Harvest Lane Cottage

I cannot honestly say that this was a frugal week.  We had car expenses, we had to replace all the hens we lost to wild dogs with new chicks, we had a doctor bill, a computer repair.  In other words, life happened.  Fortunately, we had money in the bank to cover the extra expenses.  The next couple of weeks need to be extra thrifty to make up for these extra expenses. That said, here's our thrifty week at Harvest Lane Cottage: ~ We bought a like-new trampoline for the children at a yard sale.  This was an answer to Amy's prayers and saving.  We all pitched in.  $100! ~ We spent Memorial Day afternoon with family at our creek instead of traveling or going to the pool. ~ We started listening to a set of history CDs called Hero Tales that I received for free for review. ~ I did not take our planned trip to the library, so I saved about $10 in gas. ~ Emily made a pair of palazzo pants into coulottes. ~ I made cream of mushroom soup from a giga...

Iced tea, fudgy homemade brownies , flowers, a nice breeze, and good friends.  A little talk of curriculum, flowers, weather, church, Michigan, cooking, chickens, ducks, dogs, cats, and children.  A wonderful way to relax and enjoy a Friday afternoon on the porch.  Thanks for a terrific afternoon, Kerri! Loving my Life, Laura ~~~~~ May I suggest? Flowers for a Lovely Spring Day ~~~~~ 

Make Do and Mend! Make Do and Mend * Keeping a family in clothing isn't always easy.  Many folks use credit cards to keep their kiddos covered.  I depend on gifts, hand-me-downs, yard sales, thrift shops, and my sewing skills.  ...................................... This month I've mended: 3 pairs of jeans 1 pair of dress slacks 1 pair of shorts 1 skirt 1 pair Crocs shoes I have also cut up clothes for rags. We've made do by going to thrift stores and yard sales to supplement my children's clothing. * Make Do and Mend is available through Amazon.  I am no longer an affiliate. ~~~~~ May I suggest? A Puttery Day and a Day of Rest

Amy 2010 Amy  2013 Her Blog

Such a Lovely Rainy Afternoon we're having.... I do love a rainy day .  After the drought we've had for the last two years since the tornado , our flowers, grass and trees are thriving with all the rain we've had recently.  With the tornado in Moore, it would be easy to give in to fear every time the thunder rumbles.  I choose to trust in the Lord's protection.  When the weather report looks fearful, I plead the blood of Jesus over my family, our home, my son's home, my mother-in-love's home, the Joplin area, and the four-states.  I tell the wind and the lightening to stay up in the clouds and give us only good rain and good wind, not stormy wind.  It's all in the Name of Jesus Christ.  I also pray for peace for those who were affected by the tornado who may be feeling fear.  This is how I am dealing with my fear when it comes up.  I meet it with faith in God and His protection. I've a nice chicken roasting in a clay pot in t...

Nothing exciting going on this week in the thrifty department.  We're done with our school for a few weeks.  We're officially on break until the end of June; but, there are a few things that the kids will be working on.  Math is always something to keep up as is Bible reading. Since I've had more time this week, we've been doing extra cleaning around the house.  Things are beginning to look quite nice again.  Slowly, it's actually getting clean instead of picked up.  I don't spring clean, because we're always busy with school in the spring.  Some of those things are getting done now. Today is our 27th wedding anniversary.  Twenty-seven years, where have the years gone?  Oh, yes, dishes, laundry, rearing children, homeschooling, Joplin tornado recovery.... So, here's my thrifty week.... ~ A morning of yard saling yielded a couple of brand new dress shirts for my son as well as some very nice clothing for all three of my children at hom...

