Something I’ve Been Wanting To Do

My posts lately have been few and far between. I’ve been busy as a little bee working on projects for my Spring Sale along with fighting some kind of cold/allergy/crud thingy.

But, last Saturday I go to do something I’ve been wanting to do for a couple of years now.

What? You might ask.

Not bungee jumping, not sky-diving, not zip-lining…..

I got to attend Dave Ramsey’s The Total Money Makeover Live in San Antonio!!!

Maybe not so exciting to some, but we’ve been following Dave’s principles for almost four years, have read his books, taken his Financial Peace University class and sat in on a simulcast by him. I wanted to experience the excitement and enthusiasm that comes from seeing him live.

I won’t go into details about his program; he has a great site that does all that. But it is the one financial program I’ve found that is easy to follow. I’m a box checker and he has seven baby steps to follow. Perfect! When we get one done, then we move on. And his zero based budgeting is so simple. You work backwards, taking the money you make for the month and designing your expenses around that. Most other budgeting tools have you figure out percentages and expenses first and then try to fit that into your salary. I’ve tried that, it’s stressful.

We’ve fallen off the wagon a couple of times and struggled to get back on, so Saturday’s event was just what I needed to kick it back into gear.

Here’s a few shots of the arena. Again, taken with my phone, so blurry is the theme.

Dave’s daughter Rachel shares what life was like growing up in the Ramsey household.

Dave speaks to a sold out coliseum.

This is Jessa. Her parents are starting her early.

Any other Dave followers out there?

2,000 Screaming Teenage Girls (a.k.a. The Revolve Tour)

In continuing to share what I’ve been up to the past few weeks, along with admiring the local wildflowers, several doctors and dentist checkups and completing the fundraising bazaar projects, I got to spend a whole. entire. day. amidst 2,000 screaming teenage girls.

But it was a good thing.

I took my daughter and her friend to Austin to attend the 2012 Revolve Tour hosted by Women of Faith. Just like a Women of Faith conference speaks to the hearts of women, the Revolve Tour speaks to the hearts of teenage girls. The speakers cover a range of topics that a “typical” teenager might have questions about. They also have musical guests, and a worship band. This is the third year we’ve attended and the girls had a blast.

As a mom, there were a few things that didn’t necessarily mesh with my views on things. Chad Eastham is an adorable young man who speaks every year on girls, boys, relationships and dating. He does have a great way of sharing things from a guy’s perspective, I just happen to disagree with him on dating. In our household, we believe in courtship, not dating, but after hearing him speak (again), it was just another opportunity to discuss the differences with my daughter.

Overall, it’s was a great day and we finished it off with a yummy Mexican food dinner before heading back home.

Please forgive the indoor photos~they were taken with my phone in a poorly lit building.

This is the front of the line when we arrived. We were in the middle. There literally were 2,000 sold out seats. Look at all those girls!

Alana and my daughter, Laina.

This is the stage and the countdown screen. It was held inside a church that had a very large sanctuary. We were able to get great seats.

This is a band named Stellar Kart. Never heard of them before. But that could be because I’m old. I am glad they also had a regular worship band, because these guys sang some remade Disney songs and a song by Bon Jovi. I know they are trying to appeal to everyone, but I don’t feel they need to mix so much of the world into it, if that makes sense. My daughter looked at me after they sang, Livin’ on a Prayer and said, “Mom, you don’t look impressed.”

I told her, “Honey, I’ve seen Bon Jovi. And Bon Jovi, they are not.”

Cute, lil’ Jamie Grace sang and shared her testimony of living with Tourette’s Syndrome.

Master illusionist Harris III and his wife performed some great tricks and demonstrated that faith does not come by sight, and how the world wants these young girls to believe so many things that are not true.

Jenna Lucado Bishop, who is Max Lucado’s daughter, probably had the best message about dreams. She questioned whether our dreams are God’s dreams for us, and are we listening to God or going our own direction. Did you know her dad pastor’s a church in San Antonio?

This is the view of the crowd inside the sanctuary. Amazing.

 

Here’s hoping that a lot of these teenage girls went home with new views on life and changed hearts.

 

 

Remember

As you celebrate Easter this weekend, remember it’s not so much about this,

as it is this,

Happy Easter.

Linking to:

Rooted in Thyme Simple & Sweet Fridays

Stuff and Nonsense Fridays Unfolded

At the Picket Fence Inspiration Friday

How Many Plates Are You Spinning?

