Compliment me MoM!

I can't believe I haven't written in a couple of months.  My life has been crazy, you know just quitting my business and doing my business full time, getting an antique booth, having a garden, setting up every Friday at the Farmers Market, completing 15-20 custom painted signs every week and taking care of a house and two little girls...plus my 32 year old baby (my husband).  So with our schedule there just hasn't been much time to sit down for 5 minutes, much less write a blog.  BUT something happened the other day and I HAVE to write about this as it really touched my heart on many levels.

I had the honor to judge two rodeo queen contest this past week.  As I was interviewing these cute little cowgirls I always end my interview with, "Okay this is your time to shine, tell me why I should choose you to be rodeo princess, what makes you the best candidate?"  It was at this moment I questioned, what are we teaching our children? What has society as a whole taught our little girls?
I interviewed three princesses (all under the age of 10) and they weren't able to tell me one good thing about themselves.  They shrugged their shoulders, one little girl had tears in her eyes.  I sat there, almost had tears in my eyes....thinking WOW.  I tried to help them by telling them how pretty they were and how they had a love for horses etc.  What made them so nervous that they couldn't come up with one positive trait about themselves?

As I was driving home from judging I couldn't help but wonder, "What will my 5  year old beautiful daughter say when I ask her?"  As I got home I sat outside with my cup of coffee and miss Riley comes outside and sits down beside me, I look at her and tell her, "You are so beautiful."  She smiles and says, "I know mom you tell me that all the time."  I look at her little freckles, her button nose, her dark brown eyes, blondish long hair and looked her right in the eyes and said to her, "I really mean it Riley, you are so beautiful, don't you ever forget that."  I then ask her the dreaded question (what have I been teaching her?)  "Riley can you tell me three great things about yourself?"  She sits there for a short minute and says, "I am beautiful, I am cute and I am funny. Mommy there are three good things about you too.  You are nice, sweet...well most of the time and you are a hard worker."  I had a slight smile on my face and said, "Thank you baby."

I just wanted to share this as we are so busy with our day to day life, please remember to tell your kids HOW and WHAT makes them unique and special.  Which brings me to my soap box of Hollywood, it is essential for our little girls and boys too but especially little girls to know what actual BEAUTY is.  Not only is beauty on the outside it is on the inside too.  Attitude is true beauty to me, I love it when a woman is confident.  Confidence is contagious and is a beautiful thing....have confidence and teach confidence to your children.  Yes I know there is a fine line between being cocky and confident....find the line. I want my girls to capitalize on their talents and know they are beautiful on the inside and outside. 

I am going to start complimenting my kids everyday....How about you?  How do you compliment, how do you teach confidence?  Leave me a comment :) 

My beautiful Riley Mae

What is love? What is Marriage? A child's Opinion

I am sitting at the table painting as usually and I have my little helper, Riley.  We are talking about whatever the 5 year old thinks is important at the time and Riley says "I am going to marry Tommy, I am in LOVE with him."  I respond, "Really?  Riley tell me what is LOVE?"  Riley explained to me, "LOVE is really being in LOVE with someone."  So then I asked her, "Well what is marriage?" My five year old at this point literally sits there for a minute thinking. She then stated, "It is teamwork, it is hugging and kissing, marriage is working together." 

At this point I stop painting, I am sitting there staring at my child in disbelief.  My next thought was, we are doing something right.  Marriage is team work, Marriage is hugging and kissing, Marriage is working together.  Our children mimic and see more than we know.  My marriage is one of the most important treasures in my life, I love my husband.  Clint and I do work together, we are a great team, and we work at this everyday.  I didn't realize this is what our girls see in their everyday life.  I never really put much thought into it.   I had an overwhelming feeling of  comfort that came over me,  "Teamwork" is how my girls see how a marriage should be. 

In writing this blog topic today I was looking up divorce statistics, do you know that 50% of marriages will end in Divorce?  This is a sad statistic, the question is when did divorce become acceptable? I do believe there are certain marriages that are not meant to be and certain marriages that are toxic for everyone involved and there is no alternative but did you know that lack of communication is the number one reason people get divorced? Second reason for divorce is finances, obviously followed by abuse, affairs etc.  But what happened to the teamwork?  Marriage is not easy, you must work together and work at your marriage every day. It is too easy to say, "I'm done, I want out."  I can't imagine my life without my husband, my best friend, my team mate and I feel a marriage is something worth fighting and working for.

