life as a stay at home mom

Making banana pancakes

2012-01-26T19:13:00.000-06:00

This little one was feeling under the weather and so I took the week off. On Monday we made banana pancakes. She was eager to get her cooking gear on and get to work. Christyn wanted her picture taken...I guess she wanted some sort of documentation that she alone made pancakes. I was surprised how well she did flipping pancakes off the hot griddle. I have totally enjoyed my week with her. We spent quite a bit of time working on her numbers and she even was introduced to addition problems this week. She did awesome. I thought it would be way beyond her level, but she insisted. It is funny how I can underestimate the capabilities of a 4 yr old when she is so obviously willing to learn. Lets just say this kid is eager and I forget I have all these hours in the day to teach her just by completing daily routines. Simple things... like how many cups of pancake mix do we need to make 2 batches of pancakes. Not only did she get to learn some addition, but I got to eat some of her amazing pancakes...Yummy!
My two oldest kids were playing basketball this season and had their last game yesterday. My son has already started wrestling season and is now ready to turn all his attention to that. Today he came home excited he pinned one of the high school boys. I never have been much of a wrestling fan, but my son has found his calling and it is a joy to watch him do something he loves, not to mention he is really good at. He will be competing in both school and community wrestling matches this year. He should get lots of practice between the both. He is also volunteering himself to help out with the high school team. He gets thrown around quite a bit by the high school boys, but still loves it.
I haven't done much crafting these days, between illnesses, games, and extra activities, it is hard to find the time. I have had an itching to get back into more of a full routine. I really am anxious to break out the clay and get back to work.
I guess I should go and get some dinner on before I have 4 kids lined up at the office door.
Until next time,
Rhonda

Lester is in the house

2011-12-04T21:21:00.000-06:00

This year we have decided to join in on the latest frenzy of Elf on the Shelf. On the last week of November my kids and I were all snuggled in my bed feeling a little under the weather and I thought it was the perfect time to introduce Elf on the Shelf to my kids. Brandon read us the story and by the time he finished we had named our visitor, "Lester". Lester has been on quite the rampage since his debut. In the last four days he has managed to vandalize our family chalk board, move dad's clothes to Rachael's closet, helped himself to the candy dish, and toilet papered our Christmas tree. This was all in fun...I'm sure. All of my kids have found some entertainment in the whole escapade. By far the best part of Lester's visits is seeing the kids wake up in shock and looking forward to what he'll do next. I hope I can continue to document Lester's wild side, but I won't keep any promises....
Until next time,
Rhonda

Corn shucking babies

2011-08-13T22:42:00.000-05:00

Let's see, well, things have been slowly progressing with my husbands arm and so he is still not working full time hours. Some weeks he doesn't even get to work at all. The last 2 weeks have been just that, him not working. He had an outpatient procedure this Thursday to take the pins out of his wrist. I hope this is just one step closer to this all being over with. The bone still isn't healing in the arm and may need a bone graph if we don't see some changes in the next few weeks. There is a whole lot of praying going on in the house right now. I'm not sure what we would do if he had to be out of work for another 6mos. Anyways, it's in the Lords hands and I have faith he will not give us more than we can bare.

Wednesday our air conditioner quit working and we needed to have it serviced. The guy said he would be over on Thursday morning before the husband went in for surgery. Wednesday was also scout night and my primary meeting. I was asked to prepare sharing time for this week and wasn't sure if I could handle one more thing on my plate this week, but I agreed to do it anyways. On Thursday morning we got a call the corn was ready and could we come pick it. Oh great! The one thing I didn't want to do today was put up corn for hours. The kid and my husband went and picked corn and got back about 9:45 and at that time we got a call from the surgeon saying he was running ahead of schedule and could my husband be in at 11am instead of noon. Sure, hurry up and call my mother-in-law and she took him up there early. I was going to be stuck in the house all day putting up corn. Sometimes I wonder if it is worth all the work to prepare and can your own garden. I really love the stuff, but wish sometimes it was on my schedule and not mother natures. The kids did all the work shucking corn and that really helped. I didn't particularly love being up until 5am, but such is life. One of my daughters had a birthday party to go to, so I did some running while my son kept an eye on the girls. I think that is the first time I have ever left him alone to babysit. I really don't feel right about it. He said it was fine, but I really don't think kids need to babysit their siblings. I gave birth to these kids not him and he shouldn't have the responsibility of taking care of the little ones. Well, they all survived and the house wasn't burnt down when I got home. The two older kids started school on Friday and that was crazy. Why in the world does this stupid school start on a Friday and then to top it off they let the kids out at 1:45. One more thing that irritates me about this school. Rachael had a dentist appt. at 8am on Friday morning, so I didn't even get to see the kids off to school. The two little girls and I went grocery shopping after the dentist and I was so tired I could barely think. I felt like life was moving in slllooowww motion. I really was not prepared to be up all night doing corn. The guys had a Scout camp out on Friday night. They packed up and headed out after Brandon got home from school. The girls and I had dinner and cleaned up the basement all day on Friday. I have been working in the basement on and off all summer. I wanted to finally finish going through things and get it finished. I didn't quite make it. I woke up today and finished moving the last pieces of furniture and hung up a few pics and moved the treadmill. It really looks so much better down there. I wonder why I didn't do all this cleaning and de-cluttering sooner. The guys came home this afternoon and said they had an awesome time at the campout. I am so grateful each week for the decision we made to move wards and scout troops. My boys are just so much happier and are really making friends with these guys. It's late and I still need to finish up my sharing time, so it's off to work I go. Hope next week slows down just a tad.

Rhonda

Cannonballs

2011-07-19T09:26:00.002-05:00

I spent yesterday with my mom and my son. We went to the Buckle and picked up Brandon some school shirts and did a little shopping at Old Navy. My mom treated us to Chinese for lunch. We also went to the new Harry Potter movie. I was not a fan of 7 part 1 it was a little slow and I realize it was all to build up to part 2, so I wasn't expecting much going into this. It was a great ending to the series. There was plenty of fighting and graphics which my son and I love. My mom on the other hand has never seen a Harry Potter movie. We have the books and movies, but I never offered them to her because I know she has a strong fear of snakes. The snakes never occurred to me when we took her. She freaked out a few times but she was a real trooper. There were a few times I looked over at her to make sure she wasn't experiencing heart failure.

The kid and I came home after the movie and it was still 103 degrees outside. A few of the kids decided to jump into the pool and go for a swim. I captured a few pictures of Rachael and her cannonballs and the other two harassing each other, just like always. I couldn't find the youngest for a while. I finally found her sound asleep on the couch. That kid fell asleep at 6pm and slept through the night. I guess these HOT summer days tuckered her all out.

Hope y'all are enjoying your Hot summer days,

Rhonda

Night time drives and Grilled goodness

2011-07-11T14:48:00.003-05:00

Saturday morning I packed up my son and his belongings and shipped him off to scout camp. This year they were leaving at 4:30am which meant we needed to be up early. The night before we went to some friends house and had a BBQ and some backyard activities. Needless to say, I think we were both feeling a little tired come 3am on Saturday morning. I am so excited for him to be with a few friends and have some fun. He signed up for all the boring badges this year, but I hope his wise choices will help him advance quickly to where he wants to be. After I dropped him off I headed over to my mom's and went with her to do some grocery shopping. She treated me to breakfast afterwards. We sat in Arby's and ate breakfast and did some chit chatting. It was nice to have some time to just hang out. I went swimming the day before and was so badly burnt it was hard for me to enjoy much of anything. My mom felt guilty that I was sitting there spending time with her when I was feeling so miserable. The truth is I would never trade my time with my mom for anything. I know that the time we are given with our loved ones can all be ended in the blink of an eye. I treasure my time with my family, they really are the greatest.

After a lovely day with my mom I came home and took a nap. My husband took the kids up to the farm and came home around 5pm. We decided to take a night drive to see the deer up around the farm. I put some fish and shrimp on the grill and then we packed up the car and grabbed the binoculars and headed out for our drive. Everything is so green and lush right now. We spotted over 30 deer that night. I never did get lucky enough to capture any bucks on the camera, but the sweetest little fawn was right next to the road peeking through some brush. I think they might be some of my favorite pictures I have ever taken.

On Sunday, I received a phone call from one of the bishopric and he asked if I could be to church a little early today. I had to kind of chuckle. If anyone knows me I just can't seem to get any where on time let alone early. Sure I can try and make it. A few minutes later and the phone rings again...same person, this time he wants my husband. My husband wasn't planning on being at church and I had one 6yr old who was bound and determined to stay in bed that morning. After the phone call my husband said he had to be at church today. I was now running late so I took the other girls and headed out the door. I left my husband with the fussy 6yr old and about half way to church realized my husband has a broken arm and can't button his pants or shirts without me. At least he would have the help of the 6yr old, Right. I finally got to church I was even early, it was a miracle. The bishop asked to meet with me and called me to the primary presidency. I am so excited and I just absolutely love the primary. I also teach the Youth Sunday School class. I realize I totally have my work cut out for me now. It's funny how things in my life seem to slow down for just a week or two and then so much more falls into my lap.

Grilled lemon pepper tilapia and bacon wrapped shrimp.
Summer time sweetness in a bowl. The perfect mid-day snack.

Rhonda

4th of July

2011-07-11T13:38:00.002-05:00

Sunday after church we headed over to my mom's. I packed up some sandwiches, tortellini salad, potato salad, baked beans, and a fruit salad. We went over to the park and played for a while. We didn't stay long. It was so hot and humid out that we had our picnic in mom's kitchen. My little brother showed up and ate dinner with us and we played a game of phase 10. At about 9:15 we headed out to find a spot to watch the city firework display. It was really nice to spend some time with my mom and brother.

We spent the 4th in our little town watching the parade, swimming in the pool, playing at the farm, and shooting fireworks at Grandma and Grandpa's. Not to much excitement, besides the occasional firework that went a stray while Phil was lighting them up at the farm. Wade's cousin's husband and his dad almost caught fire. I think we all were wondering who gave that guy a punk, for sure he did not have a license to shoot off fireworks. It was funny watching us all jump to our feet in fear, or that smoke bomb that smoked us right out of our chairs. At some point I think we should have passed out gas masks before the show and maybe a fire extinguisher on hand would have been a good idea. I made a few strawberry pies for the festivities and it was all gone by the time we packed up and headed home. My husband's cousin and her husband were able to be here and enjoy some of the festivities with us. They have had their motor home parked down the street from us. I think my kids love having them as neighbors. It seems, Rachael just assumes she can just go and visit any time she likes.

Rhonda

Tools of the trade

2011-06-28T08:21:00.003-05:00

So, I was in the garage last night working away on sanding another piece of furniture, when I see my 3 yr old pick up a garden hose nozzle and she starts making funny noises with it. I realize she is mimicking her mama. She is just working away with her pretend electric sander and making that piece of furniture look beautiful. I truly hope she does grow up and want to learn all that I know. I hope she enjoys the process of hard work and the joys of something she created with her own two hands.

Yep, that means there are tons of projects going on over here. I have a few days of free time and my to-do list for myself is ever growing, so this week I am going to get as much done as possible. I just wonder why I can work on everyones furniture, but when it comes time for my own I lose interest fast. I have quite a bit that I would like to accomplish. I am working on 4 shelving units right now and then I have a sofa curio cabinet that I would like to paint white. I also have been dreaming of getting to my bedroom furniture, so I guess we will see how far I get this week with all the holiday festivities in between.

My husband is anxiously awaiting to get the staples out of his arm on Friday. I hope everything looks good enough for them to do that. Our church is having an outdoor activity day at the lake on Friday, so I'm sure it would be nice for him to have a better cast on and be able to finally take a shower. I think he just plans on sitting and fishing anyways. I on the other hand, looking forward to some volleyball and maybe even getting to throw the football around with my son. It will be nice to have a day to hangout with my new ward. I teach the 12-18 yr olds at church and I hope this activity might help me get to know some of these kids on a casual basis. I love my calling, but it is quite a challenge to try and get through to a bunch of kids who just want to sleep, talk, or goof around. It's funny, when I was their age I was soaking up the gospel and was interested in everything that was being taught. Some of those guys might respect me more once they see how far I can throw a football. HA HA HA!

Rhonda

A little down time with some fishin' in the dark

2011-06-23T11:51:00.005-05:00

June is almost over and it hasn't felt much like summer at all. The weather has been terrible, I'm working like crazy with no vacation in sight, and my husband just had another arm surgery on Monday. We are looking at 4-6 months of recovery before he can finally use his hand. Today, I came home from work and he was up and outside yelling at our kids. My son asked me, "Why can't the doctor put dad on drugs that make him happy, like they did for you when your back went out?". Yep, I was one happy camper, my kids said I would have let them do anything, because I was so out of it. My husband on the other hand has been a little grumpy these days, but the good thing is he is sleeping a lot, so we really don't have to put up with him too much. He is going to be out of work for at least 3 weeks which means, I better find him something to do or there is a possibility he might strangle some children.

I've signed up for 3 craft shows so far this year and I am finally getting motivated to get something done. I've been so busy that I haven't had much creative time. All this creativity in my head is ready to be unleashed or quite possibly my head will explode.

We have done some fishing occasionally on weekends this summer. Sitting out on the lake or river has honestly been something I look forward to. It's quiet, I'm with my family, and the scenery is breathtaking, really what more could a girl ask for. I like to take a my weekly lesson with me or a magazine and just lounge around and relax. I usually don't have good luck on the lake, but I have caught some nice ones on the river.

Rhonda

Ballet recitals

2011-06-02T15:50:00.006-05:00

How pitiful that the last time I blogged was on the day the movie Gnomio and Juliet came to theaters, and now that movie has been released on dvd. There really is no excuse for not blogging. No matter how busy life gets, or how many jobs I seem to be taking on, I just need to dedicate myself to jotting down a few things now and again. I look at my blog right now and it seems like chunks of my life are missing or someone hit delete randomly.

My kids are out for the summer and my sister and her husband will be here in a few days to spend some time with us on summer break. I was looking forward to the slower pace of summer and taking some time to spend with my family, but I took on more jobs than I can handle right now and it is starting to look like my summer vacation will not be so much of a vacation.

My husband broke his arm on Easter weekend and had to have surgery. He is a maintenance mechanic for a medical supply company and can't work with a broken arm. I had jobs coming my way and rather than turn them down I took on all of them...what in the world was I thinking. It has proven to be physically impossible for me to paint 6-8hrs. a day, come home and take care of kids and then head out to the garage for more painting, editing photos in the wee hours of the night and then shooting on the weekends. I still have some of my art and craft things on consignment in local stores and I'm trying to prepare for the next craft show. I realize I need to cut something out of my schedule, but what?

The worst news came yesterday when my husband had a follow up at the doctor and they found out his tendon in his wrist is torn and he needs to go back in for surgery this month. He might not be able to work until sometime in August. So, yeah, I'm kinda panicking!

