We’ve been posting every second and fourth Tuesday of the month…but we’re a little late this time. I was hoping to post some photos of the apple tree blooming, which is beautiful today, but it’s too windy. Instead, we have some photos of the lilacs from last year, and we’ll try to include apple tree photos next time.
Today’s Recipe
Here’s a recipe we’ve had for a long time. It may show up in a future book, but for now we’re sharing it with all of you. (Image courtesy of Pixabay)
Blueberry Muffins
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 20 minutes.
½ cup Quaker oats (old fashioned) ½ cup orange juice
Combine oats and orange juice into a large mixing bowl.
1 ½ cups flour ½ cup sugar
1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder 1 large egg, beaten
¼ teaspoon baking soda ½ cup vegetable oil
½ teaspoon salt 1 cup fresh blueberries
Sift together in a medium mixing bowl the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the sugar and mix together. In a small mixing bowl, beat the egg and add oil. Pour the flour mixture and the egg/oil mixture into the big mixing bowl with the orange juice and oats. Stir just until mixed.
Rinse the blueberries and add to the mixture. Fold in carefully.
Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Mix 2 tablespoons sugar with ¼ teaspoon cinnamon. Sprinkle on top of muffins and bake in oven for 20 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!
Author Spotlight
Today, we’re sharing a series by the very talented author Tammy L. Grace. Tammy writes Women’s Fiction books, (and a wonderful mystery series), but we want to showcase her Sisters of the Heart stories. The first one is FREE and the rest are in Kindle Unlimited!
Jewel Austin is a foster mother to dozens, but forms a special bond with five foster girls she welcomed under her roof long ago. Through handwritten letters, Jewel keeps in touch with these women she nurtured to adulthood.
Now in her eighties, Jewel’s time is short, and her last letter spells out an unusual request. The five women have never met but Jewel’s last wish is for them to return to Lavender Valley Farm together, back to the refuge where they once found the love and support they craved. Jewel has a keen sense of knowing their needs before they do and she knows they are going to need their sisters of the heart.
Life’s been hard, but facing the inevitable loss of the only parental figure you’ve known can be harder. Will each woman be able to overcome the obstacles that stand in their way of granting the beloved matriarch of their family her last wish?
Get to know each of the women through Jewel’s own letters in GREETINGS FROM LAVENDER VALLEY, the first book and prequel in the Sisters of the Heart Series. Fans of heartwarming, feel-good women’s fiction like those by Debbie Macomber or Sheila Roberts will devour this series by USA Today bestselling author, Tammy L. Grace.
Lavender CottageCore
As mentioned above, a little too breezy to take photos this week, but we do have some lovely lilac pictures from last year. These lilacs are HUGE, and they’re a variety of colors. Most were planted in the 1950s by my husband’s grandmother. The walkway under this one (in the first photo) is over 6 feet tall. All these are her lilacs except for the last one, which is a close-up of candytuft and brunnera in the shade garden. (Substack doesn’t seem to want to copy our photos as a set, so to see the rest of the pictures, please visit our Lavender Cottage Books blog post.)
Once Upon A Rose – Chapter 5
Finally, we want to include a chapter for everyone to read at the end of each newsletter. Here’s the next part of Once Upon A Rose, the first story in our Enchanted Fairytale Series. Action, adventure, romance…and maybe a little magic. (If you missed the first four chapters, we have a link at the bottom of the story.)
The next morning, Celsiana told her parents she would be in the garden. She wanted some time alone, and her friends were not planning to visit for a few days. When she got to the bench, she sat and thought about her plan one more time. She knew there were risks, but she had to do something.
Her brothers might be all for marrying royalty from other kingdoms, but what kind of husband would they expect her to find? And what if he was even worse than these two royals? She would have to live in his kingdom and under his rules. She couldn’t do that. She had made her decision and it was time to act.
