SRKindredSpirits

I sometimes talk with people who claim that anybody can wear anything and look good. I disagree. Faith, my daughter and I decided to test that theory, by each dressing in all four types of the Dressing Your Truth Program . We used clothes, makeup, and accessories that we already had and really did try to dress as much as we could in each of the four type styles, even if we didn't like it.  We both wore the same color of makeup for each of the types. We started with Type 1: Faith had a light aqua t-shirt, white shorts, a multi colored striped belt, a bright orange zipper bracelet and gold circle earrings. (It was harder for me to find a Type 1 outfit, as I have been trying to clean out my closet since I started DYT and living with less) . My shirt had multi color circles, which I pared with a white sweater and gold circle earrings. We puffed our hair on top to give it an upward motion and we completed the look with blue eye shadow, light pink lip stain

We said goodbye to our pool today. We had a grand party - one last hurrah - a pizza party with homemade ice cream floats! There's a few things about it that I'm gonna miss.... the beauty it brought to our backyard. the sound of the water. going for a late night swim- just hubby and I. cooling off on a hot summer day. the memories we made together as a family. and especially the reflection of the water dancing on my ceiling in the evening. We bought the pool to have something to do as a family, and to be honest - I feel guilty taking that away from the kids.... but there comes a time in life when you gotta face the facts. And the fact is too much is just that - too much! The excess of things and luxuries are not always worth it. The pool was costing us hundreds of dollars a year to run, It took time to balance, sweep and upkeep it. The supplies, toys, towels, chemicals, sweeper, hose, - all adding to extra clutter . Where we live, it is always windy, a pool cover

Looking for a quick brunch idea for a special occasion, or maybe just a little something special to serve your family this weekend? Try these Cream Cheese Roll-ups - they are quick, easy and taste amazing with a cold glass of fresh milk! Ingredients 1 loaf of white bread 1 bar (8oz) of cream cheese  softened 3/4 - 1 cup powdered sugar ¾ cups sugar 1 TB cinnamon ½ cup butter, melted Instructions With a rolling pin, flatten bread. (I used 12 slices.)                                     In a small bowl combine cream cheese and powdered sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl combine sugar and cinnamon - set aside. Spread 1 - 1½ tablespoons of cream cheese mixture onto each flattened bread piece and roll up.                                        Dip each rolled bread into melted butter and then into the cinnamon and sugar mix. (I have found using a paper plate for the melted butter and cinnamon sugar, makes it easier and is less mess!)

Raspberry season is almost here....so, thought I'd share a Raspberry Chocolate Torte recipe for you to enjoy! INGREDIENTS:                   1 cup butter, softened 2 cups sugar 4 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/3 cup baking coco GLAZE: 1/4 cup boiling water 4 teaspoons raspberry gelatin 2 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam TOPPING: 2 cups (12 ounces ) semisweet chocolate chips 2 cartons (8 ounces each) frozen whipped topping, thawed 2 cups fresh raspberries DIRECTIONS: Line a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan with waxed paper. grease the paper. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour and cocoa; gradually beat into the creamed mixture. Transfer to prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minute

Happy Earth Day! Our family tries our best to reduce, reuse, and recycle, not just on Earth Day, But Every Day! I believe we should take care of this beautiful earth God has given us to enjoy! Here are some ways to Go Green this Earth Day! This past week we have been busy planting trees.....  One way that our family helps the earth is by using Shaklee products.  In the 1960's   Shaklee introduced Basic-H ®  Concentrated Organic Cleaner, one of the first nontoxic, biodegradable cleaners In 1990 Shaklee’s nontoxic and biodegradable Basic-H® was chosen as one of the first official Earth Day products.  In 2000 Shaklee became the first company in the world to obtain Climate Neutral™ certification and totally offset its CO2 emissions. Please visit the following link to see more of Shaklee's Environmental Achievements ! Two Earth Day products I highly recommend are: The Get Clean Kit Shaklee's Get Clean Kit is natural, nontoxic an

Metal Orbs are the 'in' decor item right now. Orbs come in all shapes and sizes. There are natural rope orbs, glass orbs, ceramic orbs, metal orbs, foil finish orbs, wooden orbs..…there’s an orb out there for everyone! However, some of these orbs can cost quite a pretty penny. So, if you love a well decorated home and you don't want to brake the bank... make your own wooden embroidery hoop orb. They are inexpensive, look great and are easy to make. Here's what you need: 2  embroidery hoops   per orb ( any size you want)  foam brush wood stain Instructions: 1. Disassemble each embroidery hoop. (you should have 4 total pieces) 2. Using a foam brush stain all surfaces of each embroidery hoop piece. Let dry completely.  3. Slide pieces together to form an orb as shown below.  To assemble, use the two “inside” pieces of the embroidery hoops and slide one inside the other. Add a third hoop (one of the outer edges) and tighten it closed

