Starting from Scratch?

Starting from Scratch?

Hunger invades me as I recall my mother in her kitchen preparing a huge vat of chicken stock in her pressure cooker. Left-over chicken bones, vegetables, even onion skins, were tossed into the concoction to produce the fabulous stock she often froze for future use....
Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Another twelve months have flown by. Although I’m eagerly awaiting the release of my next book, Starting from Scratch, on April 3rd. I want to savor each day until the auspicious occasion. And soon, another Amish quilt to giveaway! For me, the start of a new...
Is Gratitude the Key to Holiday Stress?

Is Gratitude the Key to Holiday Stress?

“In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer Last week I awoke with a sense of anxiety. An unsettling, restless feeling that I should be...
Celebrating in Lancaster County

Celebrating in Lancaster County

Hurray, we’re home from another marvelous visit to Lancaster County, PA! Not until I began writing about the Amish did my husband and I celebrate our autumn anniversary in glorious Lancaster County. Can you think of a better place for me to do research on the Amish...
Amish Autumn

Amish Autumn

Not much evidence of autumn in our neck of the woods yet, except kids are back in school and our oak tree’s leaves are turning a drab brown. Eventually, thousands will drift to the ground almost nonstop. One year, I raked up 23 barrels of leaves over the course of a...
Are You a Risk Taker?

Are You a Risk Taker?

What’s your idea of taking a risk? Bungee jumping or helicopter skiing off the highest peak? Scuba-diving in shark infested waters the way my husband does? I’ve got to wonder why people attempt such daredevil activities. Seeking a thrill and an adrenaline...