It's time for more of the Countdown to Christmas {BOOK} Party! I'm happy to bring you something different tonight ... an interview with
Annie Yoder, one of the main characters in The Christmas Quilt by Vannetta Chapman!
(If you've missed other posts from the party, you can read them all here. Some of the giveaways are ending today and over the next few days, so enter if you want!)
i blog 4 books: Hi, Annie! I'm so glad you could stop by i blog 4 books to share a little about yourself! What is the most interesting things about you?
Annie Yoder: Some might say that the most interesting thing about me is that I’m a nurse, and I’m Amish. Those two things don’t usually go together – but I earned my high school equivalency and nursing certification while I was living with my aunt. I suppose you’d say I was on my rumspringa then. Actually, I was just following my heart, and soon my heart led me home. I think the most interesting thing about me is that I’m surrounded by a loving family, including my husband, Samuel.
ib4b: What do you do for fun?
AY: I love to quilt! I’m not the best quilter in my family—that would be my mamm. I love to do it though, and when I’m not helping Samuel with his patients, cooking, or cleaning then I am quilting. Right now I’m working on a nine patch crib quilt for my brother’s wife, Leah.
ib4b: What do you put off because you dread it?
AY: I will admit that I dread going to visit Rachel, Samuel’s sister-in-law. She is a sad, bitter woman and try as I might we’ve yet to become friends. When I’m with her, I’m at a loss for what to say, and when I leave, I wish that I could have thought of some way to brighten the situation.
ib4b: What are you afraid of most in life?
AY: I think the natural answer would be death—but after working in the hospital I know that death is a part of life. Perhaps I knew that even before I pursued my nursing certification. Since we are Amish, we believe that each person’s life is complete when they die, that God is all-knowing. Sometimes I think about my father’s accident, and how I wasn’t here to help him. Then I grow afraid that something similar could occur again. When those thoughts plague me, I know that praying is the only thing that will ease my heart.
ib4b: What do you want out of life?
AY: To be with my family—all of my family. Samuel and I are expecting a boppli, so this is a very exciting time. What I want more than anything is for our child to be raised in this circle of love that includes my parents, brothers and sisters, and friends.
ib4b: What is the most important thing to you?
AY: My faith. I know that without my faith I would be floundering through life. The scripture is what guides me. I’m grateful that I was raised in a house of faith, and that each day brings me a little closer to my Lord.
ib4b: Do you read?
AY: If so, what is your favorite type of book to read? I do read—a lot! I read all sorts of things—nursing books and articles, quilting books (even Amish enjoy new patterns), and I also like to read a good fiction book. We visit the small library in our town quite often.
ib4b: If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
AY: I’ve been trying to learn to slow down. Now that I’m 23 and expecting a child, I shouldn’t run around like a small child. I’m trying to remember to measure my steps and think before reacting. That’s hard for me, as I become caught up in whatever is occurring and my first reaction is to act—not always the best thing.
ib4b: Do you have a pet? If so, what is it and why that pet?
AY: We do not have pets in the traditional sense, though I wouldn’t be surprised if Samuel purchased a hunting dog. He’s been looking at them lately, though he thinks I don’t know that. I suppose our horses are like pets though, as we spend a lot of time caring for them and we depend on them for transportation. My mare’s name is Beni. She is a quarter horse, 14.2 hands high and 6 years old, sorrel colored.
ib4b: If you could travel back in time, where would you go and why?
AY: I would go to the night of my father’s accident, when his buggy was hit by a car. I would be with him, to care for him as he lay in the snow. But I can’t go back, and I’m grateful that Gotte used that incident to bring Samuel and me together.
Annie's life is deliciously full as the Christmas season approaches. She helps her husband, Samuel, attend to the community's minor medical needs. She occasionally assists Belinda, the local midwife, and most days, she finds herself delivering the buggy to her brother Adam. Annie’s sister-in-law Leah is due to deliver their first child before Christmas morning, and Annie is determined to finish a crib quilt before the boppli arrives. With six weeks to go, she should have no problem . . . but God may have a different plan. Leah is rushed to the English hospital when the infant arrives early, and Annie discovers the Christmas quilt may hold a far greater significance than she ever imagined.
About Vannetta Chapman
Vannetta Chapman has published over one hundred articles in Christian family magazines. She discovered her love for the Amish while researching her grandfather’s birthplace in Albion, Pennsylvania. Vannetta is a multi-award winning member of Romance Writers of America and holds a B.A. and M.A. in English. She currently teaches in the Texas hill country, where she lives with her husband in the city of Austin.
Connect with Vannetta Chapman Online
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest
Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
*** All participants must be 18 years or older. The winner will be contacted via email. Once contacted the winner has 72 hours to respond with the required information. If the winner does not respond within the timeframe specified, another winner will be chosen. I am not responsible for shipping mishaps. Void where prohibited. ***
Giveaway
Abingdon Press has graciously offered to give a Vannetta Chapman prize pack to one reader! One reader will win a copy of each of the following books: The Christmas Quilt and A Simple Amish Christmas. Giveaway is open to US residents only and ends December 16. Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.
*** All participants must be 18 years or older. The winner will be contacted via email. Once contacted the winner has 72 hours to respond with the required information. If the winner does not respond within the timeframe specified, another winner will be chosen. I am not responsible for shipping mishaps. Void where prohibited. ***
The best gift was when I gave my husband a barrister bookcase.
ReplyDeleteThe gift of life to my four children was the best gift I ever gave.
ReplyDeleteI had just been terminated from my job , because they had found I was sick because of a medical error with serious health complications. I had no income, while trying to get my disability. I received a card in the mail with a check to cover my bills from a family member that I never thought he knew what was happening to me. The Lord took care of me and still is.
ReplyDeleteBarbara Thompson
barbmaci61(at)yahoo(dot)com
I made my granddaughter a quilt.
ReplyDeletepbclark(at)netins(dot)net
A memory Quilt. The life of my parents in their first 40 years of marriage. They were married 54 years before my dad went to heaven.
ReplyDeleteBlessings
joeym11@frontier.com
The best gift was $100.00 to my parents when most needed.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure what the best gift I ever gave was, But the best gift I received was the year when my niece who was 15 months old said my name on Christmas Day for the first time.
ReplyDeleteAll the Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes. I can just see the smiles on the boys faces as they open those shoe boxes
ReplyDeletemarypopmom (at) yahoo (dot) com
I would probably say Boots to my husband, for he loved his Boots and Stetsons. He was my cowboy! That was also the last thing I gave him too. He had cancer and was getting real bad, but this is what he wanted. So, I got them for him. But they didn't fit good when he usually never had that problem. But, he passed away before I could exchange them. Maxie mac262(at)me(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI once read The Christmas Jar. Giving money anonymously to someone who really needs it is a wonderful thing.
ReplyDeletemauback55 at gmail dot com
A crocheted blanket.
ReplyDelete