Lena Yoder and her family are part of the Old Order Amish Church. Today we’re taking a peek at one of her previous Christmas Day celebrations in this excerpt from My Life as an Amish Wife: A Diary…

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It’s Christmastime, and I love the sounds of the season. Singing these old hymns is soothing to my mind and body. They bring peace to my soul. The news of Jesus’ birth is as precious now as it was more than 2000 years ago. Jesus is alive!

Our Christmas church services are much the same as any other Sunday. Of course, the Christmas story from Scripture is used. Instead of our usual lunch of peanut-butter spread, jam, pickles, red beets, ham, cheese, and cookies, we have a “carry in lunch” we all enjoy. The people who host that day provide ham and pots of chicken noodles. Scalloped potatoes, vegetables, salads, Christmas Ribbon salad, and pies are brought in by everyone else. Sometimes we sing Christmas hymns in the afternoon; other times we visit with everyone before heading home filled to the brim both spiritually and physically.

Hosting Wayne’s [Lena’s husband’s] family Christmas is a highly anticipated event. With close to 100 people, including his mom and dad, siblings, grandchildren, and greats, it takes a bunch of tables and chairs to accommodate everyone. Everyone comes with arms overloaded with food and games.

We fry pans of cornmeal mush, make breakfast quiches or casseroles, and cook biscuits, sausage gravy, tomato gravy, hash browns, ham and sausage, fruits, and pastries. We provide the meat and drinks, and the rest is provided by family members. It takes a lot of coffee and hot chocolate too.

After eating brunch around 8:30, we usually all sit down to sing Christmas carols. Sometimes we play a type of Bingo with Christmas gifts, but oftentimes we don’t give gifts because each family shares gifts in their own home. The rest of the day is spent in fellowship and playing games.

In the afternoon, tables are laden with all sorts of homemade candies, fruits, vegetables, dips and snacks. Anything imaginable is there. We go home knowing we won’t be needing supper—only exercise and water.

A day well spent creating memories and staying bonded with the extended family.

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Excerpted from My Life as an Amish Wife by Lena Yoder

You can order the book now on the Harvest House website or from your favorite book retailer!

Filed under: Lena Yoder by Amber | AmishReader.com
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Join Lena Yoder, Amish born and raised, as she shares about a day of winter baking (and a recipe for cream pie!) in this excerpt from My Life as an Amish Wife…

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“This is the day which the Lᴏʀᴅ has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” It’s easy to contemplate Psalm 118:24 on such a beautiful sunshine-filled day as today. We are to rejoice and be glad on the dreary days too, but it doesn’t come so easily then.

I’m aching to head outside and walk two miles, breathing in the fresh air and drinking in the beauty around me. I’d enjoy some quiet time by myself and feeling my muscles working to rid my body of all the sugar and flour I devoured today. My self-control went south this morning for some reason.

I baked a fresh batch of bread this forenoon, so decided to make one loaf of cheddar ranch as a treat for my family. I ate a piece of that for lunch. I also made Rice Crispy Treats for the children, and I had to lick what was stuck on my fingers when I transferred the mixture from the kettle to the pan. Wayne ordered an apple pie, but I haven’t tasted those except for a bit of crust that chipped off.

For several weeks now I’ve been aching for a piece of baked cream pie, so on this mighty day of baking I decided to bake three of those. I have no intention of eating them alone. In fact, I’ll share with the neighbors.

For the baked cream pie I use my Aunt Barbara’s recipe that is deliciously smooth and creamy. My sister Freda knows the recipe by heart. My sisters Ida and Leanna make it a lot. My sister Sue used it for one of her daughter’s wedding meals. My married nieces can bake them to perfection. So you see, it is definitely a family favorite. Self-discipline needs to come home again and stay settled.

Cream Pie

• 1 cup whole cream
• 2 cups half & half
• 3 egg whites
• ½ cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 rounded Tbsp. flour
• Dash of salt (important!)
• A little vanilla

Heat cream and half & half to a slight scald. Do not boil!

