Cara C. Putman's Blog, page 83
December 17, 2014
A Christmas Song
Today I’m delighted to share with you Katherine Reay’s post in our fa-la-la-la-la Christmas giveaway.
This weekend I was off-line because my cousin got married. Family came to town and we celebrated an absolutely gorgeous weekend – full of love, laughter and Christmas. Both my girls decided that this was the season for a wedding – the music is amazing and red and green really set off a white dress.
And I have to agree – the wedding was a special topper to what I already regard as the best season of the year. Christ’s church is often referred to as his “bride” and to celebrate that in parallel with my cousin’s marriage was incredibly special. It gave me a deeper feeling of connection with the Advent Season.
I adore Christmas time. I love that Christ came to save us; I love that whether one finds significance in that or not, a feeling of love and kindness pervades our hearts, thoughts, and actions; I love that we are more “other” focused and really think about those around us and in need; I love that my kids are willing to play games, sit by the fire, share stories and time with their parents – and I have a soft mushy spot Christmas movies, books, and songs.
For the rest of Katherine’s post, be sure to go here.
The Christmas Blog Tour:
It’s easy to enter. Just use this form, but be sure to keep going for my extra giveaway!
- 12/10 – Beth Vogt: A copy of Somebody Like You or A November Bride (winner’s choice); a $5 Starbucks card
- 12/12 – Cara Putman: A copy of Where Treetops Glisten; B&B Works lotion
- 12/14 – Kristy Cambron: A copy of The Butterfly and the Violin or A Sparrow in Terezin (winner’s choice); a $5 Starbucks card
- 12/16 – Katherine Reay: A copy of Lizzy & Jane or Dear Mr. Knightley (winner’s choice); a Lizzy & Jane tumbler
- 12/18 – Katie Ganshert: A copy of A Broken Kind of Beautiful; an audio copy of An October Bride
- 12/20 – Courtney Walsh: A copy of Paper Hearts; Christmas artwork
- 12/22 – Melissa Tagg: A copy of Here to Stay; an It’s a Wonderful Life DVD
- 12/ 24 – Sarah Ladd: A copy of A Lady at Willowgrove Hall; a Pride and Prejudice DVD
*Winner announced 12/26. U.S. only please.
Just use this form, but be sure to keep going for my extra giveaway!
And here’s mine!
December 15, 2014
Candy Cane Traditions
Since it’s Christmas morning, I wanted to introduce you to our newest family Christmas tradition — one that grew out of writing a book.
In my latest book, Where Treetops Glisten, the heroine in my novella works at a candy shop that opened in Lafayette, Indiana, in 1912. The name’s changed (today it’s McCords), but they still make the same Christmas candy canes the same way they were made a couple generations ago. Over the weekend the family and I went on one of the candy cane tours… and I flashed back to two Christmases ago, when I knew I’d be writing White Christmas and I knew my heroine would work at Glatz’ Candy. But I didn’t know how they made their famous candy canes.
Isn’t the shop adorable? It has the best candy counter!
On a Saturday I was headed out to write for a couple hours. I foolishly headed to my normal writing spot — the Panera in the Mall — forgetting it was a Saturday in the beginning of December. I didn’t even bother to park.
Instead, I turned my car downtown and decided to work at the law firm. Only problem? No food. So I walked two blocks to McCords, trying to generate the courage to ask someone about the candy cane process. This may be hard to believe, but this author still feels like she’s really sticking her neck when she tells people she’s writing a book!
Trays of candy canes cooling. We didn’t realize until this time that they shrink as they cool.
As I walked up to the candy shop, I noticed a sign that said candy cane tours $2. Seriously? I ordered my taco salad and asked the clerk. Next thing I was hiking up two flights of stairs to the candy making floor. I. Was. In. Heaven. The stairwell has the most beautiful wood bannister and tin roof. Then you get to the candy floor and I took photos, videos and notes as the employees worked their magic with sugar, water, flavoring, and a tiny bit of coloring to make the candy canes. It was so fascinating that the next day I took the whole family.
Last week, we went again. The kids agree that McCords candy canes are the way candy canes are supposed to be. After watching employees make the sugary confection and twist the red and white together, we got to shape our candy canes. Too fun!
The kids and I on our way up. Isn’t the wood beautiful? And you can just see the tin ceiling.
I felt a wee bit like Abigail Turner, the heroine in Where Treetops Glisten, as I twisted mine into a heart. And I think this just might become a new family Christmas tradition.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this peek into the sweet lengths authors will go to research a story. If only all of our research tasted this good when we were done! Scroll through the photos from our visit to the end for a video our local TV station took of the process. It’s b-roll, and accurately shows how Abigail makes the candy canes in White Christmas.
