Christmas Eve With Family

Shane a couple days before he left for the Marines boot camp in California. We missed him this Christmas and we are SOOOO proud of him.

Shane with his cousins Kara and Alyssa before he left for boot camp last Fall.

My Mom and Step-Dad

We spent Christmas Eve at my Mom and Step-Dad's house. Everyone was there except my nephew Shane who is in California at boot camp right now becoming a United States Marine. We missed him very much and will be glad when he is able to come home. We took pictures to send him so he knows he was thought of and missed very much this Christmas.

We Love You Shane And Are So Proud Of You!!!!!

Kara and Alyssa missin their cousin Shane

Alyssa being her goofy self. Shane will love it, I am sure it will make him smile.

Mom also made her traditional grasshoppers...here is my son-in-law Travis and my daughter Alyssa enjoying Mom's treat.

Trav and Alyssa

My beautiful daughters Kara and Alyssa.

My son Kasey

Me and My Sweetie

Here is my mom, me, my sister, my brother and my 95 year old grandpa Betz posing for our family picture.

Grandpa getting ready to go home after our fun Christmas Eve night.

Grandpa Betz making a funny face.....can you kinda see where Alyssa got her goofiness from. Must be in the bloodline.

Well, I will leave you all with that. Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.

Until next time.....Blessings....Rhonda

A Christmas Warrior.....A Heart Renewed

Matthew 18:3

And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Christmas time.....a time to reflect and celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. But how many of us get so busy with shopping, baking, decorating, crafting and just living, we think of the real meaning of Christmas with small fleeting thoughts and our precious Jesus and his birthday gets put on the back burner. Well, I had the real meaning of Christmas demonstrated to me in a mighty way in Walmart on Saturday, here is the story.

My husband and I went to Walmart on Saturday, the hustle and bustle in there was UNREAL!!!! People were literally cart to cart trying to get their shopping done. I do not like to be in that situation, my head was spinning and I just wanted to get our items and get the heck out of there!!!!!!!! Do you notice that when you are in a hurry and just want to get home, you tend to put on more miles then usual, it's back and forth...back and forth, because you forget something in isle 1 and you are now in isle 8..uhhhhhh!!!!

Anyway, while we were in this shopping frenzy we heard this little boy belting out "Jesus loves me this I know, for the bible tells me so". I couldn't see him but I heard him and I thought "how sweet"....but I kept my in head in my shopping frenzy and was only concentrating on getting out of Walmart (my husband has a hard time keeping up with me when I am in this mode, FULL STEAM AHEAD his head was spinning,LOL). A few minutes later I again hear, "Jesus loves me this I now for the bible tells me so". I was grabbing milk out of the cooler but I stopped and listened this time and really let it register that someone was singing. But not about jingle bells, santa or reindeer but about his Lord and Savior, JESUS CHRIST. He was singing very loudly I might add, loud enough to be heard over all the hustle and bustle of Walmart, and that in itself is a miracle. Now, this time, I didn't only think "how sweet" this little Christmas warrior had my attention.

I wanted to see him in all his glory singing at the top of his lungs that his Jesus loved him. I was no longer focused on my shopping, my head was up and my eyes were looking for him. I could hear him singing away and all of a sudden I spotted him. He had been at least 3 isles away from me......there he was with his young precious mother. She had 3 little ones, one in the cart seat in front of her and two little ones hanging onto the cart as she pushed it along. And one of them was her little warrior.

His jacket was unzipped and he was klunking along in his big boots, head thrown back singing his heart out. He didn't care if he was politically correct or not...he didn't care if he was offending anyone....he didn't care that he was in the middle of Walmart singing among a crowd of people. He didn't even know that at that moment, a month of Sunday sermons could not have touched me like he did singing that song in Walmart. He, in a very powerful way, broke through a wall that I had built up just trying to survive life and somehow he laid me in the arms of my precious Savior once again, how priceless!!!!!!

That young Mother is also a warrior...she taught her son that Jesus came to this earth as a baby and then died to save him because he loved him that much. She is doing God's work and the fruit manifested itself in Walmart on Saturday!!!!!! I will never forget this little warrior and his family. I didn't capture any pictures of this mother and her children to show you. These kinds of pictures we carry in our hearts and they change us forever. I pray that God will bless them and continue to grant him the strength of a mighty warrior. Mothers teach your children about Jesus. Give them a chance to see that Jesus is the only Way, the only Truth and the only Life!!!!!!! You will NEVER be sorry!!!!

So with that said....we can all be warriors this Christmas. We don't have to beat someone over the head with a bible, just live by example. Saturday was just a day in the life of a little boy living by example to anyone who had ears to hear and a heart to receive. PRAISE GOD!!!!!

Merry Christmas to all of you and all may God reveal himself to you in a BIG way this Christmas!!!!

