SRKindredSpirits

I love watching 'Fixer Upper' and just about any show on HGTV!  TV personality Chip Gaines' Capital Gaines: Smart Things I Learned Doing Stupid Stuff gives us a transparent look into his life - Gaines shares his successes and his failures. He's incredibly honest about his shortcomings...  In this book, he shares many successes and failures he has in starting many businesses, growing relationships with those he works with, life as a husband, and father. He is a man of faith and hard work ethics. To comply with regulations by the FTC, the publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

"Spending time with old friends is good for the soul." Old best friends are like magic. You may not see them for months or even years, yet when you meet, it seems like yesterday that you were having a good chat and drinking tea!  Old friends remind you of parts of yourself that you might have forgotten about. Even if you have changed a lot since that time, you will be reminded of the path that it took to get you where you are. Those memories are treasures. Old friends allow you to skip the small talk and go deep. There’s nothing like picking up right where you left off; that’s the beauty of connecting with an old friend. You can cover so much ground in such a short time because the foundation has been laid. Old friends make you feel loved and secure. There is a depth of connection between old friends that wraps around you like a warm blanket. You feel known, and safe. Few words are needed, because they understand you– your heart, and how you process thing...

He Holds My Hand: Experiencing God's Presence...  By: Carol Kent To be honest, I was rather dissapointed in this devotional book. This is not a traditional book of devotions. Ms. Kent has used the format of writing as if she is God speaking to the reader. That was a turn off for me. In the Introduction, the author shares her deeply personal story and how her family's life drastically changed, however, she never goes on to include what her thought process was during that difficult situation, as the synopsis leads you to believe!  This book contains 365 daily devotions. Each daily devotional includes the title, quote, devotional text, and scripture verse.  The one and only thing that I did like about the book was the following quote: "My goal is not to provide all the answers to your tough questions, but to remind you that God holds your hand--in every situation. At His right hand there are eternal pleasure (Psalm 16:11), even in the middle o...

Today, I'd like to give you three Ideas to minimize stuff you don't need. Many people often think that getting rid of clutter is a long, hard process, but in fact it is simple. 1. Look around your home and see what items you would take with you in the event of a hurricane, flood, tornado etc... I bet there's not a super large amount that would make the cut.... I did this a few months ago and realized there's not a lot of stuff that means a lot to me.  So, now you know what items you treasure....  2. Next add in the items that you need. For example sheets, towels, dishes, toilet brush, lawn mower, broom, toilet paper, clothes.... these are the items I'm talking about.  Everyone knows you need these items, but most of us own way too many. For example two towels for each person and 2 sheet sets per bed are plenty.  Dishes.... do you really need and use all that you have? For years I have collected a Chutney Corelle dish set , which I still use and love, ...

 Know Who You Are, Live Like It Matters by Tim Tebow This is a great book for homeschool students age 11 - 14. Tim will guide you through thirty-six weeks of lessons, each based on a key Scripture, to discover who you are. You will also have the opportunity to write down your thoughts, feelings, and ideas on topics such as: building godly character, maintaining great relationships, standing out from the crowd, and doing things that matter in the big picture. Throughout the book, there is one subtle theme: You can make a difference, even though you're a teenager.  I really like how Tim is able to talk to teenagers in a way that speaks to them with authority and wisdom, without treating them like children. He can speak their language and still be an authority figure.  Get ready to live bigger than ever before…with your faith and identity secured in a God who loves you beyond measure! I received this book in exchange of an honest review.

Watching love comes softly movies. I'm amazed at how the family's heritage not only passes down though the generations, but how the family dynamic changes. How family isn't always blood, and how you can always grow to love someone, given time. I love how the grandpa tells Belinda in  Love's Unending Legacy  that they are not there to replace any other grandparents, but that they believe that a child can never have too many people love them . Here's the Love comes softly family tree: Clark Davis     + Marti Clarridge               - Son Arnie Davis       + Aaron Clarridge              - Son Aaron Clarridge Davis  + Ellen Barlow Davis               -   Missy Davis LaHaye Tyler - Daughter                + Willy LaHaye    ...

