NuxieMade Hat Give-Away!! (closes Jan. 16)

Found a beautiful handmade hat maker on the web:
She's giving away a hat too!!

Visit her here: ...NuxieMade...: NuxieMade Hat Give-Away!! (closes Jan. 16)

January Bike Log

Here's our Biking Log for January 2009:

Day:
1. 20 min (1.5 miles)
2. -
3. 60 min (4.5 miles)
4. 20 min (2.7 miles) * new bikes with max speed 18mph
5. - (rain)
6. -
7. 47 min (7.4 miles)
8. -
9. -
10. 90 min (10 miles!)
11. -
12. 49 min (6 miles)
13. -
14. -
15. -
16. 42 min (6.7 miles)
17.
18. 40 min (6 miles) David alone
19.

20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27. 90 min (14 miles)
28.
29.
30.
31. 55 min (7 miles)

January Totals:
326 minutes 59.8 miles

New Year - New Schedule

:D

Happy New Years!

I have joined with Beth Moore in dedicating myself to memorize 2 scriptures a month for 2009!

Here's my first passage to start off the year!

Proverbs 2:1-6 (NLT)
1 My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands.
2 Tune your ears to wisdom,and concentrate on understanding.
3 Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding.
4 Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures.
5 Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

It's not a normal New Years Resolution, but I think it fits.

Merry Christmas Y'all!!

I hope everyone's Christmas is wonderful and bright with God's Love!

I have spent the past week getting presents together, wrapped and sorted.
We baked for 4 days straight! This allowed me to make a goodie basket for David's workmates!

Christmas can be such a stressful holiday, please stop for a moment and remember the reason for the season!

Lots of love from the Killingsworth's!

Tuesday Tackle!

I found this idea over at Mom Of 3 Girls

So, here goes the well known Christmas Carol to the list that ever groweth for me.


On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me (to tackle!):

Twelve (times 8) Christmas cards to get out, today!

Eleven more gifts to buy…

Ten holiday baked goods to make…

Nine shopping days left…

Eight errands to run…

Seven candles to "light" for the windows (I'm still looking for batteries)…

Six more hours of crockpotting…

Five minutes for golden naps…

Four gifts to make or remake…

Three loads of laundry to do…

Two dinners to plan…

And one lovely husband to love on!

What are you tackling this week? And check out other Tackle It Tuesday posts over at 5 Minutes for Mom!

I won tickets to a Christmas Jazz Concert!

How fun is that??

David and I will be getting dressed up and heading out this evening to the Cullen Theater, Wortham Theater Center in downtown Houston. We will be seeing Cyrus Chestnut play his beautiful piano!

It is so nice to be blessed!

Simple woman's daybook

~*~*~*~*~


FOR TODAY Tuesday, December 9th...

Outside my window... It is very windy. We have a massive cold front coming in. So, it is dark with bits of rain. I can't sleep, so I blog!

I am thinking... about all the prayers on my list. I don't make it through the list as a whole very often. I hate that. I want to be a prayer warrior, but I fall way short.

I am thankful for... Computers that work. I have been very slow to get my workstation up to where it needs to be. It is rather tiring finding another application that doesn't work, ie the sound today.

From the learning rooms... I am continuing to be a flybaby with FlyLady.net. She rocks and is keeping my holidays less stressful and more meaningful.

From the kitchen... David brought home fresh goat today. He also brought two recipes for them too. I will be getting the supplies tomorrow. We grilled chix tonight and I sautéed garlic to go with the Brussels sprouts. yumm

I am wearing... David's undershirt..

I am creating... many Christmas treats.. banana bread tomorrow.

I am going... to wake up on time and be cheerful in the morning, although it is 1115 now!

I am reading... The Spider Catcher by Gilbert Morris.. I like it

I am hoping... Life stays as calm as it is now.

I am hearing... the wind outside.

