I Owe You an Apology

 

Hello everyone!

A dear reader sent me a message recently asking if I'm okay since I hadn't posted in a month. 

That is a very valid question. This is the answer that I sent to her.

"Thank you so much for checking on me. I've just had a hard time keeping up with all the things I have to do. By the time I get close to done, I just feel like crawling into bed. So yes, I'm okay. And no, I'm not okay. I have to find a better balance of life, work, creativity, housework, friends, blogging, and of course, Jesus! He's first of all! Thank you again!"

♥ ♥ ♥

I love writing to you ladies. I love sharing my love for Jesus and for this life he's given me. I love to be creative and to share what I've done. I love to be thrifty and share what I'm doing to save and how God's providing for us.

That dear lady's question and concern made me think. 

We really do have a connection. So many of us read each other's writings.  We do care about each other. It reminded me of times when I have faithfully read blogs, sometimes from the first post; and then, suddenly there's not another post. It leaves one wondering what happened. It's for this reason, one of my daughters is in charge of writing one last post on this blog when I go on to be with Jesus one day. 

What I didn't think about is how y'all would feel if I just didn't show up for a long while. The kids might call it "ghosting". I don't want to do that. So many of you ladies have been with me for years through seriously hard times. Newer readers may not know all that, but they are still invested.

So, after all of this, I am firmly resolving to write to you ladies at least once a week for the forseeable future. 

I ask your forgiveness for dropping the pen so to speak. If and when this blog ends, there will be a final post from me or from my daughter. I've been writing it since December 2007. Nope, I never figured out how to make it make money. ~grin~ I guess that's because it was never about money. 

It's about sharing the love of Jesus and how he has seen me through good times and bad. It's about how to make the best of things, see the bright side, and see the miraculous in the everyday life of being a Christian wife, mom, homemaker, and now a working wife.

So, expect to hear from me next week!

Please tell me below what you like me to write about:

Jesus

Bible

Thrifty Lately

Knitting

Sewing

Books

Products I Like

Saving Money

Making Do

Homeschooling 

Projects

Growing Older

Things God is Teaching Me

Something Else?

Whatever comes to mind, I'd like to know.

I'm growing and so are you.

Let's do it together!

Thanks so much for writing back, and Karen for checking on me!

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and give you peace.

Amen.

Laura

Happier at Home

Working to Get Out of Debt

Hugs!

One of the Oldest Ways That I've Been Thrifty Through the Years

     If you've never cut hair at home, you'd be surprised at how easy it is. I've been cutting my husband's hair, and my own, for many years. I started when we were too poor to afford a trip to the barber or salon. As each of our four children came along, I cut their hair as well with clippers or scissors. I even cut our little dog's hair. I used a separate set of clippers for him. ~smile~    

      I'm an Amazon Vine reviewer. I receive products to review. I found one that I really like. I wanted to share it with you, because it fits my thrifty vibe; and I think it could really help you save some cash. 

    This is the best clipper set that I've used. 

Conair Quiet Cut 20-Piece Haircut Kit

My Review on Amazon:  My husband and I love this clipper set. We both tried it out. It works great. It's quiet. The vibration is lower compared to the two sets of clippers that I have owned in the past. It is also lightweight. That makes it excellent for smaller hands or those with hand issues. It's also a quieter set of clippers than I've used before. The color coded and labled attachments make it so easy to choose the length and to remember next time. This set of clippers will pay for itself over and over in the money saved by cutting hair at home. Great value! Thrifty! Good investment. 

    The surprising part is that it is really affordable. My husband cannot get his hair cut for this price! It's normally $29.99 on Amazon. As I write this, they've got it on special for $23.99. 

    If you choose to purchase it, will you please consider following my link? It will take you to the exact product.

    The great part of learning to cut your family's hair nowadays is that there are lots of YouTube videos to help you learn. 

    Well, that's all for now. I'll write again soon. Thank you to all of you dear friends who have stayed with me through the big change to full-time working woman. That's a title that I didn't think that I would have again. It's not been easy to adjust, but I'm getting better at it. With the holidays approaching quickly, I'll be sharing more homemakery things in the next weeks.

    Be blessed! Go forth and be thrifty!

*As an Amazon Vine reviewer, I received this product at no charge. I am required to review the majority of products that I receive; and, I pay taxes on the value of the products sent to me. I am not expected to review the products anywhere but on the Amazon site. I just really liked this one!

If you start any Amazon purchase at my Harvest Lane Cottage Affiliate Link,  I may earn a small commission.

Ok, Sewing Through September is Going to...

 Pause.

I'm taking time to research machines. I do want to start sewing again. I just don't have the energy to plan and start a hand sewn project. I also don't have extra time to learn to treadle right now. So, I'm giving myself permission to pause. No guilt. I'll figure this problem out then hit play again. Thank you for your patience with me.

