Be "Roman Strong" for Roman Statt!!!

Here's what's happening. I have a friend. He's little. Two years old. He's stinkin' cute. His name is Roman Statt and WE LOVE HIM.

This is one of my favorite pics of Roman:

Ignore the clutter, really, that's totally the NORM around here. Focus on the center objects... Cute kid, binky in place, piling HUGE HEAVY THINGS together and balancing them. 18 months old, so funny, very methodical, focused on the job at hand... Dave decided he was an engineer in the making!!!

Stinkin' cute family, right???? Kevin, Darcy and Roman Statt

We love them. 

And then there's this:

Roman and his buddies on the porch swing! Brody, Roman, Joslyn, Mary Ruth and Megan!!!!

Healthy, happy, silly, climbing, exploring little boy...

But then....

Things started to change. Looking back we can see the bruising on Roman's legs... with no cause...

Mom and Dad took him to the doctor because bruises shouldn't come out of nowhere...

And now we're here:

And doing this:

AML is tough... but then, so is our Roman! And his family and friends and neighbors and community are rallying around this young family because no one should go broke fighting for the life of their child.

We're a small town. Close-knit. We're related in one way, shape or form to a lot of folks here!

I write about small towns because I love 'em...

And this small town is gathering forces to support one little man's fight.

Keep watch here for pictures of Chinese Auction prizes and further benefit details! 

If you can come, please do so!!! You don't have to eat spaghetti (although I'll be in the kitchen and it will be VERY GOOD SPAGHETTI!!!!)

Feel free to come, snack, buy tickets for prizes (Chinese Auction Raffle), the 50/50 raffle, and see healthy kids come out in support of one of their own.

Be "Roman Strong" for Roman Statt.

Monetary donations can be sent to 

Mary Wolfe

461 Parma Center Road

Hilton, NY  14468

For offering Chinese Auction items (baskets, large items, gift certificates, services)

Call Sandra Eichas   585-305-4404

or e-mail me (Ruthy) at ruthy@ruthloganherne.com

Mostly? We'd love your prayers, and those of your prayer groups.

You can follow Roman's progress at his Caring Bridge site:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/darcyeichas-statt

(They'll have you register, but I did it, so clearly ANYONE CAN DO IT!!!)  :)

Thank you! And may God bless you, every single day.

Falling for the Lawman is Available!!!!!

I LOVE THIS BOOK.

For so many reasons, I can't possibly list them, but here are the main ones!!! Wonderful hero, troubled by decisions he's made... decisions that affected others and can't be fixed.

A heroine trying to save the family farm, and smart enough and strong enough to do it if only her brothers, the weather, God and the family would cooperate. Oh, and wait, the town supervisor of Kirkwood Lake is eyeing up seizing the lakeshore portion of her farmland for eminent domain to give new people lake access...

Cows.

Beansy-the-goat!!!!!

Puppies.  (Author loves puppies!!!!!)

And these twins, Dorrie and Sonya McKinney, how stinkin' adorable are they??? I love them. I loved writing them, and I'm thrilled that the girls get to be in the Christmas book too!!!!

HAPPY DANCING IN UPSTATE!!!!

Falling for the Lawman was inspired by two local farm women: Kim Zarpentine of Zarpentine Farms and Robyn Sweeney of Sweeney Farms. I took their dedication and devotion and hard work and fashioned McKinney Farm after them. And the name, McKinney Farm? That was the original name of the farm I live on.

Grab this book if you don't have it already. Take a glimpse of hard-working former migrant workers, strange but somewhat typical modern family profiles, mistakes, hope, faith, cute kids, good neighbors, second chances and dreams coming true.

You can get it here at AMAZON!!!!

And starting this weekend it will be available in Walmart, K-mart, grocery stores, and bookstores that carry the Love Inspired line from Harlequin!

HERE IT IS IN CALIFORNIA!!!  THANK YOU, KELI GWYN FOR THIS PICTURE! AND I LOVE THE PRICE, I LOVE THAT YOU CAN GET A LOVELY, HIGH-QUALITY INSPIRATIONAL READ FOR UNDER $5!!!!

