Hello

Hello everyone

I had intentions to share our Christmas decorations and baking here but I ended up sidelined with a torn hamstring.  I’m doing much better now and have to watch it but I’m happy to be able to walk almost pain free and with no aids.  

I didn’t do a single batch of Christmas baking.  Our desserts were store bought with a candy tray from a former neighbor and a buche de Noel baked by our daughter.  

We had 2 family Christmas gatherings in our home,  and afterward,  our home looked like it.  

So I made a new to do list and started working on things yesterday.

This may not all get done this week,  but I’ll do all I feel up to.  

several more of these tasks are completed, they just aren’t checked off in the photo.  


I did a good bit of coupon shopping in 2019.  So much so that my storage areas are plenty full.  For 2020,  I intend to take a break from most coupon shopping until our stockpile is used some.  

But I had some store money at CVS and Walgreens so I made short trips to both today.  

It seems foolish to let free store money expire.  

At Walgreens,  the pizzas were buy 1 get 1 free

The bags are buy 1 for $2.79, get 2 free. 

I used $20 in Walgreens points and paid $8.05 for all of the above.  I also ended up with $10 in points and $7 in register rewards that I was not expecting.  

About the Walgreens brand food bags,  this sale repeats often.  They also repeat similar sales for their brand of aluminum foil, paper plates and trash bags.  All of these are excellent quality products and much cheaper on sale than name brand products.  I actually like the Walgreens food bags better than Ziploc brand bags.  

At CVS,  I used $11 in extracarebucks from previous purchases and several coupons that printed when I scanned my CVS card at the CVS scanning machine.  I used NO newspaper or internet printable coupons.  

And I still did very well,  getting 5 boxes of cereal and 2 face moisturizers for $6.96.  

That’s all the news I have for now.  

I really do want to keep blogging,  but sometimes things just get in the way.  

Thanks for stopping by today ❤️

First week of December To Do List

Hello everyone, 

We had a very nice Thanksgiving - just too much food.  I’ve made a note on my list to try and cook less next year but I think I thought the same thing last year.  And we did prepare less food this year  but it was still too much. 

After 2 days of holiday activities,  Saturday just felt like Monday.  Our home needed attention so I went ahead and made a new list and got started on it yesterday.   

The new week brings more appointments than usual but I’ve planned meals and have a pretty much clean house so I think it should all go pretty smooth.  

I’ve done no Christmas decorating but I have been thinking about it.  We usually leave our tree up through January so it’s no rush to put it up right now.  

Our youngest son bought this Norfolk pine at Lowe’s on Black Friday and set it up for my parents in their small retirement apartment.  

I think it is perfect for them,  and it looks like how my mom would of decorated a tree if she was up to it.  

Our daughter’s husband put lights on their balcony.    He also put pretty lights on their home but you can see their address in the photos so I won’t post them.

Their retirement home always puts out lots of gorgeous decorations in the common areas and I know my parents will enjoy having decorations in their own living  space as well. 

Did any of you do Black Friday shopping?  My brother went out and said he got everything he planned to get and was very pleased.  

I didn’t go to any stores but I did order 3 things from Walmart that will be delivered soon.  

For our 8 grands who truly need no toys,  I decided to make them each a photo book of highlights from this year.  I’ve made a lot of photo books over the years and find  Walgreens to be easiest for me.  They had 75% off their photo books so I somehow made all 8 books Friday and Saturday and got them ordered before the coupon expired.  I chose In Store pick up to avoid a delivery charge and the books will be ready the 2nd week of December. 

Children love to look at photos of theirselves and their families.  Their parents have some paper photos but  most of their photos are digital and “on their phones”.   Now the kids with have hard copies to look at whenever they want.  

So with those Black Friday specials,  we accomplished a good bit of our gift purchasing without ever going in a store.  

For supper tonight,  I’m making turkey lasagna and I was going to share the link but her site seems to be closed down.  I’m glad I printed a copy when I made it the first time so I can still make it.  It’s really good.  

So my tip is if you see recipe or some instructions you want to keep - screen shoot it or print it or hand copy it on paper.  Web sites sometimes go away.  

I hope you’ve all had a good Sunday and are ready for this new week

❤️ Rhonda 

Thanksgiving eve

Thanksgiving 2019 

Smoked ham and turkey breast - Jeff is cooking outside 

Mashed potatoes- Rex

Dressing - John Mark 

Sweet potato casserole- me - made and will heat Thursday 

Corn casserole - me 

Deviled eggs - me and made today 

Green beans - me - May be plain, May be a casserole, may be both 🤷🏻‍♀️

Gravy - me 

Rolls - me 

Pumpkin and pecan tarts - Nina 

Relish tray- baby dills, green olives and celery with cheese

Cheese ball- Jimmy

Jello salad - Jimmy 

So Thursday morning,  I’ll need to put the purchased, frozen rolls out to thaw and rise, then bake just before we eat about noon. 

Stir up the corn casserole and bake it with the sweet potato casserole

Decide and do green beans 

Make gravy

Make relish plate 

Just before lunch, we will set out the buffet and everyone will serve theirselves.  

