Christmas Notebook

7 days of shooting ~ january 3-9

January 9, 2010 – 8:49 pm

The theme this week for the flickr group 7 Days of Shooting was “blue.” The idea is to shoot pictures depicting the theme, with a different emphasis each day. It breaks down as follows…

Macro Sunday – shoot something small.
Curling ribbon

Mono Monday – monochrome (for non-color themes, this could be black and white or sepia)
Paperweight

Abstract Tuesday – find abstraction in an object / scene
Another paperweight

Worn and Weathered Wednesday
I didn’t submit one for this…it was too cold to go outside and I couldn’t find anything interesting to shoot in the house.

SOOC Thursday – “straight out of camera”…no post processing of the photo
This is the paperweight I got the abstraction from.

Focus Friday – it’s all about the focus
This is a picture I took last spring…can’t wait for the daffs to begin blooming!

Shoot Anything Saturday – no restrictions
Another paperweight

Next week’s theme begins tomorrow. It’s “Double Trouble.” Pictures of two of anything. An opportunity to post a twins’ picture! 🙂

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in photography | Tagged photography | Comments (0)

triple chocolate mess

January 7, 2010 – 9:04 pm

I made this for the girls when they were home for the holidays. It’s a favorite. When I take it to a church dinner, I take a bucket of vanilla ice cream to serve with it. So moist and delicious! I first had this dessert when my home extension group went to The Chocolate Affair, a gourmet chocolate shop / bed & breakfast for an evening tour. They served this. Soooo good!

Wish I’d taken a better picture of it with some ice cream, but we were too busy eating it to take pictures…got this one later.

Triple Chocolate Mess

1 (18 1/2 ounce) package chocolate cake mix
1 (4 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
3/4 cup oil
1 cup water
4 eggs
1 (6 ounce) bag chocolate chips
1 pint sour cream

Spray crock pot with non-stick spray.
Mix all ingredients (by hand is fine) and place in crock pot.
Cook on LOW for 5-6 hours.
Try not to lift the lid.
Serve with ice cream.

Try it. You’ll like it! 🙂 ~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in cooking, Recipes | Tagged chocolate, dessert, recipe, triple chocolate mess | Comments (5)

favorite photos from 2009

January 5, 2010 – 4:48 pm

January ~ We went to Florida. Wonderful to “get away” for a while. I especially like this picture of DH and DD, walking back from the water.

February ~ Valentine tulips.

March ~ Spring!

April ~ Had to pick two this month.

May ~ We had a lot of rain in May.

June ~ I love this picture of the daisies in our garden, with the colors of daylilies behind them.

July ~ The grands came back for a visit.

August ~ Elderberries

September ~ Love the color and the reflections in this picture.

October ~ Went east to visit the grands.

November ~ Waning days of the garden.

December ~ He actually said, “I’ve come to love wrapping.”

There was time to make it beautiful…

Time for peacefulness…

Time for fun and family…

Time for friends and joyful celebration…

A great month of December and a very good 2009. May God bless your New Year with His goodness and grace. ~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in photography | Tagged 2009, photography | Comments (0)

menu plan monday ~ january 4, 2010

January 4, 2010 – 1:21 am

After a house full of company and multiple parties, we are finally getting back to a regular schedule. Our little duet and their family went home Saturday.

Our older girls are leaving for their home today and our youngest daughter is back to school, so the house is quiet and I’m taking it easy today. And I’m thinking…easy meals all week would not be a bad idea!

Monday
I have ham left from company meals, so perused some food blogs for recipes that might use up the ham. I came across this one. DH doesn’t like macaroni, which a lot of the recipes called for, and this one incorporates potatoes. DD loves corn, so we’ll see how this goes over. I’ll be substituting some dry onion flakes for the green onion, as DH is allergic to fresh onions. I’ll let you know what we think.
hearty ham casserole

Tuesday
taco salad

Wednesday
baked penne and chicken
corn
sugar snap peas
green salad

Thursday
homemade pizza

Friday
cheesy potato sausage soup
rosemary crackers

Saturday
fridge food

Sunday
baked spaghetti
garlic bread
green salad

You’ll find more menus and recipes at Menu Plan Monday.

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in menu | Tagged menu, menu plan monday | Comments (0)

happy birthday, grandpa!

December 29, 2009 – 10:37 am

Gary and Laurie gave DH a balloon bouquet for his birthday. Or were they really for the twins?? I wish you could have seen the twins’ faces when he walked in with them!

Much laughing and squealing with delight!

After they had them for a few minutes, they found out they could run with the balloons.

Static girl…

The twin in the dotted jams was much more adventurous. She liked the entire bunch. The twin in the stripes was very happy with just one. The entire bundle was a bit overwhelming after a while.

Needless to say, they had a ball with the balloons! ~~Grandma 🙂

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in birthday, family | Tagged birthday, family, twins | Comments (3)

menu plan monday ~ december 28, 2009

December 28, 2009 – 12:20 pm

The last of the Christmas Mice met a delightful end.

We have some family visiting through Saturday, and some through the fourth, a birthday, plus two Christmas parties thrown into the mix, so the menu reflects some easy meals, some party food, and some special requests. 🙂

Monday Happy birthday, Honey…here’s your favorite!
marinated pork tenderloin
mashed potatoes
green beans with mushroom sauce
corn
homemade rolls with homemade apple butter
pear/walnut salad
red cake
homemade strawberry ice cream
homemade chocolate ice cream

Tuesday
tacos and our Sunday School first-Tuesday-after-Christmas Christmas party
spicy cranberry meatballs [I make my own meatballs for this recipe.]
meat and cheese picks

Wednesday
chicken and noodles

Thursday
fried chicken
mashed potatoes
corn
sugar snap peas
spinach salad

Friday
pulled pork / homemade buns
[I follow the pork recipe’s ingredient list, but I don’t blend them. I put the roast in the crock pot and throw everything in on top. I know it’s not the same as roasting it, so it’s different than the meat the original recipe would produce, but it’s still delicious! And easier. 🙂 ]
chips
grapes

Saturday
fridge food for lunch and then my side of the family’s Christmas party
three cheese spread / crackers
Christmas cookies [I stored an assortment in the freezer for this party.]

Sunday
spaghetti / homemade sauce
rosemary bread
peas
corn
green salad

You’ll find more menu and recipe ideas at Menu Plan Monday.

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in menu | Tagged menu, menu plan monday | Comments (4)

Christmas day

December 27, 2009 – 4:33 pm

Christmas morning, we were up around 7:00. Breakfast first! Or perhaps I should say “first breakfast.” The twins had some fruit in the kitchen, then joined everyone about an hour later for breakfast casserole and apple dumplings before opening presents.