On a happy note, my six year old is performing in her first ballet recital tonight and all weekend. She's feeling a little nervous, but when I watched her perform yesterday I couldn't help but feel excited for her. She is very talented and I hope she decides to stick with this.

Rhonda

Movie Day

2011-03-07T14:55:00.004-06:00

The girls had an extended weekend and we went to see Gnomeo and Juliet. We had a great time and the movie was pretty cute. Christyn had a hard time staying in her seat without it folding up on her. The best part of our day out was the fact that we had the theatre all to ourselves. A few times Christyn looked over at me and smiled and said "I love this movie".

I have always had a fascination with Gnomes and how whimsical they are. I once wrote a short story in 5th grade about a Gnome, unicorn, and some trolls. The movie was packed full of inspiration for some new clay characters. My favorite character in the movie had to be Shroomie, the pet mushroom to Gnomeo. Anyhoo, I have to get back to work. I haven't got much done today, since the kids have a snow day.

Rhonda

Pics from Denver

2011-02-26T23:13:00.002-06:00

Finally, downloaded some pics from my trip to Denver. I didn't take very many on my camera. I mostly shot with my mom's little point and shoot. I still need to go over to her house and help download her camera and copy the pics to a disc. I simply love looking at the pics and remembering what an amazing time we had....short, but amazing.

So, my kids are sick again and all I have been doing is laying around the house. I did manage to get a little work in this week and that felt good. Today, I have the fever and sore throat and haven't done much else than sleep. I'm so ready for spring and all the warmth and sunshine. I just want to open my windows and let the breeze blow through. I've been having fantasies of sitting on my deck with a glass of lemonade and my art journal, while I watch the kids run around the backyard barefoot. I know it won't be long...just getting a little impatient.

The famous Red Rocks. My little brothers local training spot.
Downtown Denver at night. I love this city....the active people....the night life....the art, literally everywhere. I sure wish I lived closer to this lifestyle. My soul craves it.... my heart is happy when I am in the city. All the Christmas lights were still hanging and that sure added to the beauty and made it feel almost magical.....I could have walked the downtown streets all night.

Rhonda

It's been a long time

2011-01-27T21:54:00.004-06:00

I can't believe it has been two months since my last post. Crazy, how time flies. It really didn't feel that long. I have been posting projects over at my other blog, so if you are interested in seeing what I've been up to then check out Toadstool Cottage.

On to the last two months of my life. Spent Christmas at home this year and it was great. I did get to see my brothers and my mom and that was also great. My sister didn't make the trip this year, but hopefully we will be seeing her sometime this summer. New Years resolutions are going, but not as good as I imagined, so stepping up the work hours and getting in more running time next week. I was released from my Primary calling at church and had mixed feelings of joy and sadness. I loved working with the ladies in the presidency and the kids were totally awesome. I love that I have more time to spend with my own family and with work. I am surprised I have not received a new calling as of yet, but I'm not complaining. I am loving my work right now and excited for the new year ahead of me. I signed up for a local spring craft show and have a few other things in the works for consignment. Basketball season is almost over for my son and I know he will be all to excited when it is finally over.

I have been having some problems with the school lately and plan on speaking at the next school board meeting. My son is in 7th grade and came home two weeks ago and told me they were viewing a rated R movie in history. I was so furious. My son said he could not view the movie and had to sit outside the room. He felt like such an outcast. I am so proud of him, though. I know he will be blessed for the decision he made. What really made me upset was after two days they finally told the teacher she could not play the movie. Her words that she shared with the class after is what really got me angry. She said " she didn't care because she will be playing the movie next year.". I wish someone would have sent me a permission form or something before they planned on watching the movie. I would have kept my son home from school or picked him up during that period. Anyways, I will me taking my complaints to the board and pray that they all have values and see my side of things and are willing to make some changes before the rest of my kids are in this teacher's class.

I'm heading to Denver in the morning and I am totally excited. Just, me and my mom on a road trip to see my brother and his wife. Erika has a painting on exhibit and we really want to go check it out. Little brothers birthday is tomorrow and I baked him a German chocolate cake (his favorite) to celebrate. I better finished getting packed and get in the shower some time before midnight. I will be sure to post pictures when I get back.

Rhonda

A Thanksgiving to be Grateful for

2010-11-27T20:20:00.003-06:00

Just a few things I have to be grateful for this year.

1. Beautiful healthy babies

2. A peaceful home to live in

3. My loving Savior

4. My talents which always seem to amaze even me

5. Courage and Determination

6. Accomplished dreams

7. Food in the cupboards

8. Paid bills

9. Our jobs

10. Family that loves me no matter what

11. The news of a new baby

12. My van fixed because it has been hard to live without it

13. The first stages of building a new home

14. This one might sound petty, but I am so grateful for a camera to help preserve all of our family memories. I am always amazed at the pictures of my children and how much they have grown.

There is so much to be grateful for this year. We had a relaxed Thanksgiving this year, which was awesome. I love it when we can go chill and just enjoy our family. We spent Thanksgiving day with my husband's family and then on Friday I fixed dinner and took it to my mom's. My husband did the black Friday shopping, so I was lucky enough to sleep in every day this break. I did do some Christmas shopping on Saturday and found everything I needed and a little extra, super sweet. It is a relief to think I am finished with the shopping part. This years shopping was so mush less stress then the previous years. We have decided to give our children two gifts this year and that is it. It for sure made everything easier for me. I hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving this year also.

Rhonda

Sweet Cousins

Goodbye Halloween - Hello Christmas

2010-11-04T23:25:00.005-05:00

One more week and I can finally breathe. I have been preparing for a craft show for months now and I am totally excited. I do hope I can prepare a little better for up coming shows. After this I should know what to expect and if it will be worth my time in the future. The kids and I have all been sick the last week and I am ready to be over it. The kids were out of school since last Friday and we have all been laying around sleeping and watching movies while I try and pack in the hours before next week. I sent all the kids back to school today and we will now be playing some catch-up with all the homework.

The kids are finished with all their Trick-or-Treat candy and I will no longer be tempted by the buckets of candy laying around the house. Now I'm yelling at everyone every five minutes to pick up the wrappers. No one in this house can seem to find a trash can. This year the kids dressed up for a church party and played some games. I think they had fun. Rachael was a Cupcake princess, Christyn was a precious Chef, Liz was a fifties chic, and Brandon was a last minute Indiana Jones. Thank goodness Halloween is over, because now we can concentrate on the other Holidays around the corner. I have read some blogs and facebook posts lately stating how they are dreading the holidays and how they are so commercial. I would just like to say anything is only as commercialized as you make it. I love Christmas. I love spending time with my family, snuggling up with my little ones when they are on school break. I love visitors and baking and especially celebrating the birth of our loving Savior, Jesus Christ. I'm all for celebrating Christmas all year round, in fact I am already crankin' up the Christmas tunes and looking forward to the days ahead. I know what you are thinking (are you for reals) , well yes I am. Actually, I am celebrating by hosting a little give-away over at Toadstool Cottage. You better hop on over there and check it out.

And one more note. My oober talented sister-in-law (Erika Jessop) has a painting entered in a contest and would love your vote. Check out her work Passing Notes and vote for her.

Rhonda

Visit from the Toothfairy

2010-10-06T11:55:00.003-05:00

My baby is not a baby anymore. The first sure sign your little ones are growing up is finding out they lost their first tooth. There is something adorable about a kid with no teeth, not so adorable when your gumming your food and your like over the age of 12. The tooth fairy was again very unprepared when she hit our house, but thank goodness her helper picked up the new Tinkerbell movie or else the Tooth Fairy would have been in some serious trouble. I can't tell you how many times the Tooth Fairy has come to our house and slapped a big IOU under someones pillow. In the age of bank cards and no checks accepted, the Tooth Fairy is for sure one gal who forgot to stop by her local ATM to make a withdraw the other night. Rachael loved her new movie and all was well in the Tooth Fairy world.
Today we are off to watch Brandon's last football game of the season and then it's the Wednesday nights blues...scouts, YW, grocery shopping, picking up some gas for my mom's mower, and mailing the bills...boo hooo blues.
Tomorrow is meetings with the state to see how Christyn is doing and Parent teacher conferences. Think I might get some real work done in the evening, but right now there are no guarantees. I have to squeeze in a Sharing Time plan somewhere this week and maybe that will be Thursday night.
Sent in the paper work for my first ever craft show. Now, here is something to be excited about. Well, I guess right now, I am the only one who is really all that excited. I have really been wanting to do this for a long time and I am still pinching myself to make sure it is all really happening. At this point I don't care how much sells, I am just proud of myself for accomplishing something on my dreams-to-do list. (Here's where I give myself a giant pat on the back)
Not much else for news these days, so until the next time I feel the sudden urge to explode myself on my blog, you know where I'll be. (cleaning house, painting something, covered in clay, driving cross country to get to scouts, cooking dinner, changing diapers, often at the same time, cleaning snotty noses, washing Hunting clothes, scrapbooking, helping with homework, grocery shopping, doing the dishes Whaaaa, vacuuming food off the couch, cleaning toilets, and whining at my husband how hard it is to be a stay-at-home mom and him just not getting a clue.
Rhonda

September happenings

2010-09-28T23:17:00.007-05:00

It's no secret that September is possibly the worst month for me to get any thing done, but the month brings tones of excitement. We celebrate 3 kids birthdays, my mother's birthday, and my mother-in-law's birthday. There are countless school activities, boy scouts start, and this year my eldest daughter started young women. There was one celebration this month that was not of the ordinary and that is, my little brother (Brandon Jessop) was inducted into his high school Hall of Fame. What an honor it was to be there and watch him be presented with the award. Our family is so very proud of all that he has accomplished not only in his high school days, but today, as well. I am honored and proud to call this man my brother.
Actually, I have wonderful siblings. Both of my brothers are awesome and would do anything to stand up for what is right. My sister is amazingly smart and never gives her self credit for that. I admire her willingness to give. I also have some pretty terrific sibling in-laws. So, here are some photos to help sum up the excitement from this month.

my brother accepting his award
My son marching in the band

My son's first football game

The girls baking birthday cakes

Until next time,
Rhonda

My new blog

2010-08-27T10:24:00.003-05:00

It's been a long time since I posted something to my blog. This last month I have been working like a crazy lady trying to finish a bathroom makeover, re-finish some furniture, and get some crafting done for a local craft show. I also, have been working on a new blog that I am totally pumped about.
I have been researching names for a title, that could also serve as my business name. It took me forever to learn the new blogger and get everything just the way I wanted it. There are still some minor adjustments to do, like create my own header and edit some text size, but over all I am really happy with it. I hope that this new blog will serve as a creative outlet for me and will have less of my everyday drama in it. I really want to inspire others to be creative. Sure hope you all will take some time to hop on over to my new blog (Toadstool Cottage) and check it out. So, until next time.

Rhonda

Rent-a-son

2010-07-07T23:14:00.006-05:00

I was cleaning house today and noticing how exceptionally quiet it has been around here. The girls have not been crying and fighting and I have not yelled at anyone in days. With that note I must say I miss my son very much. I really am so bored without him here. There has been way to much girlie crafting, dress-up, candyland and many more princess games, and lets not mention the movies lately. I don't think I can handle one more Barbie movie. I think his dad misses him even more. Sunday after church the girls dressed dad up with glitter fabric and they were dancing around my mom's living room to Hilary Duff. My husband had that glitter in his beard for days. Started wondering if we could hire a rent-a-son for the week, just so things would seem a little more normal. 12 year old boy needed to terrorize 3 girls, drive one mother crazy, and driving along with one dad looking for deer.
I did take the girls to the park for a while, yesterday. Today it was raining, so we didn't get outside. I am counting down the days to play bionicles with my son and watch some good action movies and when I say action, I'm not talking Barbie 3 musketeers. Okay, this is a little selfish, but what I really miss is him taking out the trash, putting the dishes away, killing spiders, and most of all, running up and down the stairs to retrieve things, so this LAZY mom doesn't have to. I am anxiously counting down the days until Saturday.
Rachael has a play date tomorrow. It will be more dress-up and polly pockets, I'm sure. Liz has been working on a fashion design book all week and I get to give my expert advice (NOT) when needed. Then there's Christyn, she spends her days destroying anything in her path. I feel like I spend the day just following her around with a broom, a trash bag, and Clorox wipes. You just gotta love a busy toddler.
This Saturday starts my big adventure at my mom's house. She had textured wallpaper hanging in her bathroom and decided she didn't like it very much, so she tore it down. When the paper came off the wall, so did some of the drywall. I will be spending the weekend patching drywall and putting texture on the walls. Then next week I am tearing out the carpet and laying tile (really, why do people ever lay carpet in bathrooms). This will be my first time working with grout, so wish me luck, I think I'm really going to need it with this bathroom make-over. My mom and I went shopping on Monday and picked out the tile and some paint samples. We also went to Target and found a shower curtain and towels. I have some great ideas for accessories. We might also be changing out some lighting, so this will be a big project for both of us. I hope everything turns out pleasing to her. I'm really excited to get started. Those are not the only projects going on either. I just tore apart two chairs and I am ready to paint and upholster them. The chairs cost like $5 for both, but I am sure they are going to look FAB with white paint and white cotton duck fabric. I really wanted to use linen, but this mom is not crazy. I know my kids would just destroy them in weeks.

Rhonda

Gearing up for the 4th

2010-07-01T20:27:00.002-05:00

Brandon is packed and ready for a week at Boyscout Camp. He will be gone for an entire week and over the holiday. This is the longest time I will be away from him. I am so excited for him and hope he has a great time. He almost did not get to go this year. I am so grateful for his friend Logan's, dad. He volunteered to be Brandon's chaperon, so he could go. I am going to miss this kid Bigtime. Last night we were sitting watching a movie and he gave me a foot message. What a great kid I have. Don't get me wrong he has his moments, but for the most part he really is a great kid.
Spent today cleaning and changing some things around in the house. We plan on attending a outdoor play tomorrow night and my mom is coming over this weekend, so I wanted the house ready for the holiday. We are not going to be doing much this 4th of July. My mom has a teenage neighbor boy who spent over $500 on fireworks. I'm sure we will have our bums planted on the curb in front of her house in AWE. Mom said he set one off the other day and the house shook. It's funny how frugal we become in our old age. I get upset with my husband when he spends more than $50 on fireworks. I can't imagine being a teenage kid and spending my summer working a job just to spend my entire paycheck on fireworks. Non the less, I'm glad this kid bought the fireworks and invited us over. I think we'll save our $50 this year.
My little brother and his wife will be swinging through sometime over the weekend and I hope we will get to hang with them for a while. Not much for big plans. It is a strange feeling that we don't have any vacation plans this summer. It has been a quiet summer STAYCATION, I have loved it, though. One great thing about staycations my house is clean and I love not having a job to report to. I stay up all hours of the night watching movies, playing with the kids, scrapbooking, and whatever else my little heart desires. I know I will miss this come the fall when I will be back to work again.

