Christmas Notebook

menu plan monday ~ july 25, 2016

July 26, 2016 – 9:24 pm

Just for fun, I thought I’d show you my spool jars since I mentioned them in this post – spool ornaments. All this stuff came from my mom’s stash. I am happy to have it and to use it to carry on her creative efforts. I got my artsy genes from her. Thanks, Mom!

After I uploaded the pictures to flickr.com, I noticed one of the jars had a little slip of newspaper in it. Had to fish it out, of course. It was obviously saved for this little poem. BTW, Carlinville is where I grew up.

I took a look at the back to try to date it. It says “Lanius to Be Interviewed By McNamee” which dates this to May 1941. That little slip of paper took me on an interesting journey. I found out that Charles Lanius was a news journalist during World War 2. I also tried to find Garet Sten, the author of the poem, but had no luck tracking him down. I did find one more poem by him, though. I also learned about the Helen Hayes Theater and about radio station WBBM, which was founded in 1911 and is still on the air. Probably more than you want to know…but it was fun solving the mystery.

I’m a day late with my menu post, but better late than never. Especially for me and a menu plan. I hope you will give menu planning a try. I find it SO helpful to have an idea of what we’ll be eating for the week ahead. I can have all the ingredients on hand and meals ready to go, no stress, no fuss. A lot of times the menu is juggled and doesn’t come out the way I plan it, but that doesn’t matter. We can adjust it to suit our needs.

Monday
Fridge Food

Tuesday
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken and Veggies
Garden Salad

Wednesday
Hamburgers
Homemade Buns
Corn on the Cob
Tomato and Cucumber Slices

Thursday
Slow Cooker Broccoli Beef
Brown Rice

Friday
BBQ Pork Steaks in the Oven
Caprese Salad with Fresh Corn

Saturday
Zucchini and Herbed Ricotta Flatbread

Sunday
Spaghetti
Quick and Easy Spaghetti Sauce
Garlic Bread
Sugar Snap Peas
Garden Salad

Afternoon Snack
Crock Pot Apples over Ice Cream

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in menu | Comments (1)

spool ornaments

July 26, 2016 – 12:20 am

I noticed on Pinterest that my spool ornaments, and the tutorial for the same, get a lot of pins. Since they are popular, I decided to make some for my Etsy shop ChristmasNotebook.

BTW, here’s the link to the tutorial:

ornament tutorial: bottle brush tree on a wooden spool

If you make any, I’d love to see some pictures! This is what I made.

You can’t see it in this picture, but the blue thread is embellished with fine silver glitter. Very pretty!

I also made this one with some snow on it.

I used some of the spools of thread that I brought back from my parents’ home after my mother passed away. I have three one-gallon jars full of wooden spools from Mom’s stash. Some empty, some with thread on them.

Some even have the price on the label. When’s the last time you found a spool of thread for 15¢?

The tutorial covers the process, but I thought I’d point out a few things. In the tutorial, I used empty spools and wrapped them with paper.

This time, I used glitter glue to glam up the thread and the spool.

This is the glue I use. Sargent Silver Glitter Glue.

I noticed on amazon.com that it doesn’t get great reviews from some people, but I have never had any trouble or complaints about it. It’s a fine glitter in a clear glue. It can be spread over something without obliterating what it’s covering. I think I’m on my third bottle of the silver. It has always been more “clumpy” than the other colors, and it doesn’t squeeze from the bottle very well, but I just take the lid off and squeeze a clump into a small dish and spread it with my fingers. Works for me. The other colors I’ve used come out easily through the nozzle (gold, blue, opalescent, red and green).

When spreading it over the spool, take time to clean out any that gets inside the holes. They need to be open so a thread can be placed through the holes to hold a dangling miniature ornament. Or a bell. Or a charm. Whatever floats your boat.

The next step is to add the dangle. I use these kinds of miniature ornaments. They can be found at stores like Hobby Lobby, Walmart stores with a large craft department, Michaels, etc. Hobby Lobby has an aisle dedicated to miniature Christmas trees and items to decorate them.

A bead added to the string before pulling the gold cord through the spool adds a little extra bling.

A dab of hot glue holds the cord down to the top of the spool. When the glue hardens, the cord can be trimmed close to the glue.

Time to decorate the tree. I like to use the small strand beads. They come in many colors and are a nice size for the little bottle brush trees. I dot a little hot glue where I want to start the strand, wind the beads around and fix them with a dot of hot glue half way up and again at the top.

