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

What Do You Have in Your Hand? Doing With What You've Got!

Are you content?

When God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, He asked Moses, 

"What do you have in your hand?"

 That's a good question for us, too. Often we think of all the things we need that we don't have. This can lead to whining, discouragement and discontentment.
It's a slippery slope that can lead to depression.

So what can we do?

Look around your home.

Make a list of what you DO have to work with.

What can you do with it?

• Make an inventory list of food in your pantry, your fridge, your freezer. What can you make from it?

• Make an inventory list of the fabrics, trims, notions, and craft supplies on hand. What can you make from them? Think birthday, wedding, baby and Christmas gifts.

• What do you have on hand that could be sold on Ebay, Etsy, Facebook Marketplace, another online site, at a consignment store, or at a yard sale?

The key to not being discouraged 

by circumstances is to

think about possibilities 

not impossibilities. 

So, look at what you have in your hand, then ask God to show you what you can do with it. Ask Him for wisdom. Believe that He will give it to you.

He's waiting for your questions. Do not doubt it. He has promised to supply all your needs, but he expects you to use what you have in your hands.

God bless you all!

Still working on it myself,

Laura

This article was published in issue #128 of 
The Christian Home Magazine.

~~~~~


*Do what you can quote is from President Teddy Roosevelt.

Read more...

• Be Anxious for Nothing
• Spiritual Truth from an Open Door and a Little Dog

Repost from 1/25/17

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

Favorite First Lines... Anne of Green Gables and Thoughts on Reading

"Mrs. Rachel Lynde lived just where the Avonlea main road dipped down into a little hollow, fringed with alders and ladies' eardrops, and traversed by a brook that had its source away back in the woods of the old Cuthbert place; it was reputed to be an intricate, headlong brook in its earlier course through those woods, with dark secrets of pool and cascade; but by the time it reached Lynde's Hollow it was a quiet, well-conducted little stream, for not even a brook could run past Mrs. Rachel Lynde's door without due regard for decency and decorum; it probably was conscious that Mrs. Rachel was sitting at her door, keeping a sharp eye on everything that passed, from brooks and children up, and that if she noticed anything odd or out of place she would never rest until she had ferreted out the whys and wherefores thereof."  

Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery

I'm sure this sentence would make even the brightest of English teachers scratch her head!  I absolutely love Anne of Green Gables.  It's full of fun, fancy, dreams, and drama.  My favorite part, though, is that it's full of twenty dollar words!  It would be a perfect book to enjoy reading aloud with your family.  A family read aloud time goes far to help your children love reading. Not good at it?  No one is when they start.  Remember, these little, or not-so-little, ones adore you.  You are the most beautiful, the smartest, the bestest in their eyes.  Gather them to you and cuddle for an old-fashioned good time.  

Are they little?  You can read picture books to them.  You will be surprised, however, how soon they will enjoy chapter books if you will read to them.  I read to my children so much when they were younger, my youngest fairly skipped picture books because she preferred chapter books! They can also understand at a much higher level than they can read when they are young. Share experiences in books. Give your family new things to learn and talk about together.  Go ahead. Make memories. 

Blessings,

Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage


~~~~~
May I suggest?
Home... Emily Dickinson
~~~~~

Featured at A Return to Loveliness

Cherry Pits, Erma Bombeck, and Jehovah God

I remember a quote from Erma Bombeck.  You'll remember her from the seventies.  She said, "If life is a bowl of cherries, why am I aways in the pits?"  A lot of us can relate.  That's what made Mrs. Bombeck so popular.  She was famous for her witty way of stating the obvious.

God is famous for stating the not-so-obvious.  It is He, Jehovah God, our father, who through the Holy Spirit, inspired Paul to write, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28. 

Unfortunately, that verse does not not mean that everything that happens to us is good.  Quite the contrary.  It doesn't even mean that all things work together for good for everyone.  It means He uses whatever the circumstances are to work for those who love Him, the ones He called for His purpose. 

So, we have to trust Him even when we don't feel like it, even when we cannot see any way that He can make things good.  Trust, it all comes down to trusting Him and being patient for His perfect will and His perfect timing.

So, next time I'm pitting cherries again, I'll remember that He is Good all the time, not just when we're eating the cherry jam.

Trust and Obey for there's no other way...to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.

Blessings,
Laura

~~~~~

May I suggest?