Blessing, Rhonda

Matthew 18:3 NIV

And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

A Gut Feeling The Craft Show Was Going To Be A Bust And It Was...But the Reindeer Were Adorable

Made a new batch of Reindeer for Rudolph Days...didn't sell a one. What has the world come to when you can't sell a "Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer" In Rudolph, WI during Rudolph Days????? Not a good sign!!!!!

Ever get that feeling, that a situation is doomed from the start???? Well, Joni and I had that very same experience today. We set up a booth at what is called "Rudolph Days" in Rudolph, Wisconsin, it's about 8 mile from Wisconsin Rapids. We were told that we could set up the night before so we would be ready for business the next day...let the festivities begin...NOT.

So last night, Joni and I arrived with our boxes full of goodies to set up our little store and to our surprise (or should I say shock) we realized that we were assigned to the little yellow garage with a make shift propane heater that almost gassed us to death throughout our whole experience there. The rest of the crafters were at the elementary school and the fire station..yep you got it...we got the overflow spot. ARE YOU SERIOUS!!!!!!! This is when that feeling struck and my brain was screaming....SKIP IT!!!!!!

Our Little Yellow Garage/Dead Zone

To their credit, bless their hearts, they tried to attract some business our way with a sign they set up for us.......well, I would like to say it worked but I would be lying :)

Against our better judgment, we decided that we would take the chance..brave the cold, the gas fumes and the crappy spot and go forward with our plan to set up...we were trying to be good sports and think positive.

I will say that the interior of the garage did go with our theme....PRIMITIVE!!!!

I think all in all we made the best of our spot and our set up turned out cute!!!! Joni brought these two adorable prim chairs for us to sit on..I love them!!!!

Here is a new snowman that I made last week...I love his hat

I made 8 more of these snowman last week for the show. I didn't sell a one today but I am still glad I made them. They are my favorite item I made this year so now I get to keep one for myself.

Our mice and snowmen on a tree display.

Mouse on a vintage clothespin
I got this idea from Justina, at Pepper Creek Gatherings.

At the craft show in Spooner, WI a couple weeks ago, I bought from Justina a cute little bird on a clothespin tree ornament. I loved it so much I decided I would make my own version.....a mouse on a clothespin.

Depending on how you look at this...they either look adorable on the tree or creep you out.....it depends on if you hate mice or not. I HATE mice, so I am torn on this subject?????

The show/festivities started at 10am, we were ready for business but just as we had expected....no customers. Where were they all, probably at the school where it was warm!!!!! We had a few people walk by our little yellow garage but that was the problem....they kept on walkin!!!!

We finally thought it would be more inviting to people walking by if we opened up the big garage door, so that is what we did. It also helped with the fumes from the propane heater, BOUNS!!!!!

They had a shuttle bus busing people around the town...bring them to the little yellow garage please ;)

Joni and I had finally had enough, so we asked the other poor lady (her name was Mel) that was stuck in the garage with us if she would watch our booth while we took a little break. She agreed so off we went to find some action somewhere in Rudolph during Rudolph Days.

Up the road we found a Antique shop to check out and also a junk store. At the junk store, Joni found a used designer purse for $5 that she snatched up...SCORE!!! As you can see from the picture above, she looks pretty proud carrying her Rudolph Days purchase :) I found some graniteware pans that I love to use in my prim creations.

This was my favorite part of Rudolph Days, the live Reindeer...they were so cool. The one in front with his eye bugging out is probably thinking the same thing we were thinking "what am I doing here".

Santa (in the background in his sleigh) and his trusty Reindeer

As you can see from this picture, there were a few people out and about just not wanting to buy crafts. I have come to the conclusion that Rudolph Days are for families to enjoy Reindeer viewing, dog sledding dogs, chili feeds, cookie decorating, ornament making...the list of activities goes on and on. They are not, however, there to buy crafts.

Oh well, all kidding aside, I still had a fun day with Joni and I have the memory of "the craft show bust" but I think next year we will NOT be showing up for Rudolph Days with our goodies...not worth it!!!

Can't win them all.....Hope you all had a good Saturday.....Blessing....Rhonda

Merry Christmas From My House To Yours

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Click the green arrow and enjoy...Merry Christmas from me and my family......Rhonda

It's Beginging To Look A Lot Like Christmas

I am not putting a tree up this year here in the rental. All my decorations are packed and being stored somewhere. We have our things scattered in 3 different locations right now, hopefully next Christmas we will be planted somewhere and I can go whole hog decorating. Until then, I enjoyed watching my daughter and son in-law put their tree up this year during our Thanksgiving visit.

Kara and Trav had an artificial tree the last 2 years, but this year they went for a real tree.

Kara picked up that cool prim pail at the "Rusty Bucket" on one of our shopping trips. The tree looks so cool and prim sitting in it!!!!

Here they are trying to get the tree straight...always a challenge.

