Thanksgiving at the Cottage Homestead

Can you believe tomorrow is Thanksgiving already? It seems to happen quicker every year. Today I thought I would share what we are doing to prepare and share some tips and suggestions with you!

Let’s talk Thanksgiving prep!
Make all of your casserole dishes, cover and pop in the fridge! Bake tomorrow. Saves a lot of prep time tomorrow!

Make and bake your pies today. Stick the pumpkin pie in the fridge and take it out tomorrow morning-ish.

Do whatever you can do today to save yourself the time tomorrow. The more you can do today, the more you can enjoy tomorrow!

I have 7/10 dozen rolls rising for customers to pick up this afternoon.

Two of the ten are staying frozen as requested by the customer. And the final one will be picked up on Saturday.

After these are picked up I will be making our traditional fudge and Krispies treats and making my pies. Usually I will just do two pumpkin pies, but decided to switch it up and make one pumpkin and one pecan. I’ve never had a pecan pie, so I’m super excited!

I’ll be picking up some local homemade cranberry sauce that a local homestead made. Sure, I can do it, but I wanted to support our local farmers and homesteads. It’s super important to keep them running!

I’ll also be preparing our cinnamon rolls for the morning. As is tradition for us, we like to have our cinnamon rolls, coffee, and orange juice while we watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. I look forward to that every year.

Then tomorrow we will go to my mom’s and have dinner there.

We look forward to all the deliciousness that comes with tomorrow and the days after.

We have so much to be thankful for. We need to remember these things on the daily. We take so much for granted. I hope tomorrow you take the time to stop and reflect on all the blessings the LORD has bestowed upon you. His mercy and grace for starters! Thank Him for not giving you what you deserve. 🥴😬🫠

“And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.” 1 Chronicles 29:13

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! May you all have a blessed holiday with friends and loved ones. 🦃

Hello, November!

Look at me! Posting twice in one week. I honestly should be doing anything else right now. But I happened to have my laptop open for another task I had to do and decided, might as well, since I’m here!

November is here! And I am shooketh. I have so much that I * want* to do, so much I *need* to do. There are lists every where. But you wouldn’t know….

This is my ‘office’. This is the only space I have for anything. Except my baking of course. So from about July/August through December, this is what my living room looks like on any given day. My notebooks fill of lists are under there somewhere. One of these days, I’ll be like the cool kids and either have a dedicated room or a she-shed. A she-shed would be preferable. This is real maker life, friends. I’m not an influencer (nor do I ever want to be). I am a real, small town, God-fearing, God-loving girl. Who would much rather be buried under a pile of yarn, or in the kitchen covered in flour, than be anywhere, or do anything, else.

While in the midst of preparing for next week’s craft show, I went and set up shop! I finally got it set up and somewhat loaded. I have a few items listed and will list a few more once the show is over. Go on over and check it out! I’m super excited to have found this great platform that aligns with my beliefs and values. They are super helpful and go out of their way to support their vendors. Plus, I love that my small business is helping their small business. Win/Win! I hope you will check them out, and if you are a maker with the same values, I hope you will give them a try!

It’s the MOST wonderful time of the year and it’s taking all I have to not drop everything and put the tree up. We would typically be decking the halls this week, but I am so far behind on my prep that I really need to focus on that. I may take a day off (or at least a few hours) on Sunday and do some hall decking then. It’s a busy season already. I want to be able to enjoy my decor for a while! Not just two weeks. I mean, obviously, we’re already watching the movies and listening to the music. And yes, I did in fact, buy some eggnog last night. Merry Christmas! And no, we aren’t skipping Thanksgiving. Silly. Truly the silliest thing I’ve ever heard. Literally no one skips Thanksgiving. We just enjoy our Thanksgiving and give thanks under the glow of Christmas lights. It’s really quite lovely. Maybe you should try it sometime.

PSA: While we’re on the subject… LET PEOPLE DECORATE EARLY AND STOP GIVING THEM GRIEF OVER IT. Let them have their joy, people! It doesn’t affect your life in any way. If you don’t want to decorate early, then don’t. What someone does in THEIR home, with THEIR stuff is NONE of your dang business and absolutely does NOT affect what goes on in YOUR home. You really ought to do some soul searching and figure out why it bothers you so much. Bless your heart.

