Home is Right Where You Are by Ruth Chou Simons~ A Review

 

I'd like to introduce you to a marvelous new book by Ruth Chou Simons:  HOME is RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE, Inspired by Psalm 23. I read Mrs. Simons' introduction, A Word from the Author. It touched my heart. She wrote this for her six sons, some of whom are now adults, to help them remember "that the love and faithfulness of God is incomparable." It's written for adults who may be launching their beloved children into the adult world. It's written for children who are learning the love and faithfulness of God. It is written for me as a reminder of the goodness of the LORD. 

The overwhelming feeling that came over me as I read was calmness and peace. The book is written in a poetry format with couplets and rhymes, but I was so enthralled by the author's illustrations, it all just flowed together to form a composite of the love and care of our Heavenly Father. Rather than illustrate the 23rd Psalm, this book brings the principles to a beautiful fruition in the retelling and paintings.

 

This book is for my grandson, B, who is just over a year old. He's too young yet to understand, but I hope that Mommy will read it to him as he grows with it. We never are never too young or too old for the Word of God. The Psalm is written in its entirety at the back of the book. 

I highly recommend this book. It's one that will grow with your children, plant the concepts of God's love and faithfulness in their hearts, and touch your heart as well. 

From the Publisher

This enchanting book is inspired by Psalm 23 and delivers a profound message of comfort and peace, reminding us that with God, home is always right where you are.

In Home Is Right Where You Are, Ruth Chou Simons combines her lyrical text with whimsical illustrations to take readers on a comforting journey. Drawing from the words she has shared with her own six children, Ruth’s tender narrative and captivating art reassure families that no matter where life leads, the Lord keeps us close and provides for all our needs.

 Why You’ll Love This Book:

• Comforting Assurance: Reassures children with the truth that God is always with them, guiding and providing.
• Joyful Learning: Teaches that God is the source of joy, blessings, and adventure.
• Beautiful Art: Delights with captivating illustrations that bring the message to life.
• Soothe Anxious Minds: Offers comfort through the assurance of God’s presence and provision.

 This beautiful children’s book is Ruth Chou Simons’ first foray into children’s literature and combines her moving art with God’s promises to create a treasure that families will cherish.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 Ruth Chou Simons is a Wall Street Journal bestselling and award-winning author of several books and Bible studies, including GraceLaced, Beholding and Becoming, and When Strivings Cease. She is an artist, entrepreneur, podcaster, and speaker, using each of these platforms to sow the Word of God into people's hearts. Through her online shoppe at GraceLaced.com and her social media community, Simons shares her journey of God's grace intersecting daily life with word and art. Ruth and her husband, Troy, are grateful parents to six boys—their greatest adventure.

PURCHASE

#ruthchousimons #homeisrightwhereyouare #psalm23 @tommynelsonbooks @ruthchousimons

Thank you FrontGate for this review copy.

 

Michael's Gentle Wife by Karen Andreola

 I read Michael's Gentle Wife slowly and savored it. Within a chapter or two, I felt like I was visiting dear friends when I opened the pages. The Weavers live just outside a little town called Appleton. Friends and neighbors play a central part in their lives as does the church.

They live in Blackberry Inn which they run with a widow named Emma who is the perfect grandma figure for the three young children. Guests come and go and add to the storyline.

Chapter after chapter we witness a family who truly loves the LORD and is seeking to serve him and honor him. It was a calming, relaxing read. The scenes brought back happy memories of my youth. The way the gospel and discipleship were woven in gave meaning and purpose to the novel.

Supper was be a bit late tonight. I just had to keep reading! I just finished the last page. Mrs. Andreola left me laughing and happy. 

I highly recommend this true love novel.

Be blessed!

Laura

P.S. Mr. and Mrs. Andreola are the couple who brought Charlotte Mason's writings and methods to the United States. 

Karen's Charlotte Mason Website

Karen on Facebook 

Karen's books 

I highly recommend it!