Cherry Fluffy Stuff

~~~~~

My Spicy Can Opener Soup was published in Gooseberry Patch Hometown Christmas!

Just had to share this with you again.   My recipe was published in Gooseberry Patch Hometown Christmas! I have to admit, I was truly surprised when I received a letter from Gooseberry Patch requesting permission to use my recipe in their newest Christmas cookbook.  I've sent in some more complicated recipes, but this one is easy peasy!

It's truly a recipe that I threw together using items from my nearly bare kitchen cupboards last winter. I called it Spicy Can Opener Soup.  They changed the name, but the ingredients remain the same.

 

I was thrilled to receive my very own copy of the book. Of course, I had to make it up and take some photos to share with you dear ladies.

It's simple, quick, and delicious.

It's also one of those scrape the bowl clean recipes.

It's just this simple.

Spicy Can Opener Soup

1 can black beans
1 can Mexican corn with peppers
1 can Rotel type tomatoes w/chiles
1 package of Taco Seasoning

Mix and simmer 5-10 minutes.

You saw the recipe here first!

Available comb bound or on Kindle.

~~~~~
Related Posts:

• Chicken and Dumplings
• Chicken Bone Soup
• Cowboy Beans
• Crock Pot Mistake

~~~~~~

111013

Crazy Vanilla Fish Lips Kiss Socks

Hello ladies,

  It's a pleasure to visit with you this afternoon. I truly enjoy our time together, both the time that I write to you and the time when I get to read your comments back to me. If you would like to write to me outside the comment section, you can always reach me at laura@harvestlanecottage.com. I invite your letters and notes.  If you prefer snail mail (I do), please send me an email, and I will give you my mailing address.

  Someone recently asked me about the Fish Lips Kiss pattern by Sox Therapist that I use to make my socks. It is actually a pattern for the heel, but it also helps you to size the sock perfectly for your foot or whosever you are knitting for. I had my doubts, but I have knit 3 pair so far using the pattern, and it worked splendidly. 

  I used Seam Free Rounded Toe for a Toe Up Sock by Lynne Ashton found on Ravelry.com. I use it, because my feet are wide at the toes. Then I knit knit knit in the round until I got to the point where the Fish Lips Kiss pattern told me to begin the heel. I knit the heel using the YouTube video the lady made to go with it to learn the unfamiliar stitches. After the heel was complete, I knit knit knit in the round until it was as long as I wanted it. The plain knitting in the round is the vanilla. The crazy is the color. Lastly I used a super stretchy bind off after a k1 p1 cuff. I'm sorry, I cannot remember the name of the bind off.

  I learned to knit my first socks by following a Knit Picks tutorial video called Kelley's Sock Class.

  I would suggest you practice knitting in the round by making some simple hats. Here's an easy one.

  If you're just learning to knit, this is a nice project that was one of my early ones. 

  I'll be happy to answer any questions I can for you. You'll find that YouTube is indispensible as is the channel Very Pink Knits.

  Enjoy this time with your family if you are together more, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. Look at the positive. Leave off the news. Most of it's bad regardless of truth. It wasn't that long ago they had us all stirred up over impeachment! After this virus, it will be onto something else. 

 Be safe and trust God!

 Blessings from Harvest Lane Cottage,
 Laura

This post was featured at I Made It Monday.

10 Ways to Beat Writer's Block - Blogging Edition

When You Don't Know What to Write...


 1)  Grab a cup of tea or favorite beverage and relax.  Remember writer's block from Junior High?  It can rear its ugly head with bloggers, too.  Don't let it stress you out.

 2)  Pray for inspiration.  Many of us use our blogs to honor God and share His love and His Word.  Why not just ask Him what He'd like you to write today?

 3)  Read your Bible, and use a verse as a springboard.  This dovetails nicely with number two.  A favorite verse or one that stands out to you today can be the perfect spark to get your writing thoughts moving.

 4)  Begin with a favorite quote.  History and good books are filled with great thoughts from great and not-so-great persons that might help your own thoughts flow.

 5)  Use a photo for inspiration.  What does it say to you?  What might be happening in the photo?  Write a caption.  I once wrote a whole post about a beach ball.

 6)  Think of a problem and how to solve it.  There is no end to the number of problems we have.  Choose one you can help with.  If you can give a frugal solution, all the better.

 7)  Think of a favorite saying and let it give you ideas. 

 8)  Write about your favorite topic.

 9)  Use a cliché and expound upon it.

10)  Write lists... your favorite things... things to do on vacation... ways to show kindness to your children... a list of links to favorite posts.

Know why I wrote this post? 
I couldn't think of anything to write about!

Blessings,
Laura


P.S. Planning to take some of my own advice over the next few days! I've been rather distracted lately with a number of things!

Shared at: You're the Star

September is National Sewing Month... It's Sewing Challenge Month at Harvest Lane Cottage

