Harvest Lane Cottage

  We have had almost no rain since spring. All of the lakes, all of the ponds, all of the rivers are very very low. Saturday, it was so dry and crusty as we went for our Fall Foliage tour, I asked Google, "Will it ever rain again in Carthage, Missouri?" To my surprise, it said there was a 100% chance of rain on Monday! That gave me something to look forward to. In spite of the forecast, I was very surprised and pleased that it rained all day yesterday. The forecast is for rain all day today also. So I am taking a mini vacation at home. I am knitting and I am watching old movies on my phone and my tablet. Of course I get up and do the housework things, too, in between. Substitute teaching does not pay very well in southern Missouri. I am happy, however, that I chose to substitute rather than teach full time. It is for days like this, when I just want to be cozy at home, that I chose the part-time work with freedom to choose when and where I shall work.  Today, I choose home! H...

THE LONG AWAITED FALL BUCKET LIST 2022   Happy Fall Dear Reader!    Fall is slowly making its entrance. It's been nice to turn off the air conditioner! We've had a few chilly nights. A few of the maples are showing their first blush of red at the tops. Gold is tinging some of the oaks.   If you've been around for a bit, you know that I've had surgery every fall for the last five years! That is not on my bucket list this fall! Praise God! Cancer is finally behind me, and I just have yearly check-ups and one long-term pill to help prevent a recurrence. I'm so glad!  I've actually already done a few of these things. I still added them to the list, because y'all might want to do some of them. I'll put items I've completed in italics.   Then I'll come back and update regularly so that you can see my progress.   I have found that since I began making these bucket lists, I am more intentional about enjoying each season. It's too easy to get stuck i...

 Affiliate Links    I have enjoyed every Melody Carlson  Christmas novella I've read. I've read almost all of them, too! It's become a tradition to read her yearly offering in September as my thoughts turn to the Fall and Christmas seasons. This year the book I started in September has continued into October. Sometimes I read a book slowly to savor it. That's the way Carlson's Christmas books are. If I don't savor them, I'll gobble them down!    A Quilt for Christmas is no different. What is  different is the storyline. I love that the protagonist is a woman of a certain age. ~smile~ She moved to a new city to be near her family. Unfortunately, they soon moved far away because of a job. That left her alone and lonely. Her heart was soon to be melted by the youngsters who lived across the hall. A project was planned to surprise their mother for Christmas with precious few weeks to accomplish a very complicated bed quilt. The ladies that joined in to ma...

These are some of my favorite products that  I use for making my cottage a home. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.  Every little bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------------------------------              

Hello everyone!   Keeping it short and sweet, this is my fall reading list. I'll be writing reviews later this month for A Daughter's Courage and A Quilt for Christmas. The Britfield review should come at the end of this month or beginning of next month. The Loch Ness Papers and An Everlasting Meal are both audio books that I'm listening to on Scribd. Elijah is a study I've not quite finished, and I'm listening to The New Testament on Bible.com.   I've a couple of months to finish all this reading by Thanksgiving. Think I'll make it? I'll come back and update this as I finish each one. Please leave recommendations for my Christmas reading list or Winter reading list in the comments!  A Daughter's Courage by Misty M. Beller -    finished A Quilt for Christmas by Melody Carlson -   finished Britfield and Return of the Price Book III by Chad Stewart - Reading now The Loch Ness Papers by Paige Shelton -  finished   An Everlasting Meal, Cook...

Oh what a whirlwind it has been! My daughter Amy became engaged to my now son-in-love Dawson mid-August. What I thought would be a six month or year engagement was about six weeks!  They were married at his family's home in Illinois. They have a lovely place with a beautiful large pond, many lovely trees, a barn, a pavillion, a fire pit, and a wooden swingset which Amy and Emily turned into a lovely arbor backdrop for the couple and the minister. They wrote their own vows, and it was truly a once in a lifetime fairy tale experience. The men wore blue flannel shirts in true country boy fashion, and the ladies were lovely in rust gowns. Dawson combined the colors in his flannel, and Amy wore a breathtaking ivory gown sprinkled with lace and pearls. I don't think I've ever seen a happier couple. Amy's maid of honor was her sister, Emily. Not just because she's her sister, but because they're best friends for life! Her other bridesmades included two dear friends, Ja...