S. Dionne Moore ~ A Heartbeat Away

It's my pleasure to welcome S. Dionne Moore to Ink Dots this week. Born and raised in Manassas, Virginia, S. Dionne Moore moved to Greencastle, PA in 1993, then to Mercersburg in 2008. She enjoys life in the historically rich Cumberland Valley where traffic jams are a thing of the past and there are only two stoplights in the whole town. Her first book, Murder on the Ol' Bunions was published by Barbour in 2008. In 2009 she moved on to writing historical romances as an outlet for her passions for history. In 2010 her second cozy mystery, Polly Dent Loses Grip was a 2010 Carol Award Finalist. Her newest release, A Heartbeat Away, arrives in May 2013. 

A Heartbeat Away ~ When runaway slaves bring Union-loyal Beth Bumgarner a wounded Confederate soldier named Joe, she decides she must defy her pacifist parents and become a nurse. Taking comfort from her mother's mysterious goodbye gift of quilt blocks, she sews them together and discovers a hidden message in the pattern. WIll it spur forgiveness and healing? 

*****

As a dabbler in quilting, I love the sound of this story. Here's some more about S. Dionne Moore. 

If I could go anywhere in the world tomorrow, it would be... Australia! Let's swap houses for a week or two. I've always wanted to see the Great Barrier Reef and the Outback--that's not a steak. What a great idea! Even better, you come here and I'll be your your guide. :)

One thing I enjoyed today is... Learning that my book was listed in the Happily Ever After column of USA Today. Sorry that wasn't Australia Today, but maybe if we talk about the book enough Down Under. . .?? Congratulations! Yes, let's make some noise and get your name known here, too. 

A secret pleasure of mine is... Reading a book, cover to cover, uninterrupted. That's not something I get to do often, but it is so much fun on the very rare occasion when it does happen. Oh, and Dark Chocolate. That too. 

A moment that changed my life is...The premature birth of my daughter almost 18 years ago. Talk about a world turned upside down and inside out! 

When I was a child I wanted to... Be an adult. Isn't that what every child wants? And now, as an adult, it sure would be nice to be a child again. LOL!

I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but... I have a problem with my back. There's a yellow streak down it. Which means I'm too chicken to tell you something I shouldn't.

*****

Here's your chance to win a copy of A Heartbeat Away. Tell us what part of childhood you'd like to taste again. For me, it's reading in bed at night, knowing nothing of adult responsibilities and only the fictional world which held me captive. How about you? What do you miss?

Add your comment below and I'll announce the winner on Friday. 

Good luck and happy reading, 

Steps to Yesteryear ~ Vintage Keys

Photo Source ~ Pinterest 

What is it about old keys that makes them so beautiful? Have you noticed how gorgeous a photo of an old key on a faded letter can look? How about an old key in a rusty lock? A beribboned cluster? So romantic...

The lover in me of all things yesteryear is very taken with these pictures and I'm guessing many others have fallen for their charms as there's oddles of them on Pinterest. 

To my delight, a dear friend recently gave me my own set of wrought iron keys to hang and admire from wherever I wish. 

As birthday presents go, these keys are a winner. Yes, my friend knows me well. Anything old, hinting at old, or even reproduction as these might be, always catch my eye. But this gift fell into my palm before I could tear off the wrapping. Without even seeing them, I knew I had something heavy, metallic and bonelike on a thin ring. And I knew they were keys.

Crabapple House

I don't know for sure, but the keys to The Secret Garden may now belong to me. Perhaps they're the keys to an old gate or heavy door, high in some abandoned turret behind a frayed and faded tapestry. 

Just imagine the wrist of someone entrusted to carry them, lantern held high as they shuffle through dark corridors. The hook they might have hung on in a scullery, or behind a door on a nail in a draughty garden shed. 

Keys invite us to stories. By their size and shape, by their weight and patina they unlock scene after scene, and with each new answer... come more questions.

Like crossroads, they offer direction. Open Here ~ Alice in Wonderland style. This way. Over there. Try Me.

Photo Source ~ Pinterest 

I have a few locks to try in the days ahead. As a pre-pubished writer, I'm praying for openings for my stories. For the hinges to swing open like a sun-shiney smile.

