BRING ON THE 'BER MONTHS!

I love fall!

BRING ON THE 'BER MONTHS! 

I love how in August and early September we get a few cool mornings to give us hope for tomorrow— but then, we get slammed with ninety plus degree days again!

I'm entering birthday season this weekend. It lasts about a month. Three of my children, my grandson, my brother, and  my brother-in-love all have birthdays this month!

A week later, fall will arrive along with all the cozy joy it brings! I plan to cast on a little sweater for my grandson to celebrate the beginning of the 'ber months. I plan to use the Flax pattern by Tin Can Knits. They have an app which makes it easy to follow their patterns. Flax is free.

I've already bought a few new fall decorations. I chose a couple of new garlands. I do love maple leaves. Carthage is called the Maple Leaf City, and we host the Maple Leaf Festival every October with thousands in attendance. We have so many maple trees in Carthage, it's the most beautiful time of the year. 

I look forward to autumn crafting, too. Inspiration is everywhere, and I'm definitely more inspired during the fall months. For now, though, I'm finishing works in progress through the end of August. It would be so fabulous if I just had to start something new, because everything else was finished. Think I'll make it? I don't even know. I'm almost done knitting my fingerless mitts. Next, I'll work on a sewing project that I've started. 

All for now, have a lovely Sunday. I'll have family in, and I'm looking forward to it. 

Enjoy today!

Laura

~~~~~

♥

~~~~~

Would you like to support my site?  

As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a small percentage from ANY items you place in your cart and purchase within 24 hours after going to Amazon from one of my links. 

It doesn’t have to be an item I have linked here.  

If you’re going to be making a purchase from Amazon this week, I thank you for using my links to support this site!

Find me online here:

@lauraofharvestlane on Instagram

Laura Lane on Goodreads 

2025 41 Finished Books Goal 60

HarvestLaneLaura on Ravelry

Harvest Lane Cottage on Facebook

PayPal laura@harvestlanecottage.com

Address available by email

Strategize NOW for a Stress LESS Thanksgiving

 

Happy Thanksgiving Week!  Yes, it's really here!

Some of you us may be getting a little stressed at this point. Thanksgiving is but a couple of days away. Mmmm... I'm dreaming of sweet potato casserole with lots of pecans! Oh, pinch me and wake me up! Back to planning.

• First, take a deep breath. Now, go take your turkey out of the freezer. Put it in the refrigerator to thaw slowly and safely.  Are you still reading? Stop it! Go get that turkey in the fridge and meet me back here in five minutes. ~smile~ 

• Get yourself a delicious drink, light a candle, and put on some relaxing music.  Pandora has some great Christmas music.  I like the Jim Brickman and Bing Crosby Christmas stations. Spotify has some great music, too. They let you build your own play list. 

• Sit down with paper and pen right now and think think think.

We have a lot of control over how much tension we have in our own minds over holiday dinners. Planning is so very important. 

• Plan your meals for each day from now until the end of the holiday weekend. Try to use the food you have on hand as much as possible to save your money for special items you will need to celebrate. Plan for a few impromptu snacks as well.  Write this out for every meal. Then make a list of every item you will need. Example

• Now, ask yourself a few questions. Where will you be for Thanksgiving?  Will you be providing the meal?  Bringing something to a dinner?  Traveling?  Needing snacks for the car?  Candles?  Decorations?  Jot down any notes you might need.

• Make a cooking timeline. I had to follow a timeline when my children were little, and I did most of the cooking. Now that the kids and my hubby help me cook, it's not as critical as it once was, but I still have to know what to cook when!

When you're done with all of this, you should have a shopping list. 

First, shop your pantry and freezer. Check off what you already have. You should be left with a shopping list. Check it twice and add anything else you need.

Now, plan to go to the store as soon as possible. Take your list!

I know it's coming fast, but pray, breathe, and believe that you can get it all done peacefully. Remember—perfect is only in magazines and books. 

This is your real life. 

Live it well by enjoying the journey.

Happy Thanksgiving preparations,

Laura

Who will be following her own advice!

A Little Fireplace That Fills a Big Longing ~ Christmas Gift Idea

    My husband and I have been privileged to have a fireplace or woodstove in a few of our homes. Unfortunately, we do not have one now. We've really missed it. Purchasing and installing one will cost thousands. Bummer.

