A Thrifty Week at Harvest Lane Cottage #23

Dear Reader,

Welcome to Thrifty Week #23 at Harvest Lane Cottage.  It's been another busy week.  Aren't they all busy these days?

Sometimes the thriftiest things you do are the things you don't do.  What we didn't do this week was go on vacation or smoke ribs or grill steaks. ~smile~  Saturday evening we went to the creek and cooled off after a long day at the cafe.  ~smile~  Lowell's father and brother enjoyed the peaceful creek with us.  Ah, the joys of living.

Here we go!

~ I had my son plant my three little tomato plants.  I thought it was a sunny place, but the tree has more leaves on it now.  I can't remember if he planted them a week or two ago.  My accomplishment this week is making sure my mini-garden gets water. ~smile~  I have never grown anything.  I asked my husband to explain hoeing to me this morning. He's a Master Gardener but is too busy with Royal Delights, our cafe.  I'm sure this amused him.

~ The last of our hens went to a new home.  She ran straight into the middle of her new flock and fit right in.  Why's this thrifty?  I don't have to buy more chickens this year nor do I have to buy more feed for her.  She's much happier, too.

~ I shopped at Goodwill, but didn't find anything we needed.  Still, it was thrifty shopping. ~smile~

~ I'm reading a review book, Modern Pioneering.

~ I stopped by the Humane Shelter again.  I'm still looking for a thrifty puppy instead of the Dachshund puppy I've wanted forever.  Maybe someday when I'm not raising three kids. ~smile~

~ We watched a very good movie that I received for review.

~ I bought a Sirloin steak on sale.  It was less expensive than stew meat!  We've not eaten much beef lately.  This one will be part of Thursday night's supper.

~ I had my daughter make granola using Hillbilly Housewife's recipe. She used regular brown sugar.

~ I bought a pound of lean ground beef on sale.  It will probably be used in a soup in a few days.

~ We took advantage of the library.  I could never afford all the books our family reads.  We bring them home by the boxful!

~ Our only vehicle, our 2004 van, broke down on the road Wednesday while I was running errands.  I prayed it to the mechanic's shop.  Bless them, they knew exactly what was wrong and fixed it right away. Two hours and $220 later, I was back to my errands.  Why is this thrifty?  First, we drive an old, paid for vehicle.  Second, I didn't have to pay for a tow truck.  God answered my prayer, and prayer is an important part of being thrifty!  Third, we have an emergency fund.  We do our best to keep at least $1000 in the bank to cover things such as this.  This means that we didn't have to borrow money or put it on a charge card.
No interest!  God be glorified!  This was a miracle all the way around.

Well, that's it for this week.  How about you?  What are you doing to stretch your dollars and your resources?

Blessings,
Laura
Happy at Home

~~~~~

May I suggest?

Money Secrets of the Amish

A review.

~~~~~

On this Monday Evening...

Outside...

     The drip drip drip of a lovely spring rain.

This evening...
     Sharing my recipes with my husband for our cafe.

Thinking...
     My children are growing up quickly.  I want to make memories with them this summer.

I've been reading...
     Out of the Ruins... a novel set during the 1905 San Francisco earthquake
     Modern Pioneering... a non-fiction book about gardening, foraging, and cooking
     The Circle Maker... a book about praying boldly

On the menu for this week...
Monday:  Pizza Hut to the rescue!
Tuesday:  Spaghetti
Wednesday:   Eat at Church  
Thursday:  Beef Stew 
Friday:  Date night with my sweetheart.  Kids fend for themselves. 

On my to do list...this week

Mail a book that I sold with Homeschool Classifieds.
Work at the cafe. 
Work on school records.
Organize my THM recipes.  I want to get back on the wagon. :)

Have a wonderful week!
Laura

~~~~~

May I suggest?

A Wildflower Summer

~~~~~

A Thrifty Week at Harvest Lane Cottage #21

Hello ladies,

Thank you so much for stopping in for a visit. Today's post is about reality. The reality of my life is that I've driven over two hundred miles since Monday... and I haven't gone anywhere. I have had to accept the reality that right now, I have two extra part-time jobs in addition to my work at home.

