Author: sandramervillehart

Bubble Solution

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This pandemic has made us scramble to find items that used to be in ready supply. One of them—at least for my family—has been bubble solution.

My grandchildren are the perfect age to love chasing bubbles around my yard. Current conditions have curtailed activities for all of us. Because we have been staying at home more than usual, our bubble machine has gone through over two gallons of bubble solution this summer.

Here’s a simple recipe that mostly fills a standard large bottle of bubble solution. Save those old bottles and make your own.

 

Use a medium-sized bowl.

1 ½ cups dish soap

4 ½ cups water

2 tablespoons sugar

 

Combine these together gently or you’ll have lots of bubbles in the bowl. Mine turned out a little sudsy and I set it aside for a few minutes. 😊

Store in a bottle until ready to use.

We’ve already tested this recipe and it works great. Enjoy!

-Sandra Merville Hart

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

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by Sandra Merville Hart

Cuyahoga Valley National Park, established in 2000, is one of our newest national parks. It’s just a short drive from Akron or Cleveland in Ohio, and about 2,500,000 people visit each year.

The winding Cuyahoga River is a U-shaped river. Cuyahoga means “crooked” in the Iroquois language. The unique part about this river is that, for twenty-two miles, it flows both north and south. The river winds past farmland, forests, and rolling hills.

Over 50 square miles of forest, deep gorges, waterfalls, and wetlands can be seen in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Rangers are available at the Boston Mill Visitor Center so it’s suggested that tourists begin their visit there.

Take a 2.2-mile hike to see the Ledges, which is located along sandstone cliffs. Our family enjoyed the surprising thin sheets of rock found at the Ledges. These is also an overlook on the trail with a view of the valley.

Brandywine Falls is a popular destination in the park. The 60-foot waterfall is well worth the hike, which varies in length depending on where you park.

Beaver Marsh is a great place for bird watching.

Another tourist attraction at the park is the Ohio & Erie Canal that runs through it. Built in the early 1800s by German and Irish immigrants, twenty miles of the canal is within the park. Hike or bike along the Towpath Trail that mules used to pull the canal boats over century ago. Parts of the trail are open for horseback riders.

Though the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad is currently closed due to Covid-19, it’s another wonderful way to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Fish in the Cuyahoga River, the lakes, and the ponds inside the park. Canoeing and kayaking are other activities.

There are many hikes in the park of various lengths and difficulty. For hikes to waterfalls, take the Brandywine Falls Trail or the Blue Hen Falls Trail.

Bring a picnic lunch. There’s a great shelter at the Ledges where our family ate the picnic we had packed. Bring plenty of water because it’s not available at all locations.

Families may camp at the park and there is also a bed and breakfast for those who prefer to sleep indoors.

Some wildlife living in Cuyahoga Valley are beavers, bald eagles, yellow warbler, raccoons, belted kingfisher, great blue heron, and the red-winged blackbird.

Sources:

“Cuyahoga Valley: National Park, Ohio,” National Park Service, 2020/07/19 http://www.nps.gov/cuva/index.htm.

Flynn, Sarah Wassner. National Geographic Kids: National Parks Guide U.S.A., National Geographic Society, 2012.

McHugh, Erin. National Parks: A Kid’s Guide to America’s Parks, Monuments, and Landmarks, Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc., 2012.

Palmerlee, Danny; Bendure, Glenda; Friary, Ned; Karlin, Adam; Matchar, Emily; Sainsbury, Brendan. Discover USA’s Best National Parks, Lonely Planet Publications, 2012.

The Valley Guide: Summer/Fall 2020/June 1 – November 30, National Park Service.

 

 

Good Night, Fireflies

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Rachel Pellegrino, founder and publisher of Little Lamb Books, highlights one of their books for us today. Welcome back, Rachel!

by Rachel Pellegrino

Based in Texas, Little Lamb Books is a premiere children’s publishing company striving to shepherd the next generation of faithful readers by encouraging their faith in God, inspiring their love of reading, and delighting their imagination through colorful and creative literary works.

Launched in 2015, Little Lamb Books has two main goals: 1) to create literary content from a biblical worldview for elementary, middle grade and young adult readers and 2) we want to invigorate the lives of young readers by creating a catalog filled with a variety of titles that mix friendship, family, and faith with biblical parallels, everyday lessons, and strong characters and storylines.

We know that every child struggles to face some type of fear, whether it’s the fear of the dark, being alone, thunderstorms, or just being in front of a crowd. We partnered with author Janet L. Christensen to produce Good Night, Fireflies and tell the story of a young boy named Landon and how he conquers his fear. Good Night, Fireflies was just recently named a finalist in the 2020 International Book Awards.

