Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 01-18-19

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books,
"meet" the authors and enter to win.

Dear Reader,

Just-because and no special occasion are two of the best reasons for inviting people over for dinner. And if someone's coming to dinner, why not make it party? I don't need a holiday date on the calendar to inspire me to decorate my dining room with a Dr. Seuss theme, leis and grass skirted tables for a luau (even in the midst of winter), lions and tigers and bears ("oh my") it's a safari, or a carnival motif complete with games and prizes. Thinking about it now, I just might have a leftover party one of these days combining leftover Christmas, Easter, birthday, Star Wars and unicorn decorations. I suppose I could make all the food two days ahead of time and serve "leftovers", too. Adults and kids alike, when you create something unexpected it translates into fun.

Nancy, another party "girl" and a reader at the book club, offers some of her ideas for fun. She writes...

"Dear Suzanne,

I love that you do theme parties. So do I. Is your Valentine's Day party [going to be] a dinner party, or one with lots of people? I do a dinner party and I have prizes--they all come from Dollar Tree, which has great prizes and decorations for all the holidays. People always offer to bring things and for Valentine's Day I assign appetizers, salad, dessert and a Valentine's Day drink concoction, with the stipulation that they all have to fit the holiday theme, even if it means just throwing red strawberries or cranberries into the salad.

Prizes for best-dressed--most Valentine-y, too, but the best is during dinner, guests have to tell their worst and funniest Valentine story about a date, a present, etc. We always get some hysterical confessions." -- Nancy B.

It's party time at the book club, be sure to enter my Chocolate Chip Cookie giveaway. I bake and deliver 'em--all you have to do is "dunk and munch." To enter the Chocolate Chip Cookie drawing, click here.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE PROPHET, by Kahlil Gibran. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading today and enter for your chance to win.

Dear Reader Column 01-17-19

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books,
"meet" the authors and enter to win.

Dear Reader,

Over the years I've discovered one of the most meaningful ways for me to say thank you to someone is to give them a big bag of my homemade chocolate chip cookies. So today, in addition to saying "Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends," I'm offering to bake for three book club readers.

Be sure to enter the Chocolate Chip Cookie Giveaway today. I'll randomly draw three names, and next week my chocolate chip cookies will be delivered to you. To read about one of the latest winners and to enter, click here.

* If you're a "dunker" you'll have to get your own milk!

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

I'm waiting to bake,

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

AUTHORBUZZ: With so many new books out every week, we promise these titles deserve your attention:

(Fiction)
DRAGON NIGHT by Donna Grant

(Mystery)
RIVER OF SECRETS by Roger Johns

(Fiction)
THE CONSEQUENCE OF FALLING by Claire Contreras

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE PROPHET, by Kahlil Gibran. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading today and enter for your chance to win.

Dear Reader Column 01-16-19

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books,
"meet" the authors and enter to win.

Dear Reader,

Please welcome Soniah Kamal, author of the book, Unmarriageable: Pride and Prejudice in Pakistan, to the book club today. You can reach her here.

Soniah says she loves to dance and cook. She's a Jane Austen junkie and thinks Mrs. Bennet is a silly person, but a mother with a heart of gold. Soniah has shared her life with a sandy dog, a gray eyed cat, a crusty turtle, two sweet guinea pigs, frogs as big as thumbnails, and a multitude of budgies and betta fish. Soniah believes that kindness can change the world.

Take it away Soniah Kamal...

My first attempt at preparing a meal happened when I was an International student in the U.S. in the early 1990s. I jumped to volunteer to make dinner for friends and merrily dumped an entire packet of spaghetti into cold water only to watch in dismay as it congealed into a lumpen mess.

My second attempt came a few years later, now married and living in a leafy Virginia suburb. I was making aloo gosht, a popular Pakistani meat-potatoes dish stewed in cinnamon, cumin, ginger etc. and a generous amount of oil. Unfortunately I was clueless when it came to pressure cookers and, upon forcing open the lid, the oil leapt out and my face and neck were very badly burned. In fact, it is thanks to my prescription spectacles that I still have my eyesight.

