Crafting Heartfelt Holiday Cards and a delicious recipe by Josie Riviera

As the days grow shorter, November is a great time to prepare for the holidays. One of my favorite traditions is making handmade holiday cards. It’s a simple yet meaningful way to connect with your loved ones. But it’s also a labor of love.

Crafting Holiday Cards:

Gathering Supplies
Start by gathering your supplies: blank cards, colorful paper, scissors, glue, and decorative elements like stamps, stickers, and ribbon. Don’t forget a good pen for writing your messages. You can find these materials at a local craft store or even around your home.

Personal Touches
Think about the recipients of your cards and what might make them smile. Do they love traditional holiday motifs like snowflakes and reindeer, or would they appreciate something more whimsical, like a playful penguin or a cozy cabin scene? Use these ideas to guide your designs.

Creative Techniques
Experiment with different techniques to make your cards unique. Try layering paper to create a 3D effect, or use glitter (my granddaughters love this!) for a festive sparkle. Stamping is an easy way to add detailed designs, and pretty ribbon can make your cards feel extra special. Don’t worry about making them perfect—handmade cards are charming because they’re personal

Messages from the Heart
Inside each card, write a personal message. Reflect on your memories with the recipient, express your gratitude, or share your hopes for the coming year. A handwritten note can mean so much more than a pre-printed greeting. It’s a chance to connect and let your loved ones know you’re thinking of them.

As a bonus, I’m sharing a simple and fun recipe, perfect for a crafting break.

 

Pumpkin Spice Mug Cake

It’s ready in just a few minutes and captures the flavors of the season.

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon milk
• A small pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. In a microwave-safe mug, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
2. Add the pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, and milk to the dry ingredients. Stir until well combined.
3. Microwave on high for 1 to 1.5 minutes, or until the cake has risen and is cooked through.
4. Let it cool for a minute before enjoying your delicious pumpkin spice mug cake.

I wish you a wonderful November!

If you have any crafting tips, please share them in the comments below.

Mark your calendars for a fabulous Black Friday sale on November 29th.★★ Experience the magic of the holidays with my sweet, clean, and wholesome romance boxed set, Holiday Hearts Volume 4, for just 99 cents, normally $9.99!★★

This collection includes: ✨ A Christmas Puppy to Cherish: Max and Sarah discover that love and faith are the greatest gifts of all.

✨ A Chocolate-Box Christmas Wish: Cora and Patrick find healing and romance in their small California hometown.

✨ A Chocolate-Box Irish Wedding: Colum and Keira get a second chance at love in their seaside Irish town.

These heartwarming stories celebrate the joy, blessings, and true meaning of Christmas. Don't miss out on this limited-time offer!

Grab your copy of Holiday Hearts Volume 4 today before the price goes up!

Josie Riviera is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary, historical, and inspirational romances that read like Hallmark movies. She lives in the Charlotte, NC, area with her wonderfully support husband. They share their home with an adorable Shih Tzu, who constantly needs grooming, and live in an old house forever needing renovation.

Sign up for her newsletter and get a FREE ebook on her website: josieriviera.com

A Different Kind of Thanksgiving Holiday by Christine Bush

 

Sometimes change is hard.  Actually, usually change is hard.  There are lots of changes about the Thanksgiving Holiday and celebrations these days.

When I was a kid, nestled in a large family of 6 siblings, parents, grandmother, aunts and uncles and cousins, holidays like Thanksgiving were a festive, if more than chaotic affair. Headcount was about 24.

Part of the troupe of cousins, we would groan and complain about hauling tables and chairs, setting tables, and then washing and drying the mountains of dishes (and pots) at the end of the giant meal. No dishwasher in those days, and great insistence on using the “good china” and glassware. Whew.

But we really wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Fast forward a generation to the days of my own parenthood.  I was the central location for my siblings, the cooker of the turkey (s), with the basement filled with those tables and chairs.  And my five kids, and bevy of nieces and nephews got the job of groaning and lugging.

But we had a dishwasher, and when the numbers swelled to over 30, plus 3 high chairs, I made the executive decision to use heavy duty paper plates instead of the good china. Necessity.  It was still big, inclusive and chaotic. And there were still a lot of pots!

Fast forward to the next generation.  My kids took over the meal prep as they became adults, and I got to retire from the kitchen and bounce grandbabies. I can say with a grin that is a change I adjusted to just fine!

