Sugar and Spice Mommy

WE'VE MOVED!

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 02:47:00 +0000

Happy New Year!!

We have moved to our new blog and hope you will join us over there...

http://www.daybydaydelight.blogspot.com/

Don't forget to change your links, follow along and add us to your online reader!

No Resolutions....Just a Word

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 22:29:00 +0000

"DELIGHT"

Last year we did the same thing...instead of resolutions we picked a word for our year. A word that we thought would represent our year. Wow, were we WAY off when we chose the word "Simplify", we kicked it off with Sugar being in the hospital at the beginning of the new year! That was not what we meant by simplify! So this year we will DELIGHT...

Delight in the Good and the Bad

Delight in the Healthy and Sick

Delight in the Clean and Messes

Delight in the Hard and Easy

Delight in Sleep, but mostly No Sleep coming my way

Delight in our Kids and that they will grow up way too fast

Delight in our families and the time we get with them

Delight in Fun and Work

Delight in the piles of Dirty Laundry (we are thankful to have many clothes to wear!)

Delight in our friends that we are so blessed to have

Delight in the home we have

Delight in the gifts God has given us

but mostly.....

Delight in Him first! God is giver of our lives and things and days and stuff!

Sugar and Spice go Sweet and Sassy!

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 23:22:00 +0000

Last week the girls went for a Christmas cut...it was well over due!! I really do not remember the last time Spice got a haircut because she has been wanting to grow it out. This was the very first (professional) haircut for Sugar. You may remember when she tried to style her own hair??

Spice went first to show Sugar the ropes! She chose orange shampoo and conditioner!

Sugar chose the pineapple...looks like she is relaxing on the beach huh??

Spice was an old pro at sitting in the chair, although not that still!

Sugar was mesmerized and VERY still...lets just hope she was not taking notes for her next style!

Finished products...this little salon is a very girly salon with glitter for your hair and everything!

The girls even got the special treat of having a manicure! Thanks to Aunt Laura!

We had a great time being girly girls at Sweet and Sassy!

Scootin' Around

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 13:53:00 +0000

Braving 25-30 degree temperatures is not what I love best, but after much begging I gave in and followed the girls on their scooter ride. These were a Christmas gift that they have enjoyed riding in the house thus far. I was surprised at how well Sugar did on hers, but I guess I need to come to the realization that she is getting bigger too! I can not believe in a few months she will be three! Off they quickly went down the sidewalk....

A few stops to admire the huge leaves still falling and to take some pics...

Spice requested a red scooter, I thought she would want pink, but her taste and intrests never seem to surprise me. She is her own person with her own little style and that is one thing I love about her!

Sugar in all pink with her boots!

All bundled up...after a while they realized what I meant when I told them it was FREEZING outside!

So, it was a few more pics, a quick turn around...

and we were on our way back home to thaw out! A few quick rides in freezing temps is ok with me, but I will look forward to this more in the spring!

Packing it all in...

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 22:24:00 +0000

I love all the little things about Christmas like...

Decorating cookies with my girls (even if they aren't homemade..they were still cute!)

Watching my big girl sing for all of her preschool!

Helping with class parties...

Visiting with Santa at Mr. Nice's office party.. (Spice did not love the big guy too much!)

Making salt dough ornaments via an idea from one of my favorite bloggers, We made the cinnamon version...they smelled so good Mr. Nice tried to eat one...that was a huge mistake!

We also made these via another favorite blog...These are sooo very easy the hardest part was opening each individual kiss.

Hanging out with my 10th grade girls from church. We had a fun Christmas party at my house then went caroling around the neighborhood! These girls are so fun!

In the midst of doing all of these "things" it makes me wonder do people out there REALLY get WHY we do these things?? Why do we tie beautiful bows, decorate our home, give the perfect gift, send out cards, sing, and party? It is for Him the one who was born to die for us. Lets take a little breather and realize what this day is all about!

"For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Isaiah 9:6

What's in a name??

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 21:06:00 +0000

"...I have called you by name; you are mine."

Isaiah 43:1

It is no secret what my children's names are. I just have used "Sugar" (Caroline) and "Spice" (Molly Cate) as a cute reference to them becuase of their personalities (although these names could waver from time to time) and it goes with the blog. More about the blog name later.