I had two options after this, to either be forever scared of the kitchen or to conquer it. Gathering all my courage, I decided on the latter. Eventually I mastered spaghetti served with marinara-from-scratch, as well as more complicated recipes, and I learned how to safely use a pressure cooker and other utensils. I discovered that I love to chop, slice, julienne and dice. Instead of being tedious, the repetition required is akin to meditation for me. Preparing meals became my place to ponder on writing, characters, plot, life, everything.

It should not have come as a surprise to me then, the great role cooking plays in Unmarriageable: Pride and Prejudice in Pakistan to the point where food is a piping hot character in its own right, not to mention that many characters, including my Mrs. Bennet and my Charlotte Lucas's mother going head to head on how important, or not, it is for a 'good girl' to be an excellent cook in order to be 'marriageable material.' As for me, going from that person who turned pasta into paste, to cooking into a joy has been a long, all too often sweet journey, one I wouldn't exchange for anything, including a burnt face, now quite healed.

--Soniah Kamal

Drop Soniah an email and welcome her to the book club.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

** AUTHORBUZZ **

THE CONSEQUENCE OF FALLING (Fiction) by Claire Contreras

My new novel explores a woman's relationship with the men in her life--her father, ex-husband, and a man who drives her completely crazy (in not so good ways, and then all the good ways). She's come to a crossroad in her life and has to make a lot of decisions, but unlike previous times, she decides to make decisions that will satisfy her. It's an enemies-to-lovers story about love, loss, and family. I really hope you enjoy it.

Go to AUTHORBUZZ click on THE CONSEQUENCE OF FALLING to read more and to email author Claire Contreras, you'll get a reply.

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE PROPHET, by Kahlil Gibran. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading today and enter for your chance to win.

Dear Reader Column 01-15-19

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books,
"meet" the authors and enter to win.

Dear Reader,

Party, party! I had a lot of fun reading comments from readers who entered last week's Dinosaur Party Decorations giveaway. When I host a party at my house, I spend a lot of time pulling a theme together. (It's a fun "assignment" for me.) Decorations set the mood for a party, One of the things I've learned from being in charge of family birthday, holiday and 'just because' parties, is that you're never too old to wear a cowboy hat. A circus theme with sack races and carnival games is just as much fun for children as the grownups--maybe even more fun for the "big" kids. When you put a space monster's hat on a 65 year old, you get silly fun, which makes for a memorable party.

With that in mind, I'm passing on my dinosaur party decorations to Nancy G., who wrote...

"My brother turns 70 soon and just retired and he often refers to himself as a dinosaur...he would get a big kick out of this "

Nancy, the dino party in a box is on the way. Give my "Happy Birthday" wishes to your brother.

The dino giveaway has inspired me to pass on my future party decorations. I'm having a Valentine's party in February, so watch for the giveaway.

And congratulations to the winners of A Poppy in Remembrance by Guest Author Michelle Ule: Karen G., Marlys W., Nancy R. and Wendy R.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

** AUTHORBUZZ **

RIVER OF SECRETS (Mystery) by Roger Johns

A social justice activist who makes the wealthy and powerful uncomfortable with their past is arrested for the murder of a state legislator with ambiguous morals. Detective Wallace Hartman's investigation inflames Baton Rouge when she exposes malignant undercurrents of racial politics and family connections, ultimately clearing the way for a more hopeful future.

Go to AUTHORBUZZ click on RIVER OF SECRETS to read more and to email author Roger Johns, you'll get a reply.

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE PROPHET, by Kahlil Gibran. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading today and enter for your chance to win.

Dear Reader Column 01-14-19

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books,
"meet" the authors and enter to win.

Dear Reader,

A good friend of mine sent me an email, after reading it I was inspired to ask, "What's going to be your new normal? And would you share your story with me and my readers?" Along my own journey in life I've had to adjust to new normals along the way. Some of them are good changes and easy to take. Some of them have really caught me off guard, and they turned my life upside down. So the challenge was to find a way to make peace with my new "normal."

Thanks for sharing your story Marshall...

I will never forget the impact.

I saw the truck coming, fast, but I had already committed to crossing the street. It was my mistake. He had the right of way, but surely he'd slow down when he saw us.

