SRKindredSpirits

We are four years into our clutter free living journey and still going strong. We have litterily gotten rid of hundreds and thousands of items.... two four wheelers, my hubbys entire wood shop and tools, filing cabinets, chairs, benches, lamps, gun cabinet, dressers, and tons of household miscilanious stuff. I continue to go through cupboards, closets and drawers, and continue to remove the unnecessary. I still love this journey and the benefits that we are enjoying since living with less... We bought new bikes so our whole family of 5 can ride bike together. Getting rid of clutter has helped me reduce a tremendous amount of stress. We got rid of all of our animals, and as a result, we can travel more and enjoy weekend trips. It has given us more time to do things as a family. It keeps the house neat and tidy. I almost never have to pick up toys in the livingroom, and the counters stay open and clear. It makes us feel lighter and happy. The simple t

Have you ever wondered why people hang tinsel on Christmas trees, or how candy canes became synonymous with the winter holiday? While these holiday decorations may seem commonplace, most of these traditional decorations have a special meaning to us as Christians. The green evergreen or fir tree signifies the everlasting light and life. Romans decorated their houses with evergreen branches during the New Year, and the fir tree symbolized life during the winter. The branches of the fir tree points upward toward the heavens. Reminding us to reflect on everything God has given us and for the things to come. The Christmas star and twinkling lights symbolizes the star of Bethlehem, which according to the Biblical story, guided the three wise men to the baby Jesus. A star is also the heavenly sign of prophecy fulfilled long ago and the shining hope for humanity. We give gifts to loved ones in honor of the birth of Jesus, which inspired the concept of giving gifts durin

So, I've put off writing this review for awhile now, because I really wanted to watch the movie first, but so far, I haven't been able to find it around where we live, so here goes..... I do think that Indivisible: One Marriage Under God, is a great devotional for couples. It goes over all the things tha t you should talk about in marriage - and has an inspirational message, a Scripture passage, a prayer, guided journaling, and a "Take Action" challenge. I think its great, I really do. But at the same time, I wish there were more devotionals out there for just 'laypeople'. I want a Christian devotional that will strengthen our marriage, but one that uses the language we use in everyday life... not all of us are in ministry and some of us feel uncomfortable when so many Christian books/devotionals come across that you have to be some righteous person to apply it to your life.  In reality... we are just simple Christian's wanting to be encoura

I love my kids, but I hate being a mom. Mothers Day 2018 Now, before you get upset, please hear me out. None of my kids were planned, but they were all wanted, and they are all loved! I was seventeen when I got pregnant with my oldest... I spent the first six months of my pregnancy trying to hide it, and wishing that I wasn't pregnant. But, when the doctor put that beautiful baby girl in my arms... it was love instantly. Faith was my everything, my reason for living, and the sunshine of my day. Fast forward six years...  Funny story... One day, my hubby said, "Lets make a baby..." We did. He couldn't believe that it worked the on the first try.... and in 9 months our son Wyatt, was born. It was a hard pregnancy, and a very difficult, and long labor. He was a big boy with medical, and special needs from birth. But, I loved him. Three years later, our last daughter, Adilayia was born. There is no physical way that she should even exist, but I oft

Cemetery's are soothing to my soul.... I used to work at one... but my love for cemetery's started back when I was a kid... I remember walking though a large cemetery with my cousins, that was close to my Grandma Frick's house. Cemetery's are peaceful. A place where the past, and the present, and the future, come together.  They are full of stories.... and memories  of lives people lived.... -RK We live within one mile of three cemetery's, and an old Indian burial mound.  The Adena Burial Mound dates back to 160 BC and is the largest Adena burial mound in the state of Indiana. The Swingley Cemetery, also known as Clevenger Cemetery dates back to 1799 and is just south of our house on our neighbors property. James Whicomb Riley, the famous poet's grandparents are buried here. "When I see a bird that walks like a duck and swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck." - James Whitcomb Riley

 1 cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)  1/2 cup Shaklee Energizing life protein - vanilla  1/4 cup honey  1 cup  rice krispies  6 oz. mini chocolate chips Mix together all ingredients and press into an 8 by 8 square pan and cut into bite size pieces, or roll into balls. Store in the fridge. * You can also add sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, raisins or flax seed, chia seeds, coconut, oatmeal, walnuts, almonds, pecans, ect. The only bad thing about making this snack is that it disappears too quickly!

As I sit here crying after spending all morning on the phone trying to get more help/services for my special needs son, I thought maybe I'd share a few thoughts.... If you think being a parent is hard, being a parent to a special needs kid is 100 times harder. We face huge challenges every single day. There are hard things about parenting kids with disabilities. I love my boy.... Special needs families are buried in paperwork because everything requires it. From our kid's IEPs, to medical documentation, to data collection, to applications for services, - the paperwork is never ending. We try not to compare, but sometimes it’s hard not to notice how different our kid is to their typical peers. We feel like we are not doing enough. Deep down we often wonder, am I really doing all I can do? Sometimes, we have an overwhelming feeling of failing at everything we do because we don’t have enough time or energy to do it all. We feel like we are failing with our k