"Pennsylvania Patchwork" by Kate Lloyd

Meeting the family that her mother had kept hidden from her, Holly comes face to face with her real life and blood legacy. She also falls for the charming Zach, a handsome Mennonite veterinarian who is everything she's ever wanted in a husband: confident, kind, successful, and authentic. And Zach proposes marriage. Is this too soon? Is this the right choice? Mother and Amish grandmother think she's rushing into too much of a lifestyle change. Holly is in love with Zach and that precludes everything. Until she meets an attractive Amish man. And an old suitor shows up.

Pennyslvania Patchwork is the moving, richly told story of one woman's heart, her faith and trust, and the choices she makes. Never easy, but one choice can change your destiny.


Pennsylvania Patchwork is about the choices that we make and how they affect our lives.  A dramatic saga about three women, this book picks up right in the middle of conflict.  A prologue catches the reader up to speed with what happened in the first book of the series, and soon that reader will be hurtling through Lancaster County faster than a runaway horse and buggy.  

Pennsylvania Patchwork is a tangled web of emotions, mistakes, grace, and forgiveness.  It's a story full of wisdom and seeking to live God's way, no matter how you might dress to do so.

I really enjoyed this story.  Although it did take me a few chapters to figure out the full backstory for each character as I haven't read the first in the series, I got up to speed quickly and fell in love with their situation.  I could relate to each character, despite all being from different backgrounds and generations.  I want my children to be faithful adults like Mommy Anna.  Like Esther, I don't want to hold grudges from past hurts and want to make right past issues.  Like Holly, it's sometimes confusing to be faced with multiple options for a dream - what is the best way to choose?  Because each person felt so realistic, I felt as if I had a vested interest in the choices that they made.  Near the end, a few of those choices felt as if they'd been made very quickly. This high-action part of the plot kept me at the edge of my seat, however, as my eyes flew over the pages.

Having been in Lancaster County just a few short weeks ago, it was fun to read about a group of Amish where the lifestyle and location is so familiar to me.  I definitely will be watching for Kate Lloyd's next book.  This is one of the best Lancaster County Amish stories I've read in a long time!

Author Kate Lloyd is a passionate observer of human relationships. A native of Baltimore, Kate spends time with family and friends in Lancaster County, PA, the inspiration for her novels. She is a member of the Lancaster County Mennonite Historical Society. Kate and her husband live in the Pacific Northwest. Kate studied painting and sculpture in college. She's worked a variety of jobs, including car salesman and restaurateur.

Learn more about Kate at http://www.katelloyd.net

I received a free copy of Pennsylvania Patchwork from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.

Inspired Wednesday: Adventures in Odyssey Summer of Service Giveaway

Have you ever done a service project with your little ones?  

When I hear 'service project,' I tend to think of serving meals at homeless shelters or big mission trips, and neither seems very doable with little kids. It doesn't have to be that complicated, though.

A service project could simply be putting someone else's needs ahead of your own.  It could be taking a glass of cold water to the neighbor down the street mowing on a hot day.

It could be returning a shopping cart for an older shopper or one with a small baby.

It could be taking a teddy bear to the kid down the street who lost a relative or a pet.

It could be having some kids over to play so their pregnant mom/single parent/grieving adult gets some naptime/work done/break.

It could be making up some blessing bags to keep in the car for when you run across a person in need.

Maybe it's sneaking cookies into a neighbor's mailbox after dark to treat them with a fun surprise in the morning.

Service projects can be simple.  Brainstorm the needs of those you see around you with your little ones, and then think about ways that you can meet them.  Be creative!  Everybody can do something. 

Don't believe me?  Check out this story about Matthew:

Fourteen-year-old Matthew, a dedicated Adventures in Odyssey fan and natural tech whiz, was inspired

by a trip to the Apple store to create a smartphone app for his church. Since then, he has created 

21 apps for different ministries, including his local pregnancy resource center, Joni and Friends (an ]i

nternational ministry for people with disabilities), and even an “Adventures in Odyssey Fan News” app! 