Next comes the star for the top of the tree. I used a bead with a hole large enough to pass the wire through the bead twice. The tutorial shows how to make the tree topper.

The tree is glued to the spool and we’re almost done.

I used my fine point tweezers to add some silver beads to the tree. They do a good job of covering up a little blob of glue or filling a hole in the branches.

A sprinkle of glitter over the tree and it’s done.

I added red beads to this tree.

They are a lot of fun to make. I’ll be adding more to my Etsy shop soon.

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in ornaments | Comments (5)

putz houses and making tiny tinsel trees

July 23, 2016 – 9:48 pm

I have finished the second set of Putz houses for this week. The first one is a two-tier house in blue and green, which is my favorite color combination for these little houses.

For this house, I made silver “trees” from 3/4″ wide, wired, silver tinsel roping.

I cut the wired tinsel to the length that I wanted the tree to be.

I cut the tip into a point.

Instant tiny tinsel tree.

I topped off each little tree with a vintage mercury bead, using a dot of hot glue.

A little hot glue held them in place. I propped them until the glue set, so they wouldn’t lean.

I’ve done the same kind of trimming on individual stems from artificial Christmas trees and other artificial greenery. An easy way to make little trees for Putz houses.

I added an iridescent tinsel tree in front of the two silver ones. I like the way they look.

I also finished this little blue and brown “ski slope” house today.

I kept it fairly simple. This house is one of my favorite designs.

I hope you have enjoyed the little glitter houses. I will be working on a custom order this next week. I also plan to put together a tutorial on making picket fences for the Putz houses.

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in Putz / glitter houses | Comments (3)

two finished putz houses

July 22, 2016 – 10:57 pm

I have enjoyed getting back to crafting after a week or so of sorting, organizing and rearranging my craft room.

The first house I finished is a small yellow one. It’s a simple design that reminds me a lot of vintage glitter houses.

I used some vintage mercury glass beads to decorate the front yard.

The little brown house was at this stage when I took it up again yesterday.

I really like the way it turned out. The tree is decorated with a string of vintage red mercury beads.

I used a little bit of foliage and ribbon from an old thrifted ornament I took apart to decorate the roof of the house.

Both houses are now listed in my Etsy shop. ChristmasNotebook

I’ll be working on two more houses tomorrow. This design I call the “ski slope house.”

I also want to embellish this one which I am planning to keep for myself. I love this little house. The fence is made by using a hole punch to punch half circles from the top and the bottom of the fence at regular intervals.

I hope you are finding time to use your God-given talents and creativity! Happy crafting!

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in Putz / glitter houses | Comments (0)

why i haven’t been crafting this week…

July 19, 2016 – 9:30 pm

I have had a lot of issues with my legs, especially my left leg, over the past few years. One of the things it has kept me from doing is climbing the stairs to the second floor where my wonderful craft room is. The ceilings in our house are twelve feet high and that makes the staircase very long. I’ve seen a lot of improvement lately and am now able to go up the stairs again. Here’s Clark waiting for me to climb the twenty-two steps. He sat like that for about five minutes while I wound up the courage to make the trip! It’s still a little daunting for me, but I’m doing better all the time.

Anyhoo, while I couldn’t go up the stairs, DH brought my craft tools and supplies down to the “music room” and I happily crafted there. (Crafting in the music room.) Now he’s carrying it all back up! But one thing I needed to do before I could really use the craft room as I wanted to, was rearrange and organize it.

DH set up an 8′ long table on the east end of the craft room and I started pulling everything out. Youngest Daughter helped. All that went on, under, and around the table. Here’s the scary side of the room. Did you notice that you can’t see the table??

I sorted through every box and container. I pitched a lot, organized a lot, and put away a lot. After a few days, I began to see progress.

It may be hard to tell, but this is more progress.

Once done, I decided to keep the long table in the room. I have all my Etsy stock stored there right now.

The other side of the room is looking better, too. The room was a second story porch at one time. It’s 27′ long and 11′ wide with an 8′ ceiling.

Just to the right of the cabinets in this picture is the door to the hall. BTW, a friend of ours made the custom cabinets for me. Love them! You can see the process of renovating the porch into a scrapbook/craft room here: Scrapbook Room Renovation

On the counter to the far right are my fridge, microwave and toaster. On the counter to the left is the ice maker, which I love having in the craft room. I can pack a lunch and stay up here all day.

