Weigh-In Friday

Good Morning everyone, time for my weigh-in report. I was down 1 pd for a total of 24.5 pounds lost....SO HAPPY!!! The past few weeks, I have be straying off NS here and there trying to prepare for going it alone, I have had some success and failures during this time. The fact that I have NS waiting in the wings is HUGE right now...when I feel myself getting out of control, I RUN to my NS...open, heat and eat. So goes the journey, I am 10 pds from my goal and I can totally say I am enjoying the ride:)

My daughter-inlaw posted some adorable pictures of my 2 year old grandson, Carson, on her blog. I wanted to share them with you...I LOVE HIS LITTLE BOY with All my heart, he makes my heart SING!!!!

Until next time.....Blessings, Rhonda

My Daughter's 2nd Marathon And Welcome Baby Levi Dean

My daughter, Alyssa, ran her second Marathon on Saturday. This time she ran Grandma's Marathon In Duluth, MN. I am so proud of her, I wish I had half her energy.

Run Liddy Run

She ran a new personal best....she ran La Crosse in 4 hours 20 minutes. She ran Grandma's in 4 hours 6 minutes, she shaved off 14 minutes....I am a proud Mama!!!!

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Today, I am spending sometime at cute little coffee shop here in Rapids called Cravings because I have no internet service at home right now. I swear, I have never experience so many problems with no service since we moved to Rapids and hooked up with Charter. They are coming tomorrow to fix it, so until then I feel like I am out of touch with the outside world...oh well, that's life I guess.

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Grandpa Brent with our grandsons, Garrett and Levi....I LOVE this picture!!!!

We have a new member to our family, Levi Dean was born on June 16th (Alyssa now shares her birthday). When we were home last week, we got to spend sometime with Mandy and her adorable little family....we enjoyed it so much.

Auntie Kara holding the little bundle, I was hoping that Kara would get bit by the baby bug. But I don't think that will happen...she is content with her 2 cats for now.

As you can see from this picture, Kara was horrified when Mandy was sharing the birthing experience of Levi.....can you see why I say it's not looking good for me to have a grandchild from Kara anytime soon, lol.

Mandy, Brent and Baby Levi 2 days old...Mandy looks awesome after just having a baby wouldn't you say!!!

We are so proud of Mandy, she is such a good little mother and wife. She is a hard worker and was so nice to go home and spend time with them all.

That's about it until weigh-in Friday.....stay tuned for hopefully a good report....Blessings, Rhonda

Spooner Happenings And A Busy Week

We arrived back in Rapids last night and back to what I call my reality for now. As I posted in my last post, I have been in Spooner for 9 days and LOVED every minute of it. I was a very busy girl and didn't get to update my blog while I was there. Sorry I missed weigh-in Friday, haven't weighted in yet since I left...I am thinking I will skip it for now and post my weight-loss progress this coming Friday.

I have some pictures to share with you all of my happenings while I was home. I don't think my feet hit the ground the whole time I was there. I enjoyed being with my family and got to spend a whole day with my precious grandson Carson...I LOVE that little boy so much. To hear him say "Granny" warms my heart!!!!!!! He is such a cuddler and such a HAPPY little boy.

It was my daughter Alyssa's birthday on Wednesday. We all went out for dinner and the 5 O'Clock Club Restaurant, (I had the grilled salmon, it was amazing) then went to grandma and grandpa Kronlund's for cake and ice cream. Earlier that day, Alyssa and I went to Hayward and spent the morning shopping and topped it off with lunch at her favorite restaurant "The Anger Minow". It was so nice to spend the day with my baby girl. I can't believe she is 22.....where have the years went?????

My birthday girl

Me and My Beautiful Daughters....Happy Birthday Alyssa!!!

And here is my handsome son, Kasey. He is healing up after his motorcycle accident that happened about a month ago. He has 7 pins in his shattered foot and we are hoping he heals without any complications. I THANK GOD everyday that I still have a son, it is a total miracle that he only broke his foot....as I blogged a few posts back....he was NOT wearing a helmet and I believe God cradled his head through out the whole crash....THANK YOU JESUS!!!!!

I took a few pictures of Betty's gardens to share with you all. She does such an amazing job designing them and taking care of them.

The back yard of the house.

So many varieties of plants and shrubs....it beautiful!!!

Gorgeous

Love the huge hosta's

Very peaceful and relaxing

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New House Progress

We spent a lot of time at our new home designing and laying things out. I was so thankful that my husband was able to get the weekend off and come to Spooner and spend time going over these details. He so talented and such a thinker.....I on the other hand tend to hurry though these things and we all know that can get you into trouble in the end. That is why we make such a good team, sometimes there is a time and place for hurry and sometimes there is a time and place for thinking things to death:)

The house now has shingles, we really like the color...can't wait til the siding gets put on. Matt, our builder, says within the next couple of weeks it should be sided. This week they are going to build the decks and also set the windows.