(My marriage advice:  Never forget....marry your best friend and keep your spouse as your best friend, have fun AND keep flirting)

How is your marriage? More importantly how do your kids perceive your marriage?  We learn by example, show your kids how things should be, not just tell them! 

Life WITHOUT Television



Our LIFE without T.V.

I blogged here about a month ago about making time for family and making Sunday nights our Movie Night...WELL we took this a step further.  I did the unthinkable I canceled our dish television three weeks ago.  This makes our movie night that much sweeter!  I have never known life without T.V.  so much so (sorry mom and dad, I am going to tell on you) my parents leave the T.V. on while they are gone for the dog...yes you read that right, the T.V. was on at my house 24/7 as I was growing up.  So when I say I have never known life without T.V. that is just what I mean!  With that being said you all know too well about our busy life.  We just don't watch that much T.V.  so being thrifty I thought, we are paying for $90 a month for Riley (my five year old)  to come home and watch the DVR of full house episodes over and over again.  This was ridiculous, so I called and canceled our subscription. 

Although I never watch T.V. I missed it the first two days, you know that feeling you get when you can no longer have something? AND now you want it more than ever? This feeling was short lived and by day three I was over my with drawl symptoms!

NOW HERE IS THE NEAT PART.  I hate to admit this about myself but YES I was one of those mom's when I came home from work Riley would ask, "Can I watch Full House?"  I would say, "Yes that will be good."  She would go down and watch T.V and play in the family room until dinner was ready.  I HAD TO CHANGE THIS, I WANT MY KIDS TO BE ACTIVE, I WANT MY KIDS TO PLAY, I WANT MY KIDS TO EXPERIENCE LIFE, NOT WATCH IT!  I have seen a whole new kid in the last three weeks.  The first few days was rough on Riley too.  BUT we have enjoyed playing cards together, playing blocks,,,,did you know sneaking on mom and dad's bed and jumping little sister around is about the best fun you can have, well Riley sure thinks so.  I have seen a happier child and more active child.  It has been amazing.  We still have our DVD player and thanks to the grandparents we about have a movie gallery so yes for bed time she can watch a short movie BUT no longer are we coming in and watching T.V.  we are living life WITHOUT the daily routine of T.V. 

Different strokes for different folks I know.  I use to be addicted to the reality shows and ARMY WIVES, I LOVED T.V.  but let me tell you, this might be one of the best decisions I have made in my life.  Not to mention we will be saving a little over $1,000 a year...WOW another perk!

 It was windy and cold this past weekend, I told Riley to bundle up and go outside and play.  She agreed, there was no sneering, no whinning, no saying, "No I just want to watch T.V"  she actually put on her boots and coat with hat and spent a lot of time outside. 

I have had people tell me, "Your Family time is important don't get so busy making a living you forget to live."  I agree with this on a certain level.  I know I discuss our daily schedules and although busy, GUESS WHAT?  Most of this time is with my girls.  They are sitting at the table talking to me or playing around me while I paint, they paint with me, or they are in bed before I even start.  Today when I got home we played. I don't mean I sat there and watched them, I played.  Kids don't care if your having fun or not, they are having fun because you are actively doing something with them.  We collected trash out of the yard (yea like I thought this was fun,,,,but we were on a treasure hunt) we got out the side walk chalk and made hearts and bear paws....rooooarrrr!  Then came inside for left overs because it was already seven by the time we got done from our adventures!  Then as we are getting ready for bed I told Riley, "Let's play CraZy Eights"  We played a few games and laughed and talked about the day.  While I am writing this blog,  she is in her quiet time of watching a movie but I spent three quality hours with my girls today. The amount of TIME isn't that important in my book, it's quality.  If you come home cook dinner, run here, run there, then settle down to watch T.V. read a book,  or sit on the computer for 2 hours, how much quality time have you spent with your kids?

I would highly recommend trying this Life WITHOUT Television, especially if you have kids.  No I don't feel T.V. is the devil, I don't feel like T.V. is to blame for all the bad in the world but what I do know is I have spent countless hours watching T.V. in my life. I can't help but think just how much I could have gotten done without it!  Please share your questions or comments! 

Just another day in the life of RiOak!

Journey of RiOak- Part 2

So we had a name, RiOak Western Design.  We honestly had no idea what our goals were or what we were doing...BUT we knew we had a work ethic, the willingness to learn and an eye for decorating and colors.  We started going to craft shows and meeting people.  My mom went with me (craft shows just aren't Clint's thing) it was so much fun decorating my booth and seeing people actually come in and buy what I was making, my pride and heart swelled with excitement.  