And while I wait, I'll remember keys promise so much more. They offer wisdom and knowledge when we fear the Lord. When we embrace Him and seek the direction He beckons, storehouse doors open and overflow with His provisions. Salvation, wisdom, stability and abundance, all at our fingertips when we hold the right keys. 

He will be the sure foundation of your times, 

A rich store of salvation, and wisdom and knowledge;

The fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.

Isaiah 33:6

Do you have an old key story? Has God recently opened a door for you?

Blessings for a wonderful weekend,
And may God make a way for the dreams of your heart,

Jocelyn Green ~ Widow Of Gettysburg

Award-winning author Jocelyn Green inspires faith and courage in her readers through both fiction and nonfiction. A former military wife herself, she offers encouragement and hope to military wives worldwide through her Faith Deployed ministry. Her novels, inspired by real heroines on America’s home front, are marked by their historical integrity and gritty inspiration. Jocelyn graduated from Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, with a B.A. in English, concentration in writing. She loves Mexican food, Broadway musicals, Toblerone chocolate bars, the color red, and reading on her patio. Jocelyn lives with her husband Rob and two small children in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Visit her at www.jocelyngreen.com.

Widow of Gettysburg ~ When a horrific battle rips through Gettysburg, the farm of Union widow Liberty Holloway is disfigured into a Confederate field hospital, bringing her face to face with unspeakable suffering-and a Confederate scout who awakens her long dormant heart. While Liberty’s future crumbles as her home is destroyed, the past comes rushing back to Bella, a former slave and Liberty’s hired help, when she finds herself surrounded by Southern soldiers, one of whom knows the secret that would place Liberty in danger if revealed. In the wake of shattered homes and bodies, Liberty and Bella struggle to pick up the pieces the battle has left behind. Will Liberty be defined by the tragedy in her life, or will she find a way to triumph over it? Inspired by first-person accounts from women who lived in Gettysburg during the battle and its aftermath, Widow of Gettysburg is Book 2 in the Heroines Behind the Lines series.

*****

It's a pleasure to welcome Jocelyn back to Ink Dots. This is her second visit, and I'm thrilled to offer my congratulations on the release of the second book in her civil war series. Let's find out a little more about Jocelyn.... 

If I could go anywhere in the world tomorrow, it would be... Lyon, France. I love to travel in general, but Lyon would be extra special because that’s where my brother and sister-in-law live as missionaries with Agape France. They are expecting their first child, and I would just LOVE to be with them and talk baby stuff with my sister-in-law in person. Skype is great, but not the same. Also, they told me they have an idea for a new historical novel set in France, and I want to go hear about it and then do the research on site! What fun!

One thing I enjoyed today is...The day is just begun, but I do love that through my open office window I can hear the rain and the birds singing. Just last week it snowed here, which was really hard to accept. It has been a very long winter here in Iowa and we are ALL ready for spring!

A secret pleasure of mine is... Popcorn way too late at night. With real butter and real salt. 

A moment that changed my life is... choosing to renege on my plan to never date anyone in the military. I did date a Coast Guard officer, which led to our marriage, and of course that changed my life in obvious ways. But my role as a military wife also led me to write my first book, Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives, and my nonfiction for military families led to an opportunity to write fiction related to war—the Heroines Behind the Lines series.

When I was a child I wanted to... become an author. But I pronounced it “Arthur” at the time. That's hilarious! I always wanted to be an 'arthur' too! 

I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but... I’m a novelist who doesn’t really like making stuff up. Blame it on my training as a fact-driven journalist or my years of writing nonfiction, but what excites me the most about writing historical fiction is when I find diaries, letters, newspaper articles of memoirs from the time period so I can be sure that what I’m writing either jives with the history or reflects what actually happened. My first novel, Wedded to War, was based on the life of real Civil War nurse Georgeanna Woolsey, so the events in the novel closely resembled one woman’s life. In Widow of Gettysburg, my main character is a composite of several townspeople, so I had much more liberty in crafting her storyline. It was more of a challenge, but rewarding.

*****

Have you discovered Jocelyn Green yet? Eager to read book 2 in this fascinating series set during American's Civil War? I have a copy of Widow of Gettysburg for one lucky Ink Dots friend. All you have to do is answer the easiest question you'll hear this week.

