Simple Woman's Daybook

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FOR TODAY Friday, February 20th...

Outside my window... It is cool and sunny. It would be a perfect day to go biking. EXCEPT, I sprained my ankle yesterday. It isn't even a good story of the accident. I just misjudged the curb and slipped off of it.

I am thinking... about how to clean up the house now that I am laid up in bed. Geeze, could it be any crazier around here?? I suppose I could have done this before the wedding blitz. I just ordered a cleaning service to come out tomorrow morning before the big meeting with 2 websites at noon. Goodness.

I am thankful for... forgiveness. I really hurt my sister's feelings last week. You see, it was her birthday, Valentine's Day, and Sally's wedding all in one. I got my priorities messed up and put her at the end of the day. You also have to see that my brothers and sister play a game of being the first to call. I try to win with a vengeance. She knows this, and therefore I hurt her. I didn't mean to, and I didn't forget her, she just got pushed to 11:38pm. Too close to call. And, I can understand that. How would you like to share your birthday with everyone on the planet? My sister will probably never read this, but I am sorry, Beka.

From the learning rooms... We got home late Monday night this week. On Tuesday, I broke out my "almost FLYlady" timer and went to work. I spent 15 minutes in each room de-cluttering. I forgot how much I could get done with that timer. If you haven't tried Flylady.net, you should. I don't use all her methods for home organization, I might one day. Maybe I'll post another post and brag on the system. maybe. :)


From the kitchen... not much happening here since the fall. Since I do all the shopping and cooking and the fact that we've been traveling all over the US for the past 2 weeks, it just hasn't gotten done. So, I send my sweet husband down to the kitchen and can only direct him to the few remaining items in there. It's sad really. So, for 3 meals now I have had deli sliced turkey and mozzarella sticks with hummus. Sad isn't it?

We did score big during the wedding though. We stopped by a ultra-big H-E-B grocery store in Austin. We picked up a oven roasted turkey breast, fresh spring herb lettuce mix, fresh pesto, sliced munster cheese, olives and fresh grape tomatoes. I made a salad from those ingredients that was out-of-this-world yummy. I also picked up some cooked sushi that we saved for wedding day craziness. With the hotel-sized refrigerator we saved lots of money by eating in.

I am wearing... a pink long-sleeved shirt and my cute grey and pink pajama pants with one sock on.

I am creating... this blog. David brought me the laptop just minutes ago and I'm already here! I did learn how to make big fluffy bows on the way to the wedding. I created over 10 in the 3 hour drive. Nice huh?

I am going... to stay off my foot and let it heal properly!

I am reading... Cape Refuge by Terri Blackstock.

I am hoping... to obviously to heal quickly.

I am hearing... Sky Angel radio. If you haven't heard of Sky Angel and their ALL christian line-up, go take a look.

Around the house... wedding clutter, travel clutter, life clutter.. blah blah

One of my favorite things... being a part of someone's big day. I was so blessed to be there for Sally and Brad. It was so nice to be able to bless them with my talents at decorating! If I find my camera, I will post pics.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Rest, take it easy, plan a shopping trip for David. We need food.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...


Photo by Dave McLaughlin

I created this beautiful head tablescape!


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

Weddings galore

Hey all!

We are almost home after a 12 day trip around a 5 state distance and 2 weddings!!

It has been such a crazy mess with the saddest thing happening. Our camera walked off. I am hoping it turns up somewhere. Which leads me to post this link for Found Cameras. I hope that the person who found my camera will at least send me the sim card. I have 2 weddings and friends and family on there from the past 2 weeks.

Heavy sigh,
Christa

Tippy Tuesday

Vanilla Powder - Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Powder

I found a new grocery store. It's been here all along, and many people have suggested it and now I am hooked.

Central Market near the Galleria in Houston sent me 3 awesome "Welcome to the Neighborhood" coupons. I went there with low expectations, but WOW, I was amazed. The store is a combination high end food store, gourmet store, deli, farmers market, wine store, and regular grocery store. Amazing.

Anyways, back to Tippy Tuesdays! I picked up at this store some Vanilla Powder. It is dried Vanilla extract that you can use one to one for the liquid version. That didn't catch my eye, what did was the ability to sprinkle it over coffee or fruit. I have been sprinkling for days now, and tonight I hit the Jackpot! I opened a can of peaches in pear juice, put 2 tbs of heavy cream on top, and then sprinkled away with the powder. Oh my goodness, it takes my taste buds away.

