Lester's last days

Day 23

 These past weeks have really been busy for Lester, so I don't blame him one bit for taking a nap today. One more day and Lester will leave us until next year. We are going to miss that little elf.

 Day 22

We were packing up the car to go stay the night at Grandma's and drive around to look at the lights, then right before the kids got in they spotted Lester in the front seat. He wanted to go see the lights too.

 Day 21

There was still some snow on the ground and Lester took off on horseback. The kids were happy to find him galloping in the front yard when they came home from school.

Day 20

Lester hangin' with the "Nuts".

Lockdown

 A sick family = days of solitary confinement. While in lock down I did some scrappin', in between cleaning and being sick a few days, myself.  I have to admit I was enjoying not having commitments and being on the run all the time. It was kind of nice to sit in the studio playing with paper and listening to Christmas music. It got me thinking that I need to make more time for the things I love.
I am happy to welcome in this new week with no sick kids, a few finished projects, and a Christmas to-do list that just keeps growing. I can't wait to spend some time with family and just have fun.
I have many more pages to share, but the lighting was terrible today, so I will post more soon.
Hope you all are having a blessed Holiday Season.
Rhonda

More Lester

Day 19 

Lester was helping me bake some cookies when I turned my back and caught him taste testing the cookie dough.

Day 18

Lester playing us some Christmas Hymns

Day 17

Lester reading a Christmas story to Christyn's family of penguins.

Lester in action

Day 15

Yep, that is a 5 o'clock shadow you see. Lester has been so busy the past 2 weeks he forgot to shave. He is taking today for himself...Happy Elf Day!

Day 14

Brandon came home from school and found his room covered in snowflakes. Lester must have been cutting for hours.

 Day 13

Free kisses....today only!  Lester took over Mistletoads spot for the day.

 Day 12

Taking a much needed break and sippin' on some hot cocoa.

 Day 11

Lester spent the weekend scrubbing every inch of my house....I just love that little elf! Getting rid of the Influenza A bug...YUCK!

December Blessings

I am counting my blessing twice today. The kids and I have been sick again. Last Thursday we were back into the clinic with sore throat and such. On Friday one of the kids came down with the stomach bug and then the rest went like dominoes. Brandon was sick on Sunday and had the worst of it. It took my husband three hours just to clean up after him. These are time when I love my husband tremendously. I was sick in bed and since he never did get sick he got stuck cleaning all the mess.
Also, this week we had a wee visitor of sorts. I spotted a mouse in the basement and about had a panic attack. We set some traps and caught the little booger a few hours later. The first year we moved to this house we had mice and it terrified me....I almost packed my bags and moved right back out. After two years of sealing the foundation and tearing out hanging insulation and cleaning every nook and cranny we finally were rid of them. It has been 8 years since I have had a mouse in the house. I know it comes with the territory of living in the country and occasionally they find there way in, but I thought I was finally rid of them FOREVER.
Today, I woke up with the determination to clean frantically. After sick kids and the mouse I was feeling a little overwhelmed with a dirty feeling. I scrubbed down everything today even cleaned under the washer, dryer, fridge, etc. I was just about finished when it occurred to me that I should clean in the heater closet, because if I were a mouse that might be where I would hide out. When I opened the closet door, I noticed black soot all over the filters and on the door. I just changed those filters less then 2 weeks ago and couldn't believe how dirty they were. I then got on line and researched about the soot and found out that it is caused by carbon monoxide. Oh, WOW! Seriously, I can't believe we are not all dead. We shut of the heater and called a friend of ours who owns a heating business and he told us we have a God that must love us very much. This got me to stop and think how grateful I was for that little booger of a mouse that some how found his way into our home, because if not for him I would never have opened that heater door for months. Blessings really do come in all shapes and sizes and even though we are not looking forward to forking out the cash for a new heater I am still counting my blessings. I know that God loves me and as long as I live according to his plan blessings will continue to come. I love my Heavenly Father.
The greatest part is that we will all start to feeling better real soon. No more headaches and sore throats.
Until next time,
Rhonda

Ice blue

Lester was spotted today in our fridge. I guess he decided to turn our milk Ice Blue.

Rhonda

Feathers and Friends

A dear friend of mine is singing this weekend in a chorus and they are all dressing in a 4o's vintage theme. A few weeks ago this friend and I went scouring in antique stores, the local goodwill, and a few consignment shops to see if we could find an outfit for her to wear for this show. We were lucky enough to find a skirt and blouse at 2 separate stores. We were ready to call it a day and head home, when I thought we should try one last antique store. My friend found the most awesome vintage apron to complete her vintage 40's look. I made this hair piece for her and this weekend I will get to see the entire ensemble come together. She is going to look amazing.
I recently found out this friend is moving this year. She will only be a few states away, but I will miss her and all the sweet times we have already shared.
Rhonda

Lester is on Holiday

Today started out in the negative digits and Lester decided to take Holiday. I wish I were him basking in the sun and enjoying some warmer temps. I would love to be able to just escape to a beach and lounge poolside.
Heres to hoping tomorrow will be a warmer day.
Rhonda

December Daily

Ahhh! sweet Monday, hangin' out with my favorite 4 year old and packing up a few orders to mail out today. I also organized all my Christmas/winter craft supplies and I'm trying to finish up my December Daily Journal. I still need to go down stairs and rummage through some of my storage boxes and find the perfect book to cut apart for my cover.  My two oldest girls started a Dec. Journal this weekend, but they are yet to finish. I guess they lost interest when I wasn't doing all the work. I suppose, since mine is almost complete I can now focus on helping the girls get theirs done too. My oldest daughter is going to use her camera and do all her own pictures.  I had a ton of fun crafting this weekend while we were snowed in, but today I better get some kind of work done. I have a few orders that need to be finished, so it's off to work I go. I'm lovin' this holiday season....so much to be grateful for this year. 