Kara is putting the last few ornaments on her tree. Now we just hope her cats leave it alone :)

I know this is short and sweet but I wanted to share a little Christmas and my beautiful family with you all. Until next time, have a blessed day....Rhonda

Happy And Blessed

Excuse the mess, excuse the noise, my children are making happy memories.
I think all Mothers should have this motto posted in there home, because it's so true!! The stitch picture was made by me and the ginger bread family beside it was made by my sister.

I am Happy and Blessed.....what a wonderful 5 days I have had!!!!! The craft show was a success, I had the BEST Thanksgiving I have had in years and I got to spent 5 days with my precious family. It doesn't get much better then that.

Brent and I started our Thanksgiving vacation on Wednesday. We headed to Spooner around 8:30am and arrived around 12 noon. When we got there, Brent headed to the woods to hunt and my daughter Kara and I headed in town to shop. We hit all our hot spots, the thrift stores, the antique shops, The Rusty Bucket, Pamida and Economart. While in town, we got all the groceries we needed for our Thanksgiving dinner. My daughter, Kara, was in charge of the menu, she had many new recipes to try on us this year. We baked the pies Wednesday night because the oven would be full of turkey on Thursday. Our Thanksgiving day started with having our morning coffee together (a wonderful way to start any day). After morning coffee we went full steam ahead cooking our Thanksgiving meal. We eat at 6pm and it was all delicious!

********** Craft Show Was A Success ********

One of my stitch pictures...I love this saying

My sister arrived in Spooner around 1:00 on Friday, we bummed around town until it was time to set up at the craft show. It is always nice when you can set up the night before and take some time to place things nicely instead of being rushed. Our cousin Jeanie had a booth next to us, it was so nice to be able to spend the day with her also. Jeanie and I traded a few items...she had some amazing pillows she made out of an old rag rug, I LOVE them. I also picked up from her some old feed sacks bags and vintage linens from her.

A view of our booth

The deer were a hit again this weekend

Our door display

These snowmen are still my favorites!

The Christmas cat's were a hit also

Stitch pictures

Me and my sister......Sister's Forever!!!!!!

I LOVE doing craft shows with my sister, it is precious time we can spend together. We each have our jobs, she mans the cash box and I keep things stocked and straightened up in our booth. Our Mom was also there helping us keep things going...thanks Mom, you are a real trooper.

Brent and I are back in Rapids now and I am gearing up for a few shows here this week with Joni from Country Freckles. I have to make some more deer and a few more mice items so I better get busy. Hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving....God Bless...Rhonda

One Show Done...One To Go

What a wonderful weekend we had, it was sooooo nice to be home!!!!! The craft show at the Legion Hall was a success. I will say that it was a bit slower then last year, we are hoping that next weekend's show at the Methodist Church, there will be more ladies out and about. I was still very happy with what I sold. The reindeer and Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus were the hot item, I have more in the making right now for the weekend show. My sister's hot item was her homemade jelly and salsa...the ladies LOVED it. She pretty much sold out of her jelly and has only a few jars of salsa left for this weekend show.

I got to meet in person one of my blog friends at the show, Justina from Pepper Creek Gatherings . Her creations are so prim and soooo adorable, right up my alley!!!!! We traded a few items so I am now the proud owner of some of her Christmas creations. Justina is so nice and I look forward to keeping in touch with her. It's so nice to have prim friends!!!!!!

My girlfriend Lisa from Primitive Sign Company custom made me this sign for my booth. Thank you Lisa, I LOVE IT!!!!!!!


I brought some of Lisa's sign to sell at the show. Her signs were very popular and went really well!!!!!!

A view of our booth

We didn't have a lot of space so we kinda had to cram things in. We had ALOT of stuff that's for sure!!!! We still had stuff in bins under the table to get out as stuff sold down.

My prim snowmen ornaments

One of Lisa's signs mixed in with my prims

A view of our full table

Earleen is one of my friends from Spooner. I used to work with Earl at Economart and I miss her and my job very much!!!!!! She had fudge to sell and definitely was the HOT booth. She pretty much sold out of her fudge. I traded a Santa for a pan but I left it at my daughters...too dangerous for me to bring it back to Rapids!!!!!! It was so nice to spend the day with her and I am so glad she had a good day at the show. Earl LOVES to cook...follow Earl's cooking tips and recipes at Mimi's Kitchen.

A few ladies shopping in our booth.

Some of our door dolls

Door doll close up

While I was at the show, my husband was out hunting on our land we bought late this fall. He got his buck.....actually my daughter's buck. My daughter wanted a deer this year so he got her one. We are going to head back to Spooner tomorrow for Thanksgiving and he will continue to hunt, he needs to get one more.

Today I need to finish up some prims and also clean my house and do laundry. We also have an appointment to finalize our house plans for our new house that we are going to start building on our land in Spooner this Spring....I AM SOOOOO EXCITED!!!!!! I will keep you all posted.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone and God Bless....Rhonda