Makes me happy.
~~Rhonda
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a little bit of garden work
February 22, 2012 – 8:54 pm
This afternoon, DH and I got out into the yard a bit. The crocus are blooming in the back yard. So pretty!
Each spring, DH burns the tall grasses in the yard. Get rid of the old growth…make way for the new growth.
DH planted a little lettuce, too. Can’t wait until it starts to sprout!
The daffodils are growing taller and showing more blooms.
This one is ready to pop open!
Every spring is the only spring, a perpetual astonishment. -Ellis Peters
~~Rhonda
menu plan monday ~ february 20, 2012
February 22, 2012 – 7:11 pm
I’m getting a late start to posting the menu this week. We’re sharing a cold around here. DH had it, the girls had it, now I have it. Things are slow all the way around.
We had some fun last week, though. My friend Jane and her husband came over for the day. Jane and I made Putz houses.
And the twins spent a couple of nights. Lots of fun then! I got a lovely present from one of them…
Here’s the menu for the rest of the week. We’ll see how it goes.
Monday
Fridge Food
Tuesday
Rice and Eggs
Wednesday
Chicken and Noodles
Thursday
Homemade Pizza
Friday
Lasagna
Green Salad
Corn
Peas
Garlic Bread
Saturday
Cheesy Potato and Sausage Soup
Sunday
Spaghetti with Homemade Sauce
Green Salad
Garlic Bread Sticks
Corn
Steamed Sugar Snap Peas
You’ll find more menu and recipe ideas at Menu Plan Monday.
~~Rhonda
menu plan monday ~ february 13, 2012
February 13, 2012 – 2:02 pm
Here’s a pretty plant that my mother passed on to me last year. She got her start of it from her uncle’s home. It’s an orange amaryllis, Hippeastrum striatum, I believe. Correction is appreciated, if anyone knows it is something else. It blooms in January/February, each year.
Down to business…here’s our menu for the week.
Monday
Hamburgers
Homemade Buns
Stir Fried Cabbage and Garlic
Oven Fried Potato Wedges
Tuesday
Pork Chop and Potato Casserole
Green Salad
Crock Pot Apples
Steamed Sugar Snap Peas
Corn
Wednesday
Spicy Shredded Pork in the Crock Pot ~ 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.
Homemade Buns
Home-baked Tortilla Chips
Celery and Carrot Sticks
Thursday
Mongolian Beef with Broccoli
Rice
Friday
Homemade Pizza
Saturday
Dinner with extended family. I’m providing:
Spicy Shredded Pork
Alton Brown’s Pot Roast
Homemade Buns
Sunday
Crock Pot Turkey
Mashed Potatoes
Corn
Steamed Green Beans
Green Salad
You’ll find more menu and recipe ideas at Menu Plan Monday.
~~Rhonda
making putz houses
February 9, 2012 – 12:45 am
There is a lot of interest currently in Putz houses, or little glitter houses, that were once used to make village scenes under Christmas trees and on mantles. You can read more about them at Little Glitter Houses and Papa Ted’s Place, just to mention two sites. My Pinterest Putz House Tutorial board has more links.
I’ve been drawing patterns for Putz houses this week. Here are the assembled houses and churches, ready for painting and glittering. Can’t wait!
This is a fairly simple church with a nice bump out on the front.
This church has a few more details than the others. It’s already on a base and has a fence. I used a hand punch to make the lattice fence.
This is a very simple vintage-style Putz.
Another simple one, with a bump out front door.
This is the church, this is the steeple.
Open the doors and see all the people!
I like the roof trim on this house. I made it with a hand punch.
Very simple two-story Putz. The little roof in front of the house will be glued over the door after painting.
I like the two chimneys on this house.
It’s a bit hard to see in this picture, but the steeple tower sits back a bit from the front of the house.
Next comes the fun of painting and glittering. I’ll be posting about that soon.
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 shop.
~~Rhonda
menu plan monday ~ february 6, 2012
February 6, 2012 – 1:31 pm
DD has a birthday today. Over the weekend, we took her and a friend out to dinner. She loves sushi, so we enjoyed that. Delicious!
A busy week ahead. We’re still taking down Christmas. It doesn’t take as long to take down as it does to put up, but I haven’t been in the mood to do it. I’m grateful that our son and his wife came over Friday to help, and they cleared most of three rooms. That’s a lot, in case you haven’t been here at Christmas… The lights were a big hit with our granddaughter. She had fun just holding them. She thought they were “bootiful.” Later the twins pretended they were a campfire, though there was some disagreement about just where the campfire should be placed. Didn’t take too long to straighten that out. Then they got pillows and blankets and “slept” by the campfire for a while. Fun. 🙂
Tonight is DD’s family birthday party. And DH’s sister and her husband will be here for a few days. So I’m planning to keep things as easy as I can menu-wise.
Monday
The birthday girls wants:
Pork Chops
Mashed Potatoes
Corn
Steamed Sugar Snap Peas
Green Salad
Minecraft Cake (lemon flavored)
Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Cream
Tuesday
Alton Brown’s Pot Roast for sandwiches
Homemade Hamburger Buns
Coleslaw with Peanuts and Raisins
Veggies and Ranch Dip
Grapes
Wednesday
Wild Rice and Chicken Soup
Homemade Rosemary Crackers
Thursday
Mongolian Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Rice
Friday
Hamburgers
Homemade Buns
Stir Fried Cabbage and Garlic
Corn
Saturday
Homemade Pizza with Mushrooms
Sunday
Baked Chicken
Herb Roasted Fingerling Potatoes and Carrots
Corn
Steamed Asparagus
Green Salad
You’ll find more menu and recipe ideas at Menu Plan Monday.
