SRKindredSpirits

There are some 'household hacks' that I think just about every body has heard of by now, like heating a bowl of lemon water in the microwave before cleaning it and it will wipe off effortlessly. But then, sometimes as I'm using a household hack, I think to myself, I wonder if people know to do this, because I love it so much ! So, today I'm sharing 5 of my favorite household hacks.... 1. Upside Down Laundry Room Towel Rack How many times do you have a wet rag with no where to put it, so it ends up on the washer, counter, floor, or flung over the hamper to dry until laundry day? Well, I don't know about you, but at our house we go through a lot of wet rags.... I had hubby screw in a towel rod upside down under the laundry room cabinet. It is the best thing ever! Now we hang the wet rags up, and when they're dry, I toss them into the hamper. Having this in my laundry room has made me a happier person! 2. Spinning Spice Rack Pampered Chef I used

This early-spring treat is one of a few perennial vegetable crops, so once you get a patch established, it will give you many years of delicious harvests for little work. Here's my little patch from last year: Asparagus are fresh, crisp, nutritious, and adaptable to use in many different ways. Asparagus are a good source of the following minerals & vitamins: Iodine, Potassium, Copper, Magnesium, Folate, and Vitamins A, C and E.  My favorite ways to eat it are -  Steamed with Eggs... Steam Asparagus on stove top... top with shredded or chopped hard boiled eggs and salt and pepper.  Oven Roasted... This has to be one of the easiest and tastiest ways to cook asparagus. Just trim the ends, lay out on a baking sheet, toss with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese, and then bake until done.  In a sandwich... We like to use a toasted and buttered bread or bagel. Add bacon, steamed asparagus and a fried egg! *Note: some p

The passion fruit is a  vigorous, climbing vine that clings by tendrils to almost any support. It can grow 15 to 20 ft. per year once established. The Story of the Passion Flower   I have this beautiful flower climbing on my arch that I walk under on the way to my office entrance. It is so intricate and beautiful, I thought I'd share a little about it with you all. Although it doesn't bloom until summer - it always reminds me of Easter. The Passion Flower (Passiflora) is a symbol of Christ’s Passion and Cross: including his scourging, crowning with thorns, three nails and five wounds. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Spanish Christian missionaries adopted the unique physical structures of this plant, particularly the numbers of its various flower parts, as symbols of the last days of Jesus and especially his crucifixion.   The pointed tips of the leaves were taken to represent the Holy Lance that confirmed Christ’s death. The tendrils represent the whips u

Over the last few years, I haven't taken good care of myself, and as a result, my health has taken a hit..... when you have a special needs kid, multiple auto immune diseases, cancer, and chronic stress, I guess its somewhat to be expected. But, since I've chosen to take care of myself this year , my health is a high priority. My 1st surgery was Monday, March 20th, 2017 "Surgery is the treatment of disease or injury by cutting into the body to repair or remove the injured or diseased body part". I was extremely nervous. I had never been put to sleep or had any type of surgery before in my life. The surgery went well, the worst things about it were the sore throat from the breathing tube, keeping my pain levels down, and the drive home (I do believe we have the worst roads in the US!).  I wasn't expecting the affects of anesthesia to make me have insomnia for the first three days. Or that doing simple household chores would make me tire s

We don't do big extravagant birthday parties at our house.... but, I do let each kid pick what kind of cake they want and their birthday supper meal. I also get them a birthday balloon (Dollar Tree has them for $1) , and we either get them a small gift or go somewhere as a family. I think the whole point is to make it a special day for them to remember! I enjoy making and decorating cakes. You can see some of them here , here , and here .  Wyatt turned 10 this week and requested a camouflage cake with a Polaris 500 ATV on top.... I think it turned out pretty good! I've had a few people ask how I make the camouflage cakes. It really is easy.... First, mix a white cake mix and a chocolate cake mix separately. Put half of each batter into separate bowls and add green food coloring to one bowl of white and one bowl of chocolate cake mix.  Prepare your pans and spoon a little of each batter in random spots until you have the proper amount of batter in each

I've never been one for New Years Resolutions....i t always seemed kinda silly to me.... So many people make a resolution to change, but so few actually see it through. However, I do like to pick on word or thought to be a reminder to me throughout the year. The last few years, my thought has been to Choose Joy . We can all stand to have a little more joy and happiness in our lives.... but this year, I was ready for a new thought.... so, for 2017 - I choose to take care of me! Over the years as a wife and mom, I often get distracted with the busyness of life and have let myself go. When you have a mini farm, animals , grow and preserve your own produce , home school, run a home business , volunteer, have a special needs son, and in my case have cancer , chronic stress, and multiple autoimmune diseases..... taking care of myself is often the last thing I think of. So, this year, I am choosing to take care of me...... I'm having a relaxing soak in the bub