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As far as names go we have FINALLY settled on a name for baby boy blue. After our field trip last weekend, we decided we better get moving on this. We have only really liked two....well three names, but we could not agree on what it would be. We agreed on the name I liked and then using the nickname Mr. Nice (Ken...since we are talking names here) liked. So, baby boy blue will be ......

John Cooper "Jack"

The more kids you have the harder it is to name..in my opinion! It really is sad the extent I have gone to looking at names for this child. I have serched stationary stores looking at their birth announcments, looked through facebook names, asking every mom that I meet with a son what her child's name is!

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As far as the blog name goes, I will switch over to a new blog name soon. One, that will reflect the whole family. (I don't want the little guy to feel left out!) I will keep you posted on this soon.

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His room is finally coming along and I am so excited to have his little "space" all set up! I will hopefully have some pictures to share soon. Along with some DIY projects that will go in his room. As I type Mr. Nice is working hard at hanging the curtain rod in his room. I won't tell you how long it took for us to hang the light fixture or roman shades!

A Sweet Day

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 02:23:00 +0000

Today the doctor had good news baby boy blue and I were doing good!! Praise the Lord...thank you for your prayers, calls and concerns! He wants me to take it as easy as possible and try not to do too much. That is not so easy to tell a 32 week pregnant woman with Christmas 10 days away! I am going to do my best. The good thing is that Christmas shopping is pretty much complete...hip hip hurray! It has been for a while, but I did pick up some last minute things today. My girls LOVE these...

Calico Critters, and I do too..they are so cute and I love watching them play pretend with them!

The other day we worked on making this....

You can find the recipe HERE. We made these for our sweet teachers at school. I halfed the recipe and used smaller jars. They were very easy to make, but a bit challenging when you have a 2 and 4 year old who sees chocolate and goes gaga! (No children touched any ingredients that were to be put in the jars....I am kinda funny about things like that!)

We made a little assembly line and got them all finished up!

I just love mason jars!

I used some red and white twine and attached a little card with this poem:

A significant symbol of Christmas

Is the simple candy cane.

It's shape is the crook of the Shepherd

One of the first who came.

The lively pepermint flavor is

The regal gift of spice.

The white is Jesus' purity.

The red His sacrifice.

The narrow stripes are friendship

And the nearness of His love.

Eternal, sweet compassion

A gift from God above.

The candy cane reminds us all

Of how much God cared.

And like His Christmas gift to us

It's meant to be broken and shared.

We taste tested the recipe the other night, and it was rich and yummy! I used the indredients that we had already divided out into a jar. The candy canes had all stuck together (not sure how you stop that from happening), but once I crushed them back up it was DELICIOUS!

The bun is NOT done!

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 23:29:00 +0000

Yesterday at about 1:15 p.m. we headed to the hospital....I'm only 32 weeks so this was not a hospital visit I wanted! Spice was excited she thought it was time to meet her brother, Sugar was just confused and rightfully so. It was well after lunchtime and she still had on her pajamas! The feeling of contractions are not something a mom can forget, so when I started having them on Saturday and then they became regular (2 minutes apart) I knew something was up. My nurse wanted me to go to the hospital and get checked out. So, we loaded everyone up and headed that way. Boompa and Gran were there to meet us to get the girls. Mr. Nice and I checked in at labor and delivery, and got the monitors all hooked up. I was happy to see that I was not crazy and that I REALLY WAS having contractions, at this point the were steady and strong about every 3 minutes.
My sweet doctor was on call and was able to come and talk to me about everything and that comforted me greatly! After a few tests, some shots, an IV and an ultra sound the contractions slowed down enough to come home at about 7:00 p.m. PRAISE THE LORD! Baby boy blue looked perfectly healthy and good too! This made us realize it is way time to get a name and get some things accomplished for this little boy!

As for today I have been doing this....

This is my attempt at self portrait before our Sunday school Christmas party on Friday night (before the drama)...

The family brought me home some sweet treats after church...Sugar did really want to share!

Puppy Love

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 20:23:00 +0000

Christmas 2005

It has been almost two months, enough time for me to mourn and get over the fact that we are no longer dog owners. I have been wanting to write this post for a while, but I just could not write about the pups without getting emotional. The first week I think I cried everyday (when the girls were not looking). The first time it rained, I thought "Oh, we have to wipe paws off today!" Although there were no paws to wipe. The first time I heard neighbor's dog barking it sounded so much like Charlie, I almost called him in so that he would not disturb anyone. Lily's "spot" on the couch seems so bare.

Old pictures from about 5 years ago...

