Harvest Lane Cottage

On and off my needles...    Just some of the photos I found on my computer and my phone. Next week I'll share what I'm working on this week.  Happy Stitching! Laura  

Hello everyone! I have another review for you today. It's been awhile since I've written a review, and now two so close together! Perhaps this one won't be so controversial. ~smile~     Today's book is called I Dream For You. It was written by Kate Wood and illustrated by Mette Engell.   It is intended as a read aloud for young kids. I would say maybe 3 to 9. It could be used for younger and older kids as well.        It's got a down-to-earth style that I enjoy. It's a celebration of the love, hopes, and dreams that a mother has for her child from womb through adulthood. We all have something tucked in our hearts that we hope for our children. A love for Jesus and a dedication to him is the highest hope many of us have for our children.        This book from Zonderkidz illustrates many of the hopes and dreams that moms have for their children. Kate Wood includes a list of scriptures in the back of the books to inspire...

When I sat down at the computer a few months ago, I had a totally random idea. Randomness isn't anything unusual for my pinball brain. ~smile~ I decided to use a random number generator to give  me a year from 1969 (when I have my first few memories) to 2024.  I shared at least one memory from the year and then added in any randomness that came to mind. I've decided to do it again. I found it helped me to get past my  writer's block  and also gave readers something to spark a memory, or at least something interesting or silly or nostalgic to read. So here we go again! Random Year:  1976 The United States Bicentennial was celebrated all year. In fact, on tv, there were movies, programs and what we'd now call shorts that were inserted between regular programming that told and showed the history of the colonial period and the things that were leading up to the Revolutionary War.  I had the same teacher for 4th and 5th grade. Her name was Pamela Higgs . She was...

  Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson Elon Musk is certainly one of the most controversial men of our time. Those who speak of him seem to be polarized by his personality, his style, his words, his actions, and even by the money that he has made. I've heard him criticized for being a billionaire. I wonder if those criticizing realize the poverty he came from or the fierce focus and devotion that has lead to those billions. He has very specific goals. Those goals are meant to help humanity. His medium is technology and engineering. His giftings, including objectivity and intensity combined with his skills in engineering and shaving every penny of waste in his companies have lead him to do things that many thought impossible. I've found this book about this fascinating man to be just that—fascinating.  My Thoughts: Even the introduction was intense. In fact, it seems that every part of Elon Musk's life was and is intense. I chose to listen to this book on audio. It is one of the be...

I've been making these cookies ever since I can remember. I must have been 10 or 11 when I started making them. The recipe is typed out on a faded card that's bent and smudged. I like it because it doesn't use quite as much butter as most cookie recipes. Oatmeal Cookies 1/2 c + 2 T butter 1 c brown sugar 1/2 c white sugar 1 egg 1/4 c water 1 t vanilla 3 c oats 1 c flour 1 t salt 1 t baking soda 1 c raisins Beat together butter, sugars, egg, water and vanilla until creamy. Combine dry ingredients and add to wet ingredients. Mix well. Stir in 1 cup raisins. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Let them set on the cookie sheet for a minute or two before removing them to a rack to cool. Be ready with a glass of cold milk, a glass of lemonade or some iced tea. You won't want to wait a moment longer than necessary to take that first nibble! Note: Sometimes I just use 1 ...

Grandma Bernadine Conklin, Laura, Matthew, and Dad Four Generations Happy Birthday in Heaven Grandma! ~ April 1st, her birthday ~ Thanksgiving ~ Miracle on 34th Street ~ big vegetable gardens ~ shelves of home canned foods ~ large pearl tapioca pudding ~ eggs fried in bacon grease ~ the smell of coffee and bacon in the morning ~ Christmas cookies ~ The Catholic Church ~ Pepsi in glass bottles ~ date pinwheel cookies ~ stacks of magazines ~ old metal swing sets ~ old Christmas carols ~ Bing Crosby Christmas songs ~ chickens ~ handprints in concrete sidewalks ~ cool, dark cellars ~ open stairs ~ cellar stairs under the kitchen floor ~ wringer washers ~ bowling score pads ~ waxed cardboard milk boxes ~ milk bottles and home milk delivery ~ braided plastic bread bag rugs ~ wooden screen doors ~ open cellar stairs ~ old-fashioned claw foot tubs ~ apple butter ~ cut-out sugar cookies in an ice cream bucket ~ hand cranked homemade ice cream ~ old black ...