GOOD MORNING! GOOD AFTERNOON! GOOD EVENING! GOOD NIGHT!

GOOD MORNING!

GOOD AFTERNOON!

GOOD EVENING!

GOOD NIGHT!

This is a GOOD day!

Embrace it!

Bless the LORD with praise!

Trust in Him!

Do what God has for you to do today.

Don't focus on the news.

There will always be something to worry about.

Wash and pray, and go on your way.

God bless you all!

Enjoy life in EVERY season.

Every season comes to pass.

This, too, shall pass!

Hugs to you all,

Laura

Shared at:

Classical Homemaking

On Writing Well: The Revelation

The Revelation:

I don't have to know what to write to be a writer.

I have to be willing to be used by God...

willing to write what He gives me to write...

willing to exchange the fear,
the worry,
the anxiety
that someone might not like what I write,
the memories of red and green ink all over my papers
that I worked so hard at writing in college,
the rejection of my youth,
my natural focus on me me me.

I have to be willing to give,
willing to be a channel for God's blessing to flow through.

My source of what to write is God himself
and what His Holy Spirit reveals to me.
In His Word,
in His Presence.
All life flows from Him.

A Refreshing Afternoon at Morris Patch of Heaven Homestead

Oh what a refreshing afternoon I had! I visited my dear friend Joyce of Morris Patch of Heaven Homestead. We've been friends for years and have raised our kids together. Our visit was punctuated with her wonderful young children bringing adorable baby animals right into the house for viewing and enjoying. New life is always such a joy. Bottle lambs bring back memories.

I met Joyce through a homeschool group that met in a little house, at the other end of my block, that was owned by a local church. We enjoyed many years of mom meetings, homeschool field trips, pray and plays, park days and activities together. For a few years, we also had the pleasure of being church members together and participating in home groups that our children were welcome to attend. Ah, good memories.

Friends on a long ago field trip. Laura left, JuLinda center, Joyce right

While we were together this afternoon, the first since the distancing order, I felt refreshed by talking with my dear friend. We are kindred spirits, and it has been wonderful to talk over all that is going on and our personal and family responses to it.

We also talked of homemaking things and homesteading things as we always do. One of the things we agreed is that we need to make soap together again soon. Last time, she made it for her YouTube channel. She made an easy goat milk soap. I want to share that video with you here and ask you to give her some comment love and subscribe if you like what you see.




As usual, I always love to receive your comments here as well. How are you holding up these days?
Any great make do ideas to share? Any prayer requests? I'd love to hear from you. Please make sure to leave your email address if it's not part of your Google account or hit follow so that I can respond.

I hope y'all have a wonderful evening, morning, or day!

2020 is still the year of optimism!
Blessings,
Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage

Thrifty Things Lately #153

Hello ladies,

Here are a few things I've done lately to save money. But first....

Thank you JoeyLea for the gift you sent me this week! It was so very thoughtful. ~smile~

Thank you Gail for the gift you sent me this week! I will open it on the 12th for my birthday. ~smile~

Now onto the thrifty things.

I've been reworking my wardrobe a bit for my part-time work. I'm trying new combinations and making a few adjustments to things I own. I haven't bought any new clothes, but I may need to. A stay-at-home mom's wardrobe can get a bit dowdy if she doesn't shop for three years. I haven't really shopped since I found the lump. No energy then no money. ~smile~

I put a little shampoo in a squeeze bottle and filled it water. It makes my shampoo last so much longer with better suds.

Teddy bear mush with Farina (Cream of Wheat) for a couple of breakfasts. We add brown sugar and milk.

I made more masks using only what I have on hand.

I've been turning my fabric clutter into blessings for others.

I've also used up thread, elastic, seam binding, and clothes line!

I turned a cardboard mailing envelope inside out and put masks in it to mail to my father.

I made homemade laundry soap a few times.

Thrifty Woman's Real Estate Investment 3 cubic feet

At Mrs. Sherman's suggestion, I cut my son's hair.

I made ant poison. I'm going to have to make another batch. The critters came back.

I ordered a wig at a discount company. When I get brave, I'll have a photo taken and share it with you. My hair just never grew back fully after the chemotherapy.

A new wig sister sent me some wigs. I will use what I can and donate the rest. I have someone in mind.

We baked a chicken last night and ate what we wanted of it. I then picked the bones and put enough chicken in a bag to make a casserole. The carcass and skin etc went into a freezer bag.  I put both bags into the freezer for later use. When I get another carcass, I will make bone broth for soup.

I sewed a button on my husband's suit coat.

I listened to the New Testament on Bible.com. I'm in Luke right now.

I've been reading and listening to a couple of books on Scribd. I received a month free because someone used my referral code. She got two free months. It's only $8.99 after that for unlimited ebooks, audio books, sheet music, podcasts and more.

