Celebrate
the Victory gardens of World War II and my novella, “Only Forever” in the historical
romance collection
Homefront Heroines and a tasty pumpkin bread recipe with a
secret filling, passed down to me by my aunt. It became a tradition in the
Bliss house to receive a still warm and fragrant loaf every Christmas when we
came visiting and remains a treasured memory of the past.
Pumpkin
Swirl Bread
1 8oz cream
cheese, softened, combined with ¼ cup sugar and 1 beaten egg, set aside
1 ¾ cup
flour
1 ½ cups
sugar
1 tsp baking
soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp
cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 cup
pumpkin
½ cup melted
margarine (I like butter)
1 egg beaten
1/3 cup
water
Combine
pumpkin, melted margarine, egg, and water. Mix together dry ingredients, mix
with wet ingredients.
Reserve two
cups of batter. Pour the remaining batter into a greased and floured large loaf
pan.
Pour cream
cheese mixture over the batter. Pour the remaining two cups of batter over the cream
cheese filling.
Bake at 350
for 70 minutes – or until toothpick comes out clean.
Homefront Heroines – from Barbour Publishing in January
2020.
Preorder
Join the
Facebook group celebrating the heroines and their
loved ones during World War II!
Love to hike in the beautiful woods? Check out
Blissful Hiking
for autumn adventures and the latest newsletter!
What does the state of Florida give visions of?
Beaches? Ocean waves? Walt Disney World? What could it possibly give to the
interest of a hiker?
Blissful the Hiker takes you on a wild and
wonder-laden trek on the Florida Trail through pristine cathedral palms, thick
woods of palmettos, sky high scrub pine, Lord of the Rings forests of oak and
cypress knees, a lounging gator or two, exotic birds, vast prairies, and maybe
some swamps for fun. Not to mention the interest of assorted dogs who would
rather hike with Blissful than guard property and the joy of trail angels who
will do anything to help a hiker in need when the storms rise.
Welcome to Gators, Guts, and Glory – Adventures Along the Florida Trail. This humorous
and painfully realistic tale of an 1100 mile trail stretching from
Big Cypress
National Preserve to Gulf Islands National Seashore will inspire hikers with a
journey unlike any other to be found in the U.S.
Come immerse yourself in adventure beyond any expectation!
What popular authors and other hikers have said about Gators, Guts and Glory – Adventures Along
the Florida Trail:
“Lauralee paints a richly descriptive
and realistic picture of the unique challenges faced by long distance hikers
walking from the swamps to the seashore as they traverse the length of Florida
on the Florida Trail.” –
Sandra Friend, Author of The Florida
Trail Guide
“Lauralee's inspired
writing provides us with a richly detailed account of hiking the Florida Trail.
Her writing is genuine and thorough and reveals to us the rigors, emotions and
ultimately the joy of long distance backpacking." - David Miller,
author of The A.T. Guide and AWOL on the Appalachian Trail
"What a great book! I couldn't put it down." - Amazon review, Verified Purchase
"This is a must read. Lauralee's writing style keeps you riveted to her every mile..." - Amazon review, Verified Purchase
Check out also Blissful’s
first book in the Hiking Adventure Series – Mountains, Madness, and Miracles – 4000 Miles Along the Appalachian
Trail
California is burning up. And I just read today that a California mall is refusing billboard displays for a Christian outreach because of "Complaints." Do they not know that is it only God that can change California and bring it back to life? That He is the One Who can deliver from the deadly pestilence?
The fires have hurt so many and changed lives. Some friends I knew personally were caught up in it. I want to share a poignant message they have learned from their ordeal - when they had to quickly evacuate, not knowing if the flames would roar into Redding. It was a terrifying time for them. This is their update and reflection -
"Our house is SAFE. Our
“stuff” is safe, even though when the fire started moving, we knew our little
family was all that mattered. We were safe. Our friends were safe. What else did I need when faced with that kind of
situation?
Now that the fire is moving away
from Redding, we will head back soon. The air quality is really bad up there
and some people are still not allowed back to their homes and others have to
find new homes. It’s hard. Please keep praying for Redding and pray the fire
dies out completely and no other people and homes are affected. Pray for
CALIFORNIA as much of our state is ablaze right now.
As I’m contemplating going
back, I’ve felt the relief of having my “stuff” back. I’m grateful. There’s a
joy and a grief because so many others had to move forward without their
things. I also feel so incredibly grateful for the gifts God has given me
through this. I’ve had more time with my extended family than I’ve had in
years. I spent the entire day with my nephews and niece yesterday and felt the
special opportunity I was given to connect with these amazing kids. My brother
and his family have housed us, fed us, spent late nights talking and early
mornings making coffee. I feel so blessed and filled with love. God has truly
comforted us through this strange and fierce tragedy.
I will be headed home soon
and I’ll start the conversations in the car with my kids. Redding will look
different. Smoke. Ash. Pain. Heartbreak. Survival. Courage. Fortitude.
Perseverance. We will all be making decisions about our future and the future
of the town. I pray God’s peace over our county and all its families."
Now is the time to pray for these families, some who have suffered great loss, others dealing with the terrible smoke or other affects. And pray for California, for the hardness of hearts to turn to flesh, for the mall refusing to post Christian ads, the time to seek God is now.
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