Contentment, Thankfulness, Happily Ever After

Contentment...
It's definitely an out of style commodity these days.
You cannot find it in the stores on Black Friday.
It's not available online on Cyber Monday.

It is only available in one place—from one person.
Within yourself—from God.
It's available here and now.
It begins with being thankful.

Live today as though now is your happily ever after.
It is.

Happy Thanksgiving
from Harvest Lane Cottage,

Laura
Thankful to be alive
for my sixth Thanksgiving
since CHRIST conquered cancer in my body

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

 Happy Thanksgiving

United States friends!

To all my readers,

May you enjoy your day,

and count your blessings,

and thank Jesus for all He's done for you today.

We don't need to set aside a day for that.

We need to set aside a life for that.

He set aside His life for us

to reconcile us to God 

and to give us life abundantly.

Talk to Him,

ask Him to fill you more completely

with His love.

Accept Him as your Lord and savior.

Your life now and forever will be changed.

God bless you all!

Laura

Thankful for my Jesus,

my Holy Spirit,

my God,

my family,

my friends and readers,

and

my life eternal.

My Fall Reading List 2023 ~ Updated

 Hello Everyone!

 I thought I'd just pop in and let you know how I did with my Fall Reading List this time. I finished nearly every book I planned with the exception of The Hawthorne Legacy. I also read or listened to some extra books. The final results follow. 

Fall Reading List

2023

I enjoy many Autumn activities, but one of my favorite is reading. Can't find time to read?  You should try what I call "snatch reading".  Five minutes here, five minutes there. It works well, especially if you're only reading one book and use a post it note to keep track of what paragraph you're reading. Once upon a time, it was the only reading I did.  I have to admit, I cannot limit myself to one at a time. I love to have at least one audio book in my Scribd app, a book on my Kindle, and real paper books going as well. Taking a book along everywhere gives you the chance to snatch a free moment to read a bit. Beats scrolling! 

Here's my Fall List:

Books I am Reading

The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes ~ I ordered this through interlibrary loan, but I was unable to read it quickly enough. I had to return it. I'll add it back to my request list so that I can finish it this winter.

These are the additional books that I am reading or listening to as of Thanksgiving night.

• I'll Start Again Monday
• Sherlock: The Essential Arthur Conan Doyle
• Little House in the Big Woods 

Books I've Finished

Yours Cheerfully by AJ Pearce ~ Finished on Everand. Interesting novel about a lady journalist writing about and helping English War workers in WWII England.

Just Open the Door by Jen Schmidt ~ Just finished ~ Challenging!

Mrs. Sharp's Traditions fall section by Sarah Ban Breathnachs ~ Done

A Royal Christmas A Christmas Novella by Melody Carlson Read and reviewed.

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis  

Plaid and Plagiarism by Molly MacRae 

Creating a Simply Joyous Christmas by Melissa L. AuClaire 

The Tailor of  Gloucester by Beatrix Potter  

God's Story in 66 Verses by Stan Guthrie 

Crewel and Unusual: A Haunted Yarn Shop Mystery by Molly MacRae ~ Finished listening on Everand

John Adams by David McCullough ~  I finished listening on Scribd.  It was really long.

Stranded (Ivy Malone Mystery) by Lorena McCourtney ~ Completed

Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar and her husband

The Best Yes by Lysa Terkeurst

To Helvetica and Back by Paige Shelton

The Tailor of Gloucester by Beatrix Potter

I listened to several other books, too, 

Fall weather is great for a little porch reading with a nice cup of something hot.

Happy reading friends!

Laura

*I signed up for a free trial of Everand in February 2019. It's an app where you can read or listen to books for just $11.99 a month with no limit.  

I kept the plan, because we really use it and like it a lot. We especially like the extensive list of audio books. Take a look. If you sign up from this link, you can get a two free months trial, and I'll get one month free, too.

Find me online here:

Laura Lane on Goodreads

2023  60 Finished Books

Goal 51

HarvestLaneLaura  on Ravelry

Harvest Lane Cottage on Facebook

@lauraofharvestlane on Instagram

laura@harvestlanecottage.com

Paypal donations: lauraofharvestlane@gmail.com 

Address available by email

Miss Dickinson's Autumn

Autumn

Emily Dickenson


The morns are meeker than they were,

The nuts are getting brown; 

The berry's cheek is plumper,

The rose is out of town.



