Friday, February 27, 2009

Flaunt Your Red

Nancy at Southern Lady is hosting a Flaunt Your Red party today. I love red so I thought it would be fun to join in and "flaunt my red".
Here is our red dining room.

Red pillows on the couch.
Red books on the mantle.
I painted the hutch in our kitchen red.

Sometimes I hang this red quilt I made on the wall in our front hall.
If you have time I'll make us a pot of tea in my red teapot. Some red hearts I made nestle in a white bowl.
Madeleine sits beside a red patchwork pillow.So that's just a little sample of some of the red in my house.
Make sure you stop by and visit Southern Lady to see lots blogs flaunting their red.
Hope you have a great weekend.
Rhondi xo







Thursday, February 26, 2009

Thankful Thursday

When it rains, it pours. Last week my sewing machine stopped working, the laptop crashed and needed a new hard drive, and our car began to make a weird noise which my husband suspects is a wheel bearing. Then tonight while the dishwasher was going we noticed a huge puddle of water on the kitchen floor and when we checked under the sink we saw that the pipe had totally come apart and we can't see any way to re attach it. It looks like a job for a plumber! Why do things always come all at the same time?

So what do I have to be thankful for today? I am thankful to have a sewing machine, a laptop, a car and a dishwasher . These are things that most of the world could never even imagine owning. I mean I have a machine that washes the dishes for me! And every day I am so thankful for an endless supply of clean drinking water and hot water right out of a tap.


Here are some others who are thankful today. If you visit them take time to leave a comment. I know they'd like to hear from you.
POSTED FROM HOME
BACKYARD NEIGHBOR
A SCRAPBOOK OF INSPIRATION
THE QUINTESSENTAIL MAGPIE
LIFE IN OUR PART OF THE WORLD
WALKING ON SUNSHINE
THE WILD RASPBERRY
BUCKET OF IDEAS
GROWTH IN GOD
So what are you thankful for today?

Rhondi xo

If I forgot to include you in the list today please let me know and I'll add your name.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Just The Robins And Me

One of the signs of spring is the robin. Today the robins are everywhere, hopping all over our front lawn, perched in the trees, nibbling on berries, chirping happily, and flitting all over the place. I don't know whether this particular group are just passing through or are here to stay, but the sound of their chirping is music to my ears and a sure sign of spring!
Today as I enjoy the robins out the window I am spending the day in my studio starting to design a quilt for a friend of mine. Today I get to enjoy my favorite part of quiltmaking: choosing the color and planning the design. So today it's just the robins and me . (The photos are not mine because I don't have my own computer back yet. )
Hope you have a chance, even for a few minutes, to do something you love to do today.
Rhondi xo

If you are planning on posting for Thankful Thursday tomorrow please let me know today. Thanks!



Tuesday, February 24, 2009

The Good Life

When looking at other blogs do you ever imagine that someone else's life is better than yours? I do. There are beautiful homes, some very creative, some very expensive. We read about how great someone's kids or how awesome their husband is. We read about exciting trips, or rewarding jobs, or amazing generosity. It is so easy to imagine someone else's life is much better than ours and become dissatisfied with our own life.

I am reading a book titled The Creative Call by Janice Elsheimer. She suggests making this decision and each day say: " I choose today to quench my thirst for the "good life" I think others are living by acknowledging the good that already exists in my own life."
That's what I'm doing today. Care to join me?

Rhondi xo

The picture I posted today has nothing to do with what I wrote about. I've just always liked it!

Monday, February 23, 2009

Just Some Fun

One of my favorite designers is McKenzie Childs. I got to hear a talk by Victoria McKenzie Childs several years ago and she was as colorful and delightful as the items they produce. This teapot is one of my favorites. I would love to own one some day.
By the way their studio is featured in the newest edition of the Where Women Create magazine.
I always thought the items they produced were pretty wild. Until I discovered Mary Rose Young. Look at the colors in this chandelier! It might not be your cup of tea, but isn't it cheerful and whimsical?



And how fun would it be to sip tea from these teacups?



Or have a cup of coffee from this mug...



This teapot looks like it would be right at home at the Mad Hatter's tea party!My laptop is being repaired so I am using a different computer. I can't download photos here or look up my favorites , or access my email address book. I feel very handicapped, but at least I was able to post something today even though I can't use my own photos.
I hope your week is off to a good start.
Rhondi xo

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Thankful Thursday


Good morning my dear friends
I am in good health, have a husband who loves me, children that I'm proud of, grandchildren that I adore, and a heavenly Father who loves me too. All very simple things to be thankful for today.
My laptop crashed so I don't have any photos to show and I wasn't able to email to see who is joining in today, so I'll just list the blogs from last week and hope they're participating again!


Sorry this is such a short post! I am thankful for each of you who read my blog and leave me such sweet comments. You are all dear to my heart.
I will be offline for a couple of days. Hope you have a great weekend. I am spending mine with my sister at the beach.

What are you thankful for today?

Rhondi xo

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Stimulus Shmimulus

Have you been watching the news?

Our government passed the economic stimulus bill on Friday. We were told how urgent it was to get it done as soon as possible . It was so urgent in fact that one of the senators who was attending his mother's funeral was flown back as soon as the funeral was over so he could vote!

Was part of the urgency the fact that Nancy Pelosi and 7 other democrats had a flight to Italy that night?