During Thanksgiving of 2012 my husband's cousin said, "Ashley we should start a business page for you."  I said, "Sure that would be great."  It was at this moment looking back our business was about to take on a whole new level that we never would have thought was possible.  I posted a few signs I had left over from the craft shows as well as some wreaths and odd and ends....they sold....hmmmm "This could be neat."  It was in March someone messaged me to do a wedding sign...."You want me to custom paint a sign for you?"  I was so nervous....Remember I never saw myself as artistic.  I couldn't believe someone actually had contacted me to hand paint a sign....It was March 18th of 2013 my life changed as I knew it, I painted it, posted it and two more orders came in.  Then I did my brother and sister in law's wedding in April.  A few more orders came, then I had 10 orders on the books.  I was so nervous when I started.  All the thoughts run through your head, "Am I good enough?"  "What happens if they don't like it?"   

                                                   (First Custom Order every completed)
Well the answer....have I improved---YES, Have I learned----YES, do I know how to fully run my business with no problems and know how to do everything....NO--BUT we are on a great, great, great journey.

We started being 2 weeks out, then three....then we decided if we were going to continue to grow our business we had to move... our house had no storage and we just couldn't breathe with all of my signs EVERYWHERE, so September 2013 we moved to our new home,  it has so much potential to house RiOak.  We are very excited about redoing the sign shop, it is 3,000 square feet...ahhhhh (it is in pretty rough shape but definite  potential---With a large office space,,,,maybe this will be my store front one day!

Our family has been a huge help in our Business, at least once a month my in laws take the girls for a day or two.  My parents have helped with the craft shows, paint, come over and cook for us while we work and or take the girls for a few hours.  This business has many factors that play into this to make it successful.

So in a nut shell this is RiOak and we are still on our journey---We LOVE our family, we LOVE our time together and We LOVE running this business.  It is exciting to have a blog to document our journey as we proceed.

Future BLOGS:  Craft Show List and Tips, Patience, Who is the Woman behind RiOak,
Counselor Ashley, Grudges and Anger, Politics....should I? (that might not be a good one)

Which one should I do next??  Comment and let me know!

The Journey of RiOak-Part 1

Part 1-Our story!
Our story is not elaborate, it is not dreamy, it is not a fairy tale.  No one inspired us, it was something, it was a simple Welcome sign that I have had hanging in my house for several years. 

(Not the best picture but here it is!)

I was 7 months pregnant and hormonal, wanting to feel useful (I guess I figured growing a human just wasn't enough).  I told my husband as I was looking at the sign, "I am going to make wood signs like that."  He smiled, nodded his head and said, "I will cut you some wood."  That was beginning of of my idea.  I started out doing stick lettering, I thought they looked great, looking back......Oh MY, they were horrible!!!  But I was so proud of myself, I have one of my very first sign I did I will post that sometime!  It was not good, not good at all....BUT beauty is in the eyes of the beholder! 

As I was talking to my mom (I talk to my mom daily, she is my best friend :) I was telling her about my business idea ( I say Idea because honestly nothing about this at this point was planned) she said, "Well I think you would enjoy it, what are you going to call your business?"  I have always loved the idea of "Ashberry" so I told her I was leaning towards that....she said, "You know what would really be unique, different and neat? RiOak....for Riley and Oaklee......" My eyes lit up and that day sitting at my kitchen table, it was remarkable.....My business had a name, RiOak Western Design.
 Stay tuned for Party 2, I will write it Friday Night! (If you read this, leave me a comment about your business names, or a the neatest business name you have heard)

Run YOUR Business, Don't let YOUR business run you!

We have made a decision as a couple for our business.  We have decided to close shop for the months of April and May.  We will not be doing any custom work during these two months.  We have a very busy March and beginning of April ahead of us with custom work.  We know this is peak season for Mother's Day and Weddings so have no fear we will have already made products for you to be able to get for your loved ones.....and of course if you need a special sign for a wedding please contact us. But we are going to get caught up on all of orders through March and work on some projects that we just haven't had time to do.  This will also allow us to get completely caught up and decrease waiting time once you order a sign,,,,right now it is at 7 weeks and this is not acceptable to us.  I was reading quotes the other day and I found one that said, "Run your Business, Don't let your business run you."  This really made me think and for several months now our business has been running us!  It's time to make a change....

Let me explain why.....
Clint and I continue to work full time, I work 40 hours a week and Clint puts in a minimum of 45 and usually closer to 50-60 hours a week.  So yes with the two little girls we are BUSY as it is.  BUT then we have our home based business.  Let me tell you how my day goes!

