So Important I Should Address It... But I Hesitate to Add More to The Internet... My Thoughts on Corona Virus

Hello everyone,

 I've not written about the Corona / Covid19 virus. It's at once so important that I feel like I should  address it, and so over talked about and written about that I don't want to add more to the internet about it.

 So, you all know the things you should do to protect yourselves. You've been told by everyone from the President to your mom and dad.  So, I don't really have anything to add to the prevention conversation.

 You've heard all the reports that are alarmist and that incite fear and fear based buying. I don't have anything to add there.

 You've all either seen empty toilet paper and cleaning aisles, or you've heard about them. I've already told you about sewing my own tinkle wipes and making super quick and cheap laundry detergent.

 You've been told to stay home to help level the curve, if you're sick, etc. We all know lots of things to do at home.

 So, what do I have to add?

 Fear not... Isaiah 41:10

 Do not worry... Philippians 4:6-7

 Be at peace... Philippians 4:7

 Trust in the LORD... Proverbs 3:5-6

 You are not alone... Deuteronomy 31:6, Isaiah 41:10

 Be strong and courageous... 1 Corinthians 16:13

 You can do all things... Philippians 4:13

 Jesus heals... Isaiah 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24

 You can walk through the valley of death without fear... Psalm 23:4

 Control your thoughts... 2 Corinthians 10:5

 Think on these things... Philippians 4:8

 "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things." 

 Go ahead. Take the time to look up the verses. Use them to fight the battle in the spirit and in your mind. Lastly, remember that God is Jehovah Sabaoth... Lord of Hosts... He is fighting this battle for you. Pray dear ones. Pray.

 God bless you all and keep you safe in Jesus' name. 

 Sincerely, 
 Laura Lane

Ishmael Covenant Review

Konigsberg, Prussia
1794

"This time evil came riding on shafts of lightning, thunder its rapacious roar—torrents of pounding, cold rain hurtled out of the blackened sky for hours on end.

Yehuda pulled his fox-lined cape more tightly around his body, his left hand gripping it securely against his neck, his right hand throbbing in pain as his mule jerked against the reins with every bolt and bellow from the skies. 'Papa . . . please. We should seek shelter from this storm.'

The dark shape ahead of him, nearly obscured by the downpour, wrestled his mule to a stop on the narrow, muddy path through the tall pine forest. As Yehuda came alongside in the enveloping blackness of the storm, he didn’t like the look of his aged father—fiery determination in his eyes, yes, but a sallow, sunken exhaustion in his face."

My Thoughts: So begins the prologue of a book that is part political intrigue, part end times story, part thriller. Terry Brennan wrote a book that I just couldn't leave alone even though it was at times difficult for me to follow because of my lack of understanding about the Middle East. Actually, I felt that I was being educated as I read, because there was much information included about the countries and their history and relationships to each other. The problems of the Middle East run much deeper than I had imagined. 

Book Description

His marriage in tatters and his career ruined by lies, Diplomatic Security Service agent Brian Mullaney is at the end of his rope. Banished to Israel as punishment by his agency, he's assigned to guard a US ambassador and an insignificant box. Little does he know that this new job will propel him straight into a crisis of global proportions.

Inside the box is a messianic prophecy about the fate of the world. And a dark enemy known as The Turk and the forces of evil at his command are determined to destroy the box, the prophecy, and the Middle East as we know it. When Ambassador Cleveland gets in the way, his life and his daughter's life are threatened--and Mullaney must act fast.

Now agents of three ancient empires have launched covert operations to secure nuclear weapons, in direct defiance of the startling peace treaty Israel and its Arab neighbors have signed. And a traitor in the US State Department is leaking critical information to a foreign power. It's up to Mullaney--still struggling with his own broken future--to protect the embassy staff, thwart the clandestine conspiracies, and unmask a traitor--before the desert is turned into a radioactive wasteland.

Fans of Joel C. Rosenberg, Steven James, and Ted Dekker will relish the deadly whirlpool of international intrigue and end-times prophecy in Ishmael Covenant--and will eagerly await the rest of this new trilogy.


