BRING ON THE 'BER MONTHS!

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! This week we'll be over a hundred every day. I don't even know what the heat index will be. 

We've been in birthday season. It lasts about a month. Three of my children, my grandson, my brother, and  my brother-in-love all have birthdays this month! Two more to go.

A week after the last birthday, fall will arrive along with all the cozy joy it brings! I'm going to do my best to sew a bit every day in September— well, at least most days. I've really missed it. I need a few new project bags for my knitting. I may make a few extra. 

I've already received a few new fall decorations. I chose a rug with pumpkins on it and a centerpiece with fall leaves ready to hold three candles. 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 wonderful 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 knitting on my works in progress. It would be so fabulous if I just had to start something new, because everything else was finished. Alas, I always start something new before I finish. I always have things on the needles. ~smile~

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

Enjoy today!

Laura

~~~~~

♥

~~~~~

Find me online here:

@lauraofharvestlane on Instagram

Laura Lane on Goodreads 

2026 20 Finished Books Goal 60

HarvestLaneLaura on Ravelry

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PayPal laura@harvestlanecottage.com

Address available by email

Giving Thanks

 

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

A Psalm for Giving thanks. 

1 Make a joyful noise to the LoRD, all the earth!

2 Serve the Lord with gladness!

Come into his presence with singing!

3  Know that the Lord, he is God!

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4  Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

and his courts with praise!

Give thanks to him; bless his name!

5  For the Lord is good;

his steadfast love endures forever,

and his faithfulness to all generations.

I cannot improve on scripture.

Happy Thanksgiving week,

Laura

Autumn Thoughts in Rhyme

Leaves just tinged red and gold

The slightest chill on the breeze

Sun playing hide and seek

Can we read in the tree, please?

Pulling out the recipes

for all the soups and stews

It's still dark in the morning

Just one more time—hit snooze

Crafting, cooking, reading, cleaning

Learning, planning, dreaming

Secret plans for Christmas gifts
Talking about the holidays and scheming!

Blessings,

Laura Lane

~~~~~

Memories in the making...

memories made.

0913

An Autumn Dream

     Isn't this just dreamy?  I can just imagine the aroma of woodsmoke drifting on the air as my husband 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 me.  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

~~~~~

Happy First Day of Fall!

Hello ladies! 

Happy Fall y'all. Just had to say it! 

It's been hot here in Southwest Missouri for a bit over a week. We had a little preview of lovely weather. But. Well. Missouri. I have hope for the future though! I may not get any fall weather today, but I'm going to seize the day for all it's worth! 

I'm so excited for this first day of Fall. It feels like summer, but I am going to burn a pumpkin candle, drink a cup of tea, close my eyes and make believe!

Be blessed!

Laura
Thrilled to be in what
I believe to be the most
wonderful time of the year!

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

UPDATE:

This product has been recalled.

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

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

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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
~~~~~