That makes my budget-minded brain very happy!

Falling for the Lawman is also available for your Kindle and Nook (Barnes and Noble).

I'm making myself giddy, staring at this cover, but I don't care.

It's that sweet!!!

Sending out big smiles from upstate New York:

Ruthy

FREE COPY OF TRY, TRY AGAIN FOR KINDLE USERS!!!!

This is EASY. For FIVE DAYS you have the chance to download this beautiful book for free. You can download it to your Kindle device or your laptop.

CLICK HERE.

Download a free copy of my newest release (my first independent release!!!!!) and then...

See what you think.

Wait. Let me tempt you...

"When a derelict ex-cop steps in to save a rich man's life on Christmas Eve, he sets in motion a string of changes that save a life, a city and maybe... just maybe... a marriage.

Rich and powerful, Wall Street financial wizard had it all until his son's death showed him otherwise. A decade later, Conor has made peace with the man he'd been and likes the man he's become. But there's one final step in Conor's healing... making peace with his ex-wife.

Peace with Conor is the last thing on Alicia Bradstreet's mind. Her son's death hurt more than her heart... it darkened her soul. But their daughter's engagement to a single father... a young man much like Conor had been twenty years before... pushes Alicia out of her comfort zone. Can Alicia move beyond her anger - and Conor beyond his guilt - to

Try, Try Again?

And I welcome your comments and reviews! Thank you for taking the time to download this beautiful love story... and I hope you love it as much as I do.

Ruthy

Five Good Things About Chronic Rain...

Okay, I'm thinking!!!

Pond levels are up which means fewer fish will die in the drought of August???

That's a stretch-and-a-half, isn't it?

Aye yi yi, who woulda thought a rainy spring would be so hard to appreciate?

Some farmers got fields planted before the heavens opened.  Some didn't.

So some farmers are happy because their seed germinated while other fields are under water and the seed is rotting.

Some are sitting on seed because the fields are too wet to get into and as each day ticks by, the northern growing season gets tighter.

A lesson on good drainage.

The kids are restless....

Mud helps restless kids!!!

And spring brings other things:

Eighth Grade Night for our Teens!!!!

Stacey came by to do their hair:

I love Stacey. She just makes me smile.  :)

So we turned my kitchen into a Salon and Spa:

Note the little helper...  :)  Stacey's daughter (and my Goddaughter) Megan...

This is Casey doing Kathryn's nails. We're a full-service kitchen!!!

Check out Kathryn's smile!!!!!  And those loopy rollers in her hair. LOVE IT!!!

And here we are as the afternoon continues....

Aren't they just wonderful girls?????

High school next year...

I've watched these girls grow up for over a decade... I've been a regular part of their daily lives since long before kindergarten snared them away...

And I'm so proud I could bust.

I love them. They are part of my past, my present and my heart.

So who cares if it rains for days when God sends us beautiful children like this to enjoy???

I might not be able to come up with five realistic good things about rain, rain, rain, but I'm totally thrilled with chronic kids.

And helping them grow up!

What's happenin'?????

Well, there's this:

Fourteen baby chicks are now living in the garage under the heat lamp... Aren't they the cutest things????

And then there's this!!!

Meet "Jeter" our 9 week old GoldenDoodle puppy!

So far all shoes are reported safe but one Wave Petunia met its end.... Naughty puppy! Stay out of the flowers!!!  :)

And then there's this:

The Laman's Second Chance, a beautiful love story that Romantic Times rated "Compelling Read" and a wonderful tribute to breast cancer survivors and the author's friend....

Is on sale at Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com and Christian Book Distributors! Also, it's still in stock at many Christian book stores... and I'm delighted with the beautiful testimonies readers have shared with me. You bless me with your confidences... My heart is in better shape for having talked with so many of you!

And my new favorite video for Make My Life An Alleluia (Ruth Elaine Schram) is HERE!!!!

And each day, to quell my somewhat smart aleck attitude I try to remind myself of this beautiful piece of music... to make my life an Alleluia...

To smile instead of frown.

To praise more... and complain less!!!!