Rhonda

Hangin' with my bro, evening fishing, and Sunday talks

2010-06-21T11:03:00.005-05:00

My brother and Erika were in town this weekend. We went to town to visit with them and to meet their new puppy, Rooney. Rooney, is a sweet little puppy and very well behaved. The kids simply adored him. They took him outside and played fetch and Christyn gave him lots of love. My brother entertained the kids after our pizza dinner. He played Mario cart on the Wii and spun Rachael all around the room. She loves it when he throws her in the air and flies her like a bird. It was a nice quick visit with them and we were sure glad they made time to hang-out with us after rafting down the Platte River.
We also spent some time down at the lake on Saturday evening, fishing and playing at the park. We didn't catch anything, but did see some jumping. I think we all enjoyed it, non the less. I could have gone without all the mosquitoes, but I did enjoy watching the kids run about and do a little visiting with my mom.
My son gave a talk in sacrament meeting and my mom came to church to hear him speak. I was way proud of him and even got pretty teary eyed. He gave a great talk on Loving thy neighbor. I look at him and can't believe the last 12 years have gone so fast. He is almost a man and soon will be serving a mission. I am so blessed to have his tender little spirit a part of my daily life. This kid is always keeping me grounded and focused on being a good mom.

Hope everyone had a great weekend also
Rhonda

What a day!

2010-06-16T21:35:00.003-05:00

Balsamic chicken and mushrooms with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed sugar snap peas

Woke up and got on the computer, nothing unusual there. Then I decided to edit and print off some pictures for a few hours. At about 10:30, I finally talked myself into jumping on the treadmill for 30min and while running I thought hey, while I'm all sweaty I should go mow the yard. I headed outside and mowed half the yard, cut down half a tree, so I could mow around it, moved some big stones into the flower bed, edged the sidewalk and front of the house, and then decided to take a break indoors, where it was cool. My break indoors was me doing dishes. There was a knock at the door and it was my son's play date. I visited with play dates mom for a short time, while her 2 little ones played on the trampoline (I was afraid to sit to close or down wind in fear of her catching a whiff of me). They left and I thought I would finally jump in the shower, when my husband pulled up and decided to beat me to the shower. Sat the 2 yr old on the toilet and changed over a load of laundry. I think it was 5pm by the time I finally took a shower. Got out of the shower did some more dishes and sat down to watch a movie with the girls (GIDGET). Read over a few art books and some kitchen renovation books. The movie was over and it was time to start dinner. Really, I don't know what I was thinking when I decided to cook a 2 hr. gourmet meal for dinner. While I was fixing dinner, I finished the rest of the dishes, cleaned off the counter tops, pulled a bee stinger from the 5 yr olds finger, tracked down an ant trail from the back door, switched over a load of laundry, yelled at screaming, crying kids, bandaged the 5 yr olds finger, and then wondered if this night would ever end. We finally sat down to eat at about 8:30pm and the dinner was delish, totally worth all the headache. I put the food away, did more dishes, and wiped down the counters, again (I really needed to clean the stove from boiled over potatoes). I went into the hall bathroom wiped up the floor from my son's shower, found a pair of poopy toddler underwear and scrubbed them out, not sure who put the underwear in the sink, so now I had to clean the sink and counters, thought while I was at it I should clean the toilet and mop the floor. I am now sitting here in some quiet and my daughter wants to watch part 2 of Gidget. Not sure what the rest of the evening will entail, but I will sure be glad when it is finally time for bed.

Rhonda

Friendships along the way

2010-06-15T09:50:00.004-05:00

We all have changing seasons in our lives and through those changes we see people come and go. I have to believe that all people are put in our paths for certain reasons. I recently have had to say good-bye to so many people in my life. Some good-byes are, because they have left this world, and some are, because they have moved far away, and some are, even because you have simply changed directions. I will miss those inspirational people who, it seems I have only had a short time to know. I recently said good-bye to a friend who has lived near us for 7-8 years, but I did not truly know until the last year and a half. I wonder why it took me so long to get to know this person, who altered my spiritual being for ever. Why did I not take more time to know her better? She is not the only one who I have had in my life like this. What is it with me that I can't extend friendship in fear of someone getting to know the real me?
So, this is for the friends that are still near by. I have a friend I have known for 15 or so years and she has come and gone through my life the entire time. I have to say there are times we are close and times I just can't seem to get in sync with her. It is funny to me that when we met, our lives were altered, because of our friendship. We were both young and single and had some same interests. We soon drifted apart and I had children and married and hardly heard from her. She moved far away and I was left to raise a family. We both were embracing different seasons in our lives. She now lives near by and has a family of her own. I am so grateful for that friendship that is still there. I love that we can still be honest with each other and laugh together. I often thought we had grown so far apart I could never find myself being friends with her like when we were young. I was wrong. Our lives are so different now, but our friendship is very much the same.
I hope that I can stop and take the opportunity to find more friends like this in my life. That no matter what season of life I am in I can still have those connections with them. Friendships are important to all of us. It is even more important than we know and this coming from a HERMIT. Our souls need others to share with and I am just saying, I am grateful for all the friendships that have come into my life for what ever reason.

Rhonda

Change

2010-06-05T01:39:00.003-05:00

I'm in some serious deep thoughts lately. Can't help but notice I'm getting older and I'm just not feeling satisfied with the way my life is going. I'm in a desperate search for inspiration, answers, and wisdom. I notice I don't laugh nearly as much as I use to or as I should. I have turned into that stuffy old-lady that doesn't let life just happen. My life is filled with Don't touch that.., Don't eat that.., Don't do that..and it is time to put a stop to it. It's time to stop reaching for stars and actually hold one in my hand. Time for dreams to become reality. Time to stop underestimating me and my potential. Time to set goals and actually achieve them. It's time for me to become the person Heavenly Father wants me to be. My life has stood still, if you will, for the last 12 years and now it is time for Change. No more limbo, No more waiting around. It is time for me to JUST LIVE, to live my life to the fullest.

I CAN do this!
Rhonda

Awww Sweet Summertime!

2010-06-04T10:14:00.005-05:00

Who doesn't love swimming in the lake, playing outdoors until all hours of the night, planting fresh veggies, food on the grill, and just plain loungin' around on the back deck. I love this time of year. The sun is shinning and my spirits are always high. Maybe, there is one little downside to summer, there is always 10 times the cleaning. The top surface of my tub is about to be scrubbed off with the sand, mud, and grass clippings.
So, this week I officially started the Body for Life program, again. I found some new recipes on their website. I made out my menu plan and shopping list, now I'm just excited to try a few of these babies out. I love this program and the results I get, but it is always difficult to find recipes the entire household will eat. I hope that with some of these recipes I will have less time in the kitchen preparing meals for me and meals for the rest of the gang. Really, no one likes to have to cook twice for each meal. And, if this doesn't work then they will be fending for themselves.
On another note, the creative bug has been biting again. My soul is craving creativity. I need to get my hands on something clay, paper, paint....anything really. With vacation, gardening, farm work, and the annual cleaning, there has been little creative time around here. Unless, you count the hours I spend on Photoshop. I am challenging myself this week to create something. I might have to look up a few challenges on the internet and see what I find.

Rhonda

Celebrations

2010-06-02T09:03:00.006-05:00

My sister came out and spent 2 weeks with us and so our summer vacation started off with a bang. We celebrated my sisters birthday with a puppy themed party. Had a serious game of volleyball going and way to much jumping on the trampoline. We went to the zoo in Omaha. We saw the circus. We played at the park and I was taught disk golf. We took a second trip to Omaha where we toured Winter Quarters and met Greg and Kami for Olive Garden. We also had to pick up some See's Candy while we were there in Omaha, because no trip to Omaha would be complete without it. We ate out way to much. We spent an entire day shopping. I think we are almost ready for the next school year, minus supplies and one backpack. Now, that is some exciting news. I have never had school shopping done this early. My sister is now home and I miss all the hanging-out, the laughing, and the talking. North Carolina is so very far away and I really wish we lived closer to one another. It seems like our summer has come and gone already. Not sure, what we will do for the rest of it. I guess lots of trips to the lake and hanging around the house. Simply loving the summer time and being outside.

Rhonda

Memories

2010-05-10T23:17:00.003-05:00

I just found this picture of me with my brothers and my mom. I always get a good laugh at these old pictures I run across. This one really made me sad for California. I miss the almost year round sun. The days when I didn't have to color my hair or go to the tanning beds. Oh to be 14 again.

Rhonda

Not so Productive

2010-04-28T21:52:00.003-05:00

Today I set out to finish a major task of sanding and painting an entire bedroom set for my daughters room. Well, that just didn't happen. Oh, I sanded and cleaned and had the furniture ready. I even filled the spray gun with paint, only to find out I needed a different nozzle for the Compressor. Let me tell you, I was a little frustrated. I really wanted to get this done today. I knew my husband had the nozzle somewhere and I just could not find it. While I waited for him to get back from fixin' fence I decided to mow the lawn and wash down the house and deck. I swear our house is a different color now, didn't realize how dirty it was. I know what you are thinking, who washes the outside of their house. I try to scrub it down every spring and it looks so nice after wards. I got in 4 loads of laundry and by the time he got home it was almost 3 pm and I was too tired to mess with the furniture. Besides, I had been chasing the two little ones this whole time and the older two would be home shortly. I knew if I started in on painting I would only have to stop soon so I could get ready for Boyscouts and a Primary meeting. I hope I can get them finished by the end of the week, but after today I won't get my hopes up, to high. Tomorrow is the kids track meet. I will be there all day shooting pics and hopefully having some fun. I'm now tired and cranky and very disappointed in the day I've had. I am going to chill and watch Blind Side, sew some flowers for headbands, and wait for the antibiotics to start helping with the sinus-ear infection that is driving me crazy. It's 10pm and the house is quiet and this is when my real job starts. Praying the 2 year old doesn't decide to get up at 2:30 am and have a party again tonight.
sorry to all my blog readers for my absolute crabbiness. I promise I will be better tomorrow or at least when this week is finally over.
Rhonda

Posting some before and afters of the furniture some time this week.

A day in the life

2010-04-24T22:42:00.006-05:00

So, here is a glimpse into a day in our life. Today consisted of working cows, riding 4 wheelers, feeding cows, checking cows, tagging a new calf, riding the horse, playing in the mud, and hanging out with the cousins. Today was Christyn's first time on the horse and she loved it. She was having such a good time.We had a fun day doing chores. Spent the entire weekend around the house and never had to make a trip into town. That 30 min drive into town is certainly driving me crazy these days. My little brother is competing in National races this weekend and today we found out he is the new 2010 national off-road duathlon champion. We are so very proud of him and all his accomplishments. Praying he has a very successful season this year. It's already late and still have to get things around for church tomorrow. Lots to do next week and counting down the days until school gets out.
Rhonda

Published

2010-04-16T12:10:00.003-05:00

I can't help but shout for joy right now. I just got home from work and found the new copy of Stamper Sampler's Catch Up Issue in my mailbox. I know I did not order it and there was not a note attached. I'm thumbing through the pages and there it is on page 62, one of my cards. I am super stoked. They sent me a free copy. I get all giddy every time I see my work grace the page of a magazine. I have not submitted for quite a while. This will surely motivate me to keep sending my work in. All this excitement is definitely the perfect ending to a very trying week. I love the talents the Lord has blessed me with and what a honor to be able to share those talents with others.
Just wanted to share my excitement. Gotta run and get kids from school.
Happy weekend to all!
Rhonda

Freeing!

2010-04-10T00:31:00.003-05:00

What do you do on a friday night?
Well I spend the night de-cluttering my house. I have slowly been throwing things out left and right. Each day it is a box or two for garage sale and a bag or more to the trash. I like to think of myself as a pretty organized person, but tonight I realize there is still much I can do to be better at cutting down the junk.
I have motivated myself to get these things used up or they are out the door. The craft room has been the worse thing to deal with. Projects are just lying around unfinished and I promise I am finishing them so I can set them free.
It is nice to know how much we really do not need and how one can live with so much less stuff. We have had most of the house packed up when we thought we sold our house so, we all see how much we could do with out. I thought if I packed up everything there would be less to pick up, well that thought was false.
Truth be told there is a certain weight lifted when everything is in order and you know right where to go to find something. I hate it when I open a drawer and there is 10 of the same thing or there are broken pieces that I know will never get put back together. Why is it so hard to just cut those things loose? That is precisely what I am doing this weekend.
This has all just been a freeing experience.

Today I also finished the trim in the office closet and painted it. Thinking I might paint the room sometime this month. It really does not need it, but I think a new color might be fun.

My son has his first Young Men Stake Activity tomorrow. This is exciting and frightening at the same time. Where has the time gone? I can't believe how old I am getting and how much my kids keep growing. I hope he has a great time and meets lots of new friends.

Until next time
Rhonda

Just a Quickie!

2010-03-27T23:42:00.002-05:00

Here is a little quick post. This was way to funny and I have to get it typed out so I never forget this sweet conversation.

Today we took a friend of Rachael's on a play date with us. We went to Burger King for lunch so the kids could play in the play area. Max (Rachael's play date) was having a good time, I think. Our oldest daughter found him hiding behind the slide and was worried something was wrong. She leaned over and asked if he was okay when he put his finger to his mouth and said "shhh". Then he said "be quiet I'm hiding from Rachael." . It was sort of sweet she just would not leave him alone. Rachael would pull him by the hand and say "come on lets go over here" and he would let go and say " I don't think so" and then go about his merry way. She would turn stomp her foot and then follow him. I sure did get a kick out of it. Rachael usually always gets her way with everyone. She has a way of manipulation and Max sure wasn't falling for her sweet girlie antics.

We all got in the car to pick up our son from his scout camp out and had to drive around the block a few times, because they were not back yet. While driving around there was the sweetest conversation going on in the back seat between Max and Rachael. It went like this.

Rachael..."I have this movie with a dead girl and a worm lives in her head (the Corpse Bride). It is a really good movie."
Max..." I know this movie of guy that has a lot of chocolate and there is a lot of singing in the movie." ( I think he was talking about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).
Rachael..."We just got this new movie the Princess and the Frog and she sings this song that is like this." She proceeded to sing a little bit of the song.
It was then quiet in the back of the car for a minute.
Rachael..."Max do you want to kiss me?"
Max..."No, not right now."
Rachael..."You'll want to kiss me when I'm bigger."
Rachael..."Yeah you will want to kiss me when I grow up...TRUST ME."
Max..."Like when I'm this big." He then reaches his arms way out.
Rachael..."Yeah when your that big OH YEAH! you want to kiss me."
Max... "Oh okay"

These are sweet childhood moments. I love that Rachael has such great little friends who are a joy to be around. These are the moments I live for. I love being a mom and I am so lucky I have time to share these moments with my kids. I know why Rachael loves this little guy so much. Max has a little spirit that just shines. What a joy to be around such innocence.
Today I sat at that Burger King watching all these little kids run about and I have to say something just hit me differently today. I have never thought of my self as much of a kid person.
To be honest, kids are sort of YUCKY and can sometimes be annoying. Today was different for me and I'm not sure why but, I truly felt love in my heart for little kids I've never even met. Taking a moment to actually observe these sweet little spirits opened my eyes to something. Their innocence is something to behold and to help protect. Children are true blessings from our Father in Heavenly and being a mom is truly amazing.