Beat egg whites until frothy. Add white sugar and beat a bit more. Add brown sugar, flour, salt, and vanilla. Mix. Add cream mixture.

Mix and pour into a pastry-lined 9-inch pie pan.

Bake at 400 degrees on bottom shelf until set. (You may need to reduce the temperature because a boiled pie is ruined.)

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Excerpted from My Life as an Amish Wife by Lena Yoder

You can order the book now on the Harvest House website or from your favorite book retailer!

Filed under: Desserts, Lena Yoder by Amber | AmishReader.com
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Who wouldn’t love a good book for Christmas? Wonder no more about what to get your friends and loved ones—just find the closest description below and away you go!

*Disclaimer: Of course, we can’t guarantee someone will love their gift. But seriously, what’s not to love, right? We hope you enjoy browsing this fun Christmas gift-giving guide. Who knows? You might even find a little treat for yourself, too! Just click the image or one of the links below it to find a site where you can purchase a copy of the book.

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1. For the foodie who wants some “yum” with their fiction, we recommend…Made with Love by Tricia Goyer and Sherry Gore!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook | Harvest House

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2. For the Amish fiction lover who’s read it all and wants something new, we recommend…My Brother’s Crown by Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould!

(Note: This story is about another Protestant group called the Huguenots. Learn more about the similarities and differences between the Amish and the Huguenots in this article by Leslie Gould!)

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook | Harvest House

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3. For the friend who needs to believe in miracles this Christmas, we recommend…Anna’s Healing by Vannetta Chapman!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook | Harvest House

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4. For the ebook aficionado who loves sweet novellas, we recommend…Amish Christmas Memories by Jerry S. Eicher, Mary Ellis, and Murray Pura!

(Note: This is an ebook-only collection of three previously published Amish Christmas novellas titled Susanna’s Christmas Wish, Sarah’s Christmas Miracle, and An Amish Family Christmas.)

Kindle | Nook | Christianbook

P.S. Did you know you can gift ebooks via email? Read this article to see how to gift a Kindle book from Amazon.com.

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5. For the teacher or student who knows the value of a good education, we recommend…An Unexpected Match by Gayle Roper!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook | Harvest House

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6. For the incurable romantic who likes a lot of drama with the sweet, we recommend…Miriam and the Stranger by Jerry S. Eicher!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook | Harvest House

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7. For the loved one who has always dreamed of living the simple life, we recommend…My Life as an Amish Wife by Lena Yoder!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook | Harvest House

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8. For the curious soul with lots of questions about Amish culture, we recommend…Plain Answers about the Amish Life by Mindy Starns Clark!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook | Harvest House

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9. For the one who wants to be inspired in her faith, we recommend…The Amish Book of Prayers for Women by Esther Stoll!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook | Harvest House

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10. For the cook who knows the way to your heart, we recommend…99 Favorite Amish Recipes by Georgia Varozza!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook | Harvest House

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Bonus: For the child or grandchild who shares your love of the Amish, we recommend…Blossoms on the Roof by Rebecca Martin!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook | Harvest House

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Happy Christmas shopping!

Filed under: Amish Fiction, Esther Stoll, Gayle Roper, Georgia Varozza, Jerry Eicher, Lena Yoder, Leslie Gould, Mary Ellis, Mindy Starns Clark, Murray Pura, Sherry Gore, Tricia Goyer, Vannetta Chapman by Amber | AmishReader.com
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My Life as an Amish Wife is a diary by Lena Yoder, Amish born and raised. She shares anecdotes and thoughts from a seven-year period in her life. Each year of the diary is divided into the four seasons—and this excerpt comes from Fall of Year 4. (To read an excerpt from Fall of Year 1, click HERE.)

Enjoy this special peek at a day in the life of an Amish wife!

