Harvest Lane Cottage

Marveling at the Wonders of New Life.... Our latest family project is raising chicks. We bought our six little chicks from my friend Joyce's young sons. They're making a little business of it. We've had the chicks for a week and a half now and all are healthy and strong. I recommend buying from someone locally. We've got the chicks in our garage now that it's getting warmer and they're getting bigger. It's amazing how much they've grown in such a short time. These photos were taken when we first got them. It's another great hands-on homeschooling project. I hope the little critters will reward us with some eggs, too. They are a "straight run" meaning that there are girls and boys. The girls will be our hens. They should start giving us eggs in about 6 months. The boys will be the roosters. At 8 weeks, they'll either be in the soup pot or sold. My friend Nancy told me that I could hold them by the head for a ...

At a yard sale, that is! I have an adorable nine year old boy who is oh so hard on the knees of his jeans. He has two hard and fast rules that he lives by. Rip out the left knee first; and, make sure the rip's so big it's hard to repair! Because of this, I'm always on the lookout for jeans at yard sales and at thrift shops. I have tried repairing his jeans; but, by the time I see them, they're ripped from seam to seam most of the time. Praise God! I went to a yard sale today and found 6, count them 6, pairs of nice jeans for him. They were only twenty-five cents a pair! Woo Hoo! I cannot tell you the number of times that I've needed or wanted something and God has filled that need or want through a friend or a yard sale. He is so very good. I feel like Father God's just taking tender loving care of His little girl. He is. To top it all off, He spoiled me by showing me a McCalls Country Canning candle for only $3 that sells for $20 in the ...

A couple of years ago, our family was going through really tough times. Praise God He's faithful and brings us through when we lean on Him. This was one of the recipes I used at that time. It's quite filling. I relied heavily on things such as cornbread, yeast bread, and biscuits to help fill tummies at our house. I made cornbread with this recipe. We had unexpected company one night. I served this to four adults and eight children and had just enough. This recipe would serve eight amply. Hurrah for leftovers! Lentils and Rice for Tough Times 4 cloves of garlic, chopped 1 large onion, chopped 4 t canola oil 1 1/2 c dry lentils, rinsed 1 1/2 c brown rice 6 t chicken bouillon or 6 cubes 1 t dried oregano 1 t dried basil 8 c water In a soup pot, saute the onion and garlic in the canola oil. Add the remaining ingredients and bring it to a full boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 45 to 50 minutes. The water should be mostly absorbed. Ble...

~~~~~ Love, it's what makes the world go 'round, or so they say. Who are they? I wonder. Perhaps it is. After all, the Bible states that God is Love. A scientist might say things about gravitational pull or "An object in motion tends to remain in motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced force." I'm no expert about things like that. I'm not even a scientific novice. I'm just me, Laura, a poor gentile woman who has been saved by grace by my faith in my Lord Jesus Christ, the living Son of God. I've thought often of the immeasurable love God has for me. Mary, Jesus' mother spoke of having been blessed among women. I have been blessed among women in my own generation. I married my high school sweetheart almost 23 years ago. We've loved and lived through very tough times together. We're holding out for the better, the richer, and health! I have four healthy children. That's twice the average number in America. I have a double porti...

I've got beans in my cupboard. Don't you just love beans? You can do so very many things with them! My family's favorite is homemade refried beans. They think that mine are far better than those you get in restaurants. I have to agree...must be the garlic! ~smile~ We're garlic lovers at our house. There's a little Mexican store down the street called La Tiendita that sells fresh hot corn tortillas on Fridays and Saturdays. Goodness they're delicious when they're hot and fresh! The ones in the grocery store just don't compare. Someday I'll try making my own. For now, it's La Tiendita for me. It sounds so good, I think I'll go plunk down my $2 plus tax and get a big stack and make up some refried beans for tonight. Here's my refried bean recipe. It makes enough for my family of 6 with plenty of leftovers. 4 cups of pinto beans (2 lbs.) 1 small onion, chopped 3-5 garlic cloves, chopped 2 T canola oil Put the beans in a c...

I attended our homeschool moms' support group meeting last night. One of my friends commented that she can always tell when I've been really busy because I don't write on my blog. Yep. She's right. It seems that the last few weeks have been crazy busy. I've written an article for The Kingdom Business Journal which was published online this month. Go take a look if you like, it's free. I've also been working for The Shepherd's Guide, a yellow page directory of Christian businesses. It's all been data entry type work. I've spent quite a bit of time on it; but, I think I'm finally going to be able to purchase a grain mill. I'd love to hear your recommendations. I'm looking at the Wonder Mill pretty seriously. I've also had my house torn apart because the carpet cleaner came last week. I was ready for him upstairs. When he told me he'd do the finished basement for only $20 more, I had to take him up on it. School was put on ho...

~~~~ Words matter for so many reasons. Think about it. Our very world was spoken into existence by God with words. "Let there be...and it was good." God walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day. The peoples were divided at the Tower of Babel by their language, their words. They couldn't understand each other. Jesus is the Word in the flesh. "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." 1 John 1:9. This was confirmation that Jesus is himself God. The Word of God is referred to as a two edged sword, as the sword of the Spirit. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9 Words Matter to God. ~~~~ "Be ye kind one to another, tender hearted forgiving one another just as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you." Ephesian 4:32 With our words, we can bless or curse. We can encourage or disco...