What's your favourite colour? (Yes, that's how we spell favourite and colour in Australia.) Jocelyn told us hers is red. And I can see from her headshot and the cover of her book, it really suits her.

How about you? Do you have a signature colour everyone knows is you? Leave your answer in the comment section below and I'll announce the winner this Friday. 

Good luck and happy reading, 

Murray Purra ~ Whispers Of A New Dawn

Murray Pura was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, just north of the Dakotas and Minnesota. His book The Wings of Morning has been nominated for several literary awards in the United States including Best Inspirational Romance and Best Historical Romance. Murray lives and writes in southwestern Alberta. His releases for 2013 include: Ashton Park, The Rose of Lancaster County, A Road Called Love, Seven Oaks, The Painted Sky, Whispers of a New Dawn, Beneath the Dover Sky, and An Amish Family Christmas.

Whispers Of A New Dawn. The year is 1941. Pilots Jude and Lyyndy Whetstone arrive with their adult daughter Becky back in their Amish community in Lancaster County. It’s time to consider giving up flying forever and finally settle down among their relatives. It seems God is leading that way, especially when Becky finds romance with young Moses Yoder and decides to abandon the skies for the life of an Amish wife. 

But a summons to exotic Honolulu changes everything. Jude has been asked to train fighter pilots for the new Army Air Forces. If the Whetstones leave the Amish community to work with the military, they will not be allowed to return. However the call to serve the country they love prevails, so the family departs amidst tears at what they’re leaving behind and fears at what awaits them. Once settled on the beautiful island of Oahu, Becky is hired on as a flight instructor at a civilian flying school and takes an immediate dislike to her newest student, the brash Christian Raven. Their turbulent road to love comes to a crashing halt with the horrific bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7^th, 1941. As Christian joins in the fight that will become World War 2, Becky wonders if God would be so cruel as to snatch love from her life a second time.

Welcome back to Ink Dots, Murray. This is your third visit. With the name Murray Pura and all it's associations with all things Aussie, it's no surprise. 

So what can we learn about you we didn't already know?

What poets have inspired your writing? Robert Frost, Carl Sandburg, Langston Hughes, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Dylan Thomas, W.B. Yeats, Tennyson, John Masefield, Shakespeare's sonnets, the Psalms, haiku. Poems like Langston Hughes'  Mother to Son, or Frost's Stopping by the Woods, or Sandburg's Fog, as well as Thomas' Fern Hill, Tennyson's Ulysses, Yeats' An Irish Airman Foresees his Death, and Masefield's Sea Fever have all had a significant impact on the way I use simile and metaphor and strive for a poetic vision in my novels, not simply straightforward narration. 

Do you have a manuscript in your drawer which never found a publishing home? You mean like John Grisham's A Time To Kill which no one wanted until he became famous? Well, I used to have more of them but now quite a few have been scooped up. I do have one though - leprosy was rampant in parts of the USA in the mid-1800s and the people who contracted the disease were severely persecuted and driven from their communities. My story is about a group of Christians who rescue a number of them, a young minister and a female nurse falling in love with one another during the rescue. I like the sound of that. Hope it finds a home soon. 

If your favourite character came to life, how would you interact with them? Take them for coffee. A hike in the mountains. Ask them to a service in my favourite church. Bring them home to a dinner in their honour. Chat all night. If I were single, and the character was one of my heroines, I'd so much want a dinner and dance date.

If you could write any book, assured of its publication, what would it be? Why, are you offering? No, but carry on. (shakes head) Well, considering you have the Murray River, a rail junction called Pura Pura, not to mention the Pura Cup and Pura milk (oops, there I go, I've mentioned them), (eye roll, small smile) and considering how much I liked the Sundowners and the Snowy River films, I wouldn't mind penning a romance-adventure about a Canadian immigrating to Australia, discovering it for himself, falling in love with it and a certain her, and building a sprawling epic about the land and its people. After all, I write quite a bit about American history with a healthy dash of love, why not an epic about Oz? Why not indeed. (shrug, wink) 

Would you ever write a screenplay? Yes. A good number of readers have said how visually oriented my novels are and how they wish they could be made into movies or mini-series. I have been invited to a screenwriting school in the USA and perhaps that is a place I will head to for a summer session in 2014.

