Wow, I have been out of town and offline and just got back to find all of these comments here. How fun! Thanks everyone for commenting! Here are a few specific responses... MaryAnn, I hear you! I LOOOOVED being an at-home mom to my two daughters, but the last day of school was always a real mixed blessing for me. Summers were so fun but so tough. Those of us who need our alone time can go bonkers when we're constantly surrounded by other people, even our own beloved kids. :) Linda, you're so right, the Amish do frequently work alongside each other and in fact Amish parents generally spend far more time with their kids, (especially the fathers), than non-Amish. They put a huge emphasis on teaching and on modeling behavior for their children, and they invest a enormous amount of time in that. It's inspiring to watch. Sandra, I agree that it's kinda sad to see the Women of Lancaster County series end, but the good news is that I have a new series starting in the spring called The Men of Lancaster County. :) It's being co-written with Susan Meissner and starts with The Amish Groom, to be released in April. (I just noticed yesterday that the cover is already up on amazon, which is exciting. They usually don't post them so early.) Jackie, that's great to hear, thanks for making my books available in your library! Marcia, I enjoy sewing, but I don't find it nearly as economical as I used to. Years ago, fabric was cheaper than anything you could buy ready-made. Nowadays, it's almost always the opposite. I'm curious where you get your fabric--and if you know of some secret, inexpensive source that I don't. :) Thanks again to everyone for commenting and for all of the kind words. This has been a real treat. Now I'm off to visit an Amish farm for research on my next book! Blessings, Mindy Starns Clark