Laura

My Year in Books 2023 

Goodreads:  Laura Lane 

2024 I have finished 91 books of my 60 book goal.

Ravelry:  HarvestLaneLaura

Facebook:  Harvest Lane Cottage  

Instagram: @lauraofharvestlane 

Email:  laura@harvestlanecottage.com

Mailing address available by email for snail mail lovers like me!

Thrifty Things Lately ~ September 2, 2024

 

Hello Dear Reader! 

   Have you been enjoying these last weeks of summer? I have. Three of my four children, now grown up, have birthdays in August and September. I also have a grandchild who recently turned one. We celebrated Sunday. We had homemade chicken and dumplings. It's what I call a heritage meal. Both my husband and I grew up eating it, though our moms made it a little differently. Over the years, we've compromised and made it our own. We ate it a lot when my kids were little. It was a way to feed a lot of mouths for not much money. We made it with a family package of chicken thighs this time. It's really good with leg quarters or a whole chicken as well. 

     I gave each of the kids hand knit socks and homemade strawberry jam. Both gifts are always received with enthusiasm. I have a box in my closet in which I am collecting gift items that I've made or found at a good price. Some will be for family, some for friends, some will be donations. It's important to start early for fall birthdays and Christmas.

Here's my thrifty week:

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♥♥♥

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“Beware of the little expenses.

A small leak will sink a great ship.” 

Benjamin Franklin

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♥♥♥

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• I'm a bit in shock. I was making my Walmart pick-up order. I saw a spot for a promo code; so, I Googled Walmart grocery promo code. I found $20 off a $50 plus order. Much to my surprise, the code worked!  Here's the code. See if it will work for you. Let me know in the comments! TRIPLE20 Double shock! It worked for me a second time!

• I am knitting gift socks for my husband— maybe for his birthday, maybe for Christmas. He selected the yarn when we visited a yarn shop on our anniversary. What a guy! After I was a few inches into knitting the foot, I realized that I'd used the same yarn a few years ago to knit him another pair of socks! Different pattern this time. ~smile~ He wears size 13, so it's nice to be able to customize socks for his feet. I guess he likes Malabrigo sock yarn as much as I do. The color is Mask.

• I downloaded an audiobook from Everand. It's Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy. 

• We picked up just a few things we needed and skipped the big shopping trip last week.

• Friends gave us green peppers. I chopped them up and put them in the freezer to add to chili or soups in the cooler months.

• I chopped up leftover onion for the freezer.

• Chopped zucchini squash for the freezer.

• I divided a package of chicken thighs into four packages and froze 3. The two biggest thighs will be fried chicken and are labeled as such. I made sheet pan chicken with two thighs, some stir-fry veggies that have been in the freezer too long, and some  odds and ends.  The smallest two thighs will be used in a pot of soup for the two of us. The last two were frozen without a plan. 

• I put a snap on a dress that's been in my mending basket for nearly two years. Gasp! It was such a quick fix to have a new dress. I've only worn it a couple of times.

• A second dress required a bit of darning for a small hole that was just beginning. Fortunately, I had the perfect color of thread. The hole was on the bodice. 

• I read a borrowed a library book through free interlibrary loan. It was a Biblical archiological adventure/mystery similar to Indiana Jones. It was the last in the series, but I'd sure like to read another one!

• I repaired a pair of handknit socks that have been sitting in that same mending basket for unknown months. I used the following YouTube video to learn Swedish darning. Although it isn't as pretty as I'd hoped, and I didn't have the original yarn, it will hide in my husband's shoe.

• Watermelon 🍉 for supper! We found a small one for $3 and ate half. Indulgent and satisfying!

• My husband and I cut each other's hair. 

• I'm slowly learning Spanish with Duolingo. I use the free version. They have lots of languages. It's as easy as a video game. 

• I listened to Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway on YouTube. 

• I saved usable buttons and fabric from a couple of men's shirts that were too worn out to mend.

• I'm listening to Animal Farm by George Orwell on YouTube.

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♥♥♥

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I'm trying to do what I can between headaches. Every bit counts. Some weeks I do very frugal things. Some weeks I'm good if I don't spend money! Last week, I forgot to even post. Every week is different. Just remember...

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♥♥♥

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"The heart of man plans his way,

but the LORD establishes his steps."