What's on the menu

2010-03-25T22:04:00.003-05:00

So, lately we have been on this healthy kick. To be honest the meals have been really good. Tonight we had turkey breast with capers and rice with a side of carrots, not to bad. I sure am proud of the kids for giving this all their best efforts. In just 4 days I already lost 5 lbs., my son lost 3 lbs., and my oldest daughter lost 4 lbs. I just hope I can stick with this. We all feel so great also. My husband has been the hardest one to cooperate with the menu change, but yesterday I actually saw him eat spinach. Yay for him too. Maybe, all this sunshine is playing a huge role in our lives right now also.
Please feel free to leave me a comment and let me know what's on your menus.

Rhonda

Lookie what I've been up to

2010-03-25T21:06:00.006-05:00

Just some random scrap pages
I've been whippin' up lately. The
best thing about scrappin' these days
is the fact that I have challenged
myself to start using up old products
and to finally scrap some of the older
photos I have laying around. I have had such a great time. I wake up every morning with the desire to bust out another page. The creativity is flowing like crazy and I like when that happens. Hope some of these pages inspire you to create something.

Rhonda

Longest time away from my blog.

2010-03-23T10:55:00.003-05:00

Has it really been 2 months since my last post? Well things are crazy as usual. The couple intending to buy our house could not get approved for their loan. We are still waiting to sell. I have been in physical therapy for the last month, because of a herniated disk in my neck. I will be back to the Dr. tomorrow and referred to a neurologist. Praying that all goes well. This has been a rough month. It is so hard not being able to lift anything. I need to hold my kids and comfort them when they get boo-boo's.
On the brighter side of things, I have been able to get a ton of scrapbooking done. I have struggled with even wanting to motivate myself to do scrapbooking. I had lost the true meaning of it. I scrap, so my kids will remember me and the times they have had. I finally enjoy scrapping and no longer feel the pressure of wanting to have everything perfect all the time. It is true, there is so much amazing talent out there, one can feel a little intimidated. For now I am enjoying my time just being able to sit and create.
I create and love it.
Needing to spend a little time with the girls and go pick Rachael up from preschool, so until next time.

Happy Spring to you all
Rhonda

My Saturday

2010-01-23T22:16:00.003-06:00

I think we might have sold the house and that is great news. We will know more by Monday. Did some shopping with my mom today and left Brandon at her house to stay the night. We just got home from little Lizzy Bradford's baptism and had a wonderful time. I love the 8 year old baptisms. I am so happy for her and I was glad we could be there to celebrate with her. She is the sweetest little girl and such a joy to be around.
It's no secret that I hardly ever make it to church on time, so tomorrow will be a true test for me, when I have to show up a half hour earlier than normal for a meeting. This will be Brandon's first week passing sacrament and I hope I don't get all emotional on him. I am so proud of that kid and the choices he makes.
Life is just crazy busy right now, but droppin' in to update what's going on in the Kearney household. Just can't wait to get moved and have all this over with and be settled already.

Have a blessed Sunday,
Rhonda

Dancing on a cloud

2010-01-14T12:32:00.002-06:00

Here is a little sneak peek at a piece I am working on. Things have been so crazy around here lately. I just finished up with my son's IEP meeting and we all agree we have seen some changes in him, some good and some bad. I know he struggles with things right now because of the moving situation. I pray that this will all be over with shortly and we can get back to a more regular routine. I also meet with the same group of people next week in our home for Christyn's first meeting. I hope we will see big changes with her. I am trying really hard to balance the kids and their needs plus 3 jobs and trying to sell our home and some primary responsibilities on top of everything else. I feel burnt out already and part of me just wants to call it all quits. I wonder how people hold it all together sometimes. I just have to remember we are doing the right thing and let the Lord do the rest. I really feel like a robot lately. The checker at Walmart was talking to me last night and I was so spaced off I didn't even notice until she said "you look really tired it must have been a long day". It was nice of her to notice, but I later thought wow, if she thinks I look tired, I must look really bad. The worse part is I not only spaced her off once but twice and I really can't recall the drive home and that was scary. Someone else must have been driving until we got 25 miles into the drive home and my 5 year old said " mom please turn the radio station".
I guess Rachael is not much of a classical music fan, but last night I just needed some peace and quiet. Praying I get some much needed rejuvenation this Saturday in Omaha, I desperately need it.
Happy weekend to you all
Rhonda

It is officially 2010

2010-01-01T23:00:00.004-06:00

This New Year is already off to what I hope will be a great year. We were approved for our new home loan and will finally meet with a realtor this coming Friday. The projects around the house are coming along as planned and yes, I am feeling some pressure. I know that this move will be what is best for our family right now and am excited for a new adventure. Most of my stress comes from wanting this place to be perfect for the new family that will soon live here. It is funny, we don't officially have a house yet and I am okay with that. I know the Lord will provide what we need when the time is right. I hope our new place is somewhat smaller and has less major projects and more detail projects. Living in this house for the last 9 years has given me much insight into what I am looking for in a home. Less square footage is great if it has more live in space. The way I see it is, the smaller the house the less I have to clean, and that comes in handy when wanting to spend precious time with my kids before they are all grown up and off on their own.
I am sad that this winter break will soon be coming to an end. I love having my kids in the house. We have had a wonderful time visiting with all of our family. However, I especially missed my sister and brother- in- law this holiday season. If this year permits, I hope to spend this 2010 Christmas with them and my new niece puppy (sweet pea) whom I have yet to meet. There is only one more thing that would make things a little bit better and that is a less snow. Every time I think this stuff is about to melt away a new front rolls in and we get another 2 inches or so. Spring really can not come fast enough to the Kearney house hold. I have not had much time to give thought to my new years resolutions, but there are things I hope to get better at this year.
Wishing all of you a prosperous 2010.

Rhonda

Merry Christmas to all of you!

2009-12-24T23:50:00.002-06:00

Santa has now officially been to the Kearney house and is very tired after his long journey to our living room. I seriously still can't believe that today is Christmas. This year has come and gone so fast that it is hard for me to wrap the idea around the year 2010. I did not accomplish half of what I set out to do this year, but I feel like 2009 was one of the busiest years I have had. The older I get the faster the years seem to slip by.
My mom is staying tonight and then we are off to my husband's family for Christmas evening. My family will be coming into town this Sunday and meeting after church for our gift exchange. I guess this year we are trying something a little different. My little brother wants to have a white elephant exchange. This is something I have yet to participate in so, I am not to sure what I am doing. Each one of us are suppose to bring a wrapped gift, even the kids and then the rest will be explained when we arrive on Sunday. Yesterday my little brother asks if I have time to make a mouse out of clay. He says just something small and similar to Timothy mouse from Dumbo so, I just spent the last 2 hrs. making a mouse. I sure hope what I made is going to work for whatever he is making and needs it for. I am sure there will be pictures of this crazy collaboration soon to come. I am picking gifts for myself and the two youngest ones and told the two older kids they need to try and come up with something on their own. My husband got right into this white elephant thing as soon as he realized how it was going to work. I'm not sure it is to fare that I know what he is bringing, but I did get a laugh out of it. I was surprised how creative he got with his gift. He boxed up some old arrow heads and other misc. hunting supplies and a very old bottle of Buck sent and some deer sausage. I on the other hand did not get that creative. I am making blueberry muffins for my daughter's white elephant and typing the her lyrics to "I'm getting nothin' for Christmas". She has the most adorable way of singing that song, and yes you guessed it she says muffins instead of nothin'.
Well it is after midnight and this Santa had better get some sleep for her busy day tomorrow. Wishing all of you a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a blessed holiday season.

Rhonda

Dreaming

2009-12-08T23:14:00.002-06:00

I love snow days as much as anyone else, but by day number three it starts to loose something. I am still fighting this stupid cold I have had since Sunday and I just wish I could pack a bag and hop a plane back to California. Weeks like this come and I seriously wonder why I ever moved back to Nebraska. I miss the smell of the ocean and the sun on my face. I know I would never have met my husband and had all these beautiful children if I had not moved back to Nebraska but, I like to dream that we could seriously pack up the kids and move somewhere warmer. It is so funny to me to hear my Cali friends complain about it dropping into the 30's at night, while I sit here stuck in the house for three days and in negative degree temperatures.

It is not even so much that I am stuck in the house but, the fact that I am still sick. Winter comes and I swear we are constantly sick. I'm not sure why we are sick so much. I sanitize this place like crazy and hardly take the little ones out in hopes that they do not get something. Most often the little ones get sick first and then we all follow. Maybe our odds are higher considering there are so many of us all living under the same roof. It is most curious to me that my husband never gets sick. My theory to that is, he is never around the kids. I am with them non-stop as they are always wiping their little snotty noses all over my shirt and coughing in my face while we read stories together and drooling on me as they fall asleep watching movies. He says it is that I just have a poor immune system and he has some sort of amazing immune system. Just hoping this winter season ends quickly. I am anxious for spring and am afraid it is nowhere in site. I am glad there is so much to keep me busy around the house these days and can't wait to get out this weekend when it warms up to, oh say, 20 degrees.

Rhonda

Christmas decorating

2009-12-07T16:28:00.003-06:00

The kids and I are in full decorating process and having so much fun pulling things out that we have not seen all year. I love opening tote after tote of little surprises and hearing the kids say "Mom do you remember how old I was when I made this?", or "When did I make that?". It is a treat for me that I have 3 girls and they all enjoy decorating and making everything look pretty for the holidays. Liz and I are still working on mini wreaths to hang on the back of the dinning room chairs.

We had a snow day today and have a late start tomorrow, so we spent most of the day cuddled up on the couch watching Christmas movies and playing games together. It is so cold outside and we are suppose to get 7-8 inches more by tomorrow. I love to look at snow but, I really do not enjoy having to be out and about in it. Thinking it is time to take a break from the computer and bundle up with a cup of hot cocoa.

Dinning room Tree

Stockings hung with care

The kids just had to decorate the chalkboard door

Living room Tree

Rhonda

The Girls' Room!

2009-11-30T23:16:00.002-06:00

I can finally see the finish line. I have been working on this room for 5 months now and the end is in sight. We hung the door today and I was excited about that after having to order the door 3 times to get it right. There is still some floor trim to put up and the closet door trim needs finished and then to paint all the trim work, but it is looking way better than I imagined. The girls just love it and are finally happy to sleep in their own beds. Found this cute little pink Christmas tree and Rachael did the decorating. Ten dollars for the tree and ornaments and it couldn't be more perfect for the room.
Christyn's Bed
Rachael's Bed

Rhonda

Our days ahead of us

2009-11-23T09:35:00.008-06:00

Yesterday, Brandon and 4 other young men had Priesthood preview. It was an emotional meeting for all of us. I am still in some shock that time has seriously went by this fast. My son is now twelve and receiving the Priesthood. I am so proud of him and the young man he has become. He is so extremely compassionate toward others and I admire that about him.

Today, I am having a lazy day, cleaning and getting Christmas decorations out. I love this time of the year. I know so many people say that, but I truly love it. I enjoy the extra time I have with my family, the smells of baking treats in the oven, and the sweet sound of music that celebrates the birth of Christ. I also love the extra service we are able to give during the holiday season. Service fills our spirits with gratitude. I enjoy seeing my kids think of others and what they can do for someone else. I wish I were wealthy and could deliver gifts to everyone, unfortunately I am not and can not. Every year our family prays for families we can serve and share with. We choose 4 or 5 families to deliver our well thought out gifts to and the best part is being able to do something for others as a family. I hope that it can be a tradition my children will carry on with their families. I never hear about what my kids want and they are more excited about what they can prepare and give to others.

On another note, still finishing up the trim work in the house. Finally finished painting the hallway. Have yet to put in the new door to the girls room due to it having to be ordered three times now. I am getting very impatient with the hardware store and just want a door. Finished some decorative projects and absolutely love how they turned out. I plan on posting lots of pictures of all the finished work. I will be almost sad to say goodbye to this home that I have worked so hard on. I just pray that some other family will love this home as much as I do. I think our family has finally come to a decision to move. We have seriously been debating on where. That is yet to be figured out. If we build our own home we will move further into the country and that means switching our school and our church. My kids love this ward we are in and I do also. I know that sometimes change is good and maybe it is time to move on. If we do not move to the country then we will be moving to town. I have already been pricing houses and looking around. I have had my eye on a few places some have sold and some have not. This Sunday we saw a house that I just fell in love with and was actually in our price range. I really want to wait until the end of the school year to move, but there is a part of me that says we should just jump in there and at least get this place up for sale, even though we are not finished with some things. Patients, Patients, Patients, really just trying to do what is best for our family and weighing all of our options.

Rhonda

Thankful for the USA

2009-11-15T15:27:00.002-06:00

Week 7/52

Let me just say how thankful I am to live in this amazing country and just wanted to capture it. I am so blessed to have the freedoms and rights that we have in this great nation.

Rhonda

Holiday Joy

2009-11-14T14:59:00.007-06:00

The girls and I are off to take some pictures. I need a break from the studio today and it is pretty nice outside. Love being busy. Some Pictures of a finished piece and some works in progress. I just love this time of year. I can't believe it is already time for the Holidays. Can't wait to get all my Christmas goodies out of their boxes. I am anxiously awaiting a cup of hot cocoa, twinkling lights on the tree, the smell of sugar cookie candles burning, and the sound of Christmas music in the background. Just the thought of this time brings a child like joy to my heart.

Rhonda

5/52

2009-11-01T21:58:00.003-06:00

I can't believe this is already week 5 of 52. So here is my picture for week 5. I am sportin' the awesome watch my little brother sent me. It keeps all the times of my running schedule.

Rhonda

Halloween

2009-11-01T17:23:00.004-06:00

Every year we debate on staying in our little town to trick-or-treat or going into a bigger town. This year we opted for staying in our town. They had a small carnival going on in the community center and we thought that might be fun. It was fun for the little ones but, there were no kids over the age of like 8 and so, my two older ones really did not have that much fun. We did do some trick-or-treating and the kids were asked over and over who they were suppose to be. I know this is a small town but, who has not seen Coraline. Coraline was one of our favorite movies of the year. It played non stop for 2 weeks and it was one I did not mind having on over and over. Rachael was the one who enjoys this movie the most and it was her idea to have the entire family dress from the cast of Coraline. After trick-or-treating we came home and watched Ghostbusters and Wolverine. Let me just say, I loved Hugh Jackman in Wolverine, it was an awesome movie. All in all it was an okay Halloween.
Wybie

The Other Mother

Coraline

And Wuss Puss

Rhonda

Priorities.