He didn't slow down. I didn't beat him. He hit us broadside, "t-boned" us. I shall hear and feel the impact forever.

I had three reactions almost simultaneously:
He actually hit us!!
I've killed my wife.
I can't breathe.

Worst moment of my life? Gotta be way ahead of second place.

Ellen was unconscious and covered with blood. I later figured out that my side airbag had deployed and was immediately punctured by the high grill of the pickup truck. It popped a panel, which flew past me and hit Ellen in the head, shattering her left eye socket, knocking her out, and giving her a brain concussion.

We'd been pushed into a ditch. First responders were able to get Ellen out through the door on her side. They had to use the jaws of life to pry me out.

I had two collapsed lungs, nine fractured ribs, a fractured sternum, a fractured pelvis, and a compression fracture in my lower spine. One of the fellows in the ambulance that transported us to the Spearfish, South Dakota hospital and then immediately on to the Rapid City Regional Center apparently put my chances of survival at 50/50. I'm just as glad I didn't know that until later.

As for our dear RAV-4, which gave its life for us, it's buried in Deadwood SD, near Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane.

I believe that blessings spring forth from tragedies. We'd already had four:

1) We were both alive, at least for the moment.

2) Within two hours of the collision, son Jeremiah, his wife Kim, and their six-year-old daughter Lily had packed up "The Orange Peel" (Lily's name for their Prius) and were heading from Wisconsin to be with us and help us. Turns out they helped a LOT.

3) Ellen doesn't remember anything about the accident.

4) We were heading home to Madison, having already enjoyed our wonderful road trip out to the Oregon Coast, Portland, Spokane, and Okanogan, Washington, visiting friends and family.

As I write this, five months have passed since that split second that changed our lives forever. Blessings kept appearing and continue until the present day. The saga continues.

Ellen has had two successful surgeries on her eye, her sight has been restored, and she can drive a car again.

My shattered bones have all healed, and I was four sessions away from graduating from physical therapy. But two falls sent me back to the hospital at the end of October, and there they discovered another compression fracture in the spine and, much more seriously, a staph infection in my blood stream.

Wicked staff. Within a week, I could no longer walk.

I've been in intense pain. There have been times when I thought I wouldn't make it through the night. But I'm getting better, the pain is abating, and I'm optimistic most of the time. Saturday I walked 40 feet using only a walker, and after I rested, I walked the 40 feet back. This was huge!

I measure my progress in baby steps--being able to do wheelchair push-ups, going 15 minutes on the exercise bike without stopping, being able to perform a "stand and pivot" to get from the bed to the wheelchair. I know I won't be home for Christmas. I don't know if I'll ever be going back to that home.

I don't know what Ellen's and my new "normal" will be.

But I continue to look forward and to find new blessings every day. I don't ask "Why me?" as if some people could or should be immune to life's worst experiences.

I can read, and I can write. (For a long time I didn't have enough strength to sit up and push the keys), I might get to continue my newsletter, scripting and performing my radio show, doing my little bit for the Odyssey Project, volunteering at church.

And I might not--in which case I'll look for other things I can do. I have a wonderful family and great friends, whose love and loyalty I couldn't hope to earn and probably wouldn't have survived without. People I don't even know are praying for me.

When the sun comes up on a new day, I say, "Thank you."

-- Marshall J. Cook

You can reach Marshall at: [email protected]

The Author Marshall Cook...

Marshall's new novel is called Glorious. It takes place in a small town in Wisconsin in 1986 and takes off when first year high school student Norah Stoddard decides she wants to try out for the men's baseball team. (There's only a woman's "club" for her.)

Marshall also publishes a newsletter, Extra Innings. If you'd like to find out more about it, ask him when you email and say hello.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

** AUTHORBUZZ **

DRAGON NIGHT (Fiction) by Donna Grant

It's been six year since the first book in the Dark King series launched and captured reader's hearts. I'm thrilled to share the
newest book. Join me on a passionate, emotional journey through New York City the indomitable Dragon King, Dorian, and the courageous Alexandra as they work their way through a tangled web of magic, traps, and assassins to triumph over their enemies--and discover a love of the ages.