But, I digress.

I’ve had to really discipline myself to not take on any other social commitments until after the craft show is done. It’s been hard. But I’m standing strong! This isn’t to say that I don’t already have a calendar full of commitments, I’m just not taking on any new ones. I even kind of wish I could back out of some the ones I’ve already made, but…integrity, and all. It’s important to me.

Me and all my delusions of grandeur have decided to try to make a display wall to set atop my table for the craft show. I will try to document the process. If it’s any good, I’ll share it. If it sucks, I’ll probably share that, too. Stay tuned for that.

I’ll leave you with that. And this Scripture.

Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22 ESV

Glean & Gather

We’re all about dreams and goals here, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. The biggest one we have currently is to be able to find land and build our homestead. Be it a home on the land or one that we build. It’s a HUGE dream for someone who doesn’t have the income, the credit, the savings, etc., to just go make it happen. And unless you’ve been living under a rock, now is NOT the time for buyers to get a deal. At least not one they won’t be house poor under. I mentioned this to a dear sister in Christ a few weeks ago and she reminded me that God can make all that happen. Because, He can do far more than we can ever ask or hope. Nothing is too big for God!

I love how He loves to put people and words in places and times when we need it the most, don’t you? Like my dear friend and sister in Christ. Like the stream of Scripture and devotionals written by women who’ve been there, done that.

This week’s theme seems to be another gentle reminder that God has it all under control. In one daily devotional, Truth for Life 365 Daily Devotions by Alistair Begg, he writes about Ruth, which just so happens to be one of my most favorite books of the Bible and one of my favorite women of the Bible. They, Ruth & Naomi, acted in faith. Ruth went out to glean in the fields of Boaz. She was faithful and dutiful and she found favor in Boaz’s eyes and she and Naomi never had to worry about it again. God provided.

In my Journey for Women, the ‘gather sticks’ devotional reflected 1 Kings 17 where Elijah is sent to a widow who was gathering sticks, presumably for her and her son’s last meal before they died. He instructed her to get him some water and make him a cake of the flour and oil that she had left. She faithfully did so, trusting in the Lord, and she and her son never had to worry about it again. God provided.

Are you sensing a theme here? Gleaning in the fields, gathering sticks. Dutifully doing your job, the mundane little every day things. How often do we grumble and complain about those everyday mundane little things? How we take them for granted? How often do we say we’re going to do something and then just not do it? Even the things, or especially the things, that God has called us to do.

“He assures her the Lord will provide for her needs moving forward. She just needs to gather her sticks. (see 1 Kings 17:8-16)

Sometimes God simply asks for us to do what we said we would do. Obedience to the small tasks is often what activates the blessings God promises to lavishly bestow on His faithful servants.” Author unknown, from Journey for Women (May 16, 2023)

Friends, we just need to gather our sticks and glean the fields as God has called us to do. Joyfully and faithfully, I might add. You know, since we are to do all things as if for Christ. All the mundane, little daily tasks are to be done joyfully. With faith. That’s hard to do when cleaning out the litter box. It’s hard to do when it’s outside your comfort zone. It’s hard to do when you’ve had a really long day and everything hurts. It’s hard to do when you didn’t get a good night’s rest. But we do it anyway. And we trust that the Lord will continue to provide for all of our needs. And some of our wants! I mean, He did put that dream on your heart. He wants to see what you will do with it and how you will respond to it. Will you give Him all the glory He is due? Or will you take the credit? I sure hope it’s the former. Because you can’t even open your eyes in the morning without Him!

Thank you, GOD, for waking me up today and giving me another opportunity to serve You and to give You glory in ALL things. Even the little, mundane, everyday things. Thank YOU for all the sticks and the barley. I trust You, LORD. Thank YOU for your faithful provision!

Be a Good Steward

Anyone else looking for other shopping alternatives? No? Just me? 👀

Over the last few years, things have shifted, in a big way, for me.

I’ve been more conscious of what we consume, in every way. I’m having to make my dollars stretch a LOT farther. I’ve had to let go a lot of things. I’m reusing and repurposing anything I can. I’m cooking and baking from scratch, gardening, getting chickens, etc. It’s a whole thing! 🌱🐓💐

Since I’m an America First 🇺🇸 kind of girl, I’ve been really conscious of spending my dollars with like minded shops/stores/people, as well as local.

