Showing posts with label Christmas Angels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas Angels. Show all posts

Friday, December 7, 2018

Christmas Angels and Miracles

Do you believe in angels? 
Miracles? 
Christmas Angels has a tiny bit of suspense, nostalgia, and romance in it. The novella has
been called a tear-jerker. Written some time ago, I loved this short sweet tale set during WWII.

  • I love to add quirks or special touches to evoke the spirit of the story, the characters, and/or the era. Below, I will share a short scene that touches on the era—the “call to action”—that the people from WWII lived through— that of rationed food.
  • I love to bring to life characters who convey emotional reactions to their storybook life. In all I write, I want strength, goodness, and faith to prevail. In Christmas Angels, Abigail's wavering faith is barely flickering, her fear and doubts are crushing, so is God truly listening? Does he see her struggles?

And most of all, what kind of Christmas miracle could possibly save her?


Here's a brief scene Gingerbread Scene from 
Christmas Angels 
(From the Lake to the River Anthology)

He beckoned with his gnarled hand “Come in. Come in, Abigail. Want some tea? That dismal Dana—even if she is a good cook—brought me some gingerbread last evening. Have some. Have some. It’s good even if I didn’t make it. Sit down, child, for a minute.” Albert toddled over to the fridge and brought out a quart of milk. “Want milk with your tea, Abigail?”
Where had he gotten real milk?
But she shook her head, not wanting to use up his precious supply, and sniffed. The spicy, delectable smell of the gingerbread wafted toward her, and she closed her eyes to savor it. When was the last time she'd had such a treat? Suddenly ravenous, she couldn't wait any longer and crammed her mouth full of the sweet bread. A little sound of moaning escaped from between her lips. This was so-o-o good.

And the reasoning behind all this...
During WWII most people were food rationed. Delights such as nuts, milk, sugar and eggs were sometimes hard to come by making delights such gingerbread non-available throughout the war. Everyone was touched by the rationing and all encouraged to participate in “giving up” for the soldiers and the war.

In Christmas Angels, elderly Mr. Albert, Abigail's boarding house neighbor shares his loaf of gingerbread that another resident (Dana) had given him. Though reluctant to eat any of his treat, knowing how hard the ingredients were to come by, Abigail can't resist. Both Mr. Albert and Abigail enjoy this special blessing through Neighbor Dana's generosity.

May you be blessed as you feast on this moist, delightfully spiced dessert.

Gingerbread Loaf
Ingredients for the loaf:
1 stick real butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup of applesauce
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
chopped walnuts, for topping (optional)
for the frosting:
1/2 block (4 oz.) cream cheese, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 – 2 cups powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9×5 loaf pan lightly with nonstick cooking spray (or shortening and flour). Using a stand mixer or an electric mixer, cream together the butter and the sugar until fluffy.

Beat in the vanilla and the egg. Blend in the apple butter (or applesauce.)
Slowly add the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices (ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.)

When everything is mixed, pour the batter into your loaf pan. Bake for about 55 minutes until it is risen and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely on a rack before frosting.
To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese with the vanilla and then add 2 cups of the powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. Add a little more sugar if it’s not as thick as you like.

Spread a thick layer of the frosting over the gingerbread cake. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Enjoy!


Blurb:
Her mother called her a failure, and maybe she was. Her husband was gone—in the service, yes, but if he loved her—really loved her, why didn't he write? Or call? Or send the money she needed?

She was scared too, afraid of being alone, and though she loved this sweet little bundle of joy—her baby—well, was she smart enough and strong enough to raise her? She didn't mind doing without all the nice things she'd love to have, but not being able to provide luxuries like Christmas trees, ornaments and presents for her baby girl was beyond enduring.

What she needed was a miracle...and that wasn't going to happen.


Buy Link:


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About Carole:

Besides being an active participant in many writing groups, Carole is an award-winning author and enjoys mentoring beginning writers. She loves to weave suspense, tough topics, romance, and whimsy into her books 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? 


Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/sunnywrtr/boards/
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Monday, October 1, 2018

A Glimmer of Faith in the Midst of Doubt


You will keep him in perfect peace 
whose mind is stayed on you. 
Isaiah 26:3



She regarded the brightly shining angel, with its synthetic blonde-hair, tilting a little on the top branch. Perhaps she ought to say a prayer. If she thought it would help, she would do so.

But then, did prayer really help? Had God sent an angel to earth to look after her and her baby while Patrick was gone? Well, if he had, their angel had better get busy. He wasn’t doing so well right about now.

--from Christmas Angels, an anthology novella (From the Lake to the River)


Abigail is young, lonely, afraid and a new mother and wife, with little money, and not much of hope of getting any kind of help. What could be worse?
How many times have we gone through situations, problems, trials, or even persecution in one form or another, and found ourselves doubting God or his ability to carry us through, even if the thought was for just the briefest of time?

Did God hear me?
Does he even listen?
Does he even care?
Where is God when I need him?
What did I do that he won't answer my prayer?
Or much worse...
Is there even a God?

Thorndike Dictionary describes doubt as:
  • not believing or trusting
  • not to be sure of or feel uncertain about
  • difficulty in believing
  • an uncertain state of mind
  • an uncertain condition of affairs


Can we believe God when finances are low and there's no job in view?
How is our faith when a loved one is suffering physically or dying?
How do we pray when a child is wayward and rebellious?

Be assured that God knows our heart, our mind, our self. He understands our weaknesses, the temptations we have, the doubts that arise. 

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, 
and lean not toward your own understanding.
He shall direct your path.
Proverbs 3: 5 and 6b


How to increase our faith?
  1. Acknowledge our weakness
  2. Snuggle deeper into his arms of strength and into his love and understanding
  3. Dig deeper into his Word. 
  4. Refuse to listen to the enemy of our soul
  5. Rest in the knowledge that God is God. He loves us!

In II Corinthians 12: 9-10, Paul admonishes by talking about his own experience:
And he said unto me:
My grace is sufficient for you,
for my strength is made perfect in weakness.

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches,
in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake, for when I am weak, then am I strong.


 In the short scene from Christmas Angels, above, Abigail, in her time of questioning and doubt, wonders if God is there. Would her prayer reach God's ears and would he care enough to help?
Yes, God hears! 
Yes, God Cares! 
Yes, he will answer! 
Rest assured, Troubled Soul, of that!!






Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 
who comforts us in all our troubles, 
so that we can comfort those in any trouble 
with the comfort, we ourselves receive from God.
--II Corinthians 1:3 & 4

***


Thrilled to announce my newest contribution 
to the writing world: 
Christmas Angels 
A Novella, (set during WWII) 
is included in the Ohio anthology: 
From the Lake to the River.

Consisting of nine stories from nine Ohio authors, there is something for everyone! 



Set in Ohio, in the past and present, these nine short stories and novellas by Ohio authors cover a wide range of genres, topics, and locations. 

From Troy in the west to the North Coast 
and south-central Ohio. 
From Lake Erie to the Ohio River. 
From romance to YA adventure, 
with touches of mystery and humor. 
Dealing with historical events and situations, 
such as floods and the lasting effects of the Civil War. 
With characters involved in 
square dancing, theater, and music. 
Dealing with loss and danger, 
a second chance at love 
and taking a chance on love for the first time. 

Chances are good, no matter what you have a taste for reading, 
you'll find something to like. Welcome to a taste of the Buckeye State!


Here's the blurb for Christmas Angels:
Her mother called her a failure, and maybe she was. Her husband was gone—in the service, yes, but
if he loved her—really loved her, why didn't he write? Or call? Or send the money she needed?

She was scared too, afraid of being alone, and though she loved this sweet little bundle of joy—her baby—well, was she smart enough and strong enough to raise her?

She didn't mind doing without all the nice things she'd love to have, but not being able to provide luxuries like Christmas trees, ornaments and presents for her baby girl was beyond enduring.

What she needed was a miracle...and that wasn't going to happen.


BUY LINKS:

About Carole:

Besides being an active participant in many writing groups, Carole is an award-winning author and enjoys mentoring beginning writers. She loves to weave suspense, tough topics, romance, and whimsy into her books 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? 


Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/sunnywrtr/boards/


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Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Neighbor Dana's Gingerbread from Christmas Angels




What do you do when you're sad, lonely and afraid? One thing that helps is partaking of comfort food. For poor Abigail, the taste of Dana's gingerbread that she shares with the other boarding house residents does the trick--at least for a bit of time.

Here's the recipe. May it give you a bit of cheer on a "bad" day!







Ingredients for the Gingerbread Loaf:  

1 stick of butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup of applesauce
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
chopped walnuts, for topping (optional)

Frosting:
4 oz of cream cheese, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 – 2 cups powdered sugar (add more if icing is too runny)
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9×5 loaf pan lightly with nonstick cooking spray that has flour in it or use shortening and flour.  Cream together the butter and the sugar until fluffy.

Beat in the vanilla and the egg. Blend in the applesauce
Slowly add the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices (ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.)
When everything is mixed, pour the batter into your loaf pan. Bake for about 55 minutes until it rises and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely on a rack before frosting.
To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese with the vanilla and then add 1 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. 
Spread a thick layer of the frosting over the gingerbread cake. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts. 
Delicious! Enjoy! 

Scene from Christmas Angels where Old Man Albert shares some of Dana's Gingerbread with Abigail:

He beckoned with his gnarled hand “Come in. Come in, Abigail. Want some tea? That dismal Dana—even if she is a good cook—brought me some gingerbread last evening. Have some. Have some. It’s good even if I didn’t make it. Sit down, child, for a minute.” Albert toddled over to the fridge and brought out a quart of milk. “Want milk with your tea, Abigail?”
Where had he gotten real milk?

But she shook her head, not wanting to use up his precious supply, and sniffed. The spicy, delectable smell of the gingerbread wafted toward her, and she closed her eyes to savor it. When was the last time she'd had such a treat? Suddenly ravenous, she couldn't wait any longer and crammed her mouth full of the sweet bread. A little sound of moaning escaped from between her lips. This was so-o-o good.

Christmas Angels blurb:
Her mother called her a failure, and maybe she was. Her husband was gone—in the service, yes, but if he loved her—really loved her, why didn't he write? Or call? Or send the money she needed?

She was scared too, afraid of being alone, and though she loved this sweet little bundle of joy—her baby—well, was she smart enough and strong enough to raise her? She didn't mind doing without all the nice things she'd love to have, but not being able to provide luxuries like Christmas trees, ornaments and presents for her baby girl was beyond enduring.

What she needed was a miracle...and that wasn't going to happen.



Buy Link:

About Carole:

Besides being an active participant in many writing groups, Carole is an award-winning author and enjoys mentoring beginning writers. She loves to weave suspense, tough topics, romance, and whimsy into her books 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? 


Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/sunnywrtr/boards/




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Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Greeting Card Crafts--A Christmas Angel Ornament


 
Photos and original craft created  by Catherine Castle


 

Hi, everyone! It’s me, Catherine Castle, back with another greeting card craft. Today I'm going to show you how to make my angel ornaments with some of last year’s Christmas greeting cards, which I’m sure you saved, right? If not, shame on you, because these holiday greetings make wonderful crafts of all sorts. I'm always on the hunt for something new to do with this items. I dreamed these cuties up just for this Stitches Thru Time post when I couldn't find anything like it on the web.

Here’s what you’ll need to get this project started.

·       Greeting cards. You can choose a selection of a similar color, like this cute little angel above, or mix and match with contrasting colors. There’s no right or wrong here. Just have fun with it. Don’t worry about the picture on the card, either, because once they’re cut up, it won’t matter.

·       One  20mm (0.9 inch) Styrofoam ball for each angel’s head

·       A longish,  sturdy needle with a large eye

·       An awl and a piece of scrap wood

·       12 inches of 3.2mm x 9.14 mm satin ribbon, per angel you plan to make

·       Rubber cement or hot glue

·       Scissors

 
Directions:

1.     From the back of a greeting card, cut a 4 ¼” W x 2 ¾” H rectangle. Fold rectangle in half on the 4 ½ side and cut on the diagonal to create a triangle.

