The Cottage on the Hill

Here's the cover I designed:

Ah, pregnancy insomnia. But I don't mind now. I have obligations and duties to fulfill tomorrow, but thankfully they're on a loose schedule. I'm getting used to this being awake. I can't even remember the last time I slept through the night! At least I'm getting prepared for nighttime feedings! This is actually a blessing because my SIL and brother are heavy sleepers. She will wake up when the baby cries, but it's very difficult for her. I NEED 8 hours a night, but thankfully it doesn't have to be all at once. Also, I can function on fewer, but I usually end up having a "crash day" where I sleep for a long time during the day. They say you can't make up sleep, but I think that only applies to willingly being up. Like when someone parties, or when hubby and I go see a movie and don't get home until late. When my body forces me awake at one time, it asks me to sleep at another. I've also noticed that my insomnia is sometimes l...

I just want to throw out my arms and sing out a note! Maybe even twirl around like Julie Andrews on the hill in Sound of Music. I'm so excited about the new year and new opportunities ahead of me. My prayer is that I will not forget how I longed to come home while working outside the home. I pray I will not become lazy and passive in the home, but be active and happy. I pray that I will find new venues and opportunities for growth and development in the home and that my conversations with hubby will not become stagnant. I'm so happy to be finally done with work! Especially since my boss was an hour late without warning! Sheesh! She just never showed up until I had worked an extra hour! Oh well, I'm done!! Now I can REALLY focus on my home and write about that in my blog rather than complaints about work. ;) It bothers me that I'm immediately pegged as "close-minded" when someone finds out my religious and/or political standpoint. This is odd because...

As Christians, we're called to not hide our light. We're not supposed to hide the fact that we are Christians. Lately, though, I've begun to feel that the world is trying to hide it for us. More often, I find myself holding my tongue because we're not supposed to offend someone by mentioning our faith. Social organizations in New York State are trying to disallow the public display of religion, even if it's on our own property (like a Christmas nativity). I know people who find the Christian fish on cars to be overly offensive. Really! A young lady I know was telling me how her father is a confirmed atheist. She said she doesn't mind that, but she can't stand that he becomes very upset and disruptive when a Christian is around, or speaks their mind. I asked her what she meant. She said that he complains bitterly when they're traveling and someone has something Christian on their car. I asked her what she meant by that. She said, "Like a b...

Hubby said something so sweet! He says he's proud of my pregnant belly! That means a lot to me. It's a big boost to my self-esteem. I do love my pregnant figure, but knowing that hubby loves it too, and loves the fact that I am pregnant really helps me feel all that much more better about myself, our marriage, and our future, and even my delivery. It's true that coaching begins long before the baby's due. ladyscott

Yesterday, I got my first garden catalog in the mail! I've already poured through it several times. This one is mostly for trees and shrubs, particularly fruit trees and flowering shrubs. I want to order a ton of stuff out of it and turn my yard into a fruitful garden. But I have to remember two things: 1. I'm pregnant and will give birth during planting season. 2. Hubby has his own ideas about our yard, especially in some tree removal. He can't remove the trees when I have baby plants all over the place! Next year should probably be yard clean-up year. There was an old shed in the back corner of our property. It fell down and a good deal of it is still down there. That needs to be taken out. There's a volkswagon chassy down there, too. My brother has to haul that out along with loads of his VW stuff piled on the side of a garage. We don't mind keeping it, but I think next year will be a great year to load it up and haul it out. I also want to eliminate t...

No wonder it's called "warfare!" For years, I've been struggling with a certain temptation and sin. For years, I've been praying to be done with it. True repentance. Yesterday, I was faced with the temptation again and fought it tooth and nail. I ended up sleeping or very tired most of the day, and I think this warfare was part of it. I was about to give in, and praise the Lord, He convicted me strongly. So I gave in to the Lord instead. When I came out victorious (as we always do in the Lord), I felt a new sense of strength and wakefulness! No more heavy burden on my shoulders! The funny thing was the fight actually made my muscles sore, as if I was physically fighting it. But, through God I did it! Today, the temptation is once again there, but I laugh in its face. I overcame it yesterday, I can overcome it today!! ladyscott

