Erica Vetsch's Blog, page 195

Book Report & #Giveaway: Together With You, by Victoria Bylin

I'm always leery of Sophomore books from new authors. Especially, when I so thoroughly enjoyed their debut. Sort of like a sequel for a move--nothing ever quite surpasses that first. BUT! Victoria Bylin did herself proud!

Magnificant Sophomore NovelI thoroughly enjoyed Together With You, her latest novel. A contemporary romance chalk full of far more than just romance. I always appreciated the other threads in romance novels, you know, the kind that really get you invested into the characters and even teach you something.

Victoria takes the reader not only into a romance between a caregiver and the children's father, but she also takes you deep into the heartbreak of the after-effects of extramarital affairs, the children scarred by the parental action, and the pain of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

Her way of approaching these topics is sincere, authentic, and while she writes about some very gritty topics, the reader doesn't walk away feeling scarred. Instead, redemption and healing is an enormous part of this entertaining read.

Of course, it doesn't help the hero is stinkin' gorgeous. And I loved the contrast between a Southern girl meets a boy from LA. Because, those are naturally cohesive personalities and cultures - not. :)

The kids in the book are so realistic it killed me. I have to admit, I love the fact the little one with FAS wasn't super cute. I mean, she was in a way, but she wasn't written with the typical child colloquialisms that endear a natural mother heart. Instead, she was difficult, irascible, problem causing, and written in a way that you loved her, but she exhausted you because of the high maintenance of a child with Fetal Alchohol Syndrome. The older boys were well written too. Not super gentlemanly or stereotypical Christian boys. Instead, the impacts of a dysfunctional household were stark and realistic.

This is fiction, but it is also very poignant and relevant to today's family units. I loved how the author wove brokenness and dealing the hardness of life and consequences with peace, healing and ultimately love.

WAY TO GO, Victoria. Where's book #3?

Enter to win your copy....ummm...which I have, but my three-year-old decided to read, so there is a slight bend in a few pages ... :P ... what can I say? It's well-loved.


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______________________________________
Jaime Wright -
Spirited and gritty turn-of-the-century romance stained with suspense. Youth leader.Professional Coffee Drinker. Works in HR and specializes in sarcasm :)


- Represented by: Books & Such Literary Agency

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"The Cowgirl's Lasso", Coming 2016, Barbour Publishing

How to Write a Novel in 25 Days

Happy Thursday! I'm on the very last leg of writing a 70,000-75,000 word novel this week. As I type this, I have four scenes left to write, so I should have it done by Friday. That means I completed the first draft in 25 writing days with three rest days, for a total of 28 days.

Whew!

I'm writing a story for the Love Inspired Blurb to Book Contest. In March I sent in a hundred word blurb with my first page. Among the hundreds of submissions, the contest judges chose twenty five in the historical category to move on to the second round, and I was one of them (so was Erica!). I then submitted a full synopsis of the story and the first three chapters. On May 15th, the judges announced the top ten authors moving forward, and again, I was thankful to be chosen (so was Erica!). Now the full manuscript is due on July 15th.

Since I have another story releasing July 1st, and a writing retreat at my house starting July 8th, I needed to get my first draft finished as soon as possible. I still need to make revisions and edits, and I still need enough time for my critique partners to read it and give me feedback.

So how did I get it finished in 25 writing days? Today I thought I'd share my writing plan, in case you're curious or you'd like to give it a try (this would work great for NaNoWriMo).

1. Brainstorm
This is one of my favorite parts of writing a novel. I love to sit down and think of all the possibilities. It's even more fun when I can brainstorm with my writing friends. If I can't, I'll often pick the brain of my husband, mother, sister, friends, or even my daughters. It's amazing how many ideas you can generate. I usually give myself a good week to pull together all my brainstorming notes. With this contest, I was able to brainstorm a little with my critique partners before I sent in my first entry, and then I had time between the judges' announcements to brainstorm.

