The Cottage on the Hill

  Happy New Year!! "New Year New You" has never felt like it applied to me as much as it does this New Year.  I just turned 40 years old and, for some reason, it feels like my life didn't just turn a page, but that it closed a book and started a new one.  Throughout the year I'll probably blog about what that means and how it came about, but for this blog post I'm here to reintroduce myself to you. Hi!  My name is Kate.  I'm 40 years old, a wife of almost 19 years to my Northman, and mother of 4 (3 boys and a girl).  I am a business owner, I work, and I am currently homeschooling all 4 children (thanks to the pandemic). We live in semi-rural upstate New York.  That means I'm surrounded by farm and woods, but Target is only a short drive away. LOL!  We live in an itty bitty cottage that was built in 1950 on about 1/2 an acre of land in a quiet neighborhood.  Our dear little cottage, named Taigh Beag (pronounced "tie beck," which literally translat

Well with My Soul Mug   For Christmas I got a Keurig K-Duo !  It was the perfect upgrade for my family.  My daughter and I love flavored coffees, but my husband can only have regular coffee due to allergies.  Only regular coffee goes through the carafe, but my daughter and I can enjoy flavored K-cups, like Starbucks Veranda Blend .  My husband was impressed with the quality of brew the Keurig makes, too!  Once I figured out where to set it in my little cottage kitchen, I was tempted to hop online and search out nifty accessories to go with it, but I really didn't want to clutter up my already small kitchen with more things on surfaces.  So many people I know have those neat carousels and drawers for their coffee pods and if that works for them, I'm very happy!  They do look very nice at a home coffee bar! It got me thinking, though, about clutter, decor, accessories and the psychology behind them.  Keep in mind that I grew up during the consumeristic 80s and 90s.  These were de

Be the Better Person No, it isn't "be the best." That's not typically helpful and can often leave others harmed in your wake. This isn't about being the person who wins the race. This is about being the person who helps another person cross the finish line. When a group of kids are teasing another, don't join in on the teasing at the very least. Put in the effort to stop the teasing. When everyone is sharing dirty jokes, be the one who doesn't laugh, but shares a funny clean joke, instead. When everyone is talking badly about someone else, be the one who says, "I don't know. I always thought he was smart/funny/clever/nice." Or "I like Mrs. Kane. She's a good teacher, and fair, too." When everyone is calling the President horrible names (Trump or Biden), be the one who calls them by their proper title. When everyone is swearing, be the one who doesn't. When the people in the store are being grumpy with t

People have varying opinions about this newish line of work called "Social Media Influencer." I'm sure there is a lot of drivel out there, but there are a lot of influencers who actually do positively influence! Today, I share the ones who influenced me in 2020 and why: 1. Lynette Yoder . Lynette is a Mennonite mom and content creator on YouTube and Instagram who vlogs about homemaking, decorating, and her life and family in Sarasota, FL. She influenced me by being a Christian woman who takes time, money, and energy to create a beautiful home. Having lived under a poverty mindset, I discovered that I attached a level of morality around being so frugal that it felt wrong to actually earn and spend money on fixing up a home, as if God would punish me for doing so. Lynette showed me the value in a beautiful space, in organization, and how it helps not only herself, but her family function and grow well. Because she keeps such a nice home, she is able to be hospitab

When our oldest turned 14 this past March, I decided to start a 2-year plan. This was a plan of hard work and paying down/off debts and doing DIY fixer upper projects around the house. I didn't make it official because I'm quite used to wrenches being thrown into the gears of my plans, but we, by the grace of God, did better than I thought we would! The two year plan would bring us to our oldest's 16th birthday, which I figured would be another life-changing milestone. We paid off 3 credit cards and a personal loan. Our business grew by leaps and bounds. I hammered out a lot of those little household projects. I reduced about 30 to 40% of our belongings. And we have entered into the very real possibility of not only renovating our little cottage, but putting on an addition!! Thinking about it, I decided it would be a good investment to look into getting a reno done. Hubby has 10 years until he can retire, but I still have 20-25 years. That's plenty of t

Yesterday, I turned 40 years old. It honestly felt like a page turned in my life. I felt light and excited and like a weight has lifted off my shoulders. I have a new vision, new interests, new likes and dislikes, new thoughts, and a new decade ahead of me. One thing I especially decided to grab this decade is the idea that it is ok to fix up my house. For some reason, I latched onto the idea in the past that it is somehow wrong to, say, take out a loan to fix up a house that is outdated, run down, but still useable. Funny thing is I didn't really think this of other people. I didn't look at people moving into a new home and fixing it up as being wrong of them. In fact, I sighed with a tinge of envy. But, as is common with many people, to feel better about what we can't do, we moralize it. In the past we simply didn't have the funds to put into the house. It was a sacrifice we made so I could stay home when the children were small. So, I semi-consciously c