Hubby and I did have a very Merry Christmas! On the 23rd, we got to attend the family dinner at my parents' house. My almost 2 year old nephew was my little buddy nearly the whole evening. My dad dressed as Santa Claus and handed out gifts to the little ones. Hubby was able to relax and just have a special evening off. It was such a blessing. The best news, though was little Hannah being born! On the 24th, hubby's father and step-mother came to visit us. They blessed us with a photo album of old pictures, and some new ones of our neice, and hubby's sister's family. They also blessed us with some baby clothes and a video camera! Hubby loves the video camera. Yet another blessing was hubby and I got to visit my brother, SIL and their new daughter in the hospital! We exchanged gifts there. On the 25th, I was blessed with hubby going to church with me. We also used the video camera to tape our dog opening gifts. Hubby and I had already given each other ours. ...

You Are Cream Pie You're the perfect combo of simplicity and divinity Those who like you life for understated pleasures What Kind of Pie Are You? You Should Learn Swedish Fantastisk! You're laid back about learning a language - and about life in general. Peaceful, beautiful Sweden is ideal for you... And you won't even have to speak perfect Swedish to get around! What Language Should You Learn? You are a Believer You believe in God and your chosen religion. Whether you're Christian, Muslim, Jewish, or Hindu.. Your convictions are strong and unwavering. You think your religion is the one true way, for everyone. What's" Your Religious Philosophy?

On December 12th, my nephew, Nathan was born! On December 23rd, my neice, Hannah was born! Still in the womb are: my cousin Alexander my cousin Evan and my own son, Donald. God is so good!

Hubby has mentioned a few times working at the farm next door. Hubby currently has a good job that he likes and a boss he's friends with. On the weekends, however, he works at the farm and he enjoys it there too. The men on the farm enjoy his company and work ethic so much, they've offered him a job. Both hubby and I have fantasized about his working there. However, it would mean a nearly 50% cut in wages and a loss of his medical, dental, retirement, and life insurance benefits. So, what's the debate, then? I can hear the "wise" people of the world asking. Financially, he needs to stay at his current job. Even on paper, this seems logical, with a $700.00 a month mortgage, a baby on the way and the need for a new vehicle. Well, I already did the math and we could probably make it if we cut hubby's allowance (which he volunteered to do) got rid of a vehicle, and cut a few extras in our lives. But where's the good that comes out of this? Hubby would...

I am convinced that God had to kick me out of the house to get me to realize this. As I approach the end of my employment outside the home, I realize how important my home is, and how joyful I feel when I take care of it. I'm also thankful that God has not provided us with the means to completely fix up the house all at once. I enjoy doing things step by step, one by one. And I look forward to when I can come home to be able to do such things! I think it really struck me yesterday when I solved a dilemma that's been plaguing my husband and I for months. You see, we don't have a heated mud room, and we have very little closet space. Our coats and hats ended up hanging off the dining room chairs. We both hated that. They're dining room chairs, not closets! I was putting something away in the drawer and I found a cast iron planter hook. Aha! Right next to the kitchen door is a little alcove between the wall and the fridge. Here I keep a box for recycling papers...

Only 5 more days of work, and then I'm done! I'm so excited, and so ready to come home! I am thoroughly enjoying my pregnancy, but I can enjoy it more at home when I can do things at my own pace. I actually get quite a bit done when I'm home, and even find time to exercise and rest. (I need to lay down mid-day to help ease back pain and diaphragm pressure). Days when I feel strong, I can do heavier work. Days when I feel weak, I can do lighter work. At work, I have to do whatever the customer or my boss wants me to. I already told my boss that lifting mannequins is out of the question for me. Well, today, I had to lift a mannequin. :( Now, I'm done in for the rest of the day. I also can't lay down when I need to. Working where I do is just not conducive to my particular pregnancy. I do feel badly for women who have to work during pregnancy, and I feel bad for those who think they have to work. Pregnancy should be enjoyed and homes should be enjoyed. It...

I've got a fight in me! I am very upset at the political correctness that is going too far and manifesting itself as discrimination in sheep's clothing. The minority rules in this country now. The squeeky wheel gets the oil. And the rest of us are quietly complaining in our living rooms rather than standing up and saying and doing something! This has been going on, not just with Christmas. There's been a mass effort to be rid of Christianity. We just sit idly by and let it happen. We're letting them pick away at our religious freedoms, and one day we'll be scratching our heads as to where it all went. It saddens me that it's taken the attacks on Christmas to get me to stand up and take notice! I'm ashamed of myself, but willing to take a stand now. Don't think it's really happening? As I hear or read about them, I'm going to be posting how Christianity is being attacked this Christmas season: First of all, last night I drove more than ...