Go to: AUTHORBUZZ click on DRAGON NIGHT to read more and to email author Donna Grant, you'll get a reply.

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE PROPHET, by Kahlil Gibran. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading today and enter for your chance to win.

Dear Reader Column 01-11-19

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books,
"meet" the authors and enter to win.

Dear Reader,

The saying goes, "If you can't say something nice then don't say anything at all." And that was the position I'd been taking about the incessant barking of a neighbor's dog. It was driving me crazy, especially when I was sitting in my backyard. The dog would bark and bark and bark for hours. And even worse, the barking cry felt to me like a baby was crying, it needed something, and I should be taking care of it.

But speaking up to my neighbor about the problem, I was saving it for a day when I had the courage, for what I felt would be an ugly confrontation. In my mind I had already written the script, word for word, what I would say, what the dog owner would say, how uncomfortable I would feel about bringing the subject up, the neighbor would be upset and probably nothing would be solved.

But then as I was reading entries for the 2018 Write a DearReader Contest, when I finished reading Jacqueline Paulson's Honorable Mention story about her dog, I realized that "writing" a conversation in my mind and determining the outcome, why was I doing that? How could I expect the situation to change if I never let the neighbor know there was a problem? So if I wasn't willing to have a conversation, then I'd better stop complaining. I felt a little ashamed of myself.

So I wrote a note, a very nice note, and left it on the neighbor's door, because no one was home when I knocked. Two hours later my husband came in from outside, and told me a woman was in our driveway asking to speak to me. When I looked outside, I saw the note in her hand and thought, 'Oh no, this is what I was trying to avoid--the conversation.' But as soon as the woman and I started talking, two sentences in, she started crying. She and her husband were aware their dog had an anxiety problem when they left the house. They'd been experimenting with all kinds of solutions, they even had a camera set up in their home so they could try and monitor the dog when they weren't home. The neighbor said the dog's sister died recently and their dog didn't like to be alone, so they got another dog to keep it company, but that wasn't working either. By the time we were finished with the conversation I was offering to do whatever I could to help. I even told her while they were trying to solve the problem, if she and her husband were going out and needed someone to sit with the dog, they could give me a call. We parted as good neighbors.

Since that day, the barking dog--I've rarely heard him. But when I do, I think of the anxiety he must be feeling and instead of irritation, I feel a bit of motherly concern and love. The last line in Jacqueline Paulson's Write a DearReader entry this year sums it up nicely...

..."friendship has no barriers, except for the ones we create in our own minds"

To read my inspiration, Jacqueline's Honorable Mention winning entry from the 2018 Write a DearReader Contest, click here.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE PROPHET, by Kahlil Gibran. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading today and enter for your chance to win.

Dear Reader Column 01-10-19

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books,
"meet" the authors and enter to win.

Dear Reader,

There's still time to enter my giveaway for Dinosaur Party Decorations. I'm giving away the leftover decorations, that were just too cute to toss, from my grandson's dinosaur themed birthday party. If you have a birthday party coming up, or want to have a family dinner and wow them with a "just because," fun theme, be sure to enter the giveaway. See the photos (they are really clever) and enter the dino drawing.

Thanks for writing. Some emails from Readers...

"I had to let you know, I love, love, love your parties. The pictures were great! You make everyone's birthday special, December is one of your best. I get encouragement from you all the time. Keep up the good work, I among others look forward to your daily emails. Thank You very much," -- Lolita M

"Once again, I am smiling at our parallel lives. I mentioned in an earlier email my anniversary (43 years December 28), and my shedding red dress [like yours in your recent column]. [I agree with your December birthday column.] Our younger daughter, Emily, has December 13th as her birthday. Many times, invited kids were either away for the winter break, at holiday events, or home sick. Living in Connecticut, one year we had to cancel her party due to a snow storm. (Our older daughter, an August baby, didn't fare much better. Her friends were usually away on vacation.) My grandfather's birthday was Christmas Eve and my husband's grandmother's birthday was Christmas day! I wonder if you have another topic that will also reflect my life in your mirror! Thank you for sharing your life and love of books with all of us! One of your Connecticut readers," -- Linda F.

