Kate Lloyd's Blog, page 8
February 7, 2022
Valentine’s Day Dilemma
Yesterday on our way home from the island my husband and I stopped at a drugstore. We each needed something and met back at the cash register. As we stood in line both of us could easily see an elaborate display of Valentine’s Day cards. Knowing that Valentine’s Day was just around the corner, we should have bought each other a card, but neither of us gave it a thought. However, once we were back in the car, I mentioned our blunder and attempted to strike a deal with him. If he didn’t buy me a card, I wouldn’t buy him one. But now in retrospect I wonder if that was a good idea because my hunch is that he will buy me a card. Meaning I go buy one just in case?
Later in the day he asked me if I wanted chocolates for Valentine’s Day and I said, “No,” because I always keep a stash of my favorite chocolate bars. I wonder if I should have asked him if he wanted something. Do you think he will keep his promise not to buy me a card?
With the month of February unfolding spring is growing nearer. I am so ready for spring!
My husband is one of those great guys who buys me flowers randomly; it’s always a treat to receive them for no particular reason. I’d love a pot of spring bloomers such as tulips or daffodils, but I don’t want to cramp his style. Last week he brought me lovely African violets and I love them.
As a Valentine’s Day gift to one lucky person, I am offering a $100 Amazon Gift Card and one of my signed books. Winner has three days to respond. US and Canada only.
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January 17, 2022
January Congratulations
Please help me congratulate Janelle Sobjak, winner of the $100 Amazon gift card and a signed copy of one my books. Many thanks to all who entered.
January 10, 2022
New Year, New Giveaway
Packing away my holiday decorations always gives me a sense of perspective and satisfaction. My tree ornaments have been acquired over the years, and each goes back into its own packaging. Some I’ve had since childhood, and some were favorites of my sons. I’ve kept the ornaments my husband and I found on our honeymoon: glass wreaths from Harrods in London. Each holds a memory and a connection to the many people I’ve been blessed to have in my life.
On January 1, I don’t make resolutions and never have. But I do journal most days, even when traveling or at our beach house. Out of my stream of conscious journaling in the morning, ideas and goals take shape. From writing, to gardening, to decluttering, to exercise, I figure any grandiose resolutions will fall by the wayside before the month is over, let alone the year.
Gardening will have to wait until after the snow melts!
I love to wake up on January 1 feeling good and rested. My husband and I set out on a walk to start the year off right. Do you have a New Year’s Day tradition?
Enter my giveaway for a chance to win a $100 amazon gift card and a copy of any of my books. Winner has three days to respond, US and Canada only. Good luck!
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December 13, 2021
Congratulations
Please help me congratulate Linda Ortiz, winner of the $100 Amazon gift card and a signed copy of one my books. Many thanks to all who entered.
December 7, 2021
Let There be Light!
I have always considered myself an early riser so I can get my journaling and some writing done first thing before the clutter of the day takes over. But these dark mornings, especially when it’s raining, are getting me down.
At least I don’t need to get out and about until 7:30 to see the sunrise, which I appreciate greatly. But enough already with this darkness. Thankfully I don’t suffer from SAD, but I do appreciate light!
One of the loveliest things to see this time of year are the strings of Christmas lights on houses, trees, city streets, or even on a few cars!
I enjoy seeing the lights on our Christmas tree and on our menorah during Hanukkah, which has just come and gone for the year. The lights have always been my favorite part of Christmas. In the midst of the long, dark, and cold nights, the lights – twinkling or static, white or gold or green or red or whatever color – always cheer me up.
A couple of tractors getting in the festive mood.
It is so easy to get caught up in the flurry of things we feel we must get done before Christmas, or stressed over creating a ‘perfect’ holiday for our family or friends. The lights are a reminder to bring light and warmth and joy to those around me.
My menorah when not in a window.
A contest is a fun way to bring light to a gloomy day, don’t you think? Please forgive me for relying on Amazon gift cards so much, but I am out of gift ideas. Plus, the winner may wish to buy someone else a present. Also included, the winner may choose one of my signed novels.
Winner has three days to respond. US only, unless the winner is from Canada and is willing to take a Kindle and an E-gift card, which are always fun because they come so quickly!
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November 16, 2021
Congratulations!
Please help me congratulate Naomi Fischer, winner of the $100 Amazon gift card and a signed copy of one my books. Many thanks to all who entered. I wish I had a prize for each of you.
November 9, 2021
Giving Thanks giveaway
A few minutes after supper last night I heard a ping-ping-ping — the splattering of rain recognizable all too well the few months we endured it last winter. The sky turned dark as night and Piper barked and then lay in the corner.
It’s soon became apparent that Piper had lost interest in going outside!
I crawled into bed and attempted to ignore the rain driving against the storm-windows. My husband and I agreed no one enjoyed a good night’s sleep in any way!
And yet the sun is shining today, for which I am grateful. Until the rain starts up again. It’s bound to happen according to the weatherman.
Not even the bright colors and sharp crunch of the leaves were enough to convince Piper to venture out for a morning walk.
Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday. I’ve always loved the pause it gives us before the Christmas season kicks into full swing. It lets us reflect on what we have now, and acknowledge the blessings in our lives. Oh, I know it isn’t always easy, and sometimes the blessings seem vastly outnumbered by stress, but I am grateful for the people who make my life a little brighter. The friendly wave of a fellow dog walker, the grocery store clerk who bags my eggs without breaking them, the cheery hello from the mail carrier as he drops off my packages. There’s the love of my family to be grateful for – my husband, my sons, my grandchildren. And silly little Piper too.
Adding maple to cornbread may not be part of the Southern cornbread tradition, but the subtle maple sweetness is delicious!
I thought I’d share a favorite cornbread recipe from a friend. It’s a simple recipe she’s made for Thanksgiving for years. And while she’s mixing and measuring, she thanks God for the ingredients, the farmers who grew them, the people who will eat it, and prays for those who go hungry.
Maple Cornbread
1 c. all purpose flour
1 c. yellow cornmeal
1 tblsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. milk
1/4 c. maple syrup
4 tblsp. melted butter
2 large eggs
Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly grease an 8″ x 8″ square or 9″ round pan.
Stir together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.
In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, maple syrup, melted butter and eggs.
Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake the cornbread for 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Mix together 3 tablespoons melted butter with 3 tablespoons maple syrup and brush over the top of the warm baked cornbread. Let cool completely before cutting.
What are you grateful for?
Enter my giveaway for a chance to win a $100 amazon gift card and a copy of any of my books. Winner has three days to respond, US and Canada only. Good luck!
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October 19, 2021
Congratulations
Please help me congratulate Rita Meeker, winner of the Amish-made doll named Lizzy from Lancaster County, PA, a set of my favorite covered-bridge themed notecards, and a signed copy of one my books. Many thanks to all who entered.
October 13, 2021
To Tell the Truth
In the Pacific Northwest, a drought is a cause for celebration. Last summer we endured the least rainfall since 1951. In truth, we had plenty of water to keep our lawns green, but paid summer prices, and our well up at the beach did not go dry.
I love the arrival of autumn. As I’m writing this the temperature hovers in the 50s. Our trees are just beginning to change colors, nothing dramatic yet. It’s raining but I need to walk Piper.
A Lancaster Family Christmas released on September 28. The reviews have been fabulous. I want to thank everyone who has purchased or downloaded a copy, requested a copy at their library, and left an online review. Love those reviews! Even so-so reviews help me become a better writer.
As an author I enjoy weaving threads of truth with fiction. (BTW: My grandmother was a weaver.) I have visited Lancaster County often and feel comfortable writing about it, although the area and its Amish and Mennonite population is ever-changing. I continue to check my facts through my family and friends, many of them Amish. I greatly respect them, and I endeavor to be realistic when I portray the Amish knowing many are avid readers and may pick up my book. I just loved it when a Lancaster County resident exclaimed that she knew exactly where I was writing about in one of my many Amish novels.
Early autumn along Discovery Bay, WA.
A Lancaster Family Christmas is fiction, but here are some facts.
THE TRUTH:
Piper is our real cairn terrier, like the one in the Wizard of Oz! Although not quite as brave as I portray her, she is loyal to the max and is a Mama’s girl. My husband plays second fiddle.
I have Mennonite relatives living in Lancaster County who helped in this story. My relatives are warm and inviting but they don’t own a dog or horses.
I am a member of the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society.
Lancaster County is one of my favorite places in the world. I’ll leave it at that, lest I write a whole post about what I love about Lancaster County!
I have visited NYC many times and the Metropolitan Art Museum’s gift shop often. The restaurant’s chicken Marsala really is delish. My favorite period of art is Impressionism.
Two of my family’s barns burned. Terrible losses that I wanted to keep alive in my writing. My favorite cousin, Alex, in Connecticut described the ordeal when her parents’ magnificent barn was struck by lightning and burned to the ground.
Another truth is that I am awestruck by the Amish community’s dedication to each other as exhibited by barn-raisings. The Amish never cease to amaze me.
ALSO TRUE:
Diana Manzella is a fictional character, her first name borrowed from a Diana who has never been to Lancaster County.
Diana and my other characters took me on a journey, not the other way around. The story was outlined in my mine but often surprised me. Fun!
This is not an every-day Mennonite/Amish romance. I wanted to write something unique that would keep the reader turning the pages.
I also wanted to share with you that I’m currently writing an Amish book, but I write slowly so please be patient. I admire writers who can write one-hundred-miles an hour, but that’s not me.
Leaves turning color against a blue sky in Port Gamble, WA.
I hope you’re able to get outside and enjoy the marvelous autumn days no matter where you live. I love to walk with Piper, my time to admire the changing of seasons, and I adore reading. What would I do without a stack of books by my bed?
Enter for a chance to win an Amish-made doll named Lizzy from Lancaster County, PA, a set of my favorite covered-bridge themed notecards, a signed copy of one my books and a bookmark.
Winner will be announced on October 19 and has three days to respond. US only.
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September 29, 2021
Congratulations!
Please help me congratulate Barbara Miller, winner of the Old Order Mennonite handmade hanging quilt. Many thanks to all who entered.
