We've MOVED!!! New site :)

In case you haven't figured it out yet, we've moved ;)

Everything - including the blogs - are now on kimandkaylawoodhouse.com

You can still get there via kimberleywoodhouse.com kimwoodhouse.com kaylawoodhouse.com and kimberleyandkaylawoodhouse.com as well - but I don't know if I'm going to transfer the Feeblitz over - so for all of our hundreds of subscribers - I apologize. I would love to have you sign up for the RSS feed on the new site. We're trying to streamline and organize everything and keep it all beautiful at the new location.

And another great shout-out to Pulse Point Designs for their AMAZING job on it. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

As always, we love hearing from you!
Meet you at the new site!
Kim and Kayla

Books

Contest WINNER!

All righty, folks...

The Grand Prize winner of the Kindle and the Alaskan gift basket and signed books is : Kris T. (Since we've had issues with the commenting - make sure you send an email to info at kimberleywoodhouse dot com as well!)

You have 24 hours to comment on this post - and if you don't, another winner will be chosen. The winners of books will be posted after that (just in case the winner doesn't claim their prize - we want everyone to be eligible for the Grand Prize.)

Thanks for participating! We had over 200 people enter the contest.

LAST CHANCE

Hey Everyone,
I will give you through the weekend (midnight - April 17th) to enter our contest with prizes including a Kindle, an Alaskan gift basket, and signed books!

I'm re-posting all the original information below and remember that if the commenting is not working, just send all your info and answers to the email addy listed below - you will still be entered. A lot of people have had trouble with the comments.

***


Okay everyone, we're going to have a little contest to celebrate the release of NO SAFE HAVEN. From today until April 15th - you can enter as many times as you want, but every entry must have ALL the answers and your special word :)- we're going to host a little scavenger hunt. PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE POST CAREFULLY TO UNDERSTAND THE RULES TO ENTER.

The PRIZES:
A brand new WiFI Kindle. (value - $139)
An Alaskan Gift Basket. (value of $65)
Signed copies of No Safe Haven, Welcome Home, Pearl Girls AND two of Kim's CDs.
(One Grand Prize winner will receive all of the above, 3 others will receive the signed books and CDs)


Now here's the QUESTIONS:
1. In Welcome Home - why did the TSA suspect Kim of being dangerous?
2. In No Safe Haven - what kind of plane does Jenna Tikaani-Gray own?
3. In Welcome Home - how does Kim re-define normal? (full definition required)
4. In No Safe Haven - what mountain means "The Wife"? - original native name is required here - you may search on the internet for the answer if you haven't read the whole book.
5. In No Safe Haven - what does Jenna have of Marc's at the beginning of the story?
6. In No Safe Haven - what happened to the radio on the plane?
7. In No Safe Haven - what is VFR?
8. In No Safe Haven - what is the call sign of their plane?
9. In No Safe Haven - they are returning to Alaska from where?
10. In No Safe Haven and Welcome Home - what is the name of the condition that Kayla and Andie share.


Here are the RULES:
1) You must comment on the post for each entry using a word/phrase that is used in Alaska or about Alaska. (Examples: Denali is the tallest mountain in North America and is in Alaska. Or a nickname for Alaska is The Land of the Midnight Sun. Or the Iditarod, huskies, native Alaskan words, city names, etc. This should be fun, we have tons of cool words/phrases in No Safe Haven, but you can also look online.) Your comment must contain your name and the date along with your word or phrase.
2) Then send an email to: info at kimberleywoodhouse dot com with ALL the answers to the questions, placing your name and date and the word/phrase you used in your comment in the subject line of the email.
PLEASE FOLLOW ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS OR YOUR ENTRY WILL NOT COUNT.
3) You may enter as many times as you would like. BUT Each comment must use a DIFFERENT word/phrase than your other entries (or it will not be counted), and all email entries with the answers to the questions must have your name, date, and your Alaskan word. :)
4) Winners will be drawn randomly in a controlled environment. Winner will be posted on our blogs. If you do not comment on the winning blog post within 24 hours - you forfeit your chance at the prize(s) and another winner will be chosen. If you are chosen as the winner - Please allow 3-4 weeks for delivery of prizes won.
5) Of course, we'd love everyone to purchase the books to be able to find the answers, but you may also look online. :) There are several places that have the beginnings of both books posted, so there is no purchase necessary to win.

