The Cottage on the Hill

UGH!! My electric bill went up again! I thought I was being careful, but it is WAY over budget this month. I've been replacing bulbs with florescent ones, turning off lights, unplugging appliances, and trying to harness the sun's rays. I think a major issues is the outdoor furnace. Since we're saving on heating fuel costs, we've kept the thermostat way up. Now, I'm turning it down in hopes to get back under budget. Any other ideas? Hmmmm..... My husband told me that his GF (general foreman) paid me a compliment. He said that I keep a very organized home and that if his home was more organized, maybe his marriage wouldn't have ended in divorce. What a thought! It is true that when a home is in disarray, it can cause added stress and anxiety in the home which isn't good for anyone. It does take a lot of discipline to maintain organization in the home. It also takes a joyful heart. Here's what I mean. Have you ever asked someone to do somethin...

Last week, I thought I'd make one of hubby's favorite dishes on a cold winter evening....beef stew. Unfortunately, I went a little crazy with the pepper and ruined it. It was unpalatable. So, I tried doubling the broth and veggies to water down the pepper. It didn't work. Throwing it away seemed such a waste. Besides, I'm on a strict dinner menu and have run out of grocery money for the month, so I couldn't substitute. I had to make do. Praise God, I found a solution. I dumped the stew into a collander, removing all the broth. I then dumped the bulk into a greased casserole with a can of cream of mushroom soup only 50% dilluted with milk and topped it with a buiscut recipe rolled out like a pie crust. I cut a few slits to let steam escape and baked it until golden brown. Now, it wasn't a culinary masterpiece, but it was good and I didn't waste dinner. Bubby is going through some changes. He's now 10 months old. Since his 10 month birthday, ...

There was a request to see re-enacting photos. You can see them at: www.coloniallivinghistory.org That's the group we belong to. They have a photo section.

I had a thought today.....Hollywood touts that they are against violence, particularly the violence in Iraq. Yet, Hollywood continually churns out very violent movies. I'm not talking about historical movies like Band of Brothers and Master and Commander. I don't believe in watered-down history. I'm talking about blood and guts horror movies, movies with mindless violence, the "coolness" of gang violence/street violence.... The good guy doesn't always win anymore. And most of the time you're not even sure who the good guy is. Or the good guy is a bad guy who's fighting another bad guy. What goes in must come out. The Bible says "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." There have been scientific and sociological studies about violence reaping violence. Of course, Hollywood alone isn't responsible for how people act. We are responsible for how WE act. However, perhaps if the anti-violence Hollywood practiced what t...

You know how you hear people saying how children grow up so fast? They mature so quickly. They handle adult issues so soon. My observation is that they aren't turning into adults sooner....they're growing into KIDULTS. My hope and prayer is that I can preserve my children's childhoods while at the same time teaching them to grow into ADULTS. If the Lord tarry's, they'll have enough kidults to deal with. While thanking God for something He provided for me, a non-Christian pointed this out to me. "You Christians always thank God but never seem to thank the person God worked through to give you that blessing." So, lets make sure that the next time we get a blessing, we thank God and those God worked through. :)

My wonderful husband bought me a new vacuum! My old one threw sparks out at me, so I refused to run it for fear of my life. So, hubby bought me a new vacuum and it's wonderful! It even has a self-cleaning duster attachment! Hubby appreciates the hepa filter. I enjoy having a vacuum that actually does it's job. Oh, and my other favorite attachment is the special adjustable upholstery and stairs doo-hickey with it's own rotating brush. It's great for dog hair. I recently had my 4 impacted wisdom teeth removed. Hubby teased me that I was going to lose my wisdom, but I actually gained some! While I was in dreadful pain and recovering, I had to eat VERY carefully. During this time I learned that: 1. I eat when I'm not hungry...not a good habit to get into. 2. I eat too fast and don't savor my food. Therefore, I tend to eat a bit more so as to enjoy the flavor. 3. I put food in my mouth when I'm still chewing the first portion I put in. Blech...what a...

The silencing of Christian and Right-wing voices. We have a local case where a 13 year old student was protesting abortion and was made to stop. He was following school rules to a T (protests and stances are allowed during non-classroom time and must not be disruptive or explicit). His mother even called the school ahead of time to let them know he was doing this. They gave no opposition at the time of the call. He wore a T-shirt stating abortion facts, passed out pamphlets that listed what happens during the stages of development of a fetus, and more abortion facts. He also wore tape over his mouth to symbolize how we've silenced so many voices that never had a chance to speak. The student was seized, made to turn his t-shirt inside out, told to stop his activism and the student body was told to throw away the pamphlets and not read them. It is fairly obvious that he was targeted for his beliefs because other similar activisims were allowed (gay rights, diversity, etc). The...

I'm sorry I've been absent, dear readers. Life has just been so busy for the holidays...the usual stuff. Plus, every time I get a chance to get on-line, it's only a small chance that's easily interrupted. So, I've had no chance to really blog. Christmas was lovely this year. Hubby, Spike and I were really blessed by the gifts we received. Hubby got me the entire Bible on CD! Nothing replaces actually reading the Bible which I am doing, but hearing it read is something special, too. It's also great to help me stay exposed to the Truth more often. I had all four of my impacted wisdom teeth removed. It still hurts. What an ordeal that was, but I'm healing well. They knocked me out cold for an hour....removed the teeth and sent me on my way with a perscription for hydrocodone. I never took any. I was in pain enough to need it, but I was too afraid of what it might do. I have a baby to care for! Hubby works and couldn't get time off, but he wa...