Landon can’t sleep when the shadows turn ordinary things in his room into spookies and creepies! His fears are put to rest one memorable summer evening when his daddy teaches him an important lesson about God’s everlasting, ever-present love: just like the fireflies, God doesn’t disappear when the lights go out.

Through the power of prayer, Landon learns that he can call on God whenever he’s scared and find comfort in the love of his Father.

Beautifully illustrated by Francesca Pesci, Good Night, Fireflies helps answer the question even adults have: How do we know God’s always with us?

We enjoy producing books like Good Night, Fireflies because at Little Lamb Books we believe that reading is important and families should have choices for wholesome, clean, AND entertaining stories to read together. Be sure to request a copy at your local library and order a hard cover or paperback from our online shop, Bookshop, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and wherever children’s books are sold.

Bio: Rachel Pellegrino is the owner and publisher of Little Lamb Books, an award-winning publisher of children’s books. Launched in 2015, Little Lamb Books has produced almost a dozen titles, all of which have won national awards, including two golds in the Benjamin Franklin Awards. Rachel is passionate about collaborating with fellow publishers as well as empowering authors to be successful. Based in Texas, Rachel talks with her hands, offers individual author coaching, prefers Pepsi to coffee, and has a growing plush lamb collection much to her daughter’s delight.

 

Gracie Lou Wants a Zoo

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Rachel Pellegrino, founder and publisher of Little Lamb Books, highlights one of their books for us today. Welcome, Rachel!

By Rachel Pellegrino

Little Lamb Books is a premiere children’s publishing company striving to shepherd the next generation of faithful readers by encouraging their faith in God, inspiring their love of reading, and delighting their imagination through colorful and creative literary works.

Based in Texas, Little Lamb Books has two main goals: 1) to create literary content from a biblical worldview for elementary, middle grade and young adult readers and 2) we want to invigorate the lives of young readers by creating a catalog filled with a variety of titles that mix friendship, family, and faith with biblical parallels, everyday lessons, and strong characters and storylines.

We especially love creating brightly illustrated picture books. One of our most recent additions is Gracie Lou Wants A Zoo by award-winning author Shelly Roark.

Gracie Lou wants nothing more for her pet turtle, George, than for him to have friends. But her Mom and Dad insist that their city apartment is too small to house a monkey or a duck, a giraffe or an elephant. They say she needs to be patient and trust in God’s plan, except Gracie Lou’s not sure she can wait that long.

After a wild night spent with a house full of rowdy zoo animals gives her a lesson in the value of patience and God’s perfect timing, Gracie Lou learns that God has a great plan for her . . . if she can just wait for it!

Gracie Lou Wants A Zoo is colorful and captures the attention of young readers everywhere while sharing a delightful message of God’s love for all of His children, especially those who have ever wondered about His plan for them.

As the publisher of Little Lamb Books, I’m a bit biased, but I believe the young readers in your home will love our books. So, be sure to request a copy at your local library and order a hard cover or paperback from our online shop, Bookshop, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and wherever children’s books are sold.

 

Charlotte Russe

/ sandramervillehart / 2 Comments

I’ve been watching The Great British Baking Show and learning a lot about dishes that are new to me. Even more helpful is The Great British Baking Show Masterclass, where talented bakers Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry demonstrate their own recipes.

Paul Hollywood shared his recipe for Charlotte Russe on one of the episodes. I’d never made one so I watched carefully and wrote down all the instructions.

To say that I appreciate his skill even more now is an understatement. 😊

He made lady fingers for his dessert. So did I. Mine turned out delicious yet too thin to line the dish. I made an emergency run to the grocery store for lady fingers.

The actual custard or Bavarian cream was deliciously thick and creamy. The problem came when I tried to lined the dish with lady fingers. I didn’t know the trick to make them stand and keep them upright after pouring in the custard. A few popped up about an inch. I weighted them down with a dish and then chilled the dessert in the fridge for 3 hours. When I checked on it, 3 or 4 of the lady finger sponges were on top while the rest stayed securely at the side.

The recipe called for a lime jelly on top. I was so disappointed that a few of the lady fingers had shifted out of place that I didn’t make the jelly for the top layer. Even so, it really did taste delicious.

I found a recipe for Charlotte Russe in an 1870s cookbook. Bakers preparing this dessert in 1877 went to far more trouble than I did. They had to chill the dessert with “snow or pounded ice.”

