I'm thrilled and humbled by all the entries in this contest! Thank you so much for entering, for reading my books, and for your support. I'm so blessed to come in contact with all you! Sherri, thanks for letting me know you read A Hand to Hold. I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

The winner of A Hand to Hold is Becky Ambruski! Becky, please send me your snail mail address and I'll put your book in the mail. Again, thanks to everyone who entered.  

Now for something a little different. My birthday is this month (the 11th) and to celebrate I have a fun surprise planned for all of you. I'll just give you a little teaser now--it involves SEVERAL book giveaways. I'll announce the date of the suprise in the next couple of days, along with more details. I'll be making the announcements on www.amishliving.com, www.kathleenfuller.com, my facebook pages: http://www.facebook.com/#!/AuthorKathleenFuller and http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Kathleen-Fuller/81836200502?ref=ts and my twitter: http://twitter.com/kathy_fuller. Also, if you think you missed the announcement feel free to email me through my website, I'll make sure to get back to you asap. I'm SO excited about what we have planned!

'Til next time,
Kathleen

        

My, oh my.  There are almost too many contests on this site to keep up with...LOL.  BUT, are there ever really too many contests??  I think not. 

I have several contests that are coming to a halt on Sept. 1, so if you haven't signed up for chances to win...here are the reminders:

1.    I am giving away a copy of one of my books on my personal blog.  Just click on this LINK  and leave a comment for a chance to win.  Drawing on Sept. 1. 

2.    THIS IS A BIGGIE.  If you are on Facebook, please join 'Fans of Beth Wiseman'.  My publisher--Thomas Nelson--is offering TEN signed manuscripts for Seek Me With All Your Heart (book #1 in the Land of Canaan series) prior to its release.  No comments necessary--you only have to be a fan on the site for a chance to win.  Drawing on Sept. 1.

3.  I was also featured on Suzanne Woods Fisher's Author Spotlight  where there is an opportunity to win a signed copy of Plain Paradise (book # 4 in the Daughters of the Promise series).  Leave a comment under the blog post for a chance to win.  I THINK the drawing for this is also Sept. 1. 

Good luck to everyone!!    

        

Hi Everyone!

This week I thought I'd share a recipe for Cherry Triangles. 

Enjoy!
Amy





Filling:
¾ cup sugar
5 level T. cornstarch
¼ t. salt
1 qt. red cherries drained
1 cup cherry juice
1 T. butter
2 t. lemon juice
Few drops red food coloring
 
Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in saucepan.  Add cherry juice and cook, stirring until thickened.  Stir in lemon juice, cherries and red food coloring. Cool.
 
Dough:
2/3 cup scalded milk
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 cup butter
2 ½ cup sifted flour
4 egg yolks slightly beaten
 
Cool milk to lukewarm, add yeast, cut in butter into flour.  Add liquid ingredients and egg yolks to dry ingredients.  Mix thoroughly.  Turn out onto floured surface and knead 10 times.  Divide in half. Roll first half until large enough for greased 11 ½ x 17 ½ inch pan.  Spread cooled cherry filling over dough.  Roll out second portion of dough and fit over dough together. Allow to rise in warm place 15 minutes.  Bake 350 degrees 45-55 minutes.
 
Frosting:
¼ cup butter
½ t. vanilla
¾ cup chopped nuts
2 T. cream
1 ½ cups 10x sugar
 
Cream together butter, vanilla and cream.  Add sugar, beating until mixture is well blended.  Spread frosting over partially cooled cookies.  Sprinkle with chopped nuts.  When cool, cut into 3-inch squares and then cut again.  Makes 48 triangles.

        

I'm so thrilled to announce that I received my box of author copies of A Time to Love, the first book in the Quilts of Lancaster County series!!

I was so busy writing the third book of the series last night I didn't get to write my blog and now I'm glad: when my neighbor came over to chat today she pushed the box into the house. I hadn't heard it being delivered. We immediately had to open it and look the book over. She thinks it's lovely and I do, too! Abingdon Press did an amazing job on the cover and everything concerned with the production. Thank you, Barbara Scott!!! I hope that readers will enjoy it!

The book has already gotten some wonderful reviews and I'll be sharing more of them in future blogs. I also have some wonderful quilt-related gifts I can start offering in contests. But in the meantime, this is the first time I can offer a copy of the book. Actually, I'm going to choose two winners.

Yesterday, I received my box of An Amish Christmas, Expanded Edition, by Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, Kelly Long (new story), and me. (What a week, huh?!) By entering a comment you can with a copy of BOTH books.

So write a comment and enter the contest (on www.AmishHearts.com) and I'll announce the winner next week.

