The Cottage on the Hill

Springtime tends to bring a bit of chaos into the mix. Chores suddenly pile up as the gardening and yard work needs to get done. On top of it all, winter was not kind to our property so we've had to tear down an squashed outbuilding and do some extra clean-up. Other things broke around the house, including ourselves! I had a nasty bout of food poisoning and spent part of a Monday in a public restroom considering calling 911 because I was being sick so badly. I now have an annoying sinus infection and my entire system is off due to the food poisoning. Apparently, I may need to go on a corrective diet. Hubby fell quite ill, so on top of everything else, I've been nursing him back to health. He's been pretty much bed-ridden, so I played plumber and fixed the bathtub faucet and shower. All the while my two older kiddos have been insane! My oldest cannot be quiet for 2 minutes and enjoys making silly sounds. My daughter breaks down in screams and sobs over every tiny li...

A living history friend of mine owns and operates a fabulous shop online and in Easton, PA called Reconstructing History. For my blog readers who love vintage and antique clothing and the charm of dressing in such manner, check out her extensive collection of patterns based on mountains of research and actual historical pieces. RECONSTRUCTING HISTORY

I finished reading Amish Peace by Suzanne Woods Fisher. What a great book! I recommend it highly to any Christian (or non with an open mind towards Christianity in general) who's experiencing a lack of peace in their lives. This certainly isn't a substitute for God's Word and His peace that passes understanding, but this book is a great tool to get us thinking about things in our complicated modern world. A few things I gleaned from the book are: 1. Family is so incredibly important. Right up there in the #2 slot, right after God is family. Of course, I already knew this, but this book put it into my mind just HOW important family is. When I got married and became a mother, by default I put myself on the back burner on a very low simmer. It ain't about me anymore and you know? Realizing this leaves no room for resentment and bitterness. That's pretty stinkin' freeing right there! Selfishness is a peace-eater. 2. Modernization first took the father out...

Well, at least according to my 5 year old son, we are officially a farm because we now own ducklings! Not as many as are in the picture. My camera battery is charging, so I made do with a picture found on google images. We only got six of the cute little things. No, they're not pets. We're raising them for meat, so I guess that does make us more of a farm. For some reason, people in general are more understanding of raising animals for meat if you live on a farm. If you're just Joe Homeowner with a couple of critters in the backyard who eventually wind up in your freezer, people think you're some sort of sicko. But, if you're Joe Farmer and some of your livestock wind up in the freezer, you're just Joe Farmer. But, for now they're cute little ducklings living in a brooder in the basement. Hubby started building their home outside around our little pond and they'll move out there as soon as their old enough and it warms up some. It's almost...

Busy Hands, Busy Minds is giving away 3 Homestead Blessings DVDS, canning, gardening and herbs. I entered!! You can too!

I'm seriously considering venturing down the path of the GAPS diet. I just bought the book. My decision was made more firmly (though not set in stone until after I read the book) today when I suffered my 3rd bout of food poisoning in just over a year! (1/2 an hour in a public restroom and calling my mother to come rescue me befor I called an ambulance - yeah, it was THAT bad.) My poor insides are all inside out. I'm ready for a change, even if it involves a very strict, limited diet. Right now, a strict limited diet sounds good to me anyway. Are you or have you been on the GAPS diet? Do you know anyone who has?

Yep, that's apparently what my piano is, at least according to the piano tuner. He's a fine man who begged me not to put any more money into the piano and said if he ever comes across a good spinet, he'd give me a call. Apparently, what I have is, as I stated, a noisy credenza. I'm not discouraged, or even embarrassed. I sat at my dining room table penning a letter when he completed tuning the piano, and then he played. My house, my little cottage, was filled with real, live piano music! I can check another dream off my list of dreams! To him it was rubbish. To me it was a dream come true! As he pulled out of the driveway, I sat at the piano and playing a simple rendition of the same stanzas of Pachelbel's Cannon in D, about the only thing I know how to play. My 5 year old LOVES the piano. He'll sit at it for a good 45 minutes to an hour just plunking out his own little tunes and listening to all the notes and note combinations.

A family member is going to be having her baby soon! I'd like to prepare some meals for her and her family. Any ideas for meals that refrigerate/freeze and then reheat well?

Yesterday evening I dined for the first time on Moroccan food! I've had Indian food before, but not Moroccan. It was so good! I ordered the Seafood Tfaya. It was delicious....beyond delicious! I'm going to attempt to make it for hubby next week after Resurrection Sunday.

In my never-ending quest to feather this tiny, ever-changing nest, I'm thankful for the tips I learn out of magazines that celebrate small homes, such as Cottages & Bungalows. One thing I learned is that if you have a large piece of furniture in a small room, a way to minimize this "elephant in the room" is to paint it the same color as the walls. I'm thinking of employing this method, myself. To make room for the spinet, I have to create or buy some sort of storage unit that'll fit in the remainder of the space. The best way to utilize space in a small area is to go vertical. The problem with that is then you have this looming piece of furniture that just might not compliment the space, or it'll create a focal point you may not want to have! Painting it the same color as the wall takes attention away from it. Have you done this in your home? How did it turn out?

