The Cottage on the Hill

www.homevisions.com The first thing I'd like to throw is the sofa. Above is a picture of the sofa throw I'd like to get, but in hunter. I like the light green, but it just doesn't quite go with my living room. This one's nice because it's machine washable and had a polyurethane backing to prevent bunching up on the sofa. A must for me since my dog likes to nose dive on and off the sofa and I'm guilty of the occassional sprawling flop onto the sofa. For now, I have to wait, though. I'm hoping next month I can splurge. The second thing I want to throw is a garage sale! I've been going through every nook and cranny in the house collecting things to sell. Hopefully, this'll not only cut down on some of the clutter, but it'll make me a little money. Perhaps enough to buy the throw! :) I'm going to ask hubby to join me in this endeavor and hopefully we two and clean out the garage and sheds as well.

I stayed up until quarter after 10 to get everything done on my list. It felt good to go to bed with everything accomplished. I slept well....except for when hubby didn't think I was in bed and went to check and accidentally flopped an arm on my chest, scaring me. :b Oh, and that time in the middle of the night when my dog let out this horrible howl in her sleep. It sounded like a sick coyote. So, hubby checked outside to see if she was indeed responding to coyotes and he saw something in the field next door, but couldn't tell if it was a deer or a coyote. Anyhoo....today's to-do list includes: Laundry (thank you, hubby for putting up my clothes line yesterday!) Sewing the banyan Taking a walk Working on my pantry Baking something....not sure yet what Probably weeding the garden Hopefully going to a farmer's market Vacuuming Getting clothing together for the re-enactment coming up Maybe....just maybe returning some stuff to Walmart. I might wait until next week fo...

As you can see, I've posted a ticker to show my weight loss progress. I'm determined to get into a healthy, strong and toned figure before I get pregnant again. I'm not really dieting, but I am looking to improve the quality of food I eat. I am exercising in hopes to build muscle, strength, flexibility and tone...and burn off some of the jiggle I have. I like to listen to a local talk show host and his new complaint for the summer is "muffin tops." For those of you who don't know, "muffin tops" (which is defined in one brand of English dictionary) are people, usually women, who wear low cut jeans and their chub hangs over the top like the top of a muffin does out of the muffin wrapper. I bring this up because it has struck me how America seems to flaunt it's lack of health while at the same time complaining about our health care system. Everything starts with us as individuals. Yes, our health care system isn't perfect, but at the same...

www.allposters.com Thanks to my mother for coming over and cleaning my house for me! It's so nice to have a clean house after a week of chaos.

Many women can't discuss their miscarriages. It's too painful for them, even years and births later. I respect and honor that. For me, I feel compelled to talk about it. I want to. It's like a therapy for me and I almost feel like it could help someone in the future. However, I am going to be writing about my miscarriage in detail, so if you are sensative to it, please don't read it. If you have negative comments, please keep them to yourselves for this post. While I am able to talk and write about my loss, it is still a deep wound for me. ***My Loss, June 12, 2007*** It actually probably started over the weekend. We were at the re-enactment and I was feeling fine. However, my husband kept looking at me questioningly and asking me if I was all right. I felt just fine...perhaps a little dehydrated and that's why I was guzzling water, but fine. Later, my in-laws arrived for a visit and my father-in-law immediately noticed that I didn't look right. He s...

Yesterday, my husband came home from work with these roses for me he found while working along the power lines. How sweet is that?! They are so fragrant, too! Hubby has been such a strong support for me in this difficult time. He's been quiet and pensive, but open to talking about what happened. After some discussion, he explained to me that I was actually dying and that the hospital staff worked expertly to save my life! If left to my own, I would have bled to death. Hubby firmly believes that if circumstances had been just slightly different, he'd be a widower now. Was it really that dramatic? If I think about the scenario, I guess it was. I mean, the doctor was adament about my getting into surgery ASAP. It's like a story on a soap opera. It's unreal to me. I almost get a kick out of it. But then I realize the truth and I am humbled. God has a purpose for me on this earth. I feel I am meant to mother more children. I feel this was just yet another s...

You've perhaps noticed that my ticker is gone. Yesterday, I suffered a miscarriage. I had quite an ordeal where I was starting to bleed to death. Thankfully, my attending ob/gyn caught it before I needed a transfusion. I have to spend the rest of this week practically in bed to get my blood pressure and blood count back up and to make sure I'm physically healed. I'm doing as well as can be expected emotionally, but I need a little time to grieve, so I'll be absent for a few days or perhaps a week. I covet your prayers.

