The Cottage on the Hill

I improved the inner view of my kitchen window at least with two lovely flower pots I got on clearance at Walmart. My son decided to harvest tomatoes that weren't ripe yet, so I have them in the window hoping they'll ripen up so as not to waste them.

When I recovered from yesterday's stress, I was in such a good mood and had energy, again. I've come to the conclusion that it's ok to have a good cry and even a small pity party, so long as you have the discipline to get up when your done and get on with your life with even more strength. To do this, your good cry needs some good prayer with it, too. I had a good night's sleep and was able to get out before 7 am this morning and pull up a big patch of weeds at the end of the garden. I'm thinking today's project might be looking into improving the play area down stairs. Now that our TV upstairs has been broken, the TV in the basement is getting more use. (We can't bring the basement TV upstairs because it's HUGE and it doesn't fit in our TV armoire.) If it doesn't rain, I'm going to get outside and do more garden work. When I was in Scotland, my host's house had a lovely garden. It was neat because their beds were down about 2 or 3...

It's been so busy this summer and I'm starting to feel the weight of it. There's just so much to do and so much getting piled on top of it. I can't seem to keep things straight any more. Even my efforts to keep things straight are just an added effort I have to find time for. I'm always multi-tasking. I blog when I'm on the computer for something else that I'm waiting to download, for example. Things have really come down around me recently and I've tried to keep my chin up, but the stress has murdered me physically and worn on me emotionally. It was the last straw last night when we arrived home from visiting my ailing FIL and found that the dog peed on the bed. I could have sworn I shut the door to the bedroom before I left! It was already after bedtime and I was stripping the bed and doing laundry and redressing the bed. Then, my daughter decided not to fall asleep and when she finally did, my son woke up screaming from a bad dream. I didn...

Julie at http://www.keepersathome.blogspot.com/ had this, so I copied it and Tag, you're it. 1. Who is your man? The Dashing Gentleman Above 2. How long have you been together? 8 years total, 6 years married. 3. How long dated? A year and a day...then we got engaged. 4. How old is your man? 34 5. Who eats more? Not sure. 6. Who said "I love you" first? He did. 7. Who is taller? Him 8. Who sings better? Me 9. Who is smarter? He's got more common sense and "street smarts." I've got more book smarts. 10. Whose temper is worse? His, but I'm a close second at times. 11. Who does the laundry? Me. 12. Who takes out the garbage? Me. 13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me. 14. Who pays the bills? He makes the money, I write the checks. 15. Who is better with the computer? Me. 16. Who mows the lawn? Him. 17. Who cooks dinner? Me. 18. Who drives when you are together? Mostly me, because we take my truck. 19. Who pays when you go out? Him. 20. Who is m...

I enjoy being productive and I look forward to a productive week. I'm considering doing away with my 1/2 an hour of exercise in the morning this week in favor of getting chores done so I have time to take my little 'uns outside and get some yardwork done. There's so much to do in the garden and I want to start landscaping and turning beds for next year's plantings. I'm sure all that heavy work will suffice for exercise. :) Other plans for this week includes going through ALL of my son's toys and organizing them. I'd also like to pull up all the boxed books in the basement and find homes for them as well. I'm also considering turning the smaller walk-in closet into the re-enacting closet...but I'd have to find a home for the coats living in there now. I'm also going to try my hand at beet kvass. My neighbor gave me a bunch of beets from her garden. Those are my main projects for the week on top of my regular tasks and working on Bubby's q...

This line from the movie, "Little Women" popped into my head today: Laurie: "What do they do all day." (possibly paraphrased and in reference to the Little Women next door.) I always have a smile at this scene because his tutor gives him some silly line which basically means he hasn't the faintest idea. Then, I began thinking of all that Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy did: They made their own clothing. They kept the home spotless. They worked and did charity efforts. They tended the gardens. They educated themselves. They indulged in their own hobbies. They played and imagined. They took care of each other. They did so much! I bet they rarely, if ever, flopped into a chair and moaned, "I'm bored." They accomplished so much and were never idle. Spare moments were spent enjoying nature in a refreshing walk or scribbling away stories, or playing music, or painting, or enjoying children or reading. No TV's. No sterios. No video games....just pure activ...

While my last post was about all the ick-stuff that happened to me last week, here's the good that came out of it! Friday: Hubby came to my rescue and was so loving and supportive I fell in love with him all over again. I also got to spend a relaxing afternoon at the farm. Monday: I got to visit with my FIL who's house I passed to get to the place where I had to get hubby's boots. We had a lovely visit and he got to see the grandkids. Bubby cheered him up...they're two peas in a pod. Tuesday: My father went with me and we had a great time chatting away in the car and he loved spending time with his grandkids and daughter. Wednesday: The rain kept us home and indoors so we all got to play together, even the dog! We had a grand ol' time. Thursday: I had the pleasure of figuring the problems out myself and getting them fixed (with a little help from hubby). I like learning new things and using tools and hubby's such a great teacher. So, when it rains, it p...