Now, back to writing A Time for Peace, the third book in the series. Loving it! I stayed up until 5 a.m. this morning because I just couldn't stop. Am tired today but happy.

Blessings!

Barbara

        

I'm so excited! This week I received a copy of A Hand to Hold, book 3 in the Hearts of Middlefield series. AHTH tells the stories of the youngest Byler siblings--Stephen and Ruth. Ruth Byler has achieved her dream of being a school teacher, but before she can even start teaching, reckless Zach Bender drives a truck through the school! Ruth's opinion of Zach isn't very high, but that changes as he works to prove to everyone that he wants their respect, and in Ruth's case, her heart. Meanwhile Stephen lends a hand to Deborah Coblentz, who returns to Middlefield with her son Will to their family farm and discovers his love for farming--and for Deborah.

A Hand to Hold officially releases September 14, and to celebrate I'm giving away my copy of the book. To enter, just post a comment here and next Wednesday I'll randomly draw a winner. Good luck!



'Til next time,
Kathleen

        

Hello!

I'm back from Colorado, and I gained a ton of great information as I move forward with the Land of Canaan series.  If you want to read about my trip, click HERE.  Please consider subscribing to my personal blog.  I'll be giving away cookbooks and other items I brought back from Colorado.

I learned a lot about the Amish folks living in Colorado, and I met with two different families while I was there.  There are 32 Amish families living in Monte Vista (San Luis Valley) broken down into two districts.  One bishop leads both districts, and since worship service is every other Sunday, the bishop alternates between districts--so he is holding worship every Sunday.  This same bishop also oversees the 8 families that are in Westcliffe, but since he is already leading worship every Sunday, a minister in Westcliffe leads the group.  

My fictional town of Canaan is located about ten miles from Monte Vista, which is about how far the real Amish community is from Monte Vista.  These folks have migrated to the area from Pennsylvania, Iowa, Ohio, Missouri, and most recently Delaware.  The first to arrive set the standard for everyone else...meaning that if the first folks arrive in black buggies and wearing a certain type of prayer covering, then everyone adapts to their ways.  In both Monte Vista and Westcliffe, the overall dress resembles Amish from Ohio, as opposed to the heart-shaped prayer coverings worn by women in Lancaster County.  Like Lancaster County, buttons are allowed on the men's shirts while women use snaps or pins for their clothes.  

There were many similarities between the Pennsylvania Amish and the Colorado Amish, but I was educated about some of the differences.  For example, my Amish friend in Monte Vista is from Missouri.  She wanted to talk to me extensively about the rumschpringe (running around period that starts at 16).  They do not encourage or even allow their young folks to 'run around'.  There is no turning the other cheek, so to speak...which is the way it was described to me in Pennsylvania.  My friend has 9 children.  

When I heard the phone ringing in my friend's house, I asked her about it.  She said the ringer is in the house, so they can hear when the phone is ringing in the barn.  While we chatted, she had two little ones on her lap,and her older daughters were busy baking us cookies and serving coffee.  It was a super delightful visit--our second visit--and my friend has offered to read each manuscript prior to publication to make sure things stay authentic to this new group of Colorado Amish folks.

In Westcliffe, I met with another couple.  In some ways, this family was WAY more progressive than other Amish families I've visited with and know in Pennsylvania.  This family migrated to the area from Iowa.  Daed had a fax machine in the house and was packing a cell phone.  They also had a phone ringer in the house, but the phone was in the garage.  They lived in a beautiful home with far more decorations than I've seen in other Amish homes.   They have 10 children, 2 of whom chose not to be baptized.  Daed runs a construction company and hires a driver almost daily. 

Both the women I chatted with had read Plain Perfect before I arrived.  My Monte Vista friend explained to me about the difference in the way the rumschpringe was described in the book, which of course was for Lancaster County Amish.  BUT, my friend in Westcliffe had a completely different issue with Plain Perfect.  And so did her husband.  In Plain Perfect, my favorite character--Jonas--occasionally has a cigar and hides it from Irma Rose.  NO, NO, NO...they told me.  No one in their district would EVER smoke, and they wanted to make sure that my books based in Colorado made that clear.  I told them that smoking a cigar in Lancaster County is something that some of the men do.  NO, NO, NO...they wanted to make sure I was clear on the fact that no one in their area smokes cigars.  These are just a couple of examples. 

Solar panels are something else you don't see much of in Lancaster County, but they were very popular in Colorado because the state has so much sun! 