I have found over the years, that having a clean, simple, refreshing home offers many benefits....  We can welcoming guests into our home without feeling embarrassed by a messy house or a sink full of dirty dishes. It gives my family a place to relax, to be ourselves. But most importantly, having a clean home is refreshing to my soul. I love my home and the peace and comfort it provides. If you find yourself in the midst of a home full of clutter, and you're not sure where to begin... try these ten simple things....  1. Fresh flowers on my table are a must . I buy a small bouquet about every 3 weeks during the winter to keep on the table. In the Spring and Summer, I pick flowers from my garden. It is my ray of happiness and is refreshing to my soul! It makes me smile every time I stop to smell them as I walk by.... (I am blessed to have a florist shop that gives me a discount if I pick out and arrange the bouquets at home myself, so I can purchase floral stems

It's a beautiful, windy, day in East Central Indiana..... The sun is out and I have tulips peeping through the ground in my flower beds, which makes me very happy! Spring will be here in 20 days, 6 hrs, 42 min and a few seconds.... but who's counting, right!?!?! Here's a cookie recipe that we like. It is light and fluffy and reminds me of Spring. Enjoy! Lemon Crinkle Cookies   Makes 2-3 dozen                                   ½ cups butter, softened                    1 cup granulated sugar                                   ½ teaspoons vanilla extract              1 whole egg                                   1 teaspoon lemon zest                      1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice                                   ¼ teaspoons salt                              ¼ teaspoons baking powder                                   ⅛ teaspoons baking soda                 1-½ cup all-purpose flour                                                            

Slow down. OK, so here's some thoughts. We are a family of 5 . We each go to the dentist for checkups and cleanings 2 times a year. 5 x 2 =10 My oldest daughter volunteers at the vet clinic on Mondays = 1 x 52 = 52. Our special needs son gets Speech Therapy 2xs per week = 2 x 52 = 104 My daughter takes violin lessons every week 1 x 52 = 52 I am a certified crisis counselor and volunteer at the Pregnancy Crisis Center every week =1 x 52 =52 My hubby works on average 6 days a week 6 x 52 = 312 Our daughter has braces and goes to the orthodontist in Ohio 6 times a year. 6 Weekly grocery shopping =1 x 52 = 52 Sunday morning church 1 x 52 = 52 Date nights.... 1 x per month = 12 ....our total is now over 700 things. .... this does not include the other shopping trips like animal feed, or house projects, visiting family, holiday get-togethers, driving to Ohio to pick up fruit for canning, vacations, school field trips, library, eating out, date nights, etc. Nor does it

You know some people look at me and say that I'm not qualified to talk about nutrition. After all, I am not skinny, I don't run marathons, I cook and bake too much yummy food for my family, and I am not a doctor - and that, my friend, is all true.  But ya know..... 5 yrs ago, we had a very sick little girl who spent her days lying on a sofa, she was in the middle stages of kidney failure, she spent a few days a week going to the doctors, and local hospital for tests and cultures and going to a Children's Hospital a couple hours away monthly - she had 8 specialists. She was on 5 different adult dosage medications for over 4 years  - it was a merry-go-round. One medication would help symptom A, but its side effect would cause symptom B for which she would be put on another medication for symptom B, which would have a side effect that would cause symptom C, for which she'd be put on another medication.....  Add to that our Special Needs Son who has had 2 surger

This year I made serving stands for my mom, sisters, and sister in laws for Christmas. They were so much fun to make and pretty easy too.  I started by shopping thrift stores. I tried to buy a tea cup or small dish or plate as a topper, two vases or candle holders (turned upside down) and three plates - small, medium, and large, for each serving stand. I actually didn't buy dishes with the thought of my siblings taste in colors at all - I just randomly purchased plates, and cups that I thought looked unique.... the shopping part was fun! After I got everything purchased, I took an evening and started putting different plates together. I kept trying different colors and patterns, until I got a set that I liked. Then I stacked them together and started doing the same for the next one, etc. After I decided on the colors and plates for each serving stand, I started gluing them together. I used gorilla glue for glass and pottery that dried clear. The tr