Whipping the cream was another challenge for early bakers. They used a whip-churn if available to whip the cream into a froth. Then they had to skim off the top froth to find the unwhipped cream underneath. Then they went through the process all over again. (I used a stand mixer, which was a lot easier. 😊)

I made a strawberry Charlotte Russe. Everyone who ate it really liked it, even without the lime jelly on top.

I guess I didn’t do too badly. Have you ever made this dessert?

-Sandra Merville Hart

Sources

Compiled from Original Recipes. Buckeye Cookery and Practical Housekeeping, Applewood Books, 1877.

 

 

Wagon Trains and Stagecoach Robberies

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Donna Schlachter, fellow author, shares historical background for her novel. Welcome back, Donna!

By Donna Schlachter

Fort Laramie, Wyoming Territory, in September 1878, was important for several reasons: wagon trains with immigrants from the Prairies heading west often began here; the city was at a major crossroads of trails, so there were more choices on which destination to choose; the city was big enough to supply wagon trains of all sizes; although the Westward migration had slowed by 1878, wagon trains continued west into the 1920s; and it was a direct run from Deadwood, Dakota Territory to Fort Laramie.

The Oregon Trail to Oregon City, California, remained open late in the year, and although most wagon trains departed in the late spring, giving six weeks of warm and dry weather, it’s possible a train left in September. The train in my story is a small one by comparison, comprising only seven wagons. Some trains could be as large as 200 wagons. However, the couple-only requirement of the train leader would keep the numbers small, as would his strong Christian morals and insistence on observing a day of rest each week, and of holding weekly church services.

Deciding to base a novel on a real-life historical event offered choices, restrictions, and possibilities. While my wagon train story had to take place after the real life Homestake Mine stagecoach robbery in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, I was free to create characters that might have been present at the robbery but weren’t actually named. In my case, I created a younger brother for one of the named robbers, and constructed a backstory to suit my story and the character.

However, I was restricted to the months following the actual robbery, and if I wanted to include any of the real characters from the theft, they had to have been able to be present where I put them when I put them there. In fact, Lame Johnny, leader of the gang, went on the run for a month or so before being caught again, so I included him near the end of my book and had him escape from the story back into his known history.

Updates on the robbery spread far and wide, as did rumors, so including those tidbits of information as my story moved west anchored the story to the history, and added tension and trouble for my main characters as they sought a way to avoid facing their greatest fears.

Book Blurb:

A prostitute’s daughter, an outlaw’s brother, and a stagecoach robbery—can anything good come out of Deadwood?

Kate Benton, daughter of a saloon floozy, runs away days before her official introduction into that sordid life, straight into the arms of Tom McBride, fleeing from his outlaw brother’s past. Can these two young people, damaged and labeled by life experiences, tear down the walls of guilt and mistrust that separate them? Will they allow God to change them forever from the inside out? Or are they destined to remain alone forever?

Amazon

About Donna:

Donna lives in Denver with husband Patrick. As a hybrid author, she writes historical suspense under her own name, and contemporary suspense under her alter ego of Leeann Betts, and has been published more than 30 times in novellas and full-length novels. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Writers on the Rock, Sisters In Crime, Pikes Peak Writers, and Christian Authors Network; facilitates a critique group; and teaches writing classes online and in person. Donna also ghostwrites, edits, and judges in writing contests. She loves history and research, and travels extensively for both. Donna is represented by Terrie Wolf of AKA Literary Management.

As a special bonus, Donna is offering a small book of recipes.

Her Newsletter Stay connected so you learn about new releases, preorders, and presales, as well as check out featured authors, book reviews, and a little corner of peace. Plus: Receive a free ebook simply for signing up for our free newsletter!

Connect with Donna on her blog, Facebook, and Twitter.

Echoes of Titanic by Mindy Starns Clark

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Co-written by Mindy Starns Clark and John Campbell Clark

Kelsey Tate has inherited some of her great-grandmother Adele Tate’s business savvy, a Titanic survivor who had kept the family’s company afloat during the depression. Kelsey is working her way up the ladder in her father’s retirement and subsequent stroke. Her coworker’s odd behavior right before an important press event worries her, but there’s no time to figure it out. Then a relative Kelsey has never met accuses Adele Tate of being an imposter.

Two young women—cousins raised together who grew up as close as sisters—and the man who is the father of one of them cross the Atlantic Ocean on Titanic’s maiden voyage. When the ship goes down, only one of the women survive. Which one is it?