    When I found this little fire pit, I thought, why not? We enjoy candles. Maybe. Just maybe this will give us a hint of what we are missing.

    Boy howdy! It did!

    It cannot be simpler to use. A little rubbing alcohol is all we needed, and that was in the medicine cabinet. My husband poured a little in, and lit it. We were amazed and delighted with the effect. It lasted just about an hour. We enjoyed it immensely. The sturdiness of the pit calmed my nerves when the fire got big. I was confident that we wouldn't accidentally knock it over.   I'm sharing it with you; because, we are really enjoying it. 

    We had friends over for supper and made s'mores for dessert last weekend. We had so much fun!

     If you, too, long for a fire, but have no way to make it happen, this is a great alternative. 

    Let's make our Thanksgiving time, our Christmas time, and our winter time a bit cozier using whatever means the LORD brings to our minds and our abilities.

    Happy Novembering!

    Happy Thanksgiving!

    Happy Christmassing!

Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage

Momma's Making Christmas

As of this writing on November 19, 2024, there is a 40% off coupon on the buying page. Regular price is currently $27.99.

My affiliate link*

*Affiliate link ~ I only make pennies from this; but, why not? About once a year it adds up to $10. That's the threshold for a payment. LOL 

An Autumn Weekend

 

Graphic by Twin Creek Primitives

Good weekend to you!

I am very happy to be spending my Saturday at home this week. I'm just plugging away at some things on my to do list that really must get to done. ~ smile ~ It's a chilly day, just 62°. It's not cool enough for the heater; but, truthfully, I would put my sweater on if it weren't at the other end of the house. I know that if I get up from this computer, I won't get back to it for awhile. In fact, I have just five minutes before I need to help my husband with a project for awhile. 

Some of the things that I'm doing today:

~ A little housework and laundry

~ Some reviews on Amazon. Here's my public profile if you'd like to see some items that I've reviewed. 

~ A little writing including this blog post

~ I'm making a pot of black beans and smoked pork for supper. I'm sure I'll make a pan of cornbread to eat with it. 

~ I'm going to spend a bit of time cleaning and organizing my workroom. I'm tempted to take before and after photos, but I might be too scared to show them. ~ giggle ~

~ A little time in the dungeon—I mean garage. I'm tackling it one item at a time. 

This evening, we're going to watch The Christmas Charade on the Hallmark Channel on the Frndly TV app. Frndly doesn't work on our LG tv, so we'll have to either cast it from my husband's IPhone or watch it on the computer. 

Well, I've spent a bit more than my five minutes, so I'm off to help Lowell with a bit of a project first. 

Have a fabulous fall weekend!

Laura

Very happy to be home!

Autumn is...

I love Autumn. It has long been my favorite time of year. We live in Carthage, the Maple Leaf City.

Fall means the Maple Leaf Festival and the biggest parade in the four states.

Fall means pumpkins! A few years ago, my family lived in the country and had a pumpkin patch. I loved everything about it. I loved seeing the baby pumpkins as they formed and grew. I loved harvesting them. I loved selling them and the craft items I'd made. The name Harvest Lane came from our farm, Harvest Lane Farm. I'd been Laura of Harvest Lane online for awhile; so, when we moved to town, we called our home Harvest Lane Cottage.

Autumn is fresh apple cider with mulling spices, chai latte tea, homemade cocoa, soup simmering on the stove, bread baking in the oven, the smells of pumpkin and cinnamon coming from my oven or my favorite candles.

Autumn is snuggling up with a good book while I listen to the rain falling outside.

Autumn is knitting a wheat gold sweater for my grandson.

Autumn means reading a few Christmas books before the Christmas rush begins.

Fall means planning for Christmas gifts, sneaking in a little Christmas music while I'm working, and 

creating for for friends and family.

What is fall to you?

Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage

Enjoying my favorite season

God Kept Us Warm... He'll Do It Again

 We live in southern Missouri. While not as cold as Vermont, it still gets quite cold here. A furnace or woodstove is necessary. Well, this past year, we didn't have that luxury. Our furnace broke at the end of the previous winter, and we were unable to get it fixed. God was good to us. The insulation that we were blessed with last summer helped keep us warm without the furnace.