Giving away your dogs is a a hard thing to do, but knowing how full our hands will soon be with three kids under the age of five it was what we had to do. Dogs need to be walked and played with and given much more attention than what we had been giving them. We knew they would be happier somewhere else. Although the plan to keep them together did not work out Lily and Charlie are in good homes with families that are giving them lots of attention. We hear that Charlie is learning Spanish and got to visit Santa Claus. I have only talked to Lily's new owner one time and she was very interested in knowing all about her and what she likes.

Lily was given to me by Mr. Nice when he proposed, so saying goodbye to her was a little harder. I'm sure her new owner thought I was crazy when I sobbed to her over the phone. Lily was the alphadog, large and in charge. Very sweet to the girls, but not too sweet to Charlie! Set in her ways but very loyal.

Charlie was a "lets wait a few more years until we have a baby" dog, although I was preggo with Spice nine months after we got him. Charlie has the funniest personality and also very loyal, but was scared to death of the girls and Lily. He was chocolate brown when we first got him, but eventually turned light tan. So that is how he got his name Charlie, like Charlie Brown...my mom named him.

Boy Story

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 20:38:00 +0000

Yes I typed that right, I'm talking about the boy not toys. Baby boy blue's arrival is sneaking up on us fast. I think it may have something to do with the fact that the end of this pregnancy is around the holidays. I have about 9 1/2 weeks to go and many things on my to do list...painting, a name, getting furniture out, choosing a name, car seat and stroller, picking a name, diapers and wipes, DID I mention this child has NO name, oh the list goes on and on!

Maybe you can take a peek at him and tell us what you think?

Since this is my third, but first boy I kinda feel like we are having our first baby all over again. It is exciting looking and shopping for him, but honestly not too much has been done. Here is what has been done...
Bedding & Curtains..

These prints were purchased HERE for his room.

I have also purchased a dresser for a changing table at a local antique junk store and a hutch for storage from craigslist. Those will be painted soon and in his room. This is the dresser...

Another great deal I found was this pottery barn book rack at our local PB Outlet. I would have never paid full price for this, but at $30 I thought that was a steal!

In the midst of all this planning the perfect room for a not so perfect baby (not get mad at me for saying that..just keep reading) I must keep the real Boy Story in my mind, especially in this month. See there IS a perfect BOY that was born this time of year, and no he did not have the perfect room, perfect blanket, or perfect bookshelf that his mom got for a steal. He had NO room. So, as I plan, nest and prepare for our little gift of joy I do not want to get sidetracked on what I need to focus my attention on, and that is Jesus. He came to this earth for you and me and this boy that I am preparing a room for. Let's not loose focus, let's not get consumed in the stuff.

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Scrappy Fabric Ornaments {A Tutorial}

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 19:47:00 +0000

If you read my blog then you may have noticed that I am a fabric junkie! I think I need to just work in a fabric store or open one up. I just love all the colors and styles and thinking of things to make with it. I just don't always have the time to real "sew", so that is where all my fabric scrap projects come in. I like easy, fun and quick! So, here is a little tut on these cute little ornaments that you can whip up in no time!

SUPPLIES:

Foam balls (I used 2" and 3" sizes)

Fabric scraps cut into long strips (I had all lengths and widths that I used..no measuring required!)

Extra long straight pins

Twine or Ribbon

1. Start with your fabric strip. Here is what mine looked like. I ended up using about three like this for the larger ball. I like when the fabric is a little frayed. Some of mine were and some were not.

2. Next, just hold down the end with your thumb and start wrapping...

..and wrapping....making sure to overlap your fabric so that you do not see the Styrofoam...

...and wrapping...if you come to the end of your fabric, but haven't wrapped the whole ball then just overlap it and keep wrapping. No need to glue or sew.

3. When you have completely covered the ball stick a pin in place and cut off any excess fabric.

4. Cut off enough twine or ribbon to tie off one end while making a loop for hanging.

5. Take your pin out and stick the twine in the knot and through the ball.

6. Start decorating! Use them on your tree or tie on packages!

The ornaments in the girl's room were done in pink and green fabrics. The possibilities are endless. Match them up to your Christmas decor!

I'm linking up here:

Tiny's Back in Town!