2009-10-27T05:41:00.005-05:00

Okay, I have to write a post about this. I might be rambling or grumbling in a sorts but, this has to be one of my biggest pet-peeves right now. Why is it, that everyone assumes I have so much more time than any other given person? "I just don't have time for something like that.", "I don't know where you find the time to do everything you do.", "I wish I had time to do that.", These are just some of the things I hear everyday. Here it is people, I am going to share a secret with you. This little secret was divulged to me by my brother-in-law, some years ago. Now, these are the words of insight that were given and have rung in my head daily since then, "Rhonda, you can find time for anything if it is important to you." . We were talking about running and working out. I swore there was no way I could fit me time into my schedule with small kids at home. I know now, that just isn't so. I am able to work-out every day and I seem to actually have more time in the day. I am going to break down what my priorities are ( every ones are different).

1. Me time

a. scripture/prayer
b. running
c. shower
d. social time

2. Family

a. play time with the little ones
b. meal times
c. scripture reading
d. homework and after school insights
e. husband

3. House

a. chores
b. projects

4. work

a. job at the time
b. creative time

5. Service

So, this is my major breakdown. Not everyday is the same and on some days the priorities change except for two. I have learned to always take care of me. I am the one that holds this family together. How can I be a great mother and a good wife if I am not happy with who I am. This means I always come first. I know what you are thinking, what a selfish person. Really, I am not being selfish it is actually the opposite. I feel better about ME when I get quiet time and some running time fit into my day. I think I am being a positive example to my girls by taking care of myself first. I only require a little social time. I like to be to myself, in a sorts. I do like to have my monthly scrapbooking time. My Family is the other thing that never changes on this list. If I have to give up something on the list so, my family has what they need than I do it. I try to spend as much time with them as I can. I will just use yesterday as an example. I spent maybe, 30 min with my son helping him on his blog while I did the mending. We were spending time together but, I was able to do two things at one time and he got some much needed one on one. I was in my new studio trying to get things situated so, I could get some work done this week and Liz came in and we did her homework while I cleaned. When she got done she asked if I had anything she could organize. We were able to get some chit-chatting done while she helped me clean my studio. I love that she is an organizer. Rachael spent time playing the Dora video game on the computer while I worked in the studio and Christyn took a nap. Had lunch with my husband and the girls. Dinner with the family. Played poly-pockets with the girls.When I look at my entire day I spend the most time with my family and that is as it should be.
Maybe, some of this priority thing comes from me, but anyone can fit something into their schedule if they want it bad enough. My husband is a procrastinator and so is his family. This often drives me nutts but, if I married a do-er like me who would slow me down to enjoy the little things in life. I don't like to sit still and I like to multi-task. This is just who I am and how I am made. I don't sit and take advantage of the time of day that is given to me unless my list seems fulfilled that day.
Most of the comments that come my way are related to my creative time. This is something that is important to me and that is why it finds a place in my schedule. My soul is happy when I can create something, and sometimes that might just be, a nice meal that took hours to prepare. Making treats for a Halloween party, painting my house, cleaning my studio, scrapbooking, reading a magazine or book, making costumes, all these things I consider creative time.

Now, let me just share one more thing. If you notice chores are one of my priorities. So many people comment on how my house is always clean and with 4 kids. Let me just say right now, that is a lie. It is not always clean but, yes it is most often clean and that is because, it is one of my priorities. This is strictly for me, I can not be happy in my home if it is a wreck. My spirit needs cleanliness and order. I know this is not the case for everyone but, that is why most people come over and the house is clean. I need to clean for my own sanity. Someone's priority might be to get a good book in or to spend time with friends, or shopping, whatever the case may be, those are their priorities.

Priorities are ever changing. I know in the next year or so, mine will be different. We never know what the future holds for each of us. I just try and figure out what is most important to me at that time and make it a priority.

Thanks to my military driven brother-in-law, for sharing his words of encouragement, so many years ago. At that time I never thought those words would stay with me so strongly. Don't get a big head Chris, but, you shared with me some of the greatest insight I have ever been given. I do live by your words on a daily basis.

Rhonda

Out of commission

2009-10-25T19:31:00.010-05:00

This week has been slow going. My kids have been out of school for one week with H1N1. I was in denial when I thought maybe, I would not get it. Thursday the two little ones and I came down with it. I was in bed for almost 2 days straight and just barely started feeling better today. Besides the serious cough that I just can't seem to shake, all is finally getting back to normal. Thank goodness the two older ones are feeling better because, they have been a big help. Tonight they are getting a little restless and out of control, I suppose an entire week in the house will do that to someone.

On a better note, I am almost moved into my new studio, upstairs. I'm still not sure how to get the important things to fit into the space but, it feels good to down size. I have some space reserved in the basement for all those precious things I just can't seem to part with. The plus side to the move upstairs is natural light and being closer to the central part of the house. Now, to get my sons room done and him moved off the couch.

week 4/52

I missed my blog

2009-10-20T18:42:00.005-05:00

Over a month and no blogging... what's up with that. I seriously can't believe how busy I have been since school started. Between painting projects, home remodel projects, 3 different jobs, and kids sick with the H1N1, I have met myself coming and going. With the colder weather coming I sure hope things will slow down and get back to a pace I can manage better. I seriously have missed blogging and spending that time clearing my thoughts and sharing with you, my readers.

This month I was invited to jump on the 52 week challenge. I am now three weeks into the challenge and really enjoy that extra time I have with myself and my camera. Anyone want to take a shot at it here are the details, which are fairly simple. Take a photo of yourself every week for 52 weeks. Now, that sounds easy, right.

My running schedule has slowed down some due to a pulled calf muscle. This week is my first week back and it is going to be slow building back up to where I was. I am still taking it pretty easy, hoping I don't do any further damage. The plus side to all the running is, I finally lost the weight from my last kid who just turned 2.

Now, to things slowing down and getting back to what I love, which is, hangin' with my kids, creating art, playing with my camera, and blogging.

Rhonda

52 Week Challenge

Week 1/52

Week 2/52

Week 3/52

Wishing for more time in a day

2009-09-10T13:52:00.004-05:00

Okay, just a quick post before I head to work. The kids have homecoming week this week and one of the days they had to dress like a nerd, so here are the shots I took of them. We were 20min. late for school because, Brandon decided at the last minute his outfit was so good everyone would really call him a geek now. He had a melt down and hence the grumpy face in the pic. Never know from one day to the next what will set him off. Never the less it took 20min to reason with him and it made everyone late. Love this kid but, there are days I just don't know what to do with him. The deal was, wear the outfit because, you wanted to dress up so BAD, and then when you get to school if everyone teases you, take it off. Turns out the school was speechless. He said some people told him he had the coolest nerd outfit and that ended up making him quite happy.
This week has been hard with working, marathon training, chores, and kids. I admire the women out there that do all of this everyday and year round. I am having a tough time and yes I will admit it. This is my first week at work and I already see my kids suffer from me working out side of the house. I pray they will find patients for their mother and hopefully they know I am doing the best I can.
Tomorrow is Liz's birthday and this will be the first year
without a big party. Three kids birthday's in one month has just become too much, so the parties are no more.

Off to work and can't wait to get to bed tonight.
so long blog land.
Rhonda

Preshool and Saxophones

2009-09-04T22:09:00.005-05:00

This week I sent one more child off to school. Rachael started preschool this week and was so excited. Thursday she came home and told me she was already bored at preschool which probably was not a good thing. After the first day we had a conversation in the car that went something like this.
Mom.."Rachael did you have fun at preschool"? Rachael.."yeah mom, it was okay".
Pause of silence.
Rachael.." no one said my outfit was cute or that I looked pretty".
Mom.."Rachael you are pretty".
Rachael.." I know I am pretty".
Mom..." Yes, Rachael you are pretty".
Rachael..." I said, I know I am pretty".
I did not know if I should laugh or pray that she will not always be this vain. I thought quite a bit about what she said. I realize that someone is always telling her she is cute or pretty and to finally be in a group of people and no one telling her how cute she is, must have been a total shock for her. I think this preschool thing will be better for her than I thought. I realize not all 4 year old kids are all about what clothes they wear and have shoe addictions. I wonder if fashion designers start out young like this and maybe she will just be the next Coco Chanel. Whatever the case may be, I sure hope she stays true to herself.

We also welcomed this new addition. Liz brought this beauty home, an alto saxophone. My youngest brother Brandon and I played this same instrument when we were young and I assume that is why Liz chose the sax.
She has graced the front steps of our home with all the sounds of a beginner. The neighbors have stepped out of their homes to witness this first hand and have lent their support with kind words, "Way to go Liz" and " Keep Practicing". I am proud of her. I know she had talent with the piano and I sure wish she would have stuck with it but, if the sax is her calling then so be it. I just want her to keep with something and enjoy it.

Not much else for news in the Kearney household. I am finishing up wallpapering the girls bedroom and trying to put up trim and paint the hallway. This house has given me non-stop projects and I really want to get done and just enjoy for awhile.

My summer job starts next week and I am painting homes on a more regular basis which is good financially. I don't mind painting, it is almost therapeutic for me. Funny thing is the more I work on other peoples homes the less I get done on my own. Grateful for the jobs non the less. Not much time for anything creative these days so, until tomorrow.

Rhonda

Random Thoughts

2009-08-26T23:51:00.006-05:00

So, here go my random thoughts for the month of August...Where did the summer go? I can't believe we are again, back to school. Brandon a sixth grader and Liz in the fifth. Rachael starts preschool in September and Christyn is so sad to see everyone go in the mornings. Still working on the house. Wanted to start wallpapering the girls room but, my job starts this week and don't want to drown myself with more projects. Excited to have this seasonal job. Almost done with the canning season and that never happens this early. Still have apples and some pears to go and maybe some more tomatoes. This is the first year I canned cinnamon pickles and let me just tell you these things rock. Yes they are loaded with sugar but, the kids and I just love them. Already spotted a monster buck on the hay field and hope that means Wade might have a good season. I use to hate this time of year, not fall but, all the male stuff ...hunting, football, farm work but, the last few years we have not had TV in our home and he has to go to his parents to watch football and most often he offers to take the kids. What does this mean, well, I get a lot of work done around the house and extra creative hours so, yeah for that. Anxious to get a full time job and pay some debt. One week of school down and it is going well so far. My son seems to be getting more social. The other day he said they were in class and everyone was talking and Mrs. Bently told them to get ready for social studies and quit chatting and his reply was "Mrs. Bently we are being social." I guess the teacher and kids laughed. One of the girls in his class said " It's scary we actually are understanding Brandon." In a way I was sad about that until someone pointed out it is not Brandon. The other students are finally maturing and understanding his level of thinking. I hope he has a great year, I hope they all have a great year. Birthdays are around the corner and for once I will not be trowing any huge extravaganza's and that is an added relief right now. My uncle sent our family gift cards to SUBWAY and I delivered sandwiches to the school. The kids just loved that. Need to get more photography time in. Might try the 52 week thing starting in September. Running like crazy and today I finished 5 miles in under an hour with a twisted ankle. Signed up for some BIGGEST LOSER challenge some of the ladies our doing in my town. I signed up 2 weeks late so, I have some serious catching up to do. The top prize is over 100$ and I could really use that money. Nothing motivates someone like a few extra bucks. Went to see my brother, Brandon compete in the Lincoln Xterra and had an awesome time. He is such a motivation. For once in my life I might be a little stressed about the economy and the way things are going in Washington.....praying for a better tomorrow.

That's all for this month, until September.

Rhonda

Pictures from my brother's Xterra race in Lincoln NE

Crunch Time

2009-08-06T10:07:00.003-05:00

We are officially in packing mode and harvest is ready. What does this mean, you ask? Well, it means I am off to pick corn this morning for canning and already have a batch of salsa going and waiting for my husband to get back with the vinegar so, I can finish my pickles. We leave on Saturday and I just started getting things packed last night. My furniture is still waiting to be moved downstairs but, I finally finished painting the living room and just love how fresh and clean it is. Yes, I suffer from lack of sleep and surprisingly, I have still been able to get in my daily run. Not sure what will happen when I have my 7 mile days. The running schedule takes a lot of my free time but, really want to train for this 1/2 marathon. I know I can do it. Today will be hectic and I hope the kids cooperate with me today. The two older ones helped work our calves yesterday and they are feeling a little sore and tired. Brandon is worried he can no longer have children because, he has been kicked in the privets by a cow too many times. He is so adorable. I am proud of both of them. I know it is hard work throwing those calves. Grandpa always pays them a few bucks and I know they both have incentive. Brandon has his eye on some new bionicle stuff and Liz is desperately wanting some american girl clothes for her dolls.

My summer job starts soon and I know that things will get rough around here. Working evenings when the kids need me most is hard. They miss me like crazy and everything is out of control around here.

To top my schedule off, school starts the day after we get back and I still have not taken the kids school shopping. Before this would have stressed me totally but, not so much any more. Who says kids need to start school with everything new. New shoes is really all they need and we already have backpacks and school supplies. My mom already took care of the shoes and my mother-in-law gave them all their school supplies plus new lunch bags. So, the way I see it they are set. September, brings 5 birthdays in our family and it is a crazy month. They always get new clothes on their birthday's and so, this year I will hold out until after September.

I am not complaining by any means. I love when I am this busy it is just a matter of finding balance and it always slows down after September. I am officially looking for a place in town and not so far away from civilization which means, I might be looking for a job soon and that is a little taunting since I have not had a real day-to-day job in 6, almost 7 years.

Rhonda

So long scrapbooking

2009-08-05T04:45:00.002-05:00

I blame the economy and so much more. I am extremely sad to announce that I feel the death of my passion and hobby is approaching. I really felt like this was my year to make my way into the magazines that I always seem to OOOH over. How disappointing to find out that they have officially canceled the Memory Makers Master contest and the Magazine is no longer. Then I also learn that my all time favorite scrapbooking magazine, Creating Keepsakes, has been sold and there will be some changes I am sure. There is also a local scrapbook store that is struggling to keep it's doors open. What does this mean for the future of scrapbookers? What now? This is my question for myself. What can I do to break out of the norm and be creative and successful. Well, for now I will stay true to the fact that I do this hobby because, I love it. I love watching my kids reminisce over the good ol' days. The good thing for me is maybe there is a pressure lifted. I should not scrap to try and get published but, remember that I create memory albums because, I love too.