 We used space heaters, more clothes, baked and sometimes just sat in blankets next to the heaters. I'm so glad we had more than one. Somehow, God took care of us, even during the sub zero temperatures and wind chills. You do what you have to do, but I must admit, I do hope to get it fixed for this winter.

 Whatever comes, God's already there in the situation helping us every step of the way.

Laura

Trusting God in All Situations

The Golden Days of Autumn... Laura Ingalls Wilder

"All those golden autumn days the sky was full of wings.
Wings beating low over the blue water of Silver Lake,
wings beating high in the blue air far above it . . .
bearing them all away to the green fields in the South."

- Laura Ingalls Wilder

By the Shores of Silver Lake

An Autumn Dream

     Isn't this just dreamy?  I can just imagine the aroma of woodsmoke drifting on the air as Honey steps onto the front porch after a long day at the work...replaced, upon entering, by beef stew simmering on the stove and the house lit with fragrant cinnamon spice candles.  

     After dinner, he'd hear the familiar scritch scratch of my whisk on the bottom of our saucepan as I prepare homemade cocoa to enjoy with big fluffy marshmallows.  He'd settle into a comfortable chair by the fire and open his favorite read aloud -- Little House in the Big Woods.  Ah-- a girl can dream! 

     Some of those things can come true right where we are in our humble little cottage.  Just a little work here and there and I can make this a comfortable and welcoming place for my husband and children.  It's Autumn and time for some cleaning and feathering my nest.

     God bless you all!

Laura
Choosing Contentment

Picture credit:  Feathering Your Nest newsletter from Gooseberry Patch.

~~~~~

May I suggest?

An Autumn Mix of Warming Soups and Stews

~~~~~

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

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

Remembering Fall

 

 

2023 Fall Bucket List ~ Harvest Lane Cottage

 

Harvest Lane Cottage
Fall Bucket List
2023

 Happy Fall Dear Reader! 

  Fall is trickling into the Ozarks. I've enjoyed opening the windows and turning off the air conditioner! We've had a few downright chilly nights. A few of the maples are showing their first blush of red at the tops. Gold is tinging some of the oaks.

   I've been a bit late in making my list. It's still strange to me to make my bucket lists just for me and my husband. I had kids at home for 32 years. That's a long time. My first date with my husband October 16, 1981. It was a Friday night. It was a dance-a-thon sponsored by Junior Achievement, a business club for kids from the town and country schools. He was the town boy, I was the country girl. Ah, I've got to remind him that the anniversary of that first date is coming up! Well, on to this year's bucket list.

 I've actually already done a few of these things. I still added them to the list, because y'all might want to do some of them. I'll put items I've completed in italics. Then I'll come back and update regularly so that you can see my progress. 

 I have found that since I began making these bucket lists, I am more intentional about enjoying each season. It's too easy to get stuck in a rut or focus on the wrong things. All work and no play, you know?

 I'd love to hear what is on your bucket list for fall. Please share a list or a link to your list in the comments below. Is there anything I've forgotten that you consider a must do? Let's talk and be friends. 

Here's my bucket list for 2023.

