SRKindredSpirits

Oh, my goodness.... what do you do when you get two different books from two different publishers and both are not at all what you thought they would be??? That's the predicament that I currently find myself in! The first book was "I Almost Forgot About Me" by Terry McMillan. I really thought it would be about a lady finding herself, what she wanted to do with her life, looking at her past along the way, and how she got to that decision. I wasn't completely wrong, but most of the book was made up of Dr. Georgia Young going back to all the men she had 'loved' (had sex with), her two horrible girlfriends, and a whole lot of bad language. It was defiantly colorful - and I don't mean that in a good way - I have never read a book so crude and with so much swearing in it. Ever. I don't mind a little swearing, but this was just too much. The three friends were extremely foul-mouthed, promiscuous, women who come across as lacking the abilit

I live just 45 minutes south east of Alexandria, Indiana and although I've heard of Joey & Rory Feek - I've never kept up with all the buzz on social media or of them in the news. I wasn't sure that this book would hold my attention, but I thought I'd give it a try and see who these 'Feek' people were and what the fuss was all about. ..... I was pleasantly surprised! I really enjoyed this book! Rory's writing style was interesting and held my attention.... I read the whole book in one day! Grant it, I was in the hospital with my son, so I had the time, but still, usually it takes me a few days to get through a book -even a really good one. I love how God can take a broken down individual and make them into something great! I love that the author is raw and honest - it isn't all fluffed up - it's just the plain, hard truth. "I've leaned that it is never too late to start over. Never too late to impact someone in a good

2/3 cup fresh orange juice 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice  1/3 cup packed brown sugar  1/2 teaspoon grated orange or lemon zest  1 teaspoon vanilla extract  Bring orange juice, lemon juice, brown sugar, orange zest, and lemon zest to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla extract. Set aside to cool. (Note - don't simmer too long on too high heat or it will be to thick - I kept it a thin liquid to pour over the fruit.) 1 cubed fresh pineapple  3 lb. strawberries, hulled and sliced  6-8 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced  1 bunch of 4-5 bananas, sliced  oranges, (I used a bag of Cuties) peeled and sectioned  1 lb. each of  green and red seedless grapes  Layer the fruit in a large, clear glass bowl in this order: pineapple, strawberries, kiwi fruit, bananas, oranges, and grapes. Pour the cooled sauce over the fruit. Cover and refrigera

Our beautiful daughter, Faith graduated from  High School this Spring - so I wanted to have a graduation party to recognize that accomplishment... only problem was, trying to keep it simple, and not spend too much.... here's what I came up with.... Our theme was blue (her school colors), gold, silver, black, and white with pink peonies for a touch of elegance.               The Guest Table -  We had guests sign a JENGA block with a message. (If you couldn't make it, but want to still give her a note... we have lots left... let us know and we'll have you sign one!) Picture frames hung on the wall. A Vase of flowers, a card box, and a basket for the JENGA blocks on the table. We also had a quiz about the graduate for guests to fill out. You can see the quiz here. The Gift Table was pretty simple - it was the top of a garage cupboard... I glammed it up with a sign and flowers... We had her diploma, more pictures and some of her

This book wasn't exactly what I was looking for when it comes to a devotional. It felt shallow, and left me feeling empty, longing for a deeper conception to God and myself. I'd have to say, the best thing about this book is the cover and it's size. T he soft leather feel to the cover, makes it wonderful to hold.  It is the perfect size to carry in you pocket or put in your purse. I liked the orange cover.... the perfect color to go with the blue of the ocean.... yes, the cover was the greatest thing about this book to me. *Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through Tyndale, book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

There are some 'household hacks' that I think just about every body has heard of by now, like heating a bowl of lemon water in the microwave before cleaning it and it will wipe off effortlessly. But then, sometimes as I'm using a household hack, I think to myself, I wonder if people know to do this, because I love it so much ! So, today I'm sharing 5 of my favorite household hacks.... 1. Upside Down Laundry Room Towel Rack How many times do you have a wet rag with no where to put it, so it ends up on the washer, counter, floor, or flung over the hamper to dry until laundry day? Well, I don't know about you, but at our house we go through a lot of wet rags.... I had hubby screw in a towel rod upside down under the laundry room cabinet. It is the best thing ever! Now we hang the wet rags up, and when they're dry, I toss them into the hamper. Having this in my laundry room has made me a happier person! 2. Spinning Spice Rack Pampered Chef I used

Here she is.... Our oldest daughter, Faith Dahlia... a graduate of the class of 2017! .....  We are so proud of her! We had the following quiz at her graduation party.... How Well Do You Know The Graduate? What is her middle name? Dahlia What is her favorite color? Blue What is her favorite ice cream flavor? Chocolate What is her favorite holiday? Thanksgiving What is her biggest pet peeve? Tardiness What is her favorite food? Fish If she could go anywhere in the world, where would she go? Ireland What was her favorite subject in high-school? English (funny side note - she hated English in grade school and had to take 4th grade English three times!) What is her dream job? Writing or  Acting What shoe size does she wear? Size 7½ What is her favorite book genre? Fiction What super power would she choose? Invisibility or Flying What is her favorite movie? Lord of the Rings How many musical instruments can she play?  