First, I am the primary driver in the family. This includes to and from work, to and from appointments, to and from classes, to and from church, and to and from anything that must be done in town. We've never had a time like this in our life. Hopefully, the trips will be reduced when the 4-H fair is over at the beginning of July. Fortunately, school is almost finished, too.

Second, I work part-time at the cafe during lunchtime as needed. I have to be on-call to run errands, too. It's been a hard adjustment for me. I haven't done it with the sweet spirit that I know God wants me to have. This has brought on a lot of guilt over how I feel and guilt over all that I cannot get done. Can you relate? I've spent a good bit of time praying about it all. I'm seeking God's help.

All this to say, I've not been very thrifty. Maybe this isn't the season to focus on that. On the other hand, I live a pretty thrifty life just because I've done it so long.  Specifically, I've done these things:

~ I sewed a button on my husband's trousers extending their use in his wardrobe for another season.
~ I let out the waist on my little girl's skirt thereby extending it's use in her wardrobe for another season.
~ I found some nice shirts for my husband at the thrift store.
~ I made broccoli cheese soup from leftover broccoli.

So, ladies, don't give up. Do what you can where you are with what you've got and with the time you've got.

I'm going to keep writing these posts. Why? Because they are a reminder to me that I must still do my best. They are a reminder to you that perfection is not the goal. Only one is perfect. Jesus Christ, the one who came in the flesh to reconcile us to God is the only one who is. We'll do our best and trust Him with the rest.

Blessings,
Laura

~~~~~

May I suggest?

10 Ways to Beat Writer's Block - Post Ideas for Bloggers

~~~~~

It's All Worth It

Dirty diapers, sleepless nights, teaching them to read, to pick up toys, to share, to love God and love others.  Dishes, laundry, dusting, picking up after them and with them.

It's all worth it.

I love my children.

Laura 

Blessed to be Momma to Four


~~~~~
May I suggest?
On Being a Child
~~~~~

Faith and Joy

Photo by Emily Lane

"Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity."  

1 Timothy 4:12

NKJV

~~~~~

May I suggest?

Who is Jesus?

~~~~~

A Thrifty Week at Harvest Lane Cottage #20

Dear Sweet Reader,

Another busy week at Harvest Lane Cottage and at Royal Delights Cafe and Bakery... It was a week of running errands, working lunchtimes at the cafe, homeschooling, and homemaking.
~  A stack of homemade crocheted dishcloths, a big bottle of dish soap, and a little candle in a teacup made a lovely shower gift for my friend this week.
~ I ordered some new review books.
~  I sterilized a jar, mixed together a cup of freshly ground rye flour and a cup of purified water.  I'm moving the mix to another sterilized bowl daily and adding another cup of rye flour and another cup of purified water.  If all goes well, in a few days I'll have sourdough starter to make Serene's Sourdough bread.  The recipe is in the Trim Healthy Mama book.
~ Excellent garage sale hunting over the weekend.  A like-new pair of cowboy boots for my son, size 13.  He talked them down to $10!  New skirts for the Amy and Emily and lots of other things.  I even found a gift for a friend.  You'll no doubt see some of Emily's purchases on her Pretty Thrifty.
~ I bought two like new shirts for my husband, a pair of jeans, a jean skirt, a belt, and a pair of flip flops for less than $20 at thrift shops.
~ I started some sprouts that should be ready in a day or two.

Just a few little things.  Little things add up though!  Have a wonderful thrifty weekend!

Laura
Happy at Home

Up Against A Wall

Father God, I pray that we, Your people who are called by Your name will humble ourselves before You; that we will pray to You and listen to You; that we will turn from our sins, our wicked ways, our apathy towards evil, our tolerance of sin.

Father God, I ask you to turn the hearts of Your people toward You. Help us to sort through what is truth and what is fiction by comparing it always to your Son Jesus the Christ, Our Savior, and by comparing to Your Holy Living Word, the Bible.