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Duties continue to call. This week I baked a double-batch of pumpkin whoopee pies. Poof, those were gone! I’d also doubled the frosting recipe and had a lot left over. Now this morning Brian [one of Lena’s sons] suggested I bake Little Debbie cookies and use the leftover frosting. I thought it was a good suggestion. I think I will appease him. He needs to till the garden for me today, so he will be hungry as always. I can’t imagine having several adolescent boys to feed and clothe. It would be interesting, though.

There are dishes to put away, peaches to peel, ironing to do, tomatoes and cucumbers to bring in from the garden, dresses to lengthen for Karah, Emily, and Jolisa [three of Lena’s daughters]. The list goes on from one day to the next. I love my calling.

Karah, Emily, and Jolisa have been on a card-making frenzy. They spend a lot of time at the table on our porch cutting, pasting, stamping, and conversing. They dream of having a card-making business. They actually did get to sell some, thanks to grandparents, aunts, and friends.

I remember as a young girl dreaming of making and selling all kinds of things. Some of these dreams actually materialized and proved to be profitable. Lemonade sales were my first business. Busloads of tourists would come to my grandmother’s quilt shop, and I’m guessing some people drank lemonade who didn’t even like it. Who could refuse a chubby, dimple-cheeked little girl’s lemonade all the way out in the country with no other customers in sight? It was fun.

* * *

Excerpted from My Life as an Amish Wife by Lena Yoder

You can order the book now on the Harvest House website or from your favorite book retailer!

Filed under: Lena Yoder by Amber | AmishReader.com
No Comments »

My Life as an Amish Wife is a diary by Lena Yoder, Amish born and raised. She shares anecdotes and thoughts from a seven-year period in her life. Each year of the diary is divided into the four seasons—and this excerpt comes from Fall of Year 1. It’s a fun look at a special outing Lena and her family took that year… Enjoy!

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Today we were off on an adventure. We all went to the Shipshewana Flea Market. There weren’t as many people on the grounds as there are sometimes, so it wasn’t too bad with the children in tow. I learned a valuable lesson, and it still grinds me to a T. The first row we went down included a stand with good bedsheets for $20. I thought it was a good price, and I’ve needed a set for quite some time already. I always thought the good sets at Walmart were too expensive, and that next time they might be on sale. Now here they were for $20. The guy said he was the only one here selling these… blah, blah, blah. So I bought a set. Well, we hadn’t gone too far when we came upon another stand with the exact same sheet sets for $14.95! We probably saw six to eight different places that were selling them for $14.95. I know I could have taken mine back and gotten one elsewhere, but I decided I’d just take this as a lesson. The next time I’ll go several aisles before jumping for a deal.

I see all types of people at the flea market. Pale, dark, big, small, happy, unhappy. I always feel very conscious about being courteous, cheerful, and friendly. I try to let my light shine. A lot of people there know little of us [the Amish], and I wish to convey a Christian attitude.

We got our winter supply of booties for the girls and Jesse to wear in the house this winter when the snow flies. We also bought watermelons and peaches—some of our favorite fruit. Our watermelons in the garden aren’t ripe yet.

I treated the children to pizza, which we all greatly enjoyed. We crossed the road to Spector’s Dry Goods to buy a bonnet for Colleen. It was deemed very necessary as she says she’s been wearing the same one since second grade. She’s ready for the eighth grade now! We got our money’s worth out of that one. It was a black outer bonnet that she wore to and from school. It’s actually still in good shape, and I’m sure one of the other girls will wear it now.

After coming home, Colleen and I did the laundry. It looked like rain, and it did sprinkle for a while. We could easily use a good soaker, so I wouldn’t have complained had our laundry gotten wet.

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Excerpted from My Life as an Amish Wife by Lena Yoder

You can order the book now on the Harvest House website or from your favorite book retailer!

Filed under: Lena Yoder by Amber | AmishReader.com
1 Comment »