The Cottage on the Hill

Oh, I've had Bibles before.TI had a Precious Moments NKJV from my youth that fell to pieces. That was the last time I felt like I had my own Bible. There is a garage sale find KJV that I used for many years. And a hand-me-down Good New Bible with a ghastly gold cover and irritating lay-out inside resides in my basement. But neither really felt like MY Bible. Then, my youngest brother gave me a Barnes and Noble gift card for my birthday. I purchased This Victorian Life by Sarah Chrisman  and had money left over.  Therefore, I decided it was high time to purchase my own Bible. I found this pretty little gem, an ESV Bible with a lovely embossed cover and basic lay-out. I am well pleased and feel quite at home with it. (And I am keeping the KJV Bible because I like to cross-reference and it has an awesome Biblical Encyclopedic Index.)

Let's face it. Spa treatments and a jacuzzi aren't in the budget. To top it off, it is getting harder and harder to find a trustworthy babysitter these days. Mine ate a multi-vitamin and grew up all of a sudden and is off to college. Don'tcha hate how fast kids grow up? Anyhow, a couple years ago, hubby treated me to a day spa. 1 hour massage, full mani and pedi treatment. Oh, I loved it. LOVED IT! I decided after that that the only way I'd support Obamacare would be if such treatment was included. ;b I've been wanting to treat myself again, but let's face it (again), it ain't gonna happen. I compromised by having my son drive his toy tractors on my back and taking showers while laying in a tub with the plug in. I guess I got spoiled because it wasn't enough. 2011 Christmas season gave me an upgrade for my "home spa." My parents got me the Conair Hydrotherapy Footbath Massager with Heat. Oooohhh....that was the springboard into my oth...

My God shall supply all your needs! With this new baby on the way, hubby and I discussed what we will need. After all, 3 active children can do a hurtin' on baby gear. Our infant car seats both needed to be discarded. Our double stroller was torn, stained, and otherwise looking grim. The pack and play mat is damaged and flattened and unable to be used in the bassinet portion (where our babies spend their first several months sleeping, if not with mommy.) This being our last child, I really did not want to spend a lot of money on new baby gear. I also didn't want to bother searching endlessly for used items (and having to travel hill and dale to retrieve them only to see they aren't what I'm looking for and feeling obligated to buy it anyway). I didn't want to borrow, either, since all of my children have been pretty destructive to things. One good puke in the carseat, and I'm not going to feel right returning it, no matter how much I clean it. So, off I...

Over the course of 2010, my little family found itself in a position of need in various ways and we were abundantly blessed! The love that surrounded us overwhelmed us at points and now that we're more back on our feet, we want to say and act thank you. I saw this challenge on facebook and immediately joined their facebook page, but wasn't sure if I was actually going to do the challenge. Then, I couldn't get it out of my mind! So, I am going to accept the challenge to the best of my ability. One thing I KNOW I'm going to do is give any giveaway I enter and win in November to my sister. I haven't won any since I started the giveaway barrage a few weeks ago, but hopefully I'll start winning soon. I haven't decided if I'm going to share what else I hope to do. I don't want to come across all "look at how good I am." Then again, in not sharing what I hope to do, I don't want to come across as all false modesty. I dunno......I don...

Hello dear readers, Please pray for my husband, Dave today (Wednesday). Tomorrow morning he has a hard-earned interview for a career he's been working very hard towards. Today, I am lifting him up in prayer and asking everyone I know to do the same. Tomorrow, I'm leaving it up to the Lord in faith. Please pray that he in known at these gates and finds favor with the committee. Pray that he gets accepted. And join me in praise that he passed the test to get the interview and for his growth in the Lord. Thank you.

This time around the crabapple jelly was a huge success. It tastes fantastic, too. Crabapples have enough natural pectin that I didn’t have to add any. It takes longer, but it uses less sugar and the results (if successfully jelled) is delicious and gorgeous. I encourage anyone with a crabapple tree to try making jelly. It doesn’t take that much. I only filled a grocery bag a 1/4 of the way full and made 7 half-pints and 2-full pints of jelly. The redder the crabapples the prettier the jelly. I’m so blessed to have so many interesting and talented re-enacting and non-re-enacting friends. I really should utilize their talents more. Through my friends I could learn: 1. Spinning 2. Fencing (with swords) 3. horseback riding 4. horse driving 5. gown draping (which I will learn shortly) 6. knitting 7. crocheting 8. tambour embroidery 9. lace making And I’m sure many other things that I cannot think of right now. On the Tasha Tudor front, I have been wondering if her longevity was due partly ...

You can get this print at http://www.allposters.com/ . Hubby and I have a prayer request that God keeps saying “wait” for. I admit, it’s frustrating to wait and it’s easy to get down in the dumps. However, I have had several prayer requests answered! 1. My daughter needed autumn/winter clothing and I found a box full of the size she needs in the basement that I had forgotten about. They were generously given to me. 2. My daughter needed a pair of black Mary Janes in size 5, but I couldn’t find any except in one store where they were too expensive. My mother found her a brand new pair at Goodwill and gave them to her. 3. Space is always in issue at Taigh Beag since we only have 880 square feet of it. I had scoured the internet in search of toddler sized bunk beds only to hit dead ends or really high prices. I mentioned the need on facebook and my brother eagerly decided that he’s going to make the bunk bed! In fact, I believe he’s already started on it! I will post pictures when it’s co...