The Cottage on the Hill

This past Memorial Day was my daughter's birthday party. She's a year old already and growing so fast. She doesn't walk yet, but she's already talking! I'm not kidding, either. She says, "Hi, Dad" when hubby gets her up in the morning and "Thank you" when she hands you something or takes something from you. She also has a very cute and growly, "Yeah, Daddy" when she's being silly. Here's a picture of her and the ladybug cake I made her. There were lots of families there....mommies, daddies, kiddos and BABIES! I'm on the right carrying my daughter and my friend is on the left carrying her daughter who'll be a year old towards the end of summer. I love that we have a circle of friends and family who've all had babies around the same time. Hubby was teasing us in this picture because we both have the "Mommy Hip" jutted out to support our bairns. It was a grand picnic, but it wiped us out. My bronchitis re

I'm actually looking forward to a rainy day. Just not on Monday because we're having a picnic. The weather has been spectacular lately, so I've been outside gardening and landscaping. My poor little house has gotten a bit neglected on the interior. But who can deny going outside in this beautiful weather!? My son is just loving it, too. We had picnics and he helped with the yardwork. He has his own kid-sized John Deere wheelbarrow and garden tool set, so he gladly works alongside me. My daughter just loves to pick dandelions and chew on the stems. Today, she ventured around the yard discovering this and that. She even climbed the newly dumped sand pile. Hubby and I wandered the yard admiring our sweat equity and discussing future projects. Hubby has a great idea for extending one of our stone walls and creating a shade garden grotto of sorts. The nice thing about our sweat equity is that it's cheap. We have a pie-shaped piece of property that was lined on t

Today I saw a clip about a mom who got a well-deserved make-over. The hostess of the clip kept going on and on about how busy this mom is. Indeed, she is a busy woman, but a busy mom? She works 3 jobs, is working on her master's degree, coaches soccer and is training for a marathon. She bemoaned the fact that she hadn't been to a stylist in 11 months! I couldn't help but utter a sarcastic "boo hoo." But snarkiness aside, the first thing that popped into my mind was, "when is she a mom?" Self-admittedly, she said that some days she works from 4 am to 7:30 pm. A busy mom changes diapers, reads stories, settles arguments, soothes booboos, cradles a sick child, helps with schoolwork, sings silly songs, does housework, chaperones, chauffeurs, cooks, grocery shops, etc etc etc. I just don't see her being much of a mom when most of her time is spent away from her children. Then, the judging stopped. When I became an adult, God started doing this:

My garden is all planted! Today, I feasted on some radishes (which I'm trying to acquire a taste for). There's nothing like fresh veggies from the garden. I've also already had turnip greens (which I hate, but choked down anyway, but little girl loved them) and will be able to harvest spinach soon. One of my currant bushes has one little swag of tiny, unripe currants. I'm surprised because I just put them in this Spring. I'm considering teaching sewing classes to make some extra money at home. We could use the extra funds, but my only concern is that I'm already maxed out. I'm so maxed out, I've been having trouble remembering things and I'm always rushed. How in the world am I going to fit in sewing classes?! Actually, I wish the farm next door could hire me part time. For what, I don't know, but at least I'd be able to take my children with me. In the meantime, I'm trying to figure out how to cut back on spending as much as pos

The cold, the rain and the high winds all contributed to the authenticity of the weekend. We went to the Battle of Culloden re-enactment. For those who aren't familiar, in the first half of the 18th century, Scotland was divided by who was the rightful ruler. The Jacobites believed James Stuart was. James Stuart sent his son, Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) to raise up support to take back the throne. The Battle of Culloden was a turning point in the war where the Jacobites were massacred. Saturday was the best day. I was invited to attend a tea given by the Dowager Lady MacIntosh in honor of His Royal Highness Charles Edward Stuart. I was able to personally meet His Royal Highness. As I curtsied, he took my hand and kissed it. When I told my son that the Prince kissed my hand, my son protested and kissed my hand until he was sure he overruled the Prince's kiss. Then, he kissed my other hand just to be sure. :) Just outside the door to the tea room, the

