SRKindredSpirits

It's been a couple years since we had some good family photos taken. And with my Grandpa's Homestead for sale - I really wanted to get some updated family pictures taken by the old red bank barn that has so many memories for me and my kids... I remember helping Grandpa feed the cows, playing in the hay loft - making tunnels in the straw with my cousins at Christmas, bobbing for apples with the church youth group... and watching grandpa fix a something in his work area in the barn. I loved jumping off the sides of the banks and playing by the rocks.... or rolling down the hill... The Hubby and I Our Family The Man I Love... Our Kids Faith 14 yrs. Wyatt 8 yrs. Layia 6 yrs. I'm so glad we took the time to get pictures taken at my Grandpa's barn... they will be treasured!

  “All journeys eventually end in the same place, home.”  - Chris Geiger I recently started following  Becoming Minimalist  and have to say I really enjoy his posts. I find that the above is true.  Home is my Happy Place!  It's where I can be myself, where I find comfort. It's where I feel safe, loved and at peace.

Okay, so we bought three hamsters a few months ago for the kids, and had a cage like this....It was small, and messy, and I felt bad for the little guys every time I walked by it...  So, I decided to  do something about it.... We had an old, small, book case that we no longer used and I thought it was the perfect size for a hamster house. I took the cardboard off the back and screwed 1" x 4" boards above each shelf. I turned it and did the same to the front. Added a divider at the bottom and put wire over the whole back of the bookcase. (Yes, I made a mess in my house, as it was too cold out side and I'm not the most patient person...) I covered bird ladders with the cage wire and cut hole in the shelves for the ladders to go into. I covered the shelves with a vinyl, washable, laminate. We put up three exercise wheels, screwed in a food dish, and hung a hay feeder and a salt lick We made door frames from 1" x 1" boards and

Today is the first day of Spring. So to kick it off with some fun, we made little bird nests. One of our favorite things about spring (besides the warm sunshine and flowers popping up), is listening to the birds chip! What you need: Small party/paper plates paper/plastic Easter grass Graham crackers Icing Peeps Little eggs (we used mini malt ball eggs) Other spring candy and edible glitter or decorating candy Brake graham crackers in half and use icing to stick them together and to the plate. Use 2 halves in an upside down v shape to make the roof. Put the Easter grass inside to make a nest. Add eggs and put a peep (aka bird) on top of the eggs. Let the kids decorate their birdhouses with the candy. (Use the icing to stick the candy on) It's  fun to see each kids creativity and the kids always have lots of fun! Enjoy!

May you have the most beautiful Spring this year - it's a gift from God..... enjoy it! Spring is Natures way of saying "Lets Party"! - Robin Williams

With all the cold, dreary weather we have had lately, I decided Sunday morning that I was gonna make some warm yummy goodness for my family. I found this recipe the other day over at The Recipe Critic and just had to try it out. It turned out so good, I just had to share.... I did tweek it to our family's liking just a little. I made a double batch and was glad I did.... they tasted just as good 'leftover' as they did coming straight from the oven! Cinnamon Roll Twists Dough: 1½ cups warm water 3 Tbsp. sugar 1 Tbsp. yeast 3 cups flour 1/2 cup Instant Shaklee Protein 1 tsp salt Mix warm water, sugar and yeast together. Let that sit for 5 minutes. Add flour and salt to the water, sugar, and yeast. Mix this until smooth and let it raise for 10 minutes. I used my kitchenaid mixer with the dough hook and it was so easy and worked great! NOTE: I used about 1 cup more flour than the recipe called for. Roll out the dough in a large square on a flou

  It's a brand new year.... 2015! Last year, I had some health issues ( my cancer /stress) kept me from doing what I enjoy - gardening , working in my flowerbeds, writing poetry, blogging, expanding my business , spending time with family and 'just living'. I spent a few weeks in bed, was depressed and life lost all joy.   I don't know whats in store for 2015, but this year, I am choosing to enjoy life, living simply and having joy .... I'm gonna try to enjoy the simple things in life. Get rid of clutter, spend time with my hubby and kids (after all, they are what matters most to me), learn to say no, and enjoy this life that I have been blessed with. Want to live life simply? Not sure where to start? Here's some ideas: Call someone. Book a plane ticket. Send a package. Write in a journal. Read books. Sit on a porch swing. Listen to some music. Say 'no'. Bake a treat for a neighbor. Be a friend. Help someone. Send a card. Red

Monster Truck Birthday Cake  (the cake was cameo colored inside) Have a Beautiful Day Cake Christmas Gingerbread House Cake Stephen's 36th Birthday  (I paid for him to fly a plane for his birthday gift....)  Birthday Neon Colored Cake Case Tractor Cake Hubby's 35th Birthday Campfire Cake complete with hard-tact candy flames, a battery operated flicker candle,  Pirouette wafer  logs, and roasted marsh mellows! - This was a fun cake to make! Candy cake 40th Anniversary Cake with floral center piece 60th Birthday Butter Pecan Cake Fireworks Cake 4th of July Cake 60th Anniversary Cake with Peony Floral Center Piece    60th Anniversary Sheet Cake Baby Welcome Cake  (complete with baby shoes) Chocolate Designs Birthday Cake Teen Birthday Cake 80th Birthday Cake Raspberry torte Cake Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Angle Wedding Cake Dump Truck Birthday Cake

The man responsible for beating and leaving my dad to die goes to trial next month.... Only myself and my sister in law will be at the trial. My family is trusting God that justice will be served, but I felt compelled to make sure the judge knew how the mans actions have effected our whole family..... here is my letter to the judge.     Dear Sir,                                                                              I am writing on behalf of my dad, Mr. Glen Frick who was the victim of aggravated robbery, felonious assault, and in my opinion - attempted murder, that accured on Aug. 25, 2014. The defendant, Mr. Peace committed a senseless, horrible crime against an innocent man. This crime was not something that was done in the spur of the moment, but rather it was thought out and premeditated. Mr. Peace knew exactly what he was doing. Not only did Mr. Peace hit my dad over the head to knock him out and take his wallet, he then continually beat him unmercifully over and ove

I am still trying to wrap my head around the reasoning behind why anyone, no matter how desperate they are, would do such a cruel, heartless, and senseless violent assault against someone, especially my dad who would go out of his way to help a complete stranger.  As the last couple weeks have unfolded, I trust in the fact that God is an all knowing God.  My Dad was brutally beat with an ax handle, robbed, and left for dead on Aug. 25th, at his small engine repair shop in Greenville, Ohio . He was Care flighted to Miami Valley in Dayton with bleeding on the brain, 2 deep lacerations in his head, multiple fractures to the left side of his face, the bones around his left eye were broken, a broken cheekbone and his jaw broken in two places. He underwent a 6 hour surgery and will have his jaw wired shut for 6 to 8 weeks and will have to be on a liquid diet during that time. (Dr's. say it may take up to a year to get feeling back in his jaw/chin). He will be facing many medic