Harvest Lane Cottage

 Hello everyone! Anyone who follows me on Instagram already knows that I was Knitting for Joy in 2023. That came about, because the year before, I found myself knitting a lot of projects with yarn I'd been given that simply did not bring joy to use. I was also knitting things that I felt like I needed to knit rather than things that I wanted to knit. In short, I just wasn't feeling the joy.  Most of my knitting is either for gifts or charity. That didn't change in 2023, and it won't change for 2024 either. What did change was the kinds of things I knit, the yarn, needles, and notions I used, and most of all, my attitude. It was a good change. Now, I'd like to share photos of some of the things I knit last year.  Brown Sugar Socks Now I'm off to the races with hats and socks for this coming year. If you see me in person, you'll see knitting needles nearby! You may view all of my knitting projects on Ravelry.com. I'm HarvestLaneLaura . God bless you all!  ...

Hello everyone!   Every once in awhile,  I'll sub in a class at the junior high or high school. Sometimes, the teacher leaves an assignment that the students work on without help. On those days, it's important that I have a book to read while the students work.  On Friday, I read the first 100 pages of   In the Wake of the Plague (Black Plague 14th century) by Norman F. Cantor. I am increasing my learning  by underlining and taking notes in the margins. It's been a long time since I have done this, but it's my own old book, and I was recently reminded of the practice by Sarah Coller of Belle's Library .   While working at home, driving, knitting,  and hand quilting, I'm listening to two audiobooks on Everand: A Winter by the Sea by Julie Klassen, and How to Stitch an American Dream by Jenny Doan.     I love the  Everand  app (formerly Scribd)! I've read 9 books so far this year.    Five were audiobook...

Photo by Ana Paula Grimaldi on Unsplash "I cannot stress enough how important it is to save for rainy days. I am a squirrel. I have been squirreling a little money here and there as it comes to me for years. It's been very helpful in this time of unemployment. Even if you can only save a few dollars or even a few cents, please do it. It's the only reason we've still got money after no income for two months. The other thing I had was some food in the freezer.  Prepare while you can ladies!" Me  -2015 That period of unemployment lasted four months. We had no income. Since we had been self-employed, and we had closed our business, we were not eligible for unemployment, nor did we apply for food stamps. We trusted God. He provided for us. Every day. In unexpected ways. It was one of the most prayerful times and one of the most creative times. We depended on God for every single thing we needed. We sold things. I got really creative with meals and ways to use it up, w...