Proverbs 16:9

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♥♥♥

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So tell me now, what are you doing in your home?

♥♥♥♥♥

Have a fabulous, frugal week!

Laura

P.S. I keep track of my reading on Goodreads. 

I'm currently reading 8 books including 3 Bible versions.

Since I started keeping track of the books that I've read many years ago, I've read and recorded 983. Since I've surpassed my goal for this year, I am now trying to reach 1000 by the end of the year! If I do meet my new goal, I just might buy myself a new book! 

P.P.S.  Do you have any recommendations for good historical books or clean fiction?

 

Harvest Lane Cottage Summer Bucket List 2024 Updated September 2nd

Hello everyone! It's the third of June and high time I made my bucket list! I'm going to print this out and put it on my refrigerator so that I see it daily. I'll be back with updates. Please share your bucket lists with me, too. You may have an idea that I haven't thought of yet!

Here we go!

♥ Write my summer bucket list 

♥ Write my summer reading list

♥ Spend lots of time with my daughter and grandbaby 

♥ Knit little socks for my grandson

♥ BBQs ~ 1 so far

♥ Knit socks for #summersockcamp2024

♥ Knit soap bags for the rescue mission ~ 1 finished

Sew a new skirt before school starts

Take in the elastic on a couple of skirts

Catch up my mending. Three dresses done, one pair of socks Swedish darned, and two shirts tossed. They were too worn out. 

Sew ten project bags ~ 2 sewn

Picnic in the park

♥ Day trip to northwest Arkansas

♥ Celtic Ladies and Irish Tenors show in Branson

Drive in movie

♥ One City Market yarn shop

♥ Worship Jesus under the stars

♥ Sit by water and worship Jesus

♥ Sit by a fire and worship Jesus

♥ Watch fireworks 

♥ Talk to strangers

♥ Blow bubbles

♥ Eat icy cold watermelon

♥ Eat fresh corn on the cob

♥ Eat fresh tomatoes from our garden

♥ Make strawberry jam

Make blueberry jam

Make a Christmas gift

Make a plan for blog posts

Make a daily and weekly rhythm plan

Make a gift list for birthdays and Christmas

Repot 3 houseplants. 2 done

♥ Take the backroads and put a little gravel in our travel ~ We've done this a lot. We actually escaped the GPS a couple of times! It just showed a grid with no roads.

♥ Company all summer long! 

What's on your summer bucket list friends?

Enjoy!

Laura

Happy for summer at home!

It's the best part of teaching.

You might enjoy:

Rambling Thoughts About a Beach Ball

A Little Randomness ~ 1973 

Something to Think About ~ Listening to Children

Thrifty Things Lately ~ August 10, 2024

 

  Hello dear reader! I've been thinking about whether I want to keep titling these updates as Thrifty Things Lately posts or whether I want to go back to calling them A Thrifty Week at Harvest Lane Cottage. Do you have an opinion? Watch to see what I decide. I want to share each week, but sometimes, the week just gets away from me—especially now that school is about to begin again.

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♥♥♥

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“Beware of little expenses; 

a small leak will sink a great ship.” 

Benjamin Franklin

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♥♥♥

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• I'll get paid in September a big $20 for completing my online teacher training. ~grin~ That saved the school system $80 per sub on training costs! 

• I downloaded an audiobook from Everand to listen to while driving. It's Good Wives by Louisa May Alcott. It's the second part of Little Women. $11.99 for as many books as I care to listen to.

• I saved money by staying home a lot.

• We're still eating the real eggs that my friend, Sherry, gave us. 

• I met friends at McDonalds to knit and drink those fifty-four cent senior drinks!

• I made banana bread with almost gone bananas. It was a delicous save for the bananas that I forgot. We shared a loaf with a neighbor. He gave me the walnuts to begin with. ~smile~

• We picked up just a few things we needed and skipped the big shopping trip this week.

• No vacations for us. Instead, we've been taking drives in the country. We're looking for gravel roads and trying to escape Google Maps surveillance! We headed into NW Arkansas this time. We had a nice dinner at a little Mexican restaurant in Rogers called Las Palmas. 5 stars!