Around the house... Tried a new cleaning tip for sour drains. Pour baking soda down the drain, follow with vinegar and let foam and sit for 10 minutes. Follow with hot water for 1 min then cold for another min. It really works well on my garbage disposal.

One of my favorite things... logic puzzles.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Go see Debra Duncan on "Great Day Houston" taping tomorrow. Hopefully, win tickets to see A Cyrus Chestnut Christmas at the Wortham Center on Friday.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...


Spiral Aloe















From: The Simple Woman's Day Book http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

I had the best Birthday Weekend Ever!

I had to post about this because it means so much to me.

First off, I received some beautiful pearl earrings, a bottle of perfume (a first for me), a candle, a butter dish, and a country plaque that states "Forever For Always and No Matter What"



(Picture from the Christmas Parade and also Marriott.com)

But what made my birthday great was that we went to San Antonio and spent 2 days on the River Walk.. it was so relaxing after a crazy Thanksgiving dinner at my house. We spent it with friends, and so breakfast/lunch/dinner was MY BIRTHDAY out and about.. I usually get forgotten on my birthday.. so it was grand!!

I've been tagged

Lisa-Anne over at The Berry Patch at Home tagged me with this fun little Bookworm Award.

Here are the rules:

Pass this on to 5 blogging friends. Open the closest book to you, not your favorite or most intellectual book, but the book closest to you at the moment, to page 56. Write the 5th sentence, as well as two to five sentences following that.

"And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain." ~from God's Promises Bible NKJV

Now to the fun part...I tag....

Sally at The Hollavar Wedsite

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving 2008

Oh the fun of Thanksgiving! Well, this year we hosted it at our house. We had a table set for 10 with 13 on the guest list. It worked out that only 10 people came.

Our guest list:
My mom and dad, sister and her boyfriend and 2 kiddos, my youngest brother, and David's mom.

Our menu:
Cajun Butter Fried turkey, gluten free stuffing/dressing*, gravy*, steamed lemon broccoli, pecan sweet potatoes*, Aaron's famous mashed potatoes, Mom's cranberry sauce, jellied cranberry sauce, fruit salad w/o nuts, black olives, and rolls. (* new recipe for me)


*thanks Aaron for taking pictures of the pre-Thanksgiving table!

We had a great time, although it was very stressful for me. It's a lot of cooking, prepping, cleaning and general fussing. It is worth it though. I couldn't have done it without my dear husband, my dad, my mom, and my brother's help. I would have been a very crazy mess without their help leading up to the big day. THANKS GUYS!

I made ornaments for the 6th year to be used as the placecards. In return I asked for an ornament for my tree. When I get my permissions right, I'll upload the pics of the new ornaments and the ones I made this year. Which leads me to compose another post about Christmas ornaments past.. :)

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, here are the things I am thankful for (in no particular order) :
Family
A great husband
Time to indulge in crafts
Beautiful art
A wonderful niece and nephew
Cooler days in Houston
The ability to get together with other Christians when and where we want..

Fun and Easy - About Meme

I was reading Lisa-Anne's blog and found this little "things you have done in your life" check list. Feel free to grab this to do on your own blog. If you don't have one, feel free to grab it to do via e-mail. Have fun!

Anyway, this is really simple, but fun and revealing. You just highlight the things you've done in your life. Mine are in bold.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (from the beach)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check**opps!
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Tag - I'm it!

Okay, I have un-officially been tagged. So, here goes! I'm responding to the tag I received today from Lisa-Anne over at The Berry Patch.

Here are the rules...
1. Post the rules on your blog.
2. Write 6 random things about yourself
3. Tag 6 people at the end of your post (or however many you want)
4. If you are tagged, just do it, and pass the tag along!!

1. I collected postage stamps. I think this is why I send out over 70 Christmas cards. I am hoping that I get some really cool stamps on the 25ish cards I receive back!