It struck me yesterday that after nearly 4 years of marriage, I'm finally getting the hang of housework. I never realized how much work it really is, and how much I didn't know, and how little discipline I had in that area. Growing up, I used to play house and dream of keeping my own, tidy home. However, I couldn't even keep my bed fixed and my room neat! I used to whip up imaginary gourmet dinners, but I was almost a teenager before mom let me make my own grilled cheese sandwiches. I promised I'd keep my house neat and clean, but even as I type, I'm in a grand scale decluttering and organizing situation. I was taught some housekeeping skills, washing clothes, ironing, vacuuming, dusting, washing dishes, cooking, etc. But I was never taught the VALUE of them. Simply making me do them was just a chore. It took a lot of scrambling to clean up when someone called to say they were stopping in, and plenty of embarrassing moments when someone stopped in unexpected...

I just found out on Wednesday that hubby and I are having a boy!! This is just what hubby was hoping for and he's so happy! I'm just excited to be one step closer to being prepared. Somehow, for me, knowing the gender makes me feel as if I can organize better, even though most of what we're getting for baby will be unisex for starters since it has to last through 4 children!

Ok, so it was just in my backyard and I took it really easy, but I still got to ski! It feels good to be active again! It's amazing how out of shape I got in just 4 months! This is getting just plain ridiculous! The "PC Christmas" oh, excuse me, the "holiday" season. We're not allowed to say "Christmas" anymore! I'm fed up. It's CHRISTMAS!!! It's bad enough they've secularized Christmas so much to make it more palatable to the general non-religious and quasi-religious public, but now they want to completely remove it! What really gets my goat is that they say we have to be rid of it because it's religious and religion has no place in the public square. However, I see MORE of other religions coming out as the reduction of Christ is being made. What gets me laughing is that the "proper" term for today is "Happy Holidays" because it's "religiously neutral." However, "holiday" i...

Well, I did it. Today, hubby and I went out to the furniture store and he picked out a recliner for his Christmas present this year. *Gulp* I hate making large purchases, but for a whole year I was determined to buy him a recliner for Christmas this year. It's a nice recliner. It's not one of those big, bulky, ugly ones that just scream "this is a man's chair." It's one that looks like a regular chair, but does actually recline. It has Queen Anne cherry legs and a really nice navy blue upholstery. I also like it because it's small. Living in a cottage with less than 1000 square feet makes me wary of large pieces of furniture. This will fit nicely in our living room. The recliner is being delivered on Thursday! Hubby will be at work when it arrives, so I'll be the first to try it out. Perhaps I'll take a nap in it. ;) Merry Christmas, Hubby!

All I want to do is declutter! That seems like all I've been doing. I tackled the refrigerator today. However, my decluttering efforts have been hampered. People are just too generous! :) They keep giving me stuff. I just received 4 garbage bags of clothing from my little sister! I kept some of it, but the rest I'm attempting to sell at www.geocities.com/seamstresslady/thegarmentbag.html What else can I declutter? Hmmm...I think I'll tackle the lower cabinets in the kitchen this late afternoon. I've written out 95% of the Christmas cards (the rest will be given in person later) and mailed them out! It's nice to be ahead of the game right now. :) I'm still behind on Christmas presents, though. Hubby and I like to be done before Black Friday, but it hasn't happened this year. But, really I don't have much farther to go!

My goldfish follow me. We have a 55 gallon tank set up in our dining room, which is in the center of Taigh Beag. In it are approx. 24 goldfish. We're not exactly sure because they aren't still long enough for me to count them. They range from an 1 1/2" long to 7" long. We have plain gold, white and gold, and black and gold fish. And they FOLLOW me! If I'm in the bathroom, they're at the left side of the tank, watching me. If I'm on the phone or in the kitchen, they're at the right side of the tank, watching me. Right now I'm in my brother's room and when I peek around the corner, they're peeking back! If I sit in the front of the tank, they go nose to nose with me. If I stand in front of it, they swim back and forth along the top looking for food. So, who's in the goldfish bowl now?

