new counters!

The new counters were installed in the downstairs bath and the laundry room today. They look beautiful! While the installers were working on the counters (took about five hours), I watched the twins in the kitchen. I worked on drying more parsley, among other things.

The counter tops are Caesarstone, a quartz composite. The color is “Pacific Reflections.” It’s a cobalt blue with silver specks in it. Very pretty! The pictures do not do them justice.

We kept the sinks in both the bathroom and the laundry room. The faucets will be replaced with brushed nickel, and the cabinet knobs will be the same style, but in brushed nickel. The tile floors for the three bathrooms will be installed next Monday and Tuesday. The woodwork in this bathroom will be glossy white. The wall behind the countertop will be covered in a small white glass tile with blue streaks through it. The tile will be installed this Friday.

bathroom vanity

The laundry room sink is pink. It will be reglazed in white. It’s sitting in the hole off-center because it isn’t hooked up.

ignore the pink sink

will reglaze the sink

In a few years, I hope to put the same counters in the kitchen. I love the way they look.

~~Rhonda 🙂

grandpa’s pancakes preferred by toddlers 2 to 0

This morning, the twins tried Grandpa’s famous pancakes for the first time. Yes! Complete approval and instant favorite!

yes, I like them!

grandpa's pancakes are great!

what's not to like about grandpa's pancakes?

yummy pancakes

I hear them stirring from their morning nap…will be time to get them up soon. They are being so good. They have a pretty regular schedule. Get up, eat, play, nap, get up, eat, play, nap, get up, eat, play, bottle, bed for the night. They fuss for about 20 seconds when put into bed and then they settle and go to sleep. Couldn’t ask for easier!

~~Grandma 🙂

our older son’s wedding

Our son and his fiancee were married on Saturday. The wedding was planned for the rose garden, but morning rain sent us indoors. Afterward, the ground was dry enough for picture taking in the gardens. We have also been having a look at the best wedding car hire options for the UK recently as we are helping with a wedding there soon and they are the best we have found so far.

The unexpected rain may have shifted the ceremony indoors, but the garden still played a starring role in the celebration. Surrounded by lush greenery and blooming roses, the newlyweds captured stunning photos that perfectly reflected the charm of a garden wedding. There’s something timeless about nature as a backdrop—it adds an effortless elegance that no grand ballroom can quite match. Whether it’s a manicured estate or a quaint floral nook, the right setting makes all the difference.

As we’ve been exploring venues for another upcoming wedding, it’s clear that outdoor locations hold a special kind of magic. Even in different climates, the appeal remains the same—a place where nature and romance intertwine. For those considering a picturesque wedding place in kl, gardens offer an enchanting atmosphere, whether for an intimate exchange of vows or a grand celebration under the stars. A touch of greenery, the scent of fresh flowers, and the gentle rustling of leaves create an ambiance that feels both serene and celebratory.

We arrived on Wednesday and were able to help with a lot of the preparation for the wedding. It was a lot of fun and we were so glad we were able to be a part of the last minute “getting ready.” To those who are thinking of tying the knot soon yet are still struggling which wedding band to choose and where to purchase it, worry not because you can actually buy mens wedding bands online.

We loved choosing the table decorations on wedding linen direct website where we easily made a list that made it faster to organize.

DS#1's family

Our granddaughters…

sisters

Panda’s first bite of cake

my first bite of cake...ever

Tabby’s first bite of cake

IMG_5146

The first dance ~

the first dance

Big sister helps little sissy with a dance ~

sisters have a dance

Our second daughter, who is a photography major, served as wedding photographer.

DD#2 served as photographer

Panda plays peek-a-boo with her dress ~

DD#3 on the right, and her niece. 🙂

niece and aunt

One worn out little Panda Bear.

Grandma time

Grandpa and Tabby Cat ~

Grandpa and Tabby

After the wedding, we packed the twins and all their stuff into DS’s van and drove them home to stay with us for a week. Exciting times ahead!

~~Rhonda 🙂

menu plan monday ~ october 27, 2008

We are babysitting our twin granddaughters this week, so the menu is one that doesn’t need a lot of work.