Oh and I am super excited to see my daughter Rachael in the elementary school program tonight. I think she will do a terrific job playing an elf.                         

Happy December to all

Rhonda

Lester is in the house

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

Celebrating over 30 and pushing 40

Yep, this is a non photo post and today is my birthday and I am realizing how super old I am getting. Driving today and looked over at my 14 yr old son and thought when did this kid grow a mustache and is he really going to be driving soon. That's actually when I thought hey this old thing might not be so bad....now he can drive me around. Not even 5 min later I was pulled over for driving way too fast. Luckily the officer had pity on me and gave me a warning. He said he just couldn't give me a ticket on my birthday....really he was probably not wanting to be the reason for my soon to come midlife crisis. Yeah, I was almost sobbing uncontrollably and my son even said "Mom please stop crying your embarrassing me." What my son didn't know is I can't afford one more ticket...I'm not talking money either. I have been pulled over way to many times for speeding and in jeopardy of losing my licence (this is where that teenage son will come in handy). So, I am reflecting a little tonight. What in the world is really so important in my life that I have to drive like Dale Earnhardt Jr. ( that's a race car driver...right?). Maybe, that is why someone invented that cruise control thingy on my steering wheel.  I think I might just use that cruise option more often, who knows, I might not be as late to things as I think I will. I could just put my entire life in cruise control option.
We had a party at our house tonight, complete with hay bales around a bonfire in the backyard. There was plenty of good food and even better company. It was a great birthday. The best part of my night....my little brother calling and chatting for like an hour. We laughed about things, talked about TV shows, movies and life. Man, I really love my family. Funny, how that one call for a measly hour could be the highlight of my night, but it was. I hope my kids have these for ever sibling bonds when they grow up and move on with their lives. I don't know if I seized this year the way I intended, but I think it was an overall good year. Heres to new goals and dreams...I hope this year I can grasp just a few more of them.
Rhonda


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Spice Apple Pancakes & Football

Apple spice pancakes...can you say, Yummy! I treated my 4 yr old to a morning surprise. While all the other kids were at school she was at home squirting whip cream in her mouth, right from the can and bathing in sprinkles. Yep, she is 4 and did get a little carried away with the sprinkles, but we had fun cooking together. These are a family favorite and there is nothing better than kickin' off fall with some delicious pancakes for breakfast. Recipe follows...

Pancake: 2 Cups pancake mix
               1/2 tsp cinnamon
                1 Egg
               1 1/3 cup milk
                3/4 cup grated apple
mix all the ingredients together and cook up some pancakes

Syrup: 1 cup sugar
            2 Tblsp.  cornstarch
             1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
             2 cups apple cider
             2 tsp. lemon juice
             1/4 cup butter

melt butter in saucepan than add cider, lemon juice, sugar, and spice. Bring to boil and then add cornstarch, continue to boil until thickened. Remember mix your cornstarch in a separate bowl with a little water before adding to the boiling syrup or you will have lumpy syrup.

And a little football action. Nothing says fall like football and apples.
Rhonda

vintage chic necklace

Okay..I need to share this. I made this using some broken necklaces, a chandelier prism, and a vintage earring. I am in love with this piece and it looks great with so many things I already have in the closet. All this girl needs is to fall in love with another hobby. I think it's time to get out my pliers and soldering iron and start whipping some of these beauties out. I can save myself some major dollars if I start making all of the jewelry my girls seem to think they need. My oldest daughter had her birthday a few weeks ago and all she wanted was clothes and jewelry. I'm kicking myself right now for not getting motivated sooner....there is always Christmas.
Rhonda

Hello cards

Here are just a few cards I made with some left over scrap paper. It's been a while since I have made some cards. Feeling a little under the weather and in between naps I felt inspired. I think I have what ever bug my little ones had last week, because I woke up Sunday morning with an awful headache and running fevers. It is that time of the year... I guess, I better stock up on some Vitamin D and C or this could be a very long season. I am sending a few of these out today to the ladies I visit teach. Thanks for stopping by and hope you enjoy the cards. 

Rhonda

Scrap pages

I spent most of the day watching 2 of my kids march in UNK band day today. They did a great job, but were disappointed they didn't win any awards. I came home and had some time to myself and basically wasted it away on Pinterest. I am so totally addicted to pinning. I found this site kevin and amanda while pinning and downloaded the digital scrap stuff used below. It's been a while since I last made a digital scrap page. This was my first download to my new computer. I am always so surprised at how fast I can throw together a page. I'm just not sure I will convert to digital anytime soon. I love cutting and playing with the real stuff, I just wish I had more time to play with my stash of goodies.