Giveaway #4

It was interesting to hear about people who have influenced your thinking. Sometimes those people are the ones closest to us and sometimes they show up in unexpected places. We never know who we might be influencing with our own lives; stop and think about that sobering thought for a minute.

Ellie Miller is the winner for giveaway #3. Ellie, your comment tugged at my heartstrings and I'm so happy to be sending you "Falling Free"! Please email your address to christopherbethany@juno.com and I will get it sent your way!

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I'd been thinking about this post all of last week, wondering how to tell you about Shannan's second book, "The Ministry Of Ordinary Places". One day, couped up in a van with my family, the audio book we were listening to suddenly provided me with the perfect picture of the message and heart Shannan is sharing with the world.

"Many years ago, on this very spot, there was a beautiful city full of fine houses and inviting spaces and no one who lived here was ever in a hurry. The streets were full of wonderful things to see and the people who lived here often stopped to look at them."

"Didn't they have any place to go?" asked Milo. 

"To be sure!" continued Alec. "But as you know, the most important reason for going from one place to another is to see what's in between, and they took great pleasure in doing just that.

"Then one day, someone discovered that if you walked as fast as possible, and looked at nothing but your shoes, you'd arrive at your destination much more quickly. Soon everyone was doing it. They all rushed down the avenues and hurried along the boulevards, seeing nothing of the wonder and beauty of their city as they went...

"No one paid any attention to how things looked, and as they moved faster and faster, everything grew uglier and dirtier. And as everything grew uglier and dirtier, they moved faster and faster and at last a very strange thing began to happen. Because nobody cared, the city slowly began to disappear. Day by day the buildings grew fainter and fainter and the streets faded away until at last it was entirely invisible and there was nothing to see at all."

"What did they do?" asked the Humbug...

"Nothing at all," continued Alec. "They went right on living just as they'd always done, in houses they could no longer see, on the streets which had vanished, because nobody had noticed a thing. And that's the way they've lived to this very day."

"Hasn't anyone told them? asked Milo. 

"It doesn't do any good," Alec replied. "For they can never see what they're in too much of a hurry to look for." 

~excerpt from The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

This is the eye-opening truth Shannan is trying to tell us; the revelation our world needs. Far too many of us have stopped paying attention to anything but the tips of our own shoes. We've gotten so wrapped up in our own agendas, our own ideas, our own lives, that the world around us -- the sky, the trees, our neighbors -- have faded away. We preach the Bible, the loving and caring gospel, but the truth is we can't truly love and care until we slow down and pay attention to our ordinary places.

In her book, Shannan shares how she is learning to do just that. How walking her children to school has made her slow down and notice her neighborhood; how accepting a gift sometimes does more than being the giver; how opening her home to strangers has opened her eyes and built friendships. How making a point of stopping to listen, to pay attention, has opened doors and provided opportunities and begun ministries she never would have dreamed of.

To be sure, this shift in vision not only opens our hearts to caring and loving and seeing, it also guarantees a front seat to more pain and hurt and heartache than we've probably ever experienced before. But isn't this what Jesus is all about? Isn't this how He lived out His life on earth? I long to learn more about living like He did; about seeing with His eyes.

For a chance to win a copy of "The Ministry Of Ordinary Places", look out your window and tell me what you notice. Come back next Monday and I'll announce our last winner!

Giveaway #3

It was fun to hear your ideas for the Heart + Art journal. Nobody seemed to think they would have any trouble putting it to good use!

According to random.org, our winner is Shirley Martin who commented,  "So beautiful! I would take it to journal on our next trip to India. And I would color the pictures with my daughter on the 17 hour flight. "

Shirley, email your address to christopherbethany@juno.com and I will see if I can get your journal to you before your India trip!

Don't forget, if you would like to order a journal for yourself, you will find them here.

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My last two giveaways are of a different variety; they're books.

Shannan Martin came into my life about 10 years ago as "Flower Patch Farmgirl". I had discovered the world of blogs through a magazine article by Kelle Hampton and during late night sessions of feeding my baby, I accidentally stumbled upon the fact that you could click on names in the comments and find even more blogs. I believe it was in the comment sections of Dig This Chick that I saw the frequent name Flower Patch Farmgirl and hopped over to check her out.

I am forever glad that I did.

Shannan may not look like me at all; may not have been brought up the way I was; may not believe all the same things I do, but I have learned so much from her. Not only have I learned from her but I realized looking back, our lives have had a strange sort of parallel-but-different story the past 10 years.

Shannan and her family lived on a farm in Ohio when I first 'met' her. They worked at great jobs and had adopted three children. They were living the American dream. Around the same time that we were struggling financially and making our decision to move to Ohio, Shannan and her family were in the process of letting go of all the things they ever thought they wanted and choosing to move to Indiana to the wrong side of the tracks. I moved in with my in-laws and she moved into a tiny, ugly rental. She began to open her heart to a new neighborhood and way of life and I began opening mine to a new community.

I don't think I fully grasp how much her life and testimony have spoken into mine. I quoted her book "Falling Free" here and here. I shared one of her blog posts on my blog here. I hadn't really stopped to think of it, but my inspiration to share 'How We Met' stories came from her, as did the ambitious idea to spend a whole month writing a series of posts on one subject. Y'all owe her a lot, just saying.

