Harvest Lane Cottage

Hey Y'all! I've been keeping busy in the kitchen this morning. I tried Sue Gregg's Blender Batter Waffles. I've never made waffles before. That's hubby's specialty. I think they turned out light and delicious. I used buttermilk, brown rice, and oats. Yummy! After that, I made up a big batch of homemade rolls. I'm getting low on hard wheat; so they were about 50/50 white and wheat flour. I made lots of medium sized rolls, that ended up being about the size of hamburger buns. I then made a bunch of large rolls that I thought would actually be hamburger buns. Um, you could put a meatloaf on one! I think I'll use them for something else. Lastly, little Amy 7, made some small rolls. Let's just say that no one complained! In the middle of all of this, hubby came in with an armful of fresh herbs from the garden. So, I sat down and started pulling the leaves off to put them in the freezer. Some went in whole, and some will be dried. ...

Hi Friends, We're having a nice sunny rainy day. Yes, sunny and rainy at the same time! The sun is shining while I listen to thunder and see the rain coming down. It's off and on, but odd weather! Early this morning I ran some errands with the kids. Without a/c in the van, I was glad to get home before the heat really set in. I dropped my eldest off to mow a lawn for the local chiropractor. Matthew had bartered with him last week for services. I wish I was better at that. He'll do the Dr's daughter's lawn tomorrow; and, they'll be even. Then it was off to a nearby city to shop for some clothing for my daughter at Target and Goodwill. I hadn't been to this Goodwill for years. It was like shopping at a nice store. Everything was so clean, tidy, and organized. I'll drop in again. I also stopped by the teachers' supply store, but didn't find what I needed. The public school teachers only teach 5 days a week. I need to keep records 7 da...

It's the end of June. Time to tie up loose ends around here. Lowell is finishing up the Joplin Tri-State Shepherd's Guide . It's a great directory of Christian businesses. This is a new book to the Joplin area; but, Shepherd's Guide has been around for years. Click on Shepherd's Guide to see the on-line version. There may be a guide in your neck of the woods. I really love the idea of having a list of Christians to go to first before I check out the yellow pages. I'm finishing up the record keeping for homeschooling. The school year in Missouri goes from July 1 through June 30. So, I try to get it all wrapped up in June. We've been on a break for the last few weeks. In July, I usually start easing back into school a bit. This year we'll probably start on our Language Arts and Math in July. We'll continue reading. We'll add other subjects as we get closer to Autumn. I've also got to finish my painting project. I've been a...

Hi, I must have struck a chord when I mentioned painting. The nice thing about it is that I can do it inside in the air conditioning. Thanks for all the kind comments. The project is coming along. Gotta do laundry and some cooking today also. Blessings, Laura

What a scorcher! Well, tonight I've got to finish the 3 doors that started all this painting mess. I wish I could show you before and after photos; but, something's wrong with the little hole on the computer that you put the cord in that transfers photos from the camera. So, no photos for now. Just imagine dingy dull flat white paint that has two and a half years worth of smudges and fingerprints on it transformed by a clean pretty creamy white semi-gloss paint! This project is going to keep on going even though tonight should finish the original project I had in mind. After all, I can't just stop at painting trim in the hallway, can I? The living room trim is dingy, too! So is the coat closet door! Hmmm.... I'll be painting until I run out of paint or run out of trim! I also took some time today to sort and discard some papers. I also made a menu, grocery list, and went to Aldi's and Wal-Mart for groceries and a couple of prescriptions. I'm gla...

Hi Y'all, I was cooling off in front of the fan this afternoon after driving around in sweltering heat this morning. Welcome to Southwest Missouri in June! Anyway, I got it in my mind that this place needs some sprucing up. And I have almost a gallon of off white paint left over after Honey painted the basement bathroom last year. So, my little Amy (7) is helping me tape around the trim in the hallway. I want to paint the trim and the three white doors. Actually, my big Matthew (18) will take the doors down and do them out on the porch for me. He might help me with the trim also. He works at a wonderful Hardware store down on the square. It's been there for a hundred years or so. So old fashioned and quaint. The point is that he has an employee discount. So we went and bought some narrow trim brushes and a new paint tray and stir sticks. The grand total for the project was $1.01. I later realized that I was out of blue tape. So Honey took Matthew back to get that....

My Friend Sue, of Country Pleasures, wrote about flowers and friendship today. See her blog in my blog list. She mentioned, "My theory is you can always tell a good Mother by the way she tends to her garden and friends. " Oh boy, I hope she's not right about that! I'm afraid the three lovely flower gardens that my husband planted for me in our front yard are sorely in need of weeding. The pansies, petunias and snapdragons are loving the rain and temperatures we've been having; but, so do the weeds! I guess that's something to put on my to do list. One of my dear friends, Sherry, recently moved to a new house in the country. I spent a few hours helping her yesterday. It's an old farm house that the Lord has worked so many details out for. She has nice big airy rooms with big windows that felt fine even without air conditioning in 85 degree weather. It's great. I'm so happy for her. She was content even before the Lord made ...

So, I decided to fancy things up around here a bit. I'm feeling pretty in pink. That pretty chicken is one of our chicks we got back in March. Amazingly, I woke up before he did this morning! I may be mistaken; the kids are the experts on telling the boys apart. But- I think that this guy is the one the kids named...mind you, we live on the edge of the Ozarks, just minutes from Oz... BILLY JOE JIM BOB JUNIOR! I am so enjoying having the chickens. Maybe that's because my girls feed them and Michael cleans their little home! I just get to watch them strutting around the yard, eating bugs, greens, and scraps, or watch them take off across the yard like they're being chased by coyotes every time something or someone gets too close. Between our big garden and our little flock of a dozen chickens, we're living more country than we did when we lived in the country! Last night we ate crunchy sweet peas from the garden. They're the kind that you can eat the whole po...

"With every rising of the sun Think of your life as just begun. ~ The past has shrivelled and buried deep, All yesterdays. There let them sleep. ~ Nor seek to summon back one ghost Of that innumerable host. ~ Concern yourself with but to-day, Woo it, and teach it to obey ~ Your will and wish. Since time began To-day has been the friend of man; ~ But in his blindness and his sorrow He looks to yesterday and to-morrow." ............................. Author unknown From the Character Classic Tiger and Tom ISBN 1881545083 Have a wonderful today! Laura

I want to share the first blog with you that I can remember reading. It's called the Homemaking on the Homestead.  Mrs. Miller writes about homesteading, homemaking, home cooking, homeschooling, and crafts. She has some delicious recipes for down home healthy cooking. I know, I've tried several of them. Click on over and give her a read. I think you'll find it helpful. Leave her a comment and let her know I sent you. Then, come on back and leave me a comment and let me know what you thought! Happy Wednesday! Laura Wednesday Wonderful Wednesdays  -  Fluster's Creative Muster   -   Wholehearted Wednesdays   -    Raising Homemakers  -  A Wise Woman Builds Her Home  -  A Little R & R   -   Coffee and Conversation

Father God, I pray that we, Your people who are called by Your name will humble ourselves before You; that we will pray to You and listen to You; that we will turn from our sins, our wicked ways, our apathy towards evil, our tolerance of sin. Father God, I ask you to turn the hearts of Your people toward You. Help us to sort through what is truth and what is fiction by comparing it always to your Son Jesus the Christ, Our Saviour, and by comparing to Your Holy Living Word, the Bible. Father God, I ask for You to stir up in Your people a hunger and thirst for righteousness. Help us to be single-mindedly focused on You and what You want us to do, Your perfect will. 9 "This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13And lead us not into temptation, ...