God Blessed Us at Just the Right Time!

My washer finally died a couple days before Christmas. We have had this washer repaired twice in the last seven months, and it was not worth putting any more money into it. I asked my husband to look for a second hand machine. We were unable to locate one Christmas week. This week we had a new Maytag delivered using our emergency fund. We received a sale price of nearly $250 off the suggested retail price. On New year's day, a dear man shook my hand with a $100 Walmart gift card. On New year's day, someone gave me a check for $300 just to bless us (distant family members).

That was $400 of the sale price of $530 that we paid for the washer! God is so good! We will put the $300 in our emergency fund and keep the Walmart card for minor emergencies or to pay for the extra gas it will take to go to Joplin (about 40 miles round trip) every day for radiation. Thank you Jesus!



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My Winter Bucket List 2018

MY WINTER BUCKET LIST

2018

This isn't your typical to do list.
This list is about doing things that
bring me joy.

This winter will be a little different for me. I'll be going through radiation five days a week for seven weeks to make sure breast cancer does not return. I'll continue my IV treatments every three weeks, and take my medicines like the doctor tells me. 

BUT

I am not cancer. Cancer is not my life. Cancer is not my identity. I want to have fun this winter as much as I can. That's why I made this fun to do list that I call my winter bucket list. 

What will you put on your list?

• Write my Winter bucket list
• Put the Christmas tree away
• Put away the Christmas decorations
• Sort through my Christmas decor for discards
• New Year's Eve with our friends at church
• Put out my snowmen
• Decorate the house for January 
• Smile and spread good cheer
• Curl up with a terrific book
• Drink hot tea
• Enjoy candle light
• Make chili
• Double feature movie night ~ I watched 3 princess movies with my girls!
• Soup night with friends
• Try a new tea
• Try a new soup
• Craft day with friends on January 18th
• Sew with friends
• Lunch out with a friend ~ Thanks Regina!
• Gaze into the fire in the woodstove
• Knit a bit ~ I knit 2 Easy Peasy hats.
• Sew ~ mending  
• Watch a movie at a theater ~ The Greatest Showman was excellent!
• Help Emily and Amy practice hospitality ~ Emily's princess movie party was snowed out. Amy's Bible study/craft night held.
• Make snow ice cream ~ No snow. Cue music. Get this! We got snow, and I haven't made the ice cream! I forgot to put out my pans to collect it. Amy to the rescue! She went out and found plenty of clean snow for me.
• Worship Jesus under the winter stars
• Get dog's nails clipped... I put it on here 'cause it's needed to be done 
• Celebrate my son's 27th birthday
• for a long time, and I'll be happy when I finally take her to have it done!
• Knit a bit more ~ Visit a Knitting Group
• Knit a Langstaff Road hat ~ I've started it. I am harvestlanelaura on Ravelry.com. I finished it February 1.
• Bake snowball cookies
• Knit a couple hats to donate to the chemo center
• Spend an entire afternoon with my Kindle and a candle
• Sew an infant bereavement quilt to donate ~ top done, working on a second top. I need to get some flannel for the backing.
• Invite friends for dessert
• Knit a chunky yarn hat  I picked up some yarn at the chemo center, and next time I go in for treatment, I'll donate the hat I made.
• Make candy cane cocoa
• Use my teapot—white sprinkled with cherries 
• Make some Trim Healthy Mama treats ~ 15 Minute Foccacia is good.
• Read an evening away with a good book and a good candle
• Finish my Emily's quilt ~ I'm hand quilting it.
• Read by the fire
• Pedicure ~ My nurse practitioner actually prescribed a little pampering!

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
• Frightened of God...My Testimony

Christmas to New Year's Day

We had some challenges. My washer broke 2 days before Christmas. It needed to be replaced. We had to do some laundry at the laundromat, and we had to go washer shopping. Glad we've got an emergency fund! We made a crazy one day trip from SW Missouri to Nebraska and Kansas to visit family. We drove 14 hours and into the night to visit in Johnson, Ne. and Topeka, Ks. My daughter had to be back home the next day, so we made it work. We got home around 2:00 a.m. to a cold house! The propane had run out, and we had no heat and no hot water! My husband started a fire in the wood stove, and I turned on the space heater in the bedroom. The man delivered propane promptly on Friday morning before the long New Year's weekend. If we hadn't made that crazy trip, we would have been without hot water and sitting in a cold house. The wood stove can't keep us comfortable in all the rooms, but it can keep us safe. Thank you Jesus! 

Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage

What Happened When I Asked God to Make it Clear Whether I Should Take Radiation Treatments

I saw the radiation oncologist early in December. He recommended that I do the radiation He said it's a grey area, but it is what he would do if he were me. If the cancer comes back, it would probably return in the chest wall, and that's a very difficult place to treat it.

I took a long time to say yes, in fact, I waited until my second appointment a couple weeks later when I asked more questions.  I had known since 5 o'clock the morning of the first appointment that the doctor would recommend the treatment, because God highlighted this scripture to me when I couldn't sleep.

​ Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”[a] 6 So we may boldly say:“The Lord is my helper;I will not fear.What can man do to me?”

Grammatically, one should say I shall and man will. Since this is the King James English, the translator would have known that. By saying I will, and man shall, it is adding emphasis to show strength of will in the matter. It is a declaration. This was interesting, since it just came up in my regular Bible reading today as did James 1 which talks about asking God for wisdom and not wavering but believing He will give it. I think He gave it, but I wasn't ready to admit it. Final decision was made by the 18th. I began treatments on January 16, 2018.

I record this now just to remember.

God bless and thank you for praying!

Top Ten Posts with Most Comments 2017

Hello everyone,
It's hard to believe a new year is upon us again. 2017 saw an increase in the interaction between my readers and me through comments. I think that the combination of sharing my faith in my cancer journey and continuing to talk about saving money, thrifty living, and frugal cooking brought about a new level of friendship for lack of a better word. The support I've received through your comments, emails, and personal notes has been tremendous. You've encouraged me in my faith and trust in God. You've shared your struggles. Many of you have prayed for me. I've prayed for many of you. Thank you for sticking with me through 2017. I have hopes for a happy and healthy 2018.

Here's the list of blog posts that you commented on the most.

#10  5 Days of Frugal Eating

#  9  Happy Homemaker Monday August 21, 2017

#  8  Today is Surgery Day 

#  7  Saving Money by Mending ~ How to Get it Done 

#  6  One Secret Reason It's So Hard to Declutter 

#  5  A Note on Why I'm Not Being So Thrifty Right Now  

#  4  A Thrifty Week at Harvest Lane Cottage #113   

#  3  Holy Spirit is Amazing 

#  2  Just Popping in With an Update on My Cancer Recovery Journey  

#  1  The Post I've Been Avoiding... The Diagnosis


Thank you all for helping me through one of the most difficult years of my life. You've all been wonderful to me in so many ways. I love it when y'all talk back. I've tried to write back to you, but sometimes I just haven't been able to.

I'd love it if you leave an email address when you comment so that I can write back. Here's a post that will help you if you use Blogger. Are You a No Reply Blogger?

Happy New Year Everyone! I look forward to good things this year.
God bless us every one!

Laura



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Top Ten Most Clicked on Posts of 2017

As the year is winding down, I'm looking back at some of the stats for my blog.
The top ten clicked on posts showed that a primary interest is in being thrifty, frugal, and saving money. That makes sense, since we all have the challenge of living on a limited income—whether that income is $20,000 a year or $120,000!

Here's the top ten most clicked posts countdown for 2017.

#10 A Thrifty Week at Harvest Lane Cottage #97

#9   A Thrifty Week at Harvest Lane Cottage #95

#8  This Earthly Battle ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

#7  A Thrifty Week at Harvest Lane Cottage #94

#6  Fall Bucket List 2017 

#5  What Do You Have in Your Hand?

#4  Holy Spirit is Amazing

#3  One Secret Reason It's So Hard to Declutter 

#2  The Post I've Been Avoiding...The Diagnosis

#1  5 Days of Frugal Eating Series


Which is your favorite post of 2017?

Blessings from Harvest Lane Cottage,
Laura


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I Love You Lord My Strength, Finding Strength for Troubled Times

 Psalm 18:1 "I love you Lord, my strength." 

  I've spoken to a lot of patients while at the cancer center. Even though our circumstances are different, we've been attacked by the same enemy—cancer and all the terrible things that go with—it including a riot of emotions. 

  Cancer is a terrible thing. If I dwell on it, it can pull me down quickly. It's not that I'm afraid of dying, it's that the chemo, surgery, and radiation are hard things to go through, not to mention the long-term therapies.

  You or someone you love may be facing a health challenge or even a health crisis. Maybe it's not your health, maybe it's a financial crisis or just long-term financial pressure. Maybe it's a relationship problem or a loved one going through a hard time. All these things can seem just as devastating when you're going through them. What you're going through now, whatever it is, may feel like the hardest thing. What I like to remind myself is that I am, indeed, going through. There will be an end to these troubles.

We will prevail by relying on God. (2 Chronicles 13:8) You can do this. You've got Holy Spirit to help you. You can talk to God, Jesus, Holy Spirit just like you would your husband, your mama, or a dear friend. 

  Oh how I wish I were there to hold your hand, give you a hug, or make you a cup of tea. You will make it through this, whatever your this is. I'll make it through this next step—radiation. We're not alone. I am sure you've read or heard Isaiah 41:10. 

      "Fear not, for I am with you;

      Be not dismayed, for I am your God.

      I will strengthen you,
      Yes, I will help you,
      I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

  I've always focused on the first part, "Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God." Recently, when I was feeling weak both physically and emotionally, I noticed the second part.  "I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."  

  When I add to that, Hebrews 13:6, "So that we may boldly say, The LORD is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.", I know God is going to take care of me.  If you put your trust in Him, He will take  care of you, too. 

   

  I need to trust God on a whole new level. What about you?

Just a bit of something to think about....
Laura

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Wednesday 

Wonderful Wednesday