What do you wish readers were more keen on? I don't want them stuck with formula writing anymore than I want publishers stuck there. I want them keen to read more complex plots and more poetic writing. No dumbing down - I want them to grow and develop their reading skills and be blessed by going into writing that is different than the same old-same old. I want them to embrace stories that engage their imagination in new ways and holy ways. I want them to seek deeper enrichment and hunt out the writers who will give them that, not necessarily writers who are well-known or high on the bestseller lists. In new ways and holy ways... I like that. 

Thanks for sharing your heart and vision, Murray. Wishing you all the best with the release of Whispers of A New Dawn. I'm most impressed you've taken an Amish family halfway across the Pacific. 

*****

If you'd like to win a copy of Whispers Of A New Dawn, tells us which book you also enjoyed as a movie. For me, nothing beat watching To Kill A Mockingbird, after reading the classic novel by Harper Lee. I still get chills. 

How about you? Comment below for your chance to win. I'll announce the winner in the comment thread on Friday. 

Good luck and happy reading, 

Steps to Yesteryear - Polish Silver

Once a year I polish my little stash of sliver trinkets. I like to grab the polishing cloth the week leading into Easter, as that's when my loved ones gather around the table for a special feast. Here at Crabapple House, we celebrate Greek Easter ~ and for us that's this Sunday. 

Photo Source ~ The Murmuring Cottage

Most other weeks of the year I don't give the silverware much thought. I might admire a silver teapot or sugar bowl as I pass by, but it's not until I'm looking at my upside-down reflection in the serving spoons, that I admire my collection of shiny tea time accoutrements. 

Most pieces are wedding presents. Others I collected over the years of our marriage. Some purchases turned out to be fake, silver-looking veneer, and I've had no qualms tossing them in the bin when I realised their tarnish would never shift.

But there's something better than sparkly silver pieces on the dining table. Something even more sought after than gold. 

Proverbs 16 encourages the getting of wisdom, over the pursuit of riches. Understanding, as something we're to crave in preference to worldly riches and collectables. 

I've been reminded once again how this applies to me this week. Blessed by the wise counsel of my family, writing friends from Australia and abroad, and my church community, they've spoken truths more precious than any antique tea sets. 

You might share my experiences. You may have occasion to dust and polish your precious knickknacks, but at day's end, no matter how well our things twinkle on the sideboard, it's the people God brings into our world and their collective hearts which matter most. 

Silver Tea Tray ~ Crabapple House

So while I lay the heirloom linens, set the crystal glasses and  arrange the polished red eggs onto our Easter table, I'll be praising God for the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and the transformation He brings to the lives of those who truly belong to Him.

A little spit and polish goes a long way. But never as far as wisdom, delivered from one honest heart to the other, and held there against all other pursuits. 

Blessings for a wonderful weekend, dear friends. Whether you're celebrating Easter, or simply living in the radiance of His joy and truth ~ may you be blessed by the wisdom that is better than any silver. 

How much better to get wisdom than gold, 

To get insight rather than silver. 

Proverbs 16:16

Steps to Yesteryear - Anzac Day

This week Australians and New Zealanders commemorated those who served and died in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations. 

Marked around the world by dawn services, April 25th ushers reverence and remembrance, which touches those who can only imagine the horrors of war. 

As a mother of two boys, I shudder to think of the many families who kissed their precious menfolk goodbye, fearing the worst, projecting brave faces, and promising all kinds of un-promisables. 

And I can't help think of the women who watched their families scatter to take their place in a war not of their making. Of the women who rolled bandages at home, praying their sons and husbands would not need them, praying they would get them if they did. Of the trembling fingers, knitting socks to the clack of needles, drawing breath with each new row to petition God with the same request for safety, and quick return. 

And as I donned my apron to bake this Anzac Day, I wondered about the resourcefulness of Australian and New Zealand women who raided their empty pantries for their boys on the front. Oats, a staple in most homes. Golden Syrup, for goodness. And no eggs or butter, as they were most likely not available.

