The Cottage on the Hill

Where I live, if you mention lingerie, people automatically think of Victoria's Secret.  If you say you need a new bra, the choices seem to be big box stores or VS.  But, thanks to hubby, I've discovered the pleasures of shopping in independently owned lingerie boutiques.  Hubby had to work a couple hours away from home for over a year.  During that time, he was near Rhinebeck, NY, a beautiful village full of art bars and boutiques.  His ever-watchful eye for pretty things for his wife spotted a pretty dress in a window of one of the boutiques in Rhinebeck.  He never was able to stop, but finally, when his stint there was completed, he drove me down for the day to clean out his rented room and stop at the shops.  Turns out the clothing shop does indeed sell clothing, but it is also a high end lingerie shop called Joovay.  The lady inside was an intelligent, kind-faced beauty and we had the pleasure of having conversation with her while I br...

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:11-13 Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 1 Timothy 6:6-8 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these thin...

Recent goodies in my mailbox (aside from homeschool work books): I've had my eye on this skirt for my daughter for several years!  It is from Mini Boden and I either couldn't find it in her size on ebay, or they were still asking more than I was willing to pay.  Finally, her size and a price I could live with! This will be our oldest's level 3 piano book.  I bought it early at a good price because I want to learn Lunar Eclipse for myself.  I'm a self-taught piano plunker.   No, that's not me. I love Bea's blog (check out my sidebar) and her gentle inspiration and ideas.  While I don't believe I'll ever find myself as disciplined and dedicated as her, she does give practical advice and a fun challenge to life.  I was so eager to get this book! Since I'm trying to organize home creamery classes, I thought it would be an interesting study to see how the West Ladies do their dairying.  I am slowly building my c...

How does mushed up food wind up in the master bedroom? That's easy! When you live in a small house, and your master bedroom door is so close to the dining room table that when you pull the high chair out, it practically sits in the door, and your baby boy likes to announce that he's finished with dinner by chucking what's left on the floor, you're just bound to have some wind up in the master bedroom! I suppose we could shut the door, but we only have two windows in this house that can hold air conditioners and both of them are holding air conditioners.  Those windows happen to be bedroom windows.  Therefore, if we shut the door, the bedroom turns into a meat locker and the rest of the house turns into an oven.  So, we firmly, but lovingly correct and encourage baby to stop chucking his food, and I continue to clean food out of the master bedroom.  We continue to live in our little cottage, cozy, storing up plenty of memories to laugh and marvel at for years ...

I have reopened my natural soap making business!  You can see the shop on etsy at: Seasons Soapworks Etsy Shop You can visit my soapy blog at: Seasons Soapworks Blog You can join my facebook page at: Season Soapworks Facebook Page And you can email me about soap at: Seasons Soapworks Contact

It is funny how our body image works.  There I am standing in front of the mirror in my clothes for the day and wondering what is wrong with my body because things just didn't look right.  I change.  I still look odd, but deal with the outfit anyway.  Then, I get dressed for bed and my nightgown just isn't as alluring as it used to be.  What's wrong with me?!  What's the malfunction here? I then realized the answer to my questions:  ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!  I'm not malfunctioning.  My wardrobe is! Just like in the picture above, there is nothing wrong with that little girl, but the shoes just don't fit her, so it isn't looking right.  (It's looking cute, though, something I can't say about my ill fitting wardrobe.) Last year I had my 4th baby, so of course my body was all sorts of different.  More voluptuous.  I thought then that I'd probably wind up staying in that size, give or take a few pounds and a bra size, and start...

I am SO EXCITED!  Two days ago, I asked the home school group I belong to if anyone would be interested in a class on making your own dairy products.  To my surprise, not only did many ladies respond almost immediately, but they started asking when and where.  I love their enthusiasm!  So, now I've got my work cut out for me and I have to start planning these classes!  I already have enough interest for two classes!

With money being tight, it seems I may not be able to purchase the curriculum I would like to for home schooling.  It caused me a little anxiety at first when I realized we may not be able to "afford" home schooling this year.  How in the world can we home school if we don't have a curriculum?  I live in a state with some fairly strict home schooling laws.  Unschooling in my state is difficult, if not impossible, at least for me. Anyhow, as I sighed and lamented my lack of all those cute workbooks and lesson plans I see in all those home schooling catalogs flooding my mailbox, I realized something.  Yes, a blessing.  Yes, a call to work.  Yes, creativity. A few years ago, my neighbor invited me over to the one room schoolhouse on his property to take whatever schoolbooks out of the enclosed bookcase I wanted.  This grades 1-8 schoolhouse closed in the 1950's or 1960's, but left almost everything in it.  Over the years, my neighbor has ...

Stock Photo Sometimes you have to lower your standard of living to increase your quality of life. Kateri Scott These seasons in life come to most of us.  These seasons where something goes wrong, something breaks, someone falls ill and the bills pile up while the income ceases or slows.  We find ourselves counting pennies, stretching food, pulling together yard sales, considering another way to earn an income, and coming up with unique ways to save buck.   I grew up in this kind of life.  Money was always tight and never enough, yet we muddled through somehow. I still find myself in this kind of life.  Hubby is a hard working man and provides well for us, but life has a way of happening from time to time rendering that bank account far too slim.  It is usually a time of high stress and tears as I navigate the bills and books.  It is usually a time of crying out to God, questioning Him, and wondering while we are faithful tithers (10% o...

It is amazing how much time homeschooling and chasing around a mischievous and highly mobile baby can take up.  Now that we have July off and my baby boy is old enough to play with his siblings (with mom close by, of course), I have been filling my days with cleaning, organizing, rearranging, purging, soap making, and cooking. It amazes me no end how we continue to manage in our little cottage.  We actually do fit in here even though we don't have the spacious luxuries other smaller families have.  It's almost a shame to leave and "waste" in a larger house.  The tiny house movement is certainly an inspiration.  Funny how in some way, I'm actually living a vogue trend rather than making do with what we have because we have no options right now.  Our farm isn't ready for us and we aren't ready for it.  The Lord knows the time, if at all. One thing I am learning is being content with what we have.  It is so easy to dream about our future farm too...