It’s super important to me. God has bestowed upon me blessing after blessing and I must be a good steward of those blessings.

Thankfully, I’ve found one such place that checks many of my boxes.

• Made in the USA
• Clean & non-toxic
• Affordable
  …just to name a few

I am now working to swap all the gross toxic crap with healthier options. Under my kitchen and bathroom sink, in my medicine cabinet, including supplements! I’m really excited to get everything swapped over and share with you my thoughts on it. It’s all part of our journey in going from cottage to farmhouse!

A Simple Saturday

I thought today would be more like, ahhh yes, crochet and TV.

It ended up being more like, AHHH, fidgeting with printing things, a little bit of crochet, slow cooking a chicken for the week, making chili for dinner, visiting with a lovely friend & talking all things homesteading, running to the store, eating dinner, cutting up said chicken, saving bones for chicken stock, baking a cake, making frosting, frosting said cake, and making pie dough for tomorrow’s birthday dinner for my dad. AND doing all the dishes.

I am exhausted and my back hurts. But I’m happy. I got to do ALL the things I love to do. Except dishes. Those I don’t love to do. But, it gives me time to think on things, say little prayers, and just be thankful that I had a reason to dirty those dishes in the first place.

All in all, today turned out just like I’d hoped it would. Feeling accomplished and thankful.

Birthday cake for my daddy. 😊

Out of Touch

This past Friday my phone just up and died. Out of nowhere, zero warning. It just so happens that it was the same day a big white balloon was spotted floating over our state. Coincidence? Who knows. But I digress. At first, I thought it was the battery, so I took it in to have the battery replaced. That wasn’t it. So that was a waste of fifty bucks. So I ordered a ‘new’ one and it should be here by Thursday. Let me just tell you it’s been a really long 3 days already. I am not ok. 

What this period of darkness has taught me is that we have become grossly dependent upon our devices. I can do NOTHING without my phone. I don’t wear a watch, so unless I’m home or in my car I have no idea what time it is. I can’t just shoot a text to let so and so I’m on my way or look up an address. I can’t look up that recipe I saved for dinner or research that thing I thought of the other day. I can’t just check my email or see how my friends are doing on the socials or watch TV on my Amazon FireTV. Because not only is that thing glued to my hand, it is the source of internet for my entire household when we are home. I have also realized that I can’t even listen to music because my iTunes library hasn’t been synced properly and all I have access to is Christmas music. I can’t even write a blog post! I’m currently using the TextEdit ‘app’ on my MacBook Air. And let’s not even get started on trying to get into websites and apps on your computer because they need to confirm your identity by sending you a code on, you guessed it, your phone. So I can’t even check my bank accounts. That’s pretty scary. Of course, I could call, but…. I don’t have a phone. 

Yes, of course, I could go to the library, my mom’s, or a handful of other places to use their Wi-Fi, but that’s not always convenient when you have other things to do at home, like testing some recipes or working on crochet orders. It’s in between batches or hand/wrist breaks that I catch up on emails, socials, etc.  Quite the conundrum.

I feel like the Lord allowed this to happen for me to come to a deeper realization of the deception and dependency to help encourage others to maybe step back and take a look and see just how dependent they are on their devices and to encourage everyone to take some time unplugged as often as possible.

It’s time to get back to basics, friends. Remember those? Many of you reading this will not. But people my age and older will remember the days of going to the library to research all the things, going to the video store to rent a movie (sadly those are gone, but save a few), calling your friend on the phone to catch up (which sounds really weird going from an introvert who would much rather just send a text), sending a handwritten letter, going out to the movies, reading physical books, taking classes for painting, pottery, knitting or crochet, etc. Meeting friends face to face for lunch or dinner, or even just a coffee. Have people over in your homes to enjoy each other’s company.

We really don’t need ALL the apps and to have the news smack us in the face every time we open it up. There is so much more joy and peace to be had without it. The enemy wants us to be dependent upon these things, upon him. He prowls around looking for whom he can kill and destroy (John 10:10). He has a done a splendid job thus far. Just look around you! 