And if it was so urgent why is President Obama waiting until today to sign it ? And why is he signing it in Denver? Don't bills get signed in Washington?

What kind of representation do we have when NOBODY reads the entire bill.
THEY VOTED ON A BILL WHICH NO ONE HAD READ IN IT'S ENTIRETY!!!
How could they read? They received it at 11:00 PM to vote on the next day and it was over 1100 pages. Also, they received it in hard copy. Normally they can read it on their computers and can search keywords so if they don't read the entire thing they at least have a chance to check on key issues. They couldn't do that with this bill.

And one more thing, not one republican got to sit on the committee that drafted the bill! So much for bipartisanship.

Whatever happened to Obama's promise that they were going to take a look at everything "line by line" and that his administration was going to be open and above board about everything???

If I have offended you today with my tirade I'm not apologizing. I am outraged at how this administration is choosing to spend our money.

Speaking of money. We received a stimulus rebate check from the government already. At least we taxpayers are getting something out of this. Here's the check I received. I guess the only thing we are getting is the shaft.

Okay, I'm off my soapbox now. Thanks for listening! If you want to read the bill for yourself, you can find it here .

Rhondi xo

Monday, February 16, 2009

I Fake It Too!

This morning I visited Kim at Daisy Cottage and she gave me the courage to admit that I fake it too. Yes I confess that I often break one of the seven deadly sins of decorating. I use fake flowers . We all know how using fake flowers is a big no no in decorating. But after all it is my house and if I have to follow some set of rules then what's the fun?
So here are some of the fakes I'm using right now.
Paperwhites on a side table in the living room... Lily of the valley beside my bed...
Ranunculus in a bathroom.. Narcissus in the master bath...

Blue hydrangeas in the master bath...Gerbera daisies in my studio...Sometimes it is hard to tell when I'm faking it.
I think I'll go to Michaels tomorrow and buy a big bunch of forsythia. It's really easy to fake it with forsythia because they look very realistic.
So I'd be interested to know, do you fake it too? If you decide to do a post about it make sure you let me know!
Rhondi xo

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy Valentines Day

Some gifts for you today.....flowers... chocolates...

and a couple of journals...
Happy Valentines Day
Rhondi xo

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Thankful Thursday and OWOH Winner

Before I tell you what I am thankful for today I wanted to announce the winner for One World One Heart giveaway.
I used the random number generator this time and the winner is.....

The last giveaway I had was won by another Heidi! Thanks to all of you who entered.

Today I am thankful for the amazing church we go to. We just celebrated our 3 year anniversary and every Sunday there are around 5,000 people in attendance. Our pastor is only 29 years old and is an amazing young man. People are excited to come to church. We bring our neighbors, our co-workers, our friends, our family. This past Sunday the message was about getting involved as a volunteer and over 1,400 people signed up! The pastor's sermons are online every week too. If you want to find out more click here. It is so exciting to be going to a church where people's lives are getting changed, marriages are being restored, teenagers are inviting their friends. If you happen to live near Charlotte North Carolina, I invite you to come.

Here are the others joining in on Thankful Thursday today. Welcome to the new ones joining today. If I missed you please let me know right away and I'll add your name.


I am thankful for Elevation church. What are you thankful for today?
Rhondi xo

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

A Little Sunshine

Just a few blossoms to bring some sunshine into your day...


If the sun isn't shining where you are maybe this will cheer you a little bit!
Rhondi xo


Monday, February 9, 2009

Tea on the Porch

I've been sewing all morning on part of an applique quilt for our quilt guild raffle. Because I am handsewing it, it has taken me a very long time. I've finally finished it , so I'm going to take a break and make myself a cup if tea.
I've got a blue striped teacup and ...
a plate of my favorite chocolate covered digestive cookies which my sister brought from Canada. I just love them and we can't get them here!
I've set up a tray for tea, and prettied it up with a few daffodils picked from the garden.

It is an absolutely beautiful warm spring day here (sorry for all of you who still have snow on the ground) so I'm going to have my tea outside on the front porch. Maybe I'll read for a little while. After all those years growing up in Canada, it is still unbelievable to me that I can sit outside without a jacket on a February day.
Ah, this is the life!!
If you care to join me, I'll go and get another teacup. I made a big pot of tea just in case you had time to stay awhile.
Rhondi xo



Thursday, February 5, 2009

Thankful Thursday

Every Thursday I post about something I am thankful for. This year I decided to write down 5 things I am thankful for before I go to bed each night. The things I write down seem so trite, so small : food, safety, health, provision, a roof over my head etc. But when I really take a few minutes and think about them, they are really big things, which I take for granted. We all do. Even with the economy in turmoil, we are still so much better off than probably 95% of the rest of the world.

So today I am thankful for the life that I have, warts and all.

Take a few minutes and visit these blogs. All of them have written about what they are thankful for today. It will encourage you. And if you'd like to join us, just let me know.









What are you thankful for today?


Rhondi xo

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

You never know...

I love living in North Carolina. Since I grew up in Canada, it is particularly exciting for me when I see flowers blooming in February. Here is what was blooming yesterday.





But spring canbe a little unpredictable and you never know whatthe weather might do. This was the hellebore yesterday. And here it is this morning, covered in an inch of snow which fell overnight!

You never know what the next day holds....Hope you enjoy this day.
Rhondi xo