The maple wears a gayer scarf,

The field held a scarlet gown.

Lest I should be old-fashioned, 

I'll put a trinket on.

Carpe diem!
Seize the day!

Blessings,
Laura

Welcome!

Thank you so much for dropping by for a visit.  I do enjoy a good visit with friends, don't you?  While we may not know each other face-to-face, I do hope you will find Harvest Lane Cottage a place where you can relax, find encouragement, and hopefully, be inspired to do, read, write, or cook something wonderful.  Most importantly, I want to share my love for Jesus Christ with you.  He is the center of my life, the center of who I am.  No, I'm not perfect.  I fail, I fall, I am tempted, but I keep going back to the One who makes me clean again.

I hope you'll enjoy your visit here at Harvest Lane Cottage.  Look around.  Some of my most popular posts are at the bottom of the current posts.  More are listed in the sidebar.

Relax, enjoy yourself, be refreshed.  Then, please leave me a comment.  I love it when my readers "talk back".  I won't tell your momma, I promise!

Laura Lane
Happy in my Jesus and in my home.

~~~~~

May I suggest?

Just Who is Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage?

~~~~~ 

Fall Ends in December, but Christmas begins in November?

I adore this funny little guy.
I bought him at a craft fair
more years ago than I remember
for just $2.00!

 

I thank God for seasons and celebrations in our lives. Our existence would grow rather hum-drum if we never celebrated anything. I'm sure that's why he instituted all of the feasts and celebrations for the Jewish people.

I once told my daughter that Fall ends in December; but, we seem to have five seasons now rather than four. The Christmas season has been added to the basic four. I suppose it helps ease us into winter. The day after Thanksgiving fall will disappear in my home to be replaced bit by bit with Christmas.

For now, I'll just enjoy Fall and think of the numerous reasons that I have to be thankful. I could never list them all.

Be blessed!

Laura

What I'm Reading This Week ~ November 6, 2023

 Hello dear ladies,

 Every time I write, I feel like it's been too long. I'm afraid I've been distracted lately. For instance:

• My husband hit a deer and totaled our car a little over a week ago. Still waiting to hear from insurance, so I'm still stranded at home. On a good note, I'm getting a little break from subbing!
• I went to a nearby city for emergency dental work for a broken tooth. 
• I went to a retreat with our fiber guild. OH, it was filled with temptation! There were so many ladies spinning and both ladies and a gentleman weaving. I knitted all weekend. Ever since I was a child, I wanted to try spinning and weaving. I just don't need another hobby... especially not an expensive one!

 Anyhow, here I am now to share my reading with you.

   I've been listening to John Adams by David McCullough for months. I finished last week. It was 30 hours long, but it was worth it. When the Bible said, "There's nothing new under the sun," it was true. The partisan politics that divide the United States and other countries as well, was alive and thriving in an ugly was shortly after our country was born, probably even before The Declaration of Independence was signed. 

 I also finished Stranded by McCourtney, The Best Yes by Lysa TerKeurst (an excellent book I want to read again), and To Helveltica and Back by Paige Shelton.

 Now, I'm sitting here with the fragrance of my pumpkin and salted caramel candle wafting around me and thinking of which books I'd like to focus on this week. I have a tendency to get many books going at once, but I want to try to be a little more focused for the next couple of months.

 I currently have a book checked out on inter-library loan, Book 2 of The Inheritance Games... A young adult series. I read the first book a few months ago. It was clean and intriguing, part mystery and part puzzle.

The Hawthorne Legacy 

by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

 The second book I want to focus on this week is my current Scribd audiobook, Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar Dillard and her husband Derick.

 Finally, I'm in Romans this week. I'll probably make it into 1 Corinthians, too. I am listening on Bible.com.

Well, that's it for this week. What are you reading and listening to?

Hope your week is filled with autumny sweet pleasures and plenty of prayer.

Laura

Blessed to be a Blessing

Trying to Become More Focused!