I haven't concentrated on being thrifty so much lately. I'm thrown for a bit of a loop over all that's going on, too. Combine that with working part-time, and you'll see that I'm trying to find my new normal.

So, I'm going to write down a few goals for next week! Maybe I'll have a bit more to report to you.

Blessings to all of you!
Remember... keep busy.
This too shall pass.

Have a homemade, handmade, heartmade thrifty week! 

Laura

P.S  I highly recommend using Scribd. You get unlimited ebooks and audio books plus other reading materials for just one low price. $8.99 a month. You don't have to pay per book. It's all included in the one price. It's the best money I've spent this year!

If you use my link, you'll get a 2 month free trial of Scribd, and I will get a free month as well. I'm not an affiliate, it's just a neat perk that they have for their subscribers who tell their friends. I've earned 210 free days just sharing how much I love their service! You can too. Cancel at any time. My daughter uses it, too.

Find me online here:

Laura Lane on Goodreads

2020  15 Finished Books

Goal 50

HarvestLaneLaura  on Ravelry

Harvest Lane Cottage on Facebook

@lauraofharvestlane on Instagram

laura@harvestlanecottage.com

Address available by email

Paypal lauraofharvestlane@gmail.com 

Six Benefits of Blogging

6 Things to Love About Blogging
Harvest Lane Cottage

I've been feeling a bit reflective lately. Some thoughts about blogging:

I love the creative freedom to write without the approval of a few elite publishers. 

Making new friends surely would top the list as well. 

The ability to reach readers around the world still bloggles boggles my mind. 

I can encourage others through sharing my own trials, struggles, blessings, and thrifty ideas.

I can share the hope that I find in JESUS even when life seems too hard.

Encouraging others builds me up as well.

Writing my thrifty week posts and  bucket lists really help me keep doing.

Truthfully, there are so many things I love about it, it's hard to choose! Sharing my faith and encouragement with others is my passion.

ஐღLauraღஐ 

...doing what I can with what I've got

where I am on a short shoestring budget!

~~~~~


You might also enjoy...

• God's Perfect Timing
• Sometimes Life Isn't Very Happy
• Saving Money With Jars... Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Shared at:
 Wonderful Wednesday

Don't Hate Yourself Over Bills!

Hello everyone! I hope all is well with you. I thought I'd talk with you a bit about a problem that may be making life hard for you right now. 

I think we've all done it. We have robbed Peter to pay Paul. We've bought something on credit thinking we would pay it at the end of the month or some such thing. Maybe we bought a car on credit or ran up a bill at this place or that. We've all run up bills of different kinds in past. Some of us might be doing it right now. I've run up some medical bills recently. Thank you Jesus, we've been able to pay them. ~smile~

Some of us have run up balances all over the place. Been there done that. Then guilt and fear mount as we look at the bills coming in. Sometimes there's not enough money to pay them all. Then the self-hate and self-loathing kick in.

Stop! Do not hate yourself for anything. Do not allow the devil a foothold. It's done. If it was because of something foolish you did, or because of sin of some sort, repent! Now ask God for his help and his favor in getting the bills reduced and paid. It's not too hard for Him. I've seen God perform many miracles financially. 2017 was the first year that we were able to get health insurance, and we just barely made it in time. Thank God we did. At over $40,000 for one chemotherapy treatment, I don't know what would have happened otherwise. I have no idea how much my cancer treatment has cost so far. I may not be able to count that high! Thank you God it's gone now, but check ups and pills and tests are still part of my life. 

There are numerous ways you can cut your expenses. I've written about it extensively here on the blog. But this is the thing. You need to learn to do what you can, and then trust God. Getting close to Him is the best thing you can do to get through your financial hardships. Believe me, we've had major financial hardships in our thirty-four years of marriage. I spent most of those years fretting, worrying and stressing. I wasted those years, because I didn't have happiness and joy.

Build an Emergency Fund! Dave Ramsey recommends this as the first thing to do and to do as quickly as possible. For us, it's only $1000, but it's enough to cover a car repair. Most of our credit card debt years ago was for car repairs. A few years ago, when my husband closed our restaurant, we went from mid-December until April without income. No unemployment. Nothing but the little bit of money we'd been able to scrape together for an emergency fund—around $1000. We sold stuff. We gave things away. We prayed. I used what I had and made do. God provided...here a little there a little. We don't even know how. We just prayed for each need as it came up, and God took care of it. 

He will take care of you, too!

God will make a way. 

Go right now and read Psalm 34. 

Read it aloud. 

Faith comes by hearing,

and hearing by the Word of God!

Romans 10:17

I'm going to go read it right now myself!

God bless you!

Don't give up!

Do what you can with what you've got where you are!

Think creatively!

Start saving and making and doing what you have to do to stay out of debt this Christmas. Yes! I'm talking about this in May. Make the commitment now! 

Trusting in Jesus,

Laura

Blessed beyond the stress

Shared at:
 Wonderful Wednesday