~~Rhonda
7 days of shooting
February 2, 2012 – 10:32 am
Over the holiday season, I neglected the two flickr groups I enjoy the most. One is Macro Monday, to which one or two macro photos are submitted each Monday according to the week’s theme. The other group is 7 Days of Shooting. There is an overarching weekly theme and, also, daily themes that have to fall under the weekly theme.
I enjoy both groups a great deal. They help me stretch as a photographer and make me look for the details in every day items. Many of my 7 Days of Shooting photos turn out to be macros because I enjoy shooting the close ups so much. There is beauty in the mundane and a lot of detail that is missed unless we make time to look for it.
Last week, the week’s theme was “empty.” I managed to submit photos five days out of the seven.
Empty / Minimal Sunday
After seeing some of the other submissions and doing some research on minimal photography, I learned this particular photo isn’t as minimal as it could have been. Minimal photography is as much about the space surrounding the object as it is about the object being shot.
Empty / Macro Monday
This is a flower frog.
Empty / Go For Bokeh Tuesday
“Bokeh” means the unfocused areas in a photograph.
Empty / Thoroughly Abstract Thursday
This is from an art glass vase.
Empty / Shoot Anything Saturday
This is actually my favorite from the week. I like the color and the detail.
The current theme is “the letter P.” I missed submitting on Tuesday, but plan to finish the rest of the challenges. I’ll post those next week.
If you enjoy photography, I encourage you to challenge yourself with a theme or a list of ideas. Click this LINK for a list we used in homeschooling for art class. This LINK takes you to a list of weekly themes for some inspiration. Google photography challenge list for more lists and ideas.
~~Rhonda
menu plan monday ~ january 30, 2012
January 30, 2012 – 11:33 am
We were highly entertained Sunday afternoon watching the twins wrap “presents.” They spent over an hour cutting gift wrap, pulling tape, wrestling with the packaging…so much fun! Pa got a bow, Ma got a box of cereal, Auntie got a box of tea and Sissy got a bowl of chalk.
Serious business!
They (and we!) had a great time!
We’re taking a day off school to catch up on some housekeeping needs in the scrapbook room and in DD’s room. Call it “home ec.” We’ll make the school work up later this week. In keeping with the home ec theme, here’s our menu for the week.
Monday
Beef and Green Veggies Stir Fry
Rice
Tuesday
Baked Potato Soup
Wednesday
Grilled Hamburgers
Grilled Veggie Foil Packets
Green Salad
Thursday
Salmon Bake with Pecan Crunch Coating
Herb Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
Steamed Asparagus
Corn
Green Salad
Friday
Chicken Taco Chili
Homemade Baked Tortilla Chips
Saturday
Fridge Food
Sunday
Roast Chicken
Mashed Potatoes
Stir Fried Sugar Snap Peas with Cherry Tomatoes / Scroll down the link page for the recipe.
Corn
Green Salad
You’ll find more menu and recipe ideas at Menu Plan Monday.
~~Rhonda
chicken taco chili
January 28, 2012 – 9:07 pm
This Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili was a new recipe for me. See the link for the original recipe. I did change some things, so I’ll show those changes below.
I had planned to make the chili in the crock pot as the original recipe does, but didn’t have all the ingredients in time to do that. I made it in a soup pot on the stove.
Chicken Taco Chili
To a large soup pot, add:
3 pounds of chicken breast, boneless and skinless (about four large breasts)
water to just cover the chicken in the pot
1 T. dry onion
2 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. salt
Bring to a simmer and, once it begins to gently simmer, give it about 25 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the broth and let it rest for ten minutes or so before dicing or shredding. Return the chicken to the broth. Add:
1 16-oz. can black beans (do not drain)
1 16-oz. can kidney beans (do not drain)
29-oz. can tomato sauce (original recipe called for only 8-oz.)
29 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 cups frozen corn
1 T. cumin
1 T. homemade taco seasoning (See recipe below.)
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
Bring to a simmer and serve.
The original recipe also added:
1 packet taco seasoning (I used the homemade mix.)
1 T. chili powder (Left this out, as chili powder is too spicy for one family member.)
1/4 c. chopped cilantro. (I substituted parsley as I do NOT like the taste of cilantro.)
This is very good and a nice warm soup for a cold evening. It would be great served with cornbread, tortilla chips and celery sticks. Top with shredded cheese and sour cream, if you like. Could be served over rice, as well. It was even better the second day.
I doubled this taco seasoning recipe and used a tablespoon of it in the soup. I stored the rest in a glass spice jar. No more taco seasoning packets for us. Another small step in reducing excess packaging.
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Since making the seasoning, I’ve used it in Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken and to season homemade baked tortilla chips. Very good!
~~Rhonda
menu plan monday ~ january 23, 2012
January 23, 2012 – 2:21 pm
Happy birthday to my sisters, Mary and Margaret! I hope you both have a lot of fun celebrating your birthday today!
Our son’s family came over for dinner yesterday. Afterward, the twins helped Pa make cookies. There was a little taste-testing going on, too…
It’s 45* today, but windy. A good day to stay inside and plan the week. Here’s our menu.
Monday
Fridge Food / We have plenty of leftovers and tomorrow is clean-out-the-fridge day.
Tuesday
Ham and Potato Soup
Wednesday
Tacoritos
Celery / Carrot Sticks
Green Salad
Thursday
Baked Chicken
Steamed Sugar Snap Peas
Corn
Green Salad
Friday
Taco Salad with Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken
Saturday
Fridge Food
Sunday
Baked Chicken Parmesan
Baked Potatoes
Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Corn
Green Salad
You’ll find more menu and recipe ideas at Menu Plan Monday.
~~Rhonda