2. I really dig Jazz music. Most days you can find my new XMradio/mp3 player set to the cool "Watercolor" channel. In 8th grade my good friend Sally and I wanted to join the new and upcoming Jazz Band. Our musical director didn't quite warm up to the idea, saying that flutes are not an instrument used in Jazz music. Bummer!

3. My sister's youngest boy is severely Autistic, he is now 6 years old and still has no vocabulary. Beka, my sister, has gone gluten and lactose free in his diet. This has done amazing things in Justin. It has taken almost a year to see the changes in him though. I could go on, but alas, this post has to end one day.

4. My two favorite flower scents are Jasmine and Stargazer Lily.

5. (For my scrapbook friends) I have only completed ONE (1) album in the 8 years I have been scrapping. I know this is incredible to imagine, but it's true!

6. My dh and I only have one car. It makes us have to coordinate schedules and work with each others appointments. I work at home, so this makes it easier to do. But, none-the-less it definitely takes work! :)


I'm actually going to tag ANYONE who reads this here. Consider yourself tagged and post on your own blog, please.

The Simple Daybook

~*~*~*~*~


FOR TODAY Wednesday, November 12th...

Outside my window... It is cloudy today. But nothing like the torrential rains of earlier this week. I am not sure what the actual rain fall inches were, but it was a massive amount of rain over 3 days. I was able to watch the storms come in over downtown Houston. The big huge skyscrapers were engulfed by clouds, rain and lightning. They would disappear for brief periods of time reminding me of the brief time period we are actually on this earth.

I am thinking... about how fragile life is. It has been a very emotional week for me. Storms still have a way of hurting my brain. I am praying that they won't take my breath away and that I can stay positive in the future. It is really hard especially due to the emotional and economic future of our country. I am thinking come quickly Lord.

I am thankful for... friends who light up my life. I have very few close friends. Those relationships mean the world to me. They keep me grounded. They give me reason to look at the bright side and reasons to laugh. I love that God has given me a heart for them and their families.

From the learning rooms... I have begun actively learning things in the digital arts area. There are many things to explore and I plan to share my new "art" with this blog. (The top logo of the marigold is one of my favorite creations!)

From the kitchen... Oh I have to brag!! I subscribe to www.menus4moms.com and in the past had used their menus in our budgeting and cooking schema. Well, I just got back on track and used an archived menu from 2006. I created her AWESOME bolognese (spaghetti) sauce last night. The recipe makes a ton of it for freezing and I had the best lunch with it today. I also created the Gooey Butter Cake with Mabelle's creative changes and some Cranberry Peach bread. Yummm.. My kitchen was hot, hot, hot!!!

I am wearing... my PWOC Spring Retreat shirt from last year. I love it because it is a polo style shirt that is feminine. I've got my trusty jeans and tennis shoes on so my brain knows it is time to work.

I am creating... a loving environment for my family.

I am going... to take more and more things off my list! (Like trying to find 3 more people to send this informal book club invite thing to!!)

I am reading... blogs, blogs, and more blogs.

I am hoping... to find a Christmas tree. I have printed off my 40% off coupon from Hobby Lobby and clipped the ad for the Houston Gardens Christmas tree lot. David and I are at odds about fresh vs fake, money vs savings, trashing vs storing. We will figure something out THIS WEEKEND.

I am hearing... Sean Hannity on the XM radio.

Around the house... I received a great black and white picture for my black and white wall. Now I have "Friends" up there. Thanks Sally!

One of my favorite things... Instant messaging and email. I get so much done without long conversations. I love keeping up with all of you gals.

A few plans for the rest of the week: "Let's see Brain. How about we take over the world?"

Here is picture thought I am sharing... Even though it's hard (or cold in this case), get into the water..


From: The Simple Woman's Day Book http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

About me .. Accents

I found this over at an old friend's place - The Berry Patch. I was surprised to see my results matched what the airport and taxi people from Philadelphia said!! :) Enjoy the quiz if you dare!

