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.

menu plan monday ~ august 19, 2013

August 19, 2013 – 7:41 pm

We’re enjoying the Spiced Peach Jam that we made on Saturday. My only caveat is that the link suggests turning the hot jam over and sealing the jars without a hot water bath. I don’t recommend that. We put the 8-oz jars into a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Safely sealed. Delicious jam. Especially […]

Posted in menu | Comments (2)

peaches, peaches, and peaches

August 18, 2013 – 11:47 am

We canned peaches Saturday and made spiced peach jam. Then we made peach ice cream. Dee-licious! I did the slicing. DH manned the stove. We made 28 quarts of sliced peaches in light syrup and 28 8-oz. jars and 2 pint jars of spiced peach jam. Then we made ice cream. A yummy end to […]

Posted in cooking, family | Comments (3)

menu plan monday ~ august 12, 2013

August 12, 2013 – 9:29 pm

With many thanks to a dear friend, we have canning in our future. He brought peaches with promises of more, if we want them. Yes! Peach jam, peach pie, peach cobbler, canned peaches…what’s not to want? Buttercup set up guard. I think she liked the smell of the fresh fruit. The house cats have been […]

Posted in menu | Comments (0)

menu plan monday ~ august 5, 2013

August 6, 2013 – 7:45 pm

Sunday’s bouquet was made of purple cone flowers, phlox, and obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana). A study in pink. Surprise lilies are up, too, but I decided to leave them out. Time enough for them next week. Our daughters did some school supply shopping this week. Amy thought that was all for her. We made Rosemary […]

Posted in menu | Comments (2)

busy week…what’s left of the menu

August 1, 2013 – 9:47 pm

Last weekend was long and busy. But the weather has been outstanding and we’ve had the windows open. That’s are real treat for July. So nice to hear the birds singing and the locust calling. It’s high summer, even if the temps are way below average. Snow White heard the loud bugs one evening at […]

Posted in menu | Comments (2)

menu plan monday ~ july 22, 2013

July 24, 2013 – 12:42 am

We had a lot of twin time this past week while their parents were out of town for the weekend. Lots of fun, as usual. They made colorful cookies with Pa. And Snow White helped knead the bread. They read lots of books during quiet time. They like to push the love seats together, but […]

Posted in menu, Uncategorized | Comments (1)

menu plan monday ~ july 15, 2013

July 15, 2013 – 2:06 pm

The past week seemed oddly timed. I couldn’t keep track of what day it was. The days seemed very long. DH was gone Friday and Saturday which didn’t help my time keeping. I guess I use his usual routine as a touch stone for my day. He went to Indiana to participate in RAIN, which […]

Posted in menu | Comments (1)

Sunday bouquet

July 14, 2013 – 10:30 am

Taking a bouquet to church for Sunday worship has become a tradition. I always enjoy putting it together. DH picks the flowers, I arrange them. I used ‘Kwanso’ daylilies, ‘Becky’ daisies, and purple coneflowers to make today’s bouquet. The cats are always intrigued by the fresh foliage on Sunday mornings. Amy couldn’t resist an inspection. […]

Posted in our garden | Comments (3)

late may to early july

July 9, 2013 – 12:10 pm

Here are some photos from the past few months. May 24 ~ my birthday. David and his family were here and we enjoyed a great grilled meal. During the course of clearing the table before dessert, Snow White ran into a plate held by Rose Red and had her own little medical emergency. Pa grabbed […]

Posted in family, our garden | Comments (1)

menu plan monday ~ july 8, 2013

July 6, 2013 – 7:31 pm

Summer is here and the daylilies are in full swing. It’s great to go through the garden and smell the wonderful fragrance. Did you know daylily flowers are edible? The petals taste like sweet lettuce. You may see us nibbling on the flowers as you drive by. Sprinkled among the daylilies are the ‘Becky’ daisies. […]

Posted in menu | Comments (1)