Shannan has graciously answered messages from me and returned emails; she even commented on my blog once! Some day I'm going to get up the nerve to meet her instead of being a shy stalker and looking up her house, only to drive by, when I was in the neighborhood (true story).

Shannan is by no means perfect but she follows the Lord with a whole heartenedness that is refreshing and inspiring. She tells her story in "Falling Free - Rescued from the Life I Always Wanted". Today I'm giving you a chance to win a copy for yourself and encouraging you to go buy yourself the book if you don't win!

To be entered for this giveaway, leave me a comment telling about someone who has influenced your thinking in a powerful way. Come back next Monday to hear about her second book, "Ministry of Ordinary Places".

Giveaway #2

I loved reading all your comments about giving and receiving notes. My personal favorite has to be this one from facebook  --

"My favorite note that I wrote was about 28 years ago. I drive a tractor in a field back and forth, back and forth down the rows and every other time I turned around I saw a glorious multicolored display of flowers in front of the house across the street. I got the house number off the mailbox and sent a note to the unknown lady who executed this work of living art. I just had to tell her how much her garden cheered me up and added so much beauty to my day. Well, she wrote back and invited me to visit! We had a wonderful time getting acquainted, she and I, and we became friends. An older widow with an Amish helper and a young lady new to farming and rural ways in general. I visited from time to time. One day I found her grown children at home with the message that Gretchen Amstutz had passed away from cancer. I never knew. I grieved, of course, but the memory of her is a very special blessing in my life, all because I sent a kind note to a stranger."

You never know the far reaching effects the bit of extra time and energy you put into writing a note might yield!

I used random.org to choose a number and the winner of the cards is..... Melinda Kornelson! Email me your address, Melinda, and I will get those cards sent your way. My email is christopherbethany@juno.com

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This week's giveaway is a shout out to my oldest niece.

This lovely journal is a collaboration of my niece's artistic talent and the design skills of Abiart Creative.

In the front of the journal, Janae writes:

"... for as long as I can remember, drawing is something I loved. It has been a stress reliever, a way of expressing myself, and also one of the ways Jesus has worked in my life.

My grandma was my biggest fan, always supporting me and nudging me to show my drawings to the world. She passed away 3 years ago. These pieces are finally being printed for other people to enjoy, Grandma, because of you."

Mom would be so proud of her granddaughter.

The heart+art journal has plenty of lined pages to fill with whatever your heart desires. Scattered among the lined pages with Bible verses, await twelve unique illustrations - therapy for the mind and soul.

They're perfect for coloring...

Or just for staring at in awe...

Or for inspiration in making note cards...

It's the kind of journal that's so pretty I have a hard time actually using it.

For a chance to win this beauty, leave me a comment telling me what you might use it for. Would you keep a daily journal? Use it to write out scripture? Give it as a gift? Color the pictures? Keep it in your drawer to pull out and feast your eyes on occasionally? I'd love to hear.

Come back next Monday and I'll announce a winner and tell you about a book.

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If you'd like to order a journal for yourself, they can be bought here. There's lots of other lovely items you might enjoy from Abiart Creative, go check it out!

Giveaway #1

To start off our month of giveaways, I have a little something hand made for one of you to enjoy.

My mom was a lover of note cards. One drawer in her desk was always dedicated to envelopes, paper and a supply of cards; particularly, pretty blank ones with space inside for writing. Mom was the queen of letter writing, whether it was weekly letters to her children, keeping in touch with old friends or countless little notes of cheer to brighten someone's day.

In this era of emails, texts and private messages, I fail miserably compared to my mom's letter writing. But I do love blank note cards. Keeping a few packs of them on hand means I have a card for any occasion... even if I forget said occasion until the very last minute, which I usually do. It's great to pick out a card that just matches the need perfectly, but some simple writing in a blank card can turn it into just what you need in a matter of minutes!

For my first giveaway, Jasmine created a set of six cards for me to give away to one of my readers, wasn't that sweet? Envelopes are included in the pack. Each card is hand drawn and blank inside so that you can use them for whatever occasion arises. They are intricate, detailed and so, so pretty; I don't know how she does it. You'll probably want to just keep them in your drawer to look at because they're too beautiful to use.

If you're like my mom and enjoy brightening someone's day with a note or like me, who never remembers to buy a card for that special occasion, these would be perfect.

For a chance to win this pack of six cards and envelopes, leave me a comment telling about the last time you wrote someone a note or a time when you were the recipient and someone's thoughtfulness made your day. Next Monday I will choose a winner so be sure to check back for that and to get in on giveaway #2 which will show you where Jasmine got her inspiration.

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P.S. The sun is shining brightly this morning and the snow has nearly disappeared! The hope of spring is in the air and I'm looking forward to reading your comments.... have a good week!

Giveaway Month

The Ohio winter marches relentlessly on...

I really shouldn't complain. We had such a mild introduction to winter this year, you would think this January weather would be greeted with gratefulness. But, like the grumblers, all I can think of is the fact that I'm cold and I'm tired of waking up to bad roads.

There is beauty, 

I will have to admit. 

But that's from the inside looking out!

I am thankful for a cozy house and a family to share it with. We fight the winter vibes in different ways... some of us come up with new ways to play old games...

 Some of us set up elaborate displays of dominoes to entertain...

Some of us coach tiny people in practicing their music....