Did you know that September is National Sewing Month? I enjoy sewing, but I haven't sewn for many months.  While going through breast cancer treatment, just pulling out the machine felt like too much trouble. 

When I found the lump, I just put away the quilt I was hand quilting, the apron I was making, my crochet, my knitting, everything. Nothing seemed important knowing that I might not see the next season.

Chemotherapy was rough. It took more out of me than I realized, and the side effects were horrible. Still through it all, I did my best to spread sunshine, happiness, and the love of God with others especially at the cancer center.

Knitting chemo hats was the first creative thing I did. After I knit a couple for me, I started knitting for other patients. My nurse saw me knitting and invited me to come knit with her weekly knitting group. I didn't feel like getting out and meeting new people. When you lose your hair from chemo, and you look sick, people tend to avoid talking to you. They don't know what to say. It's a lonely time. I took a proactive approach and spoke first most of the time if I felt well enough. Fast forward.

A few months later, during treatment, another of my nurses invited me, and I decided to try it. Surprisingly, the ladies saw me as a person not a cancer patient! The group accepted me and befriended me quickly. It was a turning point in my mental recovery from cancer. I began to knit more and learned new techniques. It's been good for me. Tuesday Knit Night is now a priority. Now it's time to begin sewing again, too.

When I sew, I feel like I am doing something that God created me to do. My mother and a very good high school sewing teacher taught me most of what I know. I used the money I received at high school graduation to buy myself a sewing machine. I couldn't imagine going off to college without one! 

My treatments are over now, so I am challenging myself to sew every day in September. Even a few minutes will count. I hope to get back in the habit. I found a local friend to whom I can be accountable for the challenge. Thanks Carla! Tomorrow I will probably mend. I haven't kept up like I should.

I'm going to try to post some photos and write about what I'm up to. I may share projects, ideas, tools, or great websites that I've found.

How about you? Do you sew? Are you up for the challenge of sewing just a bit or maybe a lot each day of September? I'm going to try. I may change that if I end up having surgery this month. We shall see.

Join me?

Laura
Trying to get back to me

This post was featured

at

Wonderful Wednesday!

Wonderful Wednesday Reader Tip Tuesday, Share Your Cup Thursday Share Your Style Busy Monday Modest Monday Creative Mondays Sew it Cook it Craft it Monday Inspire Me Monday Inspire Me Tuesday Project Inspired Lou Lou Girls Oh My Heartsie Girl Simple Homestead Hop Thursday Grammy's Grid

5 Days of Frugal Eating Series

Welcome to 5 Days of Frugal Eating. 

When you think of frugal eating, what do you envision?  The books I've picked up often assume you can afford a lot more than I could at my lowest budget point. I needed something cheaper than thrifty cooking. 

I thought about calling this 5 days of Survival Cooking, but visions of bunkers of stored food or roughing it in the woods came to mind.  That's not what I mean by survival cooking. 

To me, as a mom with four (now three) children at home, survival cooking is filling tummies for the least possible amount of money.  It's not always the best nutritionally.  In fact, it's carbohydrate heavy.  Why?  Carbs are cheap.  Pasta, rice, potatoes—you get the picture.  This is not meant to be a long-term way of eating.  This is getting by when things are their worst until things get better.

My view of frugal eating came as a result of circumstances. Because of corporate downsizing, we found ourselves in a position of lifestyle downsizing, and downsizing, and finally downsizing to a point where we were just trying to survive. During that time period, I learned to cook many things, nearly all from scratch, that kept my family from going hungry in the leanest of times.

In these 5 days of Frugal Eating posts, I'll share some of the things I've done to make a small grocery budget work for our family of six.  Today, I just want to give you some things to think about.

5 TIPS TO GET YOU STARTED

1.  If your family doesn't like it or won't eat it, don't buy it.  No matter how cheap it is, it's too expensive to throw out food.

2.  Start a binder or list of all the foods you can make even if they're not frugal.  Then highlight the frugal ones.

3.  Bake.  I found that if I didn't think ahead and bake bread, biscuits, etc., mealtime became super stressed as I tried to find something, anything to make the meager portions stretch.

4.  Someone once told me, "Always have your hand in the next meal."  She meant always be preparing ahead of time.  So remember to soak the beans tonight for tomorrow's meal.  Cook the rice ahead of time.  That kind of thing.

5.  Pray.  Pray when you check what you have on hand.  Pray when you make your lists.  Pray while you're shopping.  Invite Father God to be your shopping partner.

Trust God, dear ladies. You can do this.

You can do this through Christ who strengthens you.

God bless you!

Laura 

Happy at Home

You can read the rest of the series below.

