THE CONTEST LISTED BELOW IS NOW CLOSED.

I love the aroma of foods, don’t you? —Chili, stews, or soups cooking all day in the Crock Pot or simmering on the stove, bread baking, casseroles in the oven, or steaks on the grill—to mention a few. The wafting scents each carry its own pleasure and those smells often bring memories with it. When I think of a great meal, desserts often come to mind. The sweet, spicy fragrance of a fresh-made pie or cake can linger in the home all day…and remain in the memory for a lifetime. Our Amish friends love to bake, but it’s just one part of a very busy day. Even though every Amish person I know grows their own vegetables and cans their own meat, you’ll find many also trying to save time by using cake mixes, packaged seasonings, or prepared foods from the grocery store. Do you find it surprising, disappointing, or encouraging that most Amish women use a few modern ways to help them accomplish their goals? Do you have a time-saving tip you can share with us? Do Amish novels encourage you to enjoy cooking?

If you’d like a chance to win a set of Amish-made potholders, gift cards, and your choice of one of my books  just leave a comment. Contest/sweepstake is open to those in the United States and Canada. A winner will be drawn Monday, March 1.

To my Facebook friends and fans, you’ll read this blog entry on Facebook through a feed, but if you’d like to be included in the chance to win, you need to go to my Web site and leave a comment. http://www.cindywoodsmall.com

Amish Chicken Noodle Soup
3 pounds chicken
2 quarts water
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 cups celery, chopped
2 cups carrots, chopped
1 tart apple, chopped
1 cup onions, chopped
Dash of pepper
4 cups egg noodles

Place chicken in kettle with 2 quarts water. Cover until tender (about 2 1/2 hours).
Remove chicken from kettle and strain broth. Debone chicken and return to kettle with strained broth. Add chicken stock, celery, carrots, apple, onions, and pepper and cook until vegetables are tender. Add noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes.

Behatz Hoffning (Embrace hope)!

P.S. The winner of the Facebook Contest for the Amish-made quilt is Facebook fan Mary Collins. Congratulations, Mary!

I’m having a special contest that will only last until February 15.

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

The winner of the quilt is Facebook fan Mary Collins!

CONGRATULATIONS, MARY!

The prize is an Amish-made quilt! The one seen in the photo above. This quilt was sewn by Anna, who is the daughter of a bishop. She’s signed and dated the quilt.

This special contest is for anyone who becomes a Cindy Woodsmall Facebook friend or fan. You are welcome to join either.

Are you already a friend or fan of mine on Facebook? I appreciate you so much and want you to join the contest, too. Just check out #2 on the entrance guidelines below.

Here’s how to enter:

1. Become a Facebook friend or fan. OR
2. If you are already a fan or friend, get one other person you know to join as a friend or fan. THEN…
3. After you become a Facebook friend or fan (or have recruited someone else), send a blank e-mail.
4. Place the words “Facebook Contest” in the subject line. If you’ve recruited someone else, put their name in the subject line as well. And they can enter the contest also!
5. Send to cindy@cindywoodsmall.com.
6. Each person may only submit ONE entry for this contest.

This contest is open to residents of the continental United States and Canada. If you have any questions, just zip me an e-mail.

Karen Kingsbury sent a letter to all her reader friends.  In it she shares trusted organizations we can give to and ways we can pray.

Letter posted by permission.

Dear Reader Friends,

As you know, Haiti was hit by a massive earthquake yesterday causing the loss of tens of thousands of lives and the collapse or ruin of most major buildings. Many of you have contacted me this morning asking which relief organization I’m supporting, and how you can help. For immediate relief needs, I’d like to suggest the following website:

*WorldVision.com is a Christian version of Red Cross – another great humanitarian organization. World Vision is set up and working to help people in the numerous locations in Haiti where their people are stationed. Even now World Vision is rallying food, water, blankets, tents, and emergency medical help. Your donation will be immediately felt with World Vision.

Other ways you can help the people of Haiti on a longterm basis:
* HandsandFeetProject.org - A grassroots organization that does an amazing job of caring for orphans and abandoned children and teaching the next generation about Jesus. I am personally connected to this group through Extraordinary Women, and I believe deeply in their efforts.