• Make my fall bucket list
• Make my fall reading list
• Decorate for fall ~ I sorted my fall decorations and let go of some that no longer bring me joy. I don't have a lot, but I do like what I have. Once we have some pretty leaves, I'll probably bring some in.
• Enjoy candy pumpkins ~ My son brings these to me as soon as they're available each year.
• Make apple crisp
• Read and review Melody Carlson's new Christmas novella ~ A Royal Christmas 
• Make homemade cocoa
• Burn a fall candle
• Invite friends for a soup supper ~ Ham "n Beans and Cornbread
• Dad's visit here in October
• Carve our pumpkin with my husband
• Roast pumpkin seeds
• Listen to Christmas music
• Finish reading Psalms and Proverbs
• Worship God under the stars ~ Maple Leaf Worship Night
• Maple Leaf Festival
• Bake pumpkin bread
• Bake cookies
• Start my Christmas shopping
• Try a new soup ~ Chicken broth & meat, rice, mushrooms, cream of mushroom soup, broccoli, salt & pepper, cornstarch to thicken
• Knit Everything November Mitts
• Walk through crunchy leaves
• Eat homemade chili
• Christmas Club at my house every month. I've been doing this since July with a few friends. We're enjoying Christmas music, treats, and working on Christmas projects together. September, October, November
• Take a drive to look at fall foliage 
• Collect Christmas cards
• Make a pecan pie and share the recipe
• Celebrate Thanksgiving with family at home
• Make friendship tea
• Knit wool socks for my husband
• Eat Queen's Apples (cut up apples with caramel and pecans)
• Visit my dad in November
• Bake pumpkin and maple leaf shaped sugar cut-out cookies
• Sew a project bag
• Shop for a new sweater or jacket
• Candlelight baking
• Harvest Celebration cake ~ pumpkin, apple, pecan cake
• Make a gift list
• Sip hot apple cider
• Listen to a Christmas book on Scribd. 
• Finish hand quilting the top that Lowell's Grandma made
• Make homemade eggnog
• Invite friends for pie 
• Collect pinecones, leaves and seed pods to decorate 
• Take a walk and enjoy the maple leaves
• Read by candlelight or lamplight
• Watch a Christmas movie
• Finish my Fall Reading List
• Itty bitty blessings from the Lanes

• Decorate our Christmas tree Thanksgiving weekend

Alright, now you know some of the things I hope to do over the next month and a half of fall. Yes, it's a long list. No, I won't do it all. Yes, I'm still gonna try!

Plan for relaxation, plan for fun, plan for sanity!

Enjoy and look for the sparkles of joy!

Keep positive and optimistic!

Be blessed!

Laura

Focusing on the Lord

and Loving This Season

I am an Amazon affiliate and will earn a small commission if you choose to purchase after clicking one of these links.

   

Cool Breaths of Autumn

Image by Ioannis Ioannidis from Pixabay

"The first cool breaths of autumn stole into the Ozarks at night, pulling heavy blankets of fog over the hills and hollows. Each day the sun rose strong and golden to chase off the gray dawn."

Little Farm in the Ozarks  by Roger Lea McBride. 

Autumn or Fall I Enjoy It All

AUTUMN THOUGHTS

I love Autumn. 

It has long been my favorite time of year. We live in Carthage, the Maple Leaf City.

Fall means the Maple Leaf Festival and the biggest parade in the four states.

Fall means pumpkins! Quite few years ago, my husband and I lived in the country and had a pumpkin patch. I loved everything about it. I loved seeing the baby pumpkins as they formed and grew. I loved harvesting them. I loved selling them and the craft items I'd made. The name Harvest Lane came from our farm, Harvest Lane Farm. I'd been Laura of Harvest Lane online for awhile; so, when we moved to town, we called our home Harvest Lane Cottage.

Fall is apple cider with mulling spices, chai tea, homemade from scratch cocoa, smoke from our wood stove, soup simmering on the stove or in the Crock Pot, bread baking in the oven, the smells of pumpkin and cinnamon coming from my oven or my favorite candles.

Fall is snuggling up with a good book while I listen to the rain falling outside, once thankful that my children were gathered around me. Now they're grown, thankful for my cozy, warm, dry home.

Fall means walks with my little dog looking for pretty leaves.

Fall means planning for Christmas gifts, sneaking in a little Christmas music while I'm working, and creating for for friends and family.  

Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage

Looking forward to my favorite season.

~~~~~ 
May I suggest?
A Plain and Simple Christmas
~~~~~ 

Thinking Ahead to The Holidays

 

Good day or evening to you dear reader!

 I just put in my Walmart grocery order for the week. Just before hitting checkout, I added the items needed to make my family's favorite green bean casserole recipe for Thanksgiving. Early? Yes. But. 

 There are two reasons that I ordered the items now. First, I don't have money saved up for Thanksgiving dinner at this point. This year, I plan to order a few items I need each week in order to spread out the cost of a very expensive meal. Second, with all the uncertainty in the availability of items this season, I want to do my best to prepare early not only for Thanksgiving, but after that, the Christmas season as well.

