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Monday, July 30, 2018

Thrifty Things Lately at Harvest Lane Cottage #132

Thrifty Things Lately at Harvest Lane Cottage!

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Dear Readers,

  The challenge to save money is going into full swing now. We've had a $400 + electricity bill and a car repair bill attack our shoestring budget. I think I'll go back over some of my thrifty posts and remind myself of the ways the LORD has provided in lean times and how I've used it up, worn it out, made it do, and done without in the past. It's good to remind ourselves and our children of how God has provided.
 God bless!
 Laura
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Here's how my family has been thrifty lately.

  • I bought one big container of Spring Mix lettuce for $4 at Aldi on Monday. We ate salad every day all week. 
  • Popcorn for snacks
  • We were given some Nutrigrain bars. They're helping fill tummies between meals and making quick breakfasts.
  • We were given a whole bunch of eggs. I lost count of how many. We've eaten them for breakfast and boiled them for snacks and put them on salads.
  • Remember the $3 that my husband spent on wrapping supplies at the yard sale? Here's the first batch of things in the box. These are cellophane that has not been opened. 
  • I'm making some interesting meals from on-hand items.
  • My Emily removed a broken belt attachment from her dress. It saved the dress at no cost. 
Before

After
 
  • My Amy was given a gift card. Since she doesn't drink coffee, she decided to use it for a giveaway on her blog.

My Amy's giveaway ends 8/22/18.

What have you done in your home this week?
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♥♥♥
May you make the best of what you've got however much or little! 
 When we are faithful in little, God sees it.

ღLauraღ
...doing what I can with what I've got
where I am on a shoestring budget!
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♥♥♥
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Thank you all for writing to me. I read every comment.

Blogger is currently having issues with notifying bloggers of comments by email.  It is therefore difficult to respond.  

I will respond on the blog as I have time. You may subscribe to comments to see when I or others respond.
  
God bless you all!
 Laura
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♥♥♥
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Written by Laura Lane at 15 comments:
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Friday, July 20, 2018

Thrifty Things Lately at Harvest Lane Cottage #131

Thrifty Things Lately at Harvest Lane Cottage!

I don't know about you, but I need to save money, be thrifty and frugal, get projects done, and be thankful for my blessings from God. Perhaps things that my family has done lately give you a few ideas; then you can share your thrifty ways with me!

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Dear Readers,

I'm celebrating! I finished my last chemo treatment this week. On to healing! I'm pretty tired after treatment, but I know I'll feel better each day. That's how the cycle goes. I'm thrilled I get to go off the cycle after over a year! My first treatment was two days May 23rd and May 24th. What a way to spend our anniversary!

I hope as the days and weeks go by that I will get some extra energy and do some more thrifty things. I'm beginning to think about birthday season (late August through mid-September at hour place). I am also thinking ahead to Fall and Christmas. I made nothing last year. I love making Christmas with lots of handmade things for family and friends. Maybe this year I'll be able to do a bit.

I want to do so many things that I haven't done for the last fifteen months. I must be careful not to wear myself out. I need to use much of my energy in getting healthy again. Still... my favorite season is next! Fall! Gotta love it!

What have you been up to at your place?

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Here's how my family has been thrifty lately.
  • My Lowell stopped at a yard sale and bought a box and a bin of gift wrapping supplies for just $3.00!
  • Tomato sandwiches for lunch Sunday. We went to the farmer's market and bought three big slicing tomatoes for our BLTs yesterday. I paid $4.50. Yikes! But they each made enough slices to feed three to four people! We got three meals from three tomatoes!
  • I made a make do taco salad supper for three Sunday night. I cut up one cooked chicken breast, added three ladles of pinto beans that I'd cooked with garlic, a little of the bean broth, and taco seasoning. Beans are a great way to stretch meat in a salad. I served it with leftover sliced tomatoes, lettuce bought at the farmer's market, a small chunk of cheese shredded finely, some salsa my Emily made, and some tortilla chips. It was a great way to use up leftovers from our other meals this weekend. 
  • Amy is using up extra yarn and scraps of yarn to make a blanket. Bye bye little balls of yarn. 
  • I decided at the last minute to take a look at some of the deals on Prime Day. I bought a KitchenAid 6 Qt Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer for about $220 with tax. Regular price is $390.99! I've had my current KitchenAid for 18-20 years. It's been moaning and groaning terribly when I use it for the last couple of years. I won it by kissing a dog. That's a story for another day!  Anyhow, I know that this is a good investment in a tool that will last a long time—and it's red for my hoped for red and white kitchen! It matches the blender my husband gave me for Christmas and the ice cream maker my son gave me for my birthday. Thank you to the dear ladies who have sent me gifts of money this past year. That's how I paid for this. Y'all have blessed me so much! 