~~~~~

Related Posts:

• 5 Days of Frugal Eating
• 5 Days of Frugal Eating ~ Baking
• 5 Days of Frugal Eating ~ Lunches
• 5 Days of Frugal Eating Suppers
• 5 Days of Frugal Eating ~ Desserts

~~~~~

This article is featured in issue #132 of
The Christian Home Magazine.



See my Thrifty Week at Harvest Lane Cottage #94!

Share Your Cup
Sew it Cook it Craft it Monday
Inspire Me Monday
Project Inspired
Reader Tip Tuesday

Saving Money with Jars... Reduce... Reuse... Recycle...

Jars....I've been on again off again about collecting mason jars over the years.  I've got about a zillion quart mason jars in my garage that I've moved from house to house.  Well— maybe not a zillion. ~smile~ I've actually given a lot away. I did keep a couple of big boxes of quart jars in case this year is the year my husband finally has time to garden. In the meantime, I've found lots of other uses.

Glass jars are a great way to reduce your use of plastic bags or containers.  Most anything can be stored in them, either on the counter, in a cabinet, in the refrigerator, or even in the freezer— if you don't fill them too full.  New jars are wonderful. But, I like to reuse old jars that I find at yard sales and nice sized jars from products I purchase.  Just yesterday I cleaned out two cupboards and moved ingredients to jars and labeled them. It drastically reduced the bulk of packaging, and the shelves look great with the jars lined up.

The only limit is one's imagination when it comes to filling these little treasures.  I love to give gift mixes in mason jars.  This is my own way to recycle, since I don't have a convenient way to recycle items where I live. 

I'm going to renew my efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle jars again.
After all— I've got a zillion.

Oh, one more thing—I have some nice labels pinned on my Pinterest Printables board.

Blessings to all as we learn to make do with what the LORD has provided for our use and enjoyment.

Laura

Happy at Home  

~~~~~

This article was published in issue #129

of The Christian Home Magazine!

You might enjoy:

• Strawberry Jam—the Best Thing
• A Thrifty Week #1

~~~~~

This post was featured at

Good Morning Mondays.

No Rules

Apron Strings & Other Things

Wonderful Wednesdays

One Secret Reason It's So Hard to Declutter

The blogging world is all abuzz about decluttering, cleaning, getting organized, housekeeping, and homemaking. Why all of the sudden? It's January, of course. We've just spent the month of December doing too much, eating too much, and accumulating too much. It's a wonder no one's called it Toomuchmas. ~grin~

January comes in with a new year, a new hope that this year can be different. It can. It will. Every year is different. The question is whether we will actually be different. After a January of purging, will we be different?

There is no end to awesome articles about the hows and whys of decluttering. Here's one I read last year that really inspired me. It's from Judith at Wholehearted Home.

What I'm realizing, though, when I try to declutter, is that some decisions are really hard to make, so I put them off. I just stuff the stuff right back where I found it. Why? I believe it's because it's not just stuff, it's memories, dreams, and emotional attachments.


Reading Judith's article made me realize that I have emotional attachments to things. I hadn't thought of it that way. My youngest just started high school and my oldest will soon be 26. It's time to release some of the little kid books and things that I won't use again with my kids. I needed to write "young adults" there, but I just couldn't yet!

I had such plans for a perfect homeschool life for my kids, such dreams. But they weren't to be. Life happened. Job loss happened. Business loss happened. A tornado happened, and we volunteered extensively. We picked up the pieces and kept moving. I still have many of the pieces—books and curricula that I wanted to use, maybe did use, but don't need anymore. Releasing those things means I must release the broken hopes, dreams and plans that I had.

I have lots of other clutter, too. How many things do I have around here that we were going to fix that just set there? I just think, well, I could fix that up and it would be cute. But. I never get to it. I need to let it go. Release the things that are no longer relevant to now.

It's kind of sad really. I want that sadness gone. That means I have to declutter.
I have to release all the woulda coulda shouldas of my life and embrace now. The only way to do that is to get rid of the past life—forgetting what is behind and pressing onward to the high calling of Christ—and embracing now.

What about you? Do you find that things have an emotional tug on you?

ஐღLauraღஐ 

...doing what I can with what I've got

where I am on a short shoestring budget!