Bless youse! May God shelter you, hold you, and shed his light and love on you and your families... who can be unhappy with the light of Christ shining through their eyes???

Ruthy

Make My Life an Alleluia....

"Youse" know I love Mother Teresa....  "Peace begins with a smile".

And no one had a better smile than Mother Teresa.

Mother Teresa made her life an "Alleluia" by her day-to-day existence.

I need to strive harder for this.

I need to focus on God more and things less.

I need to feed friendships with gentility and grace, not empty promises.

In mid-winter our choir director Susan Judkins (whom I love) presented us with sheet music for Ruth Elaine Schram's "Make My Life an Alleluia". To me this is a life-changing piece of music. In its simplicity it is a true prayer of open love, quiet and good.

 Here is a link to the song "Make My Life an Alleluia" This version was found by my fellow alto Kay Tomer and it's done by the Enfuego Christian Academy... and no doubt they'll end up in a book.  :)

When I think of those words.... Hear those words.... contemplate those sweet words I recognize how much more I could and should do. How with a little more focus and presence I can work to truly make my life an alleluia...


Make my life an alleluia.... 

Showing love for God and fellow man every day... every night.... every moment.

When I'm lax, kicking myself back into gear to share... to smile... to greet.

Make my life an alleluia....

To take each small child that comes into my life and show them the love and tenderness of God's saving grace through a loving touch and a firm reminder.

To puff cool air on their boo-boos and use Band-aids when needed.  But not too many because some ouchies are better left to God's clean air.

Make my life an alleluia...

To pray earnestly and ardently in the manner of saints.... and to forgive in the manner of sinners. To take my lack and turn it into something sweet and strong.

God has blessed me by putting me in an amazing country... In a sweet town... in a house that doesn't leak with children who do.  :) I have beloved family and friends, clothes and food.... Born in a land of plenty, let me use my self-discipline to not seek more...

Always more....

Make my life an alleluia....

Teach me to be satisfied with what I have... and to share from that banquet of mercy.

Let me praise his name, his glory, his grace, his patience with me because it is wretchedly undeserved.

And in so doing, let me make my life an Alleluia...

A song of praise to you, my king.

(Words and music of "Make My Life an Alleluia" by Ruth Elaine Schram)

A Day in the Life (minus bad plumbing!!!)

Erma Bombeck always made me laugh at life. Her regular newspaper posts cracked me up and her wise words...

"When I stand before God at the end of my days I want to be able to say I used everything you gave me."

Help guide my life, my choices because how sad is it to waste God's greatest gift? Life?

These came from Great-Grandma Blodgett's garden via Grandma Blodgett... I think that makes them sweeter each spring, knowing the women who passed out bulbs to friends and family. Such a small thing to do to bring such joy each spring...

New Roof in Progress!!!  This long awaited home improvement came after too many back-and-forths with my husband and son-in-law about re-doing this roof.... I stood my ground and we hired it done because it's high.... It's tricky.... and these guys weren't afraid to use harnesses to stay alive! Whereas my very competitive show-off family men... Well.  You get the drift of what I'm saying.  :)  The roof is done, and everyone is alive, which was my goal all along!

Grandchildren snuggling baby dolls..... With cozy blankies, of course.

These pretty hyacinths came in an arrangement sent in remembrance of our grandson Joseph... Joseph was lost in the sixth month of pregnancy, a bitter time for all of us. But these little blossoms remind us of him... and of life renewed. When my day in heaven comes I will be seated right there, next to other grandmas and mamas, rockin' babies we never got a chance to hold here on Earth.

And we'll tell them stories.... and laugh and sing.

And rock them to sleep.... This is Xavier, Joseph's younger brother... He got a little naughty and we just cuddled for a while...

And then.... :)   Sleepy baby.

Isn't that like the best picture ever???

Oh, wait.... Yes, the sleeping baby is best ever.... but here is the below-grade completed (and inspected!) work for the new family room/foyer addition:

This is the crawl space that will be beneath the room and it will have a No Snakes or Mice Allowed sign permanently affixed to wall....

And here is the freshly poured concrete floor of the crawl space:

NOW....

NEXT WEEK!!!!!