Matthew used his God-given talents and imagination to bless others through technology. Which of your 

kid’s unique gifts are waiting to be unleashed for God’s use?

 

This summer Adventures in Odyssey has created a Summer of Service kit to get you started.  You'll find everything that you need at this link.  To give you some additional incentive to get out and get serving, though, they're giving away a trip to Costa Rica to one child and parent who serve!  See all the details here.

Adventures in Odyssey is the company that produces great kid-friendly audio dramas and the new chapter books by the same title.  My Big Helper loves them!  For a limited time, you can download the very first book in the series, Voyage with the Vikings, here - for FREE!

In case that's not enough to get you motivated, Adventures in Odyssey is giving away a three-book set of the AiO books!  Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Have you ever done a service project with your kids?   If so, I'd love to hear about it!

Last week Teacher @ Home shared a post about why you should click on those dreaded advertisements found on blogs.  To find out why, visit Teacher @ Home - please visit our Inspired Wednesday page and take the "I was featured on Washed Up Inspired Wednesdays' button back with you.  

<center> <a href="http://anestintherocks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="A Nest in the Rocks" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih_9UXxvpHihP2_LX14wtPFiUPHRfXtxSHNJodSzTZt0lgD04c9FszjMkaqaez4_hN2Up8YHkAmCaJGRSlhH6e1lEmHKSX4QdlcQAsCFRHjHRbg6S30CYSoJpTfnFA2o55xEhOj-_hEihC/s1600/Button+2.jpg" imageanchor=""/></a></center>

If you have a post about an encouraging activity, project, or trip that you've taken, please link up below and add a link back to this post.  Either way, please read on to find out more about a fun activity that we enjoy here in our nest, and be sure to hop over to Where He Leads, We Follow to check out Stephanie's  Inspiring Wednesday post, too. 

 

Enter to win an Amish Baking Box from Tricia Goyer and RSVP for her 6/12 Facebook Party!

Tricia Goyer is celebrating the release of her lastest novel, The Promise Box (Zondervan), by hosting an Amish Baking Box giveaway and connecting with readers during her June 12th Book Chat Party!

One "promising" winner will receive:

• Apron, hot mitts, and kitchen towels
• Amish baking items (rolling pin, pie plate, etc...)
• Sherry Gore's Simply Delicious Amish Cooking
• The Memory Jar and The Promise Box by Tricia Goyer 

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on June 11th. Winner will be announced at the "The Promise Box" Facebook Author Chat Party on June 12th. Connect with Tricia for an evening of Amish fun - book chat, trivia, laughter, and more! Tricia will also share an exclusive look at the next book book in the Seven Brides for Seven Bachelors series and give away books and other fun prizes throughout the evening.

So grab your copy of The Promise Box and join Tricia on the evening of June 12th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 12th!

GratiTuesday - We Survived Grandfather Mountain

I've never had any aspirations of being a mountain climber.  Never wanted to use strange tools to cling precariously from rocks high above ... well ... more rocks.  If I'm going to be way up in the air, which I do enjoy, I'd rather keep my bottom firmly planted on said rocks or, at the very least, strapped into a harness and carabiner-ed to a zipline.  That's about as dangerous as I get.

Until Saturday.

That's when my husband decided we should hike Grandfather Mountain.

I didn't know that was the plan.  I thought we were going to walk across the Mile High Swinging  Bridge, so named because it's a mile above sea level, and then head into Blowing Rock for some window shopping and dinner.

Oops.  I missed the part between the bridge and the window shopping when we talked about the plan.  I should pay more attention.  He knew I've been craving time outside after being quarantined with the chicken pox and two sinus infections, so he was trying to find fun outdoors adventures for me.

It was definitely an adventure.

Next thing I knew, we were headed up the mountain.  Yes, there's MORE mountain above that bridge.