We've been married 27 years today.  I wouldn't trade my man for anyone in the world.  It's been a rough ride at times, but we have taken it together.  I'm a blessed woman. A couple of words of advice to young ladies who are married or engaged.... 1) Promise each other that no matter how angry or frustrated you get with each other, you will NEVER say the D word. (d------) If the two of you never say it, or even think it, you'll never do it. 2) If you have something to discuss that may cause tempers to flare, go out for dinner or for a Coke to discuss it. We behave much better in public. ~smile~ 3) Read your Bible together. Pray together. Face challenges together. Think we and us, not I and me. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and all that He says. He is our salvation for eternity and our salvation in life's hard times. ~~~~~ May I suggest? When Hubby is Underemployed or Unemployed.... ~~~~~ 

Expert home interior decorating advice... "Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." ~ William Morris Shared at: Traffic Jam

I was a little more thrifty this week than last week.  ~ I found a bank error of $5.00 on my checking statement.  I looked at the check on-line, called to verify amount of payment with the company, then called the bank.  They credited my account the same day. Every dollar counts. ~ In balancing the checkbook, I found that my husand had been, ahem, indulgent for my birthday and Mother's Day.  So, we're eating out of the cupboard and freezer this week.  So, I cleaned out the food cabinet.  Why do I make such a mess when I'm cleaning?  ~smile~  I still needed to buy a few things, but far fewer than I would normally buy.  ~ We found homes for the last four kittens.  No more kitten food to buy.  ~sigh~ ~ I mended two pairs of jeans.  My son's thirteen and all boy.  He regularly wears through his knees or rips his jeans.  I fixed a pair for him.  The other was for my daughter.  She's ...

I decided to make my Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Raisin Cookies the other night.  I've been making those cookies since I was a child back in the day.  Sometimes a new recipe is born when I start a recipe and find that I'm out of something.  Well, I just knew I had all the ingredients to make the cookies, so I started creaming sugar and butter together.  Well, I had almost all the ingredients.  I'd just substitute white sugar for brown just this once.  Then, I reached for my oatmeal jar. Where is it?  It's usually on the counter.  It's a gallon jar, it has to be here somewhere.... Oh well, I'll just get some out of the five gallon bucket... oh no!  I forgot I emptied it!  What now?  I searched and searched and asked the kids if they'd moved the oats.  No oats.  None.  Nada.  Except... here's a small jar of steel cut oats.  Wonder if that would work... why not?  Okay, now, tim...

Windry Honestly, I didn't focus much on thrifty activities this week.  I've been preoccupied with tallying school hours and evaluating just what my children still need to do before I declare summer break.  We've also been working with our kittens to polish their little skills.  You know, playing nice with people, eating solid foods, keeping their little claws to themselves.  They're ready for their forever homes.  The next step will be finding those homes.  Well, here's what I did do. ~smile~ ~ I made homemade Gak with the kids.  Thrifty because it was two hours of fun for the price of a couple of bottles of Elmer's glue for each kid that had been given to us, a little food coloring that we had on hand, and a little Borax which I had on hand.  This was a major hit with the kids.  For just awhile, I was the fun mom.  ~smile~ ~ Emily liked her Gak so much, she filled a jar with plum colored Gak and gave it to her friend as a bi...

  We're from the country... and we like it that way!   Well, almost country.  We live 3 miles outside town on about thirty acres on the banks of Center Creek.  Just country enough for goats, chickens, dogs, cats, and kittens.  Right now we're raising three kids, two cats, and five kittens.  In a couple of weeks that will be three kids and two cats.  We're thinking about getting a puppy to replace Josh, our 15 year old Terrapoo, that barked his last bark last Memorial Day.  Last summer, our goat went to our friends who had more time to take care of her.  We were quite busy with tornado recovery in Joplin, Missouri.  If you live in the Southwest Missouri area, our kittens are homeschooled, handled extensively from birth, and ready for adoption. ~smile~   Blessings from Harvest Lane Cottage, Laura

Crock Pot Mistake A Narrative of Correctional Cooking One busy morning, I decided to prepare a nice casserole in my Crock Pot while I was out for the day. This is the story of that casserole. I put 1 box (16 oz) of brown rice in the Crock Pot. I added 6 cups of water , thinking it would make the rice, well, ricey! I put in 3 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts (thawed, but it wouldn’t matter, if you cooked it longer). I added 1 family sized cream of chicken soup and 1 can of water. I found half an envelope of onion soup mix and mixed that in, too. I cooked it all day anticipating a yummy casserole. Time to open it up! It smells great! Uh, hmm, this doesn’t look right! It looks like boiled chicken! Ugh! So… let’s make soup! I chopped up the chicken, added a bag of frozen broccoli , and a little salt and pepper . The family loved it! A new family favorite! God bless! Laura Happy at Home Shared with:  Traffic Jam