SRKindredSpirits

I grew up in the 80s and 90's. I loved big hair, teal mustangs, pointed shoes, and ladies in skirt suits with shoulder pads.... when it came to my clothes and decorating my house. Everything had to match!  But here's the problem....  I could never get my house to look good.. it seamed something was always missing... or just not quite right. Over the years I've discovered a few things.... Teal cars are no longer cool, big hair doesn't work on everyone, comfortable shoes is better, shoulder pads are just yucky, and matching is way over rated. When it comes to your home, forget the matching - here's the secret to making your home look great! USE WHAT YOU LOVE Don't keep things you don't like. That means that stool you really don't like, or the ugly mug your Aunt Betty gave you, or the picture frame that's been in the family for years and you cant get rid of it, or someone will be upset.... let it go... if it doesn't bring ...

Behind the Laughter A Comedian's Tale of Tragedy and Hope By: Anthony Griffith and Dr. Brigitte Travis-Griffin with Mark Caro “I was living every comic’s dream…with a nightmare attached.” Anthony Griffith, a stand-up comic from Chicago’s South Side, has lived on the borderline of comedy and tragedy. At the very time his career as a stand-up comedian was taking off, and he had finally achieved his dream of appearing on The Tonight Show, he was also enduring an unimaginable personal nightmare: his two-year-old daughter, Brittany Nicole, was dying from cancer. While Anthony performed under bright lights, he struggled not to succumb to the darkness of losing a child. Behind the Laughter asks, When your world is falling apart, how do you keep going? It’s the story of how Anthony and his wife, Brigitte, learned to endure the most painful of times and emerge on the other side of the “zombie years.” Although, I have not had a child die from cancer, I could definitely relate ...

How many bottles do you have in your shower? I'll wait, while you go count them.... I seen on Facebook the other day that a couple had twenty, yes twenty bottles in their shower for two people! There is never a reason to have that many, or even half that many bottles in the shower, ever! Tonight, while I was complaining that our shower has no cubbies/shelves in it,  my husband reminded me that I really needed to use minimalism in our shower.... And while it would be really nice to have a couple built in shelves in the shower, he really does have a point.... The thing is, most of us are guilty of buying another shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, facial cleanser, or shower gel.... and sometimes, we often keep our old bottles that are half full along with our new ones. Just pick out your favorite and toss the rest. You don't need so many bottles.... I mean If I was rich, I'd pay to have lazer hair removal, so I could get rid of my shaving cream, sha...

The Theft of America's Soul Blowing the Lid Off the Lies That Are Destroying Our Country By: Phil Robertson  Our family has always loved the A&E show Dusk Dynasty and the whole Duck Commander Family (although Phil and Jase have always been my favorite!). So, when I when I had the chance to review this book, I thought -a little wisdom from Phil Robertson himself wouldn't hurt! And I was Right! Phil is the real deal, I like how he is not ashamed of his past or the mistakes he made, but rather how he has learned from them and uses it to help others. I love the simple down to earth, easy to talk to way of Phil Robertson. At a ripe age and more money than he will ever spend, the question could be asked, "Why would he subject himself to persecution and ridicule?" The answer is simple, He truly knows and believes Jesus is the son of God. He knows that those who open their hearts can be changed. Phil makes a compelling point: Without God, America ha...

Dishes in the sink, toys throughout the house, stuff covering every flat surface; this clutter not only makes our homes look bad, it makes us feel bad, too. Walk into any middle-class home in the U.S. and you will come face to face with stuff—toys, trinkets, family photos, furniture, games, DVDs, TVs, digital devices of all kinds, souvenirs, nick-knacks, food, and more. We put our stuff anywhere in the house, every where there's room, or even if there's no room. We have Clutter-strewn garages, abandoned yards and families who are too busy to actually enjoy the possessions they work hard to acquire.  George Carlin famously observed that "a house is just a pile of stuff with a cover on it." Buy stuff. Keep it. Get more of it. Keep that, too. Store it. Display it. Spend time on it. Spend money on it. Worry about it. Stress over it. Repeat. We are a clutter culture, and that, my friends is sad. When clutter takes over, the home, can become a large cont...

A few days ago, I stopped by my kids elementary school. While waiting, I was seated beside a kid in my son's special needs class. When a staff member asked the kid a question, he simply screamed, then turned to me and smiled. I'm sorry - (not sorry), but what that kid needs is a good slap on the mouth.... I don't care if your kid is Autistic, has ADHD, has Aspergers, is slow, hyper, or any other thing. Kids need to learn how to act. They need to realize they really are not that great. The world DOES NOT revolve around them! I have a special needs kid and I know that life is difficult for him, its hard for him to understand simple things, and to communicate, but we have taught him to use his words, to respond to people, and to simply be a good kid. And you know what?!?!? We get compliments almost everywhere we go with him. Just this week, his Endo Doctor told him that out of all the kids she sees in her practice, no other kid has ever been so polite and well behave...

One thing that you always read when it comes to kids toys and minimalism is how to get rid of them or why fewer toys benefit your kids . But you never hear about how many toys are too many? I asked myself the same thing a lot through the years, and while I know minimalism is different for every one, I thought I'd let you know what works for us and how we handle our kids toys. Our two girls ages seventeen and nine, share a small room and closet . We have a set of bunk beds, and they each have their own desk, and folding chair. There are five (six cube) storage organizers in their room, along with a saucer chair, a clothes basket, and a guitar. The 17 yr old has outgrown toys obviously and now collects books!  Below is a list of every toy my nine-year-old has. We have condensed all her toys to fit in either a shoe box, a fabric cube, or a small drawer, with the exception being the barbie toys in a tub. There are 4 clear plastic shoe boxes that hold a little puppies ...