MY DAYBOOK

Good morning! It's Monday again and time for My Day Book!

Outside my Window... Patches of sunlight are just beginning to touch the far reaches of my yard.

I am thinking... about plans for some homeschooling this summer.

I am thankful for... encouraging words from friends, loved ones, and the Word of God.

From the kitchen... chicken soup tonight.

I am creating... I'm painting my picnic basket barn red. I've got to give it one more coat of spray paint. I plan to show it to you all on Friday.

I am going... to the pool with my kids. I've been trying to "work out"; but, I'm having pain in my back. So, I'm going to do my exercising in the pool this week.

I am wearing... a purple knit jumper with bare feet, hair down.

I am reading... My new Mary Jane's Farm magazine. A Charlotte Mason Education by Catherine Levinson.

I am hoping... for a breakthrough this week.

I am hearing... not much of anything. My eldest son just woke up. He's getting ready to go lift weights.

Around the house... the normal Monday things...getting things back in order after the weekend, laundry, oh, I'm quite sure I'll find plenty to do!

One of my favorite things... early morning quiet before my family gets up. So why don't I do it every morning?

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... easing into a few lessons with the kids, beginning a new log for hours. Our state requires 1000 hours of lessons per year. I like to start counting in July since our state's official year goes from 7/1 to 6/30 each year. This year I'll be counting for my youngest daughter, too; because, she'll be turning 7.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

This is a spring a few miles from our home. I don't know if it has a name or not. We have an older friend who remembers walking to this spring to get his family's water. I've been told it's not safe to drink; but, while we there, a family came and filled their water jugs and told us it was safe. I don't know; but, for my family, we'll just enjoy the beauty!

Now, go on over to Peggy's Blog and see what the other ladies are doing!

God bless!
Laura
Splashing in the Grace of God




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• The Thrifty Woman's Real Estate Investment Strategy
• It is Well With My Soul
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Something to Think About...Ripples on the River

Recently I went down to the river with my oldest son, Matthew. He's thinking about his future and trying to make some decisions about which path he wants to take this next year. I, on the other hand, am trying to come to terms with the fact that our time with all of our children at home will come to an end sooner than I wish. One of the songs that plays on my blog is "I Will Never be the Same Again." I don't like to think about the fact that our family will never be the same. There's such a desire in a momma's heart to have all her little chicks under her wings, to protect them from all life's foxes, possums, and dogs.

While Matthew and I were sitting there talking, he picked up a handful of rocks and began tossing them into the river, an age old pastime. I gazed at the ripples as they spread slowly outward, just as in a pond. As I watched, I saw them slowly move downstream carried along by the never ceasing current. I was struck by how for an instant he put something into the river. Yet, the ripples continued on, not only spreading out, but also moving on at the same time. I realized that my time to invest myself fully in my son was but a small part of his life. I made ripples that will continue; but, he'll be moving on soon. Those ripples will continue and will touch others as well.

"Lord, I pray that the good, true, Christ-like things that I've invested in my son will continue and stay in his mind, heart, and spirit. I pray that the things I've done wrong, the gaps I've left in his education, the times when I've made wrong decisions, the times when I've lost it, will all be covered in the Blood of Jesus; and, You Lord will make it all right. Thank you, Jesus."

Friends, I do hope you don't mind a prayer or two on my blog. You see, I do believe that God reads blogs. I do believe we talk about praying, and we need to be praying.

So, today I choose to toss a rock in and make a splash in my children's lives and let God handle the rest. This blog is a bit like that. I toss my posts out and hopefully make a little splash in your lives...a splash of hope, a splash of encouragement, a splash of kindness, a splash of Christ's love.

God bless you!

Laura

Splashing in the Grace of God



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• Something to Think About... Regular Hours
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Our Latest Family Picture

I'm so pleased to share our latest family picture with you all!

Artist: Amy, age 6

P.S. If you're wondering, Go is actually Josh, our dog.

Blessings!

Laura

He Gives and Takes Away....

He Gives and Takes Away....

Blessed be the Name of the Lord.

I will trust the Lord to provide. I will trust the Lord to give us what we need just when we need it. I will trust the Lord to know what's best for our family. I will trust the Lord to show us the next step. I will trust the Lord to be our Comforter through this long process of finding employment for my husband or helping him to create income.

Blessed be the Name of the Lord.

He gives and takes away....