I'm just shaking my head and laughing. Granted, the laugh may sound a little like old Hollywood insane-asylum laughing, but I'm at least laughing. Friday, I'm driving hubby's truck and it breaks down. I'm stuck in the swealtering heat and humidity with a hungry 2 month old. Thankfully, I was smart enough to grab hubby's cell phone and he came and rescue us. Monday, I was to drive 80 miles round trip with a 2 year old and a 2 month old to pick up boots for hubby. He desperately needed new boots and I volunteered for the task. Well, I get all the way up there and they are closed! Tuesday, I went back up and got the boots. Wednesday, rain and lightening like you wouldn't believe. Our basement (which we spent over six grand waterproofing) and garage flooded and we were struck by lightening twice. The second strike broke our TV and tripped our well pump. We got the well pump to work, but I have no water in the kitchen and only hot water in the washing mac...

I like laying out my progress on this blog. It keeps me motivated, especially since my sister reads my blog! Last week, I only did actual work-outs for three days (1/2 an hour in the morning and walks later in the day). The last 4 days I had to really tone it down. My body was letting me know I did enough. It's important to listen to your body, but not let it be an excuse for not doing what you should be doing. In my case, I had to remember two things: I'm barely 8 weeks post-partum and I'm still nursing. I tried to exercise, but my body said, "NO!" I needed sleep. Today, I did 30 minutes of The Firm and hope to follow it up with an evening walk, but it's stormy today. I have noticed one thing, though. I don't mind hubby seeing me undressed even though I have extra pooch and poundage because I know I'm working on it and so does he. He doesn't find me unattractive, anyway. Even this morning, I took my measurements in his presence and we c...

www.homeliving.blogspot.com and Victoria Magazine both had articles about improving the view from your kitchen window. Oh, how I'd love to improve my view, especially since I only have one window in my kitchen, unless you count the window on the door and that just leads to a tiny porch. I am improving that view because we're redoing the porch. However, the view from my kitchen window could use a little touch-up. It faces our driveway and stares are our garage and shed. It's a bit of a catch-all for things like garbage cans and scrap. It's all weedy, too. I don't think there's much I can do with it this spring, but perhaps I can tackle it this autumn after frost kills the weeds. Otherwise, it'll be a spring project. In the meantime, I'll continue to work on that little porch and just do little things around the window, like washing the glass, tending the plants on the sill and keeping the curtains tidy.

It's getting so you can't afford the cheap stuff anymore, either! Ground beef is rarely below $2.50 a lb. and as much as $4.50 a lb. for the extra lean. I don't bother with extra lean. 75% is fine with me (read Nourishing Traditions). However, it is quite often that London Broil gets down to $1.59 or $1.79 a lb. So, my parents, my older brother and I have pulled out our antique cast iron grinders and we buy the on-sale meat and ground it ourselves. Today, I ground a roast and made 4 batches of meatballs...Swedish and Italian. My father also gave me a pasta maker. He got two at a garage sale for $1.00. I haven't found the time to dabble in making my own pasta yet. I'm already making my own yogurt, bread, cottage cheese, cookies, spaghetti sauce and ground beef. By the way, my grinder is from 1899! Love old stuff!

I don't own a scale, so I won't be able to tell you what my weekly weigh-in is. I guess I could stop by my parents' house today and use their doctor's scale. I was quite surprised I actually dropped nearly an inch everywhere, though I'm shocked to have gained 1/2" on the thighs. I am massively bloated below my waistline, probably due to the Italian Bridal Shower I attended yesterday. I kept my portions very controlled, but the salt content was more than my little body could handle. I didn't exercise as much as I wanted to last week, but I had milk issues, so I didn't want to take calories away from milk production. My daughter had a 3 or 4 day growth spurt and for some reason my evening milk supply was inadequate, so we several evenings nursing every hour for several hours. I hand-extracted milk as well. Now, I have more than enough and baby girl is quite happy. I'm sure that helped burn some calories. I started The Firm today. I did 1/2 an ...

I realized the other day that I officially became a Titus 2 woman the day my daughter was born. I never really considered myself a candidate for being a Titus 2 woman just yet because I am still young and I still have a ways to go in experiences and learnings. However, regardless of my experiences, education, and any leftover ignorances, I am (or should be) a Titus 2 woman. So, now I have something to stand up with and for and work towards with all my heart. I have a daughter who needs a Titus 2 woman and I am that woman that God gave her for that role. Amen.