Just a little thought
until next time
Rhonda

A peaceful home

2009-07-26T23:36:00.002-05:00

The sweetest thing was said to me this evening. My little niece is staying with us tonight and I would like to share a little about our night and the things said. We picked Anna up at about 4:00pm and when we got home all of the kids played in the basement for a while and then asked if they could play outside. My kids know we don't play outside on Sunday's because, it is the Sabbath Day but, today I made an exception. I explained that we were not going to take off and ride our bikes to a friends house or walk down to the park, instead we can all play outside together as a family. The 4 girls played nicely together while Brandon ran around catching butterflies and I sat on the deck and watched everyone. Christyn decided the garden needed watering and made a big mess when she went face first into the mud. I brought her in and gave her a bath while I was waiting for dinner to get out of the oven. After Christyn's bath, Rachael then came in and needed a bath also. Dinner was now ready so, we all sat and ate together and the kids asked if they could go back outside. I had to tell them no because, it was now 8:30 and getting late so, I suggested we watch Charlotte's Web. Everyone was now excited and I sat with the kids and we started watching the movie. My son brought some of his soft no-dry clay out and the girls were making little clay snowmen when, I leaned over and told Rachael that I loved her so, very much. Her reply was I know mommy you love everybody. How right she is. The movie goes on and about 20 min. later Anna says to me " Aunt Rhonda, I love being here it is so quiet and peaceful. " My heart skipped a beat, I was so touched by her words. I would have never imagined those words coming out of a 6 year old mouth but, I am glad that people can come into our home and feel the spirit and have a happy feeling being here. My other thought is, how sweet it was that we were not doing anything out of the ordinary just being together and spending time as a family. I am so grateful for this little old house of ours and the safety and security it provides us with but, most of all I am grateful for the sweet spirit that resides in our home.

One more thing I must mention is, my house is a wreck. Nothing is clean and the furniture is sitting in the middle of the living room covered in sheets due to, painting projects going on. I have been stressed about getting all this done and had second thoughts about having Anna over. I am sure glad she is here and able to be with her cousins because, I know she doesn't care what my house looks like.

Rhonda

July Random Thoughts

2009-07-21T23:44:00.002-05:00

Hello! blog world and welcome to my random thoughts. Here goes, feeling tired and overwhelmed lately. Went to Walmart today and can not believe school supplies are already hitting the shelves. Happy about my husband getting all this overtime this week because, we can surely use the extra dollars. Extremely excited about my garden this year. It does not look as good as the neighbors but, definitely my best garden year. Keeping my fingers crossed that it continues to do well and bugs don't invade. Was thinking how I wish I could relive some childhood things. Hope it is not a mid-life crisis. Spending to much time looking at houses for sale. Praying I can move my kids out of this town by next year. Can't believe the trials I have faced this month. I know that my Father in Heaven hears and answers my prayers. This Saturday is an all day scrap and need some time out of the house. Camping trip in less than 3 weeks and trying to get jobs and everything else done before we leave. My older kids still have little scheduleing lately, hoping to change that soon. My son is sure out of focus lately and has way to much energy. It is crazy because, I know we have been relaxed with his diet lately and kicking myself in the rear for that. Back to Gluten Free tomorrow, the sooner the better. I have entered more than 5 contests this month and that feels awesome. Need to find some willing teenagers to use for a photo shoot. Trying to get my photog skills under control. Just keep telling myself that practice makes perfect and so, here I go with practice...practice...practice. Each day I am amazed at the talented people out there. And each day I am also amazed at how many people are put in my path of life who also have kids struggling with autism/aspbergers. Trying to educate myself more and more everyday. It is amazing to me that it is 1 in 100 kids who suffer with autism, that # seems so high to me. I like to think that the Lord has prepared these children for something amazing and we just don't get it yet because, my son is so smart and incredible. I look at him and wish my mind could get a glimpse of what his does. The great thing is that he is patient with me in trying to help me understand where he is coming from and what he needs at any given moment and I know a lot of parents don't have that. I am so excited that my Brother-in- law is coming home from Afganastan to be reunited with his wife, welcome home uncle Chris, YOU ROCK! That's it for now until, next month.
Rhonda

Trip to Heber Valley Utah

2009-07-09T22:44:00.006-05:00

WOW! I can't believe it is already July. This summer is just flying by. I am in the middle of a ton of painting projects. Painting my living room, my china cabinet, a desk and two end tables, plus painting my mom's house. Is there such a thing as painter arm because, if so, I am sure that is what I am suffering from right now. There is only about a month left before the deadline to Memory Makers Master contest and I still have not got things together to submit to the magazine. I have all my ideas on paper but, have yet to get my scrap pages put together. The last few days I have been working on some new clay characters in between painting jobs and nap time. I am so badly hoping I can have some inventory for the local fall craft show. Yes, I have been trying to get as much done as possible this summer. It is a good thing to have the older kids home right now because, they help to entertain the little ones, which is nice.
We went to Utah last week to visit my family mostly, my dad. It was a great trip and I really wish we did not come home so quickly. Once we were home we had something bad happen to one of my kids. Really, don't want to go to any detail but, it has been hard to get back in the swing of things. I am really having a hard time with this. Thinking we will now be staying around home for the rest of July. We will be postponing our trip to South Dakota until next summer. This might be a good thing. We are thinking of maybe taking a longer trip and going to Yellowstone also. You can probably tell we really enjoyed our time through Wyoming. We saw some amazing wild life on our trip to Utah. There was a mountain lion, a long horn sheep, elk, and of course tons of antelope, just to name a few. If only we saw a bear our trip would have been complete. I guess if you count stopping at the Sidney Nebraska Cabelas than yes we saw some bears. I already miss the mountains. Nothing bad on Nebraska but, this is not my choice place to live and once you get beyond the state line I remember what else is out there and how gorgeous everything is. Now, don't get me wrong if you enjoy unpredictable weather, and love the sight of corn fields and the smell of cows than, Nebraska probably is the place for you. I guess there is one thing about Nebraska that I really love and that is the sunsets and fireflies.
Stay tune for my July Random thoughts and hope y'all continue to have a great summer.
Rhonda

Summer Plans

2009-06-11T14:18:00.002-05:00

I know, lots of picture posting and not so much rambling. I am covered in oil based primer and hoping to have some of the furniture pieces done before tomorrow. It was quite funny, I thought I had used latex primer until I went to wash my brush and the paint was not coming off. Really, no big deal. Paint is my new accessory these days. I'm not to happy about all the rain we keep getting. I would love to do some painting outside and maybe even get in the pool this summer.
Spending this weekend at my sister in-laws. They are in the process of buying a new house and I am so happy for them. They have two kiddos and are living in a tiny two bedroom so, I am sure they will be happy to have more room. I am anxious to see her screened in porch, so jealous. I wish our porch was screened in and I could have a big wrap-around front porch. Dreams!
I spent most of yesterday scouting out the Black Hills on line. I found some places that look like fun and are also free. I am now trying to talk my husband into one more day there. I'm not sure if he is willing to sacrifice his hunting time. I keep telling him I could die tomorrow and he would feel bad he did not take the time to be with me and the kids. Yes, my tactics are conning but, I really think he would have just as much fun and with him working so much lately we hardly ever see him. I would love to take this day long train ride from Keystone to Hill City. As you can probably tell I am very excited about this vacation. It is our only family vacation with just us. We are also camping with my family for a whole week up at Sherman Reservoir. My uncle is bringing his boat and so, I am anxious to do some tubing, maybe. I know my kids are excited to spend some time with their cousins and Brandon really wants to do some fishing. Most likely making a fast trip to Utah to see some of my dad's family and then just some weekend getaways. We hardly ever do traveling for the summer but, this year it is all about spending some quality time with my family and for some reason there is more quality when we are not home and no where near a phone. We are so blessed that we can do this right now before the kids get to much older and just want to hang out with friends all summer.
Hoping that all will have a summer filled with family and fun.
Rhonda

Scrapbook pages old and new

2009-06-09T18:51:00.004-05:00

New message center

2009-06-09T00:47:00.003-05:00

This is the new message center I created. I took this old door off a house on some land my in-laws bought. It had such wonderful detail to it that i just could not bare to see it destroyed. I scrubbed it up tore out the window and painted a piece of MDF board with chalk board paint. The detailed ledge is perfect for chalk and eraser. My kids just love it and I wake up to all sorts of sweet messages. As you can also see I have finally finished putting up some of the wainscotting. I am in love with how it looks next to our new dinning room floor. This corner was quite a headache trying to figure out how to tie it into the kitchen and living room but, we finally figured out a plan and it came together nicely...I think.
happy decorating
Rhonda

Someones trash is my treasure

2009-06-09T00:05:00.010-05:00

I purchased these awesome end tables last week and can't wait to get them sanded and refinished. I only paid $10 for both tables. Wow! what a bargain. They both have such great detail. The end table above has the sweetest doors and a little drawer in front. The desk I also bought this week and it was a whopping $10 too. I am super excited about the desk. I think it might find a home along with the other 2 desks I have in my studio. Thinking the end tables will look nice in my room. Now I will have to find some cute Shabby Chic style lamps to set on them. So here are some before pictures and I will post some afters when they get done. I might have some time this week to do the prep work.

Summer Fun at the Park

2009-06-05T22:00:00.005-05:00

Just Lovin' these pics of my kids. We are so excited for our vacations and just spending time with family we don't get to see very often. I really love the summer time and playing with my kids.

Random Thoughts

2009-06-01T19:57:00.002-05:00

Okay, I know I have neglected my blog for quite some time but, it is summer and I have projects coming from every direction and seriously can't keep up. So, here goes my random thoughts. I hate summer cleaning but, love getting rid of things. There is a huge weight lifted from my shoulders. I am trying to stick to body for life for the whole 3 months, I guess we will see what happens. I am super excited to get the pool filled this week. So shocked my husband actually cut one tree down only like five more to go. The neighbor kids have officially moved in to my house and I don't want to be mean and tell them to leave because, I know this environment is better than what they have at home. I like that I have been able to get so much done already this summer. Can't wait for vacations and spending time with my kids without being here. I am craving city life right now. Happy that mom's basement room turned out nice. Ready to paint the outside of her house so it can just be done. Not looking forward to painting my living room and gutting the hall but, I will be happy with the end results. Wish Menards was closer. Really want to go see UP, I have heard so many great reviews. Hope Christyn will sit through her first movie if she does not have strep again. Watching Goonies tonight for some much needed me time. Thinking I should go ahead and have a garage sale and get rid of this stuff in my basement. Love my new clothes I ordered from Old Navy. My kids are buggin' me about playing flashlight tag tonight. In the middle of all the home repairs I did manage to get some scrappin' done. I need to get my pages done for magazine deadline and it is driving me crazy. Did some cards last week and think I will try to send them in to Stamper Sampler next week. Can't believe it has been almost 2 years since I last sent a card in for publication. Having veggie burgers for dinner and my kids are actually willing to give them a try, I'm Shocked. Love that it is summer. I don't care if it gets to be 110 degrees anything is better than 40 and under. Guess I should go help Wade thistle this week since he did cut the tree down finally. I can't believe little Christyn is going into a big girl bed this week, Yippee no more changing that stupid crib. Ready to get rid of it, for sure not wanting anymore kiddos. Love them but, I am so passed my limit. Wonder how to tell the neighbor kids nicely they can't eat over here every night this summer. The little 12 year old boy asked me if I would adopt him. Finally meet someone cool to hangout with in Sumner and the plus is she is a scrapper, lucky me. It is funny when I have company and they tell me I must be the local kid hang-out, funny thing is I don't even have the pool up yet, it gets worse. I think I might start assigning them all chores. 10 kids in the house at any given time is a little crazy and they are seldom the same kids even the teenage kid is out playing flashlight tag with the little ones. I must be a crazy mom to let my kids stay up till midnight in the summer. Popsicles and bare feet make me happy right now. I am so very blessed. My house is in shambles and everyone wants to be here, Yeah that does make me feel pretty good. Not sure my night working husband is loving it, I often wonder how he sleeps through all the running and screaming going on around here lately. Shanon is an awesome role model for me, such a giving spirit, thankful she is a part of my life. Still can't believe how spoiled I am to have my very own creative room. Need to go get my workout in before it gets dark so I am signing off for tonight.

Mother's Day

2009-05-13T10:02:00.004-05:00

Normally I would not be so excited about mother's day because, around here it is just another day. I do not receive any special treatment and I rarely receive any gifts . I still have to change diapers, clean the house and cook meals. Most years my husband has even completely forgot it was mother's day and that's okay because, he can't remember my birthday either. I was so excited to have a knock at my door from the postman and a box was presented to me from my brother (Greg) and my sister in-law (Kami). I was a little shocked because, months can pass by before I ever here from them. I tore open my package and proceeded to jump up and down and scream with sheer delight. Yes, you guessed it I unwrapped Christian Bale, no not really, it was the most awesome handbag ever. My bro and Kami sent me a coach bag. I could not believe it. My bag came with a registration form and a serial # I thought I might have just received a house hold appliance. How awesome, they just gave me a mother's day I will never forget. The fact that I have drooled over a coach bag for a few years now is not the best part it was that fact that they cared enough to wish me a happy mother's day. I am trully touched by their generosity. You guys ROCK big time and I love you both.
Rhonda

Maggie Holmes Challenge

2009-05-05T16:49:00.004-05:00

National Scrapbook Day was May 2nd and I was in a contest hosted by Maggie Holmes at Studio Calico. There was a random drawing and I did not win but, wanted to share my Layout anyways so, here it is.
The kids and I have been super sick lately. Finally feeling a little better and hoping to get back to work this week. I was excited to see my friend Shanon took a try at her Random thoughts. It sure is a fun way to clear your thoughts. I will try and post my May Random thoughts by the end of the week. Ready for a creative week and to get some art made.

Rhonda

Lucky mommy

2009-04-29T19:50:00.002-05:00

Just lovin' that I get to be home with these two little ones all day. Christyn cracks me up with her jibber-jabber these days and I can not get Rachael to sit still for one minute. I really am so LUCKY to be their mommy. They are simply silly and adorable.

Easter Pics

2009-04-15T22:56:00.006-05:00

Here are just a few random Easter weekend pictures. Man, they grow up so fast. As you can tell it was one windy weekend. We are lucky the eggs did not blow all over the yard. I love the one of grandpa with his pom-pom cheering on the egg hunters.