Lined up on the counter are the Putz houses I plan to work on tomorrow while my dear friend Marsha comes to visit. She plans to work on her family tree. I may do some of that, too.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have to say that DH did carry a few boxes out of the room for me. They are stored until I have time to go through them. Some of it is scrapbooking supplies. Some of it is paper. And more paper. I need to go through it, but much will be thrown away. And I also have to confess that I did not go through the upper cabinets. I need one of the girls to help me with that. A job for another day! But all my Putz supplies, Christmas crafting supplies, etc., are in the lower cabinets and drawers where I can access everything. I’m ready to craft again!

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in crafting, organize | Comments (2)

menu plan monday ~ july 18, 2016

July 18, 2016 – 2:03 pm

I’ve spent several days working on rearranging my craft room. Still have a ways to go, but have a good incentive to get things done. My dear friend Marsha and her husband Paul are coming to visit on Wednesday. MJ and I will spend the day crafting. Our husbands will spend the day catering to our needs. And anything else they find to do. Jane and I are just going to have fun!

Marsha and I went to high school together, but had different sets of friends. I didn’t know her well then. Imagine my surprise at college, when I turned a corner in the dorm and there she was! We became BFFs in college, shared apartments, had the same friends, etc. We met our husbands at college, too. Paul and Marsha have been married forty years. DH and I will hit forty next summer.

MJ and I will always be best friends! I love it when we can get together. We spend the whole day laughing! She always gives me a lift! Here is Marsha several years ago, when we made Putz houses together.

I don’t know what we’ll work on this week, but I know it will be fun! Here’s the menu for the week. I’m trying a new recipe for BBQ chicken in the crock pot for lunch on Wednesday. Something easy for company. I can make it ahead, serve it whenever we’re ready, and there will be leftovers for another day. Sounds good to me!

Monday
Carry Out: Roast Beef and Pepper-jack Subs

Tuesday
Crock Pot Pork Chops
Boiled Red Potatoes
Garden Salad

Wednesday
BBQ Chicken in the Crock Pot
Homemade Buns
Pretzels
Fresh Fruit

Thursday
Fridge Food

Friday
Tacos

Saturday
Fridge Food

Sunday
Spaghetti
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Corn on the Cob
Sugar Snap Peas
Garlic Bread
Garden Salad

You can find more menus and ideas at Menu Plan Monday.

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in menu | Comments (0)

menu plan monday ~ july 11, 2016

July 11, 2016 – 2:52 pm

This week I am working in my craft room upstairs to organize and rearrange it. I want it to be laid out better for working on items for my Etsy shop. Major overhaul needed. So I won’t be crafting this week. And I won’t be doing much cooking. If I took a picture of the craft room right now, you’d be horrified…so here are some kitty pictures. They’re more fun than messy craft room pictures!

Clark was very interested in the empty drawers in the craft room. By the way, how do you like Clark’s shave? He developed some mats, so we had him shaved. He looks so odd. But it’s starting to grow back and soon he will look like himself again.

Winston tried drinking the water in the flower pitcher while I made a bouquet.

Treats! When they hear the bag crinkling, they come running!

Play hard, sleep hard. Winston and Clark were litter mates and they still love to spend most of their time together.

And now, back to the reason for this post. Here is the menu for the week. I’ll keep you posted on the craft room redo.

Monday
Fridge Food

Tuesday
Beef and Noodles
Steamed Sugar Snap Peas
Garden Salad

Wednesday
Fridge Food

Thursday
Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry
Brown Rice

Friday
Pizza

Saturday
Ham Sandwiches
Homemade Rolls
Carrot and Celery Sticks
Pretzels
Grapes

Sunday
Baked Tortellini
Garlic Bread
Garden Salad

You can find more menus and ideas at Menu Plan Monday.

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in menu | Comments (0)

a busy day turned into a lazy day

July 9, 2016 – 9:06 pm

Hello, friends! I hope you are having a good weekend. Today turned out to be warm and humid, but it was beautiful this morning. We had planned to have a dinner party this evening, but the guest of honor is ill and had to postpone. We are praying he and his family recover and are well soon. We look forward to seeing them when the timing is good for them. I woke up ready to start checking my list off and found out I didn’t have to do anything at all today if that was what I wanted to do. So DH and I got out into the garden to see what’s going on.

Daylily season is on the downside, but still very much in force. We have some plants that are just now blooming. See the red one with the orange center in the lower left hand corner of this picture? That’s ‘Autumn Red.’ We have lots. Freebie if you’re local. Let us know if you want a clump.

