Harvest Lane Cottage

  Hey y'all!  I'm Christmas Kringling! 🎄   Christmas in July is a real thing for me. I've been listening to Christmas music every once in a while this month. I made some snowball cookies earlier this month. Most importantly, I am making and collecting Christmas gifts. 🎄  I've been hosting a Christmas Club at my home monthly since last Christmas. We're having fun catching up while we create whatever we'd like. 🎄  Currently,  I have too many projects on my needles. I do love working with my hands. So, in the hopes of getting some things finished,  I plan to work on one thing at a time for the next few weeks. I'll share my progress here. 🎄  This week's project is a pair of scrappy socks for my brother-in-love. 🎄  Now... to try to finish them before next week! What are you making or creating?  🎄  Keep calm and make on! Laura  🎄  Find me online here: @lauraofharvestlane  on Instagram Laura Lane   on Goodre...

  Hi Everyone! I'm time traveling through my memories. It started as a bit of stream of consciousness writing during a time when I had writer's block. That's been a bit of what July's been like for me this year. So, here are a few of my memories. What do YOU remember about 1985? Remembrances of 1985: My high school sweetheart, Lowell, proposed to me May 10, 1985. We were driving home from college in Edmund, Oklahoma to our home town of Topeka, Kansas. We stopped to picnic at a roadside rest area on I-35 somewhere in northern Oklahoma. I remember we were sitting at one of the tables with odd cement teepee poles over it. Suddenly, he cried, "Look! A wolf!" While I was looking over the prairie in the distance, he got down on one knee. When I turned back, he asked me to marry him. Of course, I said yes. I was beyond twitterpated! I spent the rest of the year saving money and planning my wedding. We were married the next May. I was so busy with Lowell, work, finis...

  My husband recently made this oven roasted cauliflower for me. Oh yum! It was the perfect accompaniment for bbq ribs. Oven Roasted Cauliflower Recipe

Photo by Aliis Sinisalu on Unsplash   “And reading is a wonderful thing for the mind. I have not been many places in my life. But in books, I have traveled all over the world.”  ―  Roger Lea MacBride ,  In the Land of the Big Red Apple This week, I'm traveling in time with Gabrielle Meyer. I'm reading her third book in the Timeless series, For a Lifetime .  The premise of this series is that the main character lives in two different time periods simultaneously. When she is awake in one time period, she's sleeping in the other time period. She alternates between the two times and places with no loss of time in between.  It's fascinating to see each heroine develop and choose which path she will stay in when she turns 21.  I reviewed the first book, When the Day Comes and the second,  In This Moment . Both were excellent. I recommend reading them in order.  I know this is a bit confusing, but go look at my reviews. They'll explain better what...

  Hey y'all!  Here are some things that are making me happy lately. This magnetic yarn holder is so fun! It spins as I use it. I'm a water drinker.  My friend Sarah Coller recommended this on her BookTube channel.  I love fall , but I got a kick out of knowing the precise minute that fall will arrive! I reviewed this set of size 8 knitting needles from the brand BsHooker .  I was really happy with them. There's no memory in the cord, and the needles are both lightweight and pointy enough to get into stitches without trouble.  I was hunting for something in my needlework cabinet and unearthed this yarn. My breath caught! I bought this "Picking Apples" yarn last year in anticipation of September knitting then forgot it! I'm anticipating again. I bought it from Tulip Tree Yarn on Etsy.  Speaking of Tulip Trees, I was speaking to my daughter on the phone recently. She asked if our tulip tree bloomed this year. I'd forgotten to send her a photo. I walked...

139 Things to Do With Kids Without Electronics by Laura Lane Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash Are you running out of ideas to keep the kids busy and happy while they are home? I thought about some of the things we did when I was young long ago. I also included some of the things my four kids did with an abundance of time, no video games or tv, and limited videos. My daughters, Emily and Amy, then added their ideas as well. Some ideas are things to do with kids, and some they do without you. All in all, we came up with  131 things for kids to do without electronics ! Here we go! Blow bubbles  Catch fireflies  Make homemade ice cream  Read a book together Child reads alone Play in the sprinkler  Ride bikes   Play with balls Play dolls Kickball Play with cars and trucks Learn to play jacks or marbles  Have a pillow fight Water balloons Science experiments Picnic under the stars, under a shady tree or under the kitchen table with sheets over i...

  Photo credit Unsplash Hello everyone in the United States of America! I wish you a happy Independence Day! From the Cottage Archives: Celebrating the Fourth of July Independence Day, The Fourth of July, July 4th, Freedom! God Bless America! Independence Day Memories Drip Drip Drip Boom!