The Cottage on the Hill

Thanks to all of you who kept us in your prayers. Here's an update on how things are going. Hubby is doing fine. We still don't know if he actually has Lyme Disease, but he's on antibiotics anyway, though they'd make great diet pills. Hubby says they make everything he eats taste terrible! Thanks to a very generous blessing we received, we were able to make our mortgage payment without worry. We feel a bit more stable. To help make ends meet I'm hoping to sell off some of my tea cup collection. While I enjoy these pieces, they have outstayed their usage. I need the shelf they are on for other things now that Baby Girl sits at the table with us. I'm making room on my hutch for use as a buffet for when we take meals rather than spreading out the service dishes on the table. Our dining table is rather small. We STILL have snow on the ground! Hubby will be turning on the outdoor wood boiler by Sunday so I won't have to be careful with the oil heat un...

I'm in Ezekiel now as I read the Bible from Genesis to Revelations. This stood out to me this morning: Ezekiel 2:9, 10; 3:1-3 KJV And when I looked, behold, a hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therin; And he spread it before me, and it was written within and without; and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe. Moreover, he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thous findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll. And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. The scroll was full of "lamentations and mournings" and yet when he ate it, it was "as honey for sweetness." It struck me that no matter how unpleasant God's Truth may be at times, no matter how hard His admonitions, trials, and even His wrath, it is still swee...

This past Sunday as I ushered my son out the door, he asked if we were going to the farm. I told him that we were going to church to worship Jesus. He responded, "Worship pizza?"

Ok, I admit....I've been fraught with worry about how the world is turning and our own financial struggles. Today's sermon really helped me cast off fears and doubts. The foundations are being laid for the rise of the anti-Christ. Many people become worried and fearful at the very thought. I do believe American must decline as a world power in order for prophecy to be fulfilled. I do believe it's going to get harder. But rather than being fearful like I was before, I'm actually excited. The last time the world quaked with the thunder of prophecies being fulfilled was during the time of Christ. I used to wonder at how amazing it must have been to live during Christ's walk on this earth. But we're living in the dress rehersals of His return!! I wrote yesterday how I was gun shy about the future, wondering what we're going to get hit with next in our run of "bad luck." Now, I'm peeking around the corner, looking to see what God has in sto...

First, our pressure tank AND well pump went at the same time. Then, hubby's truck needed repair. After that, hubby's chainsaw broke. Next, a tree fell on hubby's truck. Now, my truck is making funny noises when I turn the heater on. Finally (hopefully), hubby's being treated for Lyme Disease. We've gone from frustrated to angry to bitter to laughing insanely. *smirk* I will say that we're getting a bit gun shy about the future. We're wondering what's going to happen next!

A healthier home-made macaroni and cheese really doesn't take that much longer and isn't that much harder to make than the boxed version. Here's my recipe: Cook one 12-ounce box of whole wheat macaroni. Drain and set aside. In that same pot, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of white whole wheat flour, salt and pepper to taste and 1 cup of milk. Whisk until it's no longer clumpy and allow to cook, whisking occasionally until it's thick and bubbly. Reduce heat. Add 8 ounces shredded cheese, stirring in with a wooded spoon. Add 1/2 to 1 cup milk (just enough to make a thick cheese sauce) and continue stirring until all the cheese is melted. Remove from heat and add the macaroni. Blend well and serve. I like to try different cheeses. Tonight, I made this with 4 ounces New York Cheddar and 4 ounces of Monteray Jack. I also added in some cooked ground beef and onions. Yum! Hubby also loves Swiss mac and cheese, but I couldn't find any...

What happened to Better Homes and Gardens and Good Housekeeping. They really don't have much to do with their titles anymore, especially Good Housekeeping. Better Homes and Gardens caters to a more wealthy crowd and you need to live near several expensive specialty food stores in order to cook most of their recipes. Good Housekeeping is full of celebrity gossip and advice that seems to apply more to the modernist career woman rather than a woman who is a keeper of her home. Where are the ironing tips? Where are the decorating on a real budget (not $25,000 for a kitchen)? I don't get either of those magazines, though I sometimes receive previously read copies. I do get Cottage Living, which is quickly joining the ranks of other "home and garden" magazines where the average person can't afford to even think about such renovations and decorating. Besides, they're on this "subway tile" kick. To top it off, most of the time the "cottages"...

