Fuzzy Blankets, Warm Drinks and Novels

by Jill Kemerer

In northern Ohio the leaves have changed, the furnace is running, and I’m ready to snuggle inside. I love this time of year!

I kick off every morning with a nice, hot pot of coffee. While I watch the local news, I wrap up in a comfy throw and sip my creamy caffeine. I have a collection of fuzzy blankets, and my current favorite was a gift from my sister-in-law from last Christmas. It’s dove gray and so soft. My little doxie always curls up on my lap underneath the blanket! She’s silly.

This won’t shock you, but my T-shirts and shorts have been packed away. In their place are jeans and sweaters. I’m always cold, so in the afternoon, I fill my electric tea kettle with water and sip hot tea while I write.

Sometimes my husband and I will take a long walk before it gets dark out. We try to take advantage of the daylight as much as possible because it won’t be long until it grows dark before dinner time. Having less sunlight makes me sad. I’m not a fan of short days. I actually have a Happy Light, which is an LED light therapy lamp. It’s supposed to ease low moods due to lack of sunlight. Even my dog loves it. She stretches out in front of it whenever I turn it on.

My reading habits change this time of year. I read more cozy fiction—inspirational contemporary romance novels, cozy mysteries, and historical romances. Oh, and Christmas stories! I love holiday books this time of year. The only novels I steer clear of in autumn are heavy women’s fiction and thrillers. With winter approaching, I need reading material guaranteed to make me smile.

Here are a few books I’ve read recently and highly recommend.

Walk It Out: The Radical Result of Living God’s Word One Step at a Time by Tricia Goyer

First of all, I love the cover of this one. More importantly, the message is powerful. I was inspired by Tricia’s story, and I love the Bible truths in this book. Living God’s word isn’t always comfortable, but it’s worth it.

Rescue Me by Susan May Warren

This is the second book in the Montana Rescue series, and I loved it! It’s a romantic adventure and follows multiple characters. I highly recommend it.

Speaking of books... My new series, Wyoming Cowboys, launched this month with the release of The Rancher’s Mistletoe Bride! It’s a Christmas romance set on a ranch in Wyoming. The book is available in supermarkets and online at all major book retailers. See below for more information.

To celebrate, I’m giving away three copies of my new release, The Rancher’s Mistletoe Bride, on my Facebook page. US residents are eligible to win a paperback or ebook. International readers are eligible to win an ebook! Stop by and scroll until you see the post titled Giveaway Time 10/10/17. CLICK HERE to go to Jill’s Facebook page!

I’d love to hear your fall habits. Hot drinks? Fuzzy blankets? Or is it hot year-round where you live? And what are you reading?

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Jill Kemerer writes Christian fiction and nonfiction. She is a multi-published author of Christian romance novels for Harlequin Love Inspired. Her essentials include coffee, M&Ms, a stack of books, her miniature-dachshund and taking long nature walks. She resides in Ohio with her husband and two almost-grown children. Jill loves connecting with readers, so please visit her website, jillkemerer.com, and sign up for her newsletter.

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The Rancher's Mistletoe Bride

Coming Home for Christmas 

Wedding planner Lexi Harrington needs a manager for her inherited Wyoming ranch. Clint Romine is the perfect man for the job, but the ruggedly handsome cowboy soon presents a new dilemma—distraction. Lexi can't fall for a small-town rancher when she's planning to return to her big-city career after the holidays. Home has always been elusive for former foster kid Clint. Working alongside Lexi at Rock Step Ranch feels too cozy—and too risky. Opening up to her means revealing a secret about his past that could jeopardize everything he holds dear. This Christmas, can Clint learn to trust Lexi with the truth…and with his heart?

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  | iBooks

September Means Autumn!

by Jill Kemerer

Happy September 1! In my mind, September 1st kicks off autumn. I live in northern Ohio where Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer. Once September hits, anticipation swells inside me. The trees begin to turn colors, the temps drop, and I get the sense of a new start. Probably sounds weird thinking the final months of the year as a new start, but I've always felt autumn is a season of beginnings.

New school year, new television shows, new projects...lots of new! Ahh...autumn!

I took this picture at a local park a few years ago!

Depending on the year, we like to hike in local parks or head to a nearby apple orchard to pick a bushel of fruit. The bees go crazy in the fall, so you do have to be careful. You don't want to get stung! And apple orchards tend to mean freshly made donuts. If you've never had a donut made on the spot then tossed in a paper bag with cinnamon sugar, you need to remedy that. Pronto. I still fantasize about a fresh batch from fourteen years ago! They were the best donuts I'd ever had.

Same park, different location within it. I love the covered bridge aspect!

Another perk of fall? My husband and I love watching football. We're more into the college teams, but I'm also an avid Detroit Lions fan (I get mad at them a lot, but I still root for them!). I'm really excited because my hubby surprised me with tickets to see a game at Ford Field. I've never been there before. It will be fun!

But before the NFL games begin, we'll be watching our beloved Michigan Wolverines. Only two more days until kickoff, not that I'm counting or anything. This game will be watched in our living room, surrounded by game-day food. Hot wings, homemade blue cheese dressing, nacho dip and brownies. Bring on the yum!

What do you love about autumn?

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Jill Kemerer writes Christian romance novels with love, humor and faith for Harlequin Love Inspired. Jill loves coffee, M&Ms, fluffy animals, magazines and her hilarious family. Visit her website, jillkemerer.com, and connect with Jill on Facebook, Twitter and sign up for her Newsletter.

