My new blog

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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!

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

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

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.

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

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

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