The Cottage on the Hill

There was a bit of a surprise this morning when I woke up. 8 1/2" of snow! That's not considered a storm where I live, though the media may paint it as one for the sake of a story. It's very lovely, nonetheless and once again, I'm gladly housebound. The picture is of the woods next door. Lovely! I must be nesting because I've been rearranging furniture and staying up at night thinking about home improvements. Even this blog I'm not satisfied with the style and background color. So, bear with the changes, please. :) One thing I always thought would be the bee's knees would be to have an official laundry room, preferably on the first floor. Right now I have a laundry area in the basement. I'm not complaining, not in the least. But, I am nesting and a laundry room always seems so charming to me. Well, here's my idea. When we finally add the second storey on the house, we'll be knocking out the wall between the kitchen and the nursery to ...

Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest, and I'm on a rest order from Hubby. I was all set to go to church, but pains in my lower abdomen (not womb-related, thankfully) and back kept me laying down. Hubby recommended that I stay home. Isn't he wonderful?! He's also wonderful because I've been offered a piano for free! However, I lamented that we really have no place for it. Hubby is determined that I get that piano and is offering ideas for it's placement....one of which includes moving the TV to the basement. Now, THAT'S a motivation to get that basement cleaned out! Anyone have any idea what it costs to get a piano tuned?

Yes, I jump on the New Year's Resolution Bandwagon every year. And yes, every year, I usually break them. This year, though, I'm doing something different. I'm praying over them and trusting in the Lord to help me keep them. I printed out 10 of them and left 10 more spaces to fill in and I'm going to keep them in my Home Management Binder. Here they are: 1. Maintain a written budget. 2. Keep on budget. 3. No impulse purchases or odd spending without hubby's explicit permission, or with my own saved money for such purposes. (some may say I'm just doormatting myself, but this is an area that I struggle with and I need accountability.) 4. I love eating our and ordering out, but no more unless hubby asks to and we have the means. 5. Organize and declutter, especially the basement (I've got a head-start on this one!) 6. Keep on nutritional track. 7. Cut down on debt. 8. Avoid adding to debt. 9. Use cash more (and credit and debit less) 10. Find ways to redu...

I had a wonderful Christmas full of so many blessings! Bubby made out like a bandit. It helps to be little a cute and have a large family. Now, I have to go through all his toys because he simply has too many. I'm also obligated to get this basement cleaned out and get an official playroom going for the little guy! Many great gifts were given to me, but three really stood out: Hubby got me a gun! Yeah, that's right! The preggy chick is packing heat! He got me a .22 mag rifle. Hey, we live in the country and we've had our share of rabid and dangerous animals in the area. With our growing brood of little ones, I'm not taking any chances! I'm a Grizzly Mama, not a Deer Mama. I also got a food processor! Woo hoo!!! Thirdly, I got the non-fiction "Olive Trilogy" books by Carol Drinkwater (All Creatures Great and Small fame). Today is definately post-Christmas slump. After days of activities and energy, I'm a tired nutritional wasteland. I l...

Just a couple nights ago I felt my baby! What a wonderful feeling it is to feel that flutter. I can hardly wait until they turn into kicks, bumps and turns. Just before Bubby was born and he was in the head-down position, his little rump was at the top of my tummy on the right hand side. I could literally pat his little pointed bum through my skin. Thankfully, Bubby never beat the wind out of me from the inside. He's certainly making up for it now! That child wears me out! He's so much fun and energetic. It's hard to keep up!

Today was a busy day for Bubby and I. There was a lot of errands to run and then we visited great-grandpa in the nursing home (before I get comments, he was cared for in the home, but his illnesses have gone too far. He needs 24 hour nursing care and the medical advantages such a facility offers). So, it was well past lunch and nap time, so I figured McDonalds would be cheap, fast and easy. It was cheap, it was fast, but it was DISCUSTING! Bubby barely touched his food. He spit out the fries and the cookies of his happy meal. All he ate were two pickles off his burger and half his drink box. I had a cheeseburger, small fries, fruit and yogurt parfait and water. When I got home, I downed a mug of chamomile tea because my stomach was off. Blech..... He loved his happy meal box and the bionicle toy that came with it. I guess I've eaten too healthy too long to enjoy fast food any more. Even the fruit and yogurt parfait was too sugary for my taste.