Some of us spend hours cutting dolls out of American Girl Doll magazines and creating tiny stands for each of them....

They may or may not

have gotten a little carried away.

Some of us waste our time looking through old photo albums and discover old relics from the past...

Babies, that's what we were!

Some of us set up a game and play it all by ourselves and win every time....

And then, some of us decide to spice things up in the blogging corner of the world...

Since I'm feeling the need for some spark of excitement and cheer, I thought perhaps there are others in the same shoes and maybe I could do something about it. Here's my plan. Throughout the month of February I will be doing four giveaways; one a week. If you need a spot of cheer in your days, come by every Monday in February for a chance to win a little something or just to follow along for the fun. 

 Stay tuned and stay warm!

Current view and still coming down...

And The Winner Is...

I realize that I failed to put an end date on my 'honoring my mom' giveaway. Since I generally leave a giveaway open for a week, I sat down last night and read back through all the comments to count them up and choose a winner.

There are a lot of wise mothers out there. Would you like to hear what our mothers have taught us?

My Mother Taught Me ----

* The importance of prayer

* To treat others how you want to be treated

* Honesty

* Forgiveness is a choice, not based on feelings

* The importance and meaning of the word "No"

* To always talk kindly about others

* How to be hospitable

* To love people even when they are unlovable

* To reach out to the neighbors

* How to sew

* Respect for school teachers

* To fold laundry neatly

* It is better to give than to receive

* Be a friend to everyone even if they don't look "cool"

* To write thank you notes

* How to clean house

* To give credit to others

* To enjoy books and poetry

* "If you don't have anything good to say about someone, be quiet."

* I can depend on God in every situation

* To care for others even if things aren't perfect

* How to spoil my husband

* "Get at it and do it"

* To apologize when I've done wrong as a parent

* Life skills - and if she didn't know how, she had someone else teach me

* To reach out to those who are hurting

* To accept life as it comes without complaint

Thank you so much for sharing with me, I loved reading through all your comments!

My mom taught me many things, as well. As a mom myself now, I often think of mom's actions that spoke louder than words. Many were the times she let us play with something that might end up broken or lost or ruined. I didn't think much of it then, when I was begging to play with baby clothes from her cedar chest, but I think of it now. While she could have taught us to be harder workers instead of washing those dishes so we could play a game, she was showing us by her actions that we were more important than the things she owned or all the work that got accomplished. She loved nothing more than seeing us having fun and using our imaginations.

Last night, as I read through your comments and counted up what number to feed into random.org, I mentioned to Chris that I needed to choose a winner.

"How many names do you have?" He wondered.

I told him the number I had come up with.

"Why don't you give them all a book?"

I'm sure my eyes got as big as saucers because he laughed and said, "Why not? It would be fun!"

And so, all you lovely people who blessed my day by leaving a comment, please email your address to christopherbethany@juno.com. It will take a little time to get all the details situated but thanks to my generous husband (and Dorcas Smucker herself, who was also very generous) eventually each and every one of you will be receiving a copy of "Fragrant Whiffs Of Joy"!

You heard that correctly.

Now isn't that a nice Christmas surprise?

Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas, and A Giveaway!

Today my mom would be 74.

I was all set to come here this morning and write lots of sentimental stuff about what she taught me and do a giveaway in her honor, like I've done the last three years since her death. I say I was all set -- I actually wasn't in the mood. I have way too many other things that need to be done today and the words just weren't really coming. Then I discovered that some kind friend had publicly commented on Facebook about the Christmas letter I sent with my cards this year and now she had everyone curious....

After I crawled back out from under the bed, I decided - Why not?

So, here's my Christmas letter and photo for all you fine friends who didn't receive one in your mailbox. Stick around til the end, because I'm also doing a giveaway in honor of my mom's birthday today. (I'm not even gonna try to tie this all together with a pretty bow!)

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Twas weeks before Christmas at

The House On The Hill,

When the mom of the bunch there

Sat down with a will.

The pictures had come

That she ordered with care,

"They didn't turn out!"

She was heard to despair.

"They're flimsy as flimsy,

And, oh how absurd,

The top line they nearly

Chopped off those two words!"

The husband advised her,

"Just cut off that line."

Her daughter assured her,

"Oh, they will be fine!"

The mom of the bunch there

Could hardly decide,

At last she decided

To swallow her pride.

"I'll send them, I'll send them,"

She bitterly said.

"They'll soon all be stuck in

A box 'neath the bed!"

The envelopes then were

Addressed with a flair,

Each name on the long list

Was written with care.

But then came an issue

Much worse than the first --

A card with no letter

Was really the worst! 

Supposing she skipped it?

But that would not do.

A card that was flimsy,

And no letter too?

So, shrugging her shoulders,

She picked up her pen

And sat down to write all

The news once again.

"The children are growing,

My husband is great.

This year we have traveled 

To this and that state.

We've moved to our new house,

We're happy and gay.

The Lord has sure blessed us,

What more shall I say?"

The pen hit the table,

And made a great clatter.

But no one was there to ask

What was the matter.

"Oh what a great letter.

I guess it is true,

But such a bland missive,

It just will not do!

The truth is, we're blessed, yes.

But we're also broken;

We fail and need Jesus

And I am not jokin'."

Who cares about houses,

How much the kids grew?