Side view

Here is a view of the back. There will be decks on both sides of the bump-out dining room. On the right will be the deck out from our bedroom.......and on the left will be the deck coming out from the dining room. I will enjoy having my coffee in the morning off my bedroom deck and listening to all the birds singing welcoming in the new day:)

My son had a doctor's appointment on Friday to get his foot check out so I got to spend the whole day with my precious grandson Carson. Amongst many other things we did that day, we headed out to our house to see Grandpa Brent and I wanted to show Carson Granny's new house. I told him that someday he can come stay with me and we can swim (I am going to put my pool up) and also feed the chickens (I am also getting chicken) and work in the garden. So even though these things are not there yet....I want him to know that they will be and coming to Granny's will be FUN!!!!

I LOVE this little boy!!!!

We had been at the bakery and he had his donut in that bag, he enjoyed it...it had sprinkles on it:) Granny was a good girl and didn't have one:)

Carson is such a happy boy!!!!

Here is what we pondered and designed while we were at the house. This is what we came up with for our tile shower design. Believe me, this took forever to figure out.

And here is my husband standing by out kitchen island placement. We marked out all our can lights and also marked where we want all the hanging lights to be placed. This also took forever but in the end will be SO worth it to be able to get our lights and outlets where we want them to be:)

Here is a view of our driveway coming out from the house toward the road.

We also had a pond dug in our front yard. We will have to put a liner in it so it will hold water but we wanted this dramatic look as you drive in our driveway up to our house. I can just see all the plants and flowers planted around it...can't wait!!!!!

Today at 1pm, I am heading to school orientation to sign up for my classes and what not, I will let you know how that goes and I will have more pictures and adventure to blog about from my trip home soon....have a great day everyone...blessings, Rhonda

Weigh-In Friday And A Day Of Garage Sales

I will start this post with the good news....I weighed in this morning and I was down 2.5 pounds for the week...YES!!! The reason I say "YES" is because I went on a eat-a-thon last weekend. We were in Spooner last weekend so it started off with a Friday night Fish Fry, then a graduation party on Saturday with some amazingly awesome food and then I had breakfast the next morning at my favorite breakfast hot spot. I then topped it off with pizza on Sunday night when we arrived back here in Rapids....oopps!!!! So needless to say, I was a little scared to get on the scale this week. But after my weekend splurge, I went back to total Nutrisystem on Monday (the party was over) and have stuck to it all week. I am so glad that I had the structure of NS to get myself back under control. I know I am not going to rely on NS for the rest of my life, but for now, while I am still on this weight-loss journey, I am so glad NS was there. I received my 4th shipment of NS food on Thursday and to my surprise, my Nutrisystem bears were in the box. Nutrisystem rewards you with a bear for every 10 pound you loose. So as of this morning I have lost 23.5 pounds....SO EXCITED!!!!!

Me with my 10 and 20 pound Nutrisystem Bears (I know this pic is kinda chessy, but I had to post it, I am so happy to finally hit the 20 pound marker). Hopefully my 30 pd bear is not too far off:)

I updated the music on my blog today. I heard the first song (The House That Built Me) the other day on the radio and it made me cry. It touched my heart so much!!! I totally know what this little gal is singing about...I MISS HOME!!!! Lord willing we will be able to go back home soon.

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A Giveaway

If you would like to get in on this prim giveaway visit Primitives From The Attic and sign up. She is offering up this adorable Prim Annie.

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Ok, on to my other happenings. This morning I hit the garage sales to find treasures for my booth at the Antique Mall. I have not been to many garage sale this year, guess I have not been in the mood. But today, even in the rain, I really enjoyed it and from now on will try hit the garage sales every weekend if possible.

Here are a few of the goodies I picked up today for my booth. I will be heading to Spooner for the week so I can't wait to get these items front and center.

The Ken doll in the back is still factory sealed and has the date of 1983, I paid $5 for it, score.

I love the red plaid tin recipe box, this will be a hot seller, I paid 5 cents for it. I also love the copper measuring cups, copper sells well in my booth, paid 25 cents for them. The pyrex butter dish is cool, paid $1 for it. And the covered Pyrex casserole dish is adorable, paid $1 for it.

The copper item in the back is a pie plate holder, adorable....I think this would dress up any table setting...I found this at the Goodwill and paid $2.99 for it...see why I am in the mood to garage sale now:) much cheaper.

Old vintage cookbooks...love em!!!! Found these at a garage sale for $2 each.

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Rhubarb Jam Recipe

This week I also made some Rhubarb Jam. I found the recipe in an old cookbook I found at the Goodwill. It is the BEST Rhubarb Jam recipe I have ever found.