With winter storms constantly coming on top of the cold, the bother it is to get not only myself but my son bundled up, and illness after illness (I now have a sinus infection), I've been enjoying life as a semi-hermit. Granted, I'm still getting out every week, but I'm in a lot more which is good for me. Not only does it save money and vehicle wear and tear, but it keeps me disciplined to stay home. That is something I've been working on. It's nice to stand in the living room at 9 am and realize there's nothing pressing to do and that I can just sprawl on the floor and play with my son! It's nice to open my check book and see days go by without a dime spent. Tomorrow, my hermitage ends temporarily as I have many errands to run. Errands, I know will take two days to do. Then Sunday is church and family dinner. Monday, I go get blood work done. Tuesday is Christmas and all it's visiting. Wednesday, I hit after-Christmas sales to stock up for next...

The time has come. I cannot put it off any longer. Hubby wants the space. I want the organization. Bubby needs an area to burn energy since it's mighty cold and the snow is too deep for him to go outside. Thus starts the Great Basement Clean-Out! This is going to be quite the project. Here's the problem: Since we live in a small cottage with limited storage, anything that did find a home in the main living space was thrown down into our basement. Our basement is PACKED! I'm trying to start with what I know. I have a box for keeping, a box to get rid of, and a big garbage bag for the trash. I'll work from there. It's going to be a lot of work and a lot of motivation will be needed. I'm not kidding when I say, "pray for me!"

Over the weekend was my birthday! It was a blessed one. I had a good day and spent time with family. I received many wonderful gifts, all of which I'm thankful for: My parents gave me: scented candles, a dictionary (I asked for one), cosmetic pads, a metal spatula (they heard me lament over my lack of one) and stationary. My oldest brother and his wife gave me: Josh Groban's CD Noel. My older brother and his wife gave me: A box of my favorite confections, and a forced bulb kit. My little brother gave me: an Alison Krauss/Robert Plant CD My little sister gave me: Burt's Bees lip gloss, potholders My dear hubby gave me: two unique and beautiful, feminine blouses that I can wear pregnant or not. My sweet penpal gave me: a drawing journal and a graphite pencil kit I am just so blessed! ladyscott

Busy, busy, busy! We're expecting foul weather, so I grocery shopped early on top of Christmas shopping. Poor Bubby was out past his nap-time and was getting out of sorts in the stores while mommy made her choices. I treated him to Subway to make sure he had a good meal in his tummy. I always get their veggie delight subs on whole wheat. Once home, I had to unpack the groceries and start working on all the gifts I had to put together. I also bought a cheapy wreath at Walmart and some bows and a string of lights for it. That got put together and hung in my picture window. In my effort to keep my gift buying on budget, I managed to put together and nice gift basket for under $14.00 thanks to the Dollar Store and some coupons. The basket includes the basket itself, a box of gourmet biscotti, a wooden nutcracker ornament with candies, a bag of gourmet chocolates, a picture of Bubby in a frame and 4 Christmas-themed scented Yankee Candles. The Dollar Store also provided me with s...

It's been a while. Summer and Autumn kept me busy. The harvest was plentiful and needed preserving. That left me little time for anything else. Then, becoming pregnant, though such a joy, I'm sure many a mother can relate that the goal of the first trimester is to just get through one day at a time. Now, it's all behind me. I'm waltzing to Christmas music into my second trimester and joyfully enjoying the fruits of my harvest labor. Couple winter rest with the New Year, and I've got goals flying out of me! Granted, all the goals are pretty much intertwined, but they're happy goals I hope to acheive and maintain before my little one arrives late spring: 1. Go through all my collections. Keep an eye out for a possible online tag sale! 2. Reduce spending greatly. 3. Pay down debts. 4. Start an etsy shop. 5. Keep up on housekeeping and general homemaking. It'll be nice to see these things come to fruition before my child birth and infant-rearing responsi...

It's been a busy day so far and it doesn't seem it'll lighten up any. I don't mind. It's nice to be this busy again and to be able to keep up! Laundry is almost done, too! It's been quite some time since I was able to get laundry done in half a day, let alone one day! I also cleaned the bathroom, bathed the dog, vacuumed, made a squash-nut bread and molasses cookies, took the garbage to the curb, burned cardboard and loaded the furnace, changed a lightbulb (it was outside and up a ladder), shoveled some of the driveway and path (just touch-up of what hubby couldn't finish this morning and it was only 1/2" of snow), and played with Bubby. It's 1 pm now. The squash-nut bread emerged from an acorn squash I baked for dinner one night and it really did look unappetizing. No one ate it. Now, it's a yummy nut bread! I modified a recipe for pumpkin loaf. I my homemade unsweetened applesauce instead of the oil. I used whole wheat flour, 2 pack...

