Reveling in Amish Quilts!

If you remember last week, I shared a rerun recipe because I was on the road. I'm still on the road this week, but I thought you'd like to see a little bit of what I'm doing.

On Tuesday, I was with my aunts. If you've read "A Mother for His Children," you'll recognize their names: Martha, Waneta and Nancy. Mary was also there - not one of the sisters, but an in-law who is a blessing to the family and my Uncle Jim...and providentially missed growing up in that crazy family :)

Uncle, aunts and a neighbor in their younger days.

On this trip to Middlebury, Indiana (the heart of Indiana's Amish Country), the aunts and I spent some time at The Quilt Shop @ Essenhaus. If you love quilts - especially Amish quilts - this is the place to go!

The proprietor, Roz, was very helpful as we all poured over the antique quilts Nancy and Mary had brought. She helped Nancy choose two of hers to sell in the shop as consignments.

After oohing and aahing over the antique quilts (sorry, no pictures - I was too busy oohing and aahing - but I wish I had taken some!), we browsed through the shop.

Beautiful quilts hang from the rafters of the shop. These are locally made and quilted. And yes, by hand. Gorgeous!

Smaller items like wall hangings are also offered for sale.

Roz and her crew also carry a full line of quilting supplies.

It was a fabulous visit, and made me wish I still had time for quilting!

Someday....someday.....

If you're ever in the Middlebury/Shipshewana area, be sure to stop by Roz's shop. Or you can visit on-line! www.EssenhausQuiltShop.com

Three Bean Salad, Family Reunions, and a Book Release!

It's August!

That means my new book, A Mother for His Children, is now available at all of your local outlets!

BTW - if your Walmart is like mine, the Love Inspired Historicals won't appear on the shelves until the middle of the month. You can either be patient, or go online to Harlequin.com or Amazon, or your favorite online retailer.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Ruthy also has a book out this month! His Montana Sweetheart is available everywhere :) or you can go online again: Harlequin.com.

Why do we enjoy Love Inspired romances so much?

I think a big part of it is because we love stories about home, family, traditions - new and old, new beginnings, second chances, and God's grace.

A Mother for His Children was inspired by a story in my own family.

This family:

This is my great-grandmother, Bessie Schrock (on the far left), with her family.

Notice G-G-Grandpa Eli's plain clothes. His parents
were the first generation to leave the Amish, but they
didn't leave the plain clothes behind.

And this is my great-grandfather, George Sherck (on the far left) with his family.

The Shercks weren't quite as "Plain" as the Schrocks,
but G-G-Grandpa Isaac never wore a tie.

Eventually George and Bessie met. He courted and she accepted.

Even though he did complain that the whitewash on the tree trunks in the front yard of the Schrock home made his good suit dusty. :)

They had children - my grandmother Ethel and her sisters, Myrtle, Dorothy, Eunice and Ruby.

And in 1928, Ethel married my grandfather, Guy, and they had children. My Dad and his brother and sisters - John, Martha, James, Waneta and Nancy. 

But they never let the bonds of the past loosen too far - family is too important.

For as long as anyone can remember, the Sherck family has been meeting every year for a family get-together. (Can you really call it a "reunion" for a family as close-knit as this one?)

Sherck family, 1938

Not just Grandma, Grandpa, children and grandchildren. As many generations as possible shows up for this reunion.

And not only that, but there's also a Sherck-Weaver reunion every year. The descendants of my great-great-great-grandparents.

When I was growing up, I thought this was normal. I thought every family had close ties like this. Then my world expanded, and I started wondering what made my family unique.

I've decided that a lot of it comes from our family heritage and Amish/Mennonite background. Both of my great-grandparents descended from Anabaptists that were persecuted in Switzerland in the 1600's. The two families came from small towns in the Emmental region of Switzerland only a few miles apart.

The years of persecution, being imprisoned for their faith, ultimately exiled from their homes and taking the long and dangerous journey to a new land cemented bonds in Amish and Mennonite families that are unshakable.

The Sherck reunion is this coming weekend. I won't be there to enjoy renewing family ties - but I'll certainly be thinking about them.

And the food.

You knew I'd bring this around to food, didn't you?

Yes, I'm going to share a recipe, but you have to know it was hard to choose. The only dish I remember from my childhood was the homemade ice cream for dessert. Lots and lots of ice cream, made in hand-cranked ice cream freezers.

And someone usually brought cracklin's - but they were too rich for little girls (just like Laura was told in The Little House in the Big Woods).

I do remember the tables being so full of good food you could never try everything. There's one dish that sticks in my memory, though: Three Bean Salad. You can never go wrong with a good Three Bean Salad!

This is a repeat recipe, but it's perfect for this time of year:


Jan's Three Bean Salad

Ingredients:

1 can green beans, drained

1 can yellow (or wax) beans, drained

1 can kidney beans, drained

1/2 small onion, sliced thin and separated into rings

1/4 cup green pepper, cut in 1/2" chunks

1 cup Italian salad dressing (the easy option)

Or for a more authentic Amish flavor, make this dressing:
1/2 cup vinegar
2 tbsp. oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

Combine all the ingredients and refrigerate for at least 90 minutes. Drain the excess salad dressing before serving.

Do you enjoy family reunions?