Pulling the sugary concoction. It starts amber colored and turns white as air is added.
Layering the red on bottom, white, and then three thin stripes of red on top.
My Heart Candy Cane
Now you can see the red stripes on top.
Very important: pulling the colors together
Twisting our own candy canes.
Don’t forget to enter the Christmas giveaway! It’s easy to enter. Just use this form, but be sure to keep going for my extra giveaway!
And here’s mine!
December 14, 2014
Starry, Starry Night
“Play Starry, Starry Night!”
For as long as I can remember, my Dad played the acoustic guitar for his daughters. And for as far back as the sweet sound of those guitar melodies go in my mind’s ear, I can remember asking him to play Starry, Starry Night (or,Vincent). Over and over I’d ask. And again and again he would play. Fingerpicking like a master musician. Getting lost in the sounds of beauty. That guitar playing will always be a part of my youth – of my heart. And since it’s my turn to share on the Fa, La La, La-Giveaway blog tour today, this is my favorite Christmas memory…
To read the rest of Kristy’s beautiful post about memories and the ones we’ve lost, please go here.
And while you’re here, don’t forget to enter our Christmas giveaway. It’s quite massive if I do say so!
It’s easy to enter. Just use this form, but be sure to keep going for my extra giveaway!
And here’s mine!
December 12, 2014
I Love Christmas Traditions!
There’s something about the Christmas season that can make it hard to breath. Life seems to speed up thanks to all the extra Christmas parties, rehearsals, pageants, shows, recitals, ack! But I long for Christmas to be a time to slow down and focus on what it really means. A small season to focus on the greatest gift of all and the many gifts He’s given us.
For my family, that takes the shape of traditions. Some are pretty normal. Others you might not quite expect.
Here’s a quick look at a few of our traditions:
Time with family. Christmas is a time when we spend days with my extended family. It is a time we all cherish. Cousins, often separated by hundreds of miles, spend every moment playing, laughing, shopping, connecting. Celebrating the gift of the family that God gave us. Out of all the people on this large world, He planted us in two amazing families…and that is a gift we celebrate.
Ours aren’t this pretty!
: A week ago, my six-year-old asked me why we hadn’t started the Adornaments yet. These are simple ornaments that highlight the different names of Christ with devotions for each day. Because we homeschool, these simple Christmas ornaments are a part of our daily devotions…an opportunity to recenter our thoughts on the true reason for the season.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Come on. Raise your hands if you’ve ever read this charming story of the Herdmans inaugural experience with the nativity story. It’s a hilarious and heart-touching look at a story we all know so well that we’ve often forgotten just how special and amazing it is. So we either read it outloud together or get the tapes from the library. But either way, this story is part of our Christmas celebration.
Cookies! We love to bake…and bake…and bake. We put together assortments of cookie plates to take to our neighbors. We may not connect often, but at least once a year we can let our neighbors know we see them and appreciate them. And if life gets too hectic like it did last year, then the treat is homemade Chex Mix. I don’t think it matters so much what we make as that it is given with love from grateful hearts.
Traditions are important not only for the fact that they give us moments to stand with our past and future…but because they give us a connection with each other.
What are some of your Christmas traditions?
The Christmas Blog Tour:
It’s easy to enter. Just use this form, but be sure to keep going for my extra giveaway!
- 12/10 – Beth Vogt: A copy of Somebody Like You or A November Bride (winner’s choice); a $5 Starbucks card
- 12/12 – Cara Putman: A copy of Where Treetops Glisten; B&B Works lotion
- 12/14 – Kristy Cambron: A copy of The Butterfly and the Violin or A Sparrow in Terezin (winner’s choice); a $5 Starbucks card
- 12/16 – Katherine Reay: A copy of Lizzy & Jane or Dear Mr. Knightley (winner’s choice); a Lizzy & Jane tumbler
- 12/18 – Katie Ganshert: A copy of A Broken Kind of Beautiful; an audio copy of An October Bride
- 12/20 – Courtney Walsh: A copy of Paper Hearts; Christmas artwork
- 12/22 – Melissa Tagg: A copy of Here to Stay; an It’s a Wonderful Life DVD
- 12/ 24 – Sarah Ladd: A copy of A Lady at Willowgrove Hall; a Pride and Prejudice DVD
*Winner announced 12/26
Just use this form, but be sure to keep going for my extra giveaway!
And here’s mine!
December 10, 2014
christmas gifts: the unexpected and expectations
Today Beth Vogt is kicking off our Christmas Blog tour!
This is not a sentimental Christmas memory … and I do have my husband’s permission to share this story.
