Monday, October 29, 2012

Old Houses and Housewives

















Just sitting a bit and taking a break... I've been getting out the cold weather clothes and hanging them up.  I put them down for their summer nap nice and clean; so, all I have to do is shake them and hang them up.  They'll wait patiently for the iron. ~smile~

I pulled up Pinterest and found this beautiful photo of The Old Cotter House photographed by my friend Sue at Country Pleasures.  You really must click through and see what she's written.

Old houses conjure up images of housewives of old cooking, cleaning, planting flowers, hanging out clothes, knitting and sewing.  Some of the same things we do today, but perhaps with a bit more satisfaction than we feel with the same duties.  I think we're so wrapped up in what's out there that sometimes we don't feel content right here where we are.  May God help us all to be more content to, as Teddy Roosevelt said, "Do what you can with what you've got where you are."

Laura
Who'd better get back to work
~smile~
May I suggest?

Shared with:
Sunday Night
 Amaze Me Monday - Mix it Up Monday - Mom's the Word -  Motivation Mondays 
Tuesday
Wow Us Wednesday - Wonderful Wednesdays - - Fluster's Creative Muster Making a Home 
What Joy is Mine Monday Musings
Raising Homemakers
The Charm of Home
Farm Girl Friday
Old Fashioned Friday

Saturday, October 27, 2012

A Pleasant Day of Puttering, Baking, Shopping, and Planning

The Hens by Robert Duncan

It's been a pleasant day puttering in the kitchen, thrift shopping, and grocery shopping.
 
This morning, I did some cleaning in the kitchen, then I made a batch of homemade wheat/white bread.  Four loaves and a whole bunch of rolls.  I served the rolls with homemade macaroni and cheese for lunch.  I'm still trying to perfect macaroni and cheese.  It tasted a bit gritty.  I am not sure what's causing that.  I guess maybe I need to read some recipes. 

This afternoon, we went thrift shopping.  I found a couple of pairs of jeans for my son, Michael.  Then, it was off to Aldi for groceries and then to Braums for milk and sour cream.  It was hard to do, but I kept to my budget of $100.00.  I'll have to use some things that I already have in my pantry to make the food stretch for the week. 

Here are some of the things I plan to make this week:

Saturday ~ clam chowder, homemade bread
Sunday ~ roast, potatoes, carrots, onions, gravy
Monday ~ ham and beans and cornbread
Tuesday ~ fried chicken thighs, potatoes and gravy, corn
Wednesday ~ We eat at church on Wednesday nights.
Thursday ~ homemade pepperoni pizza
Friday ~ date night with hubby, kids- ramen noodles

Desserts I plan to make this week:
raisin bread pudding
pumpkin dump cake

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May I suggest? 
Welcome!
~~~~~


Shared with:
Raising Homemakers
Backyard Farming Connection

Monday, October 22, 2012

Pumpkins...To Carve or Not to Carve That is the Question.


Our family enjoys carving pumpkins. My husband explains why here.
Have a great week!
Laura

Monday, October 8, 2012

Christmas in Connecticut and Carthage!



Thursday evening I was home alone.  That almost never happens with four kids and a husband.  I turned on the old classic "Christmas in Connecticut".  I've watched it so many times, I can just listen and it plays in my mind. ~smile~  I made a batch of sugar cookies, wrote a review, and just enjoyed myself. 
I've been listening to Christmas music since July!  I love the peacefulness and how it points my attention to my Jesus.  For me, Christmas is not about Jesus as a baby, though I know we spend nearly a month reading The Advent Book each evening.

It's a beautifully illustrated book of scriptures that tell the story of Jesus' birth.  I bought it many years ago when my family had to live in a hotel for 6 weeks during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.  We created a new tradition.  Each night, from December 1st until the 25th, we read the book as a family.  On the first we read the book up through the first door, the thirteenth we read up through the thirteenth door and so on.  The story is reinforced in the children's minds and in ours as we spend a few minutes reading each night.  It's our most valued Christmas possession.

All this to say, though I thoroughly enjoy Autumn, it is well past time to be thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas menus, and planning gifts.  Have you been thinking about it yet?  Perhaps that should be on our to-do lists this week.  The more we think and plan and do ahead, the more we can enjoy the holiday season ourselves.

Blessings to you from Harvest Lane Cottage!

Laura
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May I suggest?




Wrapping Up Christmas Peaches and Salt 

Sunday, October 7, 2012

An Autumn Mix: Warming Up with Soups and Stews... A List of Favorites



It's 3:45 a.m. as I write this.  I spent the entire day yesterday at Farm Girl Fest in Carthage, Missouri.  It was chilly; we didn't get out of the forties.  We ate chinese on the way home then relaxed in the living room on our comfortable new-to-us sofa and loveseat.  After just sitting for awhile talking with darkness falling upon us, the family put on a movie, Me Again, that I'd seen recently.  It was a good movie; but I soon was nodding off.

I crawled into bed early.  I didn't even check the time.  Now here I am. 
Awake.
But too tired to really do anything.
Can you relate?

I found this picture in my computer file.  I have no idea where it came from or why I have it.  But it spoke of comfort to me.  If you click on it, it should get big enough to read the recipe.  I've not tried it; but, it does sound good.  I definitely need to stock my pantry with things that will help me take the chill off during these cozy autumn nights.  I thought this might be a nice time to give you a few links to some of my cool weather soup and stew favorites.  Most of these I've made up myself.  I love to just put in a bit of this and a bit of that, working with whatever I have in the kitchen.  That's what makes soup thrifty and frugal.  ~smile~

Crock Pot Mistake
Ham and Beans
Potato Soup
Real Cream of Broccoli Soup
Rosemary Chicken Soup
Skillet Beef Stew
Spicy Bean Soup
Spicy Can Opener Soup

Tonight I'll be making the Spicy Bean Soup.  It's a great budget stretcher because there's no meat.  I'll let it simmer in my Crock Pot all day.  It should help warm us up after another day at Farm Girl Fest.  If you're local to Carthage, won't you join us at Farm Girl Fest?  It's at Red Oak just East of Carthage.  There's even a little white church that will be packed to the brim this morning with worshipers if you'd like to join in.  I'll most likely be relaxing across from the church near the pumpkin patch with my friend Joyce.  She's selling some wonderful things that she's repurposed this year.  I'm not selling anything.  Just enjoying this time.  Hubby is thrilled to be driving the tractor pulling the hay wagon.  He does miss his old Ford tractor. Ah well....

Harvest blessings to you all!  Enjoy the wonderful festivals that October brings.


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