My husband surprised me with fresh flowers for both tables.  I’m pretty sure he bought them at Sprouts.  

I made the felt leaf coasters years ago,  inspired by some I saw in a magazine for  

$20 a set.  

We’re using disposable plates and utensils,  

To make them a little easier,  I wrapped them in bundles. 

The eggs and sweet potato casserole are prepared and in the fridge,  just hanging out until tomorrow.  

Our Thanksgiving preparations  have been easy and stress me, 

I’m especially thankful this year to have so much help.  

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving 2019 

❤️Rhonda 

Next weeks to do list

So many of you commented that you like my to do lists,  so here is this week’s list.  

We will be hosting Thanksgiving - that list will be posted soon, as the first of this week I’m concentrating on weekly cleaning and a few errands.  Cooking will come later 

I’m guessing many of you USA readers are doing similar things this week,  right? 

Designs are made with rubber stamps

Washi tape was from Dollar Tree several years ago 

And the paper is school notebook paper on a clipboard that hangs in our kitchen 

🦃🥧Hope you all have a good Monday🥧 🦃

❤️ Rhonda 

CVS couponing and bargains

For, now I am going to keep blogging here publicly.  

I’m amazed by all the sweet comments on my last post and I want to explain a little more and will soon.  I think I have some of the sweetest readers in blog world 😍

But now, I want to share what I just bought at CVS as this is a time sensitive deal.  

I spent a total of $9.88cash and also used $32 in CVS ExtraCareBucks

Even if you don’t coupon shop,  I wanted to post about a sale at CVS right now through Wednesday for 500 count Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen and Aspirin.  These bottles are huge!  No coupon is needed,  just shop at CVS.  

My store had lots of them on the shelf too.  

The Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen 500 count bottles I bought 

The bottom of my receipt doesn’t show but it says I saved $120.45 or 92%. (That is CVS math but I’m very happy with my bargains ) 

Have a great Sunday everyone 

❤️ Rhonda 

No time for blogging

Hello blog friends,
I had this blog set to private for awhile because of some traffic from sources I don’t trust.
And also just because life is busy right with normal stuff and with family members with some health conditions.

I have no interesting photos of anything I’ve done lately but I did take photos of my mom‘s  latest crochet creations and they are all very cute.  The pattern books she used are also shown but they are not recent publications.

I may keep blogging publicly,  I may quit blogging and I may blog privately- I just don’t know.
I won’t do it abruptly again and if I blog privately, I will have find a way to invite readers I can trust.

What do you other bloggers think when you check your traffic and won’t like what you see?

Happy Thanksgiving ❤️

 A tea set complete with spoons, cookies and a cake

 Momma and baby ducks with removable hats

 Frog with a crown and an oddly skinny elephant

And below a lion, tiger and bear Oh My!

 And last but not least,  a turtle.

September update and new goals for October

“Rainbow” quilt that I started quite awhile ago and started back on it today by sewing all the blocks together one way with chain stitching  But its not a realistic rainbow as the colors are in the wrong order and real rainbows don’t have black and brown in them.  

Get ready for Fall organization plan

✅1. Back room desk✅

✅2. Back room closet ✅

✅3. Hall bath under sink cabinet✅

✅4. Hall linen cabinet✅

✅5. Toy room closet ✅

✅6. Sewing room closet✅

✅7. Sewing room fabric✅

8. Front closet

✅9. Hall book shelf✅

✅10. Hall dust photos✅

✅11. Dining room dust wall stuff

✅12. Dining room table top 

✅13. Laundry room cabinets✅

✅14. East hall- cabinet and hat rack ✅

❇️15. MBR end tables - 1 done, 1 still to do 

✅16. MBR vanity✅

✅17. MBR general declutter ✅

✅18. MBATH cabinets and wash curtains ✅

19. MCloset file cabinet 

✅20. MCloset my clothes ✅

✅21. MCloset Jeff’s clothes✅

✅22. Garage- sweep, spray and declutter✅

✅23. Tornado building- sweep, spray and declutter✅

✅24. Kitchen junk pantry✅

✅25. Kitchen big pantry✅

✅26. Kitchen upper cabinets✅

✅27. Kitchen lower cabinets✅

✅28. Kitchen drawers✅

✅29. Breakfast nook hutch - started - more progress ✅finished✅

✅30. Living room tables & mantel ✅

I didn’t complete everything on my 30 items list but I’m so happy with all the jobs that are done,  pretty much all of them make my life easier now - cooking is much better in the kitchen after the cleaning and decluttering.  Getting dressed is a breeze now  that my clothes are organized and minimized.  

Mopping the garage made me feel like a crazy woman though.  It doesn’t get done but every year or 2 and that floor really needed it.  

But I’m sure the 3 neighbors that drove by while I was mopping thought I was a crazy Mrs Clean fanatic - 😂 - 

The list for September worked so well for me that I’ve made a goal list for October.  

And I had free time today so I worked on some them today even though it’s still September.  

