Christmas Notebook

menu plan monday ~ january 17, 2011

January 17, 2011 – 10:22 am

We begin a new week still feeling under the weather. DD has a return of her head cold and I am still favoring my left leg which is healing from an infection. But we plug away…DD is curled up in the library with her school work and a warm blanket and I am doing some computer work, then will finish lesson plans and assignment sheets for the week.

I’ve made the menu, but we’ll see how the week unfolds. The menu isn’t set in stone. We try to be flexible. We may substitute something else, may have a carry-out, or may switch days around, depending on how the day pans out, what we “feel” like eating, etc. But having a plan sure does make grocery shopping and dinner-getting a lot easier than without a plan. Do yourself a favor and plan a menu!

Monday
Homemade Pizza

Tuesday
Chicken Stir Fry
Rice

Wednesday
Rosemary Ranch Chicken
Oven Fried Potato Wedges
Pear Walnut Salad
Peas
Corn

Thursday
Chicken and Noodles
Biscuits
Corn and Peas

Friday
BBQ Chicken in the oven
Baby Baked Potatoes
Steamed Carrots and Sugar Snap Peas
Endive Pea and Avocado Salad

Saturday
Fridge Food

Sunday
Pan Seared Tilapia
Rice
Steamed Broccoli and Cauliflower
Green Salad
Red Grapes

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

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in menu | Comments (7)

sickly me

January 14, 2011 – 3:06 pm

I’ve been sick. Came on me quickly Monday evening. Fever, chills, etc. Big time. Today I am feeling better and able to be up and about. It’s times like these that make me especially thankful for laptops, Ipods, cell phones, and my Nook. I don’t have to leave my bed to check my email, look at Facebook, watch a movie, etc. Though I spent a lot of the past four days sleeping. But, I’m on the mend and am feeling better.

I had a couple of posts I wanted to put up this week, so need to work on those. Just wanted to check in and let you know I’m still around.

Tuesday evening two of our daughters ended up in the ditch (icy roads and about 10* out there) and that took some time to set things straight. We are thankful for God’s watchful care over them while they waited in the car, then at a nearby gas station, then on the way home from there with DH, who had to go get them. And we’re thankful, too, for all the people who stopped and offered and/or tried to help them. Someone even tried to pull them out, but the ditch was too deep and too steep. They finally accepted a ride from a young lady and her little girl to the nearest gas station to wait for Dad. The lady offered to take them to DD’s house (30 miles away), offered them money to buy food, offered to sit with them at the gas station, offered to charge DD’s phone that was running down, etc. An hour after she left them there, she came back to check on them. How kind is that?? God set His angels around them and I’m very grateful. They are safe and sound and that is the important thing.

Today our temps are up to 36* and the snow and ice are melting. The south facing slope in our back yard is snow free, though the opposite north facing slope is still snow covered. From my perch on the second story, in the scrapbook room, it’s beginning to look better out there.

I’ve spent a little time working out patterns for a couple of vintage putz houses I saw online. I have bookmarked more of the little glitter houses online that I want to draw patterns for. January and February seem like good months to sit at the desk and work on such projects. I’ll keep you posted.

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (3)

menu plan monday ~ january 10, 2011

January 10, 2011 – 10:11 pm

I’ve been working on my Putz houses the past few days. I made patterns for two vintage ones I saw photos of and made a prototype of each from printer paper. I also made a box from a Christmas card, thinking I’d use it as a base for a house, but it’s so pretty that I don’t want to cover it with anything. I’ll just use some old gift boxes to make the bases.

I saw a tiny glitter house online and made one from graph paper just to see how hard it would be to make it. Not so hard, though the details are tough to get exact with the big knife I was using.

Monday
Carry Out

Tuesday
Cheesy Potato and Corn Chowder

Wednesday
Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

Thursday
Tacoritos

Friday
Homemade Pizza

Saturday
Fridge Food

Sunday
Spaghetti / Homemade Sauce / Meatballs
Green Salad
Garlic Bread
Peas / Corn

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

~~Rhonda

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

i’m ready for this…

January 7, 2011 – 2:11 pm

Is it fair to jump straight from Christmas joy to spring joy, skipping the January/February days of grey?

The first crocus last year was found in our yard on March 3. You can’t imagine how we scour the yard for these little guys…the first one up is a reason to celebrate!

This picture was taken March 10 of last year. Looks so good…

Ditto, March 10.

And again, March 10.

March 10…

March 16.

I love March.

I want to smell daffodils.

And look for tiny blue flowers in the lawn.