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 03:49:00 +0000

One fun thing the girls have been looking forward to is "Tiny's" return! Who is Tiny? Well, he did make an appearance in this blog post HERE, but I do not think I ever "officially" blogged about Tiny. Tiny is an Elf on the Shelf, and makes the countdown to Christmas exciting and fun! We started this little tradition last year and it has been so much fun the past two days seeing where Tiny will land! On Friday Tiny made his grand appearance in the girl's room with a new tree just for them. I have never heard Spice get up so quickly and come running down the hall to call for me downstairs! It was priceless! Each night Tiny flies to the North Pole to report to Santa Sugar and Spice's behavior. Every morning he returns to find a new hiding spot to watch from. Looking for where Tiny lands is the best part!

Tiny brought some ornaments for us to decorate the tree with, which Spice and I worked on Friday afternoon.

We even added the homemade ornaments that I had been working on for the girls. Hopefully I can have a DIY for you on Tuesday! They are fun and cherry and so easy to make!

Spice was very particular in where each ornament would go, and she was being so very careful to not touch Tiny. That is one of the rules...you are never to touch your elf, or he will loose his magic. This little rule has distressed Sugar quite a bit!

Our finished tree with Tiny hanging on for dear life! Come back for more elf adventures, because you never know where Tiny may show up the next day!

Do you have an Elf on the Shelf? What fun places have you found your elf in??

Happy Birthday Mr. Nice!

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 20:23:00 +0000

(at Thanksgiving with Ford and Sugar)

Today is Mr. Nice's birthday, and he is being such a good sport! Not only did have to work today, he is taking us girls to see Tangled! Isn't he a good sport!? I just wrote about him a few weeks ago on how thankful I am for am for him and how much I love him! He is such a wonderful husband and dad!

Happy Birthday Mr. Nice!
We love you!

Thankful on Paper {Week 4}

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 22:11:00 +0000

This week I am writing to my girls who I am so very thankful for. They bring so many smiles, laughter and joy into our life! I never thought being a mom could be so much fun (don't get me wrong hard work too!). Life with two girls has been an exciting roller coster and I know that they are going to make the best big sisters to their new brother in a few short months!

There are MANY things I love about my girls, but here are just a few!

SPICE:

Independent nature

The way she rubs my hair when she is tired

Hilarious sense of humor

The things she says

How she is learning so much about Jesus

Her new found love of making crafts and writing notes

SUGAR:

Her sometimes shy behavior

The pout face she makes when she wants something

Her new found love of sitting in the floor and looking through all of her books

Hearing her converse with Spice

Watching her dance

Listening to her sweet, soft prayers

Here are their hand written notes...with a little afternoon treat...Pumpkin Muffins!

Spice enjoying her treat!

Thanks Rachel for hosting! This was a great event that made me thankful for not just the people I wrote, but all of my friends and family in my life! Happy Thanksgiving!

Sunday Scripture

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 13:06:00 +0000

Today in my high school girl's Sunday school class we are talking about studying your Bible. There are so many reasons to study your Bible and meditate on God's Word, but one particular reason we study God's Word is for understanding. When we read God's word, He reveals wonderful things to us that we may not have known before. Things that we should take to heart and use. I thought it was pretty cool that one of the verses we will study today I had just written on some new art I made for the girl's room...

"Open my eyes that I may behold wondrous things from your law." Psalm 119:18

(yes...I did misspell wondrous on the art work...oh well...I never said I was a perfect speller!)

A few more pieces of art for their room....

Thankful on Paper {Week 3}

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Thankful on paper is getting harder week by week. Not because I do not have anyone to write, but because I have SOOO many people to write! I have come to the realization that I should be doing this each and every week. This week I choose four special ladies to write. They spend time with my girls each week and I am just truly sooo thankful to have them! They love on, take care of, feed, play with, and teach my girls so many things. They are their pre-school teachers!

I used to teach and enjoyed it very much! Spending days with children can be exhausing but exciting. It is fun to see how they learn and grow. I am thankful that the ladies my girls spend time with are so loving and caring. This morning I dropped Sugar off crying, but it did not phase her teacher. She held her with a smile and I have peace that Sugar will enjoy her day greatly! Spice went right in to her class today with a big smile knowing that it was going to be a fun day! It's show-and-tell day!

Sugar and Ms. Brenda

I can not believe I do not have a picture with Sugar and Ms. Jill....I need to work on that! This beautiful artwork is from open house night!

Spice and Mrs. Bailey

Again...I have no picture of another WONDERFUL teacher...Mrs. Williams! Here is Spice showing off the calendar area at open house!

