I want to go home.

I want to go home, wherever that is. 

I know that my home is where my Hubs is, but what about the actual structure of a home? 

I want that. 
Living with Jacob's brother could be waay harder. And I'm so grateful he's allowed us into his home.
Even though we are here and being diligent in our savings, we are always broke and in someone else's home. I feel like we are on a very long holiday with Jacob's brother, and we forgot to go home.  


Jacob and I have been working so hard on getting our finances "in order" to buy our first home. 
But the progress is moving so slow, it's killing me! 


We don't want a big, new, shiny house. We just want one that is "ours". 


--------I hope it will include a baby... someday (sigh).---------
But for now, I will just have a couple of dreams and focus on what's right in front of us. 


Luke 8:15 “… As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience."

Suck it, Cigarettes! I Quit You!

I know I have never said as much, but I smoke. No, I did smoke. 

Not anymore. 

I quit for the first time yesterday. 

I wanted to tell the "blogosphere" so I would be held accountable. 

I know how nasty smoking is, so please don't pass judgement. 

I'm genuinely quitting. 

I'm not much for doing something "halfway"

Here are some reasons I want to quit:

1) I want babies. And I REFUSE to be a smoking mother. 

2) I promised many people that I would quit, I need to fulfill those promises. 

3) I want to be healthy.

4) I want to smell awesome! 

5) My hubs will be so tickled I quit, for many reasons. 

--My Plan--

Cold Turkey. 

When I want a cigarette, I pray and then do something productive (exercise, clean, cook, or craft). 

That's it. If you have gone through this, any advice is welcome. 

I'm trusting in Jesus to take care of me in this endeavor. 

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Philippians 4:13

Wanna Swap in January??

If you want to swap sponsor with me, please email me:

sincerelykylee(at)gmail(dot)com. 

Please Excuse the Mess.

So sorry that the blog is a hot mess. I'm working on a few things, if you can't tell. Just have patience with me! :)
But here's a couple of things that make me laugh:

I love this so much!! 

My favorite show is 30 rock, but I love parks and recreation almost as much. 

But if you're bored here, with the mess and all, go on over to my friend Allison's blog. It's called "Feeding My Temple" and she's has an awesome recipe up today. Here's the link to Allison and her Recipes. 

My Tribute to The Hunger Games

I've had a little time on my hands this week. I finally had enough time to read the Hunger Games trilogy. 

I loved the books... so much. I'm actually in a little bit of a depression from finishing them. I dedicated three whole days this week to reading them. I completely lost myself inside their universe, fictional universe. I don't know if you have read them, but I would strongly recommend it. 

So, as my own little tribute for the Hunger Games, I have made a couple little graphics for a couple of my favorite moments from the books. If you enjoyed the books as much as I did, please pin these to your "books to read/have read" board on Pinterest. 

Pin It

Pin It

Sincerely, Kylee: A-B-C

A= Available - I think the correct answer is "no, I'm married." 

B= Best Friend - My hubs. 

C= Cake or pie - CAKE! I'm drooling just thinking about it. 

D= Drink of choice - Dr. Pepper, Coors Light, or Coffee with Cream. 

E= Essential item you use everyday -  My Macbook 

F= Favorite color - CLEAR!! Or sea green if you're freaked out by the color clear. 

G= Gummy bears or worms - Gummy...anything! 

H= Hometown -  I was born in Buffalo, Oklahoma. I currently live in Edmond, OK. 

I= Indulgences - Shopping, Starbucks, Hair color. 

J= January or February - January. I don't know why. 

K= Kids and Names - I don't have any kids yet. But my dogs' names are Janie and Optimus. 

L= Life is incomplete without? - Jesus, Family, Love, and Creativity. 

M= Marriage date - November 20, 2009. 

N= Number of siblings - I have 4 beautiful sisters. They're all married and most of them have kids. We're a big 'ol family. 

O= Oranges or apples - Apples. 

P= Phobias or Fears - I have an irrational fear of Turkeys. Live Turkeys scare the piss outta me. 

Q= Favorite Quote - "Look, Beka! Steven Tyler PJs!!"- Pauly Shore in "Son-in-Law" (1993). 

