Author Archives: ~~Rhonda

Living in a small 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.

macro monday and the theme was…drive me wild

Can’t believe Monday rolled around so quickly this week. Here are the shots I submitted to Macro Mondays for the theme “Drive Me Wild.” WHERE’D YOU PUT MY KEYS??…and yes, I’m shouting… Suburban keys / The sunlight shining through the prisms in the window added some pretty color to the shot. Car trouble / Sometimes […]

baked ziti

True confessions…I’ve never made this before. My son is a bit of a picky eater and, on Thanksgiving, after he had only rolls and ham for dinner and no dessert, I asked his wife what he *did* like these days…it’s been a long time since he lived here. She said he likes baked ziti with […]

chex mix

I’ve had a couple of requests for the Chex Mix recipe, so here goes… Chex Mix This recipe makes enough to fill 2 one-gallon Ziplock bags with a bowl left over to snack on right away. 🙂 Fill a large oval roasting pan with: 2 pounds mixed nuts or peanuts 1 16-oz. bag pretzel sticks […]

menu plan monday ~ december 14, 2009

There are less than two weeks left until Christmas. How ready are you?? Here’s a picture to help keep you focused. Our two older girls are coming home this week. We are eager to have them back for a few weeks. Of course, the first evening they are back I’m hosting a Christmas party, so […]

little glitter houses

I have stored this magazine page in my Christmas Notebook since 2003. I wanted to make one for myself. As you can imagine, Martha’s was a little pricey for my budget. Personally, I think the deer are a bit large for this display. My daughter calls them “deerzillas.” Anyway, I have been collecting pictures and […]

the promise of spring

This morning, on the way to church, I saw this by the kitchen steps… December sprouts. Lovely green on green daffodil sprouts… During the shortest days of the year, a promise that spring is coming… I love spring. Even during Christmas, which I also love, I am happy to see a promise that spring will […]

guest room in blue

Last year, we remodeled the addition, changing the colors, the floors, counter tops, etc. When it came to Christmas decorating, changes had to be made to accommodate that. The guest room used to look like this: We bought this house in 1994 and renovated it before moving into the house in 1996. The wallpaper, carpet, […]

house concert

What can I say?? It was a *wonderful* evening! We had so much fun and everyone seemed to enjoy the music and the accompanying Christmas cheer. After the concert, guests complimented the music with words like “comforting, relaxing, calming, soothing, delightful,” etc. With 65 guests, we packed them in. They were sitting in the front […]

macro mondays

I haven’t posted a Macro Monday for a while. This week’s challenge was “drips, drops and splashes.” Here are some shots I took for the theme. I like the way the stream gradually turns into drops. This one has drops in the middle, falling into a frothy splash. My favorite shot is this water crown. […]

Christmas open house

As usual, we did not take nearly enough pictures. We were having too much fun visiting with our company. My son took many of these shots for me just as the party was getting underway. Living room A gaggle of great guys in the living room. And time to catch up with friends. Dining room, […]