The Cottage on the Hill

This is going to be a random post of various thoughts on health and well-being. You see, I'm sick again. I've lost count of how many colds I've had this year. Bronchitis twice. I'm sick of being sick. So, I'm looking into why I'm getting sick and how to rebuild my immune system. Here are my thoughts: 1. Reduce stress by prioritizing better and not getting bent out of shape if things don't go as planned. No one says I have to do this or do that right now. I can say no. I can put some things off. (Some things I can't.) 2. Cut out refined sugar. This is going to be hard because I love a good cookie, pie, cake or pastry. However, my body does NOT handle sugar well. Despite coming up negative on diabetic and glycemic tests, I do NOT handle sugar well. I get dizzy, I feel dehydrated and thirsty, I crash hard and I get kinda mean. I notice the link more because if my son has too many fruit snacks (which I used to dole out liberally and some fami...

Our daughter just adores her Daddy. Daddy just got home from work in this picture and she wouldn't stop hugging him. :) For Father's Day I took hubby to the Wildlife Museum and then out to lunch at one of our favorite restaurants on Saturday. He was quite pleased. Sunday, we all went to church where we heard a VERY good sermon on Biblical Fatherhood/Manhood and then we went to visit hubby's daddy who we haven't seen in a dog's age due to conflicting work schedules. Beep Beep! I have Road Runner now! The local cable company had a 1 year deal and we were able to get Road Runner Lite and Digital Phone for less than what I'm paying for local phone and dial-up! I can speed through the internet now and get things done a lot more quickly. I can visit blogs I've been avoiding because they would take forever to load. I can finally download the many pictures I have stored on my computer to Walmart.com photo center and get hard copies done!! Woo hooooo!!! Th...

Between raindrops I took the children for a walk today. We enjoyed the sights, sounds and smells of a beautiful, overcast June day. We smelled the farm, peonies, damp earth and this ground cover weed that brings me back to my childhood summer days. We heard frogs, birds and water flowing down a nearby creek. We saw chipmunks, our neighbor, and a beautiful, well-kept piece of property that thrust me into sweet daydreams and new inspirations. A second break in the rain urged me outside to my own little garden where I harvested plump turnips and chamomile: Currently, I am looking for a local farm that sells strawberries for a good price. I want to get 5-10 lbs to eat with abandon and preserve. Today, I also tidied up my kitchen. Kitchens are such easy places to get cluttered up with this and that so I went through and put away all things that didn't belong. Now I have plenty of counterspace and the whole room doesn't look cluttered and unkempt. Hubby surprised me today wi...

Just for fun, here's a picture to share. We were at a re-enactment last weekend. The blond, curly-haired fellow is my son's best friend. I promised myself that I wouldn't read any books until I finally finished reading the Bible all the way through. However, I recently felt more pressure on my heart to do devotions with my children. After some thought, I decided to attempt to find a good devotional for pre-schoolers. I simply don't have the time to put together my own Bible study for the kiddos and Bubby's learning style is one that just sitting down and reading from the KJV won't cut it. While some may disagree with me, I'm quite certain that I'm heading down the right path for my family to incorporate daily Bible study and devotions. For myself, after I finish the Bible, I want to start on The Well-Trained Mind, and start on the Classical Eduction reading list. One thing I've been having a hunger for is studying grammar and how to be gramatic...

Isn't she beautiful? I can't believe I gave birth to such a pretty little girl. The poppies this year are huge and gorgeous! These grow wild at the edge of my property (when they're not run over by a 4-wheeler). Here she is again having fun this morning. And here's big brother. He posed like this himself, my little ham! And no, that's not a bruise on his wrist. That's sidewalk chalk. Yes, he's right by the road, but we get little traffic and I was right there. He's not allowed near the road otherwise. I love that I can go in my own backyard and pick good things to eat and season my food with. Tonight, I made Quick Salmon Croquettes with a Hollondaise sauce, seasoned rice, green beans with parsley and my home-canned plums with real whipped cream sweetened with my brother's home-made maple syrup. The salmon was seasoned with parsley and rosemary from my herb garden. As a side note, I'm trying not to throw about perfectly good food. ...