R= Reason to smile - Our God's great love and cereal. 

S= Season - Fall. 

T= Tag 3 or 4 people - Anyone that reads this is tagged! :D 

U= Unknown fact about me - I could drive anywhere in the world if my car had audiobooks and dr. pepper stocked. 

V= Vegetable you don't like - Not a fan of hominy. 

W= Worst habit - I have many, many bad habits. My worst is driving with my knee. 

X= X-rays - I have never had one! Only at the dentist. 

Y= Your favorite food - CHEESE!!! YUMMY! 

Z= Zodiac Sign - I don't believe in Zodiacs, sorry! 

Tag, you're it! Now go make yours and leave me your link in a comment below, so I can get to know you better. :) 

Holly Jolly Christmas!!

We put up our tree finally, and I love it. Even if it is in our room and not the living room. :) 

My Doppelganger- Ally Sheedy

I've been told about a million times that I look like Ally Sheedy. So I guess now it's time that I own it. 
Yea, I look like Ally Sheedy in Breakfast Club... what of it?!

(Left: Ally Sheedy, Right: me) 

I'm Back. Get READY!

So you may have not even noticed I was gone. And in reality, I wasn't really gone... I was just missing. You see, this is my second to last semester in school. I've been pretty good about balancing, until November. November was rough. I got another job, then by the end of November, I quit that job.


So now that finals are over, I'm back! 


I've got some big plans for this little bloggy poo. 

Phase one: January
- Redesign, redesign, redesign. 
- New series called "Just Like Jamie". I'm going to make recipes from Jamie Oliver's Book, "30 Minute Meals."
-I'm going to be documenting my way through my weight loss. 


So, get ready for fun! Join me, please. 

Guest Post: Great Toys For Child Designers

Great Toys for Child Designers

Do you have a child who expresses an interest in design? If so, there are so many toys out there that can aid them in nurturing their creative hobbies. Below are a few toys that can all be purchased at Toys”R”Us stores and online at ToysRUs.com.

1.     Totally Me – Stylin Bead Boutique: 

Design your own necklaces, bracelets and earrings with this bead jewelry set. The possibilities are endless, and your child will love showing off their creations, as well as sharing their jewelry design tricks with their friends.

2.     Knitting Machine:

 Your child can learn how to knit their own scarves, hats or even sweaters with this knitting machine. The toy comes with a safe sewing needle and two skeins of thread.

3.      Sculpey III 30-Piece Sampler Pack: 

Your child will learn how to mold their own figures, and they can even create permanent sculptures by baking them in the oven. This kit includes 30 one-ounce sample-sized bars of Sculpey. Instructions and project suggestions are included.

4.     The LEGO Ideas Book: 

For the child who shows interest in building design, this book is a perfect way to jog their imagination. Tips and hints on LEGO building are provided by Master Builders. With 200 solid pages of photos and ideas, your child could become a Master Builder in no time.

5.     Totally Me! Make Your Own Dollhouse: 

This toy is such a great idea! For the child who truly shows an interest in interior design and architecture, this is a perfect way to get them started. You literally build the dollhouse from scratch by first gluing the wooden structure together, then painting it and last decorating it.

Thanks, Sharon!!

Sharon Harlan is an Interior Decorator and also owns the site
Interior Design Degree.
She likes to write articles about everything fashion and design.

Brochure Design

I just spent my afternoon, and part of my evening, designing this beauty. At first glance it's hard to see how it's folded, but it's stinkin' cool. Can you tell I'm pretty proud of myself?

This is what the front cover looks like when folded together. You can see a vague line down the middle.

Let me know if you like it! :)  

Come see me!

I'm over at Feeding My Temple today. 

Come see me! 

P.s.- Do you like it?? 

A guest post: Sunshine Blossoms

{Blog}[Shop]

I'm so excited to have Kourtney here from Sunshine Blossoms. She is soo soo creative. She makes EVERYTHING, food-jewelry-and more! Go and check out her blog and give her some love!! 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------




Hi guys!  The sweet and incredible Kylee has kindly allowed me to guest post for her on this beautiful day!  My name's Kourtney and I write about DIY projects, delish recipes, every day life and pretty much everything in between!  I also have an Etsy Shop with super stylish, cute and memorable {personalized} jewelry that you will not want to miss out on!