"The last class of my old professor's life took place once a week in his house, by a window in the study where he could watch a small hibiscus plant shed its pink leaves.  The class met on Tuesdays. It began after breakfast. The subject was The Meaning of Life. It was taught from experience.  No grades were given, but there were oral exams each week. You were expected to respond to questions, and you were expected to pose questions of your own. You were also required to perform physical tasks now and then, such as lifting the professor's head to a comfortable spot on the pillow or placing his glasses on the bridge of his nose. Kissing him good-bye earned you extra credit.  No books were required, yet many topics were covered, including love, work, community, family, aging, forgiveness, and, finally, death. The last lecture was brief, only a few words.  A funeral was held in lieu of graduation.  Although no final exam was given, you were expected to produce one long p

My oldest child is graduating high school this year.... where did the time go?!?!  My hubby had me listen to the following speech a few months ago and I keep going back to it....   While it may have been written 10 years ago, I think it is still great advise for today's Class of 2017! Ladies and gentlemen of the class of 2007, wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists. Whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience, I will dispense this advice now. Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth, oh, never mind. You will never understand the power and the beauty of your youth until they've faded.  But trust me, in twenty years you will look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now -  How much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.  You are not as fat as y

This book had my attention the minute I flipped it over and read the back cover... "Just when you think you’ve got this wife and motherhood thing down . . .Your toddler expresses his inner Picasso on your freshly painted walls . . . In permanent marker. Your 14-year-old demonstrates her newly acquired modeling skills . . . via every social network known to man. Your husband pulls up in a new car that you can’t afford . . . and only has two seats. Lord, have mercy. What are they thinking?" ...... story of my life!!! Well, not quite, instead of a toddler I have a 7 yr. old daughter and "mess" is her middle name! And my teenager is almost sixteen - but other than that.... it's pretty much right on! .....and my hubby loves pulling in the drive with a mustang.... at one time we had 3 of them, all at the same time. Right now he's talking about a new truck, or RZR for him and the kids, so one or the other will probably be pulling in the drive any day now!

I am a sucker for quiz books and figuring out your 'type' whatever type that my be.... I love trying to discover who people are, and what makes them do the things they do, or act a certain way.... The Seven Money Types is not a book on how to manage money. Rather, it is a unique approach to understanding how you relate to handling money. This book gives a different perspective on money than any I have ever read. I found it fascinating. It uses Scripture as a baseline and the author does a good job of giving real life examples to back up his theories. This book will change your approach to money, helping you understand other people's interactions with money and your own! What money type are you? I am a Jacob .... My belief is that money should be used to create pleasurable experience (can anyone say travel?? I love to travel and explore the world, creating memories with my family!) I use money to create beautiful moments and buy beautiful things.... spending mon

This early-spring treat is one of a few perennial vegetable crops, so once you get a patch established, it will give you many years of delicious harvests for little work. Here's my little patch from last year: Asparagus are fresh, crisp, nutritious, and adaptable to use in many different ways. Asparagus are a good source of the following minerals & vitamins: Iodine, Potassium, Copper, Magnesium, Folate, and Vitamins A, C and E.  My favorite ways to eat it are -  Steamed with Eggs... Steam Asparagus on stove top... top with shredded or chopped hard boiled eggs and salt and pepper.  Oven Roasted... This has to be one of the easiest and tastiest ways to cook asparagus. Just trim the ends, lay out on a baking sheet, toss with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese, and then bake until done.  In a sandwich... We like to use a toasted and buttered bread or bagel. Add bacon, steamed asparagus and a fried egg! *Note: some p

 Crust Ingredients 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1-1/2 cups old-fashioned oats 1 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup butter Filling Ingredients 3 cups fresh or frozen rhubarb 1/4 cups cold water 1 cups sugar 2 tbsp. strawberry jello granuels - 2 tablespoons flour 1/2 c. sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla  Directions In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, nuts, baking soda. Cut in butter until crumbly. Press 3 cups into an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish; set aside.  In a saucepan, combine sugar, water and rhubarb and jello. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 5 minutes. Combine 2 tbsp of flour and 1/2 c. sugar in seperate bowl and add to rhubarb mixture, stiring for 1 min. or until thickened. Add vanilla.  Spoon over crust; sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture.  Bake at 350° for 23-25 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve with ice cream if desired. 

The passion fruit is a  vigorous, climbing vine that clings by tendrils to almost any support. It can grow 15 to 20 ft. per year once established. The Story of the Passion Flower   I have this beautiful flower climbing on my arch that I walk under on the way to my office entrance. It is so intricate and beautiful, I thought I'd share a little about it with you all. Although it doesn't bloom until summer - it always reminds me of Easter. The Passion Flower (Passiflora) is a symbol of Christ’s Passion and Cross: including his scourging, crowning with thorns, three nails and five wounds. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Spanish Christian missionaries adopted the unique physical structures of this plant, particularly the numbers of its various flower parts, as symbols of the last days of Jesus and especially his crucifixion.   The pointed tips of the leaves were taken to represent the Holy Lance that confirmed Christ’s death. The tendrils represent the whips u