5:30 Alarm goes off....ahhh are you kidding me? Hit snooze, 1 to 3 times!
5:45 At least up by now, check my facebook business page to ensure no orders have come in over night.
6:00 Shower and COFFEE!
6:15 Have told Clint at least two times to get up.
6:30 I am usually dressed and ready for the day now time for the kiddos.
7:00 We are out of the door ready for our day, take the girls to daycare and preschool (I won't go into detail about preschool but let's just say I work some 9 hour days to make up for the time I have to go and pick her up)
8:00-4:30 Work
5:00 Have picked up the girls and are usually headed home (unless it is one of my longer days)
5:30 Check Facebook to talk with customers about any orders
6:00 Supper is being cooked, a load of laundry is on and two little girls are running around like two little mad women! Fun time for mommy and girls for a little while!
6:30 Clint is usually home by now and we all eat together....ANOTHER POT OF COFFEE IS MAKING WHILE WE ARE EATING!
7:00-7:30 Bath time (Clint's job) Cleaning Kitchen (my job)
8:00 I start in on Painting or whatever needs to be done for the business.
8:30 BREAK---bed time story
8:45 Back to the business
10:00 At least paint or work until 10:30, sometimes this goes on until 11-12:30 at night.

THIS IS MY DAY, every day.  I work a minimum of 10 hours a day on the weekends, cutting sanding, prepping boards and completing signs, marketing, packaging, planning, designing, making up stencils, deliveries  etc.  It is a time consuming business! AND WE LOVE IT.  We average 30-40 custom signs a month just from evenings and weekends!!!!

So as you can see we are BUSY!!    In the last year and a half we have only taken three weeks off from our business (two weeks while we were moving and then a week after our rush of Christmas orders).  I am not telling you this to make excuses, have you feel sorry for us...BECAUSE this is our choice and we honestly love what we do.  Anyone who knows me and my husband would tell you we don't do anything we don't want to do.  We dream of having a full time business one day and expanding but for now we are happy with how we are growing and excited about what the future holds.

We have several projects we will be working on these two months.   We have several "To Do's" on our list for the business and our home.  We will be working on some tutorials, furniture, new blog design, logo, advertising, better tax system, landscaping, our sign shop HAS TO BE ORGANIZED and the list goes on.  AND we will have new product posted that will be available to buy as well as a craft show or two we have been invited to this spring and summer! Thank you for being on our journey! 

Another Day in the Life of RiOak

Remember why you started!!!!

When we first started RiOak we had no idea our business would grow so fast.  We have had ups and downs but never the less our business continues to grow everyday.  I can't help but wonder where it will be in five years from now.  I was talking to my husband last night about our business and we laughed.  We have signs all over our basement drying and lining our walls and I told him, "Remember when we first started I said, I just want to make enough money to cover two weeks of daycare?"  This was my goal.  My goal has obviously changed since then but I have to remember I started this with a small goal of just having a little extra money in our pockets. 

 

(This is where it all started, cluttered in a 1,000 square foot home, on a little 4 ft table and my Kitchen table, signs lined everywhere among the toys, against the furniture, EVERYWHERE)

 

You see I am a VERY competitive person.  I grew up in a very competitive household.  I was a barrel racer for years and of course you go to the rodeo to win.  In being competitive you also have to learn to be a gracious loser,,, I became good at this as well!!  BUT it is my opinion if you are going to do something then strive to be the best, not like the rest.   With this being said with my competitive nature I feel like I have to keep up, continue to create and basically wear myself so thin that I FORGET WHY I STARTED this business.  I did this for my family not to compete with ANYONE.  Before I entered into this competitive business I had no Idea there were so many business doing the exact same thing I am doing.  Also many businesses I was connected with are no longer in business.  I can't help but wonder why?  Sometimes it was due to stress, family and other times it was burnout.  Many new businesses have started as well, so I have learned some will come and some will go.  I can't worry about what others are doing, I can only worry about what I am doing. Do you know I work only from Facebook and referrals?  I have not ventured into many other markets, BUT we are in a few stores now. 

(My Very FIRST craft show,,,,lol this was a learning experience)

The first year I started this I decided I was going to do shows.  Well I have become so busy with custom work I don't have time to do shows.  I love doing them but why lug all of my product around when I can promote and sell from the comforts of my own home??  I have participated in some really good shows and really bad shows.  I have chose for now to only do a couple a year.  I do enjoy the atmosphere of the shows.  It is neat seeing people come into your booth and buy the things you have created!  I get a high from this, but I also enjoy creating one of kind custom orders that our customers come to us with.  Maybe one day I will have time to both. 