Happy Hunting! And we hope you enjoy No Safe Haven! Thank you for celebrating the release of our new book with us!
PLEASE tell all your friends so they can have the chance to win as well. :)

***
Example of how to enter:
You MUST Comment in the comment section with a word/phrase. click on comments on any of the contest posts on any of our blogs. Enter your name and date and your Alaskan word or phrase - example: Kim, March 12, 2011, Iditarod

THEN - you MUST send an email to info at kimberleywoodhouse dot com
in the body of the email answer all the questions. Make sure your answer corresponds with the correct number. In the SUBJECT line of the email you must have your name, date, and word/phrase that you posted in the comment - example: Kim, March 12, 2011 Iditarod - should appear in the subject line.

The Cart Before the Horse

I've had the incredible privilege of being challenged and having my toes stepped on by books and studies the past couple weeks. Books that were on my "To Be Read" shelf. And I was fascinated by how they all seemed to go together and intertwine and convict me when they are all completely different.

I won't go into any great detail here, but I do want to ask you: Are you putting the cart before the horse?

How many times do we go off on our own agendas without seeking HIM first?
Should we even have our own agendas?
Aren't we the servants to the Master?

Jesus said, "Come. Follow Me."

He didn't say, "Kim, I'll make sure I give you an itinerary and let you check it before you go."

I love it that He hasn't given up on me and that I'm still learning even though I have such a long way to go.

And I will definitely be working on keeping that cart in the rear where it belongs...

A Chance to Win a Kindle and Signed Books!

Hey Everyone,
You've been so great sending us emails about the contest. I understand that there have been issues with the commenting and I'm hoping that it is cleared up. For all of you who sent emails with your inquiries and also with all your answers, but the comments weren't working, don't worry - you're still entered. :) I made sure we have everyone's entry so far in the master list.

For those of you who may be new to our blogs and have just seen our contest - I'll repost all the directions below. Feel free to ask questions if you don't understand :)

We just returned from another book trip and as we drove through Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Colorado - I couldn't help but think of the heart of America: its people, small towns, farms, and ranches. I'm sure there will be a post with my thoughts on this coming up.

But for right now, I hope you all enjoy the contest and tell all your friends!
God Bless!

Kim and Kayla

Okay everyone, we're going to have a little contest to celebrate the release of NO SAFE HAVEN. From today until April 15th - you can enter as many times as you want, but every entry must have ALL the answers and your special word :)- we're going to host a little scavenger hunt. PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE POST CAREFULLY TO UNDERSTAND THE RULES TO ENTER.

The PRIZES:
A brand new WiFI Kindle. (value - $139)
An Alaskan Gift Basket. (value of $65)
Signed copies of No Safe Haven, Welcome Home, Pearl Girls AND two of Kim's CDs.
(One Grand Prize winner will receive all of the above, 3 others will receive the signed books and CDs)


Now here's the QUESTIONS:
1. In Welcome Home - why did the TSA suspect Kim of being dangerous?
2. In No Safe Haven - what kind of plane does Jenna Tikaani-Gray own?
3. In Welcome Home - how does Kim re-define normal? (full definition required)
4. In No Safe Haven - what mountain means "The Wife"? - original native name is required here - you may search on the internet for the answer if you haven't read the whole book.
5. In No Safe Haven - what does Jenna have of Marc's at the beginning of the story?
6. In No Safe Haven - what happened to the radio on the plane?
7. In No Safe Haven - what is VFR?
8. In No Safe Haven - what is the call sign of their plane?
9. In No Safe Haven - they are returning to Alaska from where?
10. In No Safe Haven and Welcome Home - what is the name of the condition that Kayla and Andie share.