If you are anything like me, meaning of the female gender, then you probably have several plates spinning at once. The majority of us are queens of multi-tasking. As a matter of fact, as I type this I am also attempting to cook our Saturday night pancakes. And probably burning them in the process.

I tend to overwhelm myself with projects and to-do lists. I want to get things done and have them done correctly, now. Thank you very much.

Along with normal mom and wife duties, I also homeschool, so I have teacher duties; planning, correcting, helping, etc. My husband runs his own business, and I am the bookkeeper. I have my Etsy shop, which is actually a lot of work, if you want it to work. Buying, photographing, researching, pricing, shipping, networking; you get the picture. Blogging. Working on the fundraiser items. Working on my shop projects. Working on house projects. Yep, just checked those pancakes. I burned one. Hosting small group on Wednesday nights at our home. Attempting to organize, decorate….blah, blah, blah.

Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining about these things. I have chosen all of them and I enjoy each and every one of them.  But I’m discovering that in order to not get scattered, I need to put some limits on myself. To not start fifty projects at once and then get frustrated because I can’t complete any of  them. So, part of implementing my word of the year~simplify~is just that….setting limits.

This really doesn’t affect anyone but me. I just feel if I put it into writing, then I might actually feel more accountable!

I’ve decided that I will not blog on Sundays. That is the Lord’s day and I will spend it with my family and friends and do my best to stay. off. the. computer. Wish me luck on that one.

I need to have all the Spring Fling Bazaar items ready by March 31st. So I’ve determined that is what I will focus on this month. I will not work on bazaar projects on the weekends, either. Strictly during the week. I’ll save Saturdays for my (small) household and yard projects.

After I get through with the Bazaar projects, I will be working crazily focusing on getting things ready for my next in-home sale, which is scheduled for the first Saturday in May!

Focus, focus, focus. One thing at a time.

So, until these two events have come and gone, I promise I will hold off on tearing up anymore of my home. Ha ha! That means when summer hits, I can focus full force on tackling more (big) home projects. With the exception of Connor’s room. It just needs a few final touches and then I’ll share pictures.

That’s my plan and I’m sticking to it.

Keep your eye out for my KISS Linky party button. I’ll have it up on my sidebar this week.

Shhhh….Don’t Tell Him

My husband and I don’t usually make a big fuss, if any, over Valentine’s Day. No extravagant gifts, pricey dinners or romantic getaways. It’s just not been our thing.

However, this year I found something for him I could. not. resist.

I was searching for a sign price on Etsy and happened upon this fabulous item from Neatcurios.

Isn’t this the coolest thing?

My husband’s name is Robert, so of course, I did not hesitate in hitting the purchase button. Its description read, “A neat antique Victorian Glass Sign. The sign is made of thick glass with a "carved" edge and has a reverse painted decoration which is marked "ROBT McDOWELL".

Neat, curvy glass. It looks like it’s backed with tin foil, but I’m not certain.

Regardless, I thought it was a pretty unusual piece. We’ll probably display it in our office or bedroom when they are redone.

But, don’t say a word. He won’t get it until tonight.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

 

New Rust in the Shop

New rust. Now that’s an oxymoron if I ever heard one. But that’s exactly what I have; some new rust that I just listed in my Etsy shop. I thought I’d share some of  the pieces that have just hit the shelves (so to speak).

Great 1940’s hanging wall fan. Very industrial looking.

Large, forged metal hook. This baby is heavy!

I love this little pair of wheels….had to think twice about listing them.

And just for kicks, a couple of  “old” rusty pieces.

Cadbury Cup Chocolate tin.

Eagle padlock with key-and it works!

Apparently I have a thing for rusty wheels. But aren’t they cute? And they jingle when they roll.

Thanks for taking the shop mini-tour with me. For the whole shebang visit me at Rusty and Redone.

My New Favorite Thing & Another Bazaar Project Done!

I’m going to start this post with an apology to my mom for what I’m about to reveal as my new favorite thing.

Sorry, Mom.

I think the only thing that frightens me more than spiders is a sewing machine. Sure, I can set up a blog, run an online shop, homeschool my kids, take care of my husband’s business, but the thought I’ve sitting down in front of a sewing machine scares the bejeebers out of me.