(My craft booth a year later....I learned a lot in a years time....this booth was really pretty this year)

I have become so busy I now have a month waiting list.  I feared this at first.  Many businesses promote and brag about how fast they can pump out product.  This is great for them, but we take our time in creating.  We make sure each sign has our undivided attention.  You cannot create a handmade product that is quality in a matter of minutes, at least not what we do.  We get our material from the local lumber yard.  We cut, sand, detail, make hand made stencils to the customers liking and hand paint our signs.  Each sign has a protective coat, a hanger and our stamp on the back.  Sometimes this can take hours.  When you get a sign from RiOak know that it has been created with two little girls running around laughing (or screaming), music is playing, a pot of coffee is ALWAYS on, a couple has talked over your sign, and discussed your sign at least 10 times.  We take pride in what we do and take pride in providing a good quality product for you, your sign can already tell some stories by the time it leaves our home and goes to yours!

We are venturing into furniture making soon.  If anyone knows my husband, he will not do anything unless it is done right.  I make fun of him and tell him he is going to have to pump out product a little quicker than a table or a bed every three months....lol.  He just smiles and says, "Well it will be done right when I get done with it."  Of course with this comes all of the tools.  We have spent countless hours on ebay, taking a road trip to Kansas and shopping around for the "RIGHT" tools we need.  We should be having a biscuit joiner join our family of tools tomorrow!!  Clint will biscuit joint all of our tables.  This will create a more sturdy table that our customers will be able to use for many years and hopefully pass down to their kids. 

We don't just create things to pump out product as quickly as we can to try to compete with other businesses....we are remembering why we got started!  We want to build our company, make it grow, and have a great reputation with our customers.  I am proud to say we have several repeat customers.  This is the best compliment we receive on a monthly basis. 

(Here is the kitchen table!  This was taken in our old house, but eat and paint from this table nightly)

 

During one of my bridal showers the game was to write down a piece of advice for the bride. I think the best piece of advice I received was from my sister in law..."Always remember why you got married."  I have taken this to heart and can apply this theme to many different aspects in life.  So whatever your doing now whether it be getting married, starting a business...or being in business for years, a career or school....REMEMBER WHY YOU STARTED!  Hopefully the passion will come back to you.  I wish everyone of my readers the passion to continue on your journey and never forget why you started.

Another day in the LIFE of RiOak!

Take the Time and ENJOY the little Moments

 

(Riley and Me...getting some hugs and loves in)

 

As most of you know we are very busy.  We both work full time, run a home sign business and have two little girls.  We get very little sleep and take very little time to enjoy the "little moments" life has to offer.  This past weekend I took some time to enjoy those little moments, I thought I would share my little moment day and give you some pointers or ideas of how you too can enjoy these little moment, or maybe you are and just haven't noted it!

Started off by cleaning, although not a favorite moment there is nothing like walking through your house and everything is in it's place and ahhhhh that feels so nice (it's not quite there but getting closer!) 

Riley and I took some time to create designs on her tablet.  She loves graphic design apps so we created a WHOLE bunch,,,,now was this fun for me?  Not really but the look on her face when I told her to come and sit on my lap and said, "Can I play" was priceless.  This was a "little moment" that she enjoyed and because she enjoyed, so did I.  I know I need to work on this but please remember to take the time to play with your kids, it's not your enjoyment that matters its the little moments and benefits your kids receive just by getting to be with you!!  It does make a difference.

After leftovers for lunch we headed outside, I mean 50 degree weather in January must be enjoyed as  reality was this week,,,,eeekkkk 5degree mornings!  Did I want to stand there and put Oaklee up on the slide 20 times over and over again, not really, but the smiles on their faces made that "Little moment" worth it plus it gave my arms a work out.

 

My husband was sick and had been all weekend, so I made a big fresh pitcher of sweet tea.  After he got up from his nap I fixed him a big glass of tea and we sat outside and watched the girls.  It was nice just to sit beside each other and enjoy the fresh air.

We sat down for dinner, chocolate shakes and a good movie.  Do you know with all of our hectic life this is one thing that I demand of all of us (yes even the 18 month old) we sit down to dinner every night at our table (no gadgets, not radio, no T.V---just each other)  We say our prayer which is usually led by Riley,

"Tic Toc goes the clock, now it's time to pray.  We fold our hands and bow our head and thank the lord for daily bread."  This is her favorite prayer....isn't it sweet?