Who cares where we've traveled

And what all we do?

While husbands are great,

Who cares about mine?

It's really enough that

He makes MY eyes shine.

Who cares whether pictures

Are really just right,

And letters are written 

All cheery and bright?

In all of the gloss and

The glare of this season,

Don't ever forget that

He came for one reason.

To a world that is broken, 

He came to restore.

To bind and redeem

And give life evermore.

Perfect cards, gifts and letters

All take second place,

To the best gift of all --

Sinners, saved by Grace.

Then the mom of the bunch there,

She laid down her pen.

And she sighed a great sigh

As she took it again --

"Flimsy pictures aside,

May your day be quite bright.

Merry Christmas to all,

And to all a goodnight!"

(This proves that the words weren't almost cut off on the original pic! ☺)

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And now, the giveaway. Several weeks ago I did a review for Dorcas Smucker's newest book, 'Fragrant Whiffs Of Joy'. I still have a copy left to give away! If you'd like to join me in remembering my mom, leave a comment telling me one thing your mother taught you and your name will be entered to win 'Fragrant Whiffs Of Joy' and, depending what mood I'm in, any other goodies I can stuff in the envelope 😉

Book Review and Giveaway: Fragrant Whiffs Of Joy

I've been in a bit of a funk lately. Deep in my heart I've felt restless, wondering what my purpose is right here, right now. In the midst of it all, God's been silent. Well, maybe not exactly silent but He's been awfully, awfully quiet. Or, maybe if I'm really honest it's more that He keeps insisting on speaking a language that I don't want to hear. Multiple times in the past several months He has impressed on me that His big picture is so much bigger and different than mine.

Still, I find myself turning right around and looking at my life through my tiny little magnifying glass, seeing only the ugly little spot that it magnifies. Actually, maybe it's not even so much ugly, as it is boring.

"What do you want me to be doing these days, God?" I keep asking. "It feels like we're just sitting here, waiting for something. What is it?"

In the vast silence that follows, life goes on -- Dirty laundry piles up, hungry people expect food, bathrooms don't stay clean, sign up sheets at church need my name on them, obligations keep us busy.... and I offer to do things, like write a book review on my blog.

I am well known for saying I will do things and bemoaning the fact later. In the moment I always think of every reason to say yes. Incidentally, most of those reasons revolve around the idea that I should, more than that I want to. That is another subject for another day. Let's just say it is a trait that can be both good and detrimental.

So, anyway. A while back I offered to write a book review and host a giveaway on my blog for Dorcas Smucker's new book "Fragrant Whiffs Of Joy". I've written reviews for her last two books and giveaways are always fun, plus - I get a free book in the process, why not? But there is something about being in a funk that affects every other area of your life! The closer the time came to write the review, the less I felt like doing it.

Part of the problem was that I didn't actually have the book in my hand. Due to shipping complications, the books wouldn't be arriving until shortly before my day to post; I had a PDF copy to read but it's just different then holding a book in your hand. Added to that is the fact that this book is being reviewed by a whole line of bloggers on a "blog tour" and I am way down the line, which means every day I'm reading everyone else's creative descriptions of Dorcas Smucker's wonderful writing abilities. I like to be creative and original and there just wasn't much of that left.

The biggest part of the problem, though, was the whole God being so quiet thing. Why wasn't He talking to me lately? Or was He talking and I just wasn't hearing? Why did I keep coming back around to this same frustration when I had seen so clearly how He works in big pictures? And of all things, why had I agreed to write this crazy book review? Such a dumb little thing but oh, how it bugged me.

Wednesday I shook myself out of my funk and cleaned my bathroom, made granola and straightened up the house. Before it was time to pick up school children, I carried the trash out and made the trek down the hill to check the mail. There, lo and behold, was my package of books; one for me, one for my giveaway and one for me to do what I liked with.

I hurried back up the hill and checked my granola. With one eye on the clock, I flipped a book open and scanned down quickly over the page. I ended up reading the whole chapter and then I stood there with tears welling up in my eyes.

"... our kids have learned that you can have all kinds of new experiences, learn things you never knew, and even get a taste of wildness right where you are, in your daily dutiful life.

The key is in being willing to serve.

... you don't have to go to the corners of the world for interesting things to happen. Sometimes they're right in front of you and you don't realize it...

.... If you open your life to opportunities to serve, you never stop learning, and you never know what will happen next."

The whole chapter was basically God underlining exactly what He had been saying all along.

Tears spilled down my cheeks as I turned off the oven and grabbed my keys. Pausing in my dash out the door to grab my jacket and four year old son, my heart sobbed, "How do you do that, God? How do line everything up in an instant and speak straight to my heart in the most unexpected ways? Thank you, thank you!"

It's an odd book review, if you can even call it that, but God insists on speaking in ways that I never thought of so I think I'll go with taking a page out of His book this time.

Dorcas Smucker is a Mennonite pastor's wife and a mother of six who lives in a farmhouse in Oregon's Willamette Valley. She has written a newspaper column for 17 years and is the author of six books. In each chapter of these books you will find a monthly slice from Dorcas' life, originally published in the Eugene, Oregon 'Register-Guard'.

Dorcas' writing is always an inspiration. She has a unique ability to not only take note of the stories in the daily-ness of life, but to turn them into colorful, relatable life lessons. I love her descriptions and her candid, honest take on life.