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland   "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The South
The Inland North
The Northeast
Philadelphia
The West
Boston
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Another post about me ..

Outside my Window... it is bright and sunny fall day..

I am thinking... I am tired of being tired with too much to do..

From the kitchen... our favorite is chicken salad, it's easy and keeps well. :)

I am wearing... jeans and a black t-shirt.. I know that Stacy and Clinton would be upset!

I am creating... digital art with digital camera pics that we have stored for years..

I am reading... Gilbert Morris "Catching a Spider", set in 1900's London

I am hoping... for David to be happy and energetic with work stuff

I am hearing... Gospel music from our new XM Radio that we've plugged into the house speakers.. David you ROCK!

Around the house... a huge mess but our new place is spacious and inviting. I just need to do a "home blessing hour" on it at the moment.

Today is Saturday, so I should be able to get the house to a presentable state. :)

Wedding Bells

My really good friend Sally.. (actually I would say she's my best friend) has
asked me to be her matron of honor at her upcoming wedding. I can't say how honored that makes me feel. She's even letting me pick my own dress!! I just love her!

Well, here are my top choices from David's Bridal:

Thanksgiving 2008

Thanksgiving will be held at my house this year. So, I'm getting my recipes together. I found this one for Pumpkin Spice Lattes over at A Year of Crockpot Cooking... Are you excited?


The Ingredients.
adapted from Taste of Home's Halloween 2008 edition

--2 cups milk (I used 1%)
--2 T canned pumpkin
--2 T white sugar
--2 T vanilla (not a typo. it asks for tablespoons)
--1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
OR: 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp cloves, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, and a teeny tiny pinch of ground ginger
--1/2 cup brewed espresso or 3/4 cup strong brewed coffee

--garnish with whipped cream (optional)

The Directions.

This will make enough for 2 people to have a big mug with a bit leftover. If you are having friends over, adjust the recipe accordingly. I used a 4-quart crockpot, but as small as a 1.5 quart will work with these amounts.

Add the coffee/espresso and milk to the crockpot. Whisk in the pumpkin, spices, sugar, and vanilla.

Cover and cook on high for 2 hours if everything is cold. Whisk again.

Ladle into mugs, and garnish with whipped cream and additional cinnamon. I added a cinnamon stick to be fancy.

About me .. Books

Got this from the MacDonald Clan!

Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback?

I really like any.. just to have a complete set is nice!

Bookmark or dog-ear?

Bookmark.. As I collect new bookmarks, I place them in books I haven't read yet. It helps me use up the pretty gifts people give us.

Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random?

Random really. I have all my Christian fiction together and the non-fiction together as well. The other books are mostly non-fiction and on David's shelves by subject.

Keep, throw away or sell?

It really depends. I am a big keeper, but I am trying to get to only keeping my favorite authors.

Keep dust jacket or toss it?

I keep them on usually, unless it is a favorite book author.

Last book you bought?

Three by Ted Dekker.

Last book someone bought for you?

Believing God by Beth Moore.

What are some of the books on your to-buy list?

Ted Dekker, anything by him!

Collection (short stories, same author) or anthology (short stories, different authors)?

Nah

Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading?

Mostly at night.

The books you need to go with other books on your shelves?

Ted Dekker's most of his series

Do you read anywhere and anytime you can or do you have a set reading time and/or place?

Usually home...and at night.

Do you have seasonal reading habits?

Nope.

Do you read one book at a time or do you have two or more books going at once?

One book at a time, I can only handle so many plots at one time.

What are your pet peeves about the way people treat books?

I don't mind much.. but really don't like to think about the unknown stains..

Name one book you surprised yourself by liking.

The Potluck Club by Linda Evans Shepherd

How often do you read a book and not review it on your blog? What are your reasons for not blogging about a book?

I don't review books on my blog.

Gettin' back on track

Here I am.. we have moved and I am finally getting settled in H-town.

Life is crazy but, I hope to get back on track with posts.

-- Christa.