But the other adjustments were more difficult. Holidays must be shared as families get more complex.  Families travel to visit in laws.  Vacations, and sports tournaments make planning to get together a challenge.  Several of this generation have medical careers that necessitate work on the holidays. Grandkids do semesters abroad and build relationships and travel to meet their partner’s family.  Of course, sometimes those new “potential partners” come and join our family holiday chaos, too.  The list of “holiday characters” changed as the years went on.

We’ve lost older family members.  My parents are gone, some spouses are gone.  I’ve lost two beloved brothers, one amazing sister, and a dear son-in-law.

As time has passed, people have moved to distant places, or downsized houses, so it’s not possible to easily all gather in one place on one day.  So today we have “mini holidays”, meeting in smaller groups.

 Then we get together in the evening for a big “zoom party” to celebrate and see each other electronically.

Yes, there are less dishes to do.  Yes, it’s a sign of the times. Family traditions change.  I do miss those early, frenetic days.

  But it’s still Thanksgiving.  I am very thankful for my family.

How about you? What are your family traditions for Thanksgiving these days? I’d love to hear!

Love, 

Christine

 As the holiday season begins, here’s a sweet Christmas novella to start the mood!

Amazon.com: Christmas Daisy eBook : Bush, Christine: Kindle Store

  

Christine Bush is a USA Today Bestselling author of romance, romantic mystery, and suspense.  She can be found living in the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania with her husband and 2 lazy cats, and spending time with her 14 grandchildren.   When she’s not writing, she’s teaching Psychology at a local college, and working with clients in her private practice as a Marriage and Family Therapist. She loves to hear from readers and writers!

 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christine-Bush-Author/213919128638762

http://www.amazon.com/Christine-Bush/e/B001KHSLRG/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1392688497&sr=1-2-ent

 

 

 

Relieving the stress... Roxanne Rustand

 With all of the political fervor going on and on, it has been a tense time for voters no matter which side they are on. 

And now here we are on Election Day. Finally. If you haven't already voted; please, please vote and make your voice heard!

While we all wait for the results and wonder what will happen, why not immerse yourself in one of the wonderful novels by the authors here on Sweet Romance Reads!  

Do you remember the old Calgon bath product ads with the phrase "Calgon, take me away!"  Well, we can do that for you as well.  😁

Have you ordered my new book, DANGEROUS STORM? 

It's up for pre-order now, and you'll receive it quickly as it goes on sale November 12th!

CLICK THIS LINK.

And here's a bargain for you! the COUPLED BY CHRISTMAS COLLECTION (six sweet romantic holiday adventures) is in a Countdown Deal.  Usually it is $9.99.

But just today, the price is $3.99!

Then each day, the cost will rise by a dollar until it reaches its regular price.   Why miss a great deal by saving six dollars!

CLICK THIS LINK

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful November. Are you looking forward to Thanksgiving as much as I am?

Blessings,

Roxanne Rustand

Lyn Cote Reviews a WONDERFUL Christian Historical Romance!

Even Forever by Robin Lee Hatcher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've read many of Robert Robin Lee Hatcher's romances--contemporary and historical. This was a great historical romance and as usual I've learned some things about life in the West. The heroine is a spunky lady but she's faced with a challenge--a disreputable and violent father and a disreputable loser for a brother. Into her life, becomes a man that who doesn't know what he really wants in life and it's completely different from any man she's ever known. Soon marriage of convenience joins this unlikely pair through very odd circumstances. But God is in the story and he leads them to peel back the layers to find how much they really love each other. A really great romance. I highly recommend it.

View all my reviews

BTW, my next historical romance TRUSTING HIS LOVE is up for pre-order to be released January 14, 2025! Discounted till then.

 No one has ever been on Anna’s side. Will that change in Texas? 

In 1846, young widow Anna survives the grueling voyage from Germany to start a new life in the promised land of Texas. Forced by circumstances into servitude, Anna is now determined to leave her harsh master. But how can a single woman face the frontier on her own? 

Texas Ranger Carson Quinn is responsible for leading her party of German immigrants through Comanche territory to the Hill Country. Drawn to Anna’s sweet nature, he watches her persevere through the physical and emotional hardships of traveling through this new and still wild land. He silently vows to do anything to protect her. But yet another war is brewing…

Mexico will not accept US annexation of the young Texas Republic without a fight. Though honor bound to defend Texas, Carson’s deepest longing is to lay down his rifle once and for all and forge a peaceful life with Anna. As American troops arrive in Texas, she watches the man she longs for torn between duty and love. Will the tide of history keep them from a future together?

One more time the Quinn family takes up arms in the cause of freedom.

