Harvest Lane Cottage

What if... we didn't give any gifts that we felt obligated to give... we took the time to make something for those we love... we refused to buy anything made in a factory or overseas... we limited ourselves to one gift per person.... Would our gift giving habits change? Would that be good? Just something to think about.... Laura Moving toward Simplicity ~~~~~ May I suggest?  Something to Think About... Precedents ~~~~~ Monday Mom's the Word  -  Good Morning Monday

"For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation. Let the saints rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds." Psalm 149:4-5 I woke up at 2:00 a.m. this morning with a horrific dream. It was so bad, I woke up and told my husband that it was like something demonic. We prayed and prayed about it. I had a strong feeling that it was a warning of some kind to pray. As we prayed, Lowell prayed that I would forget the dream. I have for the most part. What I haven't forgotten is the urgency to pray. I know I prayed at least an hour aloud and in the Spirit. I prayed for forgiveness, repenting of known sins. My husband did the same. I prayed for others and for our family to do the same. I cannot help believing that there is an extreme urgency to pray for this election as well. I'm not ashamed to say that I will be voting for Senator McCain. However, I'm perfectly aware that Senator Obama may indeed be the victor. Eit...

Hello Ladies! The Maple Leaf Festival is now history for Carthage. What does that mean for me? It means the time is going to go faster and faster until New Year's Day! I am all for preparing early for Christmas. BUT what I've found is that if I'm not ready by early December, I spend all of December in a stressed out frenzy. That's not the kind of memory I want my kids to have of me! This year I've started earlier than ever. You've probably noticed that I've had a ticker in my sidebar with the countdown to the Christmas season. Am I jumping the gun? No, I don't think so. I want to be mindful of my time so that I can enjoy December and Advent with my children. I want the focus to be on Jesus, not on the fuss of it all. How are you doing? Are you thinking through what you want to do yet? Any presents made or bought or planned yet? Think about what you want this season to be like. Think about what meals you'll be preparing, what snacks...

God blessed us with a beautiful rainy Fall day; so, since I'm sore from picking up walnuts yesterday, I'm taking it a little easy today. I've registered the children for the Book It Program through Pizza Hut. The children earn personal pizzas for meeting their reading goals. You can register on-line, too. I also got their Braums Book Buddies package; so, they're busy reading to try to earn an ice cream cone, too. Today will be dedicated to laundry, a little cooking, a little cleaning and a little reading to the children. I'm working on making a reading list that I can post for the Fall reading challenge. I'll write about it soon. Have a beautiful day! Laura ~~~~~ May I suggest? God's Glory Reflected in Nature ~~~~~ 

Hi, Today has been black walnut day. First picking, then selling, then trying to get the maggots out of the back of the van. Yuck! The memory and $14.00 for Christmas? Priceless! Laura

"For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation. " Psalm 149:4 The last few years have humbled me a lot. We've come from being able to go and do and buy much of what we wanted, whether with cash or credit, to going and doing without and buying mostly necessities. It's a hard thing not to be able to take your children to a free zoo day because you cannot put enough gasoline in the car to get there and back. It's our life right now. So many of the things that people are worried about losing because of the economy, we've already lost...401K...house...vehicles, good credit. It started with a boss who decided that my husband's pay should be cut in half, and he should work twice as hard. It continued with a business that we started using our house as collateral. Don't do that. It's stupid. Why didn't we see that? The business failed, we lost all that we had of monetary value about two year...

Chicken breasts with teriaki sauce and steamed rice. How on Earth do you spell that? ~smile~ Have a wonderful evening or day! Laura

Hi Everyone! It was an absolutely beautiful day! Thank you God! Folks talked about the weather all day. I talked about prayer and God all day! For a first time event, it was great. Lots of folks, lots of activities, lots of kids, everyone had a great time. I think they'll do it again next year, too. It was one of three events in our area. The other two were bigger and better established; but, we held our own. Sales wise, I have to say it was disappointing. I talked with some other vendors and found that they had similar results. Even so, it was a good experience. I hope that the date can be changed to a week earlier next year so there isn't so much competition for craft buyers. So, I'll have even more things to add to my etsy shop. I'll start putting some things in. Can anyone give me some advice or direct me to someone that can give some advice on how to get your shop and products noticed in Etsy? I'll be looking into other ways to sell my things, too. I also have ...

Hi! Today's the Farm Girl Festival. I've got my things ready to load into the van. I'll be leaving soon. Please pray! It's been raining since 6:50. I've prayed in faith that it will blow on over and we'll have a nice day. Please join me in prayer, friends. God bless you and have a wonderful weekend! Laura Saying unto the rainstorm, be thou removed unto another location! In faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ's Name.