Here are the RULES:
1) You must comment on the post for each entry using a word/phrase that is used in Alaska or about Alaska. (Examples: Denali is the tallest mountain in North America and is in Alaska. Or a nickname for Alaska is The Land of the Midnight Sun. Or the Iditarod, huskies, native Alaskan words, city names, etc. This should be fun, we have tons of cool words/phrases in No Safe Haven, but you can also look online.) Your comment must contain your name and the date along with your word or phrase.
2) Then send an email to: info at kimberleywoodhouse dot com with ALL the answers to the questions, placing your name and date and the word/phrase you used in your comment in the subject line of the email.
PLEASE FOLLOW ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS OR YOUR ENTRY WILL NOT COUNT.
3) You may enter as many times as you would like. BUT Each comment must use a DIFFERENT word/phrase than your other entries (or it will not be counted), and all email entries with the answers to the questions must have your name, date, and your Alaskan word. :)
4) Winners will be drawn randomly in a controlled environment. Winner will be posted on our blogs. If you do not comment on the winning blog post within 24 hours - you forfeit your chance at the prize(s) and another winner will be chosen. If you are chosen as the winner - Please allow 3-4 weeks for delivery of prizes won.
5) Of course, we'd love everyone to purchase the books to be able to find the answers, but you may also look online. :) There are several places that have the beginnings of both books posted, so there is no purchase necessary to win.

Happy Hunting! And we hope you enjoy No Safe Haven! Thank you for celebrating the release of our new book with us!
PLEASE tell all your friends so they can have the chance to win as well. :)

***
Example of how to enter:
You MUST Comment in the comment section with a word/phrase. click on comments on any of the contest posts on any of our blogs. Enter your name and date and your Alaskan word or phrase - example: Kim, March 12, 2011, Iditarod

THEN - you MUST send an email to info at kimberleywoodhouse dot com
in the body of the email answer all the questions. Make sure your answer corresponds with the correct number. In the SUBJECT line of the email you must have your name, date, and word/phrase that you posted in the comment - example: Kim, March 12, 2011 Iditarod - should appear in the subject line.

A little fun for NO SAFE HAVEN's release...

Okay everyone, we're going to have a little contest to celebrate the release of NO SAFE HAVEN. From today until April 15th - you can enter as many times as you want, but every entry must have ALL the answers and your special word :)- we're going to host a little scavenger hunt. PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE POST CAREFULLY TO UNDERSTAND THE RULES TO ENTER.

The PRIZES:
A brand new WiFI Kindle. (value - $139)
An Alaskan Gift Basket. (value of $65)
Signed copies of No Safe Haven, Welcome Home, Pearl Girls AND two of Kim's CDs.
(One Grand Prize winner will receive all of the above, 3 others will receive the signed books and CDs)


Now here's the QUESTIONS:
1. In Welcome Home - why did the TSA suspect Kim of being dangerous?
2. In No Safe Haven - what kind of plane does Jenna Tikaani-Gray own?
3. In Welcome Home - how does Kim re-define normal? (full definition required)
4. In No Safe Haven - what mountain means "The Wife"? - original native name is required here - you may search on the internet for the answer if you haven't read the whole book.
5. In No Safe Haven - what does Jenna have of Marc's at the beginning of the story?
6. In No Safe Haven - what happened to the radio on the plane?
7. In No Safe Haven - what is VFR?
8. In No Safe Haven - what is the call sign of their plane?
9. In No Safe Haven - they are returning to Alaska from where?
10. In No Safe Haven and Welcome Home - what is the name of the condition that Kayla and Andie share.


Here are the RULES:
1) You must comment on the post for each entry using a word/phrase that is used in Alaska or about Alaska. (Examples: Denali is the tallest mountain in North America and is in Alaska. Or a nickname for Alaska is The Land of the Midnight Sun. Or the Iditarod, huskies, native Alaskan words, city names, etc. This should be fun, we have tons of cool words/phrases in No Safe Haven, but you can also look online.) Your comment must contain your name and the date along with your word or phrase.
2) Then send an email to: info at kimberleywoodhouse dot com with ALL the answers to the questions, placing your name and date and the word/phrase you used in your comment in the subject line of the email.
PLEASE FOLLOW ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS OR YOUR ENTRY WILL NOT COUNT.
3) You may enter as many times as you would like. BUT Each comment must use a DIFFERENT word/phrase than your other entries (or it will not be counted), and all email entries with the answers to the questions must have your name, date, and your Alaskan word. :)
4) Winners will be drawn randomly in a controlled environment. Winner will be posted on our blogs. If you do not comment on the winning blog post within 24 hours - you forfeit your chance at the prize(s) and another winner will be chosen. If you are chosen as the winner - Please allow 3-4 weeks for delivery of prizes won.
5) Of course, we'd love everyone to purchase the books to be able to find the answers, but you may also look online. :) There are several places that have the beginnings of both books posted, so there is no purchase necessary to win.