Hopefully you can read this but if not here it is:

Rhubarb Jam Recipe

5 cups rhubarb, cut into small pieces
bring to boil and simmer 10 minutes
Add:
1 cup crushed pineapple, (drained well)
5 cups sugar
1 cup water
simmer another 10 minutes, remove from stove top
Add:
2 pkg. strawberry Jell-O blend well
Keep in refrig, freeze or seal the jars..enjoy:)

It's delicious!!!!

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Our House

I only have one picture of our house this week, sorry. This is a picture of what will be our open stair case going down to the basement.

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Prims in progress

I have been working on some dolls but it has been slow goin. I have the dresses done and all primmed up and have to get these little gals dressed and finished up. Hoping to get that done tonight.

Well, that's about it for now. I am heading to Spooner this week so I am excited for that. It is my youngest daughters 22nd birthday (where does the time go??) on Wednesday so her and I are planning a hike or some sort of fun activity to spend the day together. I will check back mid-week. Have a blessed weekend everyone....Blessings, Rhonda

Weigh-In Friday

Hopped on the scale this morning and it says I lost .5 this week, I will take it. I struggled a bit this week with wanting to snack and didn't get much exercising in (my hormones are all over the place right now, I hate that). So I was pleasantly surprised with the half a pound this week...life is good.

We are on our way to Spooner for the weekend. I have all my Nutrisystem packed and ready to roll. It is so exciting to be able to fit into all my summer clothes, I am really enjoying that so I need to keep my eyes on my clothes closet and not on the snacks, LOL!!!!! I will keep you all posted on this journey, I will have to say I am enjoying it, weird I know:)


The pictures below are shots from Country Freckles. Joni has a new blog so stop by and say hi, she would love it.

Have a blessed weekend everyone, I will be back Monday with updated pics of our house. Blessings, Rhonda

Sweet Summer Time.....LOVE IT!!!

As promised, here are more pictures of my latest creations, my booth at the Antique Mall, our house (it has a roof!!) and more pics of us just enjoying Sweet Summer Time!!!!

My daughter gave me these wonderful flour sack bags, she found them at a thrift store and thought I might be able to use them in my prims. She was RIGHT!!! I stitched on the front of them (We Are So Blessed)...coffee stained them up and then filled them with little kitties. I added a coffee stained American flag on a twig to finish off the look....LOVE IT!!!! You can't see it real well here, but I added and strap so you could hang it up anywhere you would like.

Kitty ready to celebrate our freedom on the 4th of July.

And here is Lady Liberty in all her glory, I used a vintage tablecloth for her dress.

And this little gal has a very innocent looking face...I really like her lips.

And here is a kitty door doll for all you cat lovers.

And Annie is all decked out for the 4th of July....she is ready for the fireworks to begin.

Here is a prim horse in honor of our 3 wonderful horses, Bo, Gretta and Malachi.

A full view of my booth at the Red Door Antique Mall in Spooner, WI. I worked on Tuesday and Wednesday, we were not real busy so I had time to re-do my booth. I took everything out and reorganized, dusted and took out the Spring items and added Summer items.

Full of lots of goodies:)

A little bit of everything, I try to stock it with not only my prims but also vintage kitchen items. I LOVE vintage kitchen!!!!

And a bench full of treasures...I am ready for business and the Summer rush.
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GARDENING

My daughter Kara and I worked on her garden Saturday. We weeded for hours getting it ready to plant. Here she is giving it a final rotatilling before we planted it.

The next day Kara and her husband Travis extended it because this garden is going to provide veggies for all of us, I wonder who is going to get stuck doing all the weeding...I guess we will soon see:) I can't wait til stuff starts coming up, it's going to be a beautiful garden!!!
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HORSES

We spent some time with our horses, they are so precious!!!! We have many, many wonderful memories of these guys. We used to show them every weekend in the Summer, they have lots and lots of miles on them...trailer miles and show ring miles. We LOVE them and will always consider them part of the family!!!!!

Kara, Alyssa and Shannon...Summer Fun!!!!

My daughter Kara is feeding her horse Malachi some cabbage, I was surprised she liked it...you just never know.

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OUR HOUSE PROGRESS

They set the trusses last Monday, things are happening pretty fast.

Here is a front view of our house, on the left is the garage.

The next day they had the sheeting on the roof...woo hoo!!!

front/side view

This is a side view...this is the side that faces the road.

A view of the back.

LOOKIN GOOD!!!!

Back view, I love our walk out basement.

The other side of the house...this side faces the woods.

And here is a view of our house from the road. I am so happy with everything so far, we are so blessed!!!!

I have a update on my son, he went to the orthopedic surgeon today, they did tests and x-rays and he will be having surgery on his foot on Friday. They said it's a bad break and he will be laid up for about 1 month after surgery which means his summer is going to get interesting. Thank you all for your prayers and your thoughtful comments about my son and his accident...it means so much to me!!!!!

Well, that's about it for now. Stay tuned for weight-in Friday, hopefully I will have a good week in the weigh loss department. Blessings to everyone....Rhonda