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Dear Readers,
Thanks for sharing your favorite movies! I now can’t wait to sit down and watch It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, and all the others mentioned. I did work on Christmas cards yesterday and watched The Bishops Wife.
The winner for yesterday’s drawing was Lindy Enlow! Lindy, please send me an email with your address information some time today. Please also let me know which of my books you’d like signed and sent to you!
Didn’t win but would still like to win a book and assorted other goodies? Please stop by here tomorrow! That’s right, I’ll be hosting another drawing on Wednesday!
If you’ve never joined me on Facebook, please consider doing so! There’s a great group of us there and we’d love to have you join us in the discussions!
Wishing you a wonderful Tuesday!
Shelley
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I’ve had a pretty busy twenty-four hours!
Yesterday evening, I was a guest on Janet Parchall’s radio show. We talked about Christmas in Sugarcreek, writing, and the Christmas season. If you’re interested, you can stop by Moody Radio’s website and listen to the taped interview. www.inthemarketwithjanetparshall.org
After that, some of my dear girlfriends from church came over! We ate cookies (I made peanut butter with chocolate kisses~yum!) and stuffed gift bags for seniors. My county has a program where you can ‘adopt’ a senior citizen for Christmas, and make up fun gift bags for them, too! We had more fun sharing all the candy, lotions, toiletries, and other small items we collected, then stuffing them all into bags. One gal’s job was to hole punch the sacks for the gold ribbon we tied them with. (funny how none of us liked using that hole punch<g>)
Now today, I’m back in my jeans and writing-and visiting fellow author Lena Nelson Dooley’s blog today. There, I’m talking about A Texan’s Promise and my journey to get that book published. Lena will also be giving away a copy of A Texan’s Promise~ so, if you’ve ever been interested in the book (or know someone who you’d like to give the book to) I hope you’ll stop by! Here’s the link: www.lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
All this visiting and cookie-eating and chatting means it’s time for me to get back to work! I have a good reason to get my pages done today, too…my husband’s taking me out to dinner. I love the thought of no dinner dishes!
Thank you for stopping by~
Shelley
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Every so often, I write a column for a local Mothers of Preschoolers Organization. This is the latest one. Do any of y’all also have ‘memorable marks’ on your dining room table?
How has your holiday shopping been going? Now that my kids are both in college, their Christmas lists are very short, and very easy to fulfill. They want money.
Back when the kids were smaller, however, things were far different. The things they wanted for Christmas depended largely on what was on TV, and what their friends had. My husband and I used to have a ‘Christmas date’ at the beginning of November. That evening, we’d take care of the Christmas shopping, then carefully hide it all in the attic over our garage. I still remember staring up at the garage ceiling with the greatest sense of accomplishment. It’s nice when you know the gifts you’re giving are going to be received with huge smiles.
This past weekend, both kids asked me what I wanted for Christmas. When I told them my ‘Christmas list’, they groaned. It’s not very fancy or exciting, but I will enjoy my ‘gifts’ with a big smile, too. Want to know what I asked for? Maybe some of you moms can relate to it… I asked to spend time with them.
See, I want a couple of Sunday dinners back at our dining room table-the table with the big scratch across from it from one child sliding a casserole dish to the other instead of picking it up. Our table still looks pretty, but if you look closely at it, you’ll be able to notice that the chairs have a couple of nicks from too-short legs kicking them. There’s a couple of stains on the cushions, and a nick on one of the legs of the table-back when the kids used to sneak broccoli to our beagle and she got a little anxious. Though I didn’t think it at the time, those moments were gifts to me. They provided memories that will linger for a very long time, maybe even until my children have children of their own.
What ‘gifts’ have your children given you this year? Maybe it’s a scrape or a nick on your dining room table, too. Maybe it’s a couple of peaceful dinners. Maybe it’s the way your daughter says a prayer, or the way your son tells you about a new pet at school.
The memories from those dinners have lasted longer than any cookbook, candle, or bottle of bubble bath that I’ve ever received. Every so often, I’ll pass our scarred table or pat a scratch with a nostalgic smile.
So, this Christmas season, I hope you get everything on your list-plus a few memories you didn’t ask for. But most of all, I hope you get to share at least a few meals with the people you love. And try not to be too upset when that casserole dish makes that scrape. I promise, one day you’ll remember that moment with a smile.
With blessings,
Shelley
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How neat is this? Below is a link to enterto win a set of cookbooks published by William Morrow! If you click on the link, you’ll be able to read about the cookbooks highlighted…and see that Christmas in Sugarcreek is one of the books being given away!
Those of you who read my blog often know that I love to bake, and I love watching the cooking reality shows on Food Network and on Bravo. (right now I’m addicted to the Next Iron Chef! ) I feel so honored to have one of my books listed with them!
http://www.facebook.com/morrowcooks?sk=app_166013376782265&hc_guid=FA66A257-4330-421E-8D9A-09251F48FFA8
Now, if I could only find a way to enter this contest myself…. : )
Since I can’t, I wish you the best of luck, and please feel free to share the link with your friends~
with blessings to you,
Shelley
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Yesterday I woke up early, made stuffing and an apple pie by nine am, and had our turkey in the oven by 10:00 am. While that turkey roasted, we finished decorating the house…and played with the puppy! My mother-in-law drove down from Cleveland. It was so nice to have a very low-key holiday.