  • We're still eating out of the deep freeze. We'll be able to defrost it in a few weeks and begin filling it for winter. 
  • My son brought us a few dozen farm fresh eggs.
  • A friend brought BBQ pulled chicken and slider rolls for lunch. We ate the leftovers for dinner. Yum! Thanks Joyce!
  • We invested in real estate. My daughters helped fill a few bags to give away.
  • My Tuesday night knitting group is one of the fun things I do just for me. We are currently meeting at a mall, so we usually walk over to get something at Chick-fil-A. It's a splurge, but it's my fun night. There was an error in making my sandwich. The manager not only made me a fresh sandwich, she brought me a coupon for a free sandwich for my trouble. Is that customer service or what? Just one more reason I use my dollars to vote for Chick-fil-A.

What have you done in your home this week?
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♥♥♥
May you make the best of what you've got however much or little! 
 When we are faithful in little, God sees it.

ღLauraღ
...doing what I can with what I've got
where I am on a shoestring budget!
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♥♥♥
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Thank you all for writing to me. I read every comment.

Blogger is currently having issues with notifying bloggers of comments by email.  It is therefore difficult to respond.  

I will respond on the blog as I have time. You may subscribe to comments to see when I or others respond.
  
God bless you all!
 Laura
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♥♥♥
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Written by Laura Lane at 16 comments:
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Friday, July 13, 2018

Thrifty Things Lately at Harvest Lane Cottage #130

Thrifty Things Lately at Harvest Lane Cottage!

I don't know about you, but I need to save money, be thrifty and frugal, get projects done, and be thankful for my blessings from God. Perhaps things that my family has done lately give you a few ideas; then you can share your thrifty ways with me!

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Dear Readers,
Wow! July is speeding by like a bottle rocket! My girls have been super busy, and I've been driving a lot. That makes days go fast. 

 Yesterday I puppy sat, because the heat index was well over a hundred. Not my kind of summer! Having a puppy in the house is much different than having my four year old Penny in the house. Little Nala waited until I turned my back, then she started investigating our kitchen trash can. I picked up the trash and gave her a little food. She gobbled it! 

 She and Penny then spent at least fifteen minutes barking non-stop at each other. They've only met a couple times before. Each was leashed in opposite sides of the house, but they could see and hear each other. I went to answer the phone. Nala found the oatmeal container on a low shelf. She decorated the kitchen and dining room floors before I returned a few minutes later! Let's just say it was a busy day. I worked on training Nala not to bark in the house, and Penny not to bark at Nala!  I began to understand why grandparents like to be able to send the children home. I was tired!

 Well, that's just a bit of what's been going on around here. It's been fair week and art camp week. Next week will be the second art camp week and my last treatment week. Praise God I am here to write about it!

 I'd love it if you'd tell me what you've been doing in your home. I need some new ideas as summer goes into it's hottest weeks.

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Here's how my family has been thrifty lately.
  • My daughter, Amy of Hands Made to Love, made some delicious homemade chicken noodle soup with a chicken a friend gave us. 
  • We're still using up what we have on hand for meals. We're buying a few things to fill in the gaps. The deep freeze is probably only half full now. We'll be able to defrost it in a few weeks. 
  • My Amy and I had queso, chips, and salsa for lunch one day. Total $8 with tip. Not bad for a mini date.
  • I've made a bit of progress on my first shawl, Reyna. I am still having a bit of trouble with it. My stitch counts are off again. I've tinked a bit. That's knitting backward to take out the stitches.
  • I've been filling out surveys with Survey Junkie. I make far more than I did with Swagbucks. I've been using the Amazon credit to purchase knitting needles and supplies. I'm saving up Amazon gift card credit for this set of knitting needles. I know $110 is a lot of money, but these are excellent needles with flexible no memory cables. It will keep me from having to buy a new set of needles every time I begin a new project. I'll just keep saving up credit. I can be very patient!

  • We use mismatched white plates that I've collected from yard sales and from gifts of odd leftover plates from a friend. I started this, because kids tend to break dishes. I couldn't keep a set. It works fine even if we have guests.
  • My husband repurposed an old desk. He put it in the living room and set up his mini-office there. That gets him out of the dining room and away from distractions. Our dining room is in the middle of our house, and everyone passes through all day. It beats $300 for a small office downtown. 

  • My Amy volunteered to be an intern at art camp. She received a bag with some nice little gifts including a $5 gift card. She was happy. Here she is ready to go to work. 