Taigh Beag is a chocolate-free zone. I can actually hear the gasps as this post is read. How can that be? What's wrong with chocolate? Frankly, I'm not too fond of anything that has addictive chemicals in it. Choc-aholics are real. Many women will tell you how they're addicted to chocolate and have chocolate cravings and feel unsatisfied unless they have something chocolate every day. Is it a candy or a drug? *smiles* But that's not really the reason why Taigh Beag is a chocolate-free zone. The real reason is neither hubby nor I can eat chocolate. It's not that we won't, it's that we CAN'T. "Oh the horror! How can you live without chocolate?!" I hear people exclaim (usually the ones with uncontrolled addictions to the brown stuff). We can live without chocolate very easily, especially when it can harm us so. In fact, now that I'm pregnant I actually crave chocolate, but as soon as I smell it or eat it, it's discusting to me. I guess tha...

That's right! Hubby's in Pennsylvania this weekend, so I've been playing. I rearranged the bedroom and gathered stuff to get rid of on ebay. I'm co-hosting a baby shower today, and picking up a cradle for my baby due in late April. Things are going to look a bit different when hubby arrives home on Sunday! I still have one more piece of furniture to move out of the bedroom. We have a bench with storage under the seat. It holds our extra bedding. But since baby is going to be in our bedroom until my brother moves out of the nursery, I need room for the cradle and changing table. So far, I have a spot for the cradle. I wonder how it's going to hit hubby when he sees the cradle in the bedroom! It's just starting to be real to me that we're having a baby, but has it hit him yet? ladyscott

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Hubby pointed out some unused space under the stairs in our basement and asked me if I'd like a pantry there for my canning. Would I?!! I'm so excited to be getting a pantry! I can hardly wait to fill it with goodies. Oh, I wish I had more time to can! Since, I'm working, I spend my home-time cleaning and trying to catch up on sewing.

We've been getting the house buttoned up for winter, and the yard tidied. I still have a few plants that need to come out of the ground and enjoy the sunshine inside the porch. Today would be the day to do just that! Indoors, I've been a cleaning feind. I've also been staring at some of my collections and wondering what part of them needs to go. With a baby coming and my brother living in the only other bedroom in the house, I feel a little squeezed. I feel this need, this desire to declutter! Then I look at my bookcases......it's so hard to part with books. I think the best place to start with my modern paperbacks is to pray first and hold each book in my hand and ask that still, small voice, "is the edifying to myself and my family?" There is a house for sale just 3 doors up the road from mine. Hubby and I let his parents know. We'd love for them to live nearby. We used to live really close together, but then hubby and I moved. It's such a...

I'm currently on the downward slope of a cold. Being pregnant, I can't take anything for the cold (which doesn't help "cure" the cold anyway and can actually prolong it, in my opinion.) I'm a fighter, though. I get a cold, I fight tooth and nail. Here's what I do: LOADS of Vitamin C. If you cut me open while I have a cold, I'd bleed orange juice. This time, I've taken it a big easy because I don't want to injest too much Vit. C in case it's bad for baby. First twinge of a sore throat, I start gargling nearly every hour with either listerine or warm salt water. If it's really bad, then hydrogen peroxide. At least 2 steamy showers a day. Steam facials often When I'm not pregnant, before bed I drink a small shot of Scotch. LOADS of caffine free teas! Warm, wet compresses over my sinuses Blow my nose as often as needed with lotion-rich tissues Plenty of rest Sniffing Vicks Chicken Soup Although, with this cold, I've decided.....

I'm starting an at-home business. Mending/Alterations/Sewing. To accomodate this business, I'm turning the enclosed front porch at Taigh Beag into my "customer service" area. It'll have a small desk, chair, bench, and a fitting room. I've finally decided on a decorating "theme" for the room, too. Since it's a porch, and walled in knotty pine, with large windows almost all the way around with great views of bird feeders, I'm going to give it an outdoor/birdie feel. I LOVE chickadees. Hmmmm....now I just need to come up with a name for it? ladyscott

The Master Bedroom closet is now organized. I bought shelving and hubby installed it. It's such a tiny closet that only hubby uses it, and with the shelving, we have space for all his clothing! No more hanging piles of t-shirts on the floor. No more overnight bag filled with socks and underwear. We have a tidy, organized closet! Today, I organized the laundry area in the basement. Originally, it was an obstacle course over dirty laundry and boxes of fabric. There was no path to the machines! The dryer was piled high with fabric that often swallowed up the dryer sheet box. On the floor were scatterings of detergent bottles (one of them was empty). I do have a hamper, but there were piles of clothes all over the floor, somewhat separated into lights, darks, and whites. Now, there is not only a path to the machines, but a wide open floor space in front of them! The machines were cleaned off, the empty bottle recycled, the fabric folded and put away and the laundry picked up...