My heart will choose to say...

Blessed be the Name of the Lord.

~

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above the Heavenly Host. Praise Father Son and Holy Ghost.

Blessings!

Laura

Happy at Home

~~~~~

You might enjoy...

Spiritual Truth from An Open Door and My Little Dog

~~~~~

Something to Think About...Listening to Children*

"I think a lot of our problems are because people don’t listen to our children. It is not always easy. They’re not always so brilliant that you want to spend hours with them. But it is very important to listen to them." ~Barbara Bush

"Education commences at the mother’s knee, and every word spoken within the hearing of little children tends towards the formation of character."
~ Hosea Ballou

"Don’t worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you."
~ Robert Fulghum

Have a wonderful day!

Laura
Happy to be Momma
to my Four

~~~~~

You might enjoy...

9 Tips for Young Mothers from an Older Woman

~~~~~

My Day Book

Good morning! It's Monday again and time for My Day Book!

Outside my Window... the wind is gently blowing the leaves. It's still wet from the thunderstorm we had in the night.

I am thinking... I have so much to do, I'm not sure where I'll start!

I am thankful for... God providing for us in these very difficult trials that we are going through right now.

From the kitchen... I need to make butter, start some lentil sprouts, start some wheat sprouts, and maybe start some yogurt. I may just leave the yogurt until later in the week. I also am going to start my first batch of Kombucha tea. My friend gave me a "mother" to start it with. It's supposed to be very good for you.

I am creating... a menu for the next month using up as much of what I have on hand as possible, keeping purchases to a minimum.

I am going... I'm just planning to stay home. We went to Vacation Bible School last week and were out until 9:30 each night. I'm still tired from that!

I am wearing... a burgundy jumper with bare feet, hair in a clip.

I am reading... My new Mary Jane's Farm magazine.

I am hoping... my Honey doesn't have to drive in the rain when he comes home from his business in the next city this afternoon.

I am hearing... beautiful music playing from my blog. I was so happy to find music to add to it. I had used Sonific before; but, it is no longer available.

Around the house... general pick up from the weekend, laundry, etc.

One of my favorite things... filling and keeping a hat box filled with things that will become gifts for friends and loved ones.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... I'm going to have my yard sale Friday and Saturday weather permitting. So there will be lots of sorting and pricing to do. Fun fun!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

I hope you all have a terrific day. Now, go over and check out the Simple Woman to see what the other ladies are doing!

God bless!

Laura

Happy at Home

Best Friends for Life...

My Emily and My Amy

Best Friends for Life

I've tried to teach my children that their brothers and sisters are their best friends for life. Other friends drift in and out of our lives; but, our brothers and sisters are forever. I don't have that kind of relationship with my brothers. We were brought up in a broken home. One of the reasons I homeschool my children is that I want them to have that close loving friendship connection with their family when they grow up. Only time will tell; and, it is ultimately up to them. We shall see how it all comes out. I hope they will value each other.

God bless!
Laura

Sweet and Simple Coleslaw Salad Dressing

Sweet and Simple Coleslaw Salad Dressing

Drizzle this over individual servings of
a cabbage based salad or mix it with coleslaw.


½ cup Miracle Whip
½ cup sugar
1 T white vinegar
Mix ingredients together well.
Makes one cup.

Blessings!
Laura

~~~~~

May I suggest?

5 Days of Frugal Eating

~~~~~

Linked with:
Good Morning Mondays
Thankful Homemaker
Farmgirl Friday

My Hope is in You LORD....

There are some things in my life right now that are hard. Things that
are really hard.... Things that may mean some major life changes.... Things that are frightening and make me anxious if I allow myself to dwell on them....

But I choose to...

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication to make my requests known to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:6 adapted for me.


My HOPE is in the LORD GOD MY CREATOR.

"Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope." Psalm 16:9

"Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the LORD." Psalm 31:24

"Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us, Just as we hope in You." Psalm 33:22

"For in You, O LORD, I hope; You will hear, O Lord my God." Psalm 38:15

"And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You." Psalm 39:7

"Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance." Psalm 42:5

"Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God." Psalm 42:11

Yes, they're the same verse repeated in the same Psalm.

"For You are my hope, O Lord GOD; You are my trust from my youth." Psalm 71:5

"But I will hope continually, And will praise You yet more and more."
Psalm 71:14

"You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word."
Psalm 119:114

I believe THE LORD reads blogs. So, MY LORD, I choose to hope in YOU. I thank you for the peace that you've given me in this time of life. YOU are so kind and gracious to me. Thank you God!!!!!