While shopping, we bought fabric (some for recovering the cushions on our dining room chairs and another 5 yard bolt for making more re-enacting clothing), a plate for Bubby and a toy sword for Bubby. There was plenty of visiting with friends and acquaintences. There was a LOT of picture-taking of Bubby. Back in camp, Bubby finally went down for a nap, and I got to sit under the dining fly and chat with the ladies while noshing on cheeses and smoked meats. I didn't bring a project to work on which was just as well because taking care of Bubby and the constant barrage of friends and public wanting to talk kept me busy. Evening began rolling around. Shade covered our tent and it was quite comfortable inside. I had managed to keep it pretty much tidy and organized, other than Bubby's constant need for pulling everything apart again. :) Where I failed was our dining table. It had several piles of clean dishware from my Turkish Brunch that I didn't put away because I had t...

Photo by Bill Trojan The above photo is my father and my son. (I was in the tent either tidying up or getting dressed at that time.) Grandpa eager babysat and was rewarded with getting his picture in the paper with Bubby. :) Bethgem will recognize the wagon, except that I had painted it. What a great purchase that was! Bubby loves his wagon! Anyhooo......The re-enactment went very well. Hubby, Bubby and I arrived on Friday at around 1:30 pm. After some "hellos," we started setting up camp. Bubby did so well! I barely had to worry about him. He stayed in camp. He played on his own, and even helped out a bit. He was quite the happy baby. It took us a lot longer to set up because of the heat and because I was being very particular about where to put things for utmost manageability and organization. When all was done, our tent was quite comfortable and neat. Friday evening was a bit frightening, though. My father called up from home and told us about severe thu...

One of my biggest challenges while re-enacting is keeping our tent tidy. Now, hubby and I have a medium-sized marquee tent. In it we have a full-size four poster bed, a table that'll sit 8, two dressing tables, 4 chairs and numerous boxes to hold all our gear. Now, with our son, we have a Peapod Plus until he's big enough for a bed of his own. That folds up to next to nothing when he's not using it. Everything MUST have it's place. Any mess must be tidied up immediately. On top of that, we must keep period correctness at all times. Any modern stuff, like the clothes we came in, or the diaper bag must be kept out of view. I'll let you know how I do after this weekend. Our phone bill is going up AGAIN! (Thanks, Verizon) Now, we can't make budget with the phone bill, so it's getting cut. It's a shame because I really enjoy the freedom of unlimited local and long distance with caller ID and call waiting. Instead, I'm moving us to a 30 minute...

Re-enacting can take up to a week in advance to prep for and nearly a week afterwards to clean up after. For the past few years, I've been working on making the prep and clean up quicker and more efficient. It helps that we have an enclosed trailer we haul our camping gear in. Also, I stopped being so lazy at events and do a lot of clean up there. Still, there's always stuff to do. Today's big projects are grocery shopping for the event and preparing some of the foods ahead of time. I used to do all the food prep at the event, but with a little one, it'll be easier to "heat and eat." I also want to get as much packing done as possible today so we're not running around like crazy tomorrow. I also want to clean the house and get the laundry done. I dislike coming home to a house in disarray and then add the disarray with the stuff that needs cleaning up after the re-enactment. I am so thankful for a husband who fully supports and encourages me as a...

My week has certainly been a busy one. Thankfully, I am pretty much ahead of the game plan. Today, I have to sew a hat for Bubby, fix one of his petticoats (boys wore petticoats until potty trained in the 18th century), and possibly make a little shirt for him. I have two shifts, but we soon found out, where there's a bucket of water, Bubby will play in it. I think extra clothing is going to be wise. There's his 18th century wagon to paint today. I have to run down the road and pick up an adapter for the truck and trailer, then run over to my parents' house and pick up the re-enacting table and chairs. I have to call the historical site and see where we are going to be camping. I also have to buy bread and milk. Bubby's almost out of milk and the bread went moldy overnight. Oh, and I should return the wrong adapter and the fan I don't need. Oh, and hubby asked me to pick him up some brass clips for a project he's started. I also want to get all of my...

I have my work cut out for me today! Besides being a busy week preparing for our first overnight re-enactment of the season, I have plenty of housework. Bubby needs new re-enacting clothing sewn. I have cherries that need to be made into cherry jam. I have laundry that needs finishing, re-enacting clothing that needs sorting, a checkbook to balance, floors that need washing, dusting, dishes, dinner to be made (I'm thinking creole fish), shopping list to be put together and, of course, playtime with my dear little son! I already exercised this morning and spent time with the Lord. So, I guess I'll pop off and get my day going!