‘Regency Heights’
Sadly, this is the only blossom we had on this plant this year, as the lovely deer ate all the buds but one. Didn’t bother the daylily plants right next to this one, but did eat every single bud on this plant but this one.

‘Siloam Pink Glow’
A small plant. About sixteen inches tall and the flower is about three and a half inches across.

‘Fire Music’
A late bloomer, but it comes on strong! So beautiful in the garden.

It really is this beautiful and even more so.

‘Catherine Woodbury’
A must-have and a late bloomer.

We aren’t the only ones who enjoy the garden.

Bumblebees are welcome visitors.

And honeybees…

And carpenter bees are here, too, but not so welcome when they drill into the fence or the wood of the carport.

This afternoon DH went on a long bike ride and I worked at my desk for a while. A quiet day. We missed having our company, but perhaps that was just as well because our air conditioning keeps turning off. DH is able to restart it, but one of these times, it won’t. That wouldn’t have been fun with twenty adults in the house on a muggy summer evening. At least, not as much fun as it would be if the A/C were working! Next week, a new system will be installed. Problem solved.

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in our garden | Comments (1)

menu plan monday…i mean tuesday!…~ july 5, 2016

July 5, 2016 – 4:34 pm

I am trying to remember that today is Tuesday. Does it feel like a Monday to anyone else? It’s going to throw me off schedule all week!

We had a great Fourth. DH took Snow White, Rose Red, Middle Daughter and her friend Vivian to the parade. It was the 150th anniversary of this particular celebration and the town had a lot going on. Vivian is from Shanghai, China, here for school. She has been in the States for ten months and has never celebrated the Fourth of July, never saw a parade, never had a corn dog or a funnel cake!

Waiting for the parade to start is hard!

The anticipation is so exciting! They filled their candy bags about half way with thrown candy, necklaces, cup sleeves, tokens, etc. I don’t know if parades elsewhere in the country throw candy or not, but it is big here!

After the parade, DH took all the girls to the carnival. They ate the carnival treats, rode the carnival rides, and generally had a great time.

Meanwhile, Older Son and our DDIL, came to the house about 11:30 and helped me put together the dinner prep. I always enjoy working with them in the kitchen. They are a good team and they work well together. About 1:00, Older Son started the charcoal in the grill and by the time it was ready, DH and company were back from the carnival and he started in with the grilling.

After dessert, Rose Red played “Go Fish!” with mama.

It was, all in all, a fun day. Now down to business! This week’s menu is as follows:

Monday
Not only was this Independence Day, but the 5th is Older Son’s birthday and the 7th is Middle Daughter’s birthday. We had a guest for the Fourth and her birthday is the 6th! It’s birthday week at our house!

Grilled T-bone Steaks
Grilled Chicken
Grilled Bratwurst
Grilled Corn on the Cob
Sauteed Asparagus in Garlic with Cherry Tomatoes
Fresh Fruit Tray
Black Forest Cake
Apple Cobbler
Vanilla Ice Cream

Tuesday
Fridge Food

Wednesday
Tilapia
Brown Rice
Green Beans
Garden Salad

Thursday
Turkey Sandwiches
Fresh Fruit

Friday
BBQ Chicken in the Crockpot
Homemade Buns
Celery and Carrot Sticks
Fresh Fruit

Saturday / Dinner Party
We have 20 guests invited to join us for dinner on Saturday evening. We are providing the meat and everyone is bringing a contribution to our pot “providence.”

Alton Brown’s Pot Roast
Bacon Chicken with Tomato Cream Sauce
Fresh Fruit Tray
Shared Dishes and Desserts

Sunday
Fridge Food

You can find more menus and ideas at Menu Plan Monday.

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in family, Holidays other than Christmas, menu | Comments (0)

daylilies

July 1, 2016 – 11:04 pm

The front yard is in the height of daylily season. If you are local, feel free to come by and look around. We will be open for another plant sale tomorrow, Saturday. High for the day is forecast as 68*. Unbelievable for July. Most years, DH is digging plants for the sale in 90+ temperatures. If it’s raining, bring your umbrella. DH doesn’t mind digging in the rain for a good cause.

Right now it’s gorgeous out there.

TigerT enjoyed the plant sale on Wednesday. He alternated between greeting guests…

…and napping…Either way, he kept us company.

We’ve been working on replacing plant labels in the garden. But there are always a few mysteries out there. This one is beautiful, but we don’t know its name.