I have started a new goal! Get organized by Christmas. Almost every day, I have one special chore I must do that'll help me get more organized. Yesterday, my chore was to go through my cedar chest of vintage and antique clothing. I did and layed them out nicely, and found a pair of shoes and a dress to give away, along with a man's hat. Today, I plan on reorganizing our recycling and garbage system. Organization is not only good for keeping the house tidy, but it helps all who live in it know what's expected and what to do. When a house is unorganized, no one knows where things need to go, or where they need to go isn't organized enough to allow them to go there. Here are some examples: Annie is upset that once again her husband left his laundry in a heap on the bedroom floor. She finally blows her top and yells at him to do away with his dirty laundry. He yells back at her that he would but he never knows what to do with it. One day the hamper is in the bedroo...

The Good News is that my dear pen-pal friend had a baby girl on Oct. 7th! Madeline Elizabeth is the baby's sweet name! Miracles never cease! Both mother and baby are well. My house is clean! Not fully tidy, but clean! My mother came over again to give me a hand. I was also able to clean out the bedroom and start preparing the room for baby furniture. This afternoon, after a short rest that I need, I want to tackle the pile of mail and paperwork. This evening, I promised hubby I'd work on his caftan. As for my sewing projects, the living room, porch and bedroom all need new curtains. I haven't decided what to use for the LR and porch, but the bedroom, I'm thinking dark blue velvet drapes with gold tie-backs and tassles. I'm also going to be making my father a Santa suit. He really wants one for Christmas and it brightened his day when I told him I'd make him one. Do you have any sewing projects?

If there's one thing I've learned so far with pregnancy, it's that I'm always altering. My body, mind, clothes, diet, choices, priorities and now...my schedule are all being altered. I've been lamenting the neglect of the upkeep of our little cottage much due to the exhaustion I've been experiencing. Therefore, I've decided that I need to daily judge how best to schedule my time. If I'm having a good, wakeful morning, I need to get as many chores done in the morning and leave internet until the evening. If the evening sees me bright and chipper, internet will have to wait until a time I need to sit and relax. Movies are a no-no except when I'm exhausted, but need to put off going to sleep. With these and several other guidelines, let's hope that Taigh Beag can be a tidier, sweeter, more relazing atmosphere for all. ladyscott

1. How did you come by your nickname, "Ladyscott?" "Lady" is to remind me to be a lady, and "Scott" is my clan name. 2. Are you a Christian? Yes, I am a born again Christian. I attend an Assembly of God Church, however, I don't agree with all AG beliefs (ex. I don't believe women should be senior pastors.) 3. Are you "dresses only?" No. I don't necessarily believe in dresses only, but I do believe in femininity and that a woman should look like a woman. I do enjoy and PREFER wearing dresses, but have been known to wear pants occassionally. 4. Do you believe in long, uncut hair? This goes along with a woman should look like a woman. While I don't pinpoint my belief on "long hair only," I believe a woman should have longer, feminine hair. My hair is just past my waist and gets cut twice a year. Anything longer tends to give me headaches and become a tangled mess.....sloppy is NOT feminine. And fra...

With rain, wind and chilly temperatures, autumn has finally arrived. Thankfully, the Lord has provided us with this cozy little cottage. I also felt a wave of peace today as I thought about paying the first heating bill. I'm sure we can afford it. God ALWAYS provides! Hubby wanted soup tonight, so I made a homemade chicken soup with dumplings. I'm a fluffy dumpling maniac! Perhaps I'll post the recipe in my Cottage Kitchen blog. But not tonight. I'm exhausted.