2. Plot
I'm a plotter, but I also let the story take me unexpected places when I'm writing. To get a story written in 25 days, I had to plot this one out pretty extensively. I have a spreadsheet with all the elements I need to include in each story I write. For instance, in the first chapter, I need to make sure to show the home world, the inciting incident, (for Love Inspired) the hero and heroine need to meet, and so on. My spreadsheet it my best friend while I write. When I get writing block, I simply go back and look at what I have coming next and it's already there. I had to plot this story during the second stage so I could write a full synopsis. Having the plot in place definitely helped me write as quickly as I did.

3. Schedule and Daily Word Count
After each scene is created in my plotting spreadsheet, I make a schedule. For my other stories, I try to write one scene a day, five days a week, for a total of 7,500 words a week. But for this story, I have a much smaller window of time to complete the first draft. I chose to write two scenes a day, six days a week, for a total of 18,000 words a week. I was aiming for about 72,000 words total, so that meant it would take me four weeks to write the story.

4. Sabbath Rest
I always give myself at least one day of rest in my writing schedule. Usually, I take two days off a week, but since this was a special situation, I only gave myself one day off. This is so important. There's no better way to refuel than to rest. I try to unwind with my family around a campfire or watching a little television. Anything I enjoy away from writing.

5. Perseverance, Determination, and Diligence (which means: write, even when you don't feel like it!)
This is probably the most important element to finishing a story in 25 writing days. There are definitely moments when I don't feel like writing, but I do it anyway. There's no secret formula or magic potion to make this happen. It's just pure dedication.

6. Keep Notes
I have to keep something close by to take notes, because inevitably, I'll be driving down the road and I'll get a revelation about my story. I've found if I don't have something handy to take notes, I'll forget. Often, this is my iPhone and I can just speak into the notes app. When you're writing a story in such a short time frame, it's almost always on your mind. This is a good thing (most of the time!), because it means your brain is working on your story, even when you're not sitting in front of your computer.

7. Read the Previous Day's Work and then Keep Going!
I've found the biggest time sucker is re-reading large portions of story I've already written. If I do this, I tend to start editing and I don't get in as much word count for the day. My trick for this is to simply re-read what I wrote the day before (and only that much), making small corrections as I go, and then move forward to get my word count in. There will be plenty of time left over to re-read the full manuscript later.

8. Sacrifice
This is the hardest one sometimes. It means, instead of watching television at night, I write. Instead of doing something I might enjoy with my mom and sister, I write. Instead of...I write. I usually volunteer at VBS, but this year I had to pass. I also had to back out of a few things I really wanted to do, so I could find the time to write. I never want to sacrifice time with my husband or children, so that means other things have to go.

So there you go! Eight tips for writing a story in 25 days. It isn't easy, and my husband will tell you the laundry has piled up and the toilets need to be cleaned, but surprisingly, I've still been able to do a lot of fun activities with my children, and wrap up the end of our homeschool year.

I usually devote three hours a night, after the kids have gone to bed, to get in my 3,000 words a day. Some nights it's a little longer, and some a little shorter. Some days I'm able to sneak in my word count earlier (like this week while my kids are at VBS for three hours every morning). The trick is to be flexible, which I suppose could be number nine above.

Your Turn: If you're a writer, have you ever participated in NaNoWriMo, or written a book in a month? If you have, what are some tips you've found helpful? If you're a reader, what surprises you (if anything) about the writing process?

Gabrielle Meyer:
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Norwegian Parochial Schools in the Midwest

Erica here: Last week I posted about my field trip to Vesterheim: The Norwegian-American Museum and Cultural Center in Decorah, Iowa. One of the photos I posted was the interior of a Norwegian Parochial School, and I promised to tell you more about it in a later post. Guess what? It's later! :)

So what is a Norwegian Parochial School? 
To understand the Norwegian Parochial Schools and the Norwegian immigrants who built them, one must look back to their home country, Norway. In the Old Country, Norway had a State-Sponsored Religion. Lutheranism. The State provided the churches, the pastors, pastoral training, and in the schools, Lutheranism was taught and practiced. 
When Norwegian immigrants came to America, they were somewhat adrift, since there was no one official religion. As they moved west across the Mississippi, they had no pastors and teachers. So they wrote home, asking if there were any young ministerial students who would consider coming to America to lead them.
Norwegian-Americans were not only concerned with the need for pastors, but also for teachers for their children. The "common school controversy" over the effect of public school and the cultural assimilation of immigrant children was widely debated in the middle of the 1800's. Parents were concerned that their children were not going to know the culture and religion from whence their heritage sprang.
Among Norwegian-Americans, a compromise was reached. The Norwegian Parochial School which operated for two weeks in the fall and two weeks in the spring semesters.