I finally have a piano!! It isn't much, just an old 1920's Starr Spinet, but it's mine! Already, my children have tried it out even though it hasn't been tuned in over a decade! It's still beautiful music, even if it isn't Liszt. Oddly enough, my 5 year old started playing something that sounded like "Alexander's Ragtime Band!" LOL!

If I had a nickel for every time I heard "I wish it would just stay clean," and a quarter for every time I've said it, and a dime for every time I thought it, I could afford bi-weekly maid service! As I vacuumed my floors this morning, wrinkling my nose to every little bit of grit, gravel and crumb, the thought crept into my head. Right behind it was the practical answer: IF YOU WANT YOUR HOUSE TO JUST STAY CLEAN, THEN YOU HAVE TO KEEP CLEANING IT! After all, we LIVE in these homes of ours. I mean, how horrible would it be to clean the house and make everyone sit still the rest of the day, no potty breaks, no meals, no moving, just so mom can enjoy a clean house that stays clean for more than 1/2 an hour? I've given up lamenting about having to wash the kitchen floor (again) because my kiddos came in from a day of sandbox fun in the fresh air and brought in half the sandbox with them. Of course, who wants to spend all day cleaning, chasing that elusive spit shine i...

I've finally taken up reading again! Mostly, when I have insomnia in the wee hours of the morning, but still!! I'm currently reading "Amish Peace" by Suzanne Woods Fisher . I won this book through a giveaway on A Joyful Chaos . I love this book! Suzanne does a really great job of writing about Amish simplicity and peace without the schmoozy romanticism so many others put into Amish life. Also, the chapters are short, but touching, making it easy to read. Her words pull you in, warm your heart, and make you think. She adds Amish proverbs and questions at the end of the chapters to make you think and help you consider your own desires or needs for simplicity and peace in your life. There's also interesting trivia about the Amish. Reading this books goes hand-in-hand with how I've been thinking and feeling lately. I admit that I lost a lot of the simple joys in life and my peace was robbed. For example, last night as I was leaning over the bathtub guar...

Head on over to Raising Homemakers and enter the 31 Days To Clean Giveaway !

A Joyful Chaos is hosting a giveaway of a pint of Grade A Maple Syrup!! Go on over and join in the fun! While you're there, follow her excellent storytelling of her life growing up Amish!

Yesterday, the weather finally turned for the better and old man winter gave way to Spring! As soon as Baby boy went down for his nap, the older kiddos and I attacked the clean-up waiting for us beyond our storm doors. Well, my kiddos attacked the sand pile which is finally free of snow. My kitchen porch is clean and decluttered! Hubby is stringing up a new clothes line for me tomorrow! It'll be so nice to hang clothes on the line from the window of my kitchen porch again. I cleaned out the dog's run from a winter's worth of poop and old straw and lay out a new carpet of straw. I planted strawberries around an old stump using a newspaper barrier, compost from my heap, and a mulch of leaves and straw. I dug up horseradish and ground up nearly a quart of it! Today, I cleaned the garage and cleaned off the bbq grill. It's all set for a season of grilling! Next, I have huge amounts of yard work to do. Hubby's tackling what he can this weekend. I have the she...

I won this giveaway over at Our Joyful Living ! When I entered I said to myself in a sort of half-prayer (if there is such a thing) that if God wants me to have the book, He'll let me win. Sure enough, I won!! I have a feeling it is going to be very timely in my life! The giveaway was sponsored by Vision Forum , so I want to give a shout-out to them in thanks!

I'm really hard pressed to continue spending $80.00 or more dollars every 4 months on products for my vanity. On top of that, I'm bothered by the amount of chemicals women so freely slather into their pores. I have gone more natural, but that comes with quite the price tag. In a continuing quest for simplicity, I wondered if there's a simpler way. I have found it in my kitchen! Makeup Removers ! Milk, yogurt, olive oil! I use rose water as a toner after washing my face (with Scottish Lye Soap ). I use sweet almond oil as my moisturizer. It works great as an after shave lotion, too. Here's a recipe for Homemade Deodorant using kitchen products. I haven't tried it yet since I still have some of my usual deodorant left. I've tried the cider vinegar and baking soda no-shampoo before, but I didn't like how it made my hair feel sticky and made it look filthy and twisted into little rat-tail dreadlocks. I may try it again sometime, but for now I'm hap...

Baby Boy has officially started crawling. Before, he just sort of pulled himself along his tummy, but didn't travel too far. Now that he's crawling, he's all over the house! That means I'm becoming crazy about keeping the floors clean. I think it also means moving all my older kiddos' toys down to the play room. His crawling is so cute and I love that he's exploring, but I admit I'm not a fan of the crawling stage. I much prefer them walking. He's also clapping now and sitting himself up. And, praise the Lord, he's sleeping better at night! He was only up once last night!!!