~~~~~

You might also enjoy...

• God's Perfect Timing
• Sometimes Life Isn't Very Happy
• Saving Money With Jars... Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

This post was
FEATURED
at one of my
favorite blogs.
Thanks Jes!

Share Your Cup
Hearth and Soul

A Thrifty Week at Harvest Lane Cottage #67

Welcome to another thrifty week at Harvest Lane Cottage. I am honored by your visit.  Each week I share my thrifty and frugal projects, ways of saving money, and my blessings from God. 

I am so glad you dropped in for a visit today—or tonight!

I love it when y'all leave comments, so I can meet you and see your blogs, too.

~~~~~

♥♥♥

~~~~~~

Here's my thrifty week:

~ My grown son brought extra ground beef and chips to make our family night taco salad stretch farther. Thanks Matthew! There was enough for him to take home and freeze for another meal. Way to go.

~ I received a tote bag in the mail to thank me for a review I wrote on Amazon recently. I've been blessed with several items to review over the last three months. I always write honest reviews based on my experience with each product. That link shows my reviews, but I'm not affiliated with Amazon. 

~ Emily found a couple wooden letters at a yard sale and painted them for her bedroom door. E for Emily and A for Amy. They turned out really cute and Pinteresty.

~ We enjoyed a lunch of leftovers from a friend's wedding shower. Gyros catered  from a classy Greek restaurant. Oh yum!

~ We invested in about four cubic feet in our linen closet. We threw out some stained sheets, organized, and put some things in the giveaway/yard sale bag.

~ We enjoyed fried venison backstrap from the deer my son, Michael, shot last year. My son, Matthew brought veggies and margarine to accompany the venison for dinner one evening. Thanks sons!

~~~~~

What are you doing in your home this week?

~~~~~

ஐღLauraღஐ 

...doing what I can with what I've got

where I am on a short shoestring budget!

~~~~~

You might enjoy reading...

~~~~~

"He Maketh the Barren Woman to Keep House, 

and to Be a Joyful Mother of Children. Praise Ye the LORD."

~~~~~

This post was featured!

The Thrifty Woman's Real Estate Investment Strategy

Without question, our home purchase is the biggest, most expensive investment we will ever make. According to B4UBuild.com, homes can cost an average of $112 across the country, but range from $55 -$328 a square foot. Many things factor into the cost of a home, but whether you live in 1000 square feet or 3000 square feet, that's a lot of money. 

I've found a really inexpensive way to add space to your home.  

I call it real estate investment. 

Free Oak Hill House Desktop from DebbieMumm.com

The Thrifty Woman's Real Estate Investment Strategy

It's really quite simple. It's a do-it-yourself DIY that is Pinterest worthy.

Every Walmart size bag that goes to a thrift store, giveaway, or trash "buys" you another cubic foot of space in your home. Don't believe me? Try cleaning out your closet! You'll have more space. 

So, if the cost of your house per square foot is $100, every plastic bag of clutter is worth $100 of real estate! Now, that's real estate investment! 

Ladies, let's grab our bags and invest!

~~~~~
Related Posts:

• One Secret Reason It's So Hard to Declutter
• Forty Ways to Use it Up, Wear it Out, Make it Do or Do Without
• Are You in a Tough Spot?
• Saving Money on Clothes by Mending ~ How to Get it Done

~~~~~

♥♥♥♥♥

This article is featured in issue #133 of
The Christian Home Magazine.



See my Thrifty Week at Harvest Lane Cottage #94!

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♥♥♥♥♥