No, it wasn't quite like this.  My husband faked this shot to show the kids.  His feet were on the ground the whole time - but those were real rocks, baby, and we were a mile in the air.

After walking along the trail for a very long time ... well, hopping like a mountain goat might be a more accurate description, because those were big rocks and they were far apart and I've got short legs ... we came upon this.  Yes, the picture is turned the right direction.  We had to push-up our way through this slit in the rock to the ladder, which was bolted into the rock, and then climb up it to continue on the trail.

Did I say trail?  It's not so much a trail as a stream.  There was water flowing in the rocky path where we were trying to walk, making our shoes wet and muddy and slippery.

Yes.

Now, after that ladder, we pulled ourselves up a few rock faces via helpful ropes knotted and attached to said rock faces.  I was starting to feel rather confident that perhaps I could tackle this mountain after all when we came to this:

Four ladders, not quite end to end, heading up into what seemed like the clouds.  They didn't start at my feet, either - I had to climb onto two big, stacked boulders to get to the bottom of the first ladder, and I wasn't sure I could.

My husband decided to climb up ahead of me to see if there was more trail, or if the top ladder signaled the end of the line.  If it was the end, I could wait there, he said, and so I waited - until he was out of sight. 

Suddenly I was afraid that he would fall off the edge of the mountain and I'd never see him again, so I hurriedly repacked my canvas bag - who knew I'd need a backpack? - threw it around to my back, and tried to scale some boulders.

I was heading up the first ladder when he reappeared and said that there was more trail.

There was, all right - directly above my head as I took this picture.  

The difference was that we had to scale another ladder - and this time, the ladder was bolted to a very narrow, vertical rock face.  I started up it, and then realized that every time I let go with my left hand to reach up for another rung, my arm was dangling over several thousand feet of nothingness.

I decided that I was high enough.

My husband felt the same way.

Look very, very closely in the upper left quadrant of this picture.  See those orange specks on the ladder?  That's where we were.

We decided that we'd had enough hiking for one day and turned around.

So yes, that meant we had to do all of those ladders in reverse, but it was WAY better than the next one.

We made it back to our car just before the trails closed and park rangers headed out for the missing.

We survived Grandfather Mountain - more specifically, McRae's Peak, elevation 58xx.  

I really think that ought to be worth a t-shirt, don't you?  Because I'd definitely buy it.

My husband's determined to go again and head up that last ladder.

Maybe knowing what's in store would leave me feeling a bit more able to brave the nothingness.

Or maybe not.  Because right now, I'm super happy not to be a mountain climber.  I have a great story to tell, and I'm happy to have had my rock-climbing adventure, but now ...

My bottom is happily seated on the ground, elevation nothing, and the only mud I anticipate to wear today is from weeding the garden.

Then I'll talk to my husband across the dinner table.

That's more my kind of adventure.

For more GratiTuesday, visit Heavenly Homemakers.

Any mountain climbers out there?  What's your favorite one??

Menu Plan Monday - June 10, 2013

This is where I found myself Saturday afternoon.  We had quite the anniversary adventure!  More on that tomorrow ....  ;-)

Now that we're back at home, however, my thoughts have returned to the nitty-gritty details of home life and menu planning tops this list.  We have a SUPER busy week coming up, and so we're going to keep things simple to keep life truckin' right along.  (Although if a perky chef wanted to make an appearance in my kitchen each morning and make breakfast, I wouldn't complain - that was an especially nice feature of staying in a B&B!)

Breakfast:

- bananas & Cinnamon Almond Granola

- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal, milk
- scrambled eggs and toast
- leftover waffles and fruit

I'd like to say that I'll be more creative, but realistically speaking, this will probably be it. it's going to be a big week.

Dinner:
- Burritos, nachos with black beans, cheese, and salsa, watermelon

- Perfectly Pumpkin Waffles, sausage, scrambled eggs, fruit
- Pizza, carrot sticks, watermelon
- Grilled fish, baked potatoes, salad
- Steak quesadillas, salad
- Dinner out for Father's Day
- Dinner at church - what to make??