Monday
chicken in the crock pot
rice
spinach salad
zucchini stir-fry

Tuesday
spaghetti
garlic bread sticks
corn
peas

Wednesday
pork steaks
baked potatoes
coleslaw
grapes
corn

Thursday
flank steak in the crock pot
noodles
broccoli
carrots

Friday
eat out

Saturday ~ bake two birthday cakes
leftovers

Sunday
salmon
steamed red potatoes
asparagus
corn
green salad

For more menu ideas, check out Menu Plan Monday.

~~Rhonda

baby bath

I bathed the babies while their Mommy worked on other things.

yes?

Baby Einstein

baby einstein

oct 2008 099

Poofy? Who’s Poofy?

pooffy? who's poofy?

~~Grandma 🙂

happy babies

The girls are sleeping right now. DH is at the store getting groceries. I am taking the opportunity to catch up on a few computer items. I posted the week’s article to the Christmas Notebook and uploaded more pictures. I’ll be doing a lot of uploading this week, I’m sure.

The girls were glad to see us this morning.

twins

Wash is such a well-mannered kitty. The girls wallow him and he doesn’t complain.

a good kitty

blue-eyed baby

DS#2 and DDIL arrived this morning. Being cat people, they made instant friends with Wash.

making new friends

~~Rhonda 🙂

visiting the grands

While we are here for our son’s wedding, we get to spend a lot of time with our granddaughters.

clappin' hands

It has been almost four months since we saw them last. They have grown and changed a lot since then.

She must have one of her ten year old aunt’s genes…we had lots of baby books that looked like this…round corners! Not to mention the corners of cardboard boxes, kleenex, etc.

she has one of her aunt's genes

Happy girl…

Mommy makes noises and she imitates them, facial expressions and all.

imitating funny noises

Lovin’ on Daddy.

hi, Daddy

Posts for the next few days may be all about two babies. 🙂 ~~Rhonda

toffee bar crunch biscotti

I made Toffee Bar Crunch Biscotti for the first time last year. It was a huge hit. There were only two pieces left after the open house.

I made it again today. It’s packed and ready to be taken down to the freezer to wait for the Christmas open house.

The dough spreads a lot while baking. Last year, I made it into two loaves as the recipe called for, but this year I made three loaves, which worked better.

Also, I didn’t use toffee bars as the recipe called for, but used 1 cup of toffee baking bits and 1 cup of mini chocolate chips instead. And I didn’t have butterscotch extract, so I just left that out. 🙂

oct 2008 046

oct 2008 048

Toffee Bar Crunch Biscotti

When they are thawed for the open house, I’ll dip one end of each piece into chocolate.

This recipe makes the house smell wonderful! ~~Rhonda 🙂

date balls

Date Balls

1 pound dates, diced
1 pound butter
2 c. sugar

Cook over medium heat 10 minutes, stirring constantly. DO NOT BOIL. I melt the butter first, and start counting the time from when it begins to simmer after I have added the sugar and the dates.

simmer for ten minutes

Remove from heat and add:
4 c. Rice Krispies
2 c. pecans, chopped finely
4 tsp. vanilla

add rice crispies and pecans

Mix well. The mixture will be runny. It becomes firmer as it cools. As it cools, the rice crispies will absorb some of the butter and liquid.

done, but still hot

After about an hour, it will be cool enough to shape into 1-inch balls (more like pressing than rolling into balls). Excess butter will roll down your arms if you hold your hands above your elbows…I speak from experience. Keep a roll of paper towels handy.

Roll the date balls in powdered sugar.

date balls

These freeze beautifully.

date balls

To store them in the freezer, I layer them between sheets of waxed paper in a plastic container with a tight lid, using any leftover powdered sugar to sprinkle over the date balls.

~~Rhonda

finishing the holiday icebox oatmeal cookies

Life is way busy here. Last Friday I mixed the oatmeal cookies, rolled them into logs, sugared them, and put them in the fridge to harden. And there they waited until this morning. Now they’re baked and ready to be packed into the freezer for the open house December 7.

holiday icebox oatmeal cookies

coooookieeeeeeeee!!!!

Oh, yum! ~~Rhonda 🙂