* Heart of God Ministries - A ministry that once included the orphanage where we adopted our three boys. Today they work exclusively in the revival, restoration and recovery of Haiti.

* Lifeline.org – A ministry that works year-round in the support and spiritual gowth of people in Haiti. This group is smaller, but very effective in their place in the city.

On a personal note, we have not heard from Josh’s birth mother – the only parent still alive and with whom we are still in contact. Josh is processing this, praying for her, and I’d ask you to do the same. The other boys are sort of stunned by pictures they see. They understand the great need, and in thier own way they want to help. They are pulling together birthday money and grade money to send to the relief effort. EJ’s middle school is rallying to send a donation, and our boys’ friends, friends of our families have formed a groundswell of willingness to help. Some way. However they might.
If you are unable to help financially, then please pray.
Pray for the thousands of American missionaries in Port au Prince, and the impact they might have in the coming days and weeks as this disaster continues to play out. Pray for the rescue workers – that they might arrive safely at a broken airport and quickly find their way to those still buried alive beneath buildings. Pray for revival in Haiti, that this small strife-ridden nation would place complete trust in God in the aftermath of this tragedy.
Pray for the families who have lost loved ones. Everyone is touched, everyone affected. I saw one video image of a young man wandering in the rubble, shock masking his bleeding face. He stopped, scanned the ground and moved another couple feet. There he picked up the lifeless body of a little boy who looked about two years old. A child lying dead in the street. What the people of Haiti are experienceing today is beyond our comprehension.
Still, miracles abound and will undoubtedly be told in the days to come. I heard today about a young American missionary who drove 12 hours through the night to the small hut where he knew his wife was working at the time of the quake. He saw only her hand sticking up from the rubble, but she was alive. Hours later he had unburied her from beneath slabs of cement and she is unharmed – the two of them turning all their efforts towards helping others. So please pray.
I’ll be sending out my January newsletter in a week or so. Just wanted to touch bases with all of you looking to help and give you a direction that will make the most of your donation, a direction I trust and support.
Give those you love an extra hug today, and thank God for the chance to do so.

In His light and love, until next time . . .

Karen Kingsbury

www.KarenKingsbury.com

While staying with my Amish friends, I needed to get to a book signing at an Amish country store, but all the “Englischer” drivers had been hired out for the day. So we hitched a horse to a carriage on a cold and rainy day. I thought you might enjoy the clopping sound and snippets of scenery.

For those of you reading from Amazon.com, here’s a link to the video on YouTube.

Special Contest

~

I love having contests! I’ve already met a lot of new people through the latest one! Contests are such a great way to connect with readers and add a little zing to a quiet day. With that in mind, I’m giving away another Amish-made quilt! See details below, but PLEASE follow the directions. I’m sorry, but e-mailing me through Facebook or posting a comment on my Web site or on Facebook will not enter you into this contest. You will need to follow the instructions below. Thank you!

I’m running a very special contest that will only last until February 15.

The prize is an Amish-made quilt! (See photo above) This quilt was sewn by Anna, who is the daughter of a bishop. She’s signed and dated the quilt.

This special contest is for anyone who becomes a Cindy Woodsmall Facebook friend or fan. You are welcome to join either. You can let your friends and family know so they can participate, too.

Are you already a friend or fan of mine on Facebook? I appreciate you so much and want you to join the contest, too. Just check out #2 on the entrance guidelines below.

Here’s how to enter:

1. Become a Facebook friend or fan. OR
2. If you are already a fan or friend, get one other person you know to join as a friend or fan. THEN…
3. After you become a Facebook friend or fan (or have recruited someone else), send a blank e-mail.
4. Place the words “Facebook Contest” in the subject line. If you’ve recruited someone else, put their name in the subject line as well.
5. Send to cindy@cindywoodsmall.com.
6. You may only submit ONE entry for this contest. But please feel free to tell your friends and family about it, too.

This contest is open to residents of the continental United States and Canada.

The last five winners of an autographed copy of The Sound of Sleigh Bells for 2009 are:

Mary of Lewistown, Michigan
Beth of Floissant, Missouri
Marilyn of Ashland, Kentucky
Lois of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Sheryl of O’Fallon, Illinois

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!