This is the Rovang Norwegian Parochial School, erected in 1879 south and east of Decorah, Iowa. The purpose of the school was to educate Norwegian-American immigrant children in the culture and religion of their parents.
For two weeks each semester, the immigrant children were dismissed from the local public school and allowed to attend their parochial school. Instruction was in Norwegian, and each day began and ended with devotions. The curriculum included the Lutheran catechism, Bible History, Norwegian history, hymns, and at the end of the day a bit about world politics. The school was taught by a traveling teacher who went from school to school, staying two weeks in each.


The Rovang school was constructed of logs and mortar, with a plank floor and shake shingles. It consists of one room only with wooden bench desks and a single teacher's desk and blackboard at the front.  

Along the center of the ceiling in this picture you can see the stove pipe. The stove sat in the back, left corner, and the stove pipe extended all the way across the room to exit the building in the center front. This was in order to keep the heat of the smoke inside the building as long as possible. Two boys were tasked with keeping the fire going all day.

Four windows let in lots of light, and the children would've been segregated, girls on the left hand side, and boys on the right. Smaller children sat in the front and the larger students sat in the back. Each desk had a shelf beneath for books, and in this museum, each desk was supplied with several books, all written in Norwegian, each at least 100 years old, that people could leaf through and examine.

Black boards were just that, boards painted black. No special surface, no special paint, just a few planks of wood painted black and slapped onto the wall. All instruction at the school was in Norwegian, and the children were expected to speak Norwegian while attending.

A kerosene lamp with reflector amplified the natural light. Parents provided the kerosene, the fuel for the fire, the building, the books, and the money for a teacher.

There was no well at the Rovang school, so each day, two of the girls would walk the mile to the nearest neighbor to fetch a bucket of water for the day's usage. 
The Rovang school was in use up to the end of World War 1. Johan Hagen was the instructor from 1888 to 1918. 
I loved learning this small part of the Norwegian-American experience. 
Do you have any Norwegian heritage? I don't on my side of the family, though my husband has a bit. His great-grandmother was a Mickelson. :)


Erica Vetsch:Executive AssistantEarl Grey Aficionado Find me on PINTERESTFind me on GOODREADSFind me on AMAZON.COMFind me on FACEBOOKFind me on my WEBSITE
Watch this space for some upcoming new releases and launch party news and fun prize package giveaways!

How To Write A Book -- And Live a Normal Life

Hey all!! I've missed you!!

I know I've been posting, and it's been a lot of interviews and we've had giveaways and it's been a fun last month or two here around the CCC blog!

I've also been swamped finishing the novella which I turned into my editor three weeks ago (*throws confetti*). CJ, my heroine is so independent and assertive and spunky ... until she meets a tarantula. Jonah, my British rancher, it mathematical and proper and women just don't belong running a ranch. Yep. I really enjoyed writing these two.

Along with this novella, I have another in submission, and two full manuscripts piled on editor's desks, AND I'm knee-deep in writing my next novel which I'm super excited about. (Hop over to my Facebook page if you want to keep updated on that)

So why post a picture of a barn? I've been struck this week by all the blessings the Lord has put into my life to make writing possible. As a Director of Sales & Development, my full-time job keeps me hopping, as do my two littles, and then add writing to the mix and ... yeah ... I'm not a clown (well, some might argue), and I can only juggle so well.

