SRKindredSpirits

It's no secret that most of my friends growing up were boys....  I have only had two extremely close girlfriends in my life.... Carla and Suzie - one when I was younger and one as a young adult, - the rest were all guys.  I'm not sure if I liked hanging out with the guys more than girls because I was a tomboy myself, or because most girls are just too much drama, and drama has always stressed me out!  While I could name off a whole list of guys that I considered my friends over the years... there have been three guys who not only were my best friends at the time, but whom I also loved.... I came across the following article the other day and while it may not be true for everyone, it is definitely true for me..... It’s been said that we really only fall in love with three people in our lifetime.  Often our first love (his name was Joshua and I really thought we'd be together forever!) is when we are young. It’s the idealistic love—the one that seems lik

NIV Investigator's Holy Bible by: Zondervan 5 Stars If you're looking for an NIV bible that is easy to understand and keeps kids interested... this is the one to get !  Have you ever used a magnifying glass? It makes everything bigger and easier to see, right? Detectives and scientists magnify things to understand them better. Well that’s just what this Bible does—it’s a magnifying glass to help children understand the Word of God better. The Bible is a gift from God, but many of the things written in the Bible are hard for kids to understand. In fact, sometimes they’re downright mysterious to kids. Using kid-friendly language and a detective theme, the two color NIV Investigator’s Holy Bible explains the Bible text for kids ages 6–10.  Two central mystery-solving characters invite children to investigate the Bible using the following features: Evidence—Bible book introductions answer what kind of book it is, who wrote it, what happens, and the “

Talking With God By: Adam Weber 5 Stars I love, love, love this book!!! The style of writing, the simple truths, the practical lessons, the humor, the realness. It's a great book! Prayer seems like it should be so simple. Yet, when it comes to actually praying, often it feels awkward and complicated. I mean... what should you actually pray about? What do you say? Is there anything I should or shouldn’t say? Do you have to speak out loud? Then comes the craziness which is life. Between work, changing diapers, walking the dog, unread emails, trying to keep up with our neighbors... and the laundry, who has time to pray? The truth is, prayer is simple. It’s like talking. Talking with a good friend. And the best part? Our God can’t wait to talk with us. I have always loved South Dakota ... the Badlands are one of my most favorite places, and we've also been to Sioux Falls, Falls Park and the Corn Palace in Mitchell.... if I'm ever in South Dakota a

I like to keep these breakfast burritos on hand for a quick meal, snack, or when hubby needs to pack his lunch for work and I'm out of everything!  I make two different kinds - #1: Eggs, Ham and Cheese #2: Eggs, Sausage, Hash browns and Cheese I also change them up, sometimes I add garlic, or onions, or use different kinds of cheese (cheddar, monterrey jack, mozzarella, etc) .... You could add peppers, mushrooms, different meats, or just about anything that you like.. The simplest way to make them is to make a large skillet full of scrambled eggs (I make 1 dozen eggs at a time), add your ham and cheese, (don't forget the salt and pepper), and your ready to put them in your tortilla shell. To make the sausage and hash brown burritos - I recommend browning the sausage first and drain on a paper towel. Cook hash browns in the same pan. While the hash browns are cooking - In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Add browned sausage b

Did you know that 90% of Americans are lacking key nutrients in their diets?  Even if you’re conscientious about what you eat —it’s very challenging to ensure that you’re getting the nutrients you need to maintain optimal health. Would you like to feel more energized? Achieve a healthier weight? Experience the benefits of digestive and immune support? Feel younger longer? If so, I dare you to try Shaklee's high quality core nutrition products and create the foundation for your healthier life! Feel amazing in 30 days, guaranteed! Shaklee Life-Strip™ It’s the best, most comprehensive nutrition system in the world. Every serving of Shaklee Life is the culmination of years of research and quality testing to guarantee every Life-Strip delivers pure and potent vitamins, minerals, omega-3 fatty acids, polyphenols, antioxidants and phytonutrients.  *Life-Strip includes Vivix. Vivix® Every day, our cells are damaged from environmental exposure, diet and str

We don't do big extravagant birthday parties at our house.... but, I do let each kid pick what kind of cake they want and their birthday supper meal. I also get them a birthday balloon (Dollar Tree has them for $1) , and we either get them a small gift or go somewhere as a family. I think the whole point is to make it a special day for them to remember! I enjoy making and decorating cakes. You can see some of them here , here , and here .  Wyatt turned 10 this week and requested a camouflage cake with a Polaris 500 ATV on top.... I think it turned out pretty good! I've had a few people ask how I make the camouflage cakes. It really is easy.... First, mix a white cake mix and a chocolate cake mix separately. Put half of each batter into separate bowls and add green food coloring to one bowl of white and one bowl of chocolate cake mix.  Prepare your pans and spoon a little of each batter in random spots until you have the proper amount of batter in each