April Random Thoughts

2009-04-10T15:02:00.002-05:00

Back in January I posted a bunch of Random Thoughts and today I thought how much fun that was for me to be able to get things out of my head so, starting this month I will be posting Random Thoughts each month. Here goes, I am loving my photography class, I can't believe I finally opened my Etsy shop, I got my hair cut yesterday and it feels so crazy to have short hair (shortest haircut ever). I fell in love with Office Max Yesterday. I think I am getting addicted to digi scrapping. I miss my family. Wish it would stop snowing already. I just love seeing Christyn at this stage in life, she is so much fun to be around. I would love to be able to finally finish putting up the wainscotting in the dinning room. I am obsessed with Elizabeth Kartchner's blog. I should be cleaning and baking strawberry pie for Easter dinner but I don't want to. I had a dream about a pair of pink and white VANS (tennis shoes) I really want a pair, bad. I'm not looking forward to Turkey season this year. Love Pandora.com and that I can get whatever music I want at the push of a button. I need to clean my studio and for once don't mind the mess. Wish I could find some motivation lately. Thanks to my mom for my new Strawberry Shortcake jammie pants. If only I had more patients with a sewing machine. My four year old is really buggin' lately she needs more play dates. Days are flying by and I really feel old. It is a miracle I have not been in Hobby Lobby all week. Excited for stake conference this weekend. Eggs are done boiling and hope the kids do not make a big mess decorating. Pigs were flying today because, my husband cooked breakfast and lunch, felt a little spoiled. I'm still not sure what he wants for it. Drinking to much cherry diet coke. Can't wait for the next Crop, really looking forward to going. I never get much done but, get things done when I come home. Daydreaming of the swimming pool being filled with water and the sun shinning. I might be overdosing on broccoli and carrots, is there such a thing. Wish I had the guts to submit a page to a magazine don't know why I keep talking myself out of it. I really like hanging out with Shanon she brings out the good in me, someone positive in my life, just what the DR. ordered. Blueberry chocolate lotion makes me crave sweets, so stop using it silly, I can't I am addicted. I have been thinking about the same movie for a month. I want to see The Prestige again, might be overly obsessed with Christian Bale. Well I am off to decorate eggs and bake a pie so, have a Happy Easter Bloggers.
Rhonda

My first all digi page

2009-04-10T03:40:00.002-05:00

Okay, I swore I would never go digital but, what better way to get acquainted with Photoshop than to do an all digital page. Lately it seems there are so many more options available with digital and when I saw this free kit at The shabby shoppe I decided tonight was the night to give it a go. I did miss the actual process of scrapping but this was fun. For those on a budget it just seems so reasonable and most kits around are under $8.00. What a bargain?
Happy Creating
Rhonda

Erika's book signing

2009-04-05T18:46:00.005-05:00

We went to Erika's book signing a few weeks ago and I just barely downloaded pictures but, I wanted to share them so here they are. I am so excited for her and all her success. I couldn't ask for a more awesome sister-in-law and she is absolutely perfect for my little bro.
You can check her art work out HERE or her blog is off to the right in my inspirations.

Finally my Etsy

2009-04-04T02:05:00.006-05:00

Man, I really thought I would never be able to get my stuff together and get this done. I have been working day and night to get things ready to post. I am planning on listing a new item every other week. Routine is the best thing for me so I stay focused and get things accomplished. I am so excited to finally be doing this. I pray I can continue to balance family, chores and the shop. I am loving the new medium I am working with (paper clay) and I am having some awesome results with it. It's been a long day and I am super tired so, off to bed and back at it tomorrow.
Check out my Etsy HERE.
Happy creating
Rhonda

More Scrapbook pages

2009-03-31T23:50:00.001-05:00

Midnight

2009-03-27T00:31:00.003-05:00

Two weeks ago this dog showed up on our front step. The kids have now named it midnight and claimed it for their own. I swore I would never do this to myself. He has now found his home on my back deck and my husband is feeding it. GREAT! I have been amazed at how well behaved he has been around the kids even Christyn. Today I officially caved in and went to talk to a friend that works for the city. I guess we will be adopting the pup and taking him in for shots. I am still surprised someone just left this dog. I guess that is what they call fate. The kids are already trying to talk me into letting him in the house and I am sorry but, this is where I put my foot down. They were worried he would get sick and cold if it snowed tonight. This was my reasoning animals are meant to be outside and you do not see us rounding up the cattle to bring them in the house when it gets cold. They all laughed and then asked if we could at least build him a dog house. This will be our project for next week. It does not take much for me to fold with these kids. I'm not sure I have never won a battle and wonder what the teenage years have in store for me. Last but not least I am surely not looking forward to picking up you know what in the yard before I have to mow this summer. It is funny how fast we attach to something lost.
Yes, I admit it I really do like the silly dog.
Rhonda

Oh! those baby blues

2009-03-19T23:39:00.005-05:00

Edited version of Christyn.

I could just melt away in these baby blues. I was so lucky shooting photos the other day. I love this one so much I did not even edit it. I had my ISO set at 400 and my flash on outdoors. The flash sure helped take the shadow off Christyn's face. I am so excited for the photography workshop I am taking. I start on Monday.
Have a great weekend and get outdoors to enjoy the signs of spring around you.
Rhonda

Another Scrapbook page

2009-03-02T15:39:00.001-06:00

My Mom's high school photos

2009-02-25T14:45:00.006-06:00

Oh my gosh, This was so much fun scrappin' my mom's old high school photos. I have sort of been in a scrappin' funk. I was sorting through my mom's old papers and photos and just could not resist putting these in an album for my children to cherish forever. These pages helped remind me why I love to do this hobby. Hope you all enjoy.
Happy Scrappin'
Rhonda

Christyn's scrapbook

2009-02-24T06:47:00.001-06:00

Scrap page

2009-02-15T03:15:00.004-06:00

Not much time for scrappin' but, here is a recent page I finished.

Yes! my sweet precious Rachael is finally sleeping in her own bed. It only took a few days of mom sleeping in the bed with her to get her to stay there. I have been so sick the last few days and I only hope the kiddos don't get it. I'm off to bed again, hours of sleep make for speedy recovery, that's what I'm told.
Happy Creating
Rhonda

Bedtime Fights

2009-02-11T23:01:00.006-06:00

There are days this kid can just drive me nuts. Rachael is now 4 and still sleeping in my bed. My husband works nights so I never really cared. Rachael also had health problems when she was younger so I felt safe knowing she was next to me. She is old enough now to be in her own big girl bed. I went out and got her her own bedding and made things just perfect for her. She was in love with her bed all day and then when it came time to actually sleep in it she said "NO". Here is her reasoning, signs she is spoiled and more of a princess than I thought. She informed me that her room was not finished and she can not sleep in her big girl bed until her walls are painted. I asked "what color do the walls need to be painted" and she said "pink", of course I should have known. Needless to say she is now sleeping in my bed again tonight. Not sure what to do with the situation yet.

No pink walls but, I did finish this painting I am hanging over her bed. I hope to finish one for Christyn also.

Corina

2009-02-11T00:59:00.009-06:00

Here is Corina celebrating her birthday. I have been trying out new brands of clay and still have not perfected the blend I am looking for. I am also trying out new face shapes and eyes. More to come soon. I like the face shape but maybe more cheek. Corina reminds me of a who from Dr. Seuss. Thanks for looking.
Rhonda

Valentine Sweethearts

2009-02-10T22:53:00.005-06:00

A few of my valentine sweeties. I could hardly imagine my life without these kiddos. I am so blessed for the many chaotic days I have with them. Oh, how lucky I am to be an at home mom. My little ones are growing so fast and will be in school before I know it. It did occur to me that in three short years my son will be attending high school. I am trying really hard not to think of what is to come but, I so badly wished we would live in town by the time Brandon hit seminary. So, give your valentine a big huge squeeze and embrace the today's.
Rhonda

Creative Inspiration

2009-02-05T02:21:00.003-06:00

Everyone needs a little inspiration or at least I do. Here is my favorite playlist. I often play movies in the studio while I work. I think it is more for the noise factor because, most of the time I am caught up in the moment and not really watching. Here are a few of my all time favorites and for some reason they always get my creative energy up. So, now you know just a little more about me and my movie picks. Happy Creating!
Rhonda

More clay figures.

2009-01-30T17:33:00.008-06:00

This little guy is named Greg and he is headed out doors to play with his best friend Charlie.

George the fireman and his dalmatian dog "Rex".

Oh! and this little sweetie "Samantha" is headed to school. She is a little nervous about presenting her crush with a valentine that she made special for him.

And everyone knows the Easter Bunny "hippity-hoppity".

I promised more work and less chit-chat and so here goes. I spent the last few days working on these little guys. I was stuck in a rut for a while and this morning the ideas flooded my head so I hope to have many more on there way next week. This weekend I am taking off and headed out for an all day crop (for scrapbooking) tomorrow. I usually never get any work done at these things so, I am just taking a few mini albums. I know I will catch up on social time and that may be all I need right now. Wishing all of you a fun-filled weekend as well.
Rhonda

Love Birds & Shelia!

2009-01-28T06:31:00.003-06:00

Two little love birds.

Here is Shelia dressed in her Irish best. I love working with the leggings.

vintage collage

2009-01-27T03:50:00.002-06:00

I almost forgot. This is yet another project I have been working on, a small accordion album made with vintage images. I have found these images on websites, vintage post cards, cabinet cards, old photos, and more. I just love to gaze at these for hours and that is why I decided to put a few of my faves in a small book. I hope you enjoy.

Dottie!

2009-01-27T02:55:00.004-06:00

This is my sculpture of Dottie and she is a shelf sitter made from Polymer clay. Dottie was an adorable painting I was lucky enough to purchase for a good deal from my sister-in-law, Erika Jessop. I was talking with Erika the other day and the topic was art as it often is. I could sit for hours just devouring her brain. I think I probably drive her crazy sometimes. Anyways, we talked about, me making clay figures from her sketches and I was so excited I had to start right away. I hope she does not mind the use of Dottie. Anyone who has been to my house has seen Dottie. I will try and post a picture of her painting later. So, this is my interpretation of Dottie. I had a blast making her. I was able to break away from the by- the- book clay figures I am use to making. Dottie has now inspired a few other girls I am working on this week. They are holiday related and will hopefully be at Gealey's and coming soon my Etsy shop.

My Etsy was suppose to be up and running this month but, there has been one thing after another. This weekend I was notified that my bank account is in an investigation. So, Today I had to cancel my debit card and start all over again. When I went down to the bank the lady I usually deal with was not in and the other 2 could not seem to figure out how to order me a new card. I will wait until Friday when Janet returns and I can finally get some things squared away. The funny thing is I just opened the account last week and I am already encountering problems, it might be a sign to find another bank...He He He. If I can keep enough product coming I should be up and running by the end of the month. I have to think this is a great thing because, why else would all the trials come. It is, as if something is seriously trying to stop me from pursuing my adventure. This time nothing is stopping me, postponing maybe, stopping ...Never!

Art Journal Day 1

2009-01-23T01:36:00.001-06:00

This week I went out and purchased some watercolors, charcoal pencil set, staedtler fintip pen set and a 5x 10 art journal. I am excited to start a new adventure and to see first hand how my skills evolve. Day 1 as you can see not as great as it could be but, learning to manage the watercolors. Anyways the whole point is not really what it looks like, it is the feeling of creating something fast and without worry. This was in less than an hour and gave me a break from the clay sculptures I have been working on all day. I hope to have some baked and done by tomorrow so they can be posted by the end of the week. Can I please just say it one more time I love the creative mind and talents the Lord has blessed me with. So, until tomorrow, happy creating.
Rhonda

No more complaining

2009-01-21T03:44:00.000-06:00

Alright, No more complaining about being to busy. It is a good thing....right. I would not want to be sitting around with nothing to do because, honestly that would drive me more crazy. I was scanning through my blog posts and was so disappointed I have not had much for art posts lately so, this week I promise to quite complaining and start posting all the good things that are keeping me so busy. I need to get more art time in, practice does make for better product. I have some new ideas surfacing with the clay projects and I am finishing up some hand painted glass ornaments. I signed up for a photography class this semester and I am excited to see what I learn. Pictures do make me so very happy. Creative Juices are flowing like crazy so, for tonight I am off to CREATE. Stay tuned for my finished posts and I need to show pictures of my daughter's finished bedroom. I wish it was my room, the colors make me happy.

A realiztion

2009-01-15T23:10:00.000-06:00

I definitely did not get much done today. I still have to get my bills paid tonight because, the bills are due tomorrow and I will be gone most of the morning for Brandon's physical. I wonder how in the world I will ever be able to get sharing time done at this point. The school sent me home some autism and social cognitive behavior pamphlets and I have to have them back by Monday so the teachers can review them. I really need to read through this stuff and I can't figure where to fit in the reading time. There are 4 large books and 2 DVD's. I have an idea for sharing time but, I'm not sure the time I have will allow for the preparation needed. I suppose I will start one book while waiting in the doctor's office tomorrow.
I did get almost all the laundry done, only about 6 more loads to do. Tonight, I was making up the babies crib with fresh linens when I heard from the other room a massive Bionicle war going on. I went next door to my son's room and just stood in the door way and smiled. I said to him " I Just love you so much". I have been feeling so overwhelmed lately that I realized I have missed scripture study for the last two weeks and this was my happy time with my kids. I have struggled with the feeling of being a "LOSER MOM" so I asked my son if he thought I was a bad mom. His reply was "NO, but, you could spend more time with us because you are always busy and I never see you anymore". It brought tears to my eyes thinking how right he is. So, tonight I let all else go and just enjoyed some much needed time with my kids. I pray the Lord will guide me come Sunday's sharing time because I know I have not had the time to put into it that I wish I could.
Now, for tonight I am done posting because, my bills are calling me, OH Joy. Forgive the excessive commas.

2009-01-11T02:04:00.000-06:00

Well it is now 2:00am and I am sitting here waiting for my primary calenders to print so I decided to blog for a bit.
Yesterday I sat in a lecture for autism and social disorders from 8:30-3:00 and I was like a sponge. I tried to soak up all the information I could on Aspergers and the autism spectrum. I learned so much and hope that I can apply some of what I learned to my son's social life. I found some new ways to help him calm himself when he is having a ragging fit or if he is just overly excited. There are still so many things I am recognizing in his behavior that I never paid much attention to before.
His best friend Logan came over to play and Brandon spun circles in the kitchen flapping his hands on his legs. He looked like a little penguin. This is something he does often but I never realized it was a result from his Aspergers. He was filled with so much joy and just did not know how to contain himself. I later spoke to my mom about this and she said " Isn't it amazing we find this abnormal when we should all be so happy". At first I really was not sure what she meant by the comment. I thought to myself about that and why should we have to contain our excitement. Brandon was just so happy to be with his friend he didn't know how to express it. I once watched a TV show called Boston Legal ( not much of a TV watcher but caught this one episode) there is a Lawyer with aspergers and when he got excited right before his case he flapped his hands to his legs the same way Brandon did.
I was also able to view tape of children on the autism spectrum and wow are these kids amazing. The way their minds comprehend things is unfathomable. It was amazing to watch this one junior high child and the way his mind would work. As this kid was being questioned he was drawing the most amazing airplanes and their aerodynamics. Most of the kids had certain areas that they just excelled in and they all loved to read and had superb reading comprehension. After all I learned and viewed yesterday I have high hopes for my son's future. In my last post I didn't think he could be like Einstein and I now take that back. He could be so much greater. He will accomplish so much in his life and he has the gospel to help lead him where he needs to be.

