SRKindredSpirits

Merry Christmas from our family to yours! Another year has come and gone.... things change, and yet, some how, things stay the same.  We still live on our 7 acres of ' heaven here on earth' and still love our little peice of property, although this is the first year we have no animals... We have really enjoyed embracing simplicity and our own kind of minimalistic living the last few years. It's amazing what life has to offer when you realize enough is just that, enough ! Stephen is still the love of my life , my rock, protector, provider, and who I want to grow old with. He keeps busy at work, in his shop, and with his mustang. Working on my never ending honey to do list, and keeping our property and home looking nice. I, Rhoda, am still learning to choose joy , and say no to things that aren't important. I am learning to take care of my health . I keep up with our Shaklee business , and do all the mom things.... Faith is 17 yrs, and bough

No matter how often you see the movie, "It's A Wonderful Life", you will be entranced. It is flawless, and my all time favorite Christmas movie. It is the kind of experience movies were invented for...  A kind man, overwhelmed by life's trials, is visited by a heavenly messenger and gains a new lease on life. George Bailey dreams of seeing the world and having a grand impact on it. But small-town responsibilities strand him at home. The family business struggles to stay afloat, enduring constant attacks by a power-hungry tyrant. Pressures mount until George reaches the breaking point, convinced the world would be better off had he never existed. To show him what that world would've been like, a friendly angel (without wings) escorts George through that same town—now a dark place having never felt his virtuous influence. In the end, George embraces the wonderful life he nearly threw away. Here are some powerful quotes from "It's A Wonde

We are four years into our clutter free living journey and still going strong. We have litterily gotten rid of hundreds and thousands of items.... two four wheelers, my hubbys entire wood shop and tools, filing cabinets, chairs, benches, lamps, gun cabinet, dressers, and tons of household miscilanious stuff. I continue to go through cupboards, closets and drawers, and continue to remove the unnecessary. I still love this journey and the benefits that we are enjoying since living with less... We bought new bikes so our whole family of 5 can ride bike together. Getting rid of clutter has helped me reduce a tremendous amount of stress. We got rid of all of our animals, and as a result, we can travel more and enjoy weekend trips. It has given us more time to do things as a family. It keeps the house neat and tidy. I almost never have to pick up toys in the livingroom, and the counters stay open and clear. It makes us feel lighter and happy. The simple t

Have you ever wondered why people hang tinsel on Christmas trees, or how candy canes became synonymous with the winter holiday? While these holiday decorations may seem commonplace, most of these traditional decorations have a special meaning to us as Christians. The green evergreen or fir tree signifies the everlasting light and life. Romans decorated their houses with evergreen branches during the New Year, and the fir tree symbolized life during the winter. The branches of the fir tree points upward toward the heavens. Reminding us to reflect on everything God has given us and for the things to come. The Christmas star and twinkling lights symbolizes the star of Bethlehem, which according to the Biblical story, guided the three wise men to the baby Jesus. A star is also the heavenly sign of prophecy fulfilled long ago and the shining hope for humanity. We give gifts to loved ones in honor of the birth of Jesus, which inspired the concept of giving gifts durin

So, I've put off writing this review for awhile now, because I really wanted to watch the movie first, but so far, I haven't been able to find it around where we live, so here goes..... I do think that Indivisible: One Marriage Under God, is a great devotional for couples. It goes over all the things tha t you should talk about in marriage - and has an inspirational message, a Scripture passage, a prayer, guided journaling, and a "Take Action" challenge. I think its great, I really do. But at the same time, I wish there were more devotionals out there for just 'laypeople'. I want a Christian devotional that will strengthen our marriage, but one that uses the language we use in everyday life... not all of us are in ministry and some of us feel uncomfortable when so many Christian books/devotionals come across that you have to be some righteous person to apply it to your life.  In reality... we are just simple Christian's wanting to be encoura

I love my kids, but I hate being a mom. Mothers Day 2018 Now, before you get upset, please hear me out. None of my kids were planned, but they were all wanted, and they are all loved! I was seventeen when I got pregnant with my oldest... I spent the first six months of my pregnancy trying to hide it, and wishing that I wasn't pregnant. But, when the doctor put that beautiful baby girl in my arms... it was love instantly. Faith was my everything, my reason for living, and the sunshine of my day. Fast forward six years...  Funny story... One day, my hubby said, "Lets make a baby..." We did. He couldn't believe that it worked the on the first try.... and in 9 months our son Wyatt, was born. It was a hard pregnancy, and a very difficult, and long labor. He was a big boy with medical, and special needs from birth. But, I loved him. Three years later, our last daughter, Adilayia was born. There is no physical way that she should even exist, but I oft

