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 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 […]

science timeline

DD made a science timeline to use for recording scientists and historical facts, which I hope will help her visualize where these things fall in the course of history. Visualizing it should also help her see how scientific study advanced as time progressed. As we continue through the science textbook, she can add more and […]

God’s minute

It’s that time of year…time to start something new…things are changing…it’s autumn and the beginning of a new school year… Some things don’t change, however. Our need for meaningful prayer, for instance. I found a little book published in 1916, called God’s Minute: A Book of 365 Daily Prayers Sixty Seconds Long for Home Worship. […]

menu plan monday ~ september 13, 2010

The beginning of new week, and we’re already looking at a busy schedule. That means we need some easy meals. Monday Lemon Garlic Tilapia Steamed Broccoli Corn Rice Tuesday Hamburgers / Homemade Buns Carrot/Celery Sticks with Ranch Dip Red Grapes Wednesday Grilled Chicken Veggie Packets on the grill Thursday Chicken and Homemade Noodles Friday Irish […]

this year’s butterflies

We are raising caterpillars again this year. The first one emerged Wednesday and we released it this morning. Two more emerged this morning. The wings look so crumpled when the butterflies first emerge. But they soon pump up and become full and beautiful. We have seven chrysalises still in the fish tank. While watching the […]

menu plan monday ~ september 6, 2010

A few pictures from our yard, where autumn is quietly taking over, then the menu. A buckeye butterfly on the garlic chives. The chives attract a host of flies, bees, moths, and butterflies. This very tattered yellow swallow tail butterfly was still going strong, sucking up all the nectar it could. The magnolia leaves look […]