Author Archives: ~~Rhonda

Living in a small southern Illinois town, I share my life with my husband Russell (married in 1977), five children (one still at home), and six cats (one indoors, the others outside).

I teach an online class called “The Christmas Notebook” which is about all things holiday prep. The many facets of celebrating Christmas comprises one of my favorite hobbies. Other favorite things include gardening, reading, cooking, and scrapbooking.

one spring day

Wednesday was a fine spring day. Temperature in the low to mid 70s, sunny, breezy. Twenty degrees above normal for this time of year, but who’s counting?? It was a beautiful day. On days like that, I look at the sky and wonder…how can it possibly be that blue?

We spent some time outside, of course. [...]

spring reading

This time of year, when it’s not quite warm enough to dig in the dirt, but warm enough to know the time is almost here, I love to look to my gardening books for inspiration. Currently I’m browsing these, among others.

I’d like to redo the beds behind the house. They are such a mess. And [...]

menu plan monday ~ march 8, 2010

Every spring, when the crocus bloom, I wish I’d purchased more bulbs the fall before. Can’t have too many harbingers of spring, can one?

This week looks like a fairly quite one, as far as the calendar is concerned. I didn’t have to plan the menu around any major events, which is nice for a change.
Monday
Hearty [...]

mini muffins

DD likes poppy seed muffins, and a friend gave me some fresh poppy seeds the other day, so this afternoon I made a batch of mini muffins, using this recipe at Seasaltwithfood. The zest and juice of a fresh lemon make them extra delicious.

An easy recipe. Mix the dry ingredients together. Mix the wet separately, [...]

first blossoms of spring

The daffodils have buds, and the crocus are opening. Spring is official.

What you don’t see is a picture of me smiling, but rest assured…I am!
Visit other gardens and their gardeners at Tootsie Time’s Fertilizer Friday.
~~Rhonda

tomato, bacon, bean soup

DD loves tomato soup, so I tried this recipe for her. Served it with grilled cheese sandwiches made with homemade bread.

I basically followed the recipe, but added some basil and celery seed and changed the amounts a bit. Here’s my version.
Tomato, Bacon, and Bean Soup
1/4 pound bacon, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 T. dry onion (or [...]

menu plan monday ~ march 1, 2010

This weekend we did some eagle watching on the Mississippi River. We saw quite a few eagles, but the gulls were closer.

Here’s the menu for the week.
Monday
Tomato Soup with White Beans and Bacon
Toasted Cheese Sandwiches
Tuesday
Tacos
Wednesday
Hamburgers on homemade buns
Roasted Green Cabbage Wedges
Corn
Red Grapes
Thursday
Rosemary Ranch Chicken
Quick and Easy Home Fries
Friday
Scalloped Pork Chop / Potato Casserole
Corn
Sugar [...]

cheeseburger soup

I read a quite a few recipes for cheeseburger soup, looking for one that sounded right to me. I chose one for the crock pot. I followed the recipe somewhat, but in the end, I did my own thing. Is that a surprise?? I made the soup on the stove top in an 8 [...]

menu plan monday ~ february 22, 2010

Saturday, we had snow in shady places around the yard. Sunday, the snow was gone. That’s what two days of over 50 weather will do for you. Love it!

I made the menu last week, but changed a few things before posting to make it work for what the week actually holds.
Monday
Cheeseburger Soup I’ll [...]

slowly but surely

I’m waiting for spring. How about you? It’s coming, but not soon enough for me. The maple trees have been budding for several weeks. Today we had a high of 55* or so. I left the house for the first time in two weeks and took a few pictures around the yard.

It looks rather barren [...]