My Further Thoughts on the book:

  I was enthralled by the introduction. 
  I found the early chapters to be slow.
  I found that I... had... been... reading... slowly.... Until.. the.. first.. chase.. when. I started reading faster and faster and faster! Then I slowed down for awhile. Then I read faster again. I found this repeated on and off as I read. 
  There are a lot of political things going on throughout the book. I have to admit that some of it I didn't follow very well. But it was so well-written, I just kept reading. There is a lot of set up and introduction to a lot of characters in the beginning. That's why it was slow for me. Things moved quicker as I got farther into the book. 
  If you like political intrigue, last days books, or things about Iran, Iraq, Persia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Palestine and Israel, as well as America's relationship with them, you will likely enjoy this book as well. 

About the Author

Terry Brennan is the award-winning author of The Sacred Cipher, The Brotherhood Conspiracy, and The Alepp Code, the three books in The Jerusalem Prophecies series. His new book, Ishmael Covenant is the first in his new series, Empires of Armageddon. A Pulitzer Prize is one of the many awards Terry Brennan accumulated during his 22-year newspaper career. The Pottstown (PA) Mercury won a Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing for a two-year series of editorials published while Brennan was the newspaper’s Editor. Starting out as a sportswriter in Philadelphia, Brennan became an Editor and Publisher for newspapers in Pennsylvania, Illinois, and New York and in 1988 moved to the corporate staff of Ingersoll Publications (400 newspapers in the U.S., Ireland and England) as Executive Editor of all U.S. newspaper titles. In 1996, Brennan transitioned into the nonprofit sector, spending 12 years as VP Operations for The Bowery Mission and six years as Chief Administrative Officer for Care for the Homeless, NYC nonprofits that serve homeless people. Terry and his wife, Andrea, live in Danbury, CT. More on Brennan can be found at www.terrybrennanauthor.com. Facebook (Terry Brennan) Twitter (@terrbrennan1) I received this book for free for review from Audra Jennings PR.

Thrifty Things Lately at Harvest Lane Cottage #150

Hello ladies, please read my note at the bottom of this post. 

I'm so glad you came by to visit me. I like to share my thrifty and frugal projects, ways of saving money, frugal cooking, and my blessings from God. Keeping a record of the ways that God provides and the ways that I am resourceful truly builds my faith. I encourage you to keep a record, too.

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Thrifty Things Lately at Harvest Lane Cottage!

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~ Ham and beans and cornbread for supper then leftovers

~ I made 3 quarts of Super Cheap Super Quick Laundry Detergent.

~ I am knitting socks with yarn that was given to me. There was no tag, so I don't know the fiber content or the company. I am having fun with these colors.

~ I'm using the Fish Lips Kiss pattern for the heel which has resulted in perfectly fitting socks for me and for my husband. The pattern is only $1 on Ravelry.

~ I am saving so much time and avoiding impulse purchases by using Walmart's free pick up service! I encourage you to give it a try. Please use my referral link to sign up. It's free, and you get $10 off your first order, and I get $10 off my next order if you try it.

~ I signed up for Casey's convenience store rewards program and received a free slice of breakfast pizza.

~ When I bought drinks at the convenience store, I brought my own cup.

~ Mr. Lane and I went out to McDonalds after church, because we had to get right back to church to help with the Baldnobbers' concert. We each ordered the $2 double cheeseburger and fries and $1 iced tea. Lunch for 2 for $6 plus tax. Good in a pinch. ~smile~

~ I worked my part-time job. It's helping me add to our savings account, buy some necessities, and save for a wig. I've currently got my eye on Voltage by Raquel Welch in SS10 Shadow Shades Chestnut. I look forward to going to a local wig shop in a few weeks to try it on and see if I need the large or not. My hair just never grew back in correctly in the front after chemotherapy.

~ I mended some of my family's clothing.