Happy Hunting! And we hope you enjoy No Safe Haven! Thank you for celebrating the release of our new book with us!
PLEASE tell all your friends so they can have the chance to win as well. :)

***
Example of how to enter:
You MUST Comment in the comment section with a word/phrase. click on comments on any of the contest posts on any of our blogs. Enter your name and date and your Alaskan word or phrase - example: Kim, March 12, 2011, Iditarod

THEN - you MUST send an email to info at kimberleywoodhouse dot com
in the body of the email answer all the questions. Make sure your answer corresponds with the correct number. In the SUBJECT line of the email you must have your name, date, and word/phrase that you posted in the comment - example: Kim, March 12, 2011 Iditarod - should appear in the subject line.

Cover for RACE AGAINST TIME!!

Here it is peeps:

The cover for book #2 - Race Against Time! Isn't it beautiful?

Don't Try This At Home...

The Sunday before Christmas, I attempted a feat only I would dare try.

Skiing down the stairs.

On my shin.

It didn't work. And it hurt.

Thus, the title of this blog...

Anyway, the REAL story is this (albeit much less glamorous) :
Sunday night after church, my friend (loyal and true) Carrie came over. I was still in my dressy outfit from the cantata that night. (Mistake #1)

After we caught up and had a good ol' heart-to-heart, I asked if she wanted to see how we'd rearranged all the rooms in the basement. (Mistake #2 - not that asking her was a mistake, I love Carrie dearly, but it was definitely too late at night and my pants were entirely too dressy...)

At the top of the stairs, I realized a dilemma. I normally wore four-inch heels with these particular pants. Why? Well, One - the incredibly cute and dressy pants demand that kind of footwear, and Two - my legs are just too stinkin' short. Anyway, back to the story - Carrie headed down the stairs first, and me and my big mouth and dressy, dressy pants started our descent. I said, "Watch me trip on my pants and fall down the stairs..." (Mistake #3)

Truer words have never been spoken.

And I fell.
It wasn't glamorous. It wasn't graceful. It wasn't even pretty.
But Carrie's football stance at the bottom of the stairs was all of the above. I wish I had a picture of her face. It was priceless.
And I treasure her even more as a friend. Carrie is no frail chick who danced around saying, "oh my goodess!" - she didn't even try to save her own skin and jump out of the way of "skiing Kim" as I hurtled down the wood stairs - no, this girl stuck out her own neck, ready to take the blow so she could stop my momemtum-building fall.
That's a friend, people. Just sayin'.

And me? Well, my leg is grotesque to put it mildly. The bruising and coloring just get better and better each day. :)

Sweet hubby has patched up the wall-(oh, by the way, did I mention that my knee punched a large hole in the sheet rock?), and I've learned valuable lessons. Things like:
-wear shin guards every time I head down the stairs
-never, NEVER say I'm going to fall-Even if I'm joking
-never wear the cute, dressy pants without the appropriate footwear
-grow longer legs

And for all of you who demanded a picture - well, here it is. This is three days after. I almost took another one today, but I'm afraid of scaring small children... and the elderly... So... just imagine it about ten times worse - That's what it looks like now. Hopefully in about a month, maybe it will be gone.

The Grinch that Stole...

...blogs...
...and emails...
...and motherboards...
...and operating systems...
...and hard drives...

But I digress. I really do love the age of technology. Yes, even when it goes against me. Even when it has a heart 500 times too small.

So, I'm here to say - We're Back!!! Hopefully, prayerfully, joyfully. I now understand why emails have been getting lost for months upon months, our blogs have posted/unposted, and basically life in the land of social-media-techno-world stunk. :)

BUT - it hasn't stolen our Christmas spirit. We wanted to share with you a few pics of our Christmas decorating... and yes, I decorate way before Thanksgiving. Get over it. I LOVE Christmas. And I really like enjoying this season... hence - the putting-up-decorations-early mindset.

*** Rabbit trail warning ***(I've had hate-mail over this [not really, but it sounds so much more intense] - from those grinchy-type people who think Christmas music should NOT under any circumstances be played before turkey day is over. But I won't mention it... well, not any more. At least I'll try to remember. I've forgiven them. And I play Christmas music sometimes year-round. I'm not spiteful. Or ornery. Really. I promise. I just love Christmas.)

Ahem. Back to those Christmas pics ;)

I have never been accused of over-decorating.



