I am enjoying watching the Decorah eagles. The first eaglet hatched yesterday and the second one today. One to go.
The parents are very attentive, feeding bits of fish to the babies today.
This is a wonderful opportunity to watch an amazing process up close and personal. You can view the eagle cam here.
~~Rhonda
When the twins put their heads together, they always remind me of the fairy tale about Snow White and Rose Red.
Today we took straw bales out to the farm for the potato patch. The girls were fascinated. Though Snow White said, “This is itchy,” and hopped up right away.
Quick and easy menu this week. Seems there’s too much going on to stop to eat. Or at least to cook.
Monday
Fridge Food
Tuesday
Carry Out
Wednesday
Hamburgers
Homemade Buns
Veggies and Ranch Dip
Coleslaw
Thursday
Stir Fry Shrimp and Sugar Snap Peas
Rice
Friday
Homemade Pizza
Saturday
Ham / Turkey Sandwiches
Sunday
Chicken in the Crock Pot
Rice
Corn
Peas
Green Salad
You’ll find more menu and recipe ideas at Menu Plan Monday.
~~Rhonda
The lilacs are perfuming the yard. Our yard has shrubs from my mom’s yard, my grandmother’s yard, and my mother-in-law’s yard. All went into the bouquet.
~~Rhonda
While enjoying the east porch Saturday afternoon, the girls discovered a line of small ants moving across the railing.
“Look at the baby ants!”
Fascinating!
Having the ant crawl over her fingers and hand didn’t bother her at all. Different story for her sister.
Had to show it to Pa.
Putting the ant back “so he can go home and find his Mommy and his Daddy.”
Long after her sister lost interest, she kept watching and playing with the ants. Her ability to focus on one thing over a long period of time always surprises me.
~~Rhonda
We spent some time on the east porch Saturday afternoon. The twins found the cat brush and they had a great time grooming Zak.
The first few strokes were a little hesitant.
Zak is so compliant and easy-going that it didn’t take the twins long to relax and enjoy brushing the kitty.
The girls also enjoyed playing with the collection of rocks we keep on the east porch.
And Saturday afternoon DQ treats were much appreciated.
Just another day at Pa and Ma’s house.
~~Ma
We are enjoying beautiful weather and the garden is full of bloom. Quince and daffodils with hints of coral made up the Sunday bouquet. Hard to choose what to use when there is so much available.
This week’s menu will be fairly easy as we have a lot going on. DH has several meetings and our son and DDIL are visting from Seattle.
Monday
Homemade Pizza
Tuesday
Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Rice
Wednesday
Hamburgers
Homemade Buns
Green Salad
Sweet Pickles
Thursday
Soft Tacos
Friday
Taco Salad
Saturday
Grilled Chicken Wings
Grilled Pork Steaks
Coleslaw
Baby Baked Potatoes
Green Beans
Sunday
Pork Chop and Potato Casserole
Green Salad
Crock Pot Apples
Steamed Sugar Snap Peas
You’ll find more menu and recipe ideas at Menu Plan Monday.
~~Rhonda
My favorite time of year is when spring finally arrives. This year it’s a few weeks early. No complaints from me! Yellows, pinks and blues…refreshing after the browns and grays of winter.
Magnolia ‘Jane’
Hyacinth
This small spirea has tiny sweet blossoms on it. I don’t remember the variety.
Daffodils…such happy flowers.
The blossoms of the mini daffodil ‘Minnow’ are about an inch wide.
The Star Magnolia has a wonderful scent.
Sure sign of spring…the Spring Beauties.
The peonies are stretching upward!
The apricot trees are blooming about as early as we’ve ever seen them.
In the woods, the bloodroot is blooming. One of the purest white flowers I know.
Even the veggie garden is getting a good start on spring. The lettuce is up and we’ll soon have spinach and radishes sprouting.
The refreshing beauty of spring always reminds me of God’s generous goodness and provision.
You can visit other gardens at Tootsie’s blog party.
~~Rhonda
When crafting Putz houses (or little glitter houses as they are also called), the details are up to you. These little buildings have their own charm, from the simplest to the most ornate. When crafting your own, you are free to detail and embellish them as little or as much as you like.
I have discussed making fences for Putz / little glitter houses in my post “Tutorial for Making Fences for Putz Houses.” The addition of fence posts for Putz fencing adds another layer of detail.
For a fence that is made from a 1/2″ wide strip of cardboard, I make posts that are 5/8″ high and usually 1/4″ wide on each side. That can certainly be varied. I’ve made fence posts in other sizes, but for the purpose of this tutorial, they will be 1/4″ on each side.
I use cracker/cereal box cardboard for this project. It is thin enough to fold well, but thick enough to hold its shape. This piece is from a Ritz cracker box. The printed side will be folded inside the fence post, so there is no need to paint over it with a base coat. The first thing to do is trim the cardboard piece. Cut off any folds in the cardboard, making sure to keep the cut line straight and the long and short sides at a right angle.