Blessings~
Laura
Blessed daughter of the KING.

~~~~~

Read more...

Living Well So You Can Spend Less

The Value of Time

When the Darkness Closes In Lord...

My Day Book

Outside my Window... it's a rather cloudy day. We had rain this morning. I was determined to walk, so my dog, my Amy in her pink rain poncho, and I all set off for a short walk in the rain this morning. I think my Amy enjoyed it all the more since it was not only time alone with Momma, but also something that we just don't do.

I am thinking... that I am a very blessed woman. I have the love of a good man and lots of Little Lanes... at least it's lots to me!

I am thankful for... lots of food in my freezer, wheat and oats in my buckets, fresh milk in my refrigerator, and the knowledge of how to make yummy things from all these ingredients.

From the kitchen... chicken is simmering for a pot of chicken and dumplings. It smells so good!

I am creating... scrapbook pages to add to my children's scrapbooks.

I am going... to take my children to Vacation Bible School this week.

I am wearing... a blue denim dress, with embroidery, my slip on sketcher shoes and socks.

I am reading... The On-Purpose Person.

I am hoping... for my shop, Harvest Lane Cottage, to be successful.

I am hearing... the whir of the fan. My mother-in-love and my son talking in the other room.

Around the house... the kids are out riding bikes with their Uncle Robin, my son and husband are in the living room talking to my mother-in-love, and I will soon be joining them.

One of my favorite things... a good book and a rainy day.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... I have an old wicker chair that I'd like to paint. I also need to work on a couple of aprons.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you... the latest photo I have of all my children, Matthew, Emily, Michael, and Amy, oldest to youngest.

Now go see what the other ladies are doing at Peggy's Day Book.

Have a terrific week!

Laura of Harvest Lane

Rambling Thoughts About a Beach Ball

Thoughts About a Beach Ball....

As a kid, beach balls were a great symbol of summer fun. They were so versatile. First there was the excitement of getting a new one each year. Funny, they never seemed to last from year to year. Next, the inflating. I remember blowing and blowing and feeling like it would never be inflated fully. Of course, I had to make it just as hard as I could. There was always the challenge of getting the little hole plugged before too much air came out. Then at last it was ready for play.

My brother, John, and I loved to play with balls. Beach balls, baseballs, basketballs, plain old rubber balls, super balls, and tennis balls all enhanced our fun. Beach balls were especially fun in the water. I do mean in the water. We'd do our best to completely submerge the ball, then let it go and watch it pop up into the air. It was great fun to see who could send it the highest. We'd bat it back and forth to each other, push it in the water, make a whirlpool in our little pool and watch it go round and round.

Ah childhood, when fun was found in a simple beach ball.  I think I'll look for one this week for my little kiddles. ~smile~

Let's take some time out for fun!  Let's make memories with our children.

Laura
Happy at Home

~~~~~

May I suggest?

