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.

grands around the house

October 27, 2011 – 10:14 pm

Pa makes fun pancakes (in any shape you want and with chocolate chips added, if you like) and the twins are always eager to help! These grapes were particularly good. The girls finished them off in record time. Sometimes the TV is a nice babysitter. A snack of Pa’s good homemade rolls and a nice […]

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twin1 and twin2

October 25, 2011 – 11:51 pm

The weather has been beautiful and the twins had a great time playing outside yesterday and today. Yesterday they walked in our tiny woods with Aunt E. Twin2 was a little nervous. “Look out for monsters!” she said. Aunt E asked if there were monsters and she said emphatically, “No!” After a while, she announced, […]

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menu plan monday ~ october 24, 2011

October 24, 2011 – 3:30 pm

It’s high noon in the process of our son and his family moving from North Carolina to our area. Our son and daughter-in-law are packing the moving truck as we speak and should be rolling in tomorrow evening or Wednesday morning. DH flew to NC Saturday evening and drove the girls back yesterday. A fourteen […]

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chocolate chip pumpkin cheesecake and a birthday

October 21, 2011 – 12:39 am

Our daughter-in-law celebrated a birthday this week and asked for a chocolate chip pumpkin cheesecake for her birthday cake. I used the Hershey’s recipe. The recipe calls for a chocolate crust, but I used a graham cracker crust instead. DDIL thought the chocolate crust might have overpowered the pumpkin flavor. I think she’s right. The […]

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menu plan monday ~ october 17, 2011

October 19, 2011 – 11:17 pm

I tried a new biscotti recipe this week. This Cinnamon Biscotti with Pistachios was a big hit at the ladies’ luncheon I hosted today. The recipe calls for cinnamon baking chips. I’ve never seen those, so used 3/4 c. milk chocolate Ghirardelli chips and 1/4 c. Nestle semi-sweet mini chocolate chips. And instead of cloves, […]

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easy Christmas tags

October 14, 2011 – 9:48 pm

I made a stack of Christmas tags this afternoon, using a large tag punch and some old Christmas cards. Choose cards that are light colored so they are easy to read. Cards with a slick finish are shiny and pretty, but don’t work well with ink pens and some felt markers. Cards may need trimming […]

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recanning apple butter

October 11, 2011 – 1:17 pm

Our church family makes apple butter each fall. The canned apple butter is sold to raise money for mission projects. DH brought home four quart jars, like this one. I decided to recan it in 8-oz. jelly jars. A better size for us. The only issue with recanning is to be sure the apple butter […]

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menu plan monday ~ october 10, 2011

October 10, 2011 – 5:06 pm

Two more Christmas trees went up this weekend. The Nativity Tree and the Three Kings Tree. Both are in the library. As we decorate, the kittens are having a good time with the bits and pieces. We’re counting down…thirteen more days and the grands will be here! The three girls are coming back with Pa, […]

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kittens and Christmas trees…not sure this is going to work

October 9, 2011 – 9:54 pm

We put the nativity tree up in the library this weekend. We have had a lot of cats over the years and none have ever bothered any of the many trees we have. Things are changing. Several times this weekend, we had to chase Cedar and Amy out of the tree! They seem to think […]

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country drive

October 6, 2011 – 7:20 pm

I love the changing countryside in autumn. DH and I took a ride the other day. Getting out is difficult for me, with the pain in my knees and other problems, but it’s worth the effort to get out of the house occasionally. Even thistles look pretty with a little back lighting. Roadside scofflaws. We […]

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