I grew up as the middle kid out of seven. There are 6 yrs between my oldest sibling and me, and 9 yrs between my youngest sibling and me. There were 2 boys and 5 girls.  I have very fond memories when I was little.  I remember our family trips.... I loved playing the car game with Dad at night while everyone else was asleep..... it was my favorite part of traveling.  I loved going to the auction barn with dad -especially if we come home with a baby lamb or other animals. I loved the wintertime when Mom would read stories, with all of us kids piled up beside her on the sofa. We spent a lot of Sundays at G'pa Stumps house- playing games and eating popcorn and ice cream. I loved spending the night at my G'pa Fricks... G'pa had two nicknames for me... 'Goldilocks' and 'woodchuck'. I loved going to church, singing at the nursing home, and bible study- because it meant that I would spend time with my best friend- she was great. I love

We have taken a few family trips with our kids.... and I have found, if you have some fun things to keep kids occupied with, the trip will be much more enjoyable for everyone!  Here is a list of idea's that my kids love....  1. Camera - I give each kid (I started doing this when my youngest was 3 yrs old.) a camera. Make sure it is charged or has fresh batteries (take the charger along with your overnight bag and charge while your sleeping so it will be ready to go the following day.) I let my kids take pictures of anything that interest's them. When we get home, I delete the fuzzy or blurry pictures and use some of their good pictures, along with some of mine, to make a keepsake book for them to look through to remember the trip by.  2.  Silly Putty  - All kids, all ages love silly putty! You can also buy different colored silly putty. Just keep it off of clothing!  3.   Bingo Car Game  - this works great for middle school kids that know

When we are traveling - I like to take our snacks with us. It cuts down on stops and on the cost of buying snacks at convenience stores or gas stations. I try to pack a mixture of sweet, salty, crunchy, chewy, healthy and not so healthy snacks..... I want snacks that are easy and that don't make a huge mess!  I try to get snacks that my kids don't have on a regular basis - it gives them something to look forward too and makes the trip more fun!  Here we go! Nuts - honey roasted peanuts, cashews, and roasted and salted almonds are our family favorites! Fruit Snacks or Fruit Roll Ups Shaklee Snack Bars  - choose from crunchy peanut butter, cherry and almond, chocolate and coconut, or toffee and chocolate crunch. Snack Crisps   - my personal favorite is the barbecue flavored ones. Beef Jerky Trail Mix Raisins - little individual boxes work great! Starburst Minis - my kids love these and there are no paper wrappers to deal with! Gr

Happy Valentines Day! Today, I want to celebrate my hubby! He makes me want to be a better person... He always does the right thing -even when it's the hard thing to do. He is a man of values and good moral. He is polite, not just around others, but here at home around me and the kids. He is a man of few words and uses his words wisely. I love hearing him talk. When he speaks, people stop and listen because they know he has something important to say. He always treats me with respect. I am his equal. He asks and values my opinion, He lets me choose where I want to eat. What I want to do. He always puts me first in the bedroom -enough said! He can tell when something’s important to me, and for the most part, he lets me run wild with my (crazy) ideas. He is a hard worker. He provides well for our family - we lack for nothing.   He is a successful mold maker by day. But he also works hard around our property. He can fix, remodel, and build anything..... and he is

Is your family getting all the protein that they need? If they are like the majority of Americans, they most likely aren't! My kids don't enjoy drinking protein shakes..... but they LOVE this Protein Snack! Even adults can't resist! ~ Recipe ~ 1 cup (dry) oatmeal or crispy rice cereal 1/2 cup Chocolate or Vanilla Shaklee Life Energizing Protein 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips 1/2 cup peanut/almond butter 1/2 cup honey (You can also add other ingredients like flax seed, chia seed, raisins, nuts, etc.) Stir until everything is moist. Press into 8×8 pan or roll into bite sized balls. Keep in the refrigerator. Enjoy! Around the world, millions of people don’t get enough protein . Protein malnutrition leads to the condition known as kwashiorkor . Lack of protein can cause growth failure, loss of muscle mass, decreased immunity, weakening of the heart and respiratory system, and death. Protein is the single most important food we e

This year, I am choosing to take care of me ...... and that means I've been enjoying some time in the sun..... walks on the beach... watching the kids (and the hubby) play... laying at the pool... walking under the moss covered oak trees... exploring the island... seeing the beautiful views from our hotel balcony... listening to the waves crash... playing in the sand... watching the sun rise over the ocean... finding sand dollars and shells... watching the tide come and go... enjoying the warm breeze... spending time with my family... and simply enjoying life.....  ...... I think I could get used to this......

 I have three kids. There is a  9 year age difference between the oldest and youngest. Most of the kids books have been passed down over the years, and many  have been torn, colored in, or dog-eared, pages ripped, etc. Some of them were getting so rough, it was time to toss them, so I am trying to find my six year old, books to add to her collection. Here are two of the latest kids books I received to review. Same Kind of A Different Me –by Ron Hall & Denver Moore This book wasn’t near as good as I thought it would be. I liked that it had some depth to the wording, so it is better suited for grade school kids.  Although the story line was good, the illustrations were lacking and seemed more for toddlers. The story seemed to be missing a link, tying it all together.  I do love the  saying on the last page,  “Nobody can help everybody, but everybody can help somebody,” and I definitely want to instill that into my kids’ minds, but, overall, this book didn'