Making Ornaments, Publisher Contest, New Winners & Contest
I’d like to dust off an old tradition of ours and share it with you. It continues the recent Plain Talk blog theme about preparing some fun for the holidays and making great memories.
Christmas memories ~
From the time my boys were little, I loved doing craft times with them during the holidays. I’d pull out all sorts of items I’d picked up from yard sales or bought discounted throughout the year and let them create. The mess was well worth their excitement as they held up their “masterpieces.” As they grew older, their desire to do crafts began to fade, but I held on to my Christmastime tradition for as long as I could.
One Christmas craft they enjoyed for a long time was making dough ornaments. (I’ve shared the recipe below.) After the holidays, you can pack them away with the rest of the ornaments, and every year when you pull out that box of decorations, you’ll have a delightful trip down memory lane.
When my sons were teens, they no longer looked forward to Christmas craft time. Gathering teenagers together to make memories takes an extra bit of creative thinking. My solution to extending their joy of making something Christmassy was to use food as the craft time. I allowed them to decorate their own gingerbread-men ornaments—one year it was a demolition gingerbread man with a jackhammer in its hand. Other years I let them create gingerbread houses…then let them munch on their little homes as the holidays progressed.
Whatever your kids’ ages, be imaginative and free spirited in your holiday plans. They’ll love you for it…eventually.
Dough ornament recipe:
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup salt
1½ cups warm water
Mix flour and salt. Slowly add warm water. Press dough to about an eighth of an inch thick and use cookie cutters. Add ornament hooks into the top before baking. Bake at 325º until cookies are hardened. Cool. Decorate using acrylic paints. You may wish to use shellac as a final coat to help preserve them. (If your kids are going to eat the decorations, use an edible recipe and use frosting instead of paint and PLEASE skip the shellac 
)
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“Celebrate this Holiday Season with a Heart-Warming Christmas Novella and Basket of Authentic Amish Treats!”
My fabulous publisher, WaterBrook Multonomah Publishing Group (A division of Random House), has two contests taking place ~ just in time for the holidays. One of the contests has an Amish Christmas basket which includes authentic Amish sleigh bells, a poisettia platter, chocolates, pretzels, and more! Plus the basket will contain two copies of my first holiday novella ~ The Sound of Sleigh Bells. To enter contest, click here.
AND, while at the publisher’s site, you can enter: 12 Days of Christmas sweetpstakes!
12 Days of Christmas Sweepstakes!
Winners will receive the following: a Christmas stocking, candy canes, hot cider and hot chocolate, an advent calendar, and a select WaterBrook Multnomah book. To enter, click here.
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And from me, here’s your last chance to win an autographed copy of The Sound of Sleigh Bells.
Just leave a comment below (on the Web site or Facebook page) and you’re entered. Five winners will be chosen in mid-December. And after mid-December, I’ll share a new and exciting contest for those Amish quilt lovers out there. If you’re concerned you might miss it, simply join my newsletter, Plain News, and the details will come to you!
The five winners of an autographed copy of The Sound of Sleigh Bells from out last contest are:
Jaime of Columbus, Ohio
Emma of Burnham, Pennsylvania
Linda of Ontario, Canada
Paula of Leon, West Virginia
Jeannine of Richmond, Virginia
Everyone who entered the last contest through my Web site, Facebook friends, and Facebook fans was included. The winning numbers were chosen using Random.org. CONGRATULATIONS winners!
November 24th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
Hi Cindy, I just finished The Sound of Sleigh Bells it was wonderful, I did not want it to end, and I would love to win a copy of the book, I have read all of your books and I have loved everyone of them
God Bless you and your Family and have a Blessed Holiday season
November 24th, 2009 at 8:09 pm
I really enjoy reading your books. I share them with my family and friends, It would mean a lot to receive The Sound of Sleigh Bells. may God Bless you and keep giving you storys to write about we love them.
Happy Holidays and may God Bless you and Keep you.
