The Cottage on the Hill

Two words: School bus! I had a 45 minute school bus ride growing up. I HATED it! We had assigned seats and I usually got the 8th row, which is the seat over the rear wheel. I was usually surrounded by loud, brash, misbehaving kids. They usually had knives and cigarettes and would vandelize the bus. I lived in fear, hoping I would never get in trouble for their misdeeds, such as cutting the seats or smoking. Sometimes, I'd be refused a seat. I remember when I was in kindergarten, the bus was so packed (way over the legal limit) and there were no seats. The bus driver screamed at me to sit down, but there was no place to sit. Some high school seniors in the back of the bus told me they'd find me a place to sit. They made me (at 4 years old) sit behind the last seat of the bus, crammed between the seat and the emergency door. I had my glasses crushed on the bus. And then they installed seat belts, but we never used them. Instead, they had to be draped over the backs of ...

What is it with this trend of calling women "Miss" and their first name? I really dislike being called "Miss Kate." First of all, I am NOT a "Miss" and secondly, Kate is my familiar nickname. I am very proudly Mrs. Scott. Calling me Mrs. Scott does not make me feel old or detached. On the other hand, "Miss Kate" makes me sound like a child and lowered in societal and respectable standards rather than the married mother that I am. I don't want to be called Miss Kate, nor do I want my children to address adult women in that manner. Which brings up another point; men don't receive that kind of watered down respect. They get addressed properly as Mr. Smith, not Mr. John. Unfortunately, the three greatest offenders are a close friend, my sister-in-law, and my church. My close friend, I allow her daughter to call me Kate. We've known each other for so long and she's growing into a young lady, so I have no problem with the fam...

No, not the sports team..... Last week, I visited my maternal Grandparents. My Grandmother is my inspiration and mentor. She has always kept house perfectly. She's so feminine and graceful and full of God's love! My Grandfather is very special, too. Unfortunately, he's suffering from dementia and Parkinsons. Anyhoo, while I was there, I noticed my Grandfather's socks. He was wearing white socks. They looked as if they were fresh out of the package! The bottoms had no dirt or dust on them! My Grandmother's floors are spotless and so clean and tidy. I'm inspired! I'm going to clean my floors and do a white socks test. I happen to have a package of unused white socks.

I want my children to see the changing sun throughout the day. When I was school-aged, I remember vacation days, summer days and days when I stayed home sick and I enjoyed the late morning sun. I really liked the sunlight at that time of day, and I still do. I remember thinking that I never really noticed the sun, and there were days in the autumn and winter when I hardly saw sun at all. I want my children to enjoy the sun. I want to my children to be free. Schools today are like prisons! You're locked into the building. You're locked into the classroom and you're metaphorically locked into your desk! You only see the same people day in and day out. You're sometimes treated like a prisoner and the staff are sometimes like wardens. You're guilty until proven innocent. You're heavily monitored at all times and can't even go to the bathroom without an interrogation. With all these rules and regulations, there's still an air of anarchy among the yo...

I love my homemade laundry detergent! I can't remember who I got the recipe from, but I belive there's a link to it on Candy's site... www.myblessedhome.blogspot.com Anyhoo, this laundry detergent is so inexpensive, doesn't take long to make and works better than any commercial stuff I've used. Not only does it get my clothing cleaner, but it also makes them softer! I figured, for 2 gallons of the stuff, I pay approximately 63-69 cents.

Beans and LOTS of 'em!! I knew I should have chicken wired my cucumbers. They're growing wild and it's hard to find them to pick, so I keep tripping over HUGE yellow cucumbers that I have to throw away. A fair amount of summer squash is growing, but my zucchini isn't doing so hot. A goodly amount of sweet peppers are growing and I believe there are monkeys in my tomato plants. Why? Because it's a jungle in there!! A few things I've learned about my garden that I need to remember for next year are these: 1. Plant the mint somewhere else! It grows worse than the weeds! 2. Use something stronger than weak pine branches to string up pole beans. 3. Leave even more room than I ever imagined for tomato plants and buy bigger, stronger cages 4. No matter what, thin those carrots!! 5. Cage in those cucumbers! 6. Don't bother planting lettuce. I only eat spinach anyway. ********************************************************* We just went through a triple diget heat w...

My dad gave us an antenna for our TV. I hooked it up and I get WB really fuzzy. One day, while breast feeding, I flipped it on and watched an episode of "Yes, Dear." I'm not a sitcom fan at all, especially since most portray the wife as really contentious and the husband as a doofus and the children are really poorly behaved and run the family. But, I watched this episode and it was actually a good one: The wife is concerned that her marriage is getting boring because all they seem to talk about is their son, Sammy. The husband doesn't really see this as a problem, but it bothers the wife so much, she tries a variety of games to induce non-family-topic conversations. It doesn't work, so she asks her husband to take a wine course at the local college with her. He agrees and it seems to boost their conversations. However, the reading is rather demanding and the wife can't find the time to read the text book because she's too busy taking care of Sammy....