Originally called Soldiers' Biscuits, their arrival at Gallipoli during WWI soon saw them known as Anzacs. Transported in tins or billies to ensure they stayed fresh, these biscuits are now sold yearlong in our supermarkets. Mums and grandmas have baked them for years, and in my home they're always welcome with a cuppa. 

On Anzac Day this year, I baked a double batch to share around. With tradesmen in the house, they didn't last long. Soft, right from the oven, then harder as the cooled, they brought a poignancy to our morning tea, as we stopped to consider the day's significance.  

How do you adequately convey thanks for those who will never age? For those who gave their lives to ensure our freedoms? To the mothers who begged God to bring their boys home? 

In part, it's with the respect of traditions. Steeped in history, we'll continue to bake our Anzac biscuits and as we pass the pretty plate around for a second and third helping, we'll share the story of how they came to be, and why they're worth remembering.

We'll tell the next generation, and then the next, the tales of war and the heros who fought. And salute the fallen with more than a minute of silence, and a sweet biscuit. 

We shall remember them... 

Blessings for a wonderful weekend,

Joan Wolf - Daughters Of Jerusalem

Joan Wolf is a New York Times, USA Today and WASHINGTON POST best-selling author. She has lived most of her adult life with her husband in Milford, Connecticut, where she raised two children and an assortment of horses, dogs, and cats. Along the way she also managed to write forty-six published novels – the writing of which profoundly enriched her life.

Daughter of Jerusalem ~ In this fictionalized story of one of the Bible’s most compelling women, best-selling author Joan Wolf beautifully recreates the history romance, and tradition of the world of Mary Magdalene. Daughter of Jerusalem follows Mary’s life from her first love, through her loveless marriage, to the moment she first hears of a miracle worker in her town by the name of Jesus of Nazareth and decides to become his disciple.

As this inspiring novel reminds us, Mary was the first to witness history’s greatest moment -the resurrection of Christ.  She was a woman who sought forgiveness for her sins, and a following of God who yearned for a deeper faith. She was Jesus’ beloved disciple. Read Mary Magdalene’s story and find yourself in this remarkable woman’s journey to discover the Kingdom of God.

Want to know more about the writer of this remarkable story? Here's a few of Joan's secrets... 

If I could go anywhere in the world tomorrow... it would be to Israel.

One thing I enjoyed today was... a wonderful ride on my beloved horse, Romeo.  We attempt dressage and today he was really terrific. 

A secret pleasure of mine is... chocolate!  A pleasure I’m sure I share with many readers. It's soooooo good. 

A moment that changed my life was... when my life-long burden of migraine headaches was lifted. I thank God every day for this miracle. 

When I was a child I... read a book about a woman married to a Canadian Mountie and that's all I wanted to be. Not the wife, of course, but the Mountie. It was my first experience of the limits of being a girl. 

I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but... my favorite book in the world is called Kristen Lavransdatter by Sugrid Undset. I know, you'll say What?????? Everybody does. It's a great book though, I promise you.  

*****

Thanks for visiting with us this week, Joan. Daughter of Jerusalem sounds like an amazing read. I'm sorry you never got to be a Canadian Mountie because you're a girl. I'm hoping the great books you've sunk into with quality chocolate at hand have softened the blow a little. But seriously, what an inspiration to know Jesus included women among his most beloved disciples and followers. I'm so glad you've brought the story of Mary Magdalene to new readers. 

*****

I have a copy of Joan's Daughter of Jerusalem for one Ink Dots to giveaway to one Ink Dots visitor. If you'd like to be in the running to win leave a comment below. Tell us if you ever wanted to pursue a career you weren't allowed to. 

I thought I might be a nun after watching The Sound of Music, but I was informed I was not the right religion. So I played the soundtrack and sang along to all my favourite songs instead. 

How about you? I'll announce the winner on Friday. 

Good luck and happy reading,

52 Steps to Yesteryear - Wear Vintage Pearls

For centuries mothers and grandmothers have pressed precious gems into the hands of their daughters and daughters-in-law for special days. They've promised strings and beads little girls have admired, for that one day, when clips will adorn younger necks, wrists and ears. 

