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 ~ january 23, 2012

January 23, 2012 – 2:21 pm

Happy birthday to my sisters, Mary and Margaret! I hope you both have a lot of fun celebrating your birthday today! Our son’s family came over for dinner yesterday. Afterward, the twins helped Pa make cookies. There was a little taste-testing going on, too… It’s 45* today, but windy. A good day to stay inside […]

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chicken linguine…with spaghetti

January 20, 2012 – 2:39 pm

I’ve been trying some new recipes and gave Chicken Linguine a try last night. Everyone gave it a thumbs up, so we’ll be having it again. I did make changes to the recipe, though. You can find the original at the link, and I’ll post what I did below. Spaghetti with Chicken and Broccoli (See? […]

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spring, is that you?

January 19, 2012 – 10:24 pm

No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow. ~ a proverb I know the winter hasn’t seemed that long or harsh this year, but I am so ready for spring. The daffodils are already three inches tall, which is about two inches taller than this time the past few years. And soon, […]

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menu plan monday ~ january 16, 2012

January 16, 2012 – 5:22 pm

The three grands stayed over night Saturday. The twins spent a lot of time cutting with Ma’s scrapbooking scissors. They had a ball! It was interesting to watch their totally different approaches to cutting. Always fun to have the grands. Following is the menu for the week. I’m trying a couple of new recipes. I’ve […]

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decoupaged ornaments tutorial

January 13, 2012 – 9:16 pm

In my last post I shared some of the decoupaged ornaments I’ve made over the past few years. This post is a tutorial to explain how they’re made in case you want to try them yourself. Here’s what you’ll need: Clear ball ornaments Paper Scissors Mod Podge (or white craft glue, mixed two parts glue […]

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decoupaged ornaments

January 12, 2012 – 3:21 pm

I’ve made several different decoupaged ornaments over the past few years. I enjoy crafting them and I keep thinking of new kinds to make. Here are a few samples. These are ornaments I made for the Christmas Notebook ornament exchange in 2006. They were decorated with pictures of our home decorated for Christmas and pictures […]

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house concert 2011

January 10, 2012 – 1:02 pm

During December, we were delighted to host Nathan George, Ross Sermons, and Mark Stoffel for the fifth year as they presented a house concert of wonderful Christmas music. Nathan With 62 guests, some had to find seats on the staircase, which is actually a great vantage point. After the concert, guests had time to speak […]

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menu plan monday ~ january 9, 2012

January 9, 2012 – 10:20 am

My side of the family came over for our family Christmas party yesterday. The party had been scheduled for December, but my mother was hospitalized the day before we were to have the party, so we canceled. She passed away a few days later. We missed her at the party, but were glad for the […]

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savoring every cup

January 4, 2012 – 11:58 am

D&J gave me a package of Ballard Blend coffee from the Java Bean Coffee Company for Christmas. It’s the best coffee I’ve ever had. Seriously. It’s organic, fair trade and salubrious, no less. Or so they say. …I had to look that one up… This morning I brewed a pot and now I’m down to […]

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small group tour

January 3, 2012 – 10:49 pm

Each year, we host a large number of people during the holiday season. The annual Christmas Open House is a big draw, as well as the house concert with Nathan George and friends. My family will be here next Sunday for our Christmas party. That’s another large group. We also host small groups from time […]

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