classic version, you can decide how many wedges are needed to win the game as well as when do you get the wedges.

In the end, we had fun playing with our friends even if the first game was a little bit harder than the Classic version.    This Wii game could be a great game to take out when you have people over one evening and you want to create teams together.   You can play with up to four controls as well – so four teams in a way.

Now my questions to EA Game would be – Will  you make a Trivial Pursuit Disney For All Wii Game?  Because if you do, we will definitively jump on it.   You could also incorporate the Trivial Pursuit for Kids on the same CD….

Trivial Pursuit Bet You Know It Wii game is available at your favorite store, even amazon.ca.

Disclaimer: I received the product for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.