I definitely recommend it. I will post a picture of the powder and a link if I find one. :)

Fun fun, Christa

Simple woman's daybook

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FOR TODAY Tuesday, February 3rd...

Outside my window... It is clear and sunny with a brisk chill in the air. The sun is beginning to shine on the other side of the house. I am in awe of the way God created this earth to cool and warm and regulate itself.

I am thinking... about my resolution to memorize 2 scriptures a month. I succeeded in one last month. (hanging head) I am doing better already this month. I wrote James 1:5 down on a sticky note. I see "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to him" on my desk every day 20 times or so. It is working! I do plan to buy the index cards TODAY and create the system as Beth Moore prescribes!

I am thankful for... my husband's job. Although it is very stressful for him and takes a lot of his valuable time, it is paying bills and keeping us afloat. We are busy as ever with our home business as well. This is taking much out of me. It is hard to give up the small amount of free time we have and devote it to the business. I am praying for a resolution in this area.

From the learning rooms... I am trying to learn to be more strict with my time budgeting. I should get more done at home while David is at work. I plan on buying a timer today. It will definitely help in the "with 15 minutes I can do anything" projects!

From the kitchen... oh oh oh, I created a fresh mozzarella with basil and tomatoes salad the other night, oh yummmmm. I also bought some Greek dolmas (rice stuffed grape leaves) in a can. (Crazy I know). I made falafels from a box and tatziki sauce from scratch. I served it with fresh tomatoes and black olives. It was a very delightful Greek feast with plenty of left overs!

I am wearing... my Flylady gear: Tennis shoes, jeans, long sleeved shirt, and sweater pull-over.

I am creating... wedding stuff: White mailbox for cards with red roses, ring pillow, flower girl basket, wedding bows (maybe).

I am going... to Target, dry cleaners, mailbox, BETH MOORE Bible study!

I am reading... webmaster books, mostly on html and css.

I am hoping... for a great time in the next two weeks with the upcoming two weddings. I am excited about both. It is just taking much out of me.

I am hearing... traffic outside, barely.

Around the house... I bought these uplights for behind my plants. I think they are one of the best $15 investments I have made for decorating. I love what drama they add to the room.

One of my favorite things... coffee and Taco Cabana.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Pack like a mad woman, clean house for the trip, leave for the 16 hour trip to Georgia, get a haircut in Georgia, go out to dinner/lunch 5 times with different friends, attend neice's wedding, go to the Robins AFB Chapel Valentine's banquet, visit with David's grandmother who's had another stroke, and take the new bikes so we can fit in exercise somewhere in this list!

Here is picture thought I am sharing...


Weddings















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

A great movie - Fireproof

We saw this and recommend it to ANY and EVERY married couple out there. It is such an amazing movie with such an amazing message. You NEED to get the movie and the book.

See a review and enter the contest here:

February Bike Log

Here's our Biking Log for February 2009:

Day:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7. Wedding - Georgia
8. 7 miles - 50 minutes (Georgia)
9.
10.
11.
12. Wedding Fun - Austin
13. Wedding Fun - Austin
14. Wedding Fun - Austin
15. Wedding Fun - Austin
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.


Totals:
minutes: 50 miles: 7

Give-o-ways!

Hey Everyone!

Check out Simple Mom, she has a slew of give-o-ways this week!! Go over there quickly they expire soon!

Monday's Month of meals
Tuesday's Potty training book
Wednesday's Unique Baby Gift
Thursday's Outdoor Exploration

Friday's Patchwork Apron

New Bikes!!!

David and I have budgeted, saved and searched every online and physical store in the greater Houston area. We have finally, after six months, found bicycles. They are beautiful and now you can see them too. It was cold and rainy when we picked them up, so we don't have outside pics yet!



Specs:
His and Hers GT Transeo 1.0 Comfort/Hybrids from Performance Bikes on Voss and Westheimer Rd.

We upgraded and installed the following on each bike:
Disc brakes
E3 Cycling FX10 Cycle Computer (that's so we'll know how fast we're going!)
Todson Spotlite and tail light set
Waterbottle cage and new BPA-free "Safe Plastic" water bottles

I've also started a bike log and will update the results as we ride. We plan to take the bikes on a trip to Georgia next month and should get quite a few miles in at the State Parks along the way!

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

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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