The doctor says everything looks great! I did get an ultrasound and my little one danced for me! As for possible complications because of my miscarriage D&C, everything looks good and it shouldn't be a worry. Baby is exactly on target. Today, I wrapped presents. It wasn't as fun as I thought it would be because Bubby kept stealing the tubes of wrapping paper to bang into the floor and unroll. I gave him the empty rolls, but apparently, they weren't as fun. :) I also had him sit for Christmas pictures and he was miserable. Usually, he likes getting his picture done. Oh well. I'm pretty sure out of the MANY that I took, one of them will be a good photo.

Today is Christmas decorating day! My friend is coming over to help and I hope hubby is really pleased and comforted when he walks in the door. One nice thing about Christmas decorating is that when you clean it all up in January (I usually don't wait that long), it's like instant declutter! The house looks so open. I only have enough money to buy a gallon of milk today. Yet, I must feed my dear friend! She prefers not to eat meat, though she's not a strict vegetarian. In her current displaced situation, she's been eating poorly and I know she'd enjoy a healthful, delicious meal. I have romaine lettuce, tomatoes, baby carrots, havarti cheese and pecans. SALAD! I'll also boil some eggs in case she wants to add an egg or have an egg salad sandwich. I have tea and oatmeal cookies on hand, too. Can you tell I'm REALLY trying to curb spending and work with what I have. My mom has a saying that keeps running through my head, "I do the best I can wit...

I have a little dinner dilemma that I think I've figured out. Hubby and I are expecting guests tonight. However, when I went shopping for the week, I didn't plan a meal for Tuesday let alone plan for two extra people. (We were supposed to go to their house for dinner.) So, this morning, I opened up my freezer and stared at my selection. I couldn't do chicken. I needed the chicken for another meal. I couldn't do venison, because they don't have a taste for it. I couldn't do tenderloin because it was already promised for another couple for a dinner party. I couldn't do lazagna because I didn't have enough milk to make the cheese filling and I can't leave the house today. My only option was the stew beef, yet I didn't want to make yet another batch of beef stew. Then it struck me... BBQ'd steak strips and boiled potatoes with a side of squash. Now, I just have to come up with a dessert.

But surely the Bible makes exception for pregnant women! Tee hee. :) I'm pretty sure Little One is going through a growth spurt. I can feel my womb stretching and I'm quite tired. It doesn't help that I'm up quite often at night to go to the bathroom. The advice I got was don't drink anything after 6 pm. HAH! What else am I supposed to do if I'm so thirsty!? It's ok, though. I really don't mind. I am reminded how truly blessed I am to be a stay-at-home wife and mother. I was able to sleep in this morning (before Bubby woke up screaming and throwing up...he's fine now) and I'll be able to lay down at Bubby's nap time. Also, I can go to bed anytime after 7pm if I need to. Our "major snow storm" turned into a mild mess. Still, the media made a big craze about it, but you look out the window and say, "so what!" There's not even anything much to shovel. Today, I'm going to clean up the house the best I can...

Yesterday, I started cleaning out my basement and found the offending dead mouse. I'm so glad to be rid of it. It was in a box of fabric scraps and it gave me a great excuse to throw it away! Ok, perhaps this isn't the best segway....dead mouse topic to food topic, but bear with me. :) Thank God for His provisions! I was able to stretch one bottom round roast into 4 meals! The roast was a blessing to begin with. It was given to me by my neighbors (they raise their own beef cattle) for free! Meal #1: Crockpot roast, mashed potatoes, gravy, veggies. I placed the roast in a crockpot and poured an undrained can of mushrooms over it. Then I added some water and beef bullion and seasonings. I let it cook. Then, I made a gravy out of the broth. Meal #2: Lots of leftover beef and gravy. I sliced up the beef and added it to the gravy. I made a batch of buiscuts and steamed some carrots. Meal #3: I had some beef and gravy left over, so I threw it into a stockpot with water,...