I heard on the radio today the proper way to stack your fridge: Crisper 1: veggies like broccoli, peppers, eggplant, etc Crisper 2: apples only (apple give off gasses that can rot other fruit) Door: Condiments and bottles of wine layed flat Top shelf: fruits and veggies (this is the warmest part of your fridge) 2nd shelf: milk, butter, beverages 3rd shelf: raw meats, lunch meats, eggs Tuesday play by play: 5:30 am woke up hubby's lunch shower measured my weight loss 129 lbs, 29" waist, 39" hips, 20 1/2" thighs fed and changed baby laundry-whites fed fish fixed bed got dressed put mail out 7:00 am ate breakfast meal ideas for the weekend transfered water tidied sofa sewed pants fed, changed baby changed clothes (baby peed on me) called parents went grocery shopping got gas visited parents fed and changed baby had lunch changed baby sewed pants got mail sewed baby clothes fed and changed baby sewed baby clothes put baby down for nap brought back garbage pail dishes s...

Sunday, our neighbor asked if we wanted to go swimming. It was so hot, we couldn't refuse. My dilemma was there was no way I was wearing my old swimsuit! It's a modest swimsuit, but my figure has changed since having a baby. So, instead, I wore a pair of sports shorts, a sportsbra and a t-shirt. You know, it's so much better going swimming when you're covered up! No worries about the figure, any missed shaving, or getting sunburned! My son had a great time bobbing around with mommy in the pool! I cleaned out my fridge yesterday and I realized how much food goes to waste. I wonder how I can reduce food waste. I already write out menus for the week, but I always make a little extra because it's hard to judge how hungry hubby's going to be when he comes home from work. When my brother lived with us, I rarely had leftovers, and when I did, he gobbled them up the next day! It was great! Any suggestions? I think I'm going to write my own recipe book to...

What a wet summer we're having! I'm not really complaining. My tomato plants look great and everything is so green still! I'm not fond of cloudy days, but I do like rainy days. :) Be sure to check out Beautiful Womanhood (or LAF). They've updated. www.beautifulwomanhood.com Also, I'm going to participate in Candy's To-do challenge. I'll post my to-do's on this blog at the end of next week. :) www.myblessedhome.blogspot.com I'm debating...do I want a new computer or a new refrigerator more? I'm actually leaning towards a new refrigerator. Both are wants at this point in time, but a new fridge will be more of a need eventually. :) So far, I have $81.87 saved up for a new fridge. I'm considering one with the freezer on the bottom, but I know I don't want a side by side. I finished reading Kateri of the Mohawks. It was interesting, but the end was rather disturbing. The author portrays Kateri Tekakwitha as basically dying from pay...

My son is 3 1/2 months old now! I love experiencing all his growing and all his developments. I'm so glad I can stay home and experience every little bit of his life! He's working his hands better and starting to actually grab and things and sort of play with them. He can pull his own binky out of his mouth, but not put it back in yet. He also looks forward to his routine, but has made a change. He doesn't want me reading to him at night. Every time I try, he cries. I was showering this morning and the power went out! How annoying! Oh, by the way, my foot is better. Still a touch sore, but better. Well, I'm hungry....tootles!

Hubby and I went out on a date on Saturday. We saw the Pirates movie. BIG cliff-hanger ending! Otherwise, it's been a fairly peaceful existance other than last night. At 10:30 pm, my husband was getting in and out of bed. I asked him what was wrong and he said that a storm was coming and he wanted to the tent down outside. So, I said we could run outside and take it down, but he was worried about leaving our son in the house. (What a sweet, caring man I have!) I reassured him that our son was sound asleep and that we could have the tent down in 5 minutes. So, we ran outside and I realized that the storm wasn't coming. It was already here!! The lightening was fantastic and frightening. I dislike electric storms, and I dislike them more at night and I hate being outside during one. In my growing panic, I was pulling the heavy beams that hold the ridge pole up (this is a rather large 18th century reproduction tent) and I stumbled a little and dropped the pole right on t...

Bible Reading: I finally figured out how I can get a substantial amout of Bible reading in per day. I read the Bible out loud to my son while he's nursing. It's great! I can usually get in 2 chapters per feeding AND I have a better understanding of the Word when I read it out loud! To keep track, I wrote out each book and each number of chapters and I highlight the chapter numbers as I read them. Mystery: The Case of the Missing Checkbook: I lost my checkbook and was frantic to find it. I was so stressed out, wondering what happened to it. Finally, after just about turning my house upside down, I found it among some recipes! Thank the Lord! Raspberries and Peas: That's what I'm harvesting now in my garden. :) I love the raspberries in a bowl with sugar cane sprinkled on top and vanilla rice milk added. New Fridge Fund: I am saving up to buy a new fridge. And I mean a NEW fridge. No second hand, no give-aways. I want a NEW fridge. Forth of July: My husband w...