The question plunges Kelsey into the fight of her life when a coworker commits what appears to be suicide. Who can help her? If only Cole, the man she loves, was still in her life. She knows she hurt him, but it was just business, right?

This spellbinding time-slip novel tells the story of the women who cross on the Titanic and how their fate ripples down to affect the living even a hundred years later.

Gripping.

I couldn’t put it down! I’ve read other books by Mindy Starns Clark and will look for more.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Amazon

Grave Consequences by Debra DuPree Williams

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Charlotte Graves is the new director of the local historical and genealogical society. She’s back in Loblolly after eight years but old hurts die hard. Or are murdered.

Before she knows what’s happening, Charlotte is arrested for the murder of Boopsie Sweets, a childhood enemy. Worse, she’s arrested by Roan Steele, the man who’d broken her heart back in high school.

There’s mystery afoot that only a genealogist can decipher!

Lovable, realistic characters invited me into a small Alabama town in the 1960s. Williams does a fantastic job giving an authentic feel with details such as music, clothing, decorations, and furniture. The characters seem to step off the page from an era 50 years ago.

Written in first person so the story drew me in immediately. I couldn’t put the book down!

The story is well-written with escalating tension that kept me turning pages. I’ll look for more books by this author. Recommend!

-Sandra Merville Hart

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas

Present Helps the Past

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Today’s post has been written by fellow author and friend, Carole Brown. She’s here to share the inspiration for her newest release, a historical western romance. Welcome back, Carole!

by Carole Brown

I never guessed several years ago when my family and I worked for short periods of time in some of the western states with the American Natives, how it would influence me in the future as I prepared to write a historical western romantic suspense.

One of our special trips out west included heading up into the mountains of Arizona where a friend named Jeb took us gold panning. On the way, we passed a ghost town but finally reached a wooded area with a strong stream where we settled down for a spot of gold panning.

There were few, if any, people around. Jeb was knowledgeable about the panning. His explanations and descriptions fascinated us. It ended up being a memorable experience for us as a family. And though we didn’t “strike it rich,” we did find numerous gold flecks that we kept in a small jar for years as a memoir of our fun.

Although in my story the gold hunting by four families was achieved entirely differently than what we did—by digging in caves or on mountain sides—our experience gave me a bit of knowledge on how to proceed with the setting. In that era, gold hunting was the rage among certain people. Striking it rich was a temptation that many men couldn’t resist. In Caleb’s Destiny, the men did discover a reasonably good vein of gold, and all of them profited from it.

About Carole:

Besides being a member and active participant of many writing groups, Carole Brown enjoys mentoring beginning writers. An author of ten books, she loves to weave suspense and tough topics into her books, along with a touch of romance and whimsy, and is always on the lookout for outstanding titles and catchy ideas. She and her husband reside in SE Ohio but have ministered and counseled nationally and internationally. Together, they enjoy their grandsons, traveling, gardening, good food, the simple life, and did she mention their grandsons?

Connect with Carole on her blog, Amazon Author Page, and Twitter.

Book Blurb:

Mr. Michael, Destiny Rose McCulloch, and Hunter have a mysterious history. Why were three fathers, all business partners, murdered under suspicious circumstances while on their quest to find gold?

Hunter, who is Mr. Michael’s ranch manager, is determined to find the answers and protect the precocious young lady who he suspects holds a key answer to his questions.

Mr. Michael wants only to be left alone to attend to his property, but what can he do when Destiny refuses to leave and captures the heart of everyone of his employees?

Destiny almost forgets her quest when she falls in love with Mr. Michael’s ranch and all the people there. And then Mr. Michael is much too alluring to ignore. The preacher man back east where she took her schooling tried to claim her heart, but the longer she stays the less she can remember him. She only came west to find a little boy she knew years ago. A little boy all grown up by now…unless, of course, he’s dead.

Three children, connected through tragedy and separated by time, are fated to reunite and re-right some powerful wrongs.

Amazon

 

In Black and White by MaryAnn Diorio

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Tori Pendola, artist and student of Art History at the University of Pennsylvania, will soon graduate. She has already been offered a good job but longs for love. She finds it in Jebuni Kalitzi.

Jeb is an African exchange student and son of a tribal chieftain in Ghana. The economics major falls in love with Tori, a white woman that his tribe would not approve of him marrying.

It’s 1959 and the couple faces apartheid in Africa, prejudice in America. They face societal barriers, threats, rejection, and insults.

I was quickly pulled into their struggles, which mounted as the story progressed. The author does a great job showing the prejudice on both sides. Recommend.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Amazon