Ok, I've had my fun. I want to quit my job and return home!! Call it pregnancy hormones. Call it nesting. Call it overwork and exhaustion. Call it what you want. I YEARN to be home. Today was my first REAL day off in over a week and I realized just how MUCH I miss this little cottage. I MISS taking my time and cooking a REAL meal. I miss baking dessert. I miss carefully planning a grocery list. I miss regularly cleaning my house. All these FLEW out the window when I took this job. At first, I kept up pretty well, but of course being pregnant can slow a lady down. Now, work has just CONSUMED me to the point where EVERYTHING is suffering. I haven't touched sewing in 3 months. My house is a smelly mess. I'm struggling with keeping up in my faith (I've often skipped church, been too tired to read the Bible and even too tired to really pray). Even my relationship with my husband is waning. I'm too tired. It's easy to blame it on my pregnancy, but is ...

SPIRITUAL BEAUTY - You are calm, peaceful, and content. Introverted and quiet you know everything about yourself. You never speak without thinking and every decision you make is well thought out. Since you know yourself so well you aware of your strengths and your shortcomings, which gives you the advantage of easily learning from your mistakes and improving yourself quickly. You may or may not be religious. If you are religious your faith and convictions are solid and no one can sway you from your beliefs. What type of beauty do you possess? (20 questions + 7 results + pretty pics) brought to you by Quizilla

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That pizza and nachoes eaten quickly during pregnancy is NOT a good idea. Blah.....

Candy at www.genuineprofit.com encouraged her readers to post pictures of a typical day in their lives. I'm on a borrowed computer without digital camera, so I'm just going to write about day in my life. First of all, I'm pregnant and that can make for some very atypical days. So I'll try to get it as average as possible. I start my day at 5:30 am. I make hubby's coffee and lunch for work. Then I wake him up and take his spot in bed. When he's ready to leave, I say a prayer over him and watch him drive off. I take a shower, and then hit the sack again (when I wasn't pregnant, I'd eat breakfast and start chores). I wake up again and have breakfast and do a few chores before getting ready for work. I leave for work at 9:30 am and return around quarter to 3pm. At this time I typically hop online, do a few more chores, relax and then start dinner. Dinner's a little after 5 and then I spend the evening relaxing some more. If I feel ok, I do a few...

You are Caroline Ingalls, a faithful wife and mother who cares about appearances. You are a good cook and homemaker, and a submissive wife, but you can handle a team of horses swimming through a raging river if you have to.

2005 Polaris Sportsman 400 widows. That's what I am! Hubby just bought one and he's as happy as a clam and eager to ride. I don't mind. He deserves an expensive toy and he always comes home. :) He's even working extra hours to pay for it. What a great hubby I have! And now, I need to put up those carrots like I promised him and be the good wife he deserves. :)

Well, it's officially the end of our first summer here at Taigh Beag. Not only has the season changed on the calendar, but the temperature has dropped significantly and we started winterizing: 1. The pond is drained and the fish are in the tank. 2. Hubby put my bicycle away. 3. The winter wheat is thriving at the farm next door. 4. The air conditioners are being put away today. 5. The windows stay closed and not because the AC's are running. :) 6. I'm wearing a cardigan. 7. Hubby's putting away the lawn items. 8. I'm thinking of making heavy drapes for the picture window. 9. I need to take inventory of the window plastic I already have. 10. There is a gallon of cider in the fridge. I've resisted the temptation to turn on the furnace. Save a little oil now. It's going to be a cold winter this year! Next year, we're getting an outdoor wood furnace! Hurray! Hubby just showed me a stick bug! It's the first time I ever saw one!

Yesterday, I bought a 55 gallon fish tank with stand. Our peaceful little pond is in need of being put up for the winter time. It's starting to get quite chilly at nights and a frost is just around the corner. Therefore, our 8 fish need a home for the winter time. Praise God for providing for us the money to purchase the fish tank! Hubby is thrilled with the tank. We have it set up in our dining room. ( I feel like my dining room's an Italian Restaurant now!). It is so soothing and relaxing, although it does take up nearly the whole wall between the living room and master bedroom. I'm such an animal lover, and I love caring for things that it's not a bother at all to have the fish tank. Besides, it'll be hubby's chore to do the heaving cleaning of the tank! Today is such a beautiful, brisk early autumn day. Hubby took me 4 wheeling through the woods and I plan on going for a walk after being online. I need to walk, anyway. I'm addicted to White C...