I'm armed with way more information that I can share in this space, but I think it is going to be really fun for the reader to learn about these new Amish groups in Colorado.  Seek Me With All Your Heart--book #1 in the Land of Canaan series--will release in October 2010, and I can't wait for you to read it!  If you haven't seen the book trailer, here's the link.  BOOK TRAILER FOR SEEK ME WITH ALL YOUR HEART.

Hope you all have a blessed week!! 

        

Hi everyone!


Thank you to everyone who entered my contest on Facebook!  The winner was Patty Thomas. She'll receive a copy of my new book, A Plain & Simple Christmas, which will debut in just a couple of weeks.

As a thank you to everyone who entered the contest, I’d like to post the recipe one more time. Enjoy!

Raspberry Dream Torte

1-10 oz. pkg. frozen raspberry
1 ¼ cup vanilla water crumbs
¼ cup melted butter
½ cup butter
1 ½ cups 10x sugar
¼ t. vanilla
¼ t. almond extract
¼ cup sugar
2 T. cornstarch
whipped cream for garnish
2 eggs
 
Defrost raspberries.  Combine vanilla wafer crumbs and ¼ cup melted butter.  Press into bottom of 7-½ inch spring form pan.  Cream ½ cup butter and 10x sugar.  Add eggs, beating well after each.  Blend in extracts.  Spread over crumb layer.  Chill until firm.  Combine sugar, cornstarch and raspberry.  Cook, stirring constantly until clear and thick.  Pour raspberry filling over torte.  Refrigerate several hours.  Garnish with whipped cream.

        

It's been a busy week but then again, when don't we have busy weeks even in summer?

I turned in the edits for A Time to Heal, the second book in the Quilts of Lancaster County series for Abingdon Press a few days ago. Am thrilled that the editor and copy editor said such wonderful things about the story.

Two early readers of the first book, A Time to Love, (scheduled for October but probably in some book outlets in September) gave the book five stars. You can read the reviews in www.Christianbooks.com and www.BarnesandNoble.com among other places.

I've been playing catch-up since I worked on the edits. Paperwork and a lot of things have backed up. My goal to declutter and lead a simpler life is still in the works. A friend and I went out to dinner and when we came back to the house, we started in on de-cluttering my office. Unfortunately, it's not just a leisurely activity. I've misplaced an important piece of paperwork and she offered to help me find it because I'm so frustrated. You see, I, like many people, am still trying to get rid of things. We're a society of people who hold on to, even hoard. I think it's one of the reasons we so admire the Amish for -- they livfe a simpler life, have fewer things. 

In the case of my office, it's paper. Even with using a computer and not having to print so many things out these days -- books go back and forth in manuscript form by e-mail -- I still end up with entirely too much paper in this cozy little home office. I think I owe my friend a dinner for helping!

I'm wondering if any readers have any great hints on how to keep their home offices free of clutter? Would love to hear them on this site.

In the meantime, my friend just got this idea of where that paper might be. It sounds like a good lead. We're going to investigate it and hope we'll find it. Otherwise, I should be closing down this decluttering operation. It's near bedtime!

Have a great weekend!

Barbara

        

Recently I found a blog that I thought was pretty awesome. As we all know, the Amish sew their own clothes and are famous for other needlework, especially quilts. The Amish also live simply and frugally. While this blog isn't about the Amish, if you're interested in sewing and need some inspiration, I invite you to check it out. It's called New Dress A Day: 365 Days. 365 New Outfits. 365 Dollars.

The premise is simple: this woman is hitting thrift stores and garage sales and purchasing old cast-offs that most of us would look at and say "ew" and making them into something modern and wearable. I really admire people who can look at things I would normally ignore and find beauty in them. Plus the modifications she does to the dresses are simple and clever, which I find inspiring. I enjoy sewing, but I'm not very skilled at it. When my daughters were very young I made a few dresses and outfits for them, and in college I tried my hand at making a few things for myself. I haven't sewn in years, but now I'm inspired. Thanks to our recent move, I even know where my sewing machine is now!

Those of you who sew, where do you find your inspiration? Have any of you taken something old and turned it into something new? What was your favorite project? Mine would have to be the matching dresses I made for my daughters when they were 4 years and 18 months old. I think I might have a picture of them somewhere, if I find it I'll post it on a future blog. I may know where my sewing machine is, but where my pictures have ended up is still a mystery!

'Til next time,
Kathleen

        

Hello Everyone!

I'm a little late posting.  I'm in Colorado doing research for the Land of Canaan series. Seek Me With All Your Heart--the first book in the series--debuts in October.  I'm leaving within minutes to go meet with an Amish woman I met here last year, then off to meet with another Amish family this afternoon. 

If you would like to follow my trip, just go to http://blog.bethwiseman.net.  There are several posts with pics!

Have a great week!