Me, my mom, grandma and sister had so much fun at our Pinterest Party this past weekend!


So much fun that I didn't take hardly even pics {especially while cooking and eating}.  Woops!  But, in all honestly, our food items ended up looking pretty much just like the original photos!

{Disclaimer: These photos are not mine. Photo credits are listed below each photo.}

First up was this yummylicious salad {we simply did romaine lettuce, grape tomatoes and chopped tomatillos we had leftover from the dressing}.  {And I say "we", but my mom actually did the salad.}

                                                                                                                    Photo Credit and Recipe Source: kalynskitchen.com via Pinterest

For the main dish, I made Tuscan Garlic Chicken.  Holy fazoli that stuff was incredible!  Even my two year old child {who is becoming a picky eater, of course} loved it!

                                                                                                                   Photo Credit and Recipe Source: melskitchencafe.com via Pinterest

We also ate leftover Cheddar and Herb Biscuits that I had made the night before for a different meal.

                                                                                                                  Photo Credit and Recipe Source: melskitchencafe.com via Pinterest

For dessert, my sister made Deep Dark Chocolate Cookies.  So rich and chocolatey.  You absolutely have to eat them with a big glass of ice cold milk.  Yummm.

                                                                                                                    Photo Credit and Recipe Source: divine-baking.com via Pinterest

After a full evening of cooking and stuffing our tummy to the top, it was craft time!!

Kylee, you totally rock and I just can't even begin to tell you how completely awesome you are!  Thank you for letting me chat with your equally fabtastic readers today!!

To read about the DIY stuff we did and two more delectible recipes we might at our Pinterest Party, check Sunshine Blossoms Blog where I will be posting Parts 2 and 3!!

Giveaway! My Memories Digital Design Software.

I'm so excited to be given the opportunity to give this away to one of "Sincerely, Kylee's" readers. 

Mymemories.com contacted me in August to do this giveaway. Well, in August I didn't even know what a giveaway was! So when they asked me again a few days ago, I couldn't pass it up! 

My Memories is an awesome and easy digital scrapbooking software. But seriously you can do waaay more than just create a few pages. 

You can add video and music to your digital scrapbook or you can simply use the photo layouts. 

I had the chance to download and review (play) with a version of My Memories Suite (which is what you could win) and it was too fun. I instantly started seeing some possibilities with it. Not only 

                                                                                    for scrapbooking, but BLOGGING as well. You better believe you will see some of these templates around on my blog! 

So now, ARE YOU READY TO WIN THIS BAD BOY? 

Here's how: 

(mandatory entries) 

-Be a follower of Sincerely, Kylee

-Visit MyMemories.com and comment with your favorite layout

(extra entries)

-Share this giveaway via Twitter, Facebook or your blog. Tag me! @sincerelykylee 

(here's an example you can use:

I just entered to win a free version of My Memories Suite, so can you! Go to www.sincerelykylee.com to enter). 

-Follow me on Twitter 

-"Like" Sincerely, Kylee on Facebook

(Even more ways to win!)

Follow MyMemories

Blog

Twitter

Facebook 

Please leave an individual comment for each! 

*NOT TO MENTION, If you don't win, you get a gift just for being awesome!   

$10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store - $20 value!

Enter this code: STMMMS42053

(This giveaway will end 12:00 am 11/15/11) 

This is Hilarious and YOU MUST WATCH IT!

This is so funny. Watch until the end because the last two kids are the best!!!

Comment me your thoughts on this video!

What did you do today? I did something cool...

Today, my classmates and I participated in "Oklahoma Research Day". Basically, we've worked part of this semester towards presenting our research (some of which, this blog and it's readers has helped with) on social media. My topic/title was "YouTube: The shift from mass-media to user-generated content." Other topics include Google, Facebook, Twitter, RSS Feeds, QR codes, social bookmarking, ebooks, and blogs. Interesting eh? 

Here are a few pics...

