SRKindredSpirits

My daughter has two fathers... One gave her life. One has been in her life. Both are a part of her. Her birth father had a hard life... but I do believe that he truly did and does love her. He was around for her first three years, loved being silly, and playing with her... he was a great dad. Her daddy came into her life when she was three years old, and has been a constant... always there for her. He adopted her when she was five and is her dad in every way. He taught her to ride a bike, to drive a car, and to stand up for herself. He was there for all the big things, and all the little things in life... teaching, loving, disciplining, celebrating, caring, and doing all the things a dad does... He is dad, in every sense of the word. Faith with her dad..... We never hid the adoption from our daughter. She grew up knowing the truth. We talked about her birth family, but they were distant throughout her growing up years. She recently started talking to and seeing her bir...

It's interesting to me how you can tell a lot about an individual by their home.  Is it welcoming, cluttered, dirty, orderly, mismatched, displaced, unwelcoming, or chaos? What does your home say about you?  Does it smell clean or is there unpleasant odors?  Is it clean and welcoming to all, or is it dirty, cluttered, and make people feel suffocated? Is it Immaculate with no place to relax or put up your feet? I am not a perfectionist by far but I do try to have a clean home not only for my guests, but for myself; with the beds made, dishes washed, counters and tables cleared, laundry put away, and things put where they belong.  Every item needs its own home. And it needs to be put away and its place. For example I often let my kids bring toys out to play in the living room but each evening the toys are put back into their proper place and my house is picked up and clean, ready for the next day.  Same for school - after we are finished f...

 The last few years we have been downsizing... making our property more manageable, having less upkeep, getting rid of clutter and things we don't need, changing our property and our life to fit our new desires and lifestyle that we want to live... to have more time to travel, and enjoy life without a never ending to-do-list... we still have a long way to go, but even though our wants have changed over the years, I still love our property and the peace and solitude it gives me... we call it our 'little bit of heaven on earth! ... and I'm blessed to call it home!

Redkey is a cute little town nestled at the crossroads of Highway 1 and Indiana State Road 67 in Jay County, Indiana.  The area was originally known as the Wade Settlement, after the family of Josiah Wade, who settled there in 1836. His son William Harrison Wade platted a village there in 1854, which he called Mt. Vernon. James Redkey platted his addition in 1856, but when application was made for a government post office, the name Mt. Vernon was already taken, so the name of Redkey was chosen. Redkey was incorporated in 1883. Redkey, Indiana, was situated in the largest natural gas field in the world at the time.  The Redkey Volunteer Fire Department is in a beautiful 113 year old building. The Key Palace Theater first received national attention in the 1950s, Noble, a Muncie native, brought in numerous blues artists over the years, making the Key Palace Theater a major destination for fans of blues music. The theater closed dow...

You are worth more.  Don't worry about your looks, you are more beautiful than you will ever know.  You are smart.  You are worthy of love. Smell the roses.  Look for the good in people, but don't trust anyone.  People will throw stones. Don't be bitter. Those aren't your people. Remember to smile.  Laugh often.  Do what you love.   Never forget where you came from.  Life's a dance - just go with the rhythm.   You are not perfect, be okay with that.  I am proud of you. Keep God first.  Surround yourself with people that love you.   Be happy.  Write your own story.  Step out of the box.   Find your own kind of joy.  You are important.  Pray.   Take a walk - it can cure anything.  Take care of your body. Get a good night's sleep.   Find your own kind of hea...

I love this little book.  In researching the Gospels and rereading Jesus conversations, Carl Medearis concluded that Jesus’ conversations had an average length of only 42 seconds. These short discussions showed the impact Jesus’ words had on the many hearts he touched. God does not ask for Christians to be polished public speakers before spreading His gospel. What God does require of us is that we faithfully witness His truth to others in whatever circumstance we find ourselves in.  This book concisely teaches the reader how to interact with others in a loving and kind way. Sections include: Be Kind, Be Present, Be Brave, and Be Jesus. Topics addressed include: Do Something Small, Breathe Deep, Say Something Crazy, and Do My Words Match My Actions. The book is designed with short & to-the-point dialogue that does not overwhelm the reader. I like how the author looks at conversations in somewhat of a different light than we might normally expect....