2.     Using the cardboard triangle as a template, cut three triangles from the cards of your choice.  If you wish to make a contrasting dress on your angel, then cut the triangles from different greeting cards of contrasting color. Most half sheet greeting cards should give you three triangles without any problem.



3.     Lay the 3 triangles in a stack to be sure they are the same size. If not, trim until they match. 

4.     Fold each triangle in half  to form a right triangle, matching the bottom and top points.

5.     Unfold the triangles, and stack them again. Use the awl to bore a hole through the apex of the triangle directly on the fold line. Don’t bore the hole too close to the top, because this is the hole that will be used to attach the angel’s head to her dress. You don’t want it to break through the edge of the cards when you thread the hanger ribbon.  Enlarge the holes a bit until you can get the needle, threaded with the ribbon, through the holes.



6.     Using the template, cut another triangle from the back side of the greeting card, or the inside, for the wings. Fold the triangle in half as with the dress triangles. On one of the angels below, I cut the verse section out and used it for the wings. On the other angel pictured below I used a contrasting color for the wings.



7.     Place the wings triangle in the opposite direction of the dress triangles.



 

8.     Then lower the wings a bit, and cut of the bottom of the triangle to match the bottom of the dress. The tip of the dress should be above the top edge of the wings.

9.     Using the rubber cement, hot glue (or stick glue if you’re working with your children, glue the back sides of the 3 triangles together, forming the angel’s dress.

10.  Glue the wings on the back side of the dress triangles, matching the bottom edges.

11.  Let the glue dry.

12.  Using one half of the ribbon only, stitch through the front of the dress where you made the holes earlier, going through all three triangles. Pull the ribbon up so the ends are even.

13.  With the awl, poke a hole all the way through the Styrofoam ball, making sure it’s large enough for the needle and two strands of ribbon to fit through.

14.  Thread one half of the ribbon through the opening in the head, then the other half.

15.  Put a drop of rubber cement or hot glue at the apex of the dress, then press the bottom opening of the head onto the tip of the dress triangles. Let dry.

16.  Tie a knot in the top of the ribbon.

17.  Hang your angel on the tree and enjoy
 

This angel also makes a darling bow for a special Christmas gift. The recipient gets a prettily wrapped gift and a keepsake ornament.

If you want to get extra fancy, you can make an angel with a fuller skirt and a seed bead necklace like the two shown above in the instructions. Instead of cutting 3 triangles for the dress, cut 5 triangles. Bore the hole in the apex of the triangle, as well as through the triangles at the top edge of the dress by the wings. Be sure to keep the holes away from the edges of the dress or they will tear when you thread the beads on. Fold the triangles, as with the other angel, but instead of gluing, stack all 5 dress triangles and the wings triangle (as shown above) , and staple the triangles and the wings in the center of the fold.  Working with one half of the ribbon, thread seed beads between the triangles, using an 18-inch section of ribbon. Pull the ribbon even, then thread the remainder of the ribbon through the head, as directed above. Glue the head to the apex of the triangles and tie off to create the ornament hanger.

I made my angels simple, but you can go crazy if you like, adding a wire halo, hair, eyes, or scallop their wings using paper scrapbooking corner cutters. Use any decorations you deem necessary. The sky’s the limit!

Don't forget to leave a comment to get your name in the drawing for  Sapphire Secrets by Dawn Cahill! Winner announced in the Weekly Windup on November 21st. Check out all of our great prizes on the Prizes Galore page.
 

  
Catherine Castle has been writing all her life. Before beginning her career as a romance writer she worked part-time as a freelance writer. She has over 600 articles and photographs to her credit, under her real name, in the Christian and secular market. Besides writing, Catherine loves traveling with her husband, singing, and attending theatre. In the winter she loves to quilt and has a lot of UFOs (unfinished objects) in her sewing case. In the summer her favorite place to be is in her garden. She’s passionate about gardening and even won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club.

 
Her debut inspiration romantic suspense, The Nun and the Narc, from Soul Mate Publishing was an ACFW Genesis Finalist, a 2014 EPIC finalist, and the winner of the 2014 Beverly Hills Book Award and the 2014 RONE Award.
Connect with her at her blog Facebook, or Twitter

 
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