Cut a strip of cardboard 1 and 1/8″ wide and as long as you like. The extra 1/8″ is for a tab to glue the post shut. I make posts with and without the flap. If gluing with white glue, the flap is easier for me. If using my glue gun, not having a flap is easier, as the hot glue hardens quickly.
Cut 5/8″ pieces from the cardboard strip.
Score the cardboard in 1/4″ sections, ending with a 1/8″ piece. I use the back of the X-Acto blade for scoring.
Fold along the crease lines. You should end up with this:
Add a line of white glue to the flap.
When using white glue, the post will have to be held together until dry enough to hold on its own. Doesn’t take long.
To make caps for the posts, cut a strip of cardboard just a bit bigger than the post is wide. Glue the post down.
When dry enough to stay together, cut the end of the strip off.
Give the posts a base coat of white acrylic paint. Soon you’ll have a nice stockpile for future Putz houses.
Whether to use white glue or hot glue is a personal preference. White glue gives you some wiggle room for getting everything arranged just right. Hot glue is now or never. It bonds so quickly that you may not have time to position the pieces where they should be.
If you prefer hot glue, cut the post pieces without a flap. These are 5/8″ tall and the sides will be 1/4″ wide.
Apply a line of hot glue just inside the edge of the cardboard. I use a small glue gun that produces a thin line of glue. Much easier to control than a big runny glob.
Quickly bring both sides of the post together to adhere the glue.
Prepare pieces of cardboard cut to the right size for post caps, then apply hot glue to one end of the post.
Stick the post onto the cap piece.
When bonded, cut the cap piece to fit.
White glue / hot glue…one isn’t better than the other. It’s all about which one you prefer. When making Putz houses, I prefer white glue for most applications, but do use hot glue for things that can happen quickly. Like making fence posts, gluing posts to the base, etc. I find white glue better for those things that need to be done carefully, like gluing roofs to the house.
Once again, details make the post long! I’ll close here and put up another post with helps and hints about attaching fence and fence posts to the Putz base. This is what we’re going for…
When I have the next post up, I’ll link it from here.
Here are links to some of my other tutorials for making Putz houses.
Making Putz house ornaments from Christmas cards
If you would like to see more of my Putz houses, as well as Christmas ornaments I have made from upcycled holiday cards, please visit my Etsy store.
~~Rhonda
Saturday we enjoyed a day at the farm. I sat in the sun and watched everyone cleaning the yard, pulling weeds, digging out honeysuckle vines, building the base for the chicken coop, and other general garden/yard work. It’s hard for me to walk over uneven ground, so I was happy to watch. The twins were great entertainment, too, as they ran from here to there, explored, planted sunflower seeds, used Pa’s little shovels to dig in the dirt, climbed trees, etc. Lots of fun!
Pa’s short garden shovels are just the right size for little gardeners.
DH and DS pulled the old plow out of the barn and hooked it up to the mule…I mean the lawn mower… They plowed a furrow for the grands to plant flower seeds.
Planting sunflower seeds (and digging, digging, digging).
Lots of weed pulling, lots of raking, lots of burning leaves and sticks.
And lots of clambering up and down her favorite climbing tree. She kept checking with anyone who had a clipper in hand. “Not my climbing tree. Don’t cut down my climbing tree.”
Concrete was mixed for the posts of the chicken coop.
The base of the coop made a perfect stage.
And when you live in the country, the hose is a good place to get a drink. No time to waste by running inside on such a beautiful day.
We’re looking forward to many more fun days on the farm.
~~Rhonda
Spring weather and temps are predicted for this week. We’re looking forward to that! Lettuce is sprouting in our garden and the yard is full of daffodils. The bright, cheery bouquet in my craft room smells so good!
I tried a new recipe Sunday, instead of having the spaghetti I had planned. Chicken and Dumpling Bake casserole was a big hit. Comfort food. It’s very easy to make. I added freshly ground black pepper and chopped fresh parsley. Adding pearl onions, carrots and green peas would make it taste like chicken pot pie. This casserole would work well for a pot-luck dinner or to take to a family who needs a warm meal. I wish I’d taken a picture to share with you. Next time!
Here’s the menu for this week.
Monday
Roast Beef Sandwiches
Homemade Buns
Tuesday
White Cheese Chicken Lasagna
Garden Salad
Steamed Broccoli
Corn
Wednesday
Taco Salad
Baked Tortilla Chips
Thursday
Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Rice
Friday
Hamburgers
Homemade Buns
Saturday
Fridge Food
Sunday
Alton Brown’s Pot Roast
Homemade Buns
Chips
Celery / Carrot Sticks
Sugar Cookie Bars
You’ll find more menu and recipe ideas at Menu Plan Monday.
~~Rhonda