I'm having a rather productive sick day. Children and mommy have ANOTHER cold (grrrrr), so we're all in jammies. I hauled the computer upstairs and am cleaning out, catching up and I completed the newsletter I'm the editor of. I made a hearty rice, wild rice and root veggie chicken soup for lunch. Dinner will be pork.

I don't have much left in my monthly grocery budget, so I've come up with a budget menu for the next 12 days. The 30th and 31st of this month I've left open for the time being. Here's my budget menu: Today, Saturday the 18th: I was supposed to make Chicken Strata, but I forgot to buy cream of mushroom soup. Rather than wasting gas to buy a can, I'm going to make a Fricasse of Chicken instead and serve it over brown rice. Sunday 19th: hotdogs, homemade mac and cheese, steamed carrots from my garden. Monday: Pork (that's in my freezer), smashed root vegetables made from left over roasted root vegetables, baked apples from my dad's trees Tuesday: Drumsticks (that's in my freezer already), brown rice, squash from my trip to the farm. Wednesday 22nd: If I have any left over chicken I'll make buiscuts and gravy. If not, I'm going to make a soup from whatever veggies I have in the house, some barley in my pantry and the chicken stock I made from t...

Wow, this past week has been weird. It seemed every time we turned around something was breaking. First, hubby's truck needed calipers, roaters, brakes and a new steering column. Then, we lost our water pressure. Hubby replaced the faulty pump switch and the broken pressure tank only to find out that we STILL don't have water pressure. Tomorrow, the well guy is coming to pull up our well pump. I pray it's something simple and inexpensive. Next, hubby's chain saw broke. Thankfully, we still have our health, humor and most importantly our faith. I read in the paper a few months ago that there is a new local chapter of an organization called WOW (Women of Worth.) The article basically stated that to be a Woman of Worth, you had to have a career. Apparently, at-home moms aren't worth it enough to be a woman of worth. That's ok. I don't need a worldly hen house to tell me whether or not I'm worth anything. Who can find a virtuous woman for her pri...

I am seeking "A Thousand Ways to Please a Family" (subtitled "with Bettina's Best Recipes") by Louise Bennett Weaver. I'd love to add it to my collection.

We had our first frost this morning. As the leaves make quick changes to a variety of autumn hues, a bit of green arrived in the mail. My elderberry bushes arrived (as did my heirloom garlic). I was disappointed that the nursery was out of blueberries, but planting those elderberries in the crisp autumn noon-day erased my disappointment. I have credit at that nursery now that I can use later this winter when I order my spring plants. I haven't been online in a couple of days and it'll probably be hit and miss for a while. I'm just so busy! Plus, I'm trying to save money and running the computer requires energy. It is frustrating that every time I work very hard to save money, something comes up to eat that savings right up. I won't balk, though, because it is rather amazing that the Lord provides just enough when the goings get tough. I went to the grocery store yesterday because they often have day-old meats marked down. I was able to buy a steak for hubby...

Hubby appointed me chief financial officer of our home when we got married. Even before we were married he often had me do his finances for him. That's the way it goes in our household, but frankly, I'm not entirely comfortable with it. I feel I have too much "financial power." I feel like I'm the current US government, and my hubby is the typical hard-working American man....just coughing up his hard-earned cash to the institution and not knowing much about it otherwise. I've tried various budget books and budgeting systems, but I always fall behind and find that many budget books don't show full accountability. You just jot in a number under a title, but it could mean anything. Not only could hubby not figure it out if he asked to see the books, but I couldn't answer for anything or figure out why we overspent here and where the money went there. So now I've simplified and just have to add in a large amount of self-discipline. I just took ...

While reading through the newspaper yesterday, I saw an editorial written by a minister of a local church imploring the local school district to stop having "mandatory" marching band practice on Sundays during the typical hours of church services. Apparently, to be a part of this marching band, students are required to not only practice during school hours, after school hours, but also on Saturday and Sunday!! Now that school has begun, I rarely see my neighbor's daughters. They both play sports and are usually gone all day and often have games and tournaments all weekend. Some of these are hours away and some are overlapped so as soon as one game is done, they rush off 30 miles or so to the next one!! It's ridiculous! Even in my own church, I've heard people ask a parent, "Where's your son/daughter today? I hope they're not sick." And the parent answers, "No, they had [some school thing] today." (Now, 90% of the families with c...