 Last week, I visited a small thrift shop in my town and found a set of cooling racks new in the package for just $3. I snatched them up. They will make a nice Christmas gift. Over the years, I have done much of my shopping second hand. I've found some nice sweaters, shirts, and a brand new wool coat ($2) among other things.  My family knows it, and they still enjoy the items I purchase for them.Thrifty is not just an idea for me. It is a way of life. Over the last year or so, with four surgeries and covid, I've become a bit lax; but, I sense a season coming when my thrifty ways will not just be helpful but necessary.

 I don't have a well stocked pantry. I am beginning now by buying just a few extra items at a time. I know from experience that God always provides, but I need to do my part. 

 I am also busy making birthday and Christmas gifts. I am knitting items using yarn that was given to me supplemented by a few skeins that I've purchased. I also have some sewing to do. It's time to start making my lists and getting busy with my kringling! I suggest you do the same. 

 Well, enough for now. I'm making a thrown together quiche for supper tonight with the items I have on hand.

 What are your thoughts about the coming season? Are you feeling a need to prepare what you can early?

Blessings,

Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage

Doing what I can with what I've got on a shoestring budget

May I suggest?

Christmas Gifts for Children... Precedents, Disappointment, and Gratefulness

Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies

Take Time Now to Prep for the Busy Holiday Season!

These cool days of  early fall are the perfect time to prepare for the busy holiday season coming in November and December. 

Prepare double batches of soups and casseroles.  I like to do this on normal evenings as I'm preparing dinner.  It's easy to put the extra in the freezer for a busy day meal.  Just be sure to label it.  I've had a few surprises over the years.  Oh my, did I say that aloud?  ~smile~ in fact, right now, I have a container of something red in my freezer. I think it's sauce for meatloaf. I think. ~smile~

You'll find some delicious soups and stews on this list from my blog:  An Autumn Mix: Warming Up with Soups and Stews... A List of Favorites .

Begin now to prepare cookies for your family often. Bake a dozen for the family to enjoy now and freeze the rest for busy November and December days.  I often go ahead and shape the dough into balls for easy thawing and baking right on the cookie sheet.  This is a huge help when unexpected guests pop in during the holidays or you find that you need a treat to take to a gathering. This year, I plan to try some sugar free low carb cookies, too. Try some of my favorite cookies here.

Now's the time to gather ideas and make your lists.  Look at all the ideas you've come up with over the last few months.  Start making lists. Think about what you'd like the next few months to look like and start breaking it all down.

If  you're planning on making gifts, it's time to get started!

Start thrift shopping. I went for my first shopping trip this week. I found a set of Wilton's cooling racks for cookies or cakes for just $3. They are brand new in the package. With four young adults, they will be a gift for someone. You can often find new or like new items at great prices.

Well, I've given you something to think about.  Go, think, scribble a few thoughts down, and try some of my soups and cookies.  Let's take the coming months in a steady pace and enjoy it without stress. Have a terrific week!

Laura
Happy at Home
Happy to Be Alive and Cancer Free

~~~~~

May I suggest?

Are You Getting Stressed?  Thanksgiving Week Part One

~~~~~

"The Attic Was a Lovely Place to Play."

Don't you just love this time of year?

"The attic was a lovely place to play. The large, round, colored pumpkins made beautiful chairs and tables. The red peppers and the onions dangled overhead. The hams and the venison hung in their paper wrappings, and all the bunches of dried herbs, the spicy herbs for cooking and the bitter herbs for medicine, gave the place a dusty-spicy smell.

Often the wind howled outside with a cold and lonesome sound. But in the attic Laura and Mary played house with the squashes and the pumpkins, and everything was snug and cosy."

Little House in the Big Woods

Laura Ingalls Wilder

One of my very favorite books

Fall is in the Air!

Today begins the first full week of

 my favorite season of the year—

Fall!

I'll soon be hanging my fall wreath 

and decorating with pumpkins and fall leaves.

I've been enjoying an apple cider fragrance cube in my warmer.

I'm dreaming of soups and stews.

 I even made apple zucchini pecan spice bread.

Oh the fragrance and

the taste were delightful.

We enjoyed cooler weather at a nearby bluegrass festival over the weekend. It was so nice to enjoy the outdoors and good music.

So I say so long to summer and hello to fall with joy!

Be blessed and seize the joy in each day.

Laura

Grateful for Another Autumn