...Or using too many lights...



...Or going overboard.

In any way.

On any thing.





Nope.

Not me.

Nuh uh.



I'm perfectly normal.

Yep.

Everyone decorates like this, right?




Okay, okay, so maybe you don't put up 15+ Christmas trees.




And maybe you actually have to use other (i.e. regular light fixtures) lights during the Christmas season to illuminate your home. (To which I say, what's the point in that?)

And airplanes don't head for your house like it's a runway...

And your friends don't tell you that "Christmas threw up" in your house.
LOL

I'm teasing. Christmas really is my favorite time of year. Love, love, love it.

But just in case you can't agree with me, or don't like to decorate, just look at this next picture.


You gotta admit she's too stinkin' cute for her own good. :)
Now doesn't that just make you smile?

So, here in Colorado, dreams of new un-grinchified computers will dance in our heads...

Merry Christmas!

Computer Crash... Stay Tuned

Well...
After months of craziness, we finally discovered all our glitches. Our main computer system had a time-bomb virus. (if you don't know what that is - don't ask. It's scary. I'm freaked out every time I think about it. Yuck. Ugh.) It fried the mother-board and operating system, and sent trojans to the other computers on the network.

We haven't been able to post on blogs correctly for MONTHS - and not at all for quite some time - as you can see :)

We haven't been able to receive and send email properly for months...

And, we've lost a lot of data.

BUT - we believe - that it is all functioning properly now. (At least the computers that are still alive.)

So... Thanks for your patience and keep watching. We hope to get it all back to schedule this week and next.

New Website, Need Influencers, and Great Interview Next Week!

It's official - the new "website" is up and running. And for the most part, I haven't totally killed it, rearranged it, or messed it up. (I know, I know, just wait, right?) LOL

Anyway, so please tell your friends that they can go to any of the following:
kimwoodhouse.com
kimberleywoodhouse.com
kimberleyandkaylawoodhouse.com
kaylawoodhouse.com
and they will all take you to our new streamlined (hopefully), easy to navigate (prayerfully) site :)
Kayla and I would love to have your thoughts on the new site, tabs, and info that is up. We'd also love your suggestions!

NEXT - we need influencers for our upcoming release NO SAFE HAVEN - if you'd like to be someone to read it, blog about it, and talk it up - please let us know ASAP. Either commment here - or send an email through the contact tab on our website.

AND NOW - that everything is up and running smoothly (finally, whew!) be watching for a great interview we have with Jenny B. Jones next week! She's totally amazing, hysterical, and one of my favorite people of all time.

Stay tuned!
Love you all :)

Superficial?

Do you have any depth? I'm not asking about the face-to-face you that a privileged few might get to see. I'm talking about the social-media-out-in-front-of-your-thousands-of-follower/friends you.

I've read a lot of blogs lately about professionalism, social media, blogging, etc. etc. etc.

And it's made me think. A lot.

Do you think there's the "professional" you and the "personal" you?
Do you think there's a "social media" you and the person you are face-to-face with your closest friends?

Here's my two cents on this (and as you read this - think about whether you feel the same way):
-I can only be the best "me" that I can be. No one else can do it. Only I can. Same goes for you.
-I'm a real person with feelings and emotions and thoughts. Don't put me on a pedestal. Ever. I don't ever deserve that. Or want it for that matter.
- I do believe that there is a "public" and a "private" persona. But for me, I don't ever want it to be a facade. I'm still going to be real whether it's one-on-one or social media.

Now let me ask you a few questions. Feel free to comment with your answers or to email or DM (twitter) or FB message me.

What do you look for in your networking - meaning - social media?
-Do you only want friends? Fans? Family?
-How much time do you spend on social media, blogs, forums each day?
-What interests you on social media? (for instance, I have people get upset if I don't tweet or FB enough about what I'm cooking - because that's what they want to know/see -and that's perfectly fine, because I love to cook, so it's fun to share with others)
-What makes you keep coming back for more? (websites, blogs, tweets, whatever - and I'm not just talking about here - I'm talking about every site that you like/visit)

Feel free to answer as few or as many as you like.

Why do I share this with you and ask you these questions? Well, frankly, I want to know your thoughts. And your opinion and thoughts are valuable here. And I really wanted to just get the discussion going about social media. Let's think about whether we are superficial or have some good ol' meaty depth.