Perhaps I will only use my cell phone as a modem for the internet for business purposes and remove all social media apps and other time wasters from the device and leave them strictly desktop access only. I don’t know. But I do know that something has to change and I am mad as hell about how dependent they have made us on these things.  

My advice to you: 

Unplug. Often. 

Read The Word. Daily.

Buy chickens. 

Plant a garden.

Buy local, USA made. 

Support your local farmers. 

Avoid big box stores. 

Buy & read out of print history books. 😉 

**Update: I have my ‘new’ phone and am back online. It was a long week!

The Waiting Game

Hurry up and wait. Society today knows no patience. Everything is sped up and hurried. Instantaneous. At your fingertips.

Microwaves | Drive thrus | Delivery | Fast food | Instacart | Amazon | Next day shipping | pre-packaged meals | The list goes on and on.

No one has to wait for anything these days. And that has done us a huge disservice.

We need to rely on God’s timing. Because His timing is sheer perfection. I have never been a patient person. God knows this. Therefore, He ensured that my life be a waiting period. And yours, too.

You know how they say, “Good things come to those who wait”? We have been conditioned to bypass that. Instead, these days it’s, “Good things come to those who hustle”. I used to believe that. The last few years have changed my thoughts on the matter. They have taught me to slow down and appreciate things more. Enjoy the process more. And you know what? I rather like it and prefer it. I’ve learned to make things from scratch. To grow things. I’m discovering skills and arts that have gotten lost in the hustle.

It’s been a long time since I’ve wanted the ‘next best thing’, but even in the last few years, the desires of my heart have drastically changed. I no longer seek wealth, I seek joy and peace. I no longer seek the recognition, I seek the fellowship and connection of family, friends, and neighbors.

Do I still have material wants? Of course. Hello farm life! Donkeys, cows, and chickens…Oh my! But they aren’t just things to HAVE. They are a way of life and each serves a purpose.

I’ve gotten a bit off track. Waiting. We were never meant to have ALL THE THINGS RIGHT MEOW. Hello? Moses. Israelites. Wilderness. 40 years. Going in circles because they couldn’t quit complaining and being grateful for what the Lord gave them? Sound familiar? It sure does to me. I have been in my own wilderness for the last 17 years. Because I haven’t been content and thankful for what I have been given. Including the struggles. This isn’t a post about contentment, though we need to have it in the waiting. The last few years the Lord has shown me to be content in the waiting. It wasn’t until today during my devotional reading that it hit me that the waiting is preparing my heart and mind for what He has in store for me.

I know what I think I want and need. But God knows better than I. And I can’t WAIT to see what He has in store for me. Because what I want sounds pretty amazing. A loving godly husband, a farm life, taking care of the family with the things we have grown and raised together. It sounds downright heavenly. But only if it’s the Lord’s will. Naturally, I hope it is. But I will learn to be content in whatever situation He places me. And in HIS time. Not mine.

What are you waiting for God to do in your life? While you wait, prepare for what He has coming, dive into His Word, ask Him boldly and specifically, pray for wisdom and discernment, and wait on the Lord.

Focus

That’s an F word that I struggle with. Anyone else? I have a majillion and twelve different things floating around my noggin. Sometimes writing it out helps. Other times, not so much. I can write it down, but then I don’t remember where I wrote it down or put the note or what have you. It’s a vicious cycle.

I’ve been busy. A good busy. I’ve been stressed. Not a good stress. The two don’t make a very good team. Truly, all I want to do is garden, bake, and crochet. And maybe blog.

Let’s start with the garden. It has been sooo much hotter and drier than normal that my garden is NOT at all thriving like it did last year. I know that I’m not alone and that people all over the country are struggling with the same affliction. This does not make me feel better. I’m fortunate that I don’t have a huge crop to manage in this drought. That I just have a small plot and a few pots. Or am I? At least I have access to a garden hose to make sure everything gets watered. But I tell you, the water from a hose does not feed the garden the same way. It just hits different. The heat has been ridiculous. We started June off with our late July-August temps and there is no end in sight. This will also make for a less than stellar fall. We are not amused. But we will count our blessings and look forward to all the blessings our garden will give us and look forward to the cooler weather coming.

Tonight, in fact, a friend and I are going to a lavender class! I’m pretty obsessed with all the lavender things. When we do get our farm, the plan is to have a field of lavender. It will be used for baking and household things such as soaps and what have you.