"Fragrant Whiffs Of Joy" can be ordered directly through Dorcas Smucker at 31148 Substation Drive, Harrisburg, Oregon 97446. Books are $12 each plus $2 postage. Checks or PayPal accepted. It is also available on Amazon. If you have questions, contact Dorcas at dorcassmucker@gmail.com.

Before you run off an order yourself a copy, there's a chance you could get one for free (without even writing a review!) All you have to do is leave a comment telling me what small opportunity to serve you have said yes to lately. It doesn't have to be anything big or fancy -- it can be as simple as a yes to your toddler who begged for a story in the middle of your busy day. Mine would be saying yes to the idea of giving away a couple plates of cookies one day this week.

One week from today, November 24, I will draw a winner and send them their autographed copy of "Fragrant Whiffs Of Joy".

Ready, set, go........

Giveaway Results and Other Tid-bits

Giveaways are fun. There's always this happy little thrill of surprise as I watch all the comments come rolling in. I know by now that they will but it's still so much fun.

The time is here to announce a winner and I've got a happy little surprise for you, this time. I decided to buy a copy of Anything But Simple myself and give away TWO books instead of one! So, without further ado -- Winner #1 is Katrina, who commented: "I enjoy reading your blog and would be delighted to win this book."  Winner #2 is Jessica, who commented: "Hi Bethany,
You don't know me, but I've been one of your quiet readers for quite a while. ☺ Don't give up your book dream; you have a wonderful way with words, too! Please enter me in your drawing... Thanks!"

Congratulations ladies! I'll be contacting you via email so we can get your books on their way. Happy reading and thanks for commenting.

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Just a few pictures of life these days to finish this up.....

I've got a quilt in at my house, the first of three for my girl's beds, and I can't tell you how much fun I'm having! It also makes me miss my Mom. Quilting and Mom just go together and it's funny what triggers grief.

Charles likes to play with my pins, sticking them into the quilt and calling them "snakes",  for whatever reason, and looking underneath to see all the "pokes".

Lillian turned eight and was quite pleased with the doll sized garment bag and hangers she had been hoping for.

The weather has taken a definite turn towards fall and in the spirit of acceptance and resignation, we had a little "hot drink party" one evening.

I have to concede that the cool, crisp mornings are beautiful but Oh, Summer! Missing you already.

And with that, I will run along. The ever looming what-to-make-for-supper question must soon be answered........

Book Review and Giveaway: Anything But Simple

Somewhere in the dark, hidden corners of my heart hovers a dream. Occasionally I allow it to surface -- the secret, improbable idea that I could write a book. That someday, magically, I could have the ability to paint pictures and draw images and weave words that would carry a reader through page after page. That somehow I could acquire the determination to accomplish such a monumental feat.

Then, I read books like Anything But Simple by Lucinda J Miller, and I shake my head decidedly. I am quite content to write little blog posts and let others accomplish the monumental feats.

I've been reading Luci's blog for quite some time. I've enjoyed reading about her life, her dreams, her stories. More than a tiny, hovering dream, Luci has had a passionate desire to write a book. The burning intent for her words? To capture life as she has experienced it.

Luci grew up in a small, Mennonite community in rural Wisconsin. To grow up Mennonite is to be set apart from the world at large for life. The best way I can think of to describe this odd phenomenon is to imagine being born Russian and living in America. You can learn to speak English fluently, dress American, eat American, adopt the customs and the thoughts and the ways of Americans but you will always be a Russian. So it is to be born Mennonite.

As God so often seems to enjoy doing, in an odd twist of circumstances, Anything But Simple is not the book Luci first dreamed of writing. However, I think it captures the burning intent she so longed for: life as she has experienced it.

Luci is a very gifted writer. Not only does she weave stories and ideas for the reader to ponder and digest, she infuses emotion and layers of feelings into her words. As you read about her childhood, her family, her dreams, her struggles -- you are there. You feel the painful shyness of the little girl who cannot bring herself to mention needing a bathroom; the sensitivity of the lonely teen who is sure they are not only different, but alien; the growing awareness as an adult of two worlds and the struggle to navigate through both.

In the telling of her life as a Mennonite, Luci pours out her heart openly and honestly. There is no catching the high points of the Mennonite world and exaggerating them, no unrealistic portrayal of how Mennonites think they should look. What Luci shares is reality and the reality is that while she was born a Mennonite and will always be set apart from the world at large, she was also born a sinner with a heart no less in need of a Saviour - no less bent toward sin - than any other person ever born.

When I contacted Luci with an offer to do a book review and giveaway on my blog, she graciously accepted my offer and sent me an autographed copy of Anything But Simple and the chance for one of my readers to win a copy of their own! Her books are available on Amazon and Menno Media or you can contact Luci through her blog to purchase an autographed copy.

For a chance to win your free copy, leave me a comment and be sure to include an e-mail address where I can contact you. This giveaway will close one week from today and is open to only US mailing addresses.

Merry Christmas and a Winner!

Two days after I posted the birthday giveaway, I realized that I never said when I would select a winner. Whatever. I guess it didn't really matter, just bothered the perfectionist part of me a little.

I confess I wasn't especially into the birthday giveaway idea this year. Almost I skipped it. How long do you keep dragging up the subject, after all? And besides, my ideas for the package felt lame and pulled together at the last minute.