October Goals 

🎃👩‍🌾🍁🍂🌾🌻🌽

Front closet 

File cabinet

✅Repot succulents✅

Clean out outdoor pots as needed

Clean oak woodwork as needed

Clean white doors 

Fall decorations

    Front porch

    Mantle and dining table 

Help Elizabeth with her room 

Help Jeff clean up shop  

🧶🧵✂️Sewing Goals ✂️🧵🧶

Sew a robe for me

Finish rainbow quilt. ✅started chain sewing blocks together 

Sew and finish flag quilt

Potholders 

✅Alter dress hems  ✅

Fall challenge progress and a few other things

Good evening everyone.

Most of my work has been in the kitchen this week and I’m so happy with the results.  

I didn’t take photos of everything but here are a few 

Gadget drawer- before, it was so unorganized that it was hard to open and close

After 

Under the sink Before 😱

After - I didn’t have any shelf paper so I used part of a checked vinyl tablecloth that I previously cut down to fit the table holding plants in the breakfast nook.  

Our tiny, pitiful garden has decided to produce lots of peppers. 

I diced a dozen or so bell peppers to freeze.  

Then I pickled some crazy hot tiny peppers and sweetened jalapeño peppers.  

I browsed awhile at Dollar Tree.  

I did not buy these black roses embellished with eyeballs and spiders.  

I did buy these M&Ms but I don’t recommend them at all.  

Oh, here’s my fall challenge list- more things done but a few things still waiting....... but housework is patient and is always waiting to be done, right? 

Thank you for stopping by 

❤️🏘❤️

Rhonda 

Continuing with get ready for fall updates

I’m still working on my fall updates.

Hall bookshelf before above and after below- 2 big brown sacks of books were donated and books from around the house were added to the bookshelf 

In my craft room- above is the fabric shelf before and below is after 

My craft room looks very lived in as, over the summer, our 2 oldest grands spent a lot of time in there, sometimes making things and sometimes just making messes 🙂 I know they had a great time and I’ll get things back in order before long 

Today,  I plan on making more progress as I have no need to go anywhere.

Hope you all are having a good September ❤️

Get ready for Fall -progress

Hello everyone,  this post is mostly photos.

I’ve made some progress on my list and I’ve got all month to keep working on it.  

I’m glad to hear I’ve encouraged some of you to do similar tasks in your home.

It’s really nice when the jobs are done,

But again, please don’t make yourself crazy doing too much.  

Breakfast room after - and yes, the windows need cleaned 

Pantry Before and after

September Challenge

good evening everyone
I’m working on my September list as well as a weekly cleaning list.
I’m making progress,  but it would be nice to just nod my head and accomplish it all, like the old I Dream Of  Jeanie tv show 😂

And just in case you think my entire home is already looking magazine-ready, 

Nope! 

The breakfast room is a bigger project.  

I did sew new valances  and I cleaned the hutch

I washed all the pottery that’s usually displayed there and it’s all still air drying and strewn out over a good part of the kitchen.  

So there is still plenty to do, but isn’t there always?  

And if your doing a September challenge with me,  do what you can but don’t make yourself crazy.  

Panera contest

https://www.quikly.com/panera/s/krYLEbDE?utm_content=blogger

September Home Challenge

After a busy August with lots of grandchildren days, our entire home is in need of cleaning and organizing just about every corner. It’s a bit overwhelming as it can’t all be done in a day or 2. 

So I made a list of everything I wanted to fix and was surprised it added up to 30- which is  also the number of days in September.  

So,  my plan is to work on least 1 area a day and by the end of September,  our home should be good shape again.  

I’m off to a good start as 3 of the areas are already back in order and another one is started.  

Before and after pictures below and I am rather embarrassed by them but I know everyone wants to see results.  

The last photo is the before of the messy breakfast room- it will look much different when I’m done.  

The month is just getting started- anyone else want to join me on this challenge? 

Get ready for Fall 

organization and clean up plan 

1. Back room desk

2. Back room closet 

3. Hall bath under sink cabinet

4. Hall linen cabinet

5. Toy room closet 

6. Sewing room closet

7. Sewing room fabric

8. Front closet

9. Hall book shelf

10. Hall dust photos

✅11. Dining room dust wall stuff✅

✅12. Dining room table top ✅

13. Laundry room cabinets

14. East hall- cabinet and hat rack 

15. MBR end tables

16. MBR vanity

17. MBR general declutter 

18. MBATH cabinets and wash curtains 

19. MCloset file cabinet 

20. MCloset my clothes 

21. MCloset Jeff’s clothes

22. Garage- sweep, spray and declutter

✅23. Tornado building- sweep, spray and declutter✅

24. Kitchen junk pantry

25. Kitchen big pantry

26. Kitchen upper cabinets

27. Kitchen lower cabinets

28. Kitchen drawers

29. Breakfast nook and hutch - started 

30. Living room tables & mantel 

Tornado shelter before and after 

(It’s an 8 foot square above ground concrete room in the backyard, rated to withstand and E5 tornado)

Dining room before and after