Last night, after too much turkey was consumed, my husband, mother-in-law, and son watched football. I watched a Hallmark movie and took a nap!
So, all in all, nothing too special on our Thanksgiving Day.
It was perfect! I was home, so was my husband…and both kids! We had Suzy, and of course, a puppy to cuddle. I was so thankful for all of it.
Today I might write a little bit, or I might not. It’s beautiful here, sunny and 60 degrees….too pretty to sit in front of a computer, I think.
I hope today you have time for leftovers, time to relax, and time to be with the people you love.
Shelley
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 Rudy's new favorite spot After all those days of being on the road, I’m more than happy to be wearing jeans again, stick my hair up in a pony tail, and just be ‘Mom’. I sure am getting a good dose of it right now! When we picked up our daughter from college on Monday night, she wasn’t feeling too well. A trip to the doctor yesterday confirmed what we feared: strep throat.
Our son came home with his puppy-who is not all that sleepy anymore! Rudy loves to chase our dachshund around the house. (No, it is definitely not her favorite game!) Luckily, Rudy also loves to be in the kitchen with me. While I made dinner last night, he found his favorite spot-right under the convection oven! It blows out warm air, and he feel right asleep on the floor. Too cute!
Today, I’m going to write a little bit and then start Thanksgiving preparations. And take care of my daughter. And do my kids’ laundry. And clean up after a puppy.
Sounds like being a ‘Mom’ to me!
Happy Thanksgiving! I wish you all many opportunities to give thanks for your blessings~
Shelley
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I woke up in my own bed today, and made a pot of coffee in our coffee maker. I’ve got a load of laundry going, and watched some of the morning news from my usual spot in our living room. My little dachshund Suzy is sitting beside me, happily taking the stuffing out of one of her many toys.
I’m home again!
It feels great to be home. It really does. But I have to admit that there is a part of me that wishes we were still back on the Amish Country Tour. The whole time, there had been a sense that all of us were a part of something pretty special. Hmm…-maybe because we were?
Publishers don’t send authors out on book tours much any more. I’m no financial wizard, but I have to imagine it would be hard to justify the expense. Even avid readers have busy lives-maybe even too busy to make the time to see a favorite author?
But, boy did we get to see so many readers! We met future readers of Amish fiction, too. And visited with a lot of Amish, spending hours talking with them about books and their culture. Amy and Vannetta and Alica must have taken a 1000 photographs of buggies and the countryside. I know we’ll talk about this tour for the rest of our lives. It was a such a gift to all of us.
On Saturday after Lancaster’s book signing, we had one last meal together. And with this blog in mind, I passed around an old sheet of paper I had stuck in my purse. On it, I asked everyone to write down a couple of ‘Amish Tour Memories’.
Of course, one of the biggest highlights were meeting readers! But besides that, I asked everyone to think of the ‘Funniest’ experience, the ‘Most Embarrassing’, and ‘The Best’. Our answers are below.
The rest of the week, I’ll be answering the 500 emails I never got to answering last week, writing Found, and getting ready for Thanksgiving. I hope y’all will have a wonderful week, too!
So..Drum Roll, please! Here is our ‘Amish Tour Wrap-Up’ :
Funniest Experience:
Shelley Shepard Gray: Getting lost and then lost again on the way to Shipshewana. Never again did I attempt to ‘help’ navigate!
Vannetta Chapman: Meeting some of Shipshewana’s Finest.
Amy Clipston: Listening to some of the funny comments at the Parade in Shipshe.
Alicia May (senior marketing director, Zondervan): Vannetta’s Wikipedia/Jay Leno Commentary about, oh, everything. (Vannetta really is a walking encyclopedia!)
Sue Brower (Editor for Zondervan): Amy mailing her clothes back home so she could bring home presents in her suitcases!
The Most Embarrassing Moment:
Shelley: Would have to be either when I forgot my purse in a restaurant or when my suitcase handle injured the woman sitting across from me at the airport. (oh, she was so mad!)
Vannetta: When my bittersweet story made Shelley cry. (from shelley: I think that would be more my embarrassment, yes?)
Amy: Having the airport attendant tell me that my suitcase was 7lbs overweight. Before I even began the trip!
Alicia: Being ‘walked in on’ at a Subway
Sue: Getting lost in rural Pennsylvania while following GPS instructions.
Katie Broaddus (our extraordinary publicist!): My Traffic ‘stops’
The Best Moment:
Shelley: Taking Amy and Vannetta to breakfast with Clara, her daughter, and her granddaughter.
Vannetta: Buying quilts from Mary
Amy: Having ice cream with Sally, and listening to her daughters’ beautiful song
Alicia: The Cheese Factory Tour in Berlin
Sue: Having ice cream with Sally, and that beautiful song!