Ahh, yes, the barn. The barn is actually fondly called "the grainery". This was my childhood home. Ok, no I didn't grow up in a grainery, but it was part of the 15 acres I called my home. This was my foundation. This is the happy place I go to in my head when I write. The peaceful muse of solitude. I recall summer evenings as a teenager, pounding away at an old vintage typewriter, windows open, breeze making my pink calico bedroom curtains wave, my cat Pepper on my bed and the grainery just out of sight around the corner. This is Blessing #1. Peace. It's a place--it's a haven--that the Lord brings in my life (and trust me, life now is not as I described above--chaos and hurry-sickness is a huge component to existence).

Blessing #2 comes in the form of the people who make writing possible. You recall your local PBS station? I remember as a kid when Mister Rogers would end, this male voice would come on and say "Mister Rogers Neighborhood has been brought to you by ..." and he'd list the sponsor. My books have a sponsors. These are the unspoken investors who might make an acknowledgment page someday, but in reality, that's sort of a sad little payback for what they do.

Meet Julie. You've all heard me herald my admin. She's really my admin for my day job, but somehow she's morphed in my volunteer admin for my life. No kidding. This woman pockets my money on a daily basis and runs to do my grocery shopping on her break 'cause she's "going anyway". This allows me my one-hour writing marathon, or the opportunity to speed email back and forth with my agent (one of these days we'll learn to use a phone), or to edit a synopsis. Julie takes my manuscripts that have gone through line edits and right before I press "send" to my agent, she works her magic and makes sure everything is formatted right. Down to counting the amount of spaces from "Chapter X" to the first sentence and making sure it's consistent for every chapter. She listens to me brainstorm. She makes MY COFFEE!! Hello!!! Seriously?!?! This is the power behind a writer. Yes, she pours it for me, yes, she calls me to see if I need refills, yes she makes my lunch for me, yes she picks my daughter up from pre-school, yes ... I'm completely and utterly spoiled silly.

You see ... a lot of times I'm asked how I write books and do everything I do and still live a normal life? I want to reply, in the rich baritone of Bing Crosby, "When I'm worried and I can't sleep, I count my  blessings instead of sheep ..." The Lord blesses dreams that are in alignment with His purpose. He takes each writer and identifies their needs and provides.

For me, my two largest needs are a peaceful place in my mind (home) and assistance (Julie).

And it's critical to know this, my dear, sweet, precious readers ... He does the same for you! Maybe it's not so you can write a book, but so you can achieve some other purpose. And normal life? Is there such a thing? Normal life is being where God has place you, in this moment, for this time. So look around for the gears that make your motor turn, those blessings that maybe you take for granted and suddenly, there they are ... a rich green background of peace and a mug of fresh coffee set down next to five Wal-Mart bags of groceries and a fully formatted manuscript accompanied by the richest smile a boss could ever be blessed to see.

And that is how I write a book and still live a normal life. 

What blessings can you find today? #ISpyABlessing

___________________________________________
Jaime Wright -

 Spirited and gritty turn-of-the-century romance stained with suspense. Youth leader.Professional Coffee Drinker. Works in HR and specializes in sarcasm :) 
- Represented by: Books & Such Literary Agency
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"The Cowgirl's Lasso", Coming 2016, Barbour Publishing

School's Out!

........for the summer!!

Yay!! Yipee!!!

It's time to dream about summer fun in the sun. We have been more intentional about planning our summer outings this year and have several camping trips planned. I keep a running list of places I'd like to go, things I'd like to see, or stuff to put on my bucket list. It's all posted on Pinterest.
Pinterest: Places I want to visit

Half the fun of vacationing is the dreaming. Because let's face it, the other half--the doing it--takes work. Sometimes you feel like you need a vacation from your vacation. Some things I think about while planning for our summer:

1. Take the Monday off. It's important after your vacation to unpack, do the laundry, write the bills, check the emails, and roll back into real life. If you can't take the Monday off, lighten the morning schedule at work, or go in an hour or two later if you can.

2. Plan your budget. Make a special vacation account that you put very small amounts in every week or two. We have an automatic deposit of about $25 a pay period--about the cost of dinner out. Once the account is up to speed, put the vacation on the calendar! This avoids dreadful vacation guilt. Don't forget, you don't have to spend a lot to have a great time. Be patient and let your savings grow if you have a big dream to plan!