For more Menu Plan Mondays, visit OrgJunkie.

"Stealing the Preacher" by Karen Witemyer

A cowboy who wants to be a preacher. An outlaw's daughter who wants to change his mind.
On his way to interview for a position at a church in the Piney Woods of Texas, Crockett Archer can't believe it when he's forced off the train by an outlaw and presented to the man's daughter as the preacher she requested for her birthday. He's determined to escape-which would be much easier if he could stop thinking about Joanna Robbins and her unexpected request.

For months, Joanna had prayed for a minister. A man to breathe life back into the abandoned church at the heart of her community. A man to assist her in fulfilling a promise to her dying mother. But just when it seems her prayers have been answered, it turns out the parson is there against his will and has dreams of his own calling him elsewhere. Is there any way she can convince Crockett he ended up right where he was supposed to be?

With her signature blend of humor, history, and lively western romance, two-time RITA Award finalist and bestselling author Karen Witemeyer delivers a Texas love story sure to steal your heart.

If I weren't already married, Stealing the Preacher would tempt me to go do just that! This seemingly sweet story has all sorts of layers to it - layers of truth, forgiveness, temptation, boundaries, family, and more.  With all kinds of great faith lessons wrapped up in funny episodes and deep character interactions, I like this second installment in the Archer family series even more than the first - and that's saying something.

One difference that stands out to me between classic (older) and modern literature is the breadth.  In older written works there tends to be more description, a wider range of plot obstacles, just a bigger picture overall.  More modern written works, even those for adults, often have a more narrow, singular focus - almost as if we techno-crazed people are not able to abide for extra letters or lessons in our quest to hurry and solve the problem.  

While Stealing the Preacher is not wordy by any means, I do appreciate the breadth that Witemyer has built into this series - and this book in particular.  Each character has his or her own lesson to learn.  Each one has a particular hobby or interest, most of which do not match up with that of another.  These different pieces fit together like puzzles instead of overlapping, which makes the big picture far more colorful and interesting.

**Spoiler alert!*  I'll speak in broad terms, but still ...

Witemyer also deals with topics rarely seen in modern novels, even those of the historical mindset: how to deal with sinners Biblically and how to achieve legal forgiveness.  These are real issues that occur in our lives today, and putting these issues into this novel added plot complexity, realism, and a suspense factor that can't be beat.  

Stealing the Preacher is a great summer read that ... well, forget that.  This is a great anytime read.



Click here to read other reviews of this book or here to purchase your own copy now.

Two-time RITA finalist and winner of the coveted HOLT Medallion and ACFW Carol Award, CBA bestselling author Karen Witemeyer writes historical romance because she believes that the world needs more happily-ever-afters. She is an avid cross-stitcher, shower singer, and bakes a mean apple cobbler. Karen makes her home in Abilene, Texas, with her husband and three children. Learn more about Karen and her books at www.karenwitemeyer.com.

I received a free copy of this book from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.

Tracie Peterson’s “The Quarryman’s Bride” True Love $200 Anthropologie Giveaway and 7/9 Facebook Party!

Welcome to the campaign page for Tracie Peterson's newest book in the Land of the Shining Water series, The Quarryman's Bride. Tracie is celebrating with a "True Love" $200 Anthropologie
 giveaway and a Facebook Author Chat Party.

 

One winner will receive:

• A $200 Anthropologie gift card
• The Quarryman's Bride and The Icecutter's Daughter by Tracie Peterson

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on July 8th. Winner will be announced at the "The Quarryman's Bride" Facebook Author Chat Party on July 9th. Connect with Tracie for an evening of book chat, trivia, laughter, and more! Tracie will also share an exclusive look at the next book in the Land of Shining Water series and give away books and other fun prizes throughout the evening.

So grab your copy of The Quarryman's Bride and join Tracie on the evening of July 9th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today. Hope to see you on the 9th!