SRKindredSpirits

The Badlands were by far our family's favorite part of our trip out west this summer! Wow - what a breathtaking, beautiful sight! We loved the fact that when the trail ends you can keep on exploring.... Someday, we'd like to go back and spend a week just exploring the badlands - mile, after mile, after mile..... Pictures really don't do justice, but hopefully, they will help give you an idea of the natural beauty! If you get a chance - go, see it for yourself!     thankfully, we never saw any.....   It looked like God made these huge sand castles.....   my hubby and me...... (it was windy!)     there were prairie dogs every where - and they were not afraid of people either! It goes on for miles and miles.......   the colors were beautiful!     off to explore.....     Stephen and the oldest two kids pose for a photo while exploring....  

After being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that is cancerous in April 2012 – here are some thoughts on what I wish you would know when it comes to cancer. Don’t drop by without calling – I maybe having a rough day, a messy house, still in my pj’s, or simply not wanting company. When and if you do stop by. Please don't expect me to cook dinner and entertain you all day - sometimes I feel worn out after 'serving' my company. ( Yes, I do realize we don't invite people over - it's just too stressful for me ) Don't take it personally. Don’t pity me – I have Cancer, yes – but I’m not looking for sympathy. Say a prayer instead – not just for me, but for my hubby and kids as well, this is hard on all of us. Don’t tell me, that I don't look sick. I already know that and I have this huge sense of guilt. I don’t look unhealthy. I have long hair. I am not frail. I look like the person next door. I look

Ok, so the other night I was browsing online for something to make for supper, when I found Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas from Stacy Makes Cents .  The only problem was: #1- It was a crock pot meal and (I know this sounds terrible, but I don't know how to use my crock pot very well) or maybe, I'm just not a big fan - you have to plan ahead to use a crock and I don't plan ahead when it comes to meals.  #2 - It takes like 4 hrs. to cook and it was already past supper time. #3 - It called for items like peppers and onions (my family don't eat peppers and onions) Anyway, after going out to the shop and  telling complaining to hubby about how I found this good recipe, but I couldn't make it, etc. and after, putting it off as long as I possibly could, I decide to come back inside and get super duty over!  But, I couldn't get that wonderful yummy sounding recipe out of my mind, so decided to try to make it anyway - only with items that my family would

After 12 States (Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan), 5,100 miles, 3,200 pictures, 10 days, and lots of memories, it's great to be home from our trip out West! I thought I'd share some of the highlights with you all! After being on the road for only 5 hrs., the three year old decided that she had to go 'potty' about every 10-15 min. but every time we stopped, she wouldn't 'go'. After about an hour, I was starting to think the trip might be a very 'BAD' idea at that point! Thankfully, she finally settled down and fell asleep and we didn't have anymore problems 'of that kind' the rest of the trip! I've never been a fan of Illinois and after driving over snakes on the road multiple times - it helped to confirm the way I feel about that state - I'm still not a fan of Illinois or the snakes! Iowa was flat and full of corn field

Fireworks are a beautiful and fun part of many celebrations, but not something you want kids to make themselves. However, even very young explorers can experiment with these safe underwater 'fireworks'. I have to admit, when my oldest daughter (who loves science experiments) wanted to try this one, I wasn't too sure - but even my hubby and I thought this was pretty cool! What You Need water oil food coloring tall clear glass another cup or glass   Create Fireworks in a Glass Fill the tall glass almost to the top with room-temperature water - (about 1" from the top). Pour a little oil into the other glass. (1-2 tablespoons) Add a couple of drops of food coloring. We used one drop each of Blue, Green, Yellow and Red, but you can use any colors. Briefly stir the oil and food coloring mixture with a fork. You want to break up the food coloring drops into smaller drops, but not thoroughly mix the liquid. Pour the oil and coloring mixture into th

Around our place, it's berry season.... we just finished the strawberries and are now full swing into raspberry picking.   We have both red raspberries and black raspberries. My personal favorite would be the black raspberries, as I think they are easier to prune, pick, and can be used in more recipes than the red, but that is just a personal opinion! This year I planted yellow raspberries, but it will be another year or two before they'll be ready to pick.  Oh and blueberries - this is our first year to pick blueberries! We don't have many, just a few handfuls so far, but they sure are yummy and so fun to pick right out of the garden - that is something new for us! Anyway, back to the subject..... I like to put both the red and black raspberries in the freezer to use in desserts throughout the winter. But, the kids love to pick and eat 'em right out of the garden, so sometimes I don't always get as many as I'd like to put away for later.

Fully Alive: Lighten Up and Live - A Journey that Will Change Your Life  By: Ken Davis Rating: 5 Stars There are lots of motivational books on the market today, but this one stands out because it touches you where you live. I looked forward to every chapter!  We all have in us some hidden desire to be all that we can be, but somehow during the journey, life gets in the way. "The Glory of God is man fully alive.” That's exactly how we were wired to live. Yet sadness, depression, feelings of apathy and helplessness often characterize our lives. We survive but not thrive.  Ken's personal stories and down to earth tips make you feel like you can do better. Ken powerfully addresses not only the physical aspect of our lives, but the emotional, relational, and spiritual side of how to live FULLY ALIVE. His message in this book will absolutely help you live life as God intended it to be lived!  If you are ready to get off the couch and live

The One Year Be-Tween You and God: Devotions for Girls  by: Sandra Byrd Rating: 5 Stars The first thing that I was impressed with, was that the book has a beautiful leather cover (much like a real Bible) with beautiful raised designs of butterflies and flowers, and even better than that, it has the Word of God in it. A devotional book for tween girls - a page for everyday of the year! Each devotion begins with a statement, thought, or question to God. Every girl is likely to make these statements and ask such questions . . . many of which they may not want to share with other people to find the answers. I liked the briefness of the devotions - especially for this age group, but I don't feel the content was jeopardized because of it. I felt it was full of wonderful topics that pre-teen girls deal with daily, and it is definitely a worthwhile book for any girl this age. I am giving this book to my daughter (who will be 12 in June.) And I’m sure that s