We talk about the best and worst things that happened and how this made us feel.  We do this every night.  It is a time I get to actually listen to my 5 year old, I mean I really listen.  I know how busy life can get but please remember their little voices do need to be heard.  I work on this every day, It is easier to say, "In just a minute, hold on, I can't right now."  I caught myself doing this one day, finally I turned around and said Riley what do you need?"  She said, "Mom, I love you."  Wow, okay so now I feel completely like a jerk.  "I love you too."

We have made a deal starting this week.  We realize plans will come up BUT we have decided on Sunday evenings we will do some sort of fun snack and have Movie Night. We watched Homeward Bound, ( I will keep you updated on how our movie nights are going)  We cuddled up with blankets and loved and snuggled with each other this past Sunday.  Me and my girls all piled on the couch....smelling their fresh clean hair, hearing the giggles....it's these "little moments" that add up to be our lives.  These are memories we are creating with our children, so make them good and look forward to all the "little moments" in your life.

I need to take note and cherish every day I have with these priceless children.  I am one of the most influential people that will impact them.  They will have my attitude, my outlook and my skills.  So what do I want to teach my girls....ENJOY the little moments of life, have fun, be happy and LOVE life and your family...

A Day in the LIFE of RiOak

SMALL TOWN LIVING-PRICELESS

Some people may say no thank you, to living in a small town but I say YES please!  I love living in Cole Camp, MO.  I moved to Cole Camp when I was 4 years old.  I went to Cole Camp school K-12 (yes it is one school).  Cole Camp is dear to my heart as I drive through our four way stop in town sometimes I just think to myself....I love this place.  As my whole family knows I just love the life of being a small town gal.  Yes it has it's downs such as gossip....wow!  But in general life is great in the good ol' town of CC.

Yesterday was a day.  I go to work to find out one of my co-worker's house has burnt down and she has nothing left, I mean nothing.  I spent all morning going through clothes for her and trying to gather what we could for her.  As I go to pick up my daughter from pre school I am telling one of the teachers about this tragic event.  Now the lady I am speaking to about this also works part time where I work (she also is the mom of my childhood baby sitter-see small town living--connections every turn you take).  She agrees she wants to do something and agreed to go to the store and buy over the counter medications to put in our laundry basket of goodies we were putting together. So I take my daughter back to daycare and head to Dollar General to get items for my coworker and I see a wreck.  I pull into Dollar General, wave at my childhood babysitter as she pulled into the parking lot.  She waves back then I see her running down the road.  IT JUST HIT ME, AHHHH THATS MY OTHER COWORKER THAT WAS IN THE WRECK.  So I go running down the road as well.   Here she was doing a good deed for someone and gets her car totaled.  Some days,,,,wow some days! By the time I got back to work with everything I felt like I needed a drink or high blood pressure medication and it was only 12:00!

The great part about living in a small town.  The highway patrol who was called on scene was a child hood friend of mine.  His dad and my dad have worked together for over 20 years.  The CC chief of police was there, his kids and I went to school together.  The ambulance workers, fire trucks etc....I knew everyone.  Then a fund was already started where I work, clothes were being donated etc.  All of this in just 4 hours.  In a time of need you can count on a small town to pull through.

Then tonight I received a message from my aunt requesting a sign to be donated for a young gentleman who works for my uncle.  He has had several health issues and has a young family.  My answer to her was "Count us In." He has a very hefty hospital bill and the small town neighboring mine is pulling together to do a silent auction to donate money to him and his family.  It never fails when times get tough it sure is nice to live in a town of people who really do care.

