Caroline Fyffe's Winners!

Thanks to Caroline for her guest blog. Readers really enjoyed your visit.

We have TWO winners!

apple blossom wins a print copy of MONTANA DAWN

and
Melanie wins an ebook copy of TEXAS TWIGHLIGHT

Please post me with your email and address for Caroline to send your books: SaintJohn@aol.com

Great Christmas Tree Tour: Photo Tree

I'm doing a project similar to this for the tree in the children's area at church. Last month I took headshots of all the children, sized them and had prints made.

Then I bought large foam snowflakes and glitter paint. This Wednesday evening, we will glue their pics to the snowflakes, then decorate them. Once they're dry, they will decorate the tree. Will take a photo for you!

The week before Christmas, the children will take them home for their parents.

Among my own favorite kid-made ornaments are several special ones, made with the grandkids' photographs. Photos make lovely gifts.

Great Christmas Tree Tour 2011: Vintage Village

Some of us remember the cardboard houses and churches with sparkling glitter that used to adorn our grandparents' homes. I have a few that belonged to my grandmother, along with a Santa and sleigh, and they get an honored spot on or beneath my tree.

These can sometimes be found at flea markets and in antique malls. Wouldn't it be fun to have a whole tree decorated like this one? I'm a sucker for theme trees.

Christmas village decorations like these were sold in the local five and dime stores, from small towns to large metro cities after WWII, when exports from Japan to the U.S. began again. 1940s -1960s were the golden age of Christmas Holiday decoration. The houses have beautiful detail and color.

If you wanted to buy a few online, here's a site that sells them: http://www.paperchristmasguys.com/index.html

GREAT CHRISTMAS TREE TOUR 2011: Ginger Simpson

My friend Ginger shares her tree with us today.

Ginger says:

"After raising my children and always searching for the biggest, fullest tree I could find to decorate, I've finally settled for smaller, and yes, an even fake, version to mark the holiday.  I know some folks my age don't even bother putting up a tree anymore, but that will never be me.  Christmas has always been my favorite holiday, and like my mother, who at eighty-seven, still takes joy in lights and tinsel, I will always show my joy at Christ's birth by honoring him with a tree of some sort.  

"Although I can't mimic the crisp smell of pine, reminiscent of the fresh outdoors,  I'm pretty sure the Lord doesn't mind, nor does he gauge my love and faith by the size of my tree.  :)   I'd like to take this opportunity to wish each of you the happiest of holidays, no matter your faith or traditions."

Our shortcomings don't define who we are, unless we let them. Cindy Johnson needs to learn that. Born with one leg shorter than the other, she has no self-esteem because of the cruel comments and cold stares she receives from her classmates.  

When Cory Neil, the football quarterback asks her to Homecoming, she's quite sure he's asked her on a dare and refuses.  It takes more than just her mother's assurances that Cindy's beautiful before she realizes she may have made a mistake in turning him down.

Spice Up Your Life with Ginger

Ginger Simpson

http://www.gingersimpson.com

http://mizging.blogspot.com

http://cowboykisses.blogspot.com

Great Christmas Tree Tour 2011: Taryn Raye

Taryn always joins me in the Christmas Tree Tour, and I'm excited to show you her Christmas tree first this time! Thanks so much for sharing with us, Taryn. Your tree is gorgeous. I wish I could join you, share a cup of hot chocolate, and gaze at the lights.

Taryn says:


"Our Christmas tree decorating is usually accompanied by a mixture of classic and current Christmas favorites- Bing Crosby and Elvis to NSYNC and Mariah Carey. As my 8 year old said, Christmas music makes her happy and joyful and I share that sentiment!"

Check back next week to see a couple of her special ornaments.

Visit Taryn's Website 
Like her fan page

Share you tree or special ornaments by sending them to me at: SaintJohn@aol.com

Happy Thanksgiving!

TREE DECORATING 101: Come On Baby, Light Your Tree!

Today's pre-lit artificial trees cut the time of decorating considerably, but if you have a real tree, the first step is adding the lights. Choose the strand color that matches your tree so the wire will be hidden--green is most common. Illuminating your Christmas tree from the inside out will give it the most dynamic look. Start at the base of the trunk and work your way up, wrapping lights around every major branch, moving from the trunk to the tip and back.

You can never have too many lights! But if you're buying new, get the smart lights that stay lit even if one bulb goes out. There's nothing more irritating than having your tree loaded and then having a string of lights go out.

Here are four popular types of lights to choose from when decorating your Christmas tree.

Traditional incandescent lights: These Christmas tree lights, which come in a variety of sizes and colors, are the most popular type of tree lights. They warm up the branches of a real tree, which will release the scent of pine into the room.