Pride...The Lesson That Keeps Needin' to Be Learned

Do you ever struggle with pride? Now be honest. Don't lie to me. Or to yourself.

Pride is the basis for well... let's just say it... all sin. Proverbs 16:18 puts it clearly: "Pride goes before destruction..." (NASB)

Think about it. Every sin you've committed - okay narrow it down to a few - think about the motive behind it. It had something to do with your pride, didn't it? We're such selfish beings, we want this, we want that, we want to do things our way, we can't stand anyone outdoing us, or someone having something we don't have, or worse - having people think badly of us. It's all pride. Pride. Pride. Pride.

A recent incident made me think hard on this issue of pride in my life. With the economy and other factors, we traded in our beloved and mucho decked out Expedition, Little Gracie. I loved her. We all did. She was comfy. She was huge. She had every bell and whistle Ford makes. The seats themselves could heat or cool your bum and move five kazillion ways. Everything was computerized and motorized and at your fingertips with a push of a button. She even had power running boards. (That if you moved too quick, you'd hit your shins on while they were whirring their way up and down.) :)

We were stinkin' spoiled.

But times are changing. We'd done so much traveling in beautiful Little Gracie, that her mileage was getting on up there for a young vehicle. We also needed to see where we could save money. Figuring we could save half (did you read that?) HALF of my gas budget if we downsized, we knew we needed to be good stewards.

The decision itself was easy. The dealership that we bought from made everything even easier and delivered everything to our house. BUT, my pride kicked in at the last minute when I thought of actually giving up my much-beloved vehicle. I thought, "it won't be the same!" (Waah, wah, whine, whine, grumble, complain.)

Thankfully, I have a loving Heavenly Father who graciously hits me over the head with the much needed proverbial 2x4 in times such as these.

WHAM! In that split-second, I knew my pride had gotten the better of me once again.

Who cares if it's not the same? Who cares that I'm not driving down the road in my swanky, oversized, over-optioned vehicle? Good grief, did you read that? It's totally ridiculous! Who cares?

I found myself laughing in the driveway. There are people in the world starving, homeless, orphaned, so how dare I balk in the face of all that - at merely saying goodbye to a stupid (excuse my use of the s-word) vehicle? That stinkin' pride. Always sneakin' up and givin' me grief.

Well, let me just tell you that after that brief moment of slacking (okay, so maybe it was momentS) there hasn't been one doubt in my mind. Material possessions have far too strong of a hold on this ol' world, and I don't want to be hanging on to anything like that. I'll hang on to Jesus. The Author and Finisher of my faith.

As I walked back up my driveway and as Little Gracie drove away, I looked at my kids. We've tried really hard to teach them about stewardship and about the fact that when we leave this earth, we're not taking any of this "stuff" with us. And for another brief instant, I was worried about them. Were they sad to see the vehicle go?

I asked them. And guess what? They laughed. They didn't care. They put their arms around me and said, "it's just a car, Mom. Who cares?"

Out of the mouths of babes. Again, I wondered how the good Lord could use an inadequate vessel like me to rear these two fine teenagers. I shook my head and laughed with them.

And we haven't looked back. As I'm zippin' around town in my little red Nissan, savin' gas money and singin' at the top of my lungs with my kiddos, it hasn't phased me a bit.

But imagine what could've happened had I let pride win that day? Well, you might not be able to imagine, but I can. And it ain't purty. Not at all.

Pride goes before destruction...

Too Much...

All right - for everyone who has been sending me the wonderful notes - thank you! I'm here today to clarify everything I possibly can. LOL - don't get your hopes up, it will probably be clear as mud by the time I'm done.

I'm thinking of getting rid of the counters on the site, because frankly, they can't keep up. Every time one of the shows we've appeared on airs, I receive thousands of notes and emails, and then people try to comment on blogs and it won't let them. So even if we could guess accurately, which we can't, I don't know if it's worth it.

Next, I apologize for all of you who try to comment on the different blogs (Kayla's, Kayla's and mine together, and this one) and can't. There doesn't seem to be an explanation for this, other than the fact that computers and the web must hate me. :) I've got an amazing web guru guy who handles our websites and it's not his fault. He makes everything work when I mess it up - So it's obvious that I somehow freak everything out.

