Harvest Lane Cottage

Dave Raymond's American History  Review *Disclosure:   Compass Classroom affiliate.  See why below. I really like listening to Dave Raymond teach American history.  He's a gifted storyteller. He explains things from a Christian perspective showing in detail how Christianity influenced American history. He's got incredible insight.  He's unapologetic about sharing that insight into how God worked things together for the good.  He's the kind of guy you'd like to invite to dinner. ~smile~  I just cannot say enough good things about this product.  Best of all, my kids enjoy these lectures. Each lesson has five days of short lectures, reading assignments, and weekly quizzes.  During the second semester, students will write a research paper. Extensive instructions about choosing a topic, format, how to write it, and how to grade it are included.  Mr. Raymond takes the scary out of it. My kids used American History I at ages 16 and ...

Read other daybooks.   My Daybook July 26, 2015 Teddy Roosevelt spoke these words of encouragement. Outside my window... It's hot and sunny. The shadows are beginning to lengthen. I am thinking...  about cutting out my new dress. I finally figured out how to fit all the pieces onto the fabric and began cutting yesterday. I ran out of time and had to pack it all away. Maybe I can do a bit this evening before bed. I am thankful that...   I am a blessed woman. I have a husband who washed my feet in front of our congregation this morning at church. He and the men of his discipleship group all did it for their wives. I cried through it. To think he loves me that much.... From the kitchen... I had cottage cheese with sliced frozen strawberries and almonds. THM friendly. I am wearing... my green floral dress. I am creating...   a new dress.  Women's Panel Dress  from Common Sense Patterns. I've also begun working on pr...

  Good morning! It's not July 7th, but I thought this was a cute photo one of my kids made. I'm moving slowly this morning. I was up late listing some items in my Ebay shop . There are some vintage items and some books. I also updated my listings at Homeschool Classifieds. I was too tired to check on my Etsy shop . Why stay up so late? I'm trying to earn some money for school books and for Emily's college dual enrollment tuition. It seems I'm always busy with my kids, my husband, the restaurant, or the house and can't get much else done during the day. This is a delicious Sweet Coconut Chai Tea from Celestial Seasonings. It's spicy sweet with a spot of cream and  a sprinkle of stevia. Hope you have a really good day today! Laura

Read other daybooks.   My Daybook July 21, 2015 I enjoy this view from my computer desk. Outside my window...  Dark blue gray clouds. It's supposed to be rainy and stormy this afternoon. We shall see. I am thinking...  about cutting out my new dress. I started last night, but found that the amount of fabric called for was inadequate. It's going to be quite a puzzle making all the pieces fit. I don't know if I can get more fabric, so I'm going to keep puzzling it out. I am thankful that...  I am a blessed woman. I have food in my kitchen, clothes in the closets and laundry pile (not feeling so blessed about the laundry ~grin~), a van that works hard and carts our family wherever they need to go, a home that keeps us safe, and three air conditioners. From the kitchen... After being on the go all last week, I've got to inventory and see what I can make this week. School expenses are coming up, so I'd like to keep grocery expenses d...

Find some time this weekend for just you and God.  Be refreshed by the Holy Spirit! ~ "And you will seek Me and find Me,  when you search for me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13

Summer is in full swing now. We're still finishing up school. I'm beginning to wonder how much summer break we will have. I've been a bit remiss in keeping track of my thrifty and frugal activities for the last couple of weeks. I'm going to hit some highlights. Do gifts count as thrifty? I received two very nice gifts recently. First, some awesome clothes pegs from my friend Mrs. Olson . Second, a portable air conditioner from my step-dad and his friend Ronny. I received a $10 rebate check from Lowe's for some ceiling paint I purchased a couple of months ago. We had friends over for a simple sandwich supper Sunday evening. They brought the salad and some fireworks to add to our celebration. We had s'mores using the ingredients my daughter gave my husband for Father's Day. I found two lawn chairs at Academy for $5 each for our girls. Tuesday was in the sixties! I turned off my air conditioners for major savings! We returned some gym shoes ...

Dear Reader,  Once upon a time, long long ago, when I was little, we had a Dachshund named Greta. She was my constant companion from the age of four until I was thirteen. I just adored her. Ever since then, I wanted another Dachshund. A couple of years ago, I began looking. I was unable to find one locally, so I searched on-line. I hunted for months but didn't find any puppies within a couple hundred miles. The ones I found in distant places were upwards of $800!  Yikes! That wouldn't fit into my thrifty and frugal way of thinking or into my budget—no matter how long I'd been wishing and waiting! So, I started looking at other puppies. I wanted my children to have the puppy experience. Believe it or not, there just weren't many puppies available during that time in our area. So, I decided to go to our local animal shelter. By local, I mean just across the highway. I cannot tell you how many times I visited looking for just the right baby. I even got to know the dire...

Read other daybooks.   My Daybook July 6, 2015 Outside my window...  Cloudy skies... still waiting to see if it's going to rain. I am thinking...  I feel like we're finally settled in our home. What did it take? Putting the flag pole that we received as a gift nearly 14 years ago from my dad (Thanks Dad!) in the ground in concrete. We've moved so much that I never felt settled. The irony is that we've lived here over five years, and we're renting. I am thankful that...  We live in a country that still has more freedom than any other. Yes, we have some poor leadership in our country right now. Yes, we have a lot of sin being idolized right now. Yes, we are still one nation under God. Pray for repentance among God's people. Don't be afraid to go first! From the kitchen... Celestial Seasonings' Decaf Sweet Coconut Thai Chai Tea with cream and a little stevia, hard boiled eggs, and toast for the kids. I am wearing... my ...

I am a big city girl gone small town gone country.  I live just a few miles from Joplin, Missouri of tornado fame.  I met Jesus at fourteen and met my high school sweetheart husband at sixteen.  I've been married 29 years and homeschool three of my four children. My eldest lives on his own now.  I enjoy my Jesus, my Bible, my family, reading, writing, quilting, sewing, baking, knitting, crocheting, making soup, and talking.  I've been writing here at  Harvest Lane Cottage since the end of 2007.  I like to encourage others  in their walk with Jesus, making it through hard times, homemaking, homeschooling, and reading. My most popular posts are usually focused on being thrifty and frugal . It's something I know a lot about since we've been a one income family for well over twenty years.  I've found that we don't really need all that we think we do.  It's more about being creative with the resources we have, praying for God t...