Deborah Vogts's Blog, page 103

Flint Hills Road Trip ~ Teter Rock

This month I had a chance to visit a place in the Flint Hills I'd heard a lot about but had never seen--Teter Rock. 
It's a place in the middle of a pasture, found  about 11 1/2 miles east of Cassoday, just south of Teterville--a town that no longer exists, nor are there any markings for it, other than if you pass over a big hill, you've gone too far!
You cross over a cattleguard onto a private pasture and follow a very bumpy road, but the view was spectacular. 
In the 1870s, James Teter piled rocks as a marker to guide pioneers searching for the Cottonwood River. Eventually the rocks were removed and used for construction materials. In 1954 a 16-foot-tall slab of rock was erected on this hilltop in honor of Mr. Teter. 
We arrived about the same time that a storm passed through, so the views were amazing.

And the wind was ferocious.

Some massive limestone rock on the edge of the hill.
A sweet little bunny hiding in the rocks.

Book Preview ~ The Noble Groom

A Noble Groom by Jody HedlundBethany House
Recently widowed Annalisa Werner has the feeling her husband was murdered but can’t prove it.

Alone with her young daughter in 1881 Michigan, she has six months left to finish raising the money needed to pay back the land contract her husband purchased, and the land is difficult to toil by herself. She needs a husband. With unmarried men scarce, her father sends a letter to his brother in the Old Country, asking him to find Annalisa a groom.

For nobleman Carl von Reichart, the blade of the guillotine is his fate. He’s been accused and convicted of a serious crime he didn’t commit, and his only escape is to flee to a small German community in Michigan where he’ll be safe. He secures a job on Annalisa’s farm but bumbles through learning about farming and manual labor.

Annalisa senses that Carl is harboring a secret about his past, yet she finds herself drawn to him anyway. He’s gentle, kind, and romantic–unlike any of the men she’s ever known. He begins to restore her faith in the ability to love–but her true groom is still on his way. And time is running out on them all. Buy this book HERE.
Jody Hedlund is an award-winning and bestselling author of inspirational historical romances. As a busy mama-writer, she has the wonderful privilege of teaching her crew of 5 children at home. In between grading math papers and giving spelling tests, she occasionally does a load of laundry and washes dishes. When she’s not busy being a mama, you can find her in front of her laptop working on another of her page-turning stories.

She loves reading almost as much as she loves writing, especially when it also involves chocolate and coffee. Check out her Website HERE.

This Week's Recipes

Here are this week's new additions on Country at Heart Recipes. Today we're getting ready to serve a Chuck Wagon Dinner to our church family. Hope you have a great weekend! 
Antipasto Salad
Bruschetta with Cheese
Featured Author, Amanda Cabot's Almost Healthy Brownies

Flint Hills Road Trip ~ Ivanpah to Battlecreek

 Last week our youngest daughter, our pastor's wife, and I had a chance to take a trip into the Flint Hills for some back road exploration. 
We turned east on 20th road, just north of Rosalia and crossed a cattle guard onto Ivanpah Road. We crossed a lot of cattle guards on this trip. 
We saw lots of limestone and flint rock.
And lots of lush, green pastureland.
We drove over some really bumpy roads. 
And saw lots of wide open spaces. 
We saw some beautiful country. 
So peaceful here. 
From Ivanpah, we headed north on Salyard Road and had a picnic at this creek.
We even saw some wild horses on this road. (I'll share more about them in another post.)
Then headed back west on Battlecreek Road to Cassoday. Next time I'll share some pictures from our visit to Teter Rock--another bumpy drive. 

Book Preview ~ Wishing on Willows

Wishing on Willows by Katie Ganshert
Waterbrook

Does a second chance at life and love always involve surrender?
 
A three-year old son, a struggling café, and fading memories are all Robin Price has left of her late husband. As the proud owner of Willow Tree Café in small town Peaks, Iowa,  she pours her heart into every muffin she bakes and espresso she pulls, thankful for the sense of purpose and community the work provides.
                                      
So when developer Ian McKay shows up in Peaks with plans to build condos where her café and a vital town ministry are located, she isn’t about to let go without a fight.
 
As stubborn as he is handsome, Ian won’t give up easily. His family’s business depends on his success in Peaks. But as Ian pushes to seal the deal, he wonders if he has met his match. Robin’s gracious spirit threatens to undo his resolve, especially when he discovers the beautiful widow harbors a grief that resonates with his own.
 
With polarized opinions forming all over town, business becomes unavoidably personal and Robin and Ian must decide whether to cling to the familiar or surrender their plans to the God of Second Chances. Order the book HERE.

Katie Ganshert was born and raised in the Midwest, where she writes stories about finding faith and falling in love. When she’s not busy plotting her next novel, she enjoys being silly and laughing with her husband, playing make-believe with her wild-child of a son, and chatting with her girlfriends over coffee and bagels. She and her husband are in the process of adopting from the Congo. You can find her online at her blog and on Facebook. 

