Harvest Lane Cottage

  Thank you LORD for being God with Us. Praise you Jesus! Happy Christmas everyone. God bless you as you seek Jesus. Laura

Banana bread from my oven Many of us are called upon to give small gifts in exchanges at the office, with friends, at a club or party... the list goes on and on. Many of these gifts are supposed to be $5 or $10. Why not shop in the comfort of your home—from your home? Go on a treasure hunt. We all have things that are nice that we don't really use. These would make a perfect gift to help round out your shopping list. Don't be shy about it, either. This year thrifty is in! You're not a grinch if you are blessing from your stash. My stash includes things bought on sale through the year, yard and thrift store finds, and things that I've made. I also love to give gifts from the kitchen. One of my friends, Joyce, often says, "Do with what you got." Blessings to you all! Laura Keeping Jesus as the Center of my Season Shared at  The Homemaking Party

   I cannot believe it. It's been sixteen years since I wrote my first blog post. When I started, I had four children at home. Now, they're grown, they've flown the nest, and my Amy has added a husband and son to our little family. Much has changed, but I still love my husband, Lowell, my savior Jesus Christ, my family, and life in our little town. Just for fun, I'm including a copy of my first post dated December 13, 2007.  Dear Reader, I’m so happy to spend a few moments with you as this old year is preparing to change to the new.  Change can be an uncomfortable thing, but it’s often a good thing.  I love the assurance of knowing that GOD works all things together for those who love HIM who are called acording to HIS purpose. This blog is one of those changes for me.  I’ve read blogs for years, but I’ve never had the courage to write myself.  Well, I plan to change that with the LORD’s help.  I hope you’ll visit me often as I build my little blo...

  What do you call people who are afraid of Santa Claus?  Claustrophobic.

Hello everyone! Happy Christmas to you! Last evening, I made a quick supper of salmon patties and creamed peas. Then my Lowell and I headed downtown to enjoy the lighting of the mayor's Christmas tree and the annual Carthage Christmas Parade. Thousands of twinkly lights adorned the square, and lots of happy people turned out for this fun event. We found a parking spot just off the square. It was perfect. We were able to stand by our car and watch the parade go by just feet away from us. We were even able to exchange Christmas greetings with many people in the parade as they passed by.  So often, during the Maple Leaf Parade, we find ourselves sitting in a spot where the band marches by in between songs. Last night, they were playing Christmas tunes as they cheerfully marched by us. I think my husband's favorite part was watching the old cars go by. There were some real beauties.  My husband drove an old Nomad station wagon when we were first dating. It was nothing like this on...

Photo by Simon Schoepf on Unsplash "They were cosy and comfortable in their little house made of logs, with the snow drifted around it and the wind crying because it could not get in by the fire." Laura Ingalls Wilder    We've had our share of cold days and nights here at the cottage the last few weeks. We're staying warm with blankets, space heaters, hot drinks and warm robes.         My husband slept late this morning. We're going to watch church online this morning since we were up rather late with grandbaby last night. Momma and daddy went to dinner then a walk through Bethlehem event. When Lowell came in, I said, "I'm going to finish this blog post and then...." Lowell heard "muffin". We both had a good laugh. Then we laughed and said I should write about "muffin". So, here we go! Just for fun! 5 minutes writing about "muffin".    Go!    We've eaten a lot of muffins in over the years. The first muffins that I h...