THE LUMBER COMES!!!  AND WALLS WILL BEGIN!

The Lawman's Second Chance... a Real-Life Love Story...

Book Signing this Saturday!

The Friends of the Parma Public Library

are hosting a delightful opportunity for us to meet in person...

AND TALK!!! :)

Saturday, May 11th, 2013

1-3 P.M.

Parma Public Library

7 West Ave.

Hilton, NY  14468

Books will be available for purchase! We'd love to see you there!

I just love this cover.

I love this book.

I hate the reason I was moved to write this book because my beloved friend Lisa was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer less than two years ago.

I first met Lisa... the REAL Lisa... when she and her husband Jeff came to my house a dozen years ago to talk about watching their newborn daughter Taylor....

You can see Taylor here:

She's the older daughter on the left... my granddaughter Emma was the model for the younger sister in this sweet book.... How precious are they?

So back to the interview with Lisa and Jeff... we live on a farm. In an old house. Life is interesting here and during the interview, Beth discovered a SNAKE on the basement stairs... Luke went running to help her even though he hates snakes... they dispatched the snake with a lot of typical teen theatrics and laughter...

Interview over, right????? Because who would leave their precious 3 month-old daughter in SNAKE HOUSE??????

But, no. Jeff and Lisa thought that if a brother and sister could work together to laugh over disposing of a snake IN THE HOUSE that we must be doing something right. (Silly them!!!)

:)

Four kids and many snakes later (and the occasional mouse and one young squirrel...) we hit the brick wall of breast cancer. Lisa went on the offense with strength, power, prayer, courage and some tears... She dealt with two rounds of chemo... a bi-lateral mastectomy... weeks of radiation.... restructure surgery... loss of hair, loss of weight, all the downsides you associate with fighting this disease.

And today she's doing well... She looks great, she's back to work, I'm annoying her children as always and making fun of her in the nicest way possible...

I love this book. I love how it turned out, how I walked into Van Putte's Garden Center days after Lisa sat on my porch explaining the diagnosis and they were holding a Breast Cancer Appreciation Day.... And I could picture my heroine, running the show, fighting cancer tooth and nail... With everything at her disposal... While a young father struggles to put his life together after losing his beloved wife.

Cancer is indiscriminate. I pray daily for Lisa... for her family... and for researchers to unlock the key to making cancer no more a problem than polio... or tuberculosis... or any of the diseases we've eradicated through generations of faith/time/money/research.

This is a happy book... a feel good story of God's love and new beginnings and one woman's fight to make a difference in her corner of the world.

For a personal glimpse into the REAL Lisa's life, check out this book trailer created by Beth Jamison (former stairway snake fighter!!!) in honor of Lisa, Jeff and "The Lawman's Second Chance":  BOOK TRAILER 

And the three kids on the cover of "The Lawman's Second Chance" were modeled by Taylor, McKenna and Nolan Tydings....

Lisa's three oldest children. Brody Tydings was busy waging dinosaur wars with Fisher Price Rescue Workers swooping in to save the "little people" from the T-Rex's.

This is Brody, Megan and Elijah reading "Yuletide Hearts"... on the table, of course, because that's where everyone reads, right?  Last winter.... Clearly we consider reading to be a Most Valuable Skill!!!  :)

I hope you love this book and I ask you to join me in prayer for Lisa and all of the women fighting breast cancer... for cancer victims/patients of all kinds... and for research to rid us of this dreadful disease.

Click HERE to order The Lawman's Second Chance from Amazon.com....

And it should be available this week wherever Love Inspired Books are sold!

Loving the Southern Tier of New York

I love going down to the Southern Tier...

If you're not familiar with this phrase, it's the upper ridge of the Appalachian Mountains, the northern tier... which for us in New York State becomes the Southern Tier because the mountains and rolling hills become our border with Pennsylvania.

It's gorgeous. Rolling. Tree-filled. Animals, small towns, sweet villages, countryside, farmland, just...

Beautiful. Inviting. Embracing.