Random Thoughts

2009-01-06T00:21:00.000-06:00

Crazy, I have nothing to write about lately and so, I guess I'll just post some random thoughts.
Music makes me smile. Sweatshirts make me happy, especially a hoodie. I appreciate all art. I wish people could be happy for others. I had fun at a scrapbooking party tonight. Real friends are hard to come by but, when you find one you never want to let them go. My memory is slipping with age and I hate that. I can't save the world and wish I didn't think I could. It is nice when someone makes me laugh and I forget my troubles. I wish there was more time in a day because there is so much I want to do and it always seems I never have enough time. Babysitters are awesome can't believe it took me 11 years to get one. I should spend more time on me. I shouldn't let the thoughts of others bother me. I am in love with my house. Running is not that bad and to think I use to dread it. I can't believe I am about to celebrate my 10 year wedding anniversary, crazy. I am learning to appreciate my calling. LIFE ROCKS! I thought I would be miserable after 30 and I am finally realizing who I am. I no longer regret decisions I made in my life and I know all things happen for a reason and I am embracing that. My mom really is the coolest, my best friend. I wish I could finally get pass the potty phase in motherhood, diapers suck and I am tired of them. Kids are truly hilarious little beings and brutally honest. I have amazing siblings. All talent is given of God and I should respect that even if I don't appreciate someones taste. Being organized is freeing. I am overwhelmed with the desire to learn and sometimes think my brain is on overload. I really do not know what I did before I got the Internet, i never knew what I was missing. It would be so cool to experience life in the 20's, the fashion was so cool. I am obsessed with ANTHROPOLOGIE, what a wicked cool store. It is crazy when a friend mentions the moon and then every time you look at it you happen to think of them. I love that I am truly unique. It brings me joy to know I am different. I strive to be out of the "NORM". I like to think outside the box. It is hard for me to follow directions. I like being lost, I always discover something unexpected. Mistakes really do make us stronger. I talk way to much. I like having alone time to reflect on my thoughts. I hate when ideas come all at once and I can't focus. Sleep is so overrated. Pictures make me happy. I sure wish our investments would not depreciate anymore. I am glad we have a retirement plan already. It is amazing that little things really can make us happy people. I try not to take things for granted. I often sit back in awww at where I am in my life considering the crazy things I have lived through. I still can't believe I married a Rancher, me and cows...a strange thought. I wish it was spring already so I could get outdoors more. I guess for tonight I am done rambling and hopefully got some things out of my head.

New Year here I come.

2008-12-26T10:30:00.000-06:00

Christmas is over and my family has gone. It's a sad thought how we get older and the Holiday is over in the blink of an eye. I am looking forward to this new year and planning many changes in my life some of those changes I have already set forth. This is the first time I have felt anxious about starting a New. I hope I can keep up with my goals and motivation and be able to accomplish all that is on my to-do list. I'm ready for better health and a cleaner house (remodel projects complete), and most of all new career moves. I am simply loving my life right now. This past year has truly been a reflection of what is important and that "things" do not make us who we are. I would love to get out of debt by the end of 2009 and I know we can do it if we remember not to live of the world.

As my sister drove away last night I realized I might just miss that dog of hers that became a part of our family for 2 years. I'm not sure what I will do without dog slobber kisses, barking in the middle of the night, laying in the middle of the floor, fur balls everywhere, rushing the door when I come home, feeding and watering. Cinnamon has had a huge impact on my life and I might just miss her more than I thought. NO! NO! NO! I am not breaking down to get a dog anytime soon but, maybe in the future when I find myself alone in the studio and my kids are no longer at the age of needing me. Thank You! To my sister and Chris for trusting me with their #1 in their lives.

Living with aspergers.

2008-12-20T07:18:00.000-06:00

Wow! never knew updating my blog would be so difficult. I have had lots going on lately. So many emotions I'm not sure what to do with them all yet. I have been driving myself crazy with the fact that it is time to start my own website and finally sell my art and crafts. So much to do and think about. The holidays have been crazy and our schedules have been nuts.

This week we found out our son Brandon has aspergers. It is something I have speculated about over the last year. He has struggled with socializing since kindergarten and I was hoping he would grow out of it. This year has been extremely difficult for him. He has come home a number of times in tears, wishing he never had to go to school again. There have been some boys at his school that have been teasing him and he has had a few fist fights. I am relieved to finally have some answers and a little guidance. I will be attending a workshop for autism in January in hopes of learning some coping skills. My main objective is to find a way to help Brandon feel like he can communicate with others. Over the years he has shown aggression and I think most of that comes from him not being able to express how he feels or what he wants.

Thursday I sat in a meeting for almost 3 hrs. It makes me happy to know there are some people in his school that actually care and want to get him the help he needs. I worry about the labeling. I know that he has to be labeled as autistic in order to get the help he needs. The laws on this are a pain and aspergers seems so different to me. Brandon had to go through a few months of testing before we could officially say he had aspergers. I was amazed when they presented his test results to me. I have always known my son was gifted but this was beyond what I expected. He had test scores way above kids his age and in his reading comprehension he was almost off the charts. There is much to be thankful for. Some of his tests show that the way he has been taught at home and school has helped him in some areas that he otherwise would have failed at.

I have been researching aspergers for over a year now and I am amazed at the people who have had this and what they have accomplished in life. They say that Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein all showed key signs of aspergers. I'm not sure if my son will turn out to be Einstein but I do know he is extremely intelligent and he has compassion. I am so proud of him and his accomplishments. I know that having the gospel in his life has been the key to his happiness. My only worry is his future and that is why I want to get him the help he needs now. I have found through my studies that most people with aspergers mature socially at different levels and that no two cases are the same. I worry that while most kids will enter high school and be active in sports and dating and hanging-out with friends my Brandon would rather be in a room with a book or still playing with toys he had when he was 12. I know I have to have faith that what ever the Lord intends is what may be. The most important thing is that many people go on to be very successful in their life, living with aspergers. I know that there will come a time for a relationship in his life and the girl he falls in love with will be a special one and she will just "get him".

For many years Brandon has said those words to me " people just don't get me" or "you just don't understand". He is right I don't understand what he is thinking and why he thinks certain things at any given time. Our family was in a meeting with our Bishop and out of the blue and way off topic he asks our Bishop if he has seen Wall-E and that he should take his wife to see that movie. It was a sweet gesture but, why did he choose that topic at that time. So, my hope is to learn and grow and be able to understand him and the things he says. The mind truly is a beautiful thing and how blessed we are to each have our own.

Fun Filled Winter Days.

2008-12-09T17:50:00.001-06:00

Today I started to make our Christmas cards. This will be one of them. While Christyn napped, Rachael and I crafted away. I was overcome with joy watching her sit on the floor with all her paper. She would finish a project and then come and show me her results and then comment on what a good job I was doing. I had a wonderful time just enjoying her.
It was a good day filled with happy moments. First, I woke to find my husband had done the dishes, well most of them. Second, I spent a little time with the girls. Third, I sat and watched Polar Express and drank hot cocoa with the girls. The cocoa was much needed. I love cocoa in the winter and I vowed to cut it from my diet this winter season and today I gave into the temptation. I think I have done a pretty good job this year only three cups of cocoa since the cold months started. It must have been the thought of snow on the ground and Christmas music playing and sitting by the glow of candle light. Forth, before my night ended I got a call from my mom and she had about 7 orders for me from people at her work, a total of 21 ornaments. So, I will be playing with clay for the rest of the week in hopes of finishing by Sunday. I was so excited that so many people enjoyed them. My mom actually stopped taking orders because she was concerned I would not be able to complete the 21 on time. We will see how my week goes and she will take more orders next week. AWESOME!

A few more Clay ornaments

2008-12-09T14:50:00.002-06:00

Winter Blues!

2008-12-03T09:39:00.001-06:00

I can't believe that we are now into our third week of sickness. This week Christyn developed pneumonia again. I am so sick of this stuff. I don't think people understand why I don't go out in the winter. Here is why, it never fails we get the common cold every year and it just won't go away and after a few weeks of that we end up with ear infection and then eventually pneumonia. I now consider myself a seasoned pro at this stuff. I have my girls on the breathing machine as soon as I notice green, runny noses, that's the first sign of pneumonia. I have been wondering lately, how much is to much antibiotic and steroid because, I'm not sure these little bodies have the immunity they should have. Anyways, we go through this at least three times in the winter months and man is it stressful. The treatments are 4-6 times a day and last 30-40min., that is a huge chunk of my time just giving medicine, not to mention the fevers breaking, the extra dirty pants, and the extreme fuzziness. Oh! and lets not forget the extra cleaning because, everything needs disinfecting. I sure do get more time with the girls. That little machine helps me in some ways, 30 extra minutes here and there to snuggle the girls, so long as they don't decide to fight me. I sometimes give them treatments in their sleep so, I won't have to put up with the kicking and screaming. How long will this last? Will they ever grow out of it? Can my check book take much more of this? These are all questions running through my head. My sanity is shot lately and I am ready to throw my hands to the air and just surrender and give up. The young years of child bearing are so trying. I selfishly want to start things for me and always have to put them on the back burner, due to kids. I still can't find balance between my family, my church callings and responsibilities, doing service, and taking care of me. I read somewhere the other day, a lady talking about women having children and life happening and then not having time for yourself. I hate that I always choose everything else before my needs, like they are not important. I can't seem to find 20 min to run lately. My brother in-law once told me if I wanted to make the change I could. He said get up 20 min earlier and make time for the workout. It all seems so funny considering I don't sleep now. Running at 3 sometimes 4 in the morning just so I can say I worked out. Where is the extra 20 min. What can I possibly cut out of my life to make other things happen. I feel so inadequate right now, I know I can't be the only mother wondering why I'm not supermom. Balance....It's all a balancing act. I just have to figure out what I can juggle and what needs to go. If only the circus paid more than peanuts....I would be a very wealthy woman.

My kitchen counter looks like a pharmacy right now.

Wanted to list my daily routine so I could see for myself what can go
6:30 try to get up if I slept that night
7:00 get kids up and ready for school
7:30 pack lunches and make breakfast
8:00 kids go to school
8:30 Rachael and Christyn get up
8:45 give girls a bath and strip bedding usually every other day not by choice
9:15 feed girls breakfast
9:45 clean up breakfast mess
10:20 put movie on for girls this is when they get their first treatment
11:00 some chores
12:00 start lunch
12:30 eat lunch
1:00 christyn goes down for nap
1:00-3:00 I sleep
3:30 the older kids get home from school and christyn is up
3:45 breathing treatment, homework
4:15 more chores, laundry usually or picking up toys
5:20 start dinner
6:20 eat dinner
7:15 clean up from dinner, another breathing treatment
8:00 older kids take baths and get stuff ready for school
8:30 scripture study if we're lucky, christyn to bed
9:00 bed time for brandon and liz
9:30 pack wade's lunch and get his dinner ready
10:15 he leaves for work, breathing treatment
10:30 rachael finally goes to sleep
11:00 check email and facebook
12:00am more chores and art stuff (my work)
3:30am run on treadmill
4:00am getting tired go lay down for awhile
Ok this just seems ridiculous..it is no wonder I am exhausted all the time...who functions like this.
This is a typical day. Not the days I have trips to town or when I work for others. Wednesdays are bad....youth night....blah. It is no wonder I just want to run away come Saturday.

8 Things!

2008-12-01T23:35:00.000-06:00

Well I have never filled one of these things out but willing to give it a go.
I hope that when I was reading Ann's blog, when she said Tag Rhonda..that meant me.

This meme is called 8 Things …
8 TV shows
1. The Hills
2. Eli Stone
3. Private practice
4. Samantha who?
5. pushing up daisies
6. Brother's and Sister's
7. Cold Case
8. CSI

8 things I did yesterday
1. Slept a lot
2. washed Wade's uniforms
3. ate left-overs
4. gave the girls breathing treatments
5. made 1 clay ornament
6. facebook
7. cleaned the kids bathroom with disinfectant
8. slept more (like 12 hrs of sleep and I still don't feel any better)

8 places I love to eat
I really don't eat out much so I will just pick what I once had or what sounds good
1.Olive Garden
2. Applebee's
3. Little Mexico
4. Subway
5. Ruby Tuesday....salad bar
6. French Cafe'
7. Chili's
8. Roman's

8 things I am looking forward to
1. Summer
2. No more sickness
3. My treadmill everyday and not being on it because I'm so sick
4. Visits from family
5. Swimming in my pool
6. the chiropractor
7. carpet in Liz's new room
8. remodel work that I need to do on the house

8 things on my wish list
I'm going for the selfish side of me. I hope no one is offended
1. An Apple computer
2. medical bills and credit cards paid ( credit card was for more medical bills)
3. For my family to be healthy the rest of the year
4. New Carpet
5. A Toyota like my sisters or gas to stay at $1.75 a gallon
6. not to be in primary. (nothing against anyone I just struggle personally when I am in primary)
7. a super clean house.....everything pressed, washed, and scrubbed.
8. a week to myself but, not at home, unless the house is already cleaned

8 people to tag
i don't know 8 people so who ever feels like filling this out I tag you

Thanksgiving Feast!

2008-11-30T22:25:00.000-06:00

This is the Turkey that mom made. Oh my Gosh! I was so excited to have some of that turkey and mom's homemade apple pie. We have all been really sick and missed out on thanksgiving day dinner so, my mom postponed everything until Saturday. I really look forward to the holidays and spending time with my family and I was so sad I missed my little brother Brandon and his wife Erika. We all had fun anyways. My mom bought a few movies for the kids and we went to look at Christmas lights after dinner. That night we came home and Christyn was wheezing really bad. She is officially back on breathing treatments and back into the Dr. tomorrow. She really sounds bad this time. She has been on antibiotics sense Monday and just can't seem to shake this stuff. I'm up all night with her and she just keeps coughing and coughing and sometimes gasping for breath. I really am hating the winter months right now, just wish this cold and flu season didn't have to hit us so bad every year. Just to be safe I have also started Rachael on treatments . I'm going a little crazy being confined to the house but, just want everyone to get better. So, this year I have much to be grateful for.

This pie is absolutely to die for.

Brandon's Deer!

2008-11-30T21:33:00.000-06:00

Just a few quick pictures of deer season this year. This was the first year Brandon was legal to hunt and he shot himself a pretty nice 6x6 yearling buck. We were all so proud. He even asked to miss scouts that night so he could go and check in his deer with dad. It was a pretty big deal. Maybe now that he has finally shot a deer of his own we won't have to talk him in to going out to scout deer anymore. Just maybe he is a hunter after all.

Christyn getting practice on the grunt caller. I bought this grunt caller last year for Wade and the guys were able to call in every deer this year, using this very one. Way to go Mom!

Isn't she just adorable in dad's hunting hat?

Yes Christyn! girls hunt too.

Painting in Progress.

2008-11-26T01:04:00.000-06:00

This is the progress I have made on the painting. There is still much work to be done but, enjoying the process. I am happy when I'm painting. There is nothing like it and unless you are an artist I just can't explain it. So, she kinda reminds me of Cher so I might have to widen the jaw line a little. There is still some more altering and collage.