I would like to learn to sew, and I’m not a total stranger to the concept; I did take 4-H sewing in my younger days. I know I could expand my horizons so much more if I could just stitch away-such as the pillow pattern my mom sent me. Bless her heart! (I can say that now, ‘cause I live in the South) I do have intentions of trying to tackle that pattern soon, but in the meantime I’ve discovered Liquid Stitch!

This stuff is awesome!

I used it to sew glue this pillow together to go in my latest bazaar item.

Granted, it was a little sticky in the beginning, and I had to remember which way to apply it so I would have a good looking seam, but I am THRILLED with the way it turned out. It now resides in this kitty bed.

I took a donated wine crate, painted it with black paint, distressed it a tad and stenciled on the Kitty word. The cushion is slightly smaller than I would like it, but I had to make do with the fabric I had.

Ta da! Stay tuned for more reveals in the days to come.

And mom, once again, I’m sorry I had to revert to glue.

P.S. I just discovered that my rusty spring recipe card holder was featured over at Coastal Charm’s Nifty Thrifty Tuesday Party! Thanks, Linda! Be sure and head over to enter her giveaway for a $25 Target gift card to celebrate her 100th linky party.

Linking to:

Debbiedoo’s Newbie Party

Coastal Charm’s Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Cindy Adkin’s Woman Thing

Knick of Time Tuesday

Cedar Hill Ranch Cowgirl Up

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia Tuesday’s Treasures

It’s Overflowing-Overflowing With Creativity

Savvy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesdays

Simplifying-The Word

Ok-so I chose a word of the year. Now what am I going to do with it?

Well, if you had been in my backseat today, you would have thought I’d chucked it out the window.

My day was a whirlwind of activities that included an estate sale, a garage sale, a thrift store stop, health food store for a gluten-free snack, a stop at the drivers’ license office for my daughter to take her permit test-only we arrived right before lunch and testing couldn’t start again until 1:00, so we had to go back, grocery shopping at HEB, home to put away groceries and let the dog out, back to the DL office (where my daughter passed her exam and is now a permitted 15 year old driver-yikes), a stop to check out the building my husband is working on, the Dollar Tree, Goodwill and Super Wal-Mart. Then, on  my way home, a call from the Spring Fling event coordinator who wanted to know if I was still going to come out and pick up the remaining stuff from her shed. Yep, you bet. Then home and start dinner at something like 6:00. Whew.

That was my word.

But in the midst of it all, I made a decision to work on something (thank goodness for I-Phones). I used my waiting time to start going through my emails and unsubscribing from those that I really don’t need to receive. Ones I regularly delete without reading. Promotional ones, newsletters, ads, etc. It feels good to know that maybe tomorrow I’ll have a few less to weed through to get to the good ones that really matter. I plan on doing this daily, until I’ve gotten it all cleaned up.

I’m going to try to come up with something new each week that I can implement that will  help me simplify.

I also was able to take some of my personal donations out of the house to the bazaar storage place. One more box gone!

What are you doing with your word of the year? Please share-I’d love to hear what steps you’ve taken.

Merging of the Blogs

Homeschooling Their Hearts has officially merged with Rusty and
Redone!

Following is the header and description from my homeschool
blog:

Homeschooling Their Hearts.....for life
We are a Christian homeschooling family that uses an
eclectic approach. Our main priority is not only to have our children read,
write and do arithmetic well, but to also instill a love of God in their hearts.
You'll find a lot about our homeschooling journey here, along with a little bit
of everything else we encounter in our day to day lives.

My views and methods have not changed. I’ve just felt that
combining the two blogs better represents my life. Please feel free to visit
some of my posts from my homeschooling blog to learn more about me and my
family, our homeschooling days and, yes, even more cheap finds!

Eye Candy

While the kids and I have been on our Christmas break, we’ve ventured out to some new spots and shops outside of our little town. I thought I’d share some of the fun photos we’ve snapped along the way. I’ve tried to credit the shops I spotted these pieces in, but I neglected to get biz cards from all of them. One of the hazards of browsing with children.

Loved these burlap lined baskets. I think I found these at Ross or TJ Maxx in Austin, but even there, the price tag was wayyyy out of my range.

I’m going to make one of these for my son’s room. A log & barb wire candleholder. This one was at a thrift resale store in Llano.

A lovely piece at The Market in Llano. They were having a Christmas Open House the day we visited. The ladies were so pleasant and the shop was filled with goodies!

This is a huge hornet’s nest! Spotted in an antique store in Johnson City.

Something my son had to take a picture of. Not my taste at all!

