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 ~ october 17, 2010

With 22 Christmas trees to put up before our annual open house the first Sunday in December, we have to start early. This weekend, my sister came to help put up the first four. This one, in the guest room, is decorated in white, silver, and shades of light blue. The LED lights have bluish […]

a visit with the grands

We are home after a great visit with our son and his family. Seeing the grands was wonderful. Just a few pics from our visit… Twin2 called DH “Pa” all week. She would say “where Pa?? where Pa??” every time he left the room. Twin1 handed out kisses right and left. They enjoyed getting reacquainted […]

menu plan monday ~ october 11, 2010

We’re having a great visit with the grands! Here’s the menu for the week… Monday Grilled hamburgers and hotdogs Chips Veggie Packets Tuesday Ham / Turkey Deli Sandwiches Veggies / Dip Apple Pie substituting apples for raspberries in this recipe and Ice Cream Wednesday Julie’s Fake Baked Ziti Garlic Bread Green Salad Corn Steamed Sugar […]

autumn

Just a couple of pictures from the yard. This one shows the beautiful colors of a small oak tree. And this one shows a little autumn haze in the air and the long shadows at the end of the day. A peaceful time in the garden. The weather has been, for the most part, beautiful. […]

recent bouquets for church

The garden is dwindling, but fall is putting out some beautiful color and even some blossoms here and there. Here are two bouquets recently made for church that show the variety still available this time of year. This basket bouquet is made with hydrangeas and sweet autumn clematis. And this burst of fall color is […]

menu plan monday ~ october 4, 2010

Last week I made Crock Pot Hoppin’ John Soup. It was easy to make and delicious. Though I did find the kale to be a little too much broccoli/cabbage flavor. And after cooking all day, it was the color of seaweed. Not very pretty. Maybe I’ll try spinach next time. DD asked for “Golden Nectar […]

the old closet is on its way out

Today, DD spent a lot of time emptying her closet and her room in preparation for the removal of the old closet. DH began the demolition this evening. You can see the new blue color on the wall and the old brighter blue on the closet. He says the walls are coming down easily. Dad […]

menu plan monday ~ september 28, 2010

We had a full weekend. On Saturday, we went to my niece’s house to pick up chickens for the freezer. If you have access to home-raised chickens, do try some. They are delicious, with a fresher, cleaner taste than grocery store chicken. Sunday, after church, the girls went to the zoo. So DH and I […]

the school cat and a little cornbread

This morning, DD had a tiny amount of water in a little bowl so she could wet a kleenex for wiping clean her wet erasable map. Buttercup thought that teeny bit of water must be there for her to enjoy. Then she licked her chops and looked around as if to say, “Have anything else […]

menu plan monday ~ september 21, 2010

Our black swallowtail chrysalises continue to open. The fourth butterfly was a female. They have more blue than the males. She was eager to be off and flew out of DD’s hands onto the window sill. After I took the picture, DD opened the window and the butterfly flew out and up into the big […]