If you wish to bless someones life in someway -give them an experience, a memory or a consumable item, but please don't be offended by someones lifestyle choice to not want things to add clutter to their lives....  Here are some ideas: Take them out to eat Gift cards to restaurants, a favorite store, a gas card, or music download Give them the gift of clean water for a year A membership to the zoo, gym, garden club, Shaklee , etc. Buy them lessons/classes - florist class, music lesson, dance lessons, pottery or art class Make them some yummy food - most people love homemade goodies Put together a fruit basket Box of chocolates - who doesn't love chocolate?!?! Gift certificate to a massage therapist, hair appointment, or a nail salon  Give them a Get Clean Kit to get chemicals out of their home and help them live better. Energizing tea or snack bars make a great gift. Lotion or bath salts (make sure the person you're gifting too ac...

Alert!!!!  Unpopular opinion below:  I hate GIF's. There you have it! You heard me. I’m coming out and saying it. GIF tyranny must stop. I get it, some people think GIF's are good for a laugh, but when it comes to social platforms, GIF's aren’t my style.  I’m seeing a ton of marketers — many of whom want the attention of my demographic — using them to get my attention.  Instead, those GIF's are turning me off. I am seriously thinking of unfollowing some business pages that I actually like because to me, the GIF's are childish, stupid and very unprofessional. Of course everyone has the right to express themselves in whatever way they choose, but those of us who find GIF's irritating also have the right to block them if we can or decide to end a friendship on a social platform if we choose. So please, think about others before filling their newsfeed full of GIF's... people like myself will thank you!

A Well-Crafted Home: Inspiration and 60 Projects for Personalizing Your Space  By: Janet Crowther  Being a crafter (and a somewhat of a good one) I am very disappointed in this book.  There is nothing classy in this book that I would want to have in my home. I like my home to look like Joanna Gaines decorated it, not put together by odds and ends a teen could make. Sorry, but there are better ideas available on Pinterest . Don't waste your money on this book. I received this book in exchange of an honest review.

Little did I know, back in January, when I booked our anniversary getaway trip, just how much we would need the quiet, peaceful, relaxation that a getaway brings. With our oldest daughter graduating this spring , me having 3 surgeries this year, my son having emergency brain surgery and a 5 week hospital stay, another surgery and around the clock infusions at home, and a trip to take our oldest to visit a college in Missouri... needless to say, I was more than ready for an overnight getaway date with my man.... I think the last time we had an actual date away from home was in March... that's over 7 months ago. I don't think we've ever went that long in between dates, but it feels good to know that when life had a turn for the worse, our marriage was strong, even without alone time. We booked our getaway with Getaway Cabins in Hocking hills Ohio and rented Cabin 36.... 'Ever After' was a beautiful, clean, private, and romantic cabin.... however ...

Continued from  Getting Healthy - Part 1 .... ..... So, last year, hubby and I really started searching for options. We knew that to make a lifestyle change as big as I needed - I would need the best tools to help me succeed. In October 2016, I attended a health seminar and started meeting with a dietitian monthly. Over the next few months, I continued meeting with my dietitian, but with Thanksgiving and Christmas we didn't do awholelotta changing. I did manage to lose 10 lb. through - the monthly visits with the dietitian helped to keep me accountable. We decided to start 2017 out fresh with a lifestyle change, not just for me but for our whole family! Well, that was the plan.... life had other ideas.  You see, I have multiple autoimmune disorders. The last couple months I had been seeing a different specialist for other ongoing health problems. That Doctor set a surgery date for March. The surgery, although it was out patient, set me back quite a bit. During ...

Why I Didn't Rebel By Rebecca Gregoire Lindenbach I have followed Sheila Wray Gregoire's blog To Love Honor and Vacuum for years now, so when I found out her daughter Rebecca was writing a book, I knew I wanted to read it.  I love this book. I think the most important thing you can do as a parent is to communicate and teach your kids respect, and right from wrong, when they are young. I feel that the ideas in this book are how we are trying to raise our kids. My oldest daughter, Faith, is 16 yrs old, and although she has made a few mistakes, she is a great kid and I'm really proud to be her mom. She also read the book, so I thought I'd include her take on it too: "The methods that Rebecca describes in her book as having been raised by are roughly the same as those of my own childhood (minus the hot-tub... for that, I'm a bit jealous). I feel that my parents are doing a great job raising my siblings and I, and I'm very grateful for the clos...