LED Lights: These Christmas tree lights are newer than the traditional incandescent lights and don't produce heat. They're typically more expensive, but are flameproof and fireproof and completely safe to put on your tree.

Globe lights: These Christmas tree lights are round and come in many sizes. They look like balls of color on the tree, and while they have a softer glow than mini lights, the light they produce covers a larger area on the tree.

Bubble lights: These retro lights stand straight up on the limbs of your Christmas tree. When the liquid tube on top of the light warms up, bubbles will float up and down inside the tube.
Experiment with different lighting schemes until you find one you like -- it's okay to mix and match lights. For example, a background of white or clear lights can be highlighted with strands of colored lights that wrap the outer areas of the tree.

Caroline Fyffe: Texas Twilight and Two Giveaways

Thank you for the opportunity to share my new western historical romance, TEXAS TWILIGHT, with your readers. It’s book two in The McCutcheon Family series, and was a joy to write. I think it’s because I got so attached to the family in MONTANA DAWN, I was eager to learn more about them, create a little havoc in their lives, and feel the joy of them falling in love.

John Jake McCutcheon, the fourth brother, was only mentioned twice in book one. Now, he’s out of medical school and starting a new practice in Rio Wells, Texas, the town where his extended family reside. All goes well until Dustin, the oldest Texas cousin, takes a shine to Lily Anthony, the pretty young woman who has traveled in the same Wells Fargo coach with John to Rio Wells. Sparks fly as the two McCutcheon men, so different yet also alike, square off. For all you cowboy lovers, here is a short excerpt:

 

Chapter one

Texas Badlands, 1886

The stagecoach lurched. John Jake McCutcheon opened his eyes and saw the young woman next to him grasp the leather loop that hung from the coach’s ceiling to keep from being tossed around. She tipped precariously to the right, then left, bumping forcefully into his shoulder. With an apologetic glance she moved away, then dabbed at her brow with a folded handkerchief. She looked at her elderly aunt.

“Tante Harriet? Are you all right?” she asked in a soft German accent. She opened the fan she held and swished it back and forth in front of the tiny woman. “Your face is extremely red.”

“Of course, Lily,” Harriet Schmidt said in a raspy voice laced with exhaustion. The old woman’s hair was swept up atop her head and fastened in a bun, but after the miles and miles traveled on the dusty, sun-baked road, it looked more like a weather blown tumbleweed after a storm. She patted her niece on the knee. “Thank heavens we’re almost there. Just one more day and we’ll be out of this oven.”

John glanced away, not wanting to seem impolite. He’d met both Harriet Schmidt and her niece, Lily Anthony, when they’d boarded the stage together in Concepción. He’d seen them on the train from Boston, too, but they’d kept to themselves, never speaking with anyone else.

John gazed out the window, thinking. He was finally finished with his medical training and heading to West Texas. Anticipation coursed though him.

Rio Wells was a long way from his family ranch in Montana, but he’d get used to it. His plan to return to Y Knot after graduation hadn’t panned out. His hometown already supported two full-time physicians. If he really wanted to make a difference in people’s lives as a doctor and surgeon, he had to strike out in a place where the townsfolk were in need. At least he wouldn’t be a complete stranger in Rio Wells. Uncle Winston and his family were there. And his fiancée, Emmeline Jordan, would be joining him this fall.

John closed his eyes, recalling Emmeline’s elegant profile and dark, alluring eyes. In his mind’s eye, her mouth drew down into a seductive little pout, a manipulation he knew all too well, but one that, all the same, fueled his blood. She was like a beautiful, exotic bird, needing care and affection.

“Oh, just to take this corset off,” Harriett said to no one in particular, then chortled softly at her niece’s shocked expression at her bluntness. “It pinches horribly. I think I’ll throw it away for good.” She paused, thinking. “No…”  Her eyes twinkled mischievously. “Actually, I’ll burn it.”

Cyrus and Jeremiah Post and Abigail Smith, the other passengers cramped uncomfortably on the opposite seat, just smiled, now used to the old woman’s antics. Miss Smith, a teacher, had been hired by the same town council that had hired John, and he felt a small kinship with her.

“You know, Doctor McCutcheon,” Harriett Schmidt went on, trying to catch his eye, “my Lily doesn’t need a corset. Her waist is eighteen inches without one.”

“Tante Harriett. Please.”

John chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. He’d tried not to notice something like that, but it had been difficult, if not impossible. The girl had practically been snuggled to his side for several days.

Without warning, the driver called out sharply to the horses and the coach picked up speed. The two guards riding on top of the stage scuffled around and one shouted something unintelligible. John glanced out the window.