I have always hated talking on the phone. And it has nothing whatsoever to do with the person at the other end, I just find it a horrible tool for communicating with.  I have many auto immune diseases and a rare cancer which are all caused by stress.  A few years back, my doctor advised me to delete my personal fb friends and to not answer the phone to help reduce stress. I tried his advise and it helps, so here's the thing... I don't answer the phone anymore for anyone unless it's my hubby or my kids. If you are calling for my business , leave a detailed voicemail and I will call you back at my convenience. If someone is dying or its an emergency, call my hubby's number. If you want me, send a text or email. If you do leave a voicemail, but don't say what you need, I will not return the call. It's just not that important. Communication is a wonderful thing when done right. But I think the whole phone calling fiasco is not a good way to communic...

I realized something last night. I was doing my usual over thinking, when I couldn't sleep and the thought of "If I died what are the things (keepsakes) that I would want my kids to keep - Something special to remind them of me." Here is my list:  My wedding ring set My gold diamond heart necklace   (the first gift my hubby gave me when we were dating) My antique picture and frame (a replica of my G'ma Stumps) My keepsake photo albums  (full of memories that tell our life story) My Bible My Poetry Books and writings What I realized was that out of all my belongings - there is actually very little that I would consider my most favorite keepsakes. Grant it, I would hope that my daughters might want some jewelry, a few dishes, my G'pa Fricks rocking chair, my G'ma's hurricane lamp, my vanity, some of my antiques, dishes, decor, etc. to also remember me by. Let me insert here, that I love my home and it's contents. I t...

I think the main reason most people get hung up when it comes to decluttering their homes is because of storage. M any people try to keep too much of the same kinds of things, so they will buy extra hutches, drawers, totes, baskets, etc., to hold all their stuff - they have no limit to the amount of stuff they choose to keep....  Let me explain.   If you have an office, you have paper clutter. Most people have at least one filing cabinet and a desk, but still have too much paper. So, they will buy another filing cabinet and in a few years, still have too much paper clutter.... The same thing with our closets and dressers. We all usually have one of each. We fill them full and overflowing. Then we have clothes in baskets, sitting on chairs, lying on the floor, and our drawers and shelves are running over.... most of us go buy storage containers... we fill them with seasonal clothes, or too big, or too small clothes, or clothes that we used to love, but a...

Our house has an open concept layout and while I love it.... I miss having more wall space.  About 7 years ago, I came across the idea of having a gallery wall - and wanted to try it....  I like the idea of showcasing things that are important to our family and things that tell a stoy about our life. So, after some trial and error, below is a picture of my first gallery wall -  My first gallery wall had a little bit of everything in it..... the only thing I bought was the fake scull with horns. (I actually thought it would be bigger, but I guess it works fine for a piece of decor.) The oxen yoke was my Grandpas.  My Hubby made the 'Kindred' sign in his woodshop. The cast Iron wheel came from my Dad. 1092 is our house number.  The licence plate is an old Indiana 1988 truck plate that was here when we bought the place. There is a picture of Hubby and the kids in the Badlands, SD and a picture of me with the kids on Mothers Day a ...

Like nearly every growing teen, I have struggled with acne. Although mine is thankfully not severe, it hit a definite peak between the ages of 14 and 16. I had tried different facial cleansers, exfoliators, moisturizers, way too many questionable DIY concoctions (which did more harm than good), and even a medicated cream, to try to tame this bothersome side affect of puberty. Every night I would exfoliate like crazy, apply at least 3 different products, and every morning I would wake up with the same lack of results. None of them seemed to work, which, of course, drove me to use them even more religiously…  At that time, it seemed like a wise solution. It wasn’t. As my acne worsened, my confidence dwindled, but I eventually discovered the life-changing power of liquid foundation and concealer… only, I lacked the knowhow to use it, and the end result  made me look like  a cake-faced oompa loompa... from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory N...