Finding Her Way Home 

Cozy Lake Endwell, Michigan, seems the perfect place for Jade Emerson's new T-shirt shop—and perhaps a fresh start. After a lifetime of letdowns, she is finally ready to face the future on her own. So when local wilderness guide Bryan Sheffield offers to help Jade overcome a past trauma, she warns him they will remain strictly business. But soon, with the help of Bryan's big, complicated family and a boisterous St. Bernard named Teeny, Jade's frozen heart begins to thaw. Now Jade wonders if she can return the favor, bringing a little happiness to a man who has long kept his own sorrow under wraps…

Jill's April 2016 release, Her Small-Town Romance, is available in paperback and digital form through online retailers now. Click HERE for links to most retailers!

Apple Recipes by Christine Johnson

Tis the season for fragrant apple desserts fresh out of the oven. I love a good apple crisp with vanilla ice cream, or a warm apple cake with caramel icing. For breakfast, I’ll grate some apple into the pancake batter and add a little cinnamon. Yum!

 

I have two trees that alternate producing apples. This year is a banner year. I have four grocery bags full of apples. There’s no time to can applesauce, thanks to book deadlines, so I’m looking for other ways to use apples.

 

My grandmother’s old (early 1920s) cookbook has an apple confection recipe, called Apple Allies. As is typical of old cookbooks, the instructions are vague. From what I can figure out, you bring a two-to-one mixture of sugar to water to a boil and then add pared apple slices. Cook until they are soft enough that they are transparent and can be pierced with a straw. Then remove, drain, and dry for a day. Roll in regular granulated sugar and serve.

 

Naturally I had to give this a try. Here I am attempting the straw test. It didn’t work, probably because straws back then were made of glued paper that was then waxed and were very small in diameter. So I went with transparency as a measure.

 

Here’s the finished product. How do they taste? Like apples with sugar. Since I chose a tart apple, there's a tart-sweet flavor. But what do I do with the syrup that's left? It's the consistency of corn syrup and has an apple flavor. Any ideas?

 

I don’t recall my grandma ever making these. Nor do I recall eating candy made from apples–other than caramel apples, of course.

 

Does your family have any traditional apple recipes? Any current favorites? Please share!

 

Christine Johnson

Mail Order Mix-Up (LIH, Coming April 2016)
Honor Redeemed (Revell, Coming June 2016)
http://christineelizabethjohnson.com

 

The Cycle of Life. Christine Johnson

This time of year always reminds me of the ever-changing cycle of life. Spring's reawakening and brilliant colors usher in a burst of energy for those of us living in the north. The days get longer. The sun wakes me at five in the morning and stays up until almost ten o'clock at night. I feel energized.

Autumn brings a less exciting promise. The sun will sleep longer. The leaves turn color and fall to the ground as the earth prepares for the long winter's rest. My energy wanes, and I look forward to an extra hour of sleep when we move from daylight saving time to standard time.

It's at this time of year many years ago that my grandfather died from cancer - my first brush with death. Recently, friends have lost family members - sons, husbands, wives. How easy it would be to see only the falling leaves and the stark earth, yet God has given us a promise through His Son. I see that promise in the vibrant colors of autumn leaves. They remind me that spring will arrive in due time with rebirth and renewal. So too will life begin again in an entirely new and vibrant way, far beyond anything we can imagine. Through all seasons, He is there, showing us hope.

Give someone a hug today and shine a little light in their lives.

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven. (Ecclesiastes 3:1)



Christine Johnson
Groom by Design - coming July 2014
http://christineelizabethjohnson.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ChristineJohnsonAuthor
Twitter: @ChristineJWrite

Pumpkin Carving 101

Hello and happy autumn! Christine Johnson here today to chat about pumpkin carving. Huge disclaimer: Not only am I not an expert, I had never carved a pumpkin until preparing this blog post. My husband stared in astonishment when I told him this fact and promptly asked, "Where did you grow up? Russia?" Uh, no. I just remember my dad doing the carving. He probably realized that his accident-prone daughter shouldn't be wielding sharp knives.

So, now that I'm older and presumably less accident-prone (don't ask my hubbie on that one), I decided to head off on this new adventure. First, I selected a fine looking pumpkin that I could actually lift off the ground without hurting my back.

 

Next, I consulted the Internet for the how-to and found a site with free patterns, Pumpkin Carving Patterns, which seemed like a really good idea since that meant I wouldn't have to draw freehand. Since I'm a cat lover, I chose a kitty cat face. The pattern noted that a 10-year-old had successfully carved it. I figured if a 10-year-old could do it, maybe someone many years older could manage. Here's the pattern taped onto the pumpkin.

 

 

 

Note the sharp instruments I used to gut the pumpkin. With hubbie hovering near in case of disaster, I managed to get the top off and scrape out the seeds with a sharp-edged spoon. It's then that I discovered the pumpkin had really thick walls of 2 inches (or 5 centimeters). Yikes! That was a lot of pumpkin to cut through. Hubbie ooohed and aaahed over the thickness of the walls, saying we could make enough pie to feed 14 people. I'm not even sure if jack-o-lantern pumpkins can be used for pumpkin pie. Does anyone know?

 

 

Next I used a nail to punch through the paper to "transfer" the pattern to the pumpkin. Then I used a serrated steak knife and any other viable kitchen tool to cut out and remove the necessary pumpkin. After several hours of cutting and scraping, I managed to complete the project, just as darkness fell.

 

 

 

What a fun experience! My cat even enjoyed sniffing out this new creation in her world.

 

Now, how long will it last? What should I know about lighting it? I'd love to hear your pumpking carving stories and tips. What went well? What did you learn? What can you pass along to a newbie like me? What was your favorite design? And at what age did you let the kids pitch in? Let's chat.