"My husband, Steve, has a December birthday just days after Christmas (the 27th). I always get him a separate gift for his birthday and wrap it in non-holiday paper. We also take him out to dinner each year at a place of his choosing. It is important to honor the anniversary of one's birth, no matter when in the year it falls." -- Tess C.

"Just read your [column] from yesterday about the December Birthdays. My cousin's birthday was December 24th, so it always got lost in Christmas celebrations and she always got the Birthday/Christmas present. She always wanted a barbecue/pool party, so one year we had a half year party for her on June 24th. Worked out wonderful because she got just birthday presents and everyone came because they weren't tied up with Christmas celebrations, and she was thrilled with the surprise. Love your emails and the book club." -- Gayle S.

"Dear Suzanne, clever woman! [The woman in the market with the orange-sniffing dog] Dogs can use their superior olfactory discernment in so many helpful ways. A man in St. Charles has trained his dog to detect mold in buildings. As her ability to smell wanes, her smelling aid dog is picking up the slack." -- Mary G.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

AUTHORBUZZ: With so many new books out every week, we promise these titles deserve your attention:

(Fiction)
THE RED ADDRESS BOOK by Sofia Lundberg

(Fiction)
SOMETHING WORTH SAVING by Sandi Ward

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE PROPHET, by Kahlil Gibran. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading today and enter for your chance to win.

Dear Reader Column 01-09-19

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books,
"meet" the authors and enter to win.

Dear Reader,

Today's guest author, David Housewright, has won the Edgar Award for his first Holland Taylor crime novel (Penance) and is the three-time winner of the Minnesota Book Award for his crime fiction. In addition to the Holland Taylor series, he is also the author of several novels featuring Rushmore McKenzie. He is a past president of the Private Eye Writers of America (PWA). His new title, First, Kill the Lawyers is being released today.

Please email David and say "Hello." Authors love to hear from readers. Email [email protected]

Take it away David...

For those of you who don't know me, I'm the guy who invented self-publishing.

You're welcome.

I invented self-publishing during the winter of 1965. I was ten years old.

What happened, my parents gave me a printing press for Christmas. How it worked, there was an elaborate hand punch that included fifty-two letters (lower case and caps), plus a handful of punctuation marks (no parentheses). You used it to press words into thick plastic labeling tape one letter at a time (typos were a problem). You would then fasten the tape onto a drum. Next, you would pour ink into a shallow reservoir. When you cranked the handle, the drum would rotate and ink the embossed tape. Once you were ready, you'd feed 8.5 X 10 sheets of paper into the base of the press and print your book.

It took me awhile before I could make it work without smearing the pages and spilling ink all over my mother's kitchen.

The first book I cranked out on my press was called Swinging Danger! (Yes, the title included an exclamation point.) I printed the novel in black ink, although the title page was rendered in red because people do judge books by their covers. The novel had nine pages printed on one side that were held together by staples.

Even then I understood that mysteries needed to be about more than whodunit. That they had to have more to say than crime doesn't pay. Swinging Danger! was about hubris.

It told the cautionary tale of a young man named Wayne, my middle name, who built a rope swing, what we used to call a Tarzan swing, despite warnings by his family and friends that he would fall off and break his neck. Wayne ignored this advice because he was a straight-A student at St. Mark's Elementary School and therefore smarter than everyone else. As you might expect (spoiler alert), in the final chapter Wayne fell off the swing and broke his wrist--but not his neck. Like all first novels, it was highly autobiographical.

I sold Swinging Danger! door-to-door in the Desnoyer Park neighborhood of St. Paul, Minnesota, my hometown, for ten cents a copy, which was real money back in those days. You could buy five packages of Chum Gum or a Hershey's bar for that. I am proud to report that I sold out my first printing--all twelve copies.

It was such a successful experience in fact, that you can draw a straight line from Swinging Danger! to Penance, my second novel, printed by a traditional publisher thirty years later.

-- David Housewright
Email [email protected] and welcome him to the book clubs.