Want to see their blogs?
(from left to right)
Liquor Store Worker, Addi's Daddy, KateBacon's Blog, What Sarah Says

We had a lot of fun trying to look important. :) Seriously, You should see some of these blogs, they're very creative.
(From left to right)
Liquor Store Worker, Addi's Daddy, KateBacon's Blog, The Sliced Apple Inc., WHATTHEHALE, 
I AM NOT NORMAL. 

What did you do this glorious Friday?? 

Thirsty Thursday- LINKUP !!!

My Drink for this week is the "Almond Kiss"

Ingredients:

Hot chocolate

Coconut Rum (THIS IS MY FAVORITE!)

Jacob, my hub, is out of town this week. (Sadness). So in lue of that and the upcoming cold weather, I'm making a warm (sorta stiff) drink to calm my nerves about him being on the road.

This drink was YUMMMMMMMY! It tasted like an Almond Joy, and boy do I love Almond Joys!

Now, I know that this is a new linkup so there may not be anyone that links up, but if you do; here are the rules:

- Make a drink you've never tried before. Or maybe it's your favorite... I don't care! It can be non/alcoholic.

- Include one picture in your post of the drink you made or you drinking the drink.

- list the name and ingredients of the drink.

- Finally, tell us if you would recommend it.

<br /> <a border="0" href="http://www.sincerelykylee.com/search/label/Thirsty%20Thursdays" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m544/sincerelykylee/ThirstyThursdayLogoNovember.png"/></a><br />

Thirsty Thursday is back with a vengeance!

So you may not even know what my version of Thirsty Thursday is, but in case you were wondering, I will tell you! 

Thirsty Thursday became a "thing" around our house. Random friends would invite themselves over for this event. 

But I'm changing this up a bit. 

It used to be that I would just make a drink I've never tried before, invite some people to try it, we'd rank it, and I would post it. 

But now....

IT'S GOING TO BE A WEEKLY LINKUP! 

That's right! Now you can link up your favorite drink or a drink you've never tried, right here on Thursdays. 

The rules are simple: 

- Make a drink you've never tried before. Or maybe it's your favorite... I don't care! It can be non/alcoholic.

- Include one picture in your post of the drink you made or you drinking the drink.

- list the name and ingredients of the drink.

- Finally, tell us if you would recommend it.

So be here tomorrow or until Sunday (11/06) to link up. I'm so so so excited to see what you will make (or if anyone will linkup). 

So make me proud! :) Oh, and you will not believe what I made for tomorrow!! 

Sincerely,

Kylee 

Is Social Media Consuming Your Life?

Whether it's blogging, tweeting, facebook-ing, stumbling, pinning... is it consuming you? 

Source: tumblr.thedailywh.at via Kylee on Pinterest

Here's some signs (from my personal perspective) that you may want to slow your roll for a bit with the media stuff:


1) You found out your best friend from high school is pregnant over Facebook.


2) You have a hard time buying ANYTHING because you think you can find it online for cheaper.
"Oh my gosh! Bananas are so overpriced! I betcha I can get them in bulk online... with a coupon..."


3) You haven't done laundry in 3 weeks, but you saw an AWESOME tutorial for folding your shirts on Stumbleupon.com.


4) You put make up on and dress yourself in the morning because you know you may be in some pictures for your blog that day.

Source: awelltraveledwoman.tumblr.com via Kylee on Pinterest

5) You spent 4 hours on Pinterest, you pinned 34 pins onto the "organization" board, and yet your socks are mismatched and you don't remember where you put your toothbrush.

Source: jojofam.blogspot.com via Kylee on Pinterest

6) You tweet about a bowel movement. (I'm a little ashamed that this is true). 




     If you can relate to any of these statements, here's a couple of suggestions:


1) TAKE A VACATION from your media. Seriously, turn off your phones/computers/tvs and enjoy some legit creativity and conversations. Think of something you've never seen online... DREAM!

Source: imgfave.com via Kylee on Pinterest

2) Punch yourself in the leg. Do it, right now!
(HAHA, I'm joking. Don't punch yourself-- you're far too cute to do that).


I hope this post finds you well. Have a wonderful week!


Sincerely,
Kylee