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.

cookies for the marching band

Our daughter takes part in the marching band at school. They have a competition coming up and I volunteered to make cookies for the band to take along on their trip. Last year, I got a lot of positive feedback on the Triple Chocolate Cookies I made, so I decided to make them again. I […]

pumpkin scones

While looking for ideas for Menu Plan Monday, I came across a recipe on cincyshopper.com for CopyCat Starbucks Pumpkin Scones. I made a double batch which worked very well. The recipe below is for a single batch of scones. Makes 8-12, depending on how they are cut. Pumpkin Scones Preheat oven to 400°F. Using the […]

ten influential books

There is a challenge making the rounds on Facebook. One is supposed to list ten influential books. My husband challenged me, after listing his own. Here’s the list I came up with. The Holy Bible Above all. The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis Still speaks to readers across the centuries. Pilgrim’s Progress by […]

menu plan monday ~ september 8, 2014

When DD gets home from school, all the kitties come to see her. I can go all day long without seeing any of them until school is out! Zilli, Buttercup, Zak / Buttercup is DD’s cat. She comes down to the kitchen every day about twenty minutes before school is out and waits for DD […]

nativity shadow box

I finished this little shadow box today. The tiny bottle brush tree was one I dyed last year. I added small white beads to it. The small calf and the sheep are ones I brought home from my mother’s collection of little craft items. I painted the sheep to bring it back to white. Looked […]

tutorial ~ make shadow boxes from Christmas cards

I’ve been spending the past week working on little shadow boxes made from Christmas cards. This is the first one I made. They are getting better as I work on more of them, learning some hints and helps that make the process easier than it was initially. 2018 update: You can see many more pictures of […]

menu plan monday ~ september 1, 2014

I know. I know. It’s really September 4, but with Labor Day, then DH having Wednesday off, menu planning was waylaid. I’ve been working on some craft projects, too. And I have to confess, that is more fun than taking time to write a post. True confessions…crafting is lots of fun… I am using some […]

fig jam

Last year, my daughter-in-law brought me some figs from the store where she works. We are far enough out in the boonies that I have never seen fresh figs for sale in any grocery store in the area. Sad, isn’t it? This year, I asked her to get figs for me again. They were on […]

menu plan monday ~ august 25, 2014

The garden blooms are beginning to decline, though there are still blossoms to be had. This week’s Sunday bouquet used Black Eyed Susans, ‘Becky’ daisies, and ‘Autumn Joy’ sedum (still in the green stage). We enjoyed getting together with some of DH’s high school friends. Two were in the area from the west coast, so […]

menu plan monday ~ august 18, 2014

The autumn flowers are beginning to bloom. The Sunday bouquet included the flowers of the ‘Royal Standard’ hosta, ‘Autumn Joy’ sedum, and Sweet Autumn Clematis. I like a white and green bouquet. Here is one I made in 2010, which included hydrangea heads and Sweet Autumn Clematis. All of our hydranageas but one died back […]