tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46595725156877987782026-04-13T12:50:06.176-05:00Stay up to date on my latest blog posts Laura of Harvest Lane Cottagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17334381585683324912noreply@blogger.comBlogger1796125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4659572515687798778.post-78468432758380246362026-04-12T19:31:00.007-05:002026-04-12T19:31:31.668-05:00

 What do you want to be when you grow up?How many times were we asked this?How many times have we asked this?Does the question even make sense?I wanted to be a:PrincessMommyNurseLawyerSingerZookeeperTeacherHandmakerWriterand to live happily ever after.    Well, life doesn't work out the way we want it to or expect it to. BUT—I married my high school sweetheart as his princess, and

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    John Maxwell said, “You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.”    This is so true. For years, I wanted to get up early.  When I became a substitute teacher, I realized that I must get up at 5:30 to be ready to leave by 7:00. If I got up later, I would be stressed out

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Hello everyone!    My daughter sent this to me in an email a few months ago. I just found it again and realized that it sums up her childhood as she remembers it. I don't want to lose this. I read it again today, and it filled me with nostalgia for the hard good old days. More about now at the bottom of the post.Laura~~~~~Emily to momI can't sleep and started feeling

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 Hi, everyone.     Two weeks; that's all it took. It's Monday morning. I'm sitting on my couch with a blanket and a pillow, hot tea, water, tissues and nursing a cold. I wonder where I got it?    Oh yes! I remember! I am working in a pediatric clinic. I can tell right now I'm going to have to do something to boost my immune system. TIME FLIES......&

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 Photo by Mae Mu on UnsplashSpaghetti...Yes...That's it...That's exactly what my brain has felt like for the last week!There's so much to learn.I'm glad the trainers are patient.Learning to use the computer programs is more than a bit challenging. I hope to be back to writing soon. Condensing a 16 hour day into about 5 hours isn't easy. That's what it feels like to

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I love learning!    I love learning new things. Over the years, I've learned to quilt, bake bread, can, sew, crochet, knit, cross-stitch, embroider, and many other things.     Currently, I'm learning Spanish with Duolingo, Western Heritage from the Book of Genesis to John Locke with a free online course from Hillsdale College, rug twining using YouTube videos,

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    One of my favorite bloggers is Billie Jo from Afternoon Coffee and Evening Tea. Billie Jo encourages me so much. I love the way she celebrates everything. Yes. Everything. She has great style, but it is her enthusiasm, love of home, family, her doggies, and candles that makes me feel appreciation for her and for my home and family. She's so positive, and Jesus just seeps

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 A Storybook Christmas*    Oh me oh my! So many friends told me, "Just wait 'til you have grandkids. They're the best." Well, my friends were right!    My grandson is the source of so much joy! Gibby is the name I use for my grandson on my blog. Gibby is short for grandbaby. I want to keep his little face and name private as do Mommy and Daddy.  &

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 This is a very old photo from long ago!    I am a very blessed woman in so many ways. God gave me and my husband four babies to love and raise the best we could for Him. We did the best we could.         I had the privilege of homeschooling them all. It was fun. It was hard. It was wonderful. I wouldn't change those years for anything.  &

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 I love my Lowell.He's been my Lowell since November 23, 1981.That's when he asked me to go steady with him.That boy had no idea what he was asking!I had no idea what yes meant!It's been quite a wild and curving ride together.~ ♥♥♥~True committed love always... even through 4 years going steady,1 year of engagement, 39 years of marriage,26 jobs, 4 businesses,14 deaths,&

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Barbara Kay Ramsbottom Conklin Hall 1947-1999 May her name be blessed forever! I was blessed to have a young mother. She and Dad married when she was sixteen, and I came along just shy of a year later when she was seventeen. She was energetic and full of life and fun. In a way, we grew up together. ~smile~ She loved it when someone thought I was her little sister! She moved to Heaven

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 Happy I Love You Month!What better thing to do this month than think about all the ones you love this month?It's also a month to be thankful for the gifts the LORD has given us. The first I love you is Jesus.I love Jesus for all the wonderful ways that he has blessed me. The first, of course, is saving me from the consequences of my sins. He is my LORD and savior. He saved me, and

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 It's a poor photo, but three cardinals are hiding in our bushes.We filled up the birdfeeders Friday evening. By last night, the one in the front yard was empty. The one in the back yard is half full. I need to brave the cold and fill the one out front. It's a whopping 9° today. I won't even look at the wind chill. I've been inside since Friday afternoon, and if I can get my husband to fill

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My Top Ten Tips for Socializing Real Kittens♥♥♥    Once upon a time, long long ago, three little kittens needed some mittens. Although their momma was still a novice knitter, she took on the challenge. She followed Kelly's Mitten Class from KnitPicks. She began with the oldest and proceeded to the youngest.  The results weren't exactly perfect. In fact, her young son's mittens

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 Have you made a new year's resolution or two or ten?I haven't this year.    I have thought about what I'd like my life to look like. I want more community in my life. That fell off in 2020, when we left the church we'd been in for many years. We were overworked in that church. It made both my husband and I timid about getting over involved again in our new church. The result

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 Hard times don't take a Christmas vacation.Loss of a loved one, family strife, natural disasters, a frightening diagnosis, loneliness, and financial stress can all contribute to our hard times.I know several people who really stretch their money to make ends meet. There's only so much elastic in a dollar bill you know. I've been testing that stretch capacity full-time for nearly forty years

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    Hello everyone! So, how's it coming along?    Today, the 6th, was my deadline for Christmas decorating. As often is the case, the best laid plans of mice and moms often go awry. ~smile~ I did a ton of laundry today. Blankets and towels along with the regular laundry. I once heard it called Mount Neverest. I thought that would end when my kids left home. Nope,

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 Are you a Kringler?I am.I've been hiding and Kringling for years.What is Kringling?Kringling is what I call the time when I go into my bedroom, lock the door, and sew, create and wrap gifts. When my children were young, and living at home, I made it clear that if they came in and saw what I was doing, it would be given to someone else instead. Consequently, no one tried to peek. ~smile

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    Don't let yourself feel bad over a slim budget. We all have years like that. I've never had a big or even average budget. We've always had good Christmases, though. I have a friend whose family had a Thrifted Christmas last year. No new gifts were allowed unless they were made by the giver. I think that was an absolutely fabulous idea.     I've always used

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 His Steadfast Love Endures ForeverA 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&nbsp

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My latest YouTube videoPlans and Prayer

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Do you love a homemade Christmas? I do! Everything just seems like it means a bit more when you've put your time, effort, and care into it. Homemade, handmade, heartmade, thrifty, money saving gifts can be a blessing to the giver and the receiver. It doesn't happen overnight though. Okay, I admit it. I've been the crazy mom sewing on Christmas Eve and trying to finish wrapping. I don't want to do

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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!

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     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

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