Getting a new computer will be delayed some. You see, my husband's truck needed some big repair work. It cost us nearly $1,000.00 that we didn't really have to spare. Thankfully, God provides, and we were able to pay cash, though our savings account was just about wiped out and all the money I saved up for another vehicle was used up. But, it was still there. I really didn't want to put it on a credit card. I'm not too worried, though. God always provides! I'll be able to get a new computer when God wants me to have a new computer. He HAS been dealing with my computer addiction for a while. :) My parents don't live too far from me, so I'll be able to blog at their house. So, don't disappear on me, dear readers. I'll still be here.

A few days ago, my Aunt called my mother and told her she had a rug she wanted to be rid of. My mom told me about it, and I gladly took it off her hands. It's an 8 foot by 10 foot braided rug that was in her living room. She was worried about it being worn, but it looks just about brand new! So, yesterday, I rolled up the old rug in the living room that the previous owner's dog peed on, and put down the new rug. It looks so good! Thank you, Jesus! I got to visit with my Aunt and I was inspired by her little home. She lives in a single wide mobile home with her husband and teenage son. She has it done up so cute, uncluttered and spotless! I immediately tackled my home and have been doing so since! Here and there I'm cleaning and decluttering more and more...the ongoing battle. My goal is to get down to 125 pounds and be organized before I become pregnant with my next child. :)

Hello, my readers: My computer died. So, I'll only be able to hop on my dad's computer about once a week to update, but I'll try to keep updating. :) ladyscott

1. What's the last book you read? The second Baby Whisperer book by Tracy Hogg 2. What did you eat for breakfast? Cinnamon Life cereal and a peanut butter no-bake cookie 3. What was your first pet and what was it's name? When I was born, we had a dog named Patches, but my first pet of my own was a black cat named Cinder. 4. Do you know latitude from longitude? Yes. 5. If you could take your dream vacation, where would you go? Hmmm.....I'd go back to Scotland and I'd take my husband with me. :) 6. What's your favorite shower soap? Right now, I love Gerber Baby Body Wash in Oatmeal. I loved Irish Spring vitamin soap, but they don't make it anymore. 7. Mustard or mayo? Spicy Brown Mustard 8. Tell a knock-knock joke you know. Knock Knock. Who's there? Ivana. Ivana who? Ivana come in! 9. How old were you when you got your driver's license? 16 10. If you cook or bake, what's your favorite thing to make? If you don't cook or bake, what's your f...

I started a list of housekeeping goals/rules to help me keep my little cottage tidy: 1. Nothing sits on top of the microwave 2. Radiators are NOT shelves 3. The desk should remaid tidy and the dropleaf closed when not in use. 4. The dining room table is not a desk or work station 5. Chairs are not catch-alls 6. The vacuum belongs in the porch closet when not in use 7. The mop and broom belong on the basement landing when not in use 8. The porch bench is not a catch-all 9. I must be able to close the grocery bag drawer (sometimes it's so stuffed with grocery bags, I can't close it all the way) 10. The dining room bookcase is not a catch-all 11. My dresser is not a catch-all Lately, I've been noticing my posture and presense has been horrible. Not only that, but I'm starting to acquire that slapped together look busy moms tend to have. While shopping in Aldi today, I noticed a young lady shopping as well. She wore a simple, long denim dress. It could have been dowdy, ...

My mother was giving away a bunch of books, and among them I found this book: Secrets of Loveliness by Kay Thomas (1964) It is a cute paperback for teenaged girls on how to be lovely both inside and out. In it includes practical tips on what to wear and how to manage your wardrobe. Here is their basic wardrobe checklist: Coats: 1 heavy winter 1 rain - year round 1 lightweight for spring and fall (optional) Suits: 1 wool for spring and fall (optional) Dresses: 3 cotton - year round 1 velveteen for parties 1 silk or nylon for Sundays and dress-up occasions 1 full-skirted silk or chiffon for dances Separates: 4 cotton skirts - 2 straight or flared in solid colors; 2 full or dirndle style, prints or plain 2 wool, velveteen or corduroy skirts 4 cotton blouses (8 are better) 3 sweaters (including 1 cardigan to throw over party dresses) ...

I've been offered an upright piano for free! I've always wanted a piano! Hubby said I could have it, but we have a little dilemma.....where to put it! The spot I originally planned for it is against the wall between the living room and dining room. The problem is the 55 gallon fish tank is on the other side of that wall. I feel it's too much weight for that area at once. I can't move the fish tank because we actually have very little wall space in our Taigh Beag (little house). The only other available wall space is in the living room where the sofa is. I do have a pretty good idea of how to rearrange the living room, BUT I'd have to be rid of the current entertainment center and get an armoire instead. We can't afford that right now. Hmmmm.....