Laura

Sewing Through September Days 8 and 9

 Hello.

My name is Laura.

I am a squirrel.

I have been saving my nuts (money gifts)

for years. 

I saved each Christmas gift from my dad until I knew what I wanted to use it for. 

Apparently, I have done this for a few years now. 

I thought I had a couple of hundred dollars. 

I counted tonight.

I have enough to buy a sewing machine!

God knew I'd need this money now.

I simply forgot it was stashed away.

I called my dad and told him as soon as I found it.

Thank you, Dad! Most of it was from you. 

Thank you past Laura for saving for current Laura so that future Laura can enjoy sewing for many more years!

No sewing yesterday or today. I've spent some time researching. 

I've also been thinking about the old 1913 singer sitting on the other side of the room. It's a treadle machine. It was my husband's grandmother's machine. She sewed feed sack dresses for his mom on it back in the 1940's. We had it reconditioned a few years ago. I tried treadling and found it very hard. I think it would help if I had someone to show me. 

Now I'm thinking about whether that's a skill that I want to try to build. 

I'm going to think on that a bit more. 

I'm not giving up on Sewing Through September. I just need to decide on my next step.

Thank you to all of you wonderful ladies who shared bits of advice with me. Sending every one of you a hug!

Laura

Who is thankful for being a squirrel

No photos tonight, because my old computer didn't cooperate.

I don't even want to think about that!

Sewing Through September Day 5, 6, and 7

 

First project completed!
Candy Corn Bag Project Bag

Today, September 7, is my momma's birthday. She's been in Heaven for 27 years now. I still miss her very much. She taught me to sew when I was quite young. I learned by helping her. She used to make clothes for me and for herself. She also sewed many things for the home. She didn't even need a pattern for lots of things. I didn't inherit that from her. I did inherit a deep enjoyment of sewing. So much so, that I used the money I received for high school graduation to buy a Kenmore sewing machine that I used for many years. I couldn't imagine moving out of my mom's house and not having a sewing machine!

That old machine finally gave out after many years. I've replaced it twice since then. My current machine, a Singer One, has served me since 2012. I actually thought it was newer than that. I looked back and found the blog post sharing the purchase. 

While sewing the candy corn bag this weekend, I spent most of the "sewing" time fighting with the machine. I took it to the repairman last winter due to issues with the tension. It wasn't much better when I got it back. I haven't sewn since I started working full-time at the clinic back in February. Now I remember why. It's just so frustrating!

What? The one activity that has always felt like I was born to do it—frustrating? How can that be? I'll tell you.

Sewing is frustrating when your machine skips stitches, has poor tension that cannot be fixed no matter what videos, the manual and even Chat GPT tell me. The computer part seems to be messed up, too. The last time I tried to use it, the zigzag wouldn't work. Now, I have to put the needle all the way to the right to be near the center. 

So, here I am at the beginning of Sewing Through September with a malfunctioning machine. I'm just not sure what I'm going to do.

I know that I need to replace it. I need something that is going to last. I need something that I'm not going to need to replace. What that is going to be or what it's going to cost, I don't know. I want something with metal parts that can stitch straight and do zigzag. I don't need anything fancy just functional.

I finished the first project, my candy corn bag today. I'm not sure what I'm going to do tomorrow since the machine is on the blink. 

Any suggestions for a good machine that's going to last me many years?

Any suggestions for a sewing project that doesn't need a machine?

Help wanted. 

~smile~

Be blessed, 

Laura 

Still determined to sew through September!

Related posts:

Sewing Challenge Month at Harvest Lane Cottage

Thrifty Things Lately at Harvest Lane Cottage #151

Shocking Information About the Bread we Buy!

 I am shocked!

Maybe I live under a rock, but I had no idea that the breads sold in the grocery store nearly all have unsafe levels of glyphosate. Any is unsafe, actually. This includes those that are labeled organic.  Glyphosate is in Round Up weed killer by Monsanto. 

Please watch this video. My bread habit is going to change. I'm going to research flours and grains next. Then, I'm going to make my own bread when we want it. I'm shocked.

According to this video, Bayer, owner of Monsanto, has paid out nearly 100,000 lawsuits to people who developed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Gasp!

My son received that diagnosis earlier this year. He has had radiation treatment and is currently in remission. 

Please watch this video or look into for yourselves.

Concerned,

Laura

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

 

Tiger and Penny
Yes, Tiger outweighs Penny!

Enjoy these last few days of summer.

I'll be inside in the air conditioning!

But, I've not always had it. Here's how we coped. 

We've been hovering at or above 100 degrees for too long!

I'll be back with a Sewing Through September update on Monday. Most of my sewing time today was spent fighting with the tension on my sewing machine. 

Happy Labor Day

weekend!

Laura