I guess I forgot how fun it is to read the comments that come in ... or maybe I was afraid there wouldn't be any this time. At any rate, y'all didn't let me down and I loved hearing the ways you are like your mom. Thank you so much for commenting and making my day!

It's always hard to pick a winner. I'm usually tempted to hand pick my favorite comment or the person I think "deserves" it the most. But I was a good girl and numbered my comments and used random.org. I commend them. I couldn't have picked better myself!

Years ago, on the day my mom turned 43, a baby girl named Kayla was born in our community. I don't know how old Kayla was when her mother began the tradition of giving a gift to her "twin" every year on December 13 but for years and years my mom received a birthday gift. I now own one of them!

I think it's very fitting that random.org chose Kayla to be the giveaway winner this year! Kayla, send your address to christopherbethany@juno.com and I will get the package sent your way.

Christmas vacation begins this afternoon and we are getting ready to settle in for a whole lot of no plans. ☻Whatever your plans are this Christmas, I hope you find the love of Jesus filling your heart. May the remembering of His coming to earth bring Hope and Joy and Life to you and yours.

Merry Christmas from the Eichers!

Birthday Giveaway!

On this day, seventy-three years ago, a baby girl was born. The youngest in a family of five, little Lavina took the spot of 'baby' in her family. Thirty-six years, one month and twenty-two days later, another little girl was born and little Bethany Ann took the spot of 'baby' as the youngest in her family of six. I don't know the numbers but I could actually back up and tell of another little girl born who took the spot of 'baby' in her family. That little girl was Katie, and she was Lavina's mother!

Lavina's first grade picture

As you may have figured out, Lavina was my mother and today she would have been 73. It was always special to me that my mom was also the 'baby' in her family. Probably mostly because I could count on her to stick up for me when it came to the "spoiled baby" conversations. I always loved to hear her come back to people who said that the baby in the family is always spoiled, "Well, it wasn't my fault!" she would tell them.☺

For the past two years since mom's death, I have done a little giveaway for her birthday. It's been a fun thing for me, especially getting comments from people I had no idea were reading my blog!

This year I am, again, filling a brown envelope and sending it to one lucky winner. Several of the things that will be included are ---

* A little collection of some of the articles mom wrote for a column in the Calvary Messenger that she edited for many years. It's nothing fancy but it's special to me.

* A Little Lavina paper doll for the little girl in your life who needs a gift from you. Or maybe to stick in your drawer for that special something for little people to play with when they come to your house.

* A CD with my daughter, Jasmine, playing on the piano. Again, it's nothing fancy or professional, just a recording we did ourselves and it has to be played on a computer. Mom always took an active interest in the things her grandchildren enjoyed, so it seems fitting to include this in the package.

* Anything else I decide to slip in the cracks!

For a chance at this birthday giveaway, leave me a comment telling something you share with your mom -- a character trait, a physical similarity, likes/dislikes, anything!

And, if your mother is still living, be sure to let her know how much you love her today!

Dear Mom.....and a Winner!

We're home, Mom. 

Home to the grey house with the welcome sign by the door. Home to the old, wooden doors that are hard to close and the piney walls with the familiar pictures hanging on them. Home to the painted cabinets and the silverware drawer that sticks and the white cereal bowls. Home to the toy room with it's scratchy carpet and basket of empty spools and old cupboard stocked with vintage toy dishes and empty containers of all sizes carefully saved for little hands to play with. Home to upstairs bedrooms with electric heaters to keep us cozy along with handmade quilts and knotted comforters.

How can a house be so full of you and yet you are not here, Mom?

The magazines on the end table and the papers in the basket scream your name. Your desk sits silently, letters tucked in their basket, pens waiting quietly in their cup, papers with your handwriting sticky tacked on the wall, all expectantly awaiting your touch. Your Bible lays on the little shelf, your teapot sits on the kitchen stove, the cookie jar has been replenished, though not by your caring hands.

How, how can a house be so full of you and yet you are not here, Mom?

A sadness I thought had long passed sweeps in and tears turn to quiet sobs in the night. How is it that the familiar can hold you close with the warmth of memories, yet stir sadness and tears from deep inside?

Life marches steadily on, Mom. Though sometimes we wish it would stop or feel, at times, that it has, it continues relentlessly onward. In the darkness of nightime, we mourn it's passing; in the light of day, we rejoice in its continued journey and the joy that weaves it's way into the passage of time.

It is Christmas time, and we are home, Mom. The house that is so full of you reminds us keenly of your absence. We miss you. Tears wet our cheeks and a lump settles in our throat but through it all there are threads of joy. There is family and laugher; there is love and warmth. There are new memories to make, new stories to write and a new twinkle in daddy's eye at the mention of a lady in Indiana.

God is good, Mom. I am thankful for the past and the memories with you in them that have shaped and molded my life. The future holds promise of His continued goodness and I am thankful that the story He is writing is not finished yet, and eager to see what surprising chapters He will weave with the darkness and the light.

The house so full of you feels empty without your presence. But how glad I am that you were here, and the memories are sweet!

Love, Bethany

I so enjoyed your comments and participation in celebrating mom's birthday! The only part of a giveaway I don't enjoy is the fact that I can't send every one of you a package. Turns out the winner is someone close to home - Karen Regling, Congratulations! When we get home, you can look forward to an evening at our house with one of our lively discussions and lots of laughter, with maybe a few magic tricks and plenty of jokes sprinkled in along with a brown envelope full of goodies to take home and enjoy!