And stand under a sky filled with apricot blossoms.

It’s good to know March is out there, under the grays and the browns, waiting for the perfect day to show itself. All in God’s good timing, right? I’m trying to be patient. But it’s hard.

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in our garden, spring, winter | Comments (5)

menu plan monday ~ january 3, 2011

January 4, 2011 – 7:21 pm

Did you get your New Year’s kiss?

Don’t want one!

She wouldn’t let me kiss her!

We said goodbye to our son and his family today as they packed the van and headed home. We enjoyed a great visit this past week and had so much fun with the grands. DD and I took the day off school and spent some time relaxing and resting. Tomorrow we get back to a more normal schedule.

Monday
Fried Chicken
Mashed Potatoes
Peas
Steamed Sugar Snap Peas
Green Salad
Homemade Rolls

Tuesday
Fridge Food

Wednesday
Chicken and Noodles
Corn Bread

Thursday
Hamburgers / Homemade Buns
Carrot / Celery Sticks / Dip

Friday
Hearty Lentil Soup

Saturday
Fridge Food

Sunday
Ham in the Crock Pot
Macaroni and Cheese
Green Salad
Crock Pot Apples
Corn
Green Beans

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

Happy New Year! ~~Rhonda

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

Christmas

January 1, 2011 – 1:04 am

My computer came down with a virus last week. That has hindered my blogging and flickr posting. Right now, I’m using an old computer that isn’t as friendly as my own, but I was tired of waiting for my own to be refitted.

Christmas morning started with apple dumplings made by my son (in the background here).

Then on to reading the account of Christ’s birth from Luke 2:1-20, then stockings, then presents.

I made a little putz house for my daughter-in-law. It’s a model of their own home.

More soon. 🙂

~~Rhonda

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

house concert

December 21, 2010 – 4:38 pm

Last week, we hosted our fourth annual house concert. As always, the music was beautiful! Nathan George and his friends, Mark Stoffel and Ross Sermons, are such a talented trio!

Two of Nathan’s children sang a song with their dad.

Several people commented that it was fun to watch the musicians nimble fingers while they played. I’m partial to Mark’s mandolin playing. Wonderful!

The weather had produced icy roads and that kept attendance down, though I was surprised how many guests still made the effort to come. Just shows us how much people love this event.

We even had a few people here for the first time.

After the concert, everyone stayed for snacks and an opportunity to chat with the musicians.

We served
Shrimp Dip with Triscuits
Sausage Cheese Balls (DD’s favorite, so we have to make these!)
Puff Pastry Holly Leaves
Spicy Meatballs with Cranberry Sauce Delicious!
Bacon-Cheddar Biscuit Snackers
Veggie Tray with Dip
Cheese Cubes
Chex Mix
A fruit tray provided by Susan. Thanks, Susan!
Coffee
Spiced Cranberry Punch (hot punch)
Cold Cranberry Punch (This recipe makes a very refreshing punch, one that gets many rave reviews. So easy! Mix one 1-liter bottle mandarin orange flavored seltzer water with one 12-oz. can cran-raspberry concentrate. May add ice, but do not add any other water. Serves 8.)

This is always a relaxing and fun evening, worshipful in content and delightful in every way. We’re already looking forward to next year’s concert, which is scheduled for December 15, 2011, God willing.

You can sample Nathan’s music on his website nathanclarkgeorge.com, where his albums are available to purchase.

Thanks, Nathan, Mark and Ross for another wonderful concert!

~~Rhonda

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

menu plan monday ~ december 20, 2010

December 20, 2010 – 11:51 am

We’ve finished a big week of entertaining, having a lot of company, and doing a lot of work to get ready for those events. The house concert with Nathan George, Mark Stoffel, and Ross Sermons was wonderful! As always! I’ll post more about that soon.

And the dinner party Saturday evening was great, too. I tried a new chocolate cheesecake recipe and it was delicious!

This week looks much more relaxed. I am wrapping presents, enjoying the decorations and lights, looking forward to Christmas Day and then to the following week when our son and his family will be here for a visit. We’ll have a second Christmas Day on Thursday the 30th, when our entire family will be here at the same time! SO looking forward to that!

Monday
Cheesy Potato Sausage Soup

Tuesday
Spaghetti / Sauce / Meatballs
Garlic Bread
Green Salad
Peas
Corn

Wednesday
Rosemary Ranch Chicken
Baby Baked Potatoes
Steamed Green Beans
Corn

Thursday
Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Rice

Friday
Pizza

Saturday
Turkey in the Crock Pot
Stuffing
Baked Ham
Garlic Smashed Potatoes
Steamed Sugar Snap Peas
Corn
Endive, Pea and Avocado Salad
Homemade Rolls
Chocolate Cheesecake

Sunday
Ham or Turkey Sandwiches
Fridge Food

I hope your holiday prep is almost done and that you have a wonderful and merry Christmas!

