Posts

Getting Rid Of Clutter

Image
In 2014, I stumbled across  Becoming Minimalist  and started reading with interest. In   January 2015 , My husband and I decided that we were going to make the choice to get rid of clutter and simplify our life.   It was one of the best choices we have ever made! Since then, we have cleaned out the house, garage, shop, barn, and attic, and have gotten rid of truck loads of stuff ( I wish now that we would have kept a total count ). Don’t get me wrong, we’ve never been ‘pack-rats’, but we simply had a lot of stuff that we didn’t use, just taking up space. Here are just a few pictures, but  they do not include all the truck loads of good things that were donated... We used our garage as a place to put the things that we gathered and then gave them away, donated them, recycled them, sold them, or took them to the trash. Our load to the landfill - isn't it sad how much stuff is wasted? This stuff was donated....  We sold some of the things that we

Family Photo Shoot at the Old Red Barn

Image
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!

Home Is....

Image
  “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.

DIY Hamster Cage

Image
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

Spring Craft for Kids

Image
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!

Spring!!

Image
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

Cinnamon Roll Twists

Image
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

Living Simply with Joy

Image
  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

Even More Cakes - by SRKindred

Image
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