Merry Christmas to all of you!

Happy Birthday Mom! **Giveaway**

Today would have been my mom's 72nd birthday! For those of you who may not know, in May of 2014 my mom passed away very unexpectedly in her sleep. Last year on her birthday I did a little giveaway in her honor and it was so much fun, I thought I would do it again!

Mom had a heart for people. She wasn't the kind to give big gifts or do big deeds but she quietly slipped encouragement to people through notes and small tokens of her love. Sending notes in the mail was one of her special gifts. Rarely did I get a letter from her that didn't include little notes for each of my children! And usually if she paid someone a visit, it was with a little something in hand to give.

When one of my sisters went to Belize to help with mission work, mom discovered a new love - seeing how much she could pack into small packages to send along with people who were traveling to Belize. She discovered all kinds of tricks to make room for just one more item in her brown envelope!

This year, in honor of my mom, I am stuffing a brown envelope full of goodies to send your way! Inside you will find:

* A copy of my mom's book
* A bag of mom's yummy granola
* A pack of note cards
* A bag of mom's cappuccino mix
* A packet of seeds we saved from my mom's marigolds
* Anything else I decide I can squeeze in ☺

To have a chance at this package showing up in your mailbox? Leave me a comment sharing either a memory of my mom or something special about your mom. The giveaway will be open until December 21, then I will pick a name randomly and see who gets to enjoy a package!

Thank you for helping me celebrate my mom!!

And the Winner is......

I had 24 of you who thought it would be interesting to read stories about my childhood :) I numbered your comments as they came in and got all fancy and used random.org to pick the winner. Turned out to be #4 which was "I would love to win this! I loved hearing your mom's stories about the earlier days of Shady Lawn!" ~ Joanna Miller Fisher. Jo is from my home church in AR, so I thought random.org picked pretty well! My sister, Rachel, will get your book to you, Jo. I hope you and your children enjoy it :)

And now for the rest of you who said you wanted to buy the book. I've decided that maybe a simpler way of doing it would be to have you mail me a check if you want a book and then I will send you your book. I'm new at this, sorry! So, if you would like to purchase "Grandma's Storybook of Memories", (which is a small book with stories my mom wrote years ago about our family to be used in the Calvary Messenger as children's stories) you can send a check for $7 (which includes shipping) to: Bethany Eicher, 70174 Pennyroyal Rd, Freeport, OH 43973 and I will get your copy in the mail to you!

Thanks, y'all, for playing along with me. I enjoyed your comments, especially those of you who shared your memories about my mom. I think my favorite was this one: "Oh, I would love to have this book. I remember when your mom was my S S teacher, way back in the day before quarterlies, she made a little book for each of us. I think it had the memory verse and the story for the day in it. I can't remember if she added to it each Sunday or if she had it all together before she gave it to us. She was one of my favorite teachers, but then she got married and moved far away!" Jo

Blessings on your week!

**500th Post Giveaway**

A little over 4 years ago, July 9, 2011 to be exact, I googled "starting a blog", and so began this little space called About My Father's Business. According to blogger, this will be the 500th time I've typed some words and hit "publish"; 500 posts. Wow!

I could wax all eloquent and nostalgic but I'm not going to. What I am going to do is: have a give-away! The truth is, I saw this mile marker coming up a while back and I've hardly been able to wait til I reached it. There may or may not have been some "this'll work for one" posts thrown in lately to speed up the process but be that as it may, here we are.

I have a special book to give away today, a book that you won't be able to find anywhere else. In fact, there is only a limited supply of this book and I happen to be the one in possession of it. One lucky person will receive a free copy, and to the rest of you privileged readers, I will offer the chance to buy a copy while my supply lasts.

Okay. I'm trying to make this sound all fancy and it's really not :) For many years my mom was the Junior Stories editor for the Calvary Messenger (a small, monthly publication sent out to various Mennonite churches) During the course of those years, there were often no stories sent in to be edited and so mom would write her own stories about the "Miller family" - better known as the Elmer Gingerich family.

Probably 5 or 6 years ago mom had the idea to compile her stories about our family and have a book made for each of us children. Well, time passed and somehow the project never got done. Before mom's 70th birthday my sister, Rachel, decided to make her dream come true. Five months later, mom was no longer with us and a few people saw the booklet Rachel had gotten printed and wondered if they could buy one? She decided to get it printed as a book and would have preferred to give them all away as gifts, but I offered to be her "sales-lady". :)

So, if any of you are interested in "Grandma's Storybook of Memories", leave me a comment and you just might get a free one! If you knew my mom, I would love to have you share a memory in your comment. If you would like to buy a copy of the book, you can order one from me for $5.00 plus shipping. There is a limited supply, but send your order to christopherbethany@juno.com and I'll be happy to send you a book while they last.

And to all you people who have joined me by reading along in this little space, thank you. You have blessed my life.

*This giveaway will be open for 10 days (August 10, 2015). You must have a US address I can send a book to in order to be eligible. Please include your email address so I can contact you!

Giveaway Winner!