My uncle and aunt on the day of their engagement - 1967

When one of my dear uncles passed away, his widow gave up wearing her jewellery. One afternoon while I visited at her kitchen table, she brought her pouch of jewels and let them spill onto the tablecloth. It still held crumbs from lunch, but we brushed them aside. From her stash, she bequeathed a gold bracelet her mother-in-law, my grandmother, had gifted her when she married my uncle. And her pearls. Her pearls. The ones her groom gave her on their engagement day. She gave them to me. 

How did she know those pearls had captivated me for years? She probably didn't, but she chose to give them to me anyway. After years of staring at the photograph of my uncle slipping the necklace on his fiance, I now had them to treasure for myself. 

And I could not cherish a string of pearls more. No siree. A beribboned set from a Tiffany's box would not thrill me the way these do. Mine have history, meaning. They're part of my story. If the photo above were clearer, you'd see my aunt's pearls around her neck, along with other engagement jewels. (I'm in the photo too, kind of. In my mum's belly. She's the tall babe, showing a little leg, and my dad's the handsome charmer, second from the right.) 

As time passes and loved ones leave us, we're often left with tokens of love and life, as it's handed to us. So I keep my pearls safe, together with other keepsakes which mark special days. Not only do I wear them in their honour, but I plan, like many women before me, to pass them onto my daughter and those who will become my daughters-in-law. 

It's one way stories travel from generation to generation. When childless aunts brush away tears as well as crumbs, tell their stories, and trust us with a small part of who they are. 

Has anyone passed on vintage jewellery to you? Did it come with a story? What family jewels did you watch closely as a little girl? 

Enter to win these pearls! 

Leave a comment below and you'll be in the running to win, yes WIN this gorgeous string of Swarovski pearls with angel wings. Isn't it beautiful? Made by my dear friend Faye at WearableArt Celtic, this necklace is designed to be worn with the clasp in the front. One lucky Ink Dots friend will win it, and you won't be disappointed if it's you. I'll announce the winner next Friday. Thanks Faye, for your beautiful craftsmanship. 

Good luck, dear friends, 
And blessings for a wonderful weekend,

Cynthia Ruchti - When the Morning Glory Blooms

It's my pleasure to welcome Cynthia Ruchti to Ink Dots this week. Cynthia tells stories of Hope-that-glows-in-the-dark through her novels and novellas, speaking for women’s events and retreats, writers’ events and retreats, nonfiction books and devotionals, drawing from 33 years of on-air radio ministry. In 2013, she will have a total of six books on the shelves, with more to come in 2014. Her latest release is the novel, When the Morning Glory Blooms, from Abingdon Press Fiction. She and her plot-tweaking husband live in the heart of Wisconsin, not far from their three children and five grandchildren.

When the Morning Glory Blooms ~ Becky rocks a baby that rocked her world. Sixty years earlier, with her fiancé Drew in the middle of the Korean Conflict, Ivy throws herself into her work at a nursing home to keep her sanity and provide for the child Drew doesn’t know is coming. Ivy cares for Anna, an elderly patient who taxes Ivy’s listening ear until the day she suspects Anna’s tall tales are not just idle ramblings. They’re Anna’s disjointed memories of a remarkable life. Finding a faint thread of hope she can’t resist tugging, Ivy records Anna’s memoir, scribbling furiously after hours to keep up with the woman’s emotion-packed grace-hemmed stories. Is Ivy’s answer buried in Anna’s past? And what connects them to Becky?

Becky, Ivy, Anna–three women fight a tangled vine of deception in search of the blossoming simplicity of truth.

Sounds great, doesn't it? Here's more about Cynthia Ruchti...

If I could go anywhere in the world tomorrow, it would

be...give me five minutes to pack and I’ll be on a plane to the

south of France. I have a crisp, unmarked passport that keeps

telling me it wants to be stamped. And I have a love of buildings

older than America. I haven’t been to Europe, but would like to

start my journey in France, tasting everything glorious, taking

pictures, drinking in the beauty of the sea and architecture and art

and history. I have a niece in-law who was born in France and is 

the world’s best bargain-hunting tour guide for quaint B&Bs and

charming restaurants. Can we swing past Hawaii on our way home. 

With a month-long layover in Australia? Absolutely. I would

insist. My passport is yearning for a US stamp. One I hope I'll 

add later this year when I swing across for the ACFW

conference. 

