Blogidays December 5- wreaths, estate sale, a little food and a question

Hello everyone 

Long time readers of this blog may remember by brother makes fresh Christmas wreaths every year.  Here are a few of the ones from the past years 

past wreaths

He delivered 3 to my house yesterday

This is the one on our front door 

These 2 belong to other relatives and have already been sent to their homes

 

Ducky approves of the wreaths.  They smell so good!  

I cook most every night but last night we thought about takeout and then decided to just cook 2 very easy convenience foods 

This morning,  I did a little food prep.  

I made a salad and a small box of sandwich toppings.  I also cooked a big batch of rice as my son requested some so he could make fried rice.  

I cook converted rice in a Zojirushi rice cooker that we’ve had since 1989.  It only cooks rice but we like how it cooks rice where it is not sticky.  

We will have fried rice later this week too.  

This afternoon,  I found out about an estate sale for my aunt’s cousin.  My son and I waited until it was almost over to go.  We wanted to avoid crowds ( and we did) and we neither need much but we knew there was nice stuff there. Everything was half price of the marked price 

For $12.50 I got all these disposable party goods.....

 

This really nice kids puzzle set with 4 puzzles.  The pieces are quite thick and sturdy. .....

  

I worked them all when I got home to see what the puzzles looked like and if all the pieces were included.  

We also got a hard cover book, set of metal coasters that my son will use  under small plant pots and 10 stemmed glasses that will work for desserts or drinks.  (No photos of those 3 items)

And do any of you happen to know the name or brand of this vintage baby doll? 

Have a good weekend everyone 

❤️ Rhonda 

Blogidays December 4- cinnamon ornaments and meals

Hello everyone 

2 grands were with us over 2 days.

We tried making cinnamon applesauce ornaments 

There are lots of recipes and variations on Pinterest if you want to try them 

The basic recipe is just cinnamon and applesauce.  We added some other spices that were getting old and some school glue 

 

When the mixture is all mixed up, roll it out, cut with a cookie cutter and use a straw to add a hole for hanging 

 

Then either bake them or air dry.  Ours are air drying.  I flipped them this morning so they would dry on both sides and some of the ones we rolled too thin broke.  

But they do smell delicious and we had fun making them.  

Supper last night was beef tacos and chicken tacos. 

These Soft Tortilla Bowls cost more than traditional taco shells or tortillas but they make taco eating so easy! 

Breakfast was what the boys asked for- pancakes and bacon 

Lunch was vegetable beef soup, grilled cheese and orange slices 

There is a slight possibility that public schools in our town will open on an A/B schedule next week.  

But who knows?  The Covid numbers are bad but there was some glitch in how they were reported so they look worse that they really are.  🤷🏻‍♀️

That’s how we spent the last 24 hours or so........ I’m a homebody but I’m really ready for this pandemic to be over! 

❤️ Rhonda 

Blogidays December 3 - Dollar Tree, fruit and a few replies

Hello everyone 

Outdoor decorations from the side- it’s been raining most of today and I didn’t want to walk in the very wet grass to get a centered photo 

The red and green thing that’s circled is a sign that says Merry Christmas 

And the other circle is Ducky, our dog, checking out the decorations 

Errands this morning were a stop at Dollar Tree.  They had so much cute Christmas stuff- roll wrap, gift bags and containers for food gifts. 

I bought placemats- they are navy and will be just right in the breakfast room with the navy check curtains. 

They look blackish but really are navy in real life. 

At Sprouts we bought red grapes and giant naval oranges.  Both were on sale for .98 a pound. 

I washed the grapes and then cut them into little bunches- perfect to grab for a snack serving. 

I learned this tip from my Aunt Bernice way back when my children were little and have fixing grapes this way ever since.  

A few replies 

Terri

 about that raisin bread in the ABM not rising enough- I think the dough was heavy as I put quite a few raisins and pecans in.  I think it needed longer to rise than whatever time the machine allowed.  But thankfully the bread was still delicious!  

Cheryl

4 of the light up wall pictures were purchased at Aldi several years ago.  They use AA batteries and have switch to turn them off and on. They are easy to store away and they just stack up flat and sit on a shelf.   I really like them but no actual decorator would ever approve.  Thankfully, no real decorators ever come to my house 😂 

Lana-  I did get the email about my chopper being recalled and I started to jump through their hoops to get a replacement.  But I decided I’d be more likely hurting myself destroying the recalled chopper than I would just using it carefully.  

Melanie

it was warm the day we put the outdoor decorations in the yard.  Our weather has been all over the place- we’ve had some hard freezes,  some very windy days, and today it’s been raining off and on all day.  But mostly it’s been quite pleasant all autumn.  

Hope you’re all having a good Thursday 

❤️ Rhonda 

Blogidays December 2

Hello everyone 

Below is a video how the twinkle lights look in our living room early in the morning - my favorite time to sit with a mug of hot tea snd just enjoy the decorations 

Some of the grands were here yesterday.  They did virtual school in the morning with their mom and then spent the afternoon here.

They helped Grandpa with his decorations in the front yard.  

My husband picks the outdoor decorations and I do the indoor decorations 

I’ll show a photo of them in their final arrangement all lit  up soon.  

I had a helper when to peel carrots and potatoes for supper.

She counted out the vegetables so we both had the same amount peel.  But I’ve peeled a lot of veggies in my 50 or so years of cooking.  

She was amazed how fast I could peel.   I ended up peeling most of both piles but she did work hard.  I assured her she would pick up speed if she kept practicing. 

This roast beef supper was shared by 3 families - my daughter’s family, my parents and us - and there were enough leftovers for my husband and I to enjoy today.  

The first of the month means going over bills and what we plan to spend and budget for.

We don’t have many bills and I keep track of finances in a binder, with a sheet of paper for each month.

I worked out the December budget yesterday morning.  

Merry Christmas everyone 🎄

❤️ Rhonda 

Blogidays December 1- to do list

Hello everyone and welcome to Blogiday #1.  I did a Google search and saw many variations of  Blogmas and Blogidays and I like the name  “blogidays” best so I’m  going to call it that.  

I made a pretty to do list and I’m happy to say, that we’ve already marked a few things off after I took the photo 2 hours ago. 

Supper is going to be a roast, inspired by Kim at http://outmywindowtoday.blogspot.com/

I think I’ll cook the roast with ingredients where it makes a gravy while it cooks.

I’ll slice the carrots and bake them and make mashed potatoes but use homemade chicken broth when mashing instead of milk and butter. 

Early this morning, I had some hot tea and did some Bible reading.  December is the perfect month to read Luke,  if you’re looking for a place to read. 

Now husband is having a late breakfast of toasted raisin bread from yesterday. 

I had a blueberry smoothie.  

Have a great Monday everyone 

❤️ Rhonda