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

The Clock Strikes Midnight

It’s October 31. For a few more minutes, anyway. And I’m over here like…

It may be Halloween, but it’s Christmas at the Cozy Cottage. We are raring to deck the halls this week. So stay tuned for some fun DIYs, recipes, and more!