Harvest Lane Cottage

I'm so glad you've dropped in.  My kids are at youth camp this weekend. On a whim,  my husband and I drove down to Bentonville, Arkansas, a town about an hour from here. It was a fun new experience. I felt like I'd walked onto a movie set! It had a thriving square downtown with lots of specialty shops, businesses and the Walmart museum. It was beautiful.  The spectacular aspect was that there were people everywhere taking advantage of the nearly 70° weather! They were walking dogs, biking, shopping, sitting on the lawn on the square talking, eating at outside tables at little restaurants— some people even had dogs sitting by their feet at the tables! It was amazing! Everyone I spoke to was so friendly, too.   On a side street, we passed by a doggy bakery. Just imagine! Lowell dropped me off just so I could run inside and see what it was like. They had fresh baked pastries that looked like they were from a posh bakery for humans!  What did I bu...

Hello everyone!  It's been another busy week that has just flown by! ~ I started my week by burning the ham and beans I planned to serve for Sunday supper. Not thrifty. I was so upset with myself. I wanted to order pizza. Not an option these days. Instead, I opened a few cans of different kinds of beans, a can of Rotel style tomatoes, and used a little taco seasoning to make a bean soup. It was good enough that the boys ate seconds.   ~ I received some wool dryer balls, two books, two shopping bags, and a lemon squeezer for review for free.  ~ I used the wool dryer balls instead of dryer sheets.  ~ My dog's eye has been bothering her. I cannot afford a vet right now. It doesn't look serious. I am praying and pleading the blood of Jesus over her. She is my property, and God cares about what I care about. I am praying for her healing. I am giving her a half dose of generic Benedryl that I had on hand to help treat the irritation. ~ We enjoyed...

My husband of 29 years recently told me how much he enjoys the way I decorate for fall and Christmas. He loves how colorful it is, and wishes I'd decorate more for other seasons. Who knew? We put our tree up late this year, so it came down early in January. It was replaced by a "winter tree" that is smaller. I put snowmen and snowflake ornaments on it. Many are homemade. I'll probably try to make more. Most of the Valentine things I had were lost to moisture in our basement this year. We had several inches of water in our basement due to heavy rains. I'll use what I have and try to make more from what I have on hand. My big splurge was a tiny ball of cotton yarn from Hobby Lobby. It was $2.29 for 2 oz. I used a 40% off coupon, so it was inexpensive. I made two dishcloths which will be used only in February then put up for next year. I bought another ball, so I'll have a couple more to add to the stash. ஐღLauraღஐ  ...doing what I can with what I...

Welcome to another thrifty week at Harvest Lane Cottage! A lot of folks are dealing with way too much snow right now. My sister-in-law is stuck at her job at a hotel in Atlantic City, NJ. They gave her a room, and she's just staying there until things are better. Father God, I pray that you will cause the storms to dissipate, in Jesus' Name. I also ask you to send some snow our way. I want to make  snow ice cream ! ~ I made Candy Cane Cocoa using candy canes I bought on sale after Christmas, cocoa I had on hand, creamer leftover from the restaurant, and the $5 food processor I bought at a yard sale last summer. Out-of-pocket was probably less than fifty cents for a pint batch. It makes a thrifty drink mix that feels special. You could probably make a batch using Starlight peppermints. ~ I used the last few potatoes and an onion to make some fried potatoes. I used just a little canola oil and some butter. That's not something I usually make, but I'm using it u...

Hello! Another week enjoying the blessings of the Lord. ~ I made super quick super cheap laundry soap . I made it double strength because I wash a lot of towels and jeans. This is the easiest laundry detergent recipe you'll find. ~ Made soup from leftovers ~ Used a 40% off coupon from Hobby Lobby to buy an inexpensive ball of yarn to make Valentine's dishcloths ~ Shopped with a grocery list and bought only 3 cans of salmon for our meat purchases this week. ~ Cooked primarily from the pantry and freezer ~ Shopped at Aldi for my veggies and dairy ~ Shopped at the Thrift Store and didn't buy a thing! ~ I decluttered two bags of stuff. That's real estate investment— two cubic feet for free! Good news! All the money from the fraudulent bank charges has been returned! It took a lot of emails, but God blessed us! A hearty thank you to everyone who prayed for us. There will be an extra bean in the pot next week! ஐღLauraღஐ  ...doing what I can with what I'v...

MY WINTER BUCKET LIST 2016 Write my Winter bucket list Put up the Winter tree with snowmen Sort through my Christmas decor for discards Deep cleaning Put out all my snowmen Decorate the house for January  Smile and spread good cheer Curl up with a terrific book Make new Snowman decorations Drink hot tea Enjoy candle light Make chili Make candy cane cocoa Double feature movie night Try a new soup Spray paint an old metal cart Set up a hot tea and cocoa cart Invite friends for soup  Make new Valentines dishcloths for February Make new Valentines decorations Decorate Winter tree for Valentine's Day Invite friends for dessert Use my new polka dot teapot, Thanks Dad and Annie! Help Emily, Michael, and Amy practice hospitality Bake some Trim Healthy Mama treats Gaze into the fire in the woodstove Bake cookies with my kids  Finish my Emily's quilt (I worked on it!) Read by candle light  Make snow ice cream  (It never snowed!...

Dear Reader, It's been a long week at Harvest Lane Cottage. Various forms of cold and flu have been circulating. I've not been very productive. I've had a cold— not a bad one, but it was enough to slow me down.  I didn't do my regular grocery shopping. A company I'd never used put through fraudulent charges on my bank account and took over a hundred dollars. That was my grocery money. In fact, my husband had to put extra money in the account to cover the charges. I'm still trying to get it back. Prayer appreciated— for the money to be returned and my attitude to be right. *Update, I have now received full repayment from the company that charged me. I also have a new debit card with a new number. Evidently the number was stolen during my on-line Christmas shopping. Thank you to everyone who prayed! I did pick up a few items with money on hand, but I cooked out of the pantry. I'm so glad I could do that. This week in my little home I... ~ made a nice ...

Still waiting for our first snowfall of 2016! Dear Reader, It's so good to write again to you in this new year, 2016. It sounds like a science fiction date to these fifty year old ears. ~smile~ I remember as a child realizing that I would be 35, gasp 35, at the turn of the century. It sounded so old. Now it sounds young. It's all perspective, isn't it? Where are you? Does 35 sound old or young? I find myself wondering where the years have gone... then I realize that while I was busy with dishes, laundry, homeschooling, the challenges of living life on one income, helping with the Joplin tornado recovery, and with my husband's business, the children were growing from adorable little toddlers to children to teens and young adults. No one fits on my knees anymore. A kiss and a hug and a prayer and a cup of cocoa don't solve all their problems anymore. What's a mother to do? Hold onto the memories, but embrace now. It too will be a memory soon. Whether you...