Hubby and I watched Charlotte's Web last night (the one with Dakota Fanning). Well, hubby watched it. I watched a portion of it and then took Bubby for a walk. Afterwards, I asked hubby how it was. He wasn't impressed. Early on, I found it to be not as good as the animated version I grew up with. I think what really got me to not liking it was the character Fern. In the animated one she was much like in the book. She was quiet, good, sweet and obeyed her mother. In the live action version, she was very much a 21st century girl in a 1950's styled movie. It starts with her father going to kill Wilbur because he's the runt and won't survive anyway. In the animated version (AV) Fern is very much a little girl who is upset and crying over the simple fact that Wilbur is cute and she doesn't want him to die. In the live action version (LAV) she doesn't cry, but puts on this PETA style front as she argues with her father. It isn't emotionally driven ...

Hubby has recently recommended that I start doing some small form of "official" homeschooling with our son....basically spend a little time each day working on something. As mothers we tend to do that anyway, but this is to be a more focused effort. He believes (and wisely so) that this'll help prepare the both of us (Bubby and I) for homeschooling. To do this, I've decided to make a cute little chart with skills and things Bubby should learn, such as eating with a spoon and saying "Please" and "Thank you." Then, I can mark when such is learned and hold myself accountable to hubby...and also start a little practice on keeping accurate records. I also feel I should really look into "Slow and Steady, Get Me Ready" more and actively try to do the projects or similar ones with Bubby. Not only do they teach a child motor skills, thinking skills and focusing skills, but they also teach a child to listen and obey Mommy. That is really important ...

There was a garage sale today not to far from where I live. I stopped by and bought some cookbooks! I got one published in 1942 called "500 Food-Extender wartime Recipes." If you're a regular on this blog, you know how I'm interested in vintage housekeeping and the eras of the 30's-50's. I can't wait to thumb through this cookbook! In an effort to cook with a more healthful alternative to sugar, I picked up this little recipe book "My Favorite Honey Recipes." Techinically, honey is on my anti-inflammatory NO list, but I'll still cook with it. I picked up FOUR books on canning. I already have a couple of books on canning and preserving, but I've found you can never have enough. Each book seems to have their own methods and recipes. One of the book is part of a series I have from the USDA. Now, I think my series is complete! I live in Upstate New York. We've got plenty of apples. So I picked out the "Apple Kitchen Cookboo...

www.allposters.com Garden Breeze by Thomas Larson We've had some beautiful weather lately. I've got the windows wide open. Most of my gardens are planted and prepped. Bubby has been enjoying walking around outside. He loves the out of doors. Today, we walked up to the farm to visit the horses and cows. The farmer's wife gave us some lettuce, sweetpeas and a large bouquet of lilacs. My whole house is scented with the sweet fragrance of the lilacs! On the way home, we spotted a little snake on the side of the road and spent some time watching it. It feels so good to wear breezy skirts, enjoy the sunny, warm days and feel so awake and alive! In other news, I saw the doctor for the first time yesterday. Things are going quite well with my little one inside me. :) We're having a little dispute, though, as to the age of the baby. The ultrasound estimated age and the date of my last cycle don't coincide, but only by a few days, so who cares. :) It's so ...

www.allposters.com Still Life, Bread Actually, this post isn't about bread at all. It's about the church and 1 Corinthians 5. I read it this morning and for the first time this verse finally made personal sense to me....1 Cor. 5:6 "Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?" This chapter is about sin in the church (Christian) body. I suddenly realized when I read this that my sins affect not just me, but my church family and my own family. Personal sins can hinder a church's growth and worship. It can hinder the blessings for your family. I finally realized that sins, even the "little" ones that don't really hurt anyone actually do hurt everyone. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. Thank God for God. Thank God for His enduring mercy, forgiveness and grace. It isn't hopeless. It's so hopeful!!

I am on the mend (thanks to those who prayed for me). My cold is breaking up. It went into my chest as well as my head, but I believe I managed to keep it from becoming bronchitis. After spending most of this past week doing next to nothing except basic household and childcare tasks, I look forward to rolling up my sleeves and getting chores accomplished. Floors need washing, radiators need cleaning (it's been rainy, so the dog comes in with muddy paws and runs to the radiators and pulls herself up on them so she can look out the windows), and there's plenty of general tidying up to do. Not to mention it is high time I got my garden planted. My neighbor kindly tilled part of the garden for me.