  • Amy will get to participate in some of the activities with the students at no charge. Happier still!
  • You can see in the photos that we live in a humble home, but I am thankful for it. It's a gift from the LORD. We're all good at showing our best on Facebook, Instagram, and blogs. Keeping it real here. ~smile~
  • My daughter, Emily, put gel nails on for me using a Revlon Gel Nail kit that her father and I gave her for Christmas. They lasted two weeks! I had trouble removing them, so I may not do this at home again. I enjoyed them while they lasted though.
  • I am still knitting my Fiddly Bits infinity scarf. I like the way the colors are combining. I'm not sure yet what I'll wear it with, but it will be a fun accessory. I'll share a photo soon.
  • I've been using a broken phone for a couple of weeks. It is a slide phone. The hinges broke, so it's been held together with a hair elastic. The phone stopped working, and it now only texts. Tap tap tap for every letter style texting!  I made do cheerfully. My daughter just got a deal on a new phone. My husband set her old slide phone up for me! I'm happy! It was my son's before it was hers. It should last me awhile. It's pretty beat up looking, but hey, no extra charge! 
  • My health deductible is met, and insurance is paying my medical bills. Major blessing! 
  • My daughter, Amy also of Tea with Miss Poetry, crocheted a hat for a new baby that is due in August. That is, if it is a girl! Her friend won't tell!
  • I made some ant poison. My desk and my kitchen counter have been invaded. I don't have $70 extra to call the pest control man, so I'm doing it myself. Hopefully, the little buggers will share with their nest mates. I made 1/6 of a recipe since it makes so much. Here are my measurements for 1/6 of the ant poison recipe. Just mix it all together and put it on cotton balls. See the pin below for more details.  1/6 cup of sugar, 1 1/2 t Borax, 1/2 cup warm water. Keep it away from pets and children. Borax is toxic!



My husband made this video.
There are still ants coming the next morning!

What have you done in your home this week?
~~~~~
♥♥♥
May you make the best of what you've got however much or little! 
 When we are faithful in little, God sees it.

ღLauraღ
...doing what I can with what I've got
where I am on a shoestring budget!
~~~~~
♥♥♥
~~~~~


Thank you all for writing to me. I read every comment.

Blogger is currently having issues with notifying bloggers of comments by email.  It is therefore difficult to respond.  

I will respond on the blog as I have time. You may subscribe to comments to see when I or others respond.
  
God bless you all!
 Laura
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♥♥♥
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Written by Laura Lane at 7 comments:
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Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Proud to Be an American!



I am proud to be a praying, Bible believing, patriotic, flag saluting, National Anthem standing, hand on my heart, deplorable American!





Written by Laura Lane at 10 comments:
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Friday, July 6, 2018

Thrifty Things Lately at Harvest Lane Cottage #129


Thrifty Things Lately at Harvest Lane Cottage!
We all want to save money, be thrifty and frugal, get some projects done, and be thankful for our blessings from God. Perhaps my list of things that my family has done lately can be an inspiration to you or give you a few ideas.

A Thrifty Week at Harvest Lane Cottage

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Hello everyone,

  I'm so glad you dropped by today—or tonight. It's always good to meet new blog friends and reconnect with old friends. I haven't written a Thrifty Week Post in several weeks now. Truthfully, I just haven't felt too thrifty. I did some thrifty things just because they are second nature. However, I cannot say I've been working at it. 

   I've just been on cruise control while riding out these last few weeks of treatment. Just a bit longer—July 18th is the last treatment. I'm just glad cancer is not going to kill me, and the treatments are not going to dictate my schedule like they have this past year. As I regain strength and energy, I need to get busy being thrifty!

  My husband's been working every weekend since early May, so we've not done anything fun yet this summer. It's in addition to his regular work, so he's been a very busy man. That work has just ended, so we will see more of him. We've got some extra expenses coming up in the next few months, so it's time to tighten the purse strings a bit. It's something I've got a bit of experience with! A couple of years ago, we went four months without a paycheck. We depended heavily on the LORD. HE always takes care of us. He will now, too.

  I'd love it if you'd tell me what you've been doing in your home!


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Here's my thrifty blessed summer so far.

  • I bought a sweater shaver at Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon. I hope it will help save some clothing that is showing wear.
  • I bought some sock yarn at Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon.
  • I've been using up what we have on hand for meals. I had the refrigerator mostly bare for a few days. I've been working on the cabinets, too. I want to clear them out and give it all a good cleaning. I hope to enlist my girls' help.
  • We've been eating out of the freezer, too.  I'd like to defrost the stand-up freezer in a month or two. It's easier when there's not a lot of meat to try to keep frozen.
  • Some knitting friends gave me some yarn. I've cast on and frogged a shawl six times already with one of the beautiful skeins from Wendy's Wonders. It's my first shawl, Reyna, and I'm finding it a tough learning curve for me. I'm also using slick metal needles instead of wood. I've not done that with fingering weight yarn and this size of needles before. I will not give up! I'll try casting on again.
  • Another friend gave me leftover sock and fingering weight yarn to add to my Fiddly Bits scarf/cowl. I like how it's knitting up.
  • My son was able to do some rather extensive work on my daughter's brakes. The parts were costly, but he repaired them for free. I think she owes him a big favor! 
  • A friend gave us a couple frozen chickens. I put one in the pot for chicken and dumplings. It brought all my family home for dinner one Sunday evening—priceless!
  • My daughter and I had queso, chips, and salsa for lunch one day. Total $7. Not bad for a mini date.
  • I've been filling out surveys with Survey Junkie. I make far more than I did with Swagbucks. I've been using the Amazon credit to purchase knitting needles and supplies. 
  • I've filled a couple of bags with giveaway things. Real Estate Investment!
  • Just three of us for dinner tonight, so I made half a batch of Greek salad dressing.
  • I went out for tea and a snack with my friend. She was kind to buy mine, too. Thanks Deb! Yes, she's the same Deb we've been praying for. Her heart is doing just fine now. She is having back pain and stomach problems. Please pray for her. She appreciates your prayers so much.
  • I've been using a broken phone for a couple of weeks. It is a slide phone. The hinges broke, so it's held together with a hair elastic. The phone stopped working, and it now only texts. I'm making do. My daughter just got a new phone, so I'll use her old phone for now and transfer my info to it. It was my son's before it was hers. It should last until it's time to get me a new phone of my own. I like to get as much use out of something as I can before discarding it. ~grin~ That's really the case here!
  • I refilled a foaming soap dispenser using a little Suave shampoo and a lot of water.  I actually did this a couple of times. We wash our hands a lot!
  • We were able to get our prescriptions filled for free with our insurance.
  • My deductible is met, and insurance is paying my medical bills. Major blessing! 
What have you done in your home this week?

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♥♥♥
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May you make the best of what you've got
however much or little!

When we are faithful in little,
God sees it.

ღLauraღ

...doing what I can with what I've got
where I am on a shoestring budget!