Thank you so much Ms. Jill, Ms. Brenda, Mrs. Bailey and Mrs. Williams for loving on our girls and teaching them so many things! We are VERY thankful to you and the love you show them every week! God has blessed us beyond measure to have teachers like you!

Giving Thanks Around Here

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 21:51:00 +0000

With Thanksgiving in literally one week thankfulness has been on our hearts. Although this feeling should not come around only one time of year, it should be something that is a constant in our lives at all times. I have been trying to remind my girls of what it means to be thankful and thanking God from who all blessings flow. In doing so here are a few things we have been doing around here...

Our thankful tree...idea given by a friend. Everyday we add a leaf (usually 2, because each girl wants her own) This picture was taken at the beginning of the month.

On our message board in our breakfast room I have a place to write some thankful things...this note was to the hubs. It is still there.

We have been so thankful for beautiful fall weather most of this month, even a few very warm days! It has made it perfect for playing outside and going to the park!

I have been recently very thankful for sweet sisters who "most" of the time have been getting along nicely. I hope this gets better with time so that they can entertain each other when baby boy blue gets here.

I am also thankful for Sugar's super good potty training progress! We are pretty much diaper/pull-up FREE!! She is pretty proud of herself too! HA!

I'm thankful we can share sweet, festive treats with our school friends!

I'm thankful for cute little indian girls that get excited when mommy helps out at school!

What are you thankful for today??

Sunday Scripture

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 12:00:00 +0000

"Sing to the LORD a new song, for He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have worked salvation for Him." Psalm 98:1

Last week Spice had her fall music program at school. She had shared a few songs with us at home the night before, and she was looking forward to everyone seeing her perform. She did an amazing job! I think I laughed and cried through every song. I was so proud of her and I can't get over how big she is getting!

I missed the last song which was the one I was looking forward to the most! (Sugar had a potty emergency and needed my help!) Daddy stepped in and got a few pictures that I was pretty impressed with.

Thanks to Ms. Cathy for working so hard with our kiddos each and everyday. You are appreciated more than you will ever know! It is a joy to hear praises to the Lord roll off our child's tounge. Although she may not fully understand what she is singing. She is hiding those praises in her heart for when she can use them!

This is the song I missed, Spice was sweet to share it with me and even let me video her! (That is a huge deal around here!) Enjoy!

Thankful on Paper {Week 2}

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 21:50:00 +0000

This week I have chosen my sweet and wonderful husband to write to. We met in high school and started dating our junior year. The picture above was taken on our second date..Homecoming 1996! We have literally spent about 1/2 of our life together! I think that is so amazing! At the time I would have never guessed that I would have married him, but I am so thankful to God that He has put Ken (aka: Mr. Nice in my life!) He is a wonderful, unselfish man who loves me and our children so very much! I know he would jump to the moon and back for us!

He has grown into a man after Jesus' own heart serving and loving God before himself. He sets such a great example for our family. I pray that our son will turn into a man just like his daddy and that our girls will marry someone like him as well!

Did I mention he spoils me? My mother reminded me of this the other day, and sometimes it is good to be reminded because I want to appreciate him and not take him for granted! I love you so very much Mr. Nice! My world would not be as wonderful without you in it!

Want to read more Thankful on Paper? Hop on over HERE and check it out!

Ruffled Note Cards {A Tutorial}

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 12:58:00 +0000

This little tutorial is easy smeezy! All you need:

* Card stock, or flat note cards

*Scrap fabric cut into strips a little wider than your card (enough for a few ruffles)

*Sewing machine with your choice of thread

*Envelopes

First line up one end of your fabric with the edge of your card (you can see how I did this at the back of my presser foot). Make a few stitches (I used a zig-zag stitch). After a few stitches I pinched a little pleat for a ruffle, and held it down until my presser foot grabbed it.

Do this the full width of your card, making sure you have enough fabric to end with. It's ok if it gets a little crooked or hangs off a little...that is what makes it unique!

Wa-la! A beautiful ruffled note card!

See the details...

Don't you love it?

A few finished products paired with my FAVORITE envelopes from Paper Source!

So, why did I make these? To send to a few special people this month to let them know how THANKFUL I am for them. I am participating in Thankful on Paper this month, check it out HERE. These little cards would be a great DIY Christmas gift too!

I went to JAIL last week..