And last but not least, be watching for changes to streamline and connect all the websites, blogs, facebook, fan pages, etc. I'm hoping it will work the way I imagine it in my brain. Hoping being the operative word there. So please be patient with us as we attempt to figure it all out, and hopefully, it will be even better. :)

As always, I love hearing from you. I love hearing when you see our EMHE episode and you cry when I cry. I love hearing how you love reading our crazy blog posts. I love hearing your wonderful suggestions, encouragement, and silly stories. I love hearing how you don't think I'm crazy, even on days when I know I am...

To sum it up? I love you guys. Now back to Algebra, grading papers, and another chapter in RACE AGAINST TIME. Thank you all so very much for your support!
Kim

Priceless

*This is a tough post*

I love how God uses story to help open our eyes and draw us closer to Him. Two incredible books released this year that tackled an increasingly horrendous problem:
Sex Trafficking

Some knew nothing about this awful subject, some may have known but turned a blind eye to it - "it's not happening around me, so I can ignore it", some are caught in the midst of it.

I'm going to give you some terrifying stats:

-1.2 million children are trafficked every year; this is in addition to the millions already held captive by trafficking (1)
-Every 2 minutes a child is being prepared for sexual exploitation (1)
-The average victim is forced to have sex up to 40 times a day (5)
-The average age of a trafficked victim is 14 years old (5)
-Approximately 30 million children have lost their childhood through sexual exploitation over the past 30 years (1)
-Sex trafficking is an engine of the global AIDS epidemic (4)
-People are trafficked from 127 countries to be exploited in 137 countries (3)
-Between 14,500 and 17,500 victims are trafficked into the USA each year (4)
-The total market value of illicit Sex Trafficking is estimated to be in excess of $32 billion (2)
-By 2010 Sex Trafficking will be the number one crime worldwide (5)
-Trafficking in women is the second largest global organized crime today
-Over 25% of victims are trafficked from Southern and Eastern Europe.
-Tragically, only 1-2 percent of victims are rescued, and only 1 in 100,000 Europeans involved in trafficking are convicted.
(1-UNICEF, 2-UN, 3-UNODC, 4-US Department of State, 5-The A21 Campaign)

We cannot turn away from this. A lot of people are discussing the problem of Pornography, and yes, pornography is rampant in the world, but this problem is even greater. Pornography feeds this industry. Can you imagine your own child being abducted and sold into sex slavery?

Since reading Priceless by Tom Davis, and Deliver Us From Evil by Robin Caroll, I've been seriously praying about what I can do. What can you do?

If you like to read - Please buy the two books mentioned above. The stories will grip you and bring to life this epic problem. They are both powerful and beautifully written. I'd also recommend you check out Tom Davis's different sites. Tom is the CEO of Children's Hope Chest. Below are other links for you to check out (PLEASE, PLEASE go and read their stories - you will never be the same)

www.sheispriceless.com
www.love146.org
www.iempathize.org
www.hopechest.org
www.notforsalecampaign.org
www.globalcenturion.org

On a personal note, I know both of these authors. They have touched my life in huge ways. This is not just about selling books... this is about changing a life. One at a time. Please pray about how you can help.

ANNOUNCEMENT!!

Kayla has been chosen as a staff writer for iBegat.com a new site for teens!!

This is launch week at iBegat - so please check out the links below and tell all your friends!

iBegat Home Page
Devo by Kayla
Staff Writer Kayla Woodhouse
Movie Review by Kayla

Another Year... Another Reminder

So, another year has passed, and I am getting older. I don't mind, although I often wonder where the time has gone, and why has it gone so quickly.

Anyway, my birthday was this past weekend and I can't help but remember a comment my son made a couple years ago.

It was the year I turned thirty-three. We had been having a fun, together-at-home day. Late in the afternoon, my son all-of-a-sudden gasped REALLY LOUD...

"Mom!" He exclaimed, with a look on his face that told he had a great revelation.

"What, Honey?" I just knew it was something sweet and profound. It was my birthday, right?

And without missing a beat, he informed me, "You're as old as Jesus was when He died!"

Let's just say that everyone else there laughed. Hard.

I attempted to keep a straight face and looked at my loving boy, Josh. "Wow. I hadn't thought of that. And I'm so proud of you for remembering how old Jesus was when He was crucified, and then rose again. Thank you for telling me."

