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.

after the storm

Late Monday afternoon, we had a brief heavy downpour. There was some thunder, a little lightning, but not much. We did get some hail, though. DD watched the storm from the bay window. The storm left a sprinkling of hail on the front porch. Do you see Zak hiding by the wall? He had been […]

the changing garden

No two gardens are the same. No two days are the same in one garden. ~Hugh Johnson I am amazed at how quickly our garden changes. We are in it every day and every day is different from the one before. And it will be different, yet again, tomorrow. I wish more people would garden, […]

menu plan monday ~ may 3, 2010

We’ve watched the irises coming on strong during the past week. So many need to be lifted and reset, but right now, we’re just enjoying the beautiful blooms. The work of revitalizing them will wait for another time. …..’Clarence’…………………………………..’Celtic Prince’……………………….’Kevin’s Theme’….. This week, our two older daughters are moving home after almost three years in […]

a walk through the garden

We were gone for five days and when we got back, it seemed the garden had suddenly become lush and full. Perhaps that’s just my perspective, but I think, too, the rain we had gave everything a big push. The fenced garden is already looking overgrown. And I had hoped to plant some herbs in […]

menu plan monday ~ april 26, 2010

We’re back from a trip east, where we attended one daughter’s senior show (graduating from college in a few weeks!), celebrated another daughter’s birthday, and visited with our oldest son and his family. We had a wonderful time and so enjoyed visiting with everyone. And we had tons of fun with the little ones. 🙂 […]

visit with family

We traveled east to be with our second daughter for her senior photography show. She graduates in May! Anyone have a job for a fledgling photographer? We celebrated a birthday with DD#1. And we got to visit with the grands! Swim time with Grandpa. Aunt and niece had a good time together. Took lots of […]

garden pics

I took these shots to share on Tuesday, but life got hectic for a few days, so am sharing them now. The columbine has come on thick and fast this week. It’s a nice long bloomer and adds color to the beds this time of year. My favorite columbine is the blue one… I thought […]

menu plan monday ~ april 19, 2010

The yard is transitioning from early spring to mid-spring. The irises are putting up their buds and a few have flowered. The earliest are ‘Baby Blessed,’ the old purple variety from DH’s family farm, and the old white ones from his great-grandmother’s place. You can see those in my previous post. The first of the […]

flower friday

I’ve been sick this week and spent more than two days in a recliner. Didn’t get back outside to take pictures of the garden until today. But this morning was beautiful, so I enjoyed being able to get outside. I also spent some time on the east porch. Am reading Thomas Merton’s The Seven Storey […]

menu plan monday ~ april 12, 2010

We are enjoying perfect spring weather right now. And it looks like we’ll be able to enjoy it for the next week or so. I tried to keep the menu pretty simple most days so we could spend as much time outside as possible. Monday Toasted Cheese Sandwiches Chicken Tortellini Soup Tuesday Crock Pot Turkey […]