These green blooms were very striking. Found at GG Ganache in Marble Falls.

Feather tree!! Coveted by my daughter.

Cute little music sheets cones from Summer house Antiques in Marble Falls.

I neglected to get a card from the shop that the following photos are from. And I should have. They had wonderful displays. These decorations were hung as you entered the store. Very pretty.

Rusty chair-right up my alley.

The  main street of Marble Falls showcases some interesting sculptures for sale. My favorite was this one entitled Haywire. For a mere $2,500 it could be yours.

The kiddos also had a favorite one

. Let me introduce you-Laina is my daughter and the oldest. The guy with the glasses is Connor, my youngest. Blake is the middle child.

I have some more fun things to share with you in the next few days.

I’m also still tweaking this blog to get it just right, so you may see some rearranging going on. I’m planning on merging my homeschooling blog with this one. I thought I would keep them separate, but it’s just not possible. My kids, homeschooling, family, junking, my home-it all goes together. That is my life and it’ll be much more enjoyable to share it all with you.

Blessings!

Welcome

Welcome to my "under construction" blog. I just wanted to give an idea of what I'm all about.

In August I opened an Etsy shop, named Rusty and Redone. I've had a lot of fun hunting for goodies to sell on it, and wanted to expand a little on it. Here I will share my junking, thrifting, garage sale finds, crafting ideas, other blogs I love, decorating frugally (a.k.a. cheaply), and hopefully, some redos on my home. Along with any other ideas that might float through my brain! Every now and then I find an item I love that doesn't fit my Etsy guidelines, so I will have an online shop page to showcase those treasures. I also have a Facebook page and a twitter account that you can follow.

I also have a homeschooling blog that I try to update once a week. Please check it out if you’d like to learn more about me and my family.

I'm still working on adding a few doo-dads to it, such as a blog button, signature, blogs I follow, profile info, description, etc. So if you stop back by, there's bound to be something new here.

I have noticed that for some reason my followers are not consistently showing up on my sidebar. I think this is a blogger issue, so rest assured, if you have recently followed my blog, I have not deleted you!

I thank you for stopping by and I hope you'll enjoy reading what I have to share!

 

The Blog Party is Here!!!!

Ok, it's here! The Ultimate Blog Party 2010 over at 5 Minutes for Mom!

This is my first year participating and I am sooo excited to get to blog-hop over to the other party-goers blogs and check them out. What a neat way to get to know more of the blogging community. And there are some really wonderful bloggers out there to get to know!

Allow me to introduce myself.

I'm Shannon, 37 (yes, I'll admit my age online), a Christian, homeschooling mom of three, from California. Laina (Lulu) is 13 and in 7th grade, Blake (Blakester) is 9 and in 4th grade, and Connor (Conman) is 7 and in 2nd grade. The other little girl in the pic is my 7 yr old niece Delaney who gets to hang out with us on her school breaks.

We are in our 3rd year of homeschooling and very glad we made the decision to do so. I use an eclectic, Charlotte Mason approach to teaching the kiddos. We really enjoy field trips and nature walks.

I've been married to my wonderful husband, Robert for almost 18 years. If you ask him what his role in our homeschool is, he will tell you, "I stay out of her way."

When I have free time, that is, not planning schoolwork, I absolutely love to read. I usually have about 3 or 4 books going at one time. A fiction novel, something biblical, something schoolish and something parenting or marriage related. I also enjoy reading aloud to the kids. My opinion is you can never read enough.

I scrapbook, and I am currently working on an album of our visits to Texas, where we also have a home. We are planning on making our move there this summer.

I don't watch a lot of t.v., but when I do, my favorites are The Biggest Loser, Hoarders, CSI and Supernanny.

Country and Christian music are my tunes of choice. Kenny Chesney and Chris Tomlin are my favorite artists. I like attending concerts and inspirational/motivational presentations, such as Women of Faith.

I tend to cook a lot of our food from scratch, as we try to follow the Feingold diet for Conman.

Disneyland is my favorite place to visit with my family. I'm not a big fan of leisure shopping, I enjoy White Chocolate Peppermint mocha's from Starbucks, and I have a huge sweet tooth.

All around, I'm an organizing, budgeting, blog-addicted, mom and wife, who follows the principles of Dave Ramsey and Flylady, who loves Christ and her family, and who does her best to make it through each day in this never dull household, usually by grace!

I hope you'll leave a comment and introduce yourself. I'd love to hear from you.