Follow us on Pinterest, I have created a whole board to small town living.  I have heard people say, "There's nothing to do in a small town."  This is not true.  There is always stuff to do.  I remember growing up, playing at the pool, riding bikes all around town, hanging out with my friends, knowing everyone who walked down the street or at the grocery store....there is always someone to talk to (or about...lol).  Gravel roads have solved a lot of problems and made many memories.  Creeks have served as a great place to play, muddy trails have seen many laughs and good times on four wheelers.  Endless open fields served the perfect place to ride my barrel horses, they heard many problems that come with being a teenager (oh I also use to sing to them like I was Reba or Martina...they never complained they just kept walking). The woods have served as a great place to build bon fires and talk.  As I have gotten older I love being outside and our neighbor is 1/2 mile away because our driveway is 1/2 mile long.  We love being able to sit outside in the summer and the only sounds we hear are coyotes.  It's nice to have quiet and living in the country and from a small town quiet is exactly what you get.  In a small town when you hear a siren you wonder, "Who,"  it's not a background noise for us.  Of course within a matter of 24 hours you can have all of the information about what had happened maybe even with a few extra details...:) Although we still have a noon whistle everyday!
I am excited about raising my girls in the town my husband and I grew up in.  They will go to the same school we went to and even have some of the same teachers who taught us.  I am proud to call Cole Camp my forever home.  AND yes for those of you who don't know me, I did live in a city when I went to college.  It wasn't huge but over 100,000.  I will never forget walking into my first college class and the room had 458 students in it.  I know I looked like a deer in a head light as the room was filled with as many people as half of my town I grew up in.  I enjoyed living there but I was never "at home" there.  I would go to the grocery store and I never ran into anyone I ever knew, I would walk down the street and NOPE no one I even recognized.  It just wasn't for me. 
After my experience I have learned living in a small town although not for everyone is PRICELESS TO ME.

Count Your Blessings

Hello out there, hope you are having a great week so far.  We are starting to unthaw here in Missouri as we hit 35 degrees today!  It's hard to do wood working for our little business with no heat in our shop yet so we have been using up the boards we had on hand for our painting the last three days. 

It's so easy to get wrapped up in life, isn't it?  This hit me today as I was driving to pick up my girls from daycare. This was my thought process as I was driving: I have at least 5 loads of laundry in the hampers, two loads patiently waiting on the couch to be folded or picked out to wear.  I still have my two Christmas tree's up, toys are scattered, my dinning room table is covered with painting supplies....so much so I am going to have to clean it off or eat in the living room tonight.  Which then leads to the ultimate question...what am I going to fix for dinner?  Bills need to be paid, garage needs to be organized.  Taxes...oh taxes for the business needs to be done.  Baths, bedtime stories, will Riley pick out a story that has chapters tonight? Ahh I really don't have time.  Do you see where I am going with this?  I was so wrapped up in what needs to be done and my life being overwhelming I forgot to count my blessings.  Let me try to put a positive spin on this.

Although I have 5 loads of laundry, my family and I still have clean clothes to wear for the week.  If the clothes stay on the couch, I won't have to walk up the stairs 100 times looking for that pair of socks for the girls. The couch is easy access and  a handy clean clothes hamper!  My Christmas trees will still be enjoyed this weekend as we are having one more Christmas at our house with my husband's family , due to our recent loss, it was the first time we could all get back together.  If I don't get my trees down, I can always start a tradition of having the girls make paper hearts and we will use them for Valentines day trees...lol I hope not but a positive way to look at it.  My girls toys are scattered throughout the home.... we have a home to have the toys scattered about.  Our home is warm and cozy tonight and place we can rest. One day my house can be clean but for now we are making memories, about to drive mom crazy memories, but we are making memories.  I am thankful my business is taking off and I have the ability to use my dinning room table as this is where I feel comfortable and can get into my "painting mode".  Dinner, I have food to fill and nourish our bodies.  Bills have to be paid and although this is no fun at least we have jobs and are able to pay our bills each month.  Taxes have to be done, its just a part of life, at least I am alive to do them.  Baths, we all have to have them!  Bedtime stories, this is a way of life for us as we try to read at least 3 to 4 nights a week.  I am thankful my child loves books and wants to spend this time with me.  I have heard over and over again, "Enjoy it while it last."  Sometimes this is hard to imagine missing the hustle and bustle of raising kids but I know the day will come when I will look at a young mother and tell her this very same thing.  My mom always says, "When they are gone and gone for good, it is the loudest sound you will ever hear, nothing, it's quiet."  Although I think to myself this would be wonderful I know how much I also enjoy hearing those little giggles coming from sisters, the word mom in the mornings when Riley and I sneak coffee together and watch a morning cartoon, the sound of my baby saying "Mama" over and over again.  These are blessings I have to count and remember.

You see there is always a way to look at anything in a positive manner.  I struggle with this on a daily basis.  I am trying to become better as most days I am stressed to the max and exhausted from my daily routine BUT I am trying really hard to count my blessings each and every day.  I hope you can take a look at your life and although it is stressful and I am sure exhausting most days, please remember all the positive ways to look at your life and always remember TO COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS.

Just another day in the life at RiOak!

Dreams Do Change

So here is my H.S. sweetheart and I! I was 15 and he was 16.

15 years later!