Rambling... Stream of Consciosness 

~~~~~

My Day Book

My Day Book

Outside my window... darkness.

I am thinking... It's going to be a good day. I've got lots to do for the ones I love.

I am thankful that... I have lots of meat in my freezer and lots of beans in my cupboard. I also have lots of oats and wheat in buckets. God is so good to provide for us.

From the kitchen... Sloppy Joes, homemade bread, still thinking about supper.

I am wearing... my blue denim dress with gold buttons. All of the buttons are different except one or two, I sewed them on to replace plain blue ones. I think it's nice to customize things a bit, though I don't do it as much as I would like.

I am creating... my blogs. I'm also going to work on some sewing this week.

I am going... to a friend's house for dessert with my friends from church.

I am reading... My New Harvest Homestead Magazine and the new Mary Jane's Farm Magazine.

I am hoping... and praying for God's provision.

I am hearing... the hum of the fan.

Around the house... the children are asleep. ~smile~

One of my favorite things... collecting quotes for my quote book.

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week... working out at the Y, going to the library, prepping fabrics and cutting out patterns for some sewing projects like this shopping bag.

My Picture Thought....

My Michael, 8, got his first chance to work on the van.

Now go check out the other Day Book entries at our hostess Peggy's blog, The Simple Woman.
God bless!
Laura

A Great Weekend

We had a great weekend. It left me a little tired. ~smile~

My Lowell and I had our date night Friday evening. We live in what we consider a small town of about 12,000. There's not a whole lot to do in the evenings; but, it's a great place to raise kids. We've called it our hometown for about 16 years now. Well, Friday evening we decided to stay in town for our date night. We went to Quizno's and had sandwiches. I really like their Baja Chicken. Yum! After Quizno's, it was on to Lowe's. They are a building center. We purchased a new screen door. It is an old-fashioned wooden screen door. Then we went home and worked in our office for awhile, enjoying a nice cup of cappuccino from the convenience store. Not a fancy evening, but the little kiddles were asleep; and, we got a nice unhurried break.

Saturday morning we slept late. I think it was at least 8:00 or 8:30 when we got up! We had a little lazy time; then, we got busy. Lowell spent a large part of the day painting and installing the screen door. My sons helped him with painting and getting it to hang and shut just right. Good father-son stuff. I took on the task of defrosting an unbelievably frosty freezer. My Lowell and my oldest took it out on the driveway. We then had to wait for some of the frost to melt before I could even get all the stuff out! (Do you sense a little shame here?) Well, I turned lemons into lemonade. We made some simple snow icecream! The neighborhood kids came over; and, all our kids loved it!

Saturday night, we visited friends and enjoyed hotdogs and s'mores on their deck. It was a lovely night of catching up, enjoying fellowship, listening to the wind in the trees, seeing the fireflies come out as night fell, and sharing prayer together. My Dear Friend Debbie is such a treasure to me.

Now, it's Sunday. We went to another cookout after church today. It was a nice relaxing time. I've had a headache today; so, I listened a lot. It was nice to just listen instead of talking so much. One can learn so much!

Well, Sunday evening is here. My Emily is practicing her piano lesson. My Matthew is at youth group. My Amy is making a collage. My Michael, well he's around here somewhere. My Honey Lowell is sorting papers on his desk. So now I'm going to go and gather my little ones and see if they'd like to listen to me read for awhile.

It's been a great weekend!

God bless!
Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage
Happy at Home

SIMPLE LEMONADE

In a hurry for a quick, refreshing drink? No need to grab a soda, this simple lemonade takes just a couple of minutes to prepare.

SIMPLE LEMONADE

Use a one gallon pitcher.
Add:

• 1 cup bottled lemon juice
• 2 cups sugar, Splenda, or 3 tablespoons THM Super Sweet Blend
• Fill pitcher with water and ice. Stir and enjoy!

Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage



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• Pineapple Chicken
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Monday
Mom's the Word - Good Morning Monday

My Day Book

My Day Book

Outside my window... it looks a little drab. I can't tell if it's clouds or that the sun hasn't appeared over the horizon yet.

I am thinking... I have much to do this morning. I've let the laundry pile up. I'm going to get my little kiddles started with lessons again. My oldest is taking a government class at the high school and weight lifting. I'm actually wishing I could go back to bed!

I am thankful that... I have a houseful of family sleeping peacefully.

From the kitchen... My Emily's making her choice for breakfast. I'll make homemade bread for lunch and beef stew for dinner.

I am wearing... my white cotton nightgown, bare feet, and sleep in my eyes. ~smile~

I am creating... another washcloth. I also need to make a menu today.

I am going... to the library and to the YMCA today.

I am reading... Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow. I'm anxious to get this read. ~Tee Hee~ I've actually read some other things since I started this. I need to focus. ~smile~

I am hoping... for a miracle. The job that I wrote about fell through. We've been living on God's miraculous provision since last November. My husband's unemployment checks will end in another week. Once again, we're nearly to the end of our resources. BUT GOD.... will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory. Philippians 4:19

I am hearing... the hum of the fan and of the computer. Everything else is blessed quiet.

Around the house... everyone is asleep except my oldest son, who's at school, and my little white dog.

One of my favorite things... I love the smell of the air after a rain shower.

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week... menus, catch up laundry, list items in my shop, start exercising at the YMCA, church, more yard sale preparations. Yes, I'm still working on it. ~grin~ I'm sure there are many things. I'm still thinking. Regular life sure does keep me busy enough though!

My Picture Thought....

My Michael with his new haircut and a new library book.

Now go check out the other Day Book entries at our hostess Peggy's blog, The Simple Woman.

God bless!

Laura