This year there were 48 blog posts at SRKindredSpirits....  There were a lot of different topics.... Things to say on a job interview , Recipes , Visiting Louisville KY , Getting rid of cookbook clutter, Book reviews , Bookcase redo , Why I don't sell , Making an orb , Crochet Christmas tree skirt , Understanding a INTJ , Adoption , DYT experiment , My first speeding ticket , What Instagram really tells you , How to review a product company, Family quality time , A free health quiz , and much more. Here's the top 10 posts of 2016: We had our first giveaway here on SRKindredSpirits and it was a success! The Happiness Dare is a highly recommended book! Once you try these, you'll be hooked! Easy and yummy... you can't go wrong with these cream cheese roll ups! I wrote this post after reading the definition of the word 'family', it will give you a little insight to my life. Getting rid of the swimming pool was personal favorite and

You know there's a lot of things that I'm good at, but not any one thing that I'm really great at.... Back in 2012, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that is cancerous - for which there is no cure. Since then, I often find myself thinking about the meaning of my life.....  "What do I love, and what would I like to accomplish in my life......?" That's a hard question....  I love to sing... and would love to sing lead or background in a band. But how in the world do you get discovered.... I actually auditioned for a small group in 2015, and was given the gig, but they were located a few hours away and I would have been away from my kids and hubby 3-4 days a week.... I just can't do that right now, my family is too important.  I love plants and nature. I love making flower arrangements. (I have even though of opening my own florist shop...), but we live in the boonies and I would hate the tied down feeling of running a stor

Materials:  (1) 16 oz Yarn (color of your choice) *You can use different colors of yarn. I wanted mine to match my Christmas stockings so I made it all soft white. Crochet Hook (I used size H) *You can use any type of yarn or any size hook.... (The smaller the hook, the tighter the stitches. The bigger the hook, the more yarn you will need.) Glossery: (ch = chain, sc = single crochet, dc = double crochet, st = stitch)                                Directions: Row 1: Ch 22, dc in fourth ch from hook, dc in each ch across, turn. Row 2: Ch 3 (counts as first dc), 2 dc in each st across to last st, dc in last st, turn.  Row 3: Ch 3, dc in each st across, turn. Row 4: Ch 3, 2 dc in each st across to last st, dc in last st, turn.  Row 5 - 6: Ch 3, dc in each st across, turn. Row 7: Ch 3, 2 dc in next st, (dc in next st, 2 dc in next st) across, turn.  Row 8 - 10: Ch 3, dc in each st across, turn. Row 11: Ch 3, (2 dc in next st,

"Never apologize for how you choose to take care of yourself!" I needed this reminder.....  In this season of my life, I often need to sleep more, rely on convince food, stay close to home, have help with dishes, cooking, cleaning, and laundry.... I can't do for others like I used too.... I cook and bake less, I give less, I focus on me and my family more. I need rest and a peaceful environment. And for all that... I will not apologize. I do not have to explain. I am taking care of me.  No apology needed.

Today is Sunday.... the weekend before thanksgiving. My family's all home - it's the first time in 17 weeks that hubby did not have to work the weekend. The smell of warm coffee cake baking in the oven, sounds of Christmas music coming from the stereo, the warmth of the fire in our big stone fireplace....the Christmas lights twinkling on the mantle.... I look around... I love this time of year... and I love spending time with my family. I look at my love... he smiles back, the fact that he works hard to give me this great life is not lost on me. I snuggle a little closer and lay my head on his chest. The two youngest are so excited as they pull Christmas decorations out of boxes.... today we will decorate our Christmas tree.... the teen puts down her phone and joins in on the fun..... the holidays are here! Later, the in-laws will stop by to visit, and we'll watch movies, and have some hot chocolate.... but right now, the living room is a mess with Christma

We recently watched Gran Tornio (the movie).  I know a few people who say it's an extremely bad movie to watch.... I disagree. I actually thought it was really good.... in fact we watched it as a family - yes, that means my 15, 9, and 6 yr. old watched it with the hubby and I. Please let me explain my reasoning.  Let me start by saying that the movie has a whole lot of bad language, which I usually don't care for. But that's how much of the world today is, and while I certainly think they could have left out a lot of the profanity, it actually works in this movie in its context.  I was struck by the fact that the  Mr. Walt Kowalski's  own k ids and grand kids were only interested in what they could get from him. They thought he was a burden.... never truly loving him.  (I saw that happen In my Grandpa's life.... everyone wanted a piece of him, but few truly cared about him.) The older I get, the more I realize that more and more families and people in

Fourteen years ago, I was a single mom. I made $12,000 a year, and lived paycheck to paycheck. It wasn't much, but it paid the bills. I provided for my daughter and I. Life was good . We were happy . A couple years later, I married this  great guy . He was every thing I didn't know I wanted. He lived in another state. Owned his own home. Had a good job. Was a man of good values. He loved God. He loved me. Loved my daughter. Asked me to marry him. I said yes. Life was good . We were happy. Over the next few years, we worked hard making our little piece of land into our dream home. Had a two more kids. Hubby continued to have a good job. We bought toys, but never living out of our means. Life was good . We were happy.... most of the time....  Every now and then - we felt something was wrong, but could never figure out what, so life went on. Last year (2015) we paid off the house/farm, bought a new car, bought a new tractor, and w