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.

are you spring?

We’ve enjoyed a few days of temps in the 60s. I hope you have, too. It’s been a wonderful change from the very cold winter weather we’ve had for so long. DH and I spent some time outside. We picked up branches in the yard…there were a lot down from the ice storm a few […]

a breath of spring

When we returned home from vacation on February 5, DH gathered some forsythia branches and a few redbud branches from the yard and brought them in. He placed them in a vase and we waited. Yesterday we noticed the forsythia has started to bloom. It usually takes ten days for forced forsythia to bloom. We […]

biga bread

We have been making our own bread long enough that we would never think of going back to store-bought. If we do buy store-bought, it’s because we have a house full of company and that’s what they prefer. (Hard to believe, but there are some people out there who do not know what they’re missing!) […]

spring on the inside

The outside temperature may be warmer this week than last, but it is not springtime yet. Getting there, but not quite there. But DH brought tulips to me for Valentine’s Day and they are a great encouragement! How could the heart of a tulip not be cheering? They can’t help themselves. It won’t be long […]

matchy, matchy

I found this in a drawer today… Us…at a college banquet…seems like a long time ago… 1976…I guess that *is* a long time ago… DD thinks Dad has some kind of hairdo, though it’s hard to see in this dark picture… My, what we didn’t know then! It might have scared us off, you think? […]

menu plan monday ~ february 14, 2011

Have you ever seen the last moment of a sunset caught in a paperweight? If you look in the lower right hand side of the paperweight, right against the glass seashell, you can see the setting sun. The sun is rising earlier and setting later as the days progress toward spring. This week our temps […]

my Valentine

Happy Valentine’s Day, my Sweet. Here are a few of the many things I love about you. Happy Valentine’s Day. I love you! ~~Rhonda

sunny florida, we miss you!

Last week, we missed a big ice storm at home while we enjoyed the sun and warm breezes in lovely Florida. We stayed several days in Orlando where DH and DD spent two fun-filled days at Universal Studios. I stayed “home” and enjoyed the peace, the quiet, and the view. They rode the roller coasters, […]

menu plan monday ~ february 7, 2011

We left vacation in Florida, with temps in the 70s and even 84 on the day we left, to come home to ice and snow. What a rude awakening! From this: To this: You can see why a nice, hot, filling soup is the first item on the menu for this week! Monday Cheesy Potato-Sausage […]

menu plan monday ~ january 24, 2011

There’s still some time for snow and snowflakes, but I prefer to see them inside rather than outside…like this one… Or these… Here’s the menu for the week. Monday Beef and Veggie Stir Fry Tuesday Chili Cornbread Carrot and Celery Sticks Wednesday Oven BBQ chicken Corn Peas Fruit Salad Thursday Baked Chicken Parmesan Baby Baked […]