I fell in love with it in 2007 when I went to a series of Little League championship games in Wellsville, New York in Allegany County... I was there to cheer for the Plainview team, out of Long Island. My young friend Jordan Sekler was playing for their team and this gave us a chance to take the two-hour drive down and watch the games... We love baseball, we love kids, we love the Seklers, so this was a no-brainer. Inspired by both the beauty and the tough times the Southern Tier of Western New York had seen, I decided I wanted to set a series of books in that area.

When I got published, "The Men of Allegany County" became a series of books lauding the beauty of Angelica, Fillmore, Belmont, Wellsville, etc.

Angelica, New York my model town for "Jamison, New York" in The Men of Allegany County" books.

Look at the line!!! This is a yearly tradition of buckwheat pancakes and real Western New York maple syrup...
And yes, totally worth waiting in the snow! Welcome to spring up north, LOL!

Now we're spreading out a bit, including Cattaraugus and Chautauqua Counties in the mix with the "Kirkwood Lake" Series.... Imagine Chautauqua Lake set in the rolling hills of Cattaraugus County, and you've got "Kirkwood Lake".

I wonder sometimes if people realize the beauty that surrounds them. I think we don't, most often, until something wakes us up to the glory of our everyday existence. To be surrounded by hills, mountains, streams, creeks, rivers, lakes... This is God's country, green and growing.

I've always questioned if the barrenness of the Middle East adds to the torment of the people. Would they be as angry and aggressive if they had the solace of green grass... gentle winds.... tree-filled forests... trickling water... snowy nights?

How much does our setting define us?

I wonder.

Well, let me just say, I love this setting, the Southern Tier of Western New York. It is pastoral... sweet... bucolic... and it seems to be well stocked with TO DIE FOR HEROES, LOL!   :)

'Cause ya' gotta have a good hero, right? To match these pull-themselves-up-by-the-bootstraps heroines.

:)

If you're ever up this way, cruise the Southern Tier. Take I-86 (although parts of it need work, ignore that...) and hop off and visit the small towns. Grab some cheese at the Cuba Cheese shop in Cuba, New York. Swing by Angelica and visit the Black-Eyed Susan Acoustic Cafe for food and conversation... Grab some candy from Webb's in Mayville on the west shore of Chautauqua Lake... Grab lunch at The Texas Hot  in Wellsville and supper at the Beef Haus up the road....

The first "Kirkwood Lake" book comes out in three weeks. "The Lawman's Second Chance" is a 4-Star (Romantic Times, March) compelling read of how life takes sudden bends in the road... and how faith helps us travel unexpected paths.

More on that later.... For now have a blessed, prayerful and thoughtful Holy Week! God bless you!

Ruthy

Puppies, Snow and Easter Chocolate...

On the cusp of spring....

We have puppies due next week....

This is Maddie and Libby...
Such sweet dogs!!!


And the week after.

I'm hoping they get born before Easter...

And after Easter.

And that Easter day is calm, peaceful and filled with the joy of the Risen Lord!

And maybe some chocolate...

I love chocolate.

It's ridiculous how much I love chocolate.

So this is my current status:

Puppies soon to come.... Snow should leave us until next November...

And I'm looking forward to a prayerful Holy Week...

And a blessed Easter Sunday...

He is risen.

Alleluia!

One tiny and unlikely blossom...

I don't mind winter. I really don't. The short days and long nights don't bother me, I just turn on more lights.

Which bothers my HUSBAND, but really?  A girl's gotta have light. God said so.

So winter's no big hardship for me, I think it's calm, peaceful and thought-provoking.

UNTIL MARCH.

And then I'm done.

Kaput.

Finis.

Over.

The weather does not always abide by my wishes. It howls and growls and snows and pours and does what change-of-season weather must do.

And then it happens.

The first blossom. The first hint of life renewed.

Look at that.

A crocus.

I didn't plant any crocuses. Ever. And this little guy with TWO BUDS appeared yesterday in the middle of the play area where the kids roam... romp.... build snowmen and dirt tracks for Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars... where they bounce and jump and dig to China.

But here it is, nonetheless.

A tiny promise of what is to come.

Spring.

Easter.

Resurrection.

Life renewed, faith affirmed.

All in that one little blossom.

Amazing. Right?