3. Dream together. A few years ago my husband and I sat down after an argument about vacations and we both drew up our bucket lists and posted them on the fridge with a magnet. That was before "bucket list" was a catchphrase. I love the mountains. He loves the sun and the beach. So we take turns.
Seven Lighthouses you can sleep in...
4. Simple can be fun. Remember if your budget is small or your time is crunched, simple may be best, but it can still be very fun. State Parks are low cost, high fun, and great for exercise and relaxation. Picnics can be romantic with a colorful tablecloth and a candle. Back yards make perfect camping memories!

5. Drive away. You don't have to go far or spend a lot to get away. I love that feeling of pulling out of the drive. We have a tradition in our family, we stop at the end of the drive, hold hands and pray. We thank God for jobs, health, and a time of restoration. Then, we simply drive away and try to leave worries behind for the week. Take your own sabbatical!

6. Laugh and rest your souls. You don't have to spend money to laugh together. But laughing, telling stories, reading, meditating, are all great ways to let your soul loose. Daily life has a way to tying you up. Laugh and let God take your soul on vacation this summer!

Readers & Coffeeshop friends: tell us what you've planned for fun this summer. Please share your dreams, ideas, and vacations with us!

Also, I shared it late, so I'll re-share the winner of Pepper Basham's Giveaway: Tammy Cordery!

AND the winner of Carla Laureano's "Five Days in Skye" is: Jolene Soerfass!

-------------Blog post by Anne Love-




Writer of Historical Romance inspired by her family roots. 



Nurse Practitioner by day. 



Wife, mother, writer by night. 



Coffee drinker--any time.


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Interview & Giveaway with Dawn Crandall

      We welcome Indiana author, Dawn Crandall to the blog today!
      Dawn debuted her first series, The Everstone Chronicles, last year.        We are pleased to introduce the series to you as the last of three releases: The Captive Imposter.             We hope you enjoy the Q & A to get to know Dawn:      1. What inspired your latest story idea?
Estella Everstone has been someone I'd written about in my first two books, but since I write each book from a different character's first person perspective, I'd only ever seen her through the eyes of others. So once I sat down to get to know her, I found out lots! And above all, it was that she needed someone other than the man I'd thought she would end up with! I'd always wanted to write a book set at a resort deep in the mountains of Maine--and the manager of that resort just turned out to be the perfect hero for my Estella.
2. What is your favorite characteristic about your story’s hero and heroine?
I would say it has to be their determination to do what needs to be done. Estella is sent away from her family to be kept safe. She has no say, but is a willing participant. Dexter Blakeley's personality oozes responsibility--to the point that he does so much for the benefit of others without thinking of what he needs. When he sees a need, he does everything in his power to make things right.
3. Please tell us about the spiritual theme of your story you hope every reader is challenged by:
The spiritual theme running throughout the story has to do with being rescued by God. That He wants us, loves us and knows what is best for us.
4. Jaime & I are coffee addicts. Erica & Gabrielle are tea lovers. What about you? Coffee or Tea?
I do usually go for my coffee fix, but I do love tea too! I'm going to have to say BOTH! (As long as there's plenty of milk and sugar around!
5. Favorite historical movie? Or mini-series?
I'm going to be completely boring... yet truthful. Movie: 2005 version of Pride & PrejudiceMini-Series: 2004 BBC version of North & South
6. While Jaime loves to take selfies, and Erica loves museums, I love Pinterest and food pics. Share a food pic, a favorite family recipe, or link us to your latest pin on Pinterest.
I recently came across this really great photo to symbolize the struggle my current WIP's heroine {Violet Hawthorne} has as she tries to escape her circumstances along her twisted path to finding true love. Click the link to view: Escape from Wonderland
7. Always wanted to be an author? Or surprised your path led you to be published?
I'd always enjoyed creative writing in school (it was actually the only thing I was good at), and I've thought the idea of writing a novel was interesting since I was in high school.... however, I didn't write anything other than what was assigned to me in both high school and college--and after that, nothing at all. It wasn't until I was married and in my thirties that my husband found out about it and encouraged me. That's all I needed. I started my debut novel {The Hesitant Heiress, August 2014} in 2010, went to ACFW in 2011, signed with my agent directly afterwards and signed my book contract with Whitaker House in 2013. So yeah, more surprised than anything!
8. Favorite century to read? To write? To watch on TV or in a movie?
READ: I have a great love for regency romances! Anything from Jane Austen to Georgette Heyer!
WRITE: My favorite time period to write is late Victorian/Gilded Age America... but with that same regency feel to them.
WATCH: Any clean historical romance!
9. Favorite heroine of all time, and why?