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

~~Rhonda

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

menu plan monday ~ december 13, 2010

December 13, 2010 – 4:56 pm

The month of December is flying by! How are your Christmas plans coming along? I’m always so glad to have the house decorated by the time we host our annual open house the first Sunday of December. That gives us all of December to enjoy it. We tend to decorate every nook and cranny, so there is always something to look at.

We have two events scheduled for this week. Thursday evening will be the fourth year we have hosted a house concert by Nathan Clark George and his friends, Mark Stofell and Ross Sermons.

The second event is a dinner party for the local library. In February, each year, the library hosts a charity auction. We donated a Christmas dinner for eight with a Christmas house tour of our home. That is scheduled for Saturday evening.

Monday
Baked Penne with Chicken
green salad
corn

Tuesday
Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Rice

Wednesday
Crock Pot Turkey
Noodles
Steamed Sugar Snap Peas
Corn

Thursday / House Concert
Shrimp Dip with Triscuits
Sausage Cheese Balls (DD’s favorite, so we have to make these!)
Puff Pastry Holly Leaves
Spicy Meatballs with Cranberry Sauce Delicious!
Bacon-Cheddar Biscuit Snackers
Veggie Tray with Dip
Chex Mix
Coffee
Spiced Cranberry Punch (hot punch)
Cold Cranberry Punch (This recipe makes a very refreshing punch, one that gets many rave reviews. So easy! Mix one 1-liter bottle mandarin orange flavored seltzer water with one 12-oz. can cran-raspberry concentrate. May add ice, but do not add any other water. Serves 8.)

Friday
Sloppy Joes
Homemade Buns – We’ve been making these with buttermilk. Sooo good!
Veggie Tray Leftovers

Saturday / Library Dinner
I’ll post this dinner next week. I’m still tweaking the menu, though I know it will involve a nice beef roast and possibly a chocolate peppermint cheesecake…

Sunday
Cheesy Potato Sausage Soup

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

PS – Bring your pets in…it’s cold out there! That’s what Zak thought Sunday morning when I snapped this picture of him through the kitchen window…we DID let him in, BTW. He will be spending these cold days indoors, even though he prefers to be outside.

~~Rhonda

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

annual Christmas open house

December 7, 2010 – 3:50 pm

Well, gang, it’s done for another year. The open house was held last Sunday, and it was another great success. We had a wonderful time. Many guests told me the open house opens their own Christmas season each year. I’m always happy to hear how much everyone enjoys it. Here are a few of our guests…

My niece and my niece-in-law…

Friends from church, with a view of the cookie table…

Our friends on the right came to our rescue at 11pm, the night before the open house, because a leg on the stand for our 9′ nativity tree had broken. My sister was holding the tree upright, DH was scouring the attic for another stand big enough to hold the tree. They rushed over in their jams, helped DH lift the tree and it slipped right into the new stand. Crisis averted! Thanks, Shawn and Melissa! Friends in need, friends indeed!

DD and friends, enjoying her room…

Sweet, godly women…on the left, a dear friend…on the right, one of three wonderful friends, one being my sister, who came at 9:00 Saturday morning and cleaned our house until 5:00 that afternoon. I would never make it without their help!

Among the yummy treats…are these not the cutest little guys?

Delicious, these Holiday Petits Fours are a must have…

And the Sour Cream Sugar Cookies are, of course, a staple…

We do a lot of decorating for Christmas…understatement, I know… Here are a few pictures to whet your appetite for more.

The old armoire, finished off with fresh greenery…

In the upstairs bath…

Dining room cupboard…

Living room mantel…

Downstairs bath…

Laundry room…

Liberian nativity in the library…

I’m working on a Christmas house tour post, so will save the rest of the pictures for that. I hope you enjoyed this little peek at our open house party. I’m already making notes for next year’s event! 🙂 ~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in Christmas, open house | Comments (6)

Christmas Notebook

menu plan monday ~ january 17, 2011

sickly me

menu plan monday ~ january 10, 2011

i’m ready for this…

menu plan monday ~ january 3, 2011

Christmas

house concert

menu plan monday ~ december 20, 2010

menu plan monday ~ december 13, 2010

annual Christmas open house

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