My husband, Jeremy, (after he picked himself off the floor from laughing) tousled our sweet boy's hair and Josh ran off to build something with legos, I'm sure. Jeremy smiled, "Out of the mouths of babes, huh?"

We laughed, and we have laughed about it ever since, but it has also made me think. Josh did say something very profound that day.

Jesus lived such a short life here on earth and yet, accomplished so much. And He was perfect. Sinless. Never made a mistake. As believers, we are supposed to be striving to be like Him. So, on that day of my thirty-third birthday, my son reminded me of what I should be working toward. These precious years we've been given in this life are not about us. And in our society of "Me! Me! Me! Me! Me!" lives are lived selfishly but does it help us in any way?

My questions for today are not easy. What are you living for? WHO are you living for? What have you done with your life? It doesn't matter if you are sixteen or sixty - these questions still apply to you. Are you caught up in the day-to-day stress and forget the end goal? Are you running toward that finish line? Where is your focus? Do you get distracted and take little side trails?

I wrote a post a while ago entitled, "Running... Out of Time"
I've updated it a little and am reposting it. I think we all need the reminder.

"Running... Out of Time"
I'm always amazed at how time flies! Our beautiful daughter had brain surgery almost FOUR years ago; it feels like it was just yesterday, and it also feels like a lifetime has passed since then. Where did the time go? My kids were babies just yesterday . . . weren't they? And now I have two teenagers!

My title for this was: Running . . . out of time. Aren't we all running? Shouldn't we be running? Hebrews 12:1-3 says this, "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart." (NASB)

So yes, I'm running. And I'm running out of time - we ALL are. I'm running the race set before me and as the enemy tries to steal my time (especially my writing time, it seems) I'm going to keep ON running. How many more people will God place in my path? I don't know - because I don't know how much time I have left -- but I DO know that He wants me - and all of us - to be lights for Him, use the gifts that He has given us, and keep running the race.

Throw off those encumbrances, get rid of that sin, fix your eyes on Jesus and let's run with whatever amount of time we have left.

***This is a revised version of a post I wrote a couple of years ago***

The Scoop...

Kim and Kayla here...

Here's the new scoop:

As we have worked on our schedules, re-vised, re-grouped, re-focused, re-assessed, re-rested, re-confuzzled, and totally turned everything upside down with all this "re" business, we've come up with a new schedule to try and simplify things.

With the craziness of our lives, we want to share it all with you (isn't that nice of us?) and still be able to maintain our writing, schooling, swimming, speaking, teaching, and everything else in between. :)

So here it is:

Tuesday - will be a post on our blog together at - KimberleyandKaylaWoodhouse.com
(One week Kim will post, the next week Kayla will post and so on...)

Wednesday - will be a post on Kim's blog posted at - KimberleyWoodhouse.com click on the blog tab this blog is also posted at
KimberleyWoodhouse and KimberleyWrites

Thursday - will be a post on Kayla's blog for kids at - Dragon Claws, Dog Paws, Swimming Laws...

As always we love to hear from all of you and look forward to sharing all the great things going on!

It's Raining... It's Pouring

So many times in our lives things overwhelm us. And the proverbial saying comes into play, "When it rains, it pours..."

Life always seems like that - with its ebbs and flows. Craziness always appears to hit more than one way.

I discovered when we moved to Colorado that most of the time when it rains, it only lasts a few minutes and it never really pours. Until last Tuesday. :) We had some great thunderstorms. Little did I know, that it would be a torrential downpour with flashflood warnings all around us. I was just excited for the moisture for my flower beds.

The next day, we discovered water had found its way in through a window in my office. Not a pretty sight. And heartbreaking. Books wet and damaged, a lot of my author stuff wet.

I was devastated. We've had a lot of "hits" lately, and I didn't want another one. :) Then another blow came - finding out that homeowner's insurance couldn't cover it. Okay, I admit it. I cried. Tears of frustration and anger and then... "what do I do?"

And then for the bazillionth time in my "young" life - I felt the prodding to consider this trial joy. Ugh. You'd think I'd learned that lesson a while ago. Did I really need to work on it again?

Um... yes.

No matter how tired I am, how much I have on my plate, or how many things might be piling up... I need that reminder. It doesn't mean that life all of a sudden takes on a rosy glow, but it does mean that I can choose joy. Even when I don't feel like it, or don't want to, or would rather wallow. :)

So... one day at a time. I'm choosing joy. What about you?