A shot rang out. One second later, one of the guards fell from the top of the stage, past the window, landing with a thunk as the stage rolled on. Lily gasped and threw her arms protectively around her aunt. Abigail screamed and then fainted, flopping over onto Cyrus’s shoulder.

The driver bellowed to the horses again and the stagecoach heaved forward as the six-horse team was propelled instantly into an all-out gallop. Three more shots were fired, and the sound of horses’ hooves thundered from behind.

John looked back through the dust to see a number of riders racing toward the stagecoach, eating up the distance between the two. What the hell was he supposed to do now?  He was a doctor. He’d taken the Hippocratic Oath to heal not three weeks before. His job was taking bullets out, not putting them in. But then, he’d also been raised on a rugged Montana ranch, where the unwavering reality was hard. Sometimes staying alive meant killing someone else. Besides, everyone’s lives were on the line, not just his. It would be especially bad for the women aboard. These hills were a common hiding place for Comancheros. They used women in the worst ways and then sold them into prostitution in Mexico. As pretty as she was, Lily Anthony would fetch top price. Hell, they’d sell the skinny teacher and the old woman, too.

Smoke and dust filled the coach. Pop. Pop. Pop. Lily covered her ears. Her elderly aunt coughed as she struggled to hang on. Abigail, now fully awake again, filled the small space with one shrill scream after the other, never even pausing to take a breath. John reached for his satchel under the seat, withdrew a Colt 45, and strapped on his holster. Carrying his guns was a habit he hadn’t been able to break even after his years at school. With hands nimble from experience, he loaded and fired several shots out the window. Two riders fell.

“You have another gun?”

John was surprised to see old Harriet Schmidt eyeing him expectantly. One hand was outstretched while the other grasped the windowsill as the coach careened down the road, jerking violently this way and that. “I’m not letting those filthy dogs take my Lily!”

“Can you shoot?”

“I wouldn’t ask if I couldn’t. My derringer’s not worth diddly.”

John squeezed off three more shots, then pulled another gun from his bag, handing it to Harriet. He pushed the bag toward Lily. “Bullets.”

Cyrus Post fired out the other side of the coach just as a bullet hit Cyrus’s brother in the chest, slamming Jeremiah violently against the back of the seat. Jeremiah gasped several times as he tried to hold back a rush of crimson that spurted through his splayed fingers, soaking his clothes. With just a glance, John could see he wasn’t long for this world. Abigail’s eyes grew round as she took in the blood. With a gasp, she fainted again, blessedly putting an end to her screams.

“Son of a bitch! “ Cyrus cried out. “There’s too many. Prepare to meet your maker.”

“Hush your mouth, you old coot,” Harriet shouted as she hefted the heavy gun and shot out the window. “I have more faith in God than that.”

The coach rounded a corner dangerously fast and then slowed up a bit as it began an uphill climb. One side of the road dropped off, falling some forty feet to a bed of jagged rocks.

Seizing the moment, John holstered his gun and opened the narrow door. He climbed the side of the rocking coach using the window as a step, and grasping the luggage rack, pulled himself up. He flopped onto his stomach, facing the oncoming killers and picked up the fallen guard’s Winchester. He took aim.

* * *

Since the holidays are just around the corner I’d like to share the recipe for my sister’s Beer Bread, which she makes every year at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  It’s not exactly a recipe from the 1800s, but it surely could’ve been—it’s that easy.  Give it a try.  You’ll be hooked, too;

3 cups Self Rising flour
3 Tlbs sugar
a 12 –oz can or bottle of beer (at room temperature)
1 cup chopped walnuts, 1 cup raisins
(OR ½ cup raisins and ½ cup cranberries—I use cherry flavored!)
a good shake of cinnamon.
Mix all ingredients together and put into a sprayed and floured bread pan.
Split the top with a knife.
Cover and set in a warm spot for 30 minutes so the dough can rise.
Cook in a 375-degree oven for 1hour and 15 minutes.
Watch at the end so it doesn’t become too brown.
Remove and while still hot, brush top with butter. ENJOY!!

I’m giving away an E-Book copy of TEXAS TWILIGHT, and also a paper copy of MONTANA DAWN to two different commenters.  Share with us if you’ve ever been in competition with a friend or family member for the same sweetheart?  Don’t be shy….

Available in E-Book online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble


LINK TO AMAZON
LINK TO B&N

Annual Great Christmas Tree Tour: First Christmas tree belongs to Brenda!

I was surprised to find a photo of Brenda's Christmas tree in my inbox! She's ahead of the game this year, I tell you. Brenda always uses a lot of color and decorates with a Mickey Mouse theme.

Thanks for sharing, Brenda.