Jane Eyre, because she's written so honestly and deeply from first person point of view.

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-------------Blog post by Anne Love-




Writer of Historical Romance inspired by her family roots. 



Nurse Practitioner by day. 



Wife, mother, writer by night. 



Coffee drinker--any time.


Find me on:Facebook
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On This Day in History (May 28th)

I found a great website (www.historyorb.com) that offers a snapshot of important historical events on every day of the year. (It also has birthdays, weddings, and deaths on specific days of the year.) I thought it would be fun to look at events for May 28th throughout modern history.

I only pulled out the events I found interesting or important. There were hundreds of other events historyorb.com found worthy of note.

Here are some things that happened on May 28th:

1742 - 1st indoor swimming pool opens (Goodman's Fields, London)
1818 - 1st steam vessel to sail Great Lakes launched

Steamboat Walk-in-the-Water launched in Lake Erie.1830 - US Congress authorizes native Indian removal from all states to western prairie
1863 - 1st black regiment (54 Mass) leaves Boston to fight in Civil War
1923 - Attorney General says it is legal for women to wear trousers anywhere


1929 - 1st all color talking picture "On With the Show" exhibited (NYC)
1936 - Alan Turing submits "On Computable Numbers" for publication, in which he set out the theoretical basis for modern computers.
1937 - Golden Gate Bridge in SF opens to vehicular traffic

My hubby and me in front of the Golden Gate Bridge
in October 20141941 - 1st night game at Wash DC, Griffith stadium (Yanks 6, Senators 5)
1972 - White House "plumbers" break into Democratic Natlional HQ at Watergate
 My girls and me on the Potomac River in April. The
circular building behind us is the Watergate Hotel.1997 - Linda Finch completes Amelia Earhart attempted around-the-world flight

I observed two interesting things while I looked at this list and the birthday list for May 28th. The first is that there were more significant events in American history (on May 28th) between the 1920's and 1940's. The second is that on the birthday list, after the 1880's, the majority of people worth noting were actors, actresses, and athletes. Before that the majority were composers, inventors, scientists, authors, and political leaders.

Your Turn: Which events listed above do you find the most interesting or important?

Gabrielle Meyer:
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Vesterheim - Western Home