Cemetery's are soothing to my soul.... I used to work at one... but my love for cemetery's started back when I was a kid... I remember walking though a large cemetery with my cousins, that was close to my Grandma Frick's house. Cemetery's are peaceful. A place where the past, and the present, and the future, come together.  They are full of stories.... and memories  of lives people lived.... -RK We live within one mile of three cemetery's, and an old Indian burial mound.  The Adena Burial Mound dates back to 160 BC and is the largest Adena burial mound in the state of Indiana. The Swingley Cemetery, also known as Clevenger Cemetery dates back to 1799 and is just south of our house on our neighbors property. James Whicomb Riley, the famous poet's grandparents are buried here. "When I see a bird that walks like a duck and swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck." - James Whitcomb Riley

 1 cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)  1/2 cup Shaklee Energizing life protein - vanilla  1/4 cup honey  1 cup  rice krispies  6 oz. mini chocolate chips Mix together all ingredients and press into an 8 by 8 square pan and cut into bite size pieces, or roll into balls. Store in the fridge. * You can also add sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, raisins or flax seed, chia seeds, coconut, oatmeal, walnuts, almonds, pecans, ect. The only bad thing about making this snack is that it disappears too quickly!

As I sit here crying after spending all morning on the phone trying to get more help/services for my special needs son, I thought maybe I'd share a few thoughts.... If you think being a parent is hard, being a parent to a special needs kid is 100 times harder. We face huge challenges every single day. There are hard things about parenting kids with disabilities. I love my boy.... Special needs families are buried in paperwork because everything requires it. From our kid's IEPs, to medical documentation, to data collection, to applications for services, - the paperwork is never ending. We try not to compare, but sometimes it’s hard not to notice how different our kid is to their typical peers. We feel like we are not doing enough. Deep down we often wonder, am I really doing all I can do? Sometimes, we have an overwhelming feeling of failing at everything we do because we don’t have enough time or energy to do it all. We feel like we are failing with our k

So, back before we got married, my husband and I received alot of marriage advice....but the following turned out to be the worst marriage advice I ever received.....   "Don't ever talk about or bring up each other's past relationships or past life."  For me, the above advice turned out to be the number one mistake of our marriage and here's why.   When you can't speak to each other about your past or past relationships, it causes strain on a marriage. And, just like when things are swept under the rug, they will eventually come out.  My husband and I both had previous relationships. He was never married, but I was previously married with a child. My first husband was my best friend in a time of my life when most all other friends and family forsake me. And being told not to talk about him or our past life together, made me feel horrible. So the for the first three to five years of our marriage, we tried to follow the advice - never tal

Did you know, you are allowed to be happy?! In her book, The Year of Living Happy: Finding Contentment and Connection in a Crazy World, Alli Worthington talks about how we were made to be happy, and that God desires us to be happy. That in being happy, we are living for Him.  "My hope for The Year of Living Happy is to bring the truth of Scripture and best of modern research together as a guide to real happiness." ~ Alli Worthington Whether you're struggling with being happy or not, this little book has some great information and tips to help you live your happiest life! The devotions are short, and a scripture verse is mentioned in each one.  There are one hundred devotions in all. An attached bookmark is also included, which is always a helpful addition to a book. Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the  book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have e

Today is our Anniversary..... Every year, we try to take an Anniversary trip to get away, just us two. It's something we look forward to every fall. It gives us a chance to be alone, walk hand in hand, and to simply, just be. We love to hike and spend time in nature. This year our destination was Niagara Falls, NY. It was windy, and cold, and we got soaked a few times, but it was beautiful and fun! Pictures don't do it justice! Veiw from the lookout tower... On the rim trail... The leaves were just starting to turn.... We saw at least six different rainbows in the two days we were there. My favorite view.... Cave of the winds... looking back up at the falls... I was amazed at how close you could get up to the falls.... My love and I....   It was hard to get a good picture of the Horseshoe Falls, because the wind and mist was so bad. The closer you got, the wetter you were. Our camera lenses were cover

My Grandpa Stump has been gone for four years this month... gone, but not forgotten. So here's some memories of my Grandpa.... My Grandpa only had an 8th grade education (and skipped 4th grade), yet he was the smartest man I knew. He was a preacher, multi-millionaire, and a great business man . He was a farmer, a landlord, and had the best garden around. He was a traveler, he started a mission in Africa, he helped more people than anyone else I know. He believed in God, and wasn't ashamed of who he was. Grandpa loved singing, playing games (four hand texas was his favorite) , telling stories, eating popcorn, driving fast,  helping people, traveling, preaching,   Shaklee , working hard, having a good time, and his   family .  Some of my earliest memories are of sitting on Grandpa's lap. I loved playing games with Grandpa, him teasing me when he won. Going camping, and spending Christmas weekend at their house with all our cousins, and playing in the old red