Here are a couple clippings from my garden. It just makes me so happy.

Fresh cut zinnias and lavender from my own sweet garden.

Next up is baking! I love baking. Have I told you that lately? Maybe I might have mentioned it. Once or twice. I can’t recall if I had officially announced it here on the blog, but I have officially launched my baking biz! Not at all a great time to start a business using some of the most expensive grocery items in the land, but here we are. Asking the Lord for His blessings and provisions over it. The Cottage Baking Co. is officially open for business. It even has its own spot on the Shop page. ^_^ I’m excited to see how it grows. I have high hopes for it. Most of all, it will be a lot of fun. Because if I’m not baking, I’m dying. And because Brady really wanted some cookies, I baked some chocolate chip cookies. I also tested a new cookie recipe to add to the menu.

Mocha Crinkle Cookies. Coming soon to the TCBC menu!

Good old fashioned chocolate chip cookies.

And crochet. I just want to crochet ALL THE THINGS (and bake all the things, but I digress). Now accepting donations of Hobby Lobby gift cards and yarn. So many patterns, so little time, so little yarn. Well, one wouldn’t say that last part if they say my armoire. But it’s not the RIGHT KIND of yarn. What?

Feed me tacos and call me pretty. Now available at Max & Penny Crochet Co!

It’s time for us makers to be getting busy for our fall/winter craft fairs and shows. We have one in November that I am preparing for. I want to make all the things, but need to be realistic about my time, supplies, and market. It’s such a catch 22. You want to make ahead enough things, but when you do, you don’t know if it will sell, and if it doesn’t, then you have all this stock. The struggle. The trick is to make just enough to sell out. 😉 If you know the secret sauce, lemme know. Kthx.

We are less than 3 weeks out to the August primaries here in Missouri. Christian brothers and sisters, we need to be out and voting in record numbers. We have a country to save! God did not call us to sit on the couch behind our keyboards complaining and praying. He called us to MOVE and pray. Pray and move. Get on your computers and research candidates and bills. Get OUT in your community and get behind constitutional conservative candidates and support them and help them in their campaigns. Get out in your community with other like minded people. There is strength in numbers. Literally. All it takes is 3% to stand up and say we aren’t taking it anymore! We do not comply! Check out the Patriot Academy and find a local class and get familiar with your country’s constitution. Get familiar with your state’s constitution. If you have any questions about any of it, feel free to send me an email and I will be happy to direct you to where you need to go or answer any questions. I am so passionate about constitution education that I became a constitution coach. I don’t get any thing for just telling you about it. Zero. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Just the peace knowing that someone else is learning the truth.

Time has gotten away from me and this post has gotten long. Until next time, friends! Stay cool, stay hydrated! Eat cake!

Happy 246th Birthday, America!

Happy Independence Day, friends! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

Even today, with all the nonsense going on in our great nation, we are a FREE people. We are free to worship. We are free to choose. We are free to love. We are free to serve one another with grateful hearts. We are free to gather. We are free to speak our minds. We are free to disagree. We are free to protect our families and property (All God given rights, by the way). All because ‘some old guys’ stood up and said NO MORE to government control. We are free to do the same. Our founding documents make it so.

So while you’re hanging with friends and family, grilling up some brats and pounding back a few brewskis, and blowing stuff up, remember that. Remember that countless thousands died to protect your right to do so. Remember that these Founding Fathers of our GREAT nation did this for US. So that we would be free.

Remember that YOU are We the People!

Holy, holy, holy

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD God Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

Holy crow. This passage below left me undone.

This is just after Isaiah has come face to face with God in the temple. The seraphim is about to touch his lips with a white hot coal. (Isaiah 6:6-7)

Put yourself in Isaiah’s sandals for a moment. I did. 😳 And it tore me to shreds.

Even though I know I am forgiven by His mercy and grace thanks to His One and Only Son, I can’t help but think I would behave as Isaiah did. To know that I am a sinner in the presence of the Holy Trinity? I am so not worthy!

We are used to being able to hide our shame and unworthiness from one another, but there is NO hiding it from the LORD God Almighty!

LORD, thank You for sending Your Son to die for my sins! 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

The Holiness of God by R. C. Sproul, Tyndale Publishing