Thanks to my mother who came over today and kept me company and helped me clean Taigh Beag. Now, I'm pretty much caught up, laundry is being done ahead of schedule, I FINALLY have a clean kitchen and bathroom, and Taigh Beag smells so good! My Mom is such a blessing to me. Now that I have a clean house, I want to start a schedule so I can keep up on it. Thankfully, my mom's willing to come over every couple of weeks and give me a hand. I hung up a Winnie the Pooh Autumn flag, and I'm eager to add some pumpkins (not jack-o-lanters) and some other autumn decor. Hubby's stone wall is drawing neighborhood compliments. A lady I know from the church I used to attend even walked 2 miles just to show the wall to a friend of hers she was walking with! It's going to look so good once I can plant the garden in the middle! I look forward to wintertime seed catalogs!

I'm most like Carole Lombard! I scored 11% grit, 19% wit, 38% flair, and 42% class! You can see which classic starlet you most compare to here: The Classic Dames Test http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?testid=4621123663119520922

This is the best morning I've had since just a few days after I found out I was pregnant! I got up at 5 am and made hubby his coffee and lunch. By 5:30 am I prayed over him and saw him out the driveway. Then, I fixed the bed and took a shower. I've been needing more sleep than usual, so I laid back down, but I didn't sleep. I just laid still and thought about pleasant, homey things until 6:30 when I decided to get up. I got up, had breakfast, scoured through a catalog to get Christmas gift ideas, washed dishes, tidied the kitchen counters, cleaned out my canning pot for storage, cleaned the coffee pot and got it ready for another pot for hubby, deodorized and vaccumed the living room carpet, fed the fish and the birds and squirrels, talked to my little brother, hopped online, went for a walk, scoured my cookbooks for a recipe to use up fast-ripening bananas, rescued a chickadee that got stuck in back porch, got ready for work, made my lunch and now, here I am at 9:15 a...

As much as I like my job at the costume shop, I wish I didn't have to work today. I feel good! I feel like feathering my nest! I want to clean the house! At least I'm getting some cleaning done this morning. Forget evenings. Lately, evenings have been horrible for me. But I'd rather be sick in the evening than during the day. I've been thinking about the second storey we're going to add on to our house in the future. It'll include two big bedrooms, a full bathroom (hopefully with linen closet), an upstairs foyer that'll serve as a library, and another rather large room that I wasn't sure what I'd use it for. Another bedroom, a homeschooling classroom (I like that idea) or perhaps I'd move the master bedroom up there instead of downstairs and have a big enough room for the dream master bedroom I'd like. Hubby likes the idea of the master bedroom being right where it is downstairs. Privacy. If we do keep it downstairs, I'd like to...

The hymn going through my head recently is: "Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings see what God has done!" Sunday, on my way to church, I stopped at a yard sale. My mom was also there on her way to church as well. She pointed out a dehumidifier with "make offer" written on it's tag. The yard sale host made sure it worked. I hemmed and hawed, and finally they said I could have it for $5.00. I couldn't say no to that! Hubby was so pleased! We needed a dehumidifier so badly! Now only if we could get a 55 gallon aquarium and stand for a very affordable price! Hey, you never know! God's provided us well so far! :) Sunday, we went to visit my in-laws. We stepped in the door to see them hovering over their prostrate Boston Terrier. He was such a sick little dog! A quick call to the vet sent them out to get baby asprin. After administering that, the dog quickly improved. Apparently, the dog got wobbly and passed out. V...

I did go to the SPCA garage sale today. Luckily, there wasn't much there that I needed or wanted. But, there was ONE thing! A Bread Machine!! Brand new, still in box. They let me take it home for $20.00! What a blessing! I'm so excited, plus I'm glad I was again able to help support this SPCA. The Fulton County SPCA in Upstate New York is strictly volunteer-run and donation-run. They don't even get state/county/town aid. This SPCA is run by a wonderful down-to-earth woman who rescues and cares for the many abused and neglected animals in the area. http://fcspca.freeservers.com/

We all need a little therapy, some spa-time, pamper time or me-time. Now that I'm pregnant, I'm actually being encouraged to take lots of me-time. I need it too, because not only am I tired a LOT, but I also suffer from occassional fainting spells and anxiety attacks. Not to worry, they're homone-induced and "normal." Chores not only pile up now, but are harder to do. The other day, I had laundry that needed to be done. I was suffering from an anxiety attack and feeling really worn. It was a load of whites, so I turned on the hot water in the washer and added a cup full of Arm and Hammer detergent with softener added. It smells so good! I just leaned over the washer and slowly inhaled the steamy, lovely fragrance. (Then I put the dirty laundry in...pew!) Housework Therapy! De-cluttering hasn't been a successful as I hoped for because I had a pregnant day yesterday and I had to work today. However, I was able to donate a box of stuff to the SPCA'...