 

We have grown up our whole lives in a small town.  I always thought I would be a big time business woman running the world by now.  Every time I say this, it makes me think of a Kenny Chesney Song, in which one of the lyrics states:  "I was gonna run the bank I was gonna run the map, now all I wanna run is a bubble bath."  It's amazing how I thought my life would turn out and what it actually is.  You see in my dreams I didn't really account for a marriage or children.  Once I had those my dreams changed a bit.  My dreams now involve having a good marriage and continuing to have happy and healthy kids.  I have a dream of becoming a successful business owner but you see my dreams had changed from living in a city and running the world to just being happy with who I am as a person and having a good home life. 

Success is defined differently for everyone.

Our business is going better than we could have ever imagined.  I just started a pinterest account too.  So between blogging, pinterest and facebook hopefully we can reach more people. 

We question the stability of having a sign business.  Is it a fad?  What do you think?  My mind races with ideas of how to take this business to the next level.  We have also had 5 businesses contact us over the last 3 months about wholesale.  I do have two stores that my signs are in, Rocking M Western Emporium and Happy Trails Antiques.  Can I take on more?  I have a difficult time telling people no.  I had to turn down over 20 orders for Christmas and although this down time is nice I keep thinking, I could have maybe done two more customs or I could be creating.  Painting is my hobby, my business and my relaxation.  I love painting signs and my favorite is creating! Although I finished my orders on time and most have been delivered or delivery is schedule for this weekend, I have the need to still paint.  I have created two pieces for family for Christmas so this helped my addiction!

So we will see where this leads.  Looking forward to sharing our adventure with you.

Life Still Happens

Wow, what a day.  Do you ever have a day that you keep running and running and still have 100 things to get accomplished in like 2 hours?  Well this has been my day today.  You see after receiving 77 custom orders through RiOak Western Design for Christmas we kind of got a little bit behind on Christmas shopping for our family!  This was my day to get EVERYTHING for EVERYONE.  I have been to 4 different stores and over 60 miles to do so!  Then came home to start in on the wrapping frenzy, as I am wrapping I get a text from my mother in law that my husband's granny has passed away.  Although we are very sad, we are happy that she is in a much better place now.  She has been suffering with several health issues for the last several years and the last couple of years has not been a great quality of life.  Although this is a sad day, God took her to a much better place today and for that we are thankful.  We are planning our family Christmas still but we are also grieving a great loss today.

So with all the hustle and bustle life still happens. 

Explaining death to a 5 year old is no easy task, or so I thought.  A child's mind is so pure and innocent.  Riley is teaching me more and more each day how to be a better person.  After I picked my bundles up from daycare this evening I explained to Riley that Mamaw's (my mother in law) mom had passed away.  Riley was quiet for a brief moment and then said, "Well she is still alive, in our hearts that is.  Her spirit is with God in heaven now."  Wow!!  This came out of my 5 year's old mouth.  I couldn't believe it and for a brief moment I WAS QUIET.  I told her how proud I was of her and how smart and mature she is becoming. 

 My degree is in Gerontology (the study of aging). I deal with death on a daily basis and no it's not depressing.  I get to put a smile on someone's face during their last final days and this is rewarding to me.  The one thing in life that is inevitable is death (well I guess two things are inevitable, taxes :) I took some psychology classes in dealing with death and it is so interesting to see how everyone deals with death differently.  My husband wants nothing to do with it and this is OKAY, he wants to pay his respects and deal with it in private.  He is a manly man you know! Me on the other hand I have to be all in, tears and all.  Death is final but life still goes on for the loved ones who are left behind.  Some people turn to exercise, others turn to food, many turn to their faith and like my husband he deals with it outside somewhere by himself.  I have always wondered what he does, but that could be a whole other blog!  Whatever he does he copes with it and takes about two days and then he is back to being Clint again.  You see we all are human and deal with stresses in our lives differently.
 
I never expected my second post to be so depressing and especially around the holidays but this is what is on my mind tonight as I sit here with my coffee.    Maybe this will help you put things into perspective.  No matter how clean your house is, how many packages are under the tree, how perfect the dinner is etc.  Life still happens, to me the holidays mean family and if I get to be with my family this will be enough.  I want to laugh and visit with them because in the end family and friends is really all we have.  You can't take that special gadget with you, or the T.V, the cars, the houses.....but the love you have for your family and the love they have for you will always be in your heart.  Thanks Riley for giving mom a lesson tonight.

I am off to wrap a few more presents and CREATE a few for my family too.

Until next time, many smiles from me to you and your family.