* Dinosaurs... I'm giving away the leftover decorations that were just too cute to toss from my grandson's dinosaur themed birthday party. If you have a birthday party coming up and dinosaurs would be the perfect theme, be sure to enter the giveaway, almost everything you need for your own dinosaur birthday party. See the photos (they are really clever) and enter the dino drawing.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE PROPHET, by Kahlil Gibran. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading today and enter for your chance to win.

Dear Reader Column 01-08-19

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books,
"meet" the authors and enter to win.

Dear Reader,

This is the month! Every other month I feature one of the Penguin Classics. Today you can start reading The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran. And I have a copy to giveaway to a lucky reader. If you've never sampled one of the Penguin Classics, it's a new year, so go ahead...try something new. It's a good read.

From the book jacket: The most famous work of spiritual fiction of the twentieth century, The Prophet is rooted in Kahlil Gibran's own experience as an immigrant and provides inspiration to anyone feeling adrift in a world in flux. As a prophet named Almustafa is about to board a ship to travel back to his homeland after twelve years in exile, he is stopped by a group of people who ask him to share his wisdom before he leaves. In twenty-eight poetic essays, he does so, offering profound and timeless insights on many aspects of life, including love, pain, friendship, family, beauty, religion, joy, sorrow, and death.

An immediate success when first published in 1923, The Prophet is a modern classic, having been translated into more than forty languages and sold more than ten million copies in the United States alone. The message it imparts, of finding divinity through love, made it the bible of 1960s culture and continues to touch hearts and minds across generations and national borders. This edition is illustrated with twelve of Gibran's famous visionary paintings and features a foreword by Rupi Kaur.

Here's the link, start reading...

And be sure to enter for your chance to win a copy. Someone does always win. (Below are winners from the daily book giveaway I featured during the holidays. Congratulations if you were a winner. Your book is in the mail.)

Rebecca Y., Rhonda V., Joanie H., Mrs. Lonnie E., Celima V., Donna T., Virginia P., Candee J., Susan L., Mary Lou Y., Carole P., Beth S., Selvi A., Frankie H., Kathleen W., Diane C., Laurie M. and Elaine S.

If you missed the dinosaur birthday party in yesterday's column, see the photos (they're really cute) and enter to win the decorations.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

Dear Reader Column 01-07-19

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books,
"meet" the authors and enter to win.

Dear Reader,

Birthdays should always get center attention, even in December. Especially when they are days away from Christmas. My grandson, Paul, carries on the December birthday tradition on my side of the family. My mother's birthday was December 17th, my father was born on the 23rd, my Grandpa Hale was a Christmas Eve baby, my Wisconsin granddaughter Bailey blows out the candles on the 19th (last year she happened to be visiting a few weeks before her birthday, so we had a "Surprise!" party for her), Paul celebrates on December 22nd, and my husband and I were married on December 16th (but our anniversary could be the 18th, we've been married for 41 years, and we can't quite remember for sure, and we're too unconcerned to dig out our marriage license.)

It's easy for December birthdays to get slighted because everybody's busy. I know it's a challenge every year for Paul's mom to find a day to have his birthday party, because kids are out of school, they've left town to visit relatives, or there's another holiday party conflict.

I host our family birthday celebrations, so I make sure that Paul's December family party and dinner is a big ta-do! And this year I think it was the best yet! It was a dinosaur birthday party.

Dinosaur footprints on our front steps, a sign warning "Dinosaur Crossing Beware!" Two four-foot dinosaurs to navigate past, to get through the front door. Pterosaurs (flying reptiles) gliding across my dining room ceiling, surrounded by cuttings from the native Florida greenery in my backyard. (You could use imitation leaves.) A "Happy Birthday" dinosaur sign floating in the air, and baby dinosaurs wearing miniature birthday hats displayed on the table with an "Adopt a Dinosaur" sign.

The leftover decorations were just too cute to toss, so if you have a birthday coming up and dinosaurs would be the perfect theme, be sure to enter today's giveaway, almost everything you need for your own dinosaur birthday party. In addition to the decorations, I'll also include samples of the plates, napkins and cups that I used. There's a "Dino-Toe Nail" sign, but you'll have to add the "toenails" (which are Bugles snacks), your own party hats and the baby dinos to adopt, since all of ours did get adopted. See the photos and enter the dino drawing, click here.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]