Once upon a Christmas time, my husband and I were newlyweds celebrating our very first Christmas together. Our tiny one-bedroom apartment was festive, thanks to the shiny silver aluminum Christmas tree — yes, silver — we’d decorated with a few ornaments we’d purchased. The tree was compliments of Rob’s parents, a holdover from the days when his stepfather sold them to stores up and down the east coast.
On Christmas morning, I was eager to see what romantic gift my husband had waiting for me under our tree. A bottle of perfume? A delicate necklace or a pair of earrings?
Um … no.
Leaning against the wall was a blue hiking backpack with a gift tag on it. (I should mention at this point that, despite marrying an Eagle scout, I had never gone backpacking in my life.) And yes, the “TO” on the gift tag was me and the “FROM” on the gift tag was my husband.
But wait … there’s more. To read the rest of Beth’s post, go here.
It’s easy to enter. Just use this form, but be sure to keep going for my extra giveaway!
And here’s mine!
December 9, 2014
Christmas Memories & Giveaway from 8 Authors
I am so delighted to announce that my writing buds and I are banding together to give a great big Christmas gift to our readers. This will be a fun tour that takes you to our blogs for Christmas memories and traditions. You can come back to this post for links to each post as they go live. And be sure to check out each one because many of us will have additional giveaways on our sites. These ladies are so talented that I’m delighted you’ll get a chance to meet them and discover their books if you haven’t already.
- 12/10 – Beth Vogt: A copy of Somebody Like You or A November Bride (winner’s choice); a $5 Starbucks card
- 12/12 – Cara Putman: A copy of Where Treetops Glisten ; B&B Works lotion
- 12/14 – Kristy Cambron: A copy of The Butterfly and the Violin or A Sparrow in Terezin (winner’s choice); a $5 Starbucks card
- 12/16 – Katherine Reay: A copy of Lizzy & Jane or Dear Mr. Knightley (winner’s choice); a Lizzy & Jane tumbler
- 12/18 – Katie Ganshert: A copy of A Broken Kind of Beautiful ; an audio copy of An October Bride
- 12/20 – Courtney Walsh: A copy of Paper Hearts ; Christmas artwork
- 12/22 – Melissa Tagg: A copy of Here to Stay ; an It’s a Wonderful Life DVD
- 12/ 24 – Sarah Ladd: A copy of A Lady at Willowgrove Hall ; a Pride and Prejudice DVD
*Winner announced 12/26
It’s easy to enter. Just use this form, but be sure to keep going for my extra giveaway!
And here’s mine!
My Christmas Gift to You!
While we were writing Where Treetops Glisten, Sarah, Tricia and I included recipes that our characters baked or made during the book. Today I wanted to share those cookies with you. The White Velvet Cutouts are a recipe that was originally shared with me by a friend at church. They are delicious with vanilla — the way she makes them. Peppermint is a fun twist that I added. I hope you enjoy trying these out. And it’s the final hours to enter the Christmas basket giveaway.
December 6, 2014
Simple Gifts for Teachers, Neighbors and Friends
Do you break out in hives just thinking about the craziness and chaos that comes with Christmas? It doesn’t have to be that way. Inspirational authors Cara Putman, Sarah Sundin, and Tricia Goyer share about Christmas’ past in their new novella collection
Where Treetops Glisten
. Their three stories “White Christmas,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” will take you back to war-time 1942, 1943, and 1944. The authors have also teamed up to give tips on simplifying Christmas this year! Join us December 1-6 on Not Quite Amish Living for the Simplifying Christmas series.
Simple Gifts for Teachers, Neighbors and Friends
by Tricia Goyer
Are you looking for fun, simple gifts for teachers, neighbors and friends? I’ve come up with some fun, cheap and SIMPLE ideas for you!
A Gift for Neighbors or Friends with Kids
One of the bloggers at HomeTalk came up with this adorable Thanksgiving Table Runner.
I loved the idea so much that I purchased paints and a runner so we can make our own!
Ready for the rest of how to make this? Then click here.
Giveaway!!!
My publisher has created three wonderful gift baskets. Each basket contains:
Copy of Where Treetops Glisten
Christmas DVD – Holiday Inn Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire
Christmas CD (includes all the book title songs) – “A Jolly Christmas” Frank Sinatra
Apron made from vintage pattern
Recipe cards from each character
December 5, 2014
Simplifying Christmas | Simple Gift Giving Ideas
Do you break out in hives just thinking about the craziness and chaos that comes with Christmas? It doesn’t have to be that way. Inspirational authors Cara Putman, Sarah Sundin, and Tricia Goyer share about Christmas’ past in their new novella collection
Where Treetops Glisten
. Their three stories “White Christmas,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” will take you back to war-time 1942, 1943, and 1944. The authors have also teamed up to give tips on simplifying Christmas this year! Join us December 1-6 on Not Quite Amish Living for the Simplifying Christmas series.