I have a confession to make. I look forward to my kiddos going to bed and I don't feel guilty about it because I look forward to seeing them in the morning. I've read a few things here and there online that if you look forward to your kiddos going to bed, then there's something wrong and selfish about you. That's laughable. What's so wrong with looking forward to tucking my wee ones in bed, praying over them, reading them a story or singing a lullaby? What's so wrong with looking forward to a little downtime before hitting the sack? What's so wrong with looking forward to spending the rest of the evening with hubby? I don't love my children any less because I like the 2 hours between their bedtime and mine. I like the time I spend with them, too. I even miss them soon after putting them to bed. One of my favorite things to do is check on them before I turn in and just admire their beautiful, sleeping faces and thank God for them. So, yeah, I d

Happy Mother's Day! Yesterday, I went to a local greenhouse and purchased even more plants! The greenhouse is run by a conservative Christian family and they have a huge variety and very good prices. I purchased flowers, herbs and Amish paste tomatoes and only spent just over $33.00. I wish I went to them first, but am keeping them in mind for next year. I got some alone-time today as I took an hour drive round trip to pick up a chiffarobe I purchased off of craigslist. I paid $45.00 for it. On the way home it dawned on me that most of my house is furnished on the cheap. I like to buy things off craigslist, or I scour garage sales, antique stores, Goodwill, or just get blessed with gifts and giveaways. Sure, I have a mishmosh of items, but it works. The chiffarobe is going to be used for storage of things like music, art supplies, stationary, my exercise equipment, CD's and such. It's in the living room. It looks a little daunting because it's big and dark. I

There was a beautiful surprise of sunshine and warmth today! Also, I woke up feeling better. Still sick, but better. We made a trip to Lowes where I bought a bunch of plants for the garden: 5 bell peppers, 1 banana pepper, brussel sprouts, german thyme and sweet basil. This afternoon, I painted a wicker loveseat I picked up for free that someone was throwing out. I wouldn't trust 2 people to sit in it, but now that it's painted, it looks lovely on my front patio. Now, I just want to find a nice outdoor fabric to recover to seat cushion with. Dinner was lemon pepper garlic talapia with a lemon chive butter sauce, seasoned brown rice and mixed vegetables.

Yep, I've got it. Bronchitis. Thankfully, it is fairly mild. Still, recovery is always a bear. I did get a really REALLY good night's sleep last night and this morning coughed up a lot of stuff, so I was able to do more today. However, I took the kiddos outside this early afternoon and did just a little gardening. Within half an hour, I was exhausted and coughing so hard, my lungs felt like they were pushing through my chest. It looks like I'll be convalescing for a while. I plan to eat simply, drink plenty of healthful fluids, rest lots, and slowly build up activities again. Exercise will start with simple yoga moves and some pilates. I take bronchitis seriously. Lungs are nothing to mess around with. Pneumonia is easier to get than you think. Besides, I'm kinda liking this God-given (God-forced) vacation I'm on! Last night, I finally had an excuse to just sit still and watch The Donna Reed Show DVD I rented from Netflix over a month ago!

While I don't expect anyone enjoys being sick, I tolerate colds in the fall and winter far more than I tolerate them in the spring and summer. Alas, I have a cold, and a doozy! Usually, I can murder a cold by mega-dosing Vitamin C and drinking some scotch or brandy and a day's rest. This one is a bit tougher. Probably because I ignored the early signs thinking my sinuses were just irritated by the incense burning at my parents' house. However, in an effort to just take the days as they come and enjoy my favorite month (which on top of the virus, it has been chilly, damp and rainy), I am using this cold as an excuse to just laze about. After all, a mother has to heal! The housework will be there when I'm better. So, I'm enjoying my time laying on the sofa in my jammies watching Veggie Tales with the kiddos and flipping through old magazines. My son loves this turn of events. My daughter would rather climb all over me and hug me, but I can't let her becau