• I made apple crisp from the last couple of apples that were looking unappetizing. I used up some extra topping from the last crisp I made. 

• Friends gave us green beans. I used ham pieces and ends, an onion, and a pound of new potatoes to make a very chunky soup. 

• I reorganized the little hall closet shelves that I use for knitting and crocheting supplies. Isn't amazing how nice it feels when you can find things. If I could just keep it nice!

• Okra from a friend became fried okra. We ate this with two of the thick pork chops from last week's purchase. The whole meal cost less than $5 for the two of us. 

• Last week, we deboned a $5 rotisserie chicken and froze the meat. This week, we ate sandwiches and quesadillas for three days from that one chicken.

• The quesadillas were made from leftover chicken, leftover cheese, spices, and a package of tortillas that I bought for less than $2. 

• I may have mentioned before that I bought a high chair for $10 on FB Marketplace. It was structurally good, but it was very dirty and stained even after the lady cleaned it. I took it home and scrubbed it with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser with Dawn. It took a bit of elbow grease, but it came out great! $6 for the erasers was a lot, but I saved a whole lot more. 

• When I was done with the high chair, I used the same eraser, with some added soap, to scrub the bathtub. It removed stains that have been there for years! I've tried lots of products. This is the one that works! I've been doing a bit of scrubbing each time I shower. 

• I'm knitting with blessing yarn.

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♥♥♥

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You know, I didn't do a lot this week. I was busy with other things, but you know what? Every bit counts. Some weeks I'm doing very frugal things. Some weeks I'm good if I don't spend money! This doesn't have the look the same for you as it does for me, and it doesn't have to look the same every week. Just...

Do what you can

with what you've got

where you are.

President Teddy Roosevelt

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♥♥♥

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Be strong and courageous, do not give in to fear.

 This is the time to get in God's word and pray. 

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♥♥♥

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So tell me now, what are you doing in your home?

♥♥♥♥♥

 

Ant Troubles

 Five ants rented an apartment.  

Five more ants moved in. 

Now they are ten ants.

Thrifty Things Lately ~ August 3, 2024

 

Welcome to another thrifty week at Harvest Lane Cottage. I am glad you've found me! Each week I will share my thrifty and frugal projects, ways of saving money, and my blessings from God. 

I love knitting gifts.

Here's my thrifty week:

• We did our shopping at Sam's and bought thick pork loin chops, strawberries and blueberries on sale. We didn't buy all the flashy things that caught our eyes!

• We ate a hotdog and got a lemonade at the snack bar for $1.50 each for lunch. That's $3 plus tax for lunch for two people!

• Upon getting home, the six pork chops were divided into 3 freezer bags. 

• I'm knit a pair of baby booties for a friend's baby shower using some yarn that I had left over from a sock project.

• I found a wooden baby toy at the thrift store for a dollar. Grandbaby B came over to play, and he loved it! In fact, he loved it so much, it went home with him. I will figure out how to keep some toys at Grammy's house!

• I've been reworking a pair of socks that I knit last summer. I knit them cuff down. I normally knit toe up. Well, I miscalculated how long to knit the foot on one sock. It was at least an inch longer than the other sock and way too long for my foot! A few weeks ago I pulled out the extra stitches, and this week I'm re-knitting it to the correct length. I'm on the toe now. 

• I manicured my nails again using products that I bought last winter. Nothing out of pocket.

• I made strawberry jam with the strawberries that we got on sale. I had jars, lids, rings, pectin, and sugar on hand. It made 9 half pints. We've been enjoying one jar. It didn't seal properly. Too bad, nah, it's yummy! 

• My friend gave us eggs from her chickens.

• We went out for lunch and saved half for supper.

• I take my insulated water cup with me everywhere.

• I met friends at McDonald's instead of the coffee shop. That saved me a lot of money on a drink! Senior drinks at McD's start at age 55.

• My husband made fabulous pork chops with mushrooms using sale items.

Well, that's all that I can think of for now. Have a great week, and please share what you've been up to!

Laura