I am convinced it's never too early to start preparing for a baby. My husband was just telling me yesterday that the nine months will be over before we know it. After all, I'm already 8 weeks along TODAY! So, time to start the decluttering process and getting rid of the material things I don't need! Not only for the simple reason that we need room in our little house for the new addition, but that I've been suffering anxiety attacks and feeling "closed in." I want a clean, uncluttered house! It's a little more difficult now that my brother is living with us, but I think I can manage! I'll let you know my progress. ladyscott

My little brother has moved into the spare bedroom at Taigh Beag so he can more easily commute to college until May. With this comes his computer, of which I have access to when he's not at home. Therefore, I'm sort of back online and can keep up with my blogs!! Biggest news of all is that I'm pregnant with baby #1! I'm due April 27th. What a good time of year to have a baby! My garden did well, but getting pregnant during the harvest season made lots of it go to waste. I was simply too sick to put up much of my produce. I'm not really planning on a garden next year since I'll be busy with a newborn during planting season. I've given up on the dream of being the perfect, put-together wife and mother. I'm more interested in simply being a loving, Godly one. If that means my flower garden has weeds, then so be it. My husband is building a stone wall across the roadfront of Taigh Beag. He may continue one down the side that boarders the woods. I...

I'll be off line for a while because my computer died and we can't afford a new one right now. But please stay tuned....I'll try and be back soon! ladyscott

My hutch is here!!! Hubby was able to get the hutch today! It's such a cute hutch, hand-made so you won't find it in a store. We got it in it's place in the dining room and hubby watched me with such amusement as his little wife scurried hither and thither pulling out the boxes of items that will find a home on the hutch. He grinned and praised me as I eagerly explained where and how I plan on putting everything. On the top shelf (tentatively....it will change eventually): Ginger jar, 4 reproduction 18th century wine glasses, matching tea pot and sugar bowl with 18th century scene on them 2nd shelf: My collection of handle-less tea cups, 2 or 3 of them being antiques (I'm not sure about one of them) and 4 stoneware thistle goblets 3rd shelf: My collection of tartan and scottish tea cups and saucers Bottom shelf: my white platter, white soup tureen, white gravy boat with dish, white salt and pepper shakers Drawer: extra table linens and aprons Cabinet: my 12 place se...

Yesterday evening, 1/2 an hour before I was supposed to start dinner, the power went out. Blech....I have an electric stove. Thankfully, my brother left behind some seasoned wood in the shed where it was dry. Everything else is completely soaked in rain. I set up our re-enacting folding grill and thankfully had enough water pressure to fill our copper mucket with water. After some time in trying to get the wood to burn hot enough to boil the water, I was able to make shrimp alfredo. Re-enacting sure has helped me in this area. I can cook just about anything outside if I can get decent wood and enough coals in the fire. Of course, hubby and I kept ourselves occupied in the evening. No matter what time of day it is, the dining room is always dark (especially when it's cloudy and rainy outside). So, hubby started a puzzle by kerosene lamp and candlelight. I did some handsewing by the picture window, and when the rain subsided, I went for a bike ride. The power was back on a...

I did it. I was a bad girl and went to the estate sale. I walked out with a book dated 1816 from London, and two vintage dresses. One is a sage green organza, and the other is a thicker cotton wiggle dress, both from about the 1950's, although the green one might be 40's. I spent $15.00. I tried on a riding hat, but it didn't fit, and a pair of shoes, but they didn't fit well enough to spend $5.00 on them. My pond is just about ready to flood. We've had so much rain! I suppose I should displace some of the water in buckets because if it does flood, there goes my strawberry patch! Today, I picked my first ripe strawberry of the season and gobbled it right up! Now, I have to buy netting so the birds and that silly rabbit doesn't get my precious berries. Harvest has begun!