You lovely people made my weekend! You really did. To be honest I was a little afraid that nobody would comment and my idea would fall flat cause, well, would anybody really want this stuff?? So it was such fun to have a new comment pop up every so often through out the weekend!

Seventeen ladies commented (either here or elsewhere) and told me something their mom likes. It was very interesting to see names of people I don't know at all and some that I recognize but had no idea were readers here! You ladies who don't like to leave comments in public, I am impressed that you stepped out and honored me with a comment. You deserve a prize just for that! I briefly considered splitting up the goodies between all of you but I didn't think that would be quite fair :)

So, anyway, the winner: Sharon Mast!! :) Sharon and her husband and family spent many years going to the same church in AR as my family did, so this is rather special! Email me your address at christopherbethany@juno.com and I'll get your package sent your way very soon, Sharon :) Or, if you want to do what my cousin aimed to do if she won - give it to her mom - you can get me your mom's address and I'll send it to her!

Thanks again all of you. I think I should do a giveaway once a month just to cheer me up! You should start a blog just to try it yourself someday ....or you could always just give something away to a friend or something :) Blessings on your week...

Happy Birthday, Mom! **Giveaway**

Today would have been my Mom's 71st birthday... In honor of her, I decided to do a little giveaway here today! I'd like to say I've been planning this for weeks, carefully selecting the perfect items in her memory and having so much fun planning it all... Truth is, I got the idea *cough cough* yesterday.

Yesterday was not a good day. Charles slept terrible the night before (and the night before that...) and I was so tired! It was a dreary, cold day and I hate being cold. Life felt really messy and hard and a long talk a couple days before had left me with too much worry on my mind. Tears felt just under the surface all day and any little thing threatened to send me over the edge. I've been unable to write lately, and was thinking about blogging and Mom's birthday being today. In the middle of that, this idea popped into my head -- "I should do a giveaway for mom's birthday tomorrow!!" Uh, yeah. Great idea! But give what??

I looked around my house...a book? Hmmm...nothing. It needs to be something mom would have liked. The extra "Little Lavina" paper doll I have? Kinda neat, but who would want it? I texted my sister with my blues and she came up with an idea (knew she would!). How about a "Care Package" with things that Mom liked?

Perfect! So, here you are. In honor of my Mom and the fact that I'm missing her today on her birthday, leave me a comment telling me something Your Mom especially loves and I'll enter you in my giveaway! Come Monday night, December 15, I'll pick a comment and send the package to you!

Wanna know what you're getting? In A Wire Basket - Mom loved baskets of any kind - you will find: Mint tea - Mom loved hot tea and mint was her favorite. A mug - for the tea, of course! Fuzzy Socks - Mom often wore slippers, but the last several years she always wore fuzzy socks around the house in the winter time. Note Cards - Mom loved note cards of any kind, there was always a selection of them in her drawer, and she used many, many a pack in her life time!! A Candy Bar - Mom always loved chocolate. In the last number of years she cut out most of her sugar, but I remember well as child gathering in our evening circle before bed and Mom mysteriously producing candy bars and letting us each choose one!! Candy was a special treat in my day!

Wouldn't you like to have a box of treats show up in your mail one day soon? :) Just leave me a comment and tell me something Your mom especially loves and it just might be your lucky day! And, if you knew my mom, you can pause today and remember her life and testimony and say a prayer for her family and join me in celebrating Her today.

A Winner....and A Surprise!

Giveaways are so much fun! The most fun for this writer, of course, is seeing comment after comment come flying in :) I explained the whole deal to my oldest daughter and she joined in the fun - "How many do you have now, mom??"

I ended up with 49 in the drawing, which means there will be 48 disappointed people today. But, sadly, that's the way giveaways are! You're always more than welcome to check out Amazon or send a check to Dorcas Smucker and get a book for yourself, of course :)

Jasmine drew the lucky number this morning which was commenter # 19 -- joyfully83@yahoo.com Congratulations! I'll send you an email and you can get me your mailing info and your copy of Footprints On The Ceiling will be on it's merry way!

And now for the surprise..... I'm always a little amazed at how many people come out of the woodwork for a giveaway (granted, I know not nearly all of you read my blog regularly). Still, I happen to be able to check statistics a bit and I know very well that only a tiny margin of my readers comment! I tell myself that's ok, that's not why I write - I write because a) I told the Lord I would use the gift He gave me and b) Its the way I process life. I know many people say "I don't want to comment and who knows who all will read it!!" I'm tempted to tell them "Oh my goodness!! I never thought of that! I think I'll stop blogging pronto." But since I'm not the mean kind, instead I'd like to tell all of you who don't want the world to see -- email me personally any time!! You have no idea how encouraging it is to hear what people thought when they read something you wrote! Ok, I got a bit carried away there :) If you don't feel led to comment or send an email I'll love you anyway....and keep on writing. Don't think I could stop if I tried, actually!

That wasn't the surprise, by the way. The surprise is this: I'm going to give away another copy of Footprints On The Ceiling to a certain group of people! I went through the comments and took out all the people who have ever commented on my blog. I wrote all 8 names on slips of paper, folded them up, put them in a cup and drew out ........ Tina!!!!! Which is fitting. She is one of my most faithful commenters and I appreciate that so very much! (Oh, and she has a Birthday coming up :) )

Thank you to all of you for making this so much fun! Have a Happy Thanksgiving, a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!