Harvest Lane Cottage

Buy at allposters.com.   “What you want is practice, practice, practice. ...I feel that every time I write a page either of prose or of verse, with real effort, even if it’s thrown into the fire the next minute, I am so much further on.”   C. S. Lewis Author of the Chronicles of Narnia

   SNOW!

Before After Doesn't even look like the same salad does it?  It's fun to toss salads with my bright red salad tongs.  Red is my happy color.   Dinner has changed around here.  We used to eat spaghetti with meat sauce and garlic toast.  Tonight, the main course was salad with just a little bit of spaghetti and garlic toast on the side.  Even the children are enjoying salads and veggies more than ever.  This is the Mega Greek Salad from The Ultimate Daniel Fast by Kristen Feola.  We didn't care for the dressing.  I made it up, and we tasted it.  The trouble is that none of us really like oil and vinegar or oil and lemon juice based dressings.  I've just got to find a homemade dressing that we like.  Ah well, the search will continue. The salad itself was delicious.  I'll make it again.  Lowell's looking forward to enjoying the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.  Salads are my favorite part of...

Grace The Morning Meal by Rudolph Epp 1834-1910 German Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. All fruits of the Spirit. All available to us through believing and confessing Jesus as our Lord and Savior. All available to us by repenting of our sins, by turning to Him daily, hourly, and moment by moment as needed for a fresh filling of His strength, hope, power, and love. ~~~~ Jesus said that all the commandments were summed up into two. “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and (love) your neighbor as yourself." ~~~~ Love God and love others. Everything we need for success in life and relationships wrapped up in a few words. ~~~~ Words Matter. Just Something to Think About.... ~~~~ Laura Thinking about my words.... ~~~~ May I suggest... Do You Find Bible Reading a Challenge?  Warm Hearts

 The view from our front porch looking south, and looking north,  and looking East.  It's a snow day!  Schools are cancelled including our homeschool. Hubby's home from work. Yay! I tried a new chili recipe that called for half a cup of chili powder and some paprika among other things.  It was a thumbs down.  After a taste, hubby and I tried to doctor it, but it was a hopeless case.  We ate it anyway with some homemade cornbread for the kids and Daniel Fast corn muffins for Hubby and me.  I am not going to share the chili recipe. I put up some red beans in jars that I simmered slowly all day yesterday.  I put them in the freezer for a quick lunch.  I haven't gotten my pressure canner ready to use yet.  When I do, I'll probably can some beans to make them recipe ready.  I also put up some strawberries that I got on sale this week.  I froze them individually on a cookie sheet then transferred th...

94,000 page views!  Wow! 340 followers!  Wow! 896 posts! Wow! And to think I told my husband I didn't have anything to write about! Wow!

Gardening... I am so not that kind of girl.  Dirt, heat, bugs, sweat, spiders, oh my.  The benefits?  Fresh veggies that taste terrific.    Fortunately, the gardening that I find, well, icky, is like recreation to my husband, Lowell.  He's already set up a place to start his seedlings and had his hands in the dirt, not to mention spent hours planning and preparing.  He's a man with a mission.  With our new way of eating lots and lots and lots of veggies and fruits, he's preparing to grow as many as he can.  He's a master gardener.  Canning... Well, he's not really that kind of guy.  Cooped up in the kitchen with boiling kettles, cutting up endless fruits and vegetables for hours?  Not really Lowell's favorite way to spend an afternoon.  To me, the challenge and the reward of  filling all those little jars and hearing all those little pings as they seal just thrills me with satisfaction....

Got a bit of snow overnight yesterday.  It was beautiful.  No photos, just thankfulness in my heart to my God who gave me a couple of inches for the beauty of it, but it didn't stay on the streets.  I got to enjoy it until just after lunch.  It was wonderfully wet snow, great for snowballs and king of the mountain.  The kids came in wet, cold, and tired to hot tea and warmth. Thank you God!

A little Bible...  I'm now listening to Deuteronomy on Bible Gateway.   I keep track of where I'm at by a reading plan checklist on You Version.   I'm ahead of schedule. A little sewing...   I'm piecing a quilt top as a project with our church quilting group.  We're making them out of out of salvaged  polyester dresses.  I've never sewn with polyester double knit before.  A lady gave us about 250 dresses which we're seam ripping, cutting, and sewing into quilt tops.  We will then add batting and backing and tie them.  The plan is to give them to a missionary friend to distribute among the needy in Michigan. A little reading...  I've been reading a mystery called Unbreakable.   I like mysteries, but sometimes they just seem well, a little too mysterious for me.  ~smile~  I just want everything to be okay.  Guess that's the momma in me.  A little patienting...  I don't think that qualifies as a w...

  FOR SNOW!

"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 ~~~~~ May I suggest? Be Encouraged Be Strong!  Shared with: Warm Heart

Little Amy took the photo and the light's not too good, but look at this great little acrylic sewing table!  Amy has been saving her money for quite some time and decided that this was just the thing to help her sew doll clothes .  Shortly after Daddy helped her set it up, I heard the sewing machine humming.  She's just enjoying herself so much. I've been doing some sewing, too, though not much this week.  I'm trying to get some things made up so that I can open my etsy shop again.  I'll let you know when I get close.  I'd like to make up at least ten items to open with.  I'm stitching through my stash of fabrics.  It's a fun way to declutter. ~smile~ Well, tomorrow is our last Christmas.  We haven't gotten together with my dad and step-mom yet.  The Christmas tree is long gone, but I've got my little Valentine's tree up.  I thought I'd get more heart ornaments made this year, but just haven't gotten to it.  Oh well, mayb...

No Lettuce Needed Salad A base of broccoli topped with sliced button mushrooms, chopped carrots, and chopped tomatoes. Loving the variety, Laura Happy at Home

Every time I see a heart in nature, I know that it's God telling us that he loves us. "We love him because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19 NKJV ~~~~~ May I suggest? Cherish   Yesterday ~ Dream Tomorrow ~ Live Today! Warm Hearts

Things to do today: A little e-mail, A little writing, A little menu planning, A little grocery shopping, A little sewing, A little cooking, Guacamole for the gathering and salad for lunch, A little reading, A little gathering with couples at church. Well, I'd better get busy.  Have a wonderful Saturday. Laura Happy at Home It was a great day.  Amazing, I finished everything on my list! ~~~~~ May I suggest?   Plan for Making and Doing This Week & Funny Macaroni and Cheese Recipe