~~~~~
♥♥♥
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Thank you all for writing to me. I read every comment. I truly appreciate the support you've all given me during my treatments. 

Blogger is currently having issues with notifying bloggers of comments by email.  It is therefore difficult to respond.  

I will respond on the blog as I have time.  
You may wish to subscribe to comments to be notified when I respond.

God bless you all!
 Laura


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Written by Laura Lane at 16 comments:
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Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Homeschooling ~ God Lead Me to It... God Lead Me Through It... 25 Years and Counting


​I never dreamed that I would homeschool. It was back in the early '90s that I first met a couple homeschool families. They were odd ducks but quite nice. That was my first exposure. Later, as a member of the Conservative Book Club, I was sent a book by Raymond and Dorothy Moore called The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook.​ I also came across The Christian Home School by Gregg Harris around the same time. Soon, I was hearing Dr. Dobson talk about homeschooling with Dr. Moore.

God just lead me to it. My Lowell agreed. We decided to do it for a year.  My family disagreed with us even though it was just kindergarten.  That was the year of Columbine. After that, my mom stopped fighting me.

I found Charlotte Mason through The Elijah Company catalogs. I read them cover to cover to learn how to do this and get recommendations. I've always been a reader. That's what appealed to me about CM. I'm not sure where in the process I found Karen Andreola. Her books were invaluable to me.

 She taught about Charlotte Mason's gentler way of learning. Short lessons, lots of variety, real living books, nature study, etc. It lead me to use whole books, hands-on activities, and life experiences along with our math books and such. I now have grown children aged 16 through 27. They are intelligent, self-motivated, life-long learners who know how to find information, study themselves, discuss issues, and solve problems. 

 One of my sons had the courage to fix a rather involved brake problem with my older daughter's car recently. I asked him how he knew what to do. His father isn't mechanically inclined with vehicles. "YouTube!" he said. He was brave enough to tear her car apart and persevere when it got hard. I am thankful and proud.

 Don't be afraid. Don't get caught in workbooks only. Teach them to learn. Provide a print rich environment. Model a love of reading and learning. Make God, The Bible, and church central in your life. God will lead you in the path for your children to prepare for each one's future.

 You can homeschool. I highly recommend that you visit Mrs. Karen Andreola's blog, Moments with Mother Culture. She is a wonderful resource for homeschoolers who are starting, who need some new ideas, or who need a little encouragement and mother culture. She is approachable and friendly. 

 I will never regret the years I've spent homeschooling. My children think for themselves. They can pursue any type of future the LORD has for them.  We've been able to give them experiences that have helped them to explore their areas of interest. We've done it all on a very low income with God's provision and favor. He has made a way where there seemed to be no way. We stood at the crossroads, and we chose the ancient path* where the good way was and is. Someone else might say we chose the road less traveled. 

 It was hard. It was good. It was worth it all. 

 Be brave and courageous,
Laura Lane

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*"This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, 'We will not walk in it.'" Jeremiah 6:16 NIV






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