Father God, I ask for You to stir up in Your people a hunger and thirst for righteousness. Help us to be single-mindedly focused on You and what You want us to do, Your perfect will.

9 "This, then, is how you should pray:

" 'Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

10 your kingdom come,

your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us today our daily bread.

12 Forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.'

The Words of Jesus Christ in Matthew 6:9-13

Amen.

~~~~~
If you agree with this prayer, I ask you to pray it for God's people.
God bless you,
Laura
~~~~~

~~~~~
You might enjoy...
Wisdom from Proverbs
~~~~~

Anything Goes

Planning and Making Do... What I Hope to Get Done This Week!

Isn't this just a lovely time of year?  My Amy loves to photograph nature.  I enjoy her artistic eye.  She sees things differently than Momma.  Isn't that just how life is?

Baking:  
- I want to make Serene's Sourdough Rye bread from the Trim Healthy Mama book.  It takes several days, so I plan to start early in the week.
I think it takes a week or so to ferment.
     I'm on target for baking next Tuesday.
- I also want to make this lemon pie.
    I've not gotten to it.  Maybe next week?

Reading:  
- I'm reading A Cast of Kings again.
     Finished it!

Sewing and Crocheting:
- Mending
     Sewed a button on a pair of trousers and let out a skirt.
- Dishcloths for gifts
     I'm working on them!

Studying:
- American History 2 by Dave Raymond for review purposes.
     I watched one of the videos and looked at the Teacher's manual pdf.

Working:
- I'll be helping Lowell at our cafe and bakery, Royal Delights.
     Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday so far.
- Homeschooling, of course.  I'm going to do some evaluations to see how much more each child needs to do this semester.
     Still working on this.
- Lots of driving people to and from work and to and from meetings.
     Well over two hundred miles just in errands!

If I finish this list, I'll have been very busy indeed!

Laura
Happy at Home

A Simple, Practical Bridal Shower Gift with Tutorial

Brides are showered with many lovely things in the weeks leading up to their weddings.  I enjoy seeing the beautiful gifts and seeing the bride's face light up in appreciation.  Having lived through some very hard times, I tend to be practical in my gifts.  While they don't always get the oohs and aahs that pretties get, they are appreciated and useful.

For a simple yet helpful bridal shower gift, I crocheted a stack of dishcloths for my friend and included a large bottle of dish soap. She knows I care, because of the time I put into making the cloths. I know she has something she can really use and maybe enjoy, too. ~smile~

To crochet simple dishcloths:  Chain 21 then single crochet in the second chain.  Single crochet to end of row. *Chain one and turn.  Single crochet in the first stitch and continue to the end of the row.  Repeat from * until you have a square cloth.  It's 18 rows with my stitch tension.  Simple, but useful.  I use dishcloth cotton. I make lots of dishcloths.  We wash a lot of dishes. ~smile~  

Laura
Helping prepare my friend for marriage not just a wedding.
~smile~

~~~

You might enjoy...

A Positive Rule for Wives

~~~~~

Shared at I Made It Monday.

A Thrifty Week at Harvest Lane Cottage #19

Source Unknown

I actually thought about skipping my thrifty post this week.  It's been so busy with starting our new cafe and bakery. I've felt a bit discouraged in my thriftiness since I've not had time to devote to it.  I decided that I need to Keep on the Sunny Side of Life, and do the best I can with what I've got, where I am, in the time I've got.  So, here's what I have done this week.

~ I determined that I will keep my expenses as low as possible during this start-up time.  Of course, I'll need to buy some things.  It's not to put a rule on myself but to help me keep in a frugal state of mind.
~ I mended a dress that will now give me another year of service.
~ We ate lots of leftovers.

I hope this encourages some busy busy ladies to keep at it even when it's not easy.  Be blessed dear ladies!  God is our strength and our salvation.

Laura
A very busy little bee

~~~~~

You may enjoy...

A Positive Rule for Wives

~~~~~