Simple Gift Giving Ideas
by Cara Putman
“Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify.”
― Henry David Thoreau, Walden and Other Writings
Have you ever felt that way about the last six weeks of the year? You wake up one morning and it’s November 20th. Blink and it’s January 2. Weeks have passed and you’d had such high hopes for a wonderful season – hopes gone in a fog of busyness.
Let’s face it – most of us dread the thought that the holidays are here. Christmas has become a time of immense busyness. Instead of being a season of peace and enjoyment, many of us see December approach on the calendar with a sense of dread. Do you hate that as much as I do? Do you long for an approach to the season that doesn’t make you cringe?
Simplify means to make (something) simpler or easier to do or understand. If you enter simplify Christmas in Google, in less than a second, the search engine will give you more than 3,500,000 hits. Yes, that more than three million hits. We long to make the holidays simpler. How can we do that?
I’ve asked some people for advice on how they do it. Today, I wanted to share some of those ideas as they relate to gifts.
I’d also love to hear your suggestions. Together maybe we can bring some sanity back to the holidays.
Our family loves participating in secret Santa! Instead of having to buy for everyone, you only have to buy for one person. Of course, the real fun is trying to guess who have you your present. —Catilin Smart
We do handmade gifts and focus ore on the actual meaning of Christmas than the commercialism. —Darlene Clark.
Less gifts & more together time. Money is tight for some so we usually draw names & then my husband & I pick up fun gifts for winners of games. —Deanna S.
Ready for the rest of her tips? Then click here.
Giveaway!!!
My publisher has created three wonderful gift baskets. Each basket contains:
Copy of Where Treetops Glisten
Christmas DVD – Holiday Inn Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire
Christmas CD (includes all the book title songs) – “A Jolly Christmas” Frank Sinatra
Apron made from vintage pattern
Recipe cards from each character
December 4, 2014
10 Ways to Simplify Food & Decorations by Sarah Sundin
Do you break out in hives just thinking about the craziness and chaos that comes with Christmas? It doesn’t have to be that way. Inspirational authors Cara Putman, Sarah Sundin, and Tricia Goyer share about Christmas’ past in their new novella collection
Where Treetops Glisten
. Their three stories “White Christmas,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” will take you back to war-time 1942, 1943, and 1944. The authors have also teamed up to give tips on simplifying Christmas this year! Join us December 1-6 on Not Quite Amish Living for the Simplifying Christmas series.
12 Tips to Turn Chaos to Wonder
by Sarah Sundin
Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year! We long to fill our homes with red and green, with pine and holly, and the smells of cinnamon and vanilla. But in the process we often find ourselves depressed, stressed, irritable, and in debt.
Food and decorations create a festive mood and wonderful memories, but they take a great portion of our time and energy. While writing my novella for Where Treetops Glisten, I was struck by the relative simplicity of Christmas in World War II. Rationing changed menus, shortages meant fewer decorations for sale, and many women had jobs outside the home and less time to prepare for the holidays. Overall, Christmas in the 1940s was simpler—fewer gifts, fewer decorations, and simpler food—but no less meaningful.
So what can we do to simplify here and now?
1) Remember Why
Why are we decorating, cooking, and baking in the first place? To celebrate Christ’s birth. If our work tears us away from this purpose, we need to re-evaluate. When my children were little, I’d remind them—and myself—why we did things. The lights remind us that Jesus is the Light of the World. We give cookies to our neighbors because God gave His Son to us.
2) Embrace—and Trim
I love to bake—but I’m not crafty. Therefore, I make lots of cookies from scratch, but I use the same store-bought decorations every year. Embrace the things you love, the things that bring you joy and bring joy to others. But the things you don’t care for—feel free to trim them back or eliminate them—without guilt!
3) Evaluate Before Adding
That darling handcrafted centerpiece! Twenty-five clever ways to display your Elf on a Shelf! That complicated but tempting new turkey recipe! Cookies decorated like miniature works of art! We see these things in our friends’ homes or on Pinterest, and we’re ready to jump on board and add another item to our Christmas to-do list. Take a moment and think. Do you have the time, money, energy? Do you really need to add something new? Will you truly love doing it? What can you remove from your list in its place? Are you considering it just to fit in or to impress others?
Ready for the rest of her tips? Then click here.
Giveaway!!!
My publisher has created three wonderful gift baskets. Each basket contains:
Copy of Where Treetops Glisten
Christmas DVD – Holiday Inn Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire
Christmas CD (includes all the book title songs) – “A Jolly Christmas” Frank Sinatra
Apron made from vintage pattern
Recipe cards from each character
You can enter for a basket here, at Tricia Goyer’s blog and at Sarah Sundin’s. Entry is easy. Just use the following form.