She slipped off her dress as the garden outfits were always a little too big. Underneath, she was dressed as a boy. She had always liked using her brothers’ old clothes when she was doing really messy work in the garden. That had been a few years ago, but luckily some still fit.
Celsiana hid her dress under the rosebush and glanced around one more time. No one else was in this part of the garden, so she walked over to the wall and moved aside some trellis. There was the old drainage pipe that was no longer used, but it was large enough for her to fit into. She doubted that anyone, but the gardeners, even knew it was there. She tried not to think about spiders as she pushed her way through, then she was on the other side of the wall.
She looked out at the meadow and realized she’d have to work her way around to the village side. The meadow had little cover and anyone watching from the castle would see her. Or they’d see a young man walking in the meadow. She laughed as she tucked her hair up into the hat.
Celsiana did her best to look like a normal young man walking across the meadow and eventually headed towards the village. On the way, she decided to stop by the river and get a little mud to wipe on one cheek. She also got mud on her boots. They were entirely too clean for someone who spent time in the meadow every day.
She had a rough idea where her friend Avaleen lived, and she followed the creek as she walked along the edge of the village. When she reached the last street and turned right, she thought she recognized the garden as Avaleen had described it.
“Excuse me, do you need any help in your garden?” Celsiana asked in her lowest voice. As Avaleen turned, Celsiana couldn’t help a small giggle.
“Oh, my goodness!” Avaleen said, putting a hand to her mouth. “I can’t believe it. What are you doing here?”
“I’m taking a day for myself,” Celsiana replied. “And it’s high time. I have two princesses visiting the castle, and they’re driving me crazy. Fortunately, they don’t want to spend much time with me, so I made my escape.”
“But Your Maj…I mean, you can’t be here,” Avaleen whispered. “You could be in danger.”
“In danger of what?” Celsiana asked. “We haven’t had anything but good relations with all the nearby kingdoms in over twenty years. I doubt anyone will be trying to kidnap a princess.”
Avaleen giggled. “I guess you’re right. Why don’t you help me? If anyone asks, I’ll say you’re working for a free meal.”
“An excellent idea,” Celsiana replied, smiling. “Now, what can I do to help?”
They had a wonderful time that afternoon, and Celsiana did stay to eat lunch. She had to leave after that because she was afraid someone would notice she was missing from the castle. As she made her way back through the drainage pipe, she made sure no one was watching. She quickly grabbed her gardening dress from under the rosebush and slipped it back on. A few hours later, she sat down to dinner with the rest of the family. She might have been a bit flushed, but otherwise did a very good job of hiding how proud she was of her little escapade.
Celsiana managed to get away almost every day that week. After the second day, they had to tell Janine and Laurena. Then, all four girls worked in the gardens together. Either at Avaleen’s home or one of the other girls’ gardens. A couple of times a week, they would still meet in the castle, but did their best to avoid the visiting princesses.
The one time they bumped into Arabella and Seraline, the two were quite rude to Celsiana’s friends. They greeted Celsiana and pretended not to see her friends, then whispered and giggled together after they passed.
“You have to put up with them all the time?” Janine asked, glaring at the retreating backs of the two princesses.
“I know they don’t like me, but they didn’t have to be rude to all of you.” Celsiana shook her head. “I really don’t understand what my brothers see in them.”
“Maybe their fortunes?” Laurena asked, then blushed. “Sorry, I just…”
She stopped as Celsiana bent over laughing. “Forgive me, but I find your outlook most refreshing, Laurena.” Celsiana giggled again, then hugged her friend. “I wish you were here all the time.”
Laurena looked at the other two girls, before laughing as well.
“They are rather awful,” Janine agreed.
“They’re pretty,” Avaleen said thoughtfully, “but looks fade.”
The others nodded in agreement as they walked out to the gardens.
Thank you for joining us today. If you miss a newsletter, please visit our Lavender Cottage Blog, where we’ll show every post. Have a wonderful Tuesday!