Katie: Sitting in each other’s rooms, talking all night.
Happy Monday, everyone!
with blessings,
Shelley
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Last night, Vannetta, Amy, and I had dinner with readers at Plain and Fancy Farm. We each hosted a table of about 8 readers, and I have to say it was probably my favorite evening of the trip. At my table, Alecia May joined me. She’s the executive marketing director of Zondervan, and pretty much an amazing person. She’s spent the last year organizing the tour, designing bookbags and ornaments for the giveaways, coordinating events, and probably a 1000 other things I’ll never know. I do know that she’s made this 9 day tour a wonderful event for me.
At the dinner, everyone talked about books and the Amish and reading. I never get tired of talking about those things! Each of the attendees really brought something to the table, and I’m so thankful for their time. After the dinner, we went to the Amish Experience Theater and we three authors gave our last speeches of the trip. The highlight for me, however, was listening to Brad Igou talk about the Amish in Lancaster County.
After all that, we all moved to the Amish Farm House on the property. There we had pie (yay for pie!), and Amy, Vannetta, and I each sat in a different room of the house and signed books and posed for pictures. I chatted with Kimberley and her husband who just moved to the area from New Hampshire, and Judy, who just happened to hear about the event while taking a looming class. I signed 7 books for P.J. (he brought all of my books with him to sign!) I talked with ladies about cooking Thanksgiving turkeys and wayward beagle dogs. It was so nice just to relax and chat.
Today I woke up far too early and have been looking at my suitcases, wishing somebody else would pack them!
But since that someone is going to have to be me, I guess I better get going. We’re off to Berean Christian Bookstore in Lancaster this morning. We’ll be signing there from 10-noon. And after that? The airport!
I’ll arrive in Cincinnati at 9:30 tonight. My husband is going to pick me up, and I honestly can’t wait to see him.
Then it’s home to Suzy and sleep. And laundry. And grocery shopping~because my kids are coming home on Tuesday night!
ha! Life really does just keep moving along, doesn’t it?
I don’t plan to do anything much tomorrow, so I’ll see y’all on Monday!
God bless,
Shelley
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Last fall, my husband and I visited Lancaster County for the first time. I signed at Berean Christian Store in Lancaster, (where we’ll be tomorrow at 10:00 am) went to a smorgasbord (where we ate way too much food), then drove aimlessly around Lancaster County.
I saw a few Amish farms and stopped at store, but really I didn’t see all that much. Our schedule was tight and we didn’t know where we were going.
What a difference a good trip planner makes! For this leg of the trip, Amy Clipston has been in charge of things! And she, with the rest of the Zondervan crew, have outdone themselves. I’m in the middle of a busy day, but here are a few of the highlights:
* Last night we went to Amy’s Amish friend’s home and brought them ice cream. This lady actually serves dinner to tourists, so a whole group was leaving as we were arriving. It was super chilly out last night, and the the walk from the end of the driveway, down the walkway, and to their front door reminded me of walking in a Halloween house. With no street or outside lights, it was pitch black out! But then their door opened, and we went into their living room, where coals were heating in their fireplace/heater, warm candlelight was glowing, and Amy’s friends greeted us with sweet smiles. We had such a nice time-and her lovely daughters even sang us a song. Beautiful!
*Today I wrote this morning, then met everyone down in the lobby at 10:20. After getting today’s schedules, we piled into our van, and went off to the Bird-in-Hand Restaurant and Stage. Everything was set up so beautifully, and a very nice crowd was there to have lunch with us. Our agent even drove all the way from New York to join us for the lunch! Amy, Vannetta, and I each said a short speech, we ate a quick meal, then we signed books. I met some of the nicest people, including Casey, who gave me such a sweet letter that I got all teary-eyed.
*Then we got to see the play The Confession! To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I would like it, but it was wonderful. I would definitely go see it again. We signed more books at intermission, watched the rest of the play, then got on our way!
* Tonight, we’re speaking at the Plain & Fancy Farm, and visiting with readers-and eating more wonderful-gut food, I am sure! I, of course, am anxious for one last piece of coconut cream pie!
Tomorrow, we’ll sign at Berean, then take off to the airport. I have to admit that I’m ready to go home. I miss my husband and my little mini-dachshund Suzy. I’m ready to wear jeans and sweaters and take a nap on the couch. And, because I am a writer-I miss that, too. I’m now ready to go back into my office in the basement, turn on my space heater, and think up more stories!
And of course, I’ve got a turkey to buy. My kids are coming home for Thanksgiving!
I’ll try to write tomorrow from the airport. But if I don’t get a chance, thanks for taking this trip with me, thanks for reading the blogs, and for everyone who came out to see us-whether it was driving 9 hours like the lady in Canton, or drove minutes like the lady at the luncheon today-Thank You! You made this trip unforgettable.
Oops~yet again, it’s time to hurry downstairs!
with blessings to you all,
Shelley
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