Trusting His Love book 3 of the “Lone Star Courage” series brings the Quinn family saga to an exciting conclusion!--Lyn

A Bucket List Adventure, by Susan Aylworth

Do you enjoy travel? How long is your bucket list? Does it include a safari in Kenya? If not, maybe you should consider a bigger bucket. I recently spent two weeks in Kenya, and it was the trip of a lifetime. 

Kenya, on the eastern side of central Africa, is the most stable nation in the region. Its economy depends heavily on tourism, and guests are always welcomed warmly. Nairobi weather may be the best kept secret on the planet with temperatures seldom falling below 55 F (13 C) or above 80 F (26 C). It's only slightly below the equator, and the idea of equatorial Africa sounds like a steam bath, but the city's mile-high elevation keeps the climate temperate. With my sister and brother-in-law living in Nairobi, I couldn't resist the trip.

This nation has learned to protect its precious wildlife. After all, the animals are Kenya's biggest draw. Nairobi may be the only city in the world with a national park in its city limits. While the park has city on three sides, the fourth side is wide open and the wildlife move in and out as they please except for the lions, which are territorial. Nairobi National Park is home to 37 lions, which gives tourists a good reason to stay in their cars. These two are in the Safari Walk, a zoo of sorts at the entrance to the park.

Inside the park, we saw a wide variety of animals, but I didn't have to go to the national park to have wildlife encounters. In the city park, I fed banana bites to a family of Sykes monkeys. One got bored with me reaching down and decided to make himself at home on my shoulder. 

We visited workshops where people make exquisite crafts and stores where those crafts are sold. Then came time for the four-day safari we had booked into Maasai Mara. This huge tract of land, home to many of the nation's Maasai people, lies across the river from the Serengeti. The annual migration of zebra and wildebeest across the river into Kenya had happened recently, and we were delighted by huge herds of both species.

I learned that a group of giraffes is called a tower and saw four towers, one with more than twenty members, all in the same day. One young giraffe was still trailing its umbilical cord. We watched a mother cheetah and her four near-adult cubs stalk a herd of wildebeest (they missed) and saw both lions and hyenas hunting their breakfast. 

Cape buffalo, white rhinos, crocodiles, hippos, baboons, and a sleeping leopard were all showing up for us as well as many other species of mammals and birds. We saw them on the ground, safe within our LandRover, and we saw them from a hot air balloon as well.

Before we ended the trip, we visited Lake Nakuru and Crescent Island, where we could walk among the animals, and spent time in a Maasai village. This truly was the adventure of a lifetime, and I am so glad I could go. If you can travel, consider adding Kenya to your bucket list. It's the adventure of a lifetime. 

Susan Aylworth is the author of 25 published novels including two small-town sweet romance series set in and near the Navajo Nation and in the Sierra Nevada foothills. as well as five books in the Christmas Town series. Susan lives near Utah's Rocky Mountains. CHASING RAINBOWS, Book 10 in her Rainbow Rock Romances, was released in September and Book 6 in the Christmas Town series is coming soon. Susan loves travel, music, her large and scattered family, perfect raspberry jam, and hearing from readers. Contact her at her website: susanaylworthauthor.com,  or via susan.aylworth.author@gmail.com, also @SusanAylworth. 

Fun, Fellowship and a Whole Lot of Books by Pat Simmons

 

It is more than a tagline at the annual Christian Book Lovers Retreat. Book clubs, readers, authors, and aspiring authors are invited to attend for prayers and hugs.

This year, author Jacquelin Thomas celebrated the release of her 100th book with a sneaker ball party. Award-winning author Michelle Stimpson's pajama party on Saturday night is a must-attend. The shenanigans that women have in store for us are hilarious.

In this business, authors need readers' encouragement, and readers crave escapism into a world that only their favorite author can create.

I can't wait for more adventures at book conferences in 2025. I hope to see many fans there.

---------

Pat Simmons is a multi-published Christian romance author of forty-plus titles. She is a self-proclaimed genealogy sleuth and, a five-time recipient of the RSJ Emma Rodgers Award for Best Inspirational Romance and the 2022 winner of the Leslie Esdaile “Trailblazer” Award.

Pat holds a B.S. in mass communications from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, and has worked in radio, television, and print media for over twenty years. She is a publicist on the Christian Book Lovers Retreat (CBLR) board. Visit her at www.patsimmons.net.

Release day! Camy’s Christian Historical Romance Anthology!

Today is release day for my Christian Historical Romance anthology, Once Upon a Courtship! Get it today for only 99 cents! Price goes up next week! https://bit.ly/lissa-spy