Monday
Cyber Monday Book Sale Blowout
Yes I have succumbed to the Cyber Monday Madness. Especially when it dawned on me that I have a couple of Kindle books available for sale. So I drastically reduced the prices and wanted to share these sales with all of you. Writing has always been a dream of mine (if this blog is any indication) and it is a blessing to be able to share these works with you.
A book of no-nonsense common sense for fathers - written by a father.
"Eric has ventured into inspirational writing for fathers, husbands, men and the women they love and live with. The content of DAD: As Easy As A, B, C is entertaining, thought provoking, informative and most importantly honest."
--Bernice L. McFadden, author of the novels Sugar and Glorious.
Buy it here at the Cyber Monday price of $1.29!!!
Love Notes is a short collection of poems and short stories concentrating on the elusive and insanity causing thing called love --- from the male perspective.
Buy it here at the Cyber Monday price of $.99
Sales run until Midnight PST 11/26/2012.
Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter at @EPayneTheDad.

Thursday
Happy Thanksgiving!
May your homes and hearts be filled with gratitude, love, family and happiness.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter at @EPayneTheDad.
Wednesday
Mondays With Michelle: Thanksgiving Edition
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Turkey Roulade with Cranberry-Apricot stuffing (Food Network) |
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Alton Brown's Roast Turkey |
- Brine! Nobody wants a dry turkey. Soak the bird in a mixture of water, salt and other herbs and spices overnight. (try this brining recipe.)
- Everybody loves Crispy skin! After brining, leave your bird in the fridge completely uncovered overnight. The key is to let the turkey air dry. The less wet/moist it is the crispier the skin will get.
- Season your turkey! Brush your turkey with seasoned butter: mix White Spice, sage and garlic with melted butter to add flavor. And don't forget to fill the cavity with lots of flavor; onions, garlic, sage, thyme, lemon and bay leaf or two.
- Don't overcook your Turkey! How to know when it's done: The best method is to use a meat thermometer. Insert the thermometer deep into the thigh meat (don't go too far and touch the bone). When it reaches 180 degrees and the juices run clear (not pink), your bird is done. (If you aren't making a whole Turkey, insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the meat)
- After all that work keep your Turkey moist by letting it rest for 10-25 minutes after you take it out of the oven. You want the juices to settle, then cut.

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter at @EPayneTheDad.
Sunday
Give Your Face A Lift With The Braun cruZer Face
As someone who began shaving my head a decade ago, my grooming needs are virtually non-existent. The most time I spend in the mirror is when I am wearing a tie and striving to make sure my half-Windsor knot is spot on. I shave my face and head in the shower and I am done with it. Time has made me proficient with any of the "36-blade and counting" razors that are currently on the market as well as the old-school safety razor of my father's generation. In fact I have both kinds and switch back and forth from using each from one week to the next depending on my mood.
But I do have a goatee and mustache and I like to keep mine neat and trimmed at all times. With my razors I am to shape my facial hair with a precision that makes the hair appear to be drawn on my face. But in the trimming department I will always have to fall back on a solid pair of clippers.
Enter the Braun cruZer Face:
And it's really that simple with the Braun cruZer Face. I liken it to the Beats (Headphones) of clippers. It's a stylish device that is ergonomically sound and gives you the array of shaving options required for facial grooming without having to go through the agony of picking and choosing different guard lengths.
I think this will make a great holiday item. It's too sexy to be contained in the category of the $19.99 - $29.99 nondescript, super-generic looking shavers and at $64.99 it's beyond that price point anyway. Bottom line, anyone receiving this is as a gift is going to know that you care.
Disclosure: I was provided with a complimentary Braun cruZer Face for the purposes of a eliciting a review. The opinions and expressions contained above are wholly my own.
Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter at @EPayneTheDad.

Wednesday
The Blogging-Storyteller-Messenger Equation
I didn't set out to be a blogger. I actually just wanted to prove that I could write to the powers that be in the publishing world. Maybe then I could get that book deal I coveted in my twenties. But something funny happened along the way: I became a blogger and nowadays I'm told I'm a messenger of sorts on the subject of marriage and family. I am thankful to the heavens above to have the ability to share my experiences in a meaningful way with all of you --- The Internet --- which both honors my family and serves as inspiration for others. People ask me how this happened. After giving some thought to it I realize the process is quite simple actually.
Behind every situation, circumstance, trial, success and failure there is a story.
Tell a compelling story and soon you will become a messenger.
What originally began as yours will quickly come to life in the minds of everyone who reads you.
If you're willing (and only if you're willing), search your life to find your story. You never know, your search may be prove to the story you're after.
Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter at @EPayneTheDad.
Monday
Marriage
Because of my wife, I am transformed.
Every argument, disagreement, mistake and misstep is and should be used as an opportunity for growth. Look at it from the right perspective and don't point fingers.
When your wife is feeling anxious, depressed, crazy...whatever, instead of trying to figure her out, try your best to reassure her.
Do you truly know your wife?
- Do you know her hopes and dreams?
- Do you know what causes her pain?
- Do you know the tragedies of her past?
- Do you know what makes her smile (not how to make her smile)?
- When she is pushing buttons do you rise up against her or do you pray for her?
- Do you desire to understand her, or do you not get why she doesn't get you?
- Do you realize that she is an entire person and not only your spouse, they way you understand your friends are people too?
Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter at @EPayneTheDad.