Erica here: Have you all recovered from the long weekend? Visits to cemeteries, honoring our military, spending time with family...check, check, check. :)
One of the things I got to do this past weekend was to visit Vesterheim in Decorah, IA. Vesterheim (which is Norwegian for Western Home) is the National Norwegian-American Museum and Heritage Center.
For the record, I am not of Norwegian heritage. I am Scots, English, and Native American. My husband has a tiny dash of Norwegian through one of his paternal great-grandmothers who was a Mickelson. 
I am, however, writing a story set in a Norwegian-American immigrant settlement in western Minnesota during the 1880's. Though this is a romance first and foremost, I wanted to sprinkle in authentic items and thoughts and words from the time period. So, since I'm blessed to live less than 75 miles from Vesterheim, I thought I'd take advantage of the chance to visit. I'm also blessed that my husband came along and took photos and kept me company.
Here are a few of the items we saw and some of the things we learned:
The front of the museum. The building began as a luxury hotel that closed fairly quickly after it was built due to the fact that the railroad came through but chose the opposite end of town for the depot. 
Amazing bird's eye on this chest. Bird's eye is a much sought after effect that happens to some white hard maple. When properly finished, it is really beautiful.
Typical Norwegian fireplace. Always in the corner, always wide open.
I couldn't help but think of all the little Norwegian babies to fall asleep in that crib.
Inside a rather affluent Norwegian home. Lots of space compared to a typical tenant farmer's home.
Beautiful detail on a sideboard.
A butter mold from 1801. The mold forms a square with a conical top (in the back of the photo) and when pressed, stamps the butter into a lovely block. 
My favorite piece of furniture. Made from butternut with mother-of-pearl inlays and china drawer pulls. The carving and color were exquisite.
Carved laundry mangles. Damp linen is rolled onto a cylinder, and the flat of the mangle is rubbed and rolled on the cylinder to flatten the creases. The carving was beautiful, and even more fun, I learned that the mangle was an acceptable courting gift from a young man to his sweetheart. 
Rosemaling. Such a beautiful art. The trunks were wedding gifts inscribed with the bride and groom's names and the year. This one is from 1839.
Rosemaling is so beautiful. I would love to learn to do this.
A bride's wedding crown. We saw one from the 1600s. but this one from the 1800s was my favorite.
Hardanger work. I would like to try this, too, but I don't know if I have the patience for it.
The Valdres House. This house was built in Norway in 1795, and was moved to Vesterheim from Norway in 1975. It boasts three rooms and a slate roof.
A stabbur, or storage shed. A stabbur was a status symbol. Used to store foodstuffs mostly, it showed that you were so wealthy, your cabin couldn't hold all your stuff. 
A Norwegian parochial school! So fascinating. I'll be blogging more about this in the future.
The Bethenia Lutheran Church originally located in rural Northwood, North Dakota. The church was moved to Vesterheim (on several large trucks and at great expense) in 1992. After two years of restoration, the church became part of the Open air Division of the museum in 1994.
The back altar, rail, and podium. 
A small grist mill from Norway. Inside are a pair of grinding stones brought from Norway by their owner because he had heard that there were no stones in America. 
1817 flat-top style trunk.
1821 rosemaled trunk. There were so many beautiful trunks! I wanted them all! 


Erica Vetsch:Executive AssistantEarl Grey Aficionado Find me on PINTERESTFind me on GOODREADSFind me on AMAZON.COMFind me on FACEBOOKFind me on my WEBSITE

Worship With Abandon ... Do you?

A couple weeks ago I had the privilege of snapping this photograph of my Peter Pan holding his Daddy's hand as they stood in the back of church worshipping.

I find myself more involved during worship now that I have kids. Peter Pan loves to sing at the top of his lungs ... even when the song is over.  Yesterday, for example, he was so thrilled with worship that when silence pervaded the auditorium, Peter Pan's mischevious awe hollered out: "Woooah-hohohoho!" 
To me it was the perfect ending to worship.
Can I challenge you? Watch children during worship on Sunday morning. I think they've got it right. I have a golden rule ... never shush your child during worship. Ok fine. If Peter Pan is jumping off the chair and yelling "KAMIKAZE!" I'd shush him... but his high-pitched, off-key rendition of "Thrive" is going to go through. And CoComo-Jo's out-of-place hand clapping during a slow version of Amazing Grace ... yep ... that's gonna go through too. 
You see, I think as adults, we sometimes let the worship air fizzle from our balloons. Stand straight. Hands down, or cautiously lifted. Sing in tune or lower thy voice. Clap when appropriate. "Amen" in response to the pastor. 
I don't think worship should be a free-for-all willy nilly either. I mean, let's face it, the woman racing up and down the aisles swinging her sweater over her head and yelling PRAISE JESUS might get a tad distracting. But the women in front of me with arms outstretched and head raised.... or the man behind me who's voice sounds like a bull belching into a megaphone? Beauty. 
I was raised NORTHERN Baptist. There is a difference between Southern and Northern. As a Northern Baptist, you stand still, hold your breath, and at the most, close your eyes. Now, my church has grown leaps and bounds, but what's ingrained in me from childhood is still ingrained. This is why I love to watch my kids. Worship with respect is what I hope to teach them. That abandonment in worship, while being respectful in awe to Who we come before.