This Week's Recipes

Here are this week's new additions at Country at Heart Recipes. Have a great weekend! 
Beef Teriyaki with Vegetables
Skillet Cornbread
Blackberry Cobbler

Flint Hills Road Trip

This week my youngest daughter and a friend and I are taking a road trip into the Flint Hills. I'm looking forward to sharing pictures with you next week. Until then, here are a few of my favorite shots from previous years.  
 Cattle Guard Crossing
 Flint rock covers the ground
 A low water creek bed crossing 
 With all the rain we've been having, I doubt we'll go through any low water crossings.
 High Pole Gates
A roller coaster road?
Hoping to see some wild horses near Teter Rock.
We're eager to travel a few roads less traveled--many of which I've not yet discovered. But no worries...I have a map and we're taking our cameras. 

Book Preview ~ Once Upon a Prince

Once Upon a Prince by Rachel Hauck
by Zondervan

Susanna Truitt never dreamed of a great romance or being treated like a princess—just to marry the man she has loved for twelve years. But life isn’t going according to plan. When her high-school-sweetheart-turned-Marine-officer breaks up instead of proposing, Susanna scrambles to rebuild her life.

The last thing Prince Nathaniel expects to find on his American holiday to St. Simon’s Island is the queen of his heart. A prince has duties, and his family’s tense political situation has chosen his bride for him. When Prince Nathaniel comes to Susanna’s aid under the fabled Lover’s Oak, he is blindsided by love.

Their lives are worlds apart. He’s a royal prince. She’s a ordinary girl. But everything changes when Susanna receives an invitation to Nathaniel’s coronation.

It’s the ultimate choice. His kingdom or her heart? God’s will or their own? Purchase this book HERE. 

ABOUT RACHEL:
“Rachel Hauck’s stories are filled with twists and turns that leave the reader breathless and longing for more. She … stirs hearts for God.”
Debbie Macomber – #1 NYT bestselling author

“I have become the biggest Rachel Hauk fan! Not only from working with her in writing my books, but just reading her stand-alone novels! She is truly so smart, witty and seems to have a direct insight to human nature and our emotions. She knows the right things to say that always confirm what I’m feeling, and I’m sure many many others too!”
Award-winning, multiplatinum recording artist Sara Evans

Rachel Hauck's first novel was published in 2004, and since then her books have won awards, been bestsellers, and have given readers the chance to escape into worlds where they can breathe in the fragrance of Jesus’s love. She hopes her novels take what is true in heaven and make it real on earth in our every day lives. Learn more about Rachel and her books at HER WEBSITE.

This Week's Recipes

Here are this week's new additions on Country at Heart Recipes. Enjoy your weekend! 
Slow Cooker Black Bean Chicken Enchiladas
Moist Butter Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Featured Author Recipe: Connie Mann's Mango Salsa

Book Preview ~ Undeniably Yours

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingUndeniably YoursBethany House Publishers (May 1, 2013) byBecky Wade
During her childhood in California, Becky frequently produced homemade plays starring her sisters, friends, and cousins. These plays almost always featured a heroine, a prince, and a love story with a happy ending. She's been a fan of all things romantic ever since.

Becky and her husband lived overseas in the Caribbean and Australia before settling in Dallas, Texas. It was during her years abroad that Becky's passion for reading turned into a passion for writing. She published three historical romances for the general market, put her career on hold for many years to care for her kids, and eventually returned to writing sheerly for the love of it. Her first contemporary Christian romance, My Stubborn Heart, has been named a finalist for Romance Writers of America's RITA Award. Her newest release, Undeniably Yours, is available now.

These days Becky can be found failing but trying to keep up with her housework, sweating at the gym, carting her kids around town, playing tennis, hunched over her computer, eating chocolate, or collapsed on the sofa watching TV with her husband.

ABOUT THE BOOK
When Meg Cole's father dies unexpectedly, she becomes the majority shareholder of his oil company and the single inheritor of his fortune. Though Meg is soft-spoken and tenderhearted--more interested in art than in oil--she's forced to return home to Texas and to Whispering Creek Ranch to take up the reins of her father's empire.

The last thing she has the patience or the sanity to deal with? Her father's thoroughbred racehorse farm. She gives its manager, Bo Porter, six months to close the place down.

Bo's determined to resent the woman who's decided to rob him of his dream. But instead of anger, Meg evokes within him a profound desire to protect. The more time he spends with her, the more he longs to overcome every obstacle that separates them--her wealth, his unworthiness, her family's outrage--and earn the right to love her.

But just when Meg begins to realize that Bo might be the one thing on the ranch worth keeping, their fragile bond is viciously broken by a force from Meg's past. Can their love--and their belief that God can work through every circumstance--survive?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Undeniably Yours, go HERE. 

NOTE FROM DEBORAH: I LOVED Becky's first book, My Stubborn Heart and look forward to reading this one!