Saved Sinner asked if I've considered Elimination Communication and as a matter of fact I have. For those who don't know what that is, it is reading your infant's signals and having them use the toilet rather than wearing diapers. I've read a few articles and visited a few websites, but it is something I don't personally feel is workable for me, nor is it supported by hubby. No Greater Joy is supposed to have an article on it in their next issue. I'll see after I read it, but I honestly don't feel comfortable with the whole thing. Interestingly enough, in the 1940's baby book I have, they do have a section on "bowel training" for infants...where an infant uses a chamber pot. I find the whole concept of EC interesting, but not for my family....at least not at this time. Perhaps if I had an EC mentor to come over and show me how it is done, I could work on it.

The good news is Bubby is heading out of diapers. It'll still be a while, but he's started potty training! In the meantime, I have him in cloth diapers most of the time. I had extra money from my weekly grocery budget, so I headed over to JoAnn Fabrics. I bought materials to start making my daughter's cloth diapers. In their remnant section, I found some vinyl fabric that I'm going to attempt to make into diaper covers. I'm not sure how successful that'll be.

Today, I'm pretty much taking the day off to work on better nursing with my daughter. She's fallen into a pattern of lazy latch-on and sucking. It sufficed a few days ago, but she's hit a growth spurt and is now not getting enough to eat. The milk's there, but she's just not getting at it and I returned my pump on Monday. Yesterday, my big project was to remove the doors from the sink cabinet and replace it with curtains. Also, I painted the inside of the cabinet, which was all rusty and dirty and gross. It's a metal cabinet from the 1950's. The left hand door was broken and I had it tied shut, so half the cabinet was unusable. I've posted pictures of the end result. Now, I have a space for my recycling, papers to burn and garbage. The white trash bin is my garbage. I try to make as little as possible and I change it out every day to avoid bugs, vermin and stench. The whole project only cost me a couple of bucks for the tension rod. The fabric matches t...

This passage is from a 1940's Better Homes and Gardens Baby Book that was given to me recently: Your adored and precious baby has left your lap. He's an eager little runabout, going everywhere, wild for experience and adventure. You couldn't keep him sheltered in your arms if you tried! He's on his way! You have a right to be proud and happy because the love and careyou've lavished upon him have provided him with so healthy a body, so eager a mind. Now comes the question, "How can I best fit him for what lies ahead?" We have seen in the past that the world can change overnight from a safe, pleasant place to one of grim effort, sacrifice, and hardship. FAthers and mothers can't be blamed for wondering whether the gentle philosophies which have dominated child-rearing these past years will prepare children adequately for such a world. It's natural that we should ask ourselves whether sterner attitudes and punishments are called for. But let'...

Today was my 6 week post-partum check-up. Things are going great and the doctor is quite impressed with my progress and overall attitude. Either I have an easy baby, or my whole outlook is just so different from many other mothers. The doctor suggested that I make sure to get time away from the baby and to myself on a regular basis. I just smiled and nodded. Frankly, I have a very hard time turning either of my child into the hands of someone else, even hubby, because I just love 'em to bits!! Of course, I make sure they get plenty of time with daddy and with their beloved grandparents, especially Bubby. He's at the age now where time with mommy should be a bit more limited and time with daddy and the grandpas should be increased. So, I am now at a full green light to work on getting myself back in shape. In my right hand margin you'll find my current/starting weight and stats. I'll keep it updated periodically with my progress. I hope to not get pregnant agai...

One month after giving birth, I spent 5 days in an 18th century tent re-enacting with my family. Other than the humidity, mosquitos and the monsoon that went through on Saturday, we had a good time. It took quite a bit of preparation for the trip, including my getting the trailer inspected, 3 runs to the grocery store, and new outfits for Bubby and one new one for me. But, I did it! :) Monday, as we were packing up our tent and equipment, hubby said we'll have a picnic on the 4th of July. Ok! So, this whole week has a been a last minute scramble of cleaning up from the event, tidying my house and yard in preparation for guests, and shopping for the picnic. On top of it all, I cleaned out the fish tank and, with help from my mother, moved it to the basement and moved the bookcases to where the fishtank was. I also purchased a new, bigger bookcase for the nursery and put it together myself. I feel good! I love when things work out and challenges are won! Now, I don't win...

Now that I'm pretty much recovered from child birth and getting back into the swing of things, I'm working towards new goals in my every day life. These goals are silly goals in that they shouldn't be goals at all, but just what I'm supposed to do. I like to equate my housewifery with a career in that I have a job description and I'm expected to fulfill it and if I don't, then I've failed. Of course, I completely understand that as a housewife, my job description is rather enormous and constantly changing and needing revamping and priorities constantly shift. Here are my goals: Bible and prayer time every day. Walk the dog at least once a day, preferably twice. Get back into exercise and eating according to Nourishing Traditions Work with son on education and skills In other news, we have the exciting prospect of possibly getting a horse within the next few years! In the very least, we might horse-sit for a month so hubby can train on horseback. I'v...