SRKindredSpirits

Our back porch has been a place where things clutter - only usable in the spring and fall and even then, there were always insects and spiders.... it was too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. This year, we finally decided to take the plunge and remodel.... the goal was simple: "Too make it usable year round with putting the least amount of money into it!" So, Here are before pics: And - here it goes...... we tore it all out - only the concrete floor and roof would be left! Rebuilding the walls - inside and out ready for windows and drywall....... painting - putting up the wood planks  After four weeks of hard work..... The finished room! Please let me insert here - I have the very best hard working hubby possible - he did everything by himself and it looks great! the main desk and door to outside - our goal is to put in a patio and sidewalk as this will be the Shaklee

At our house - we like to keep Christmas simple, relaxing, cozy and fun! Welcome ....... please step on inside....   I have a milkjug at the entrences to the house and shop - I love the look and change out the ribbon and plants every season! I love our fireplace - we use it for all our heat. Every year at Christmas and Easter, we take our family pic by it. (All the picture frames are second hand, which I cover in twigs from the trees) Our tree - I don't like cluttered, so we mostly do lights, and tinsel with just a few bulbs and a handful of orniments - I hang christmas cards and photos on the back of the cupboards in the dinning room - when I was a kid, my mom would hang them on the doorways - I know to some, it may seem sloppy, but I like walking by and seeing family and friends for the month of Dec.! the garland and lights on the kiten banister match/wrap around to the ones on the fireplace mantle - The kids make gin

Around Christmas time, I usually try to send out family pictures and write a letter about that years happenings - well this year, I couldn't seem to get 'in the mood' to write.... that is until I saw this on Pinterest !  (For a FREE template download like the one above, please visit My 3 Monsters blog ) Although, I did not use the template- I started playing around. Here is what I came up with and I love it.... it is short and to the point!

Keep in mind this Christmas shopping season... YOU, the customer, are our everything! Spending $100 at Walmart or another retail or department store during the holidays won't make a difference to anyone; but spending $100 through a home business owner for Christmas means our business can continue, it provides for our families, helps us meet our personal goals, and helps us continue to do what we love without using harsh sales techniques. The big stores will not care about you the way we will because unfortunately, you don't mean that much to them. You mean the world to me!!! Shaklee  - Give the gift of health to your loved ones that will last throughout the new year and will continue to change their lives and their future! They will thank you!   www.srkindred.myshaklee.com   Below are some great Shaklee Gift Idea's:        Vitalizer & Protein - feel better in 30 days or your money back - guaranteed!  - Get a FREE Shaklee lifetime membership wit

Every summer, you can find the hubby and I at a few tractor shows - while he loves all the tractors, after an hour or so, I get restless ( I like tractors, but after awhile the details start to blend) and go walk the flea markets! Well, I happened to see a booth by American Forging (Unique, American Made, Hand Forged Aluminum Giftware with anvil and hammer)  this summer - I loved the idea of taking aluminum cans and recycling them into something so neat! The Cornucopia caught my eye - and my handsome Hubby, being the sweet man that he is, bought me the Cornucopia Hors D'oeurve Tray!  I was thrilled! I keep it on my china hutch and proudly show it off to all my guests! Well, a few months ago, I stumbled across their Facebook page and entered to win a few of their giveaways...... guess what?? I won a Dragonfly Ornament (which I gave to my oldest daughter and now she proudly shows it off. And.... it gets better...... I also won a colored Cornucopia Hors

The Grace of God by Andy Stanley  Rating: 3 Stars  Grace. We all need it. Grace is God pouring out on us what we don't deserve. When we sin we deserve nothing less than punishment from God, yet instead He came in the form of His Son to take the punishment for us. This was the ultimate show of God's grace, and it is given to us freely. Grace is one of the greatest gifts in the world. Andy Stanley traces the theme of God's grace throughout the Bible. He begins with Genesis and ends with the Great Commission. He shows us God's grace through the lives of many men and women in the Bible, who were affected when God extended grace to them. He chooses Bible characters with various backgrounds, that correspond to the various backgrounds and baggage that men and women of today might experience.  He tells the Bible stories as if you were telling a story to a friend, rather than quoting them from the Bible, which gives readers a fresh perspective. But it a