Yesterday, I had a moment of deja vu. Only this time it was with my daughter. She stood, clasping her Daddy's hand while partaking in worship. And it struck me. While these young ones come into worship with abandonment, they're also taking their cues from us adults. And not just the parents, but the adults around us. So when the man a row over gives them a stern look for clapping in the wrong spot, or mommy shushes them when their song raises volume over the proper level, it kills that spirit of worship. 
So yesterday, I encouraged my children to sing. And they did. Boy did they sing. And they respected their surroundings. CoCo stood on her chair, yes, but so she could see. It made a huge difference. Her little mouth didn't stop moving in song. Peter Pan stood on his chair too and stunned his mother when his little hand rose in the air. Cause being a Northern Baptist I'm still not comfortable doing that myself...neither is Daddy ... so you're darn tootin' he learned that from watching ... YOU. That "other person" in the worshipping throng.
You are being watched by children. They learn to worship from you. Thank you for being an example, for bearing with the off-key warbles of a little boy, the shoe indents on the chair pad, and the "wooah-hohohoho!" at the end of the song. Thank you for raising your hand, when Mommy hasn't figured it out yet. Thank you for singing before the throne of God and setting an example for the future generations.
What's your favorite part of worship? Are you a quiet worshipper (like me), or a hand-raiser, or a ceiling raiser :)?
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Jaime Wright -

 Spirited and gritty turn-of-the-century romance stained with suspense. Youth leader.Professional Coffee Drinker. Works in HR and specializes in sarcasm :) 
- Represented by: Books & Such Literary Agency
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"The Cowgirl's Lasso", Coming 2016, Barbour Publishing

Memorial Day Monday

To wish you all a "Happy Memorial Day" seems somehow irreverent for the loss of so much life over the centuries...

I wish you simply to remember. 

Joshua 4 reminds of memorials and why we do them....

4 When all the people had crossed the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Now choose twelve men, one from each tribe. 3 Tell them, ‘Take twelve stones from the very place where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan. Carry them out and pile them up at the place where you will camp tonight.’”

4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had chosen—one from each of the tribes of Israel. 5 He told them, “Go into the middle of the Jordan, in front of the Ark of the Lord your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on your shoulder—twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. 6 We will use these stones to build a memorial.

21 Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 Then you can tell them, ‘This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the river right before your eyes, and he kept it dry until you were all across, just as he did at the Red Sea[c] when he dried it up until we had all crossed over. 24 He did this so all the nations of the earth might know that the Lord’s hand is powerful, and so you might fear the Lord your God forever.”


We have stones too...


Researching our family history, I've been able to find three ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War. Above, my husband stands beside his 5x's Great Grandfather's memorial, John O'Gullion, who fought at the Battle of Long Island and was wounded in New Jersey, yet lived to be near 100. Yet sadly, none of our family knew his memorial had been in the county they lived in for the next 5 generations, because no one passed the story on to the next generation.

Above, this week I've just located a third patriot: Jacob Hite, who fought at the Siege at Yorktown and was present when Cornwallis surrendered to the American Continental Army. This battle in 1781, under the command of Gen. George Washington, was the last land battle and brought about the negotiation of the end of the Revolutionary War.
This spring I found another patriot, Col. Henry Haller, who fought along side Gen. George Washington. I would like to find his stone one day, but it's on his private family farm in Pennsylvania. At Find-A-Grave.com, it reports family tradition states that he crossed the Delaware with Washington. I was so happy to learn his family told of his story!
Whether stones of our forefathers, or memorials to God, tell your stories of God's faithfulness to your children. Perhaps then there could be less war and a greater humbleness for life and the sacrifices made on our behalf.

Today, tell your children what these stones mean.-------------Blog post by Anne Love-




Writer of Historical Romance inspired by her family roots. 



Nurse Practitioner by day. 



Wife, mother, writer by night. 



Coffee drinker--any time.


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