Janet
November 24th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
I love playing games at christmas with my family. It is some of the best memories. Every year my husband and I buy a new game to play with our 5 children. Maybe this year we will play ‘spoons’. Thanks for the blog! I look forward to reading your latest book!
November 24th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
I enjoy reading your blog. I wish that sometime you could travel to OFallon,ILLinois. That’s where I live so I could get an autograph from you. I love reading your books. The amish people are the nicest people we would ever meet. They are the sweetest people too. We once took a drive to the amish country, (I’m not sure where its at now) but the tour was great and the amish welcome us with open arms and invited us to come back. You are my favorite author and I love reading your books. Someday, I hope to get an opportunity to meet you in person. When I start a book, I don’t like to put it down til I am finish reading it. I read all the time.
Thank you,
Sheryl
November 24th, 2009 at 11:26 pm
please enter me in the drawing to win an autographed copy of the sound of sleigh bells.thank you
November 25th, 2009 at 4:36 am
I “found” your books in the public library and enjoyed reading them ever so much, as well as your newsletter and blog. I would be pleased to win an autographed copy of The Sound of Sleigh Bells, and look forward to reading it!
November 25th, 2009 at 9:52 am
I love your Books, Cindy!!!! I look forward to reading your latest.
Please include me in your latest contest to win a free copy of your book. happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas.
Fran
November 25th, 2009 at 9:56 am
I’m a big fan of yours and looking forward to reading “The Sound of Sleigh Bells”. I loved Hannah’s story immensely and have recommended it to all my friends too.
November 25th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
I would love to read your novella. I have read the Sisters of the Quilt series and still think of the characters. Thank you for this chance to win an autographed copy!
November 25th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
Hi Cindy. I just finished reading you book “The Sound Of Sleigh Bells.” That was (in my opinion) the best book I have ever read. I could not put it down for nothing. I can’t wait to read all your other books.
November 26th, 2009 at 8:37 am
I love reading your blogs and getting your books as they come out!!!! Please enter me in your contest!!!! Laura
November 26th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
Hi Cindy – LOVED the book! My name is Beth, for one, and I have a dear former Amish friend whose last name is Kinsinger ~ quite a coincidence! I’d LOVE to enter the contest.
November 29th, 2009 at 4:58 pm
the sound of sleigh bells, was a wonderful book. i really enjoyed it. i have enjoyed all your books.
November 30th, 2009 at 2:56 am
Hi, Cindy! It was a bittersweet moment when I turned the last page of Hope of Refuge a couple of days ago. I had hardly been able to put it down over Thanksgiving vacation, but also just didn’t want it to end. Now I am excited to see you have a book I have not read yet, The Sound of Sleigh Bells. I would love to win a copy! It would make my husband happy too, as he gets a bit weary of financing my reading habit!
November 30th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
Can’t wait to read the book . . . thanks for entering me in your contest.
December 2nd, 2009 at 10:55 am
Hi Cindy,
I was give the first two books of Sisters of the Quilt series…when i finished the second one i thought ok,got to go get the last one. Can’t wait to see what happened to Hannah and Paul.
Always thought i knew what would happen next but wow it never happen the way i thought ..which was amazing to me. Made me think that’s the way life is never the way we think, but the way the Lord will is…
Please enter me in your contest!
Blessing this holiday season,
June
December 2nd, 2009 at 8:29 pm
Cindy, please enter me in the contest to win your book…..I am so anxious to read it. Thanks.
Jackie
December 4th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
I just finished reading The Sound of Sleigh Bells
I loved the story! I couldn’t put the book down.
I have really enjoyed all your Amish fiction.
I hope there will be a book 2 of Sound of sleigh Bells. Loved the characters, Beth, Lizzie, Jonah
Thank you thank you
December 8th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
I have fallen in love with the Amish and their traditions I have used some of their recipes and I have read some of your books I would love to win the sound of Sleigh Bells!!!!!!!
December 8th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
I just finished reading The Hope of Refuge, and loved every word of it. I’m hopeful there will be more books to follow. I look forward to reading The Sound Of Sleigh Bells. Thank you for this chance to win an autographed copy!
Sincerely, Judy