Harvest Lane Cottage

  Thrifty Things Lately at Harvest Lane Cottage Hello everyone!    Just popping in to share some of the thrifty things going on lately at the cottage. I'm knitting some Christmas gifts. This pair of Everything November Mitts is especially nice, because a friend dyed the yarn then gave it to me.  I ate a sandwich at home one evening when I wanted to go out. We were able to turn the air conditioner for a couple of days. It was hope for fall ! I received a book to review that will go in my gift box. I changed my mind. Bryson the Brave Bison is staying on my shelf for my grandson. I've been listening to books on Scribd . I just finished Fateful Words by Paige Shelton. I'm listening to John Adams by David McCullough. I began it the 29th of May. I don't know if I'll finish it by the end of summer or not.  I'm also listening to Dear Mrs. Bird: A Novel by AJ Pearce.  I'm listening to Bible.com daily. Bible.com has truly changed my life. I am able to listen to t...

  My oh my, the economy is in a bit of a tank these days. We're all trying our best to make our money stretch until payday. We're especially feeling it this week. My husband is self-employed. That means he doesn't get paid until his clients pay and business expenses get paid. Sometimes his clients pay late. They're facing their own troubles. This week, Lowell and I talked and realized that we need to reduce expenditures further.  We only one subscription service, my Scribd subscription for $11.99 a month, which I use like crazy.  That means first place to make adjustments is in the food budget. Not so easy as you know. Actually, for us, the food budget has always been the catch all for everything. Not ideal, but life hasn't always been ideal. The emergency fund is just that, the emergency fund. It's not the food fund. Now so far, I haven't told you anything new. Food is where most of us make adjustments when times get tough. This is the meal that I made for ...

Coping With the Heat Without Air Conditioning by Laura Lane Photo by  Ethan Sykes  on  Unsplash The weather is hot in Southern Missouri. For many years we either had no air conditioning or just a room air conditioner. Here are some ideas that our family has used to cope with the heat. Take a cold shower before bed. Use a rice or corn sack that has been in the freezer when you go to bed. An ice bag or cold pack should work too. Even a hot water bottle with ice water in it should work. It should stay cold long enough for you to fall asleep. Fans...fans...fans.... Drink lots of ice water, ice tea, homemade lemonade,  sugar-free lemonade, etc. Take another cold shower. Go someplace with air conditioning during the heat of the day if possible. Eat cold meals. Let cool air in at night, then shut the windows and shades. Put feet in cold water in bath tub. Pray for rain and a cold front! ~~~~~ May I suggest... I Will Never...

  Finding Courage to Face the Storm BRYSON THE BRAVE BISON Written by Nate Davenport & Luke Freshwater Illustrated by Richard Cowdrey Oh my goodness! This book is staying in my collection! It has such a terrific message on bravery that kids need to hear and read.  I fell in love with this book from the first sentence,  "Bryson the bison was born rather small, Not like his dad who was twenty hooves tall."  What made it love at first sight? Well, I have a new grandson. Little One was just 5 lbs and 14 oz when he was born. He was and is just perfect, just born rather small. Just like Bryson. I just know that my little guy is going to love hearing that line read to him someday. Look at those illustrations! Are they not precious! Richard Cowdrey filled the book with fun, fresh, illustrations that all children will love— especially boys. Nate Davenport and Luke Freshwater wrote a postive, impactful story of bison children facing their greatest fear— a storm without the...

Hello everyone!  Just a quick post to share my thrifty things lately. I hope sparks an  idea for something thrifty that you can do. I've been checking Facebook Marketplace for months in search of the right king size bed frame and a baby bed. No luck yet, but I'll keep searching.  Lots of zucchini from the garden. I've made zucchini cake and zucchini bread. I'm looking for a new cake recipe. If you know of a good one, will you please share it with us?  I'm still listening to the Bible for free on  Bible.com . I'm almost ready for John. I'm trying the 3 month whole Bible plan. I can link it if anyone wants to know which one I'm using. We're eating a few cherry tomatoes and cucumbers from the garden. Believe it or not, the big tomatoes are just beginning to ripen! I've had to buy tomatoes from the farmers' market. My husband liked his electric lawn mower so much, he bought an electric weed eater for $35 on Facebook Marketplace. He really likes ...

Thank you for praying! We have a baby boy! Born at 3:23 a.m. this morning. 5 lbs 14 oz and 19 inches long Thank you for praying for my daughter, her husband, and their son. I'm still calling him Gibby. I haven't met him yet. We were at the hospital when he was born, but we didn't go to the nursery, because momma hadn't seen him yet. We got home and to bed about 5 a.m.  We're gloriously blessed and happy! Thank you Jesus!

 Hello everyone! My Amy is still in the birthing room. As I write this, she has been there for 24 hours. Please pray that her labor will end with a healthy baby and mama soon. Thank you! Laura

Please pray.  My daughter, Amy, my youngest, is going to the hospital to have her first baby. Please pray for her, for baby, and for my son-in-love, Dawson. I'll update when we have a new little one in our family.  Thank you my faithful blog friends. Laura