~ I've packed my lunch each day that I work. It's been simple food:

• Peanut butter and jelly sandwich with grapes
• Egg salad sandwich and grapes
• Tuna salad sandwich and grapes or applesauce
• Simple salads
• I also carry water and sometimes iced tea from home.

~ My son changed the filters and oil in our cars saving us about fifty dollars.

~ My daughter and I enjoyed buy one get one free smoothies from Tropical Smoothie Cafe.

~ I wore the skirts I made recently to work. I wore this one with a black sweater that I've had for maybe 15 years.

~ I made even more Super Cheap Super Quick Laundry Detergent. My cocoa recipe is in that Gooseberry Patch book.

~ After being unable to purchase toilet paper, I used some old t shirts to make reusable wipes for tinkling. It will make the paper I do have last longer.

 Sometimes, there are going to be times that we cannot buy what we want or need. Maybe it's because we do not have enough money, the money we have needs to be used for something else, or maybe the product we want is not available. This is the time when our resourcefulness and prayer will pull us through. We need to pray and think about what we do have and how we can use it to meet our needs. The more resourceful we are, the better we live. 

 Do not give in to fear about circumstances. God has not given us a spirt of fear but power and of love and a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7

 We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Philipians 4:13

 This is the time to get in God's word and pray. 

 You may give share prayer requests with me in the comments or by email.

God is so good.

Praise God!

Keep calm and pray on,

Laura

Blessed to be a blessing

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I Can't Believe It Happened in My Hometown

!!!!!

 No dramatic photos. Just complete amazement. I went to Dollar General tonight, in what I've thought of as my sensible hometown, and the toilet paper shelves were bare. Completely bare. I thought it was only happening in cities. Fortunately, I still have a few rolls left. Tomorrow, I'll be looking through my fabric and old t-shirts for fabric to make wipes. I've known about family cloth for years, but I've never done it. 

 I hope this is not a portent of things to come. I don't watch the news much, but every time I do, someone's panicking or causing panic about the Corona virus. I do wish that people would take this seriously but not panic. I'm not nearly as worried about the virus as I am about the hysteria that's surrounding it. Call me naive, but even as a cancer survivor, I will just practice good hygiene and wash my hands, wash my hands, wash my hands. I will also be careful around others who show symptoms of illness just like I would with other illnesses.

 So, tomorrow I will make cloth wipes for tinkling and pray for our country and our world.

 Bless you all, keep calm and pray.

 Laura

Spring is Breaking Out All Over

The signs of spring are everywhere here in Southwest Missouri. My teacup tree is budding, the dog is lying in the sun on the back patio, the cat is sunning himself out on the front walk, the grass is beginning to turn greener, the hyacinths are coming up as are the tulips, the daffodils are blooming and so are the crocus.

My daughter and I enjoyed sitting on the front porch talking this morning, and I had to go in because the sun was so hot on my legs that they felt as though they were burning. We've had our share of rain, but today the sun is bright and the sky is blue with pretty puffy clouds dotting it with shades of white and light gray. They are the sort of clouds I used to enjoy as a young child when I lay on my back on the merry-go-round looking for shapes. Did you ever do that?

I've had a bit of a time adjusting to working outside the home after so many years. The work itself is good. I have the opportunity to help the doctor and to help my husband in a monetary way. He doesn't require it of me, but it's helping us through a lean time financially. My contribution is helping to rebuild our savings, to pay for gas and groceries, and for a few extras, too. I don't know if it's long-term, but it's what I believe God has for me to do right now. Mind you, my youngest is in college, so I'm not neglecting children, but my house is showing some neglect. Perhaps some of you working ladies can offer me some advice for balancing work out with work at home.

Well, I need to go now. I'm leaving you with a few photos. I'm reading Ishmael Covenant, and I plan to have a review ready for you by the end of the week. In the meantime, please enter the giveaway here. The giveaway is sponsored by the promotional company.

Have a wonderful week ending, and please share any tips you have with me about combining working in town with the housework at home.

Be blessed everyone!

Hugs,
Laura