One thing I enjoyed today is...watching a crow and squirrel 

duking it out over some tasty nugget that emerged as the snow

melted. Noisy crow. Noisy squirrel. Hopping mad at each other.

Above the scene soared a bald eagle without a care in the world. I 

knew as I watched that I was observing not just a scene but a life

lesson. I want to be the eagle at times like that. Unruffled. Soaring.

A secret pleasure of mine is... dreaming about restoring old

homes…with someone else’s money. Oh, and someone

else’s sweat labor. I want to be the one to walk through and

imagine it restored, then say, “Look what we did!” when it’s

done.

A moment that changed my life is...when my first grandchild

was placed in my arms, because I understood grace far

better at that moment than I had before. My life is peppered

with defining moments—marrying my husband, the births of

our children, the birth of the daughter who first made me a

mother, faith moments that changed life and eternity… But

the redemptive, emotion-rich, grace-defining birth of my

granddaughter Grace set me on a path of living that out in a

far more intentional way than ever before. Being present in

the birthing room for two other grandchildren can’t be

topped for joy. Loving on all the grandchildren who live

within 20 minutes of us is inexpressibly wonderful. Calling

the same man mine for more than 40 years…oh! You asked

for one moment, right? Right, but I'm glad you shared your best

ones. 

When I was a child I wanted to... be an Olympic gymnast

or a synchronized swimmer. If you knew my body type,

you’d know why this did not come to pass. In my mind, I

move like the gymnasts do. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need

help getting out of this chair.

I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but... I was so excited about

being invited to sign my book that released last fall—Cedar

Creek Seasons—that I couldn’t bear to cancel just because

of a little gall bladder surgery. Surgery on Thursday.

Recuperate on Friday. Attend the book signing on Saturday.

I look a little “serene” in the pictures from that day. But it was

pure joy to meet the readers and give them a sneak peek at

When the Morning Glory Blooms.

*****

Thanks so much for joining us, Cynthia. I can't wait to read When

the Morning Glory Blooms and get to know Becky, Ivy and Anna.

*****

If you'd like more than a sneak peek at When the Morning Glory

Blooms, please leave a comment below to be in runnig to

win your very own copy. Tell us which stamp you'd most like to

see in your passport. I'll announce the winner here in the comment

thread on Friday. 

Good luck, and happy reading

52 Steps to Yesteryear - Bake with Apples

We live in a house surrounded by apple trees. Seven crabapples give name to our home, Crabapple House, and three more varieties add to the abundance. But I'm never one to turn away a bucket of apples when good hearted friends share their harvest. 

And this is the month for apples. So with a bench-top littered with fruit, I set about creating a quick apple treat ~ in and out of the oven in less than an hour. If you're feeding men, as I do...  there's nothing better than a hot apple anything. 

Apple Bumble ~ Crabapple House

This week, we're enjoying Apple Bumble. Named in honour of the bumbling which occurred when I combined the best of apple crumble and the base of a brownie mixture (without the chocolate), messed with it a little, waited for more eggs to arrive when my hens' supply was low... and ended up with a new and favourite delight. 

Apple Bumble ~ Crabapple House

I hope you get a chance to play with this recipe and taste my Apple Bumble. 

Apple Bumble 

Preheat oven to 180C (medium oven, where you'd normally bake a cake)

Combine 

2 cups SR flour

2 cups sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cloves

1 cup melted butter

Mix well and let this crumbly base sit while you peel, core and slice 5 apples. Set your apples aside and beat up 4 eggs. Add to crumble mixture. This will make your base a little runnier but it will be thick.

Apple Bumble ~ Crabapple House

Spoon into a lined 30x20cm baking pan. Add sliced apples on top. Sprinkle with sugar and bake for 30 minutes. Cover with aluminium foil for another 10 minutes, or until your cake base is cooked right through. Be careful to keep those apple slices from burning in the last ten minutes. 

And there you have it. Apple Bumble. Be lavish in your addition of powered sugar once it's out of the oven. The best way to remember anyone's grandma who cooked with apples, cinnamon and cloves. 

What's your favourite apple treat? Are you a fan of cinnamon and cloves? 

Blessings for a wonderful weekend,