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 14:07:00 +0000

photo source

Yeah, that's right..jail, prison, correction facility. Whatever you want to call it I was behind bars! I never in a million years thought I would be there. I had never been there before. I was there on purpose! I wanted to be there! It was something I will never forget. As I walked through the bars they would close behind me, then another set and another set. I saw women who seemed to have lots of pain in their eyes. I saw women who were smiling. I saw women waiting in line to eat breakfast like little children waiting in line at school. They were all dressed the same in prison mandated jeans and shirts.

So, why was I here? I was blessed to be alongside a wonderful group of women from my church and others who had all come together in a cold place to bring the warm, good news of Jesus. I did not know what my role would be. I was not a part of the amazing praise team. I knew I would not be giving the message to these women, that was done in love and grace by my pastors wife. She shared the wonderful news of choices and being free in Christ. She also shared a lovely story of Cinderella with a Christian perspective. I sat alongside the inmates, still not knowing what role I would play, but listening to the message God had put on my pastors wife. There was no condemnation, no blame games, no "I told you sos"! The most important thing that I heard and that I think spoke to these women was this...You can be more free in here than many people who are freely walking the streets this morning!

When she closed in prayer I went forward with a few others to council and pray with the inmates. That is why I was there. That day five women needed me to pray with them. We prayed about strength, health, and the choices that two of them would be facing when up for parole in a few short weeks. They were broken, but hopeful. I'm still praying for all of the women there, but the ones that I prayed with I will never forget.

I want to go back to jail. Yes, that is right. Many of you reading this may think why? Or you may think I am crazy. The next morning I read this verse,

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me....I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:35-36, 40

I know that this was confirmation from the Lord that He liked what we did, He wants us to do it again. I'm not writing this blog entry to pat my own back or say, "See, look what I did!" I'm writing this to encourage you to do the same. It is easy, it is not hard, it's not scary. There are many hurting people in every corner of this world who need to hear about Jesus, even those in jail who you think may have no hope.

Thankful on Paper {Week One}

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 21:39:00 +0000

I'm a little behind schedule this week, but Rachel over at No.17 Cherry Tree Lane is hosting an amazing blogging party this whole month!

"THANKFUL on PAPER"

You can read all about it on her blog! She is amazing and entertaining! I loved this idea, because if you think about it how often do we truly sit down and write a hand written letter these days? NEVER! How excited do you get when you do get something in the mail? Not sure about you, but I get super excited. I also LOVED the idea because I am a stationery junkie. I used to own a small stationery company online and loved designing all sorts of neat paper products. So, my creative juices were flowing this week as I worked on some special stationery just for this month! I will have a DIY for that in a few days.

So, this week I am focusing on my mom! I have written a lot about my mom on my blog. I have said it before and I will say it again, she is my hero! She loves me unconditionally and and unselfishly! She would do absolutely anything in the world for me or my family. I can remember her going out of her way to do so many things for me when I was a child and now that I am grown. She is WONDERFUL! I LOVE HER! I have been blessed beyond measure by God's love in giving me a mother like mine!

So, I am thankful on paper this week for my mom!

Halloween Past and Present

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 13:00:00 +0000

We had a fun halloween with the girls as usual, but lets look back at some fun memories..
I had to do a little digging in the archives, but I found them...

Halloween 2006 - Spice at almost 5 months dressed as a Duck

Halloween 2007 - Spice at almost 1 1/2 with her buddy, Matthew dressed as a cheerleader

Halloween 2008 -

Sugar at 6 months dressed as a Banana

Spice at 2 dressed as a Monkey (these costumes were all her idea!)

The whole fam at Mr. Nice's office party.

Halloween 2009 -

Sugar at 1 1/2 dressed as a Flower

Spice at 3 dressed as a Bumblebee (again..her idea)

The whole fam again at the annual Halloween office party.

Halloween 2010 -

Spice at 4 dressed as a Cowgirl (aka: Jessie)

Sugar at 2 1/2 also a Cowgirl

Our 2010 Pumpkins...

BOO!

Hope your trick or treating was fun!

Fall Break at Water Color {The End}

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 14:51:00 +0000

Thursday and Friday were spend poolside and beach side trying to catch the last snippets of summer like weather.

We also spent Thursday and Friday playing, eating, and having as much fun as possible!

Last but not least, a few of my favs from the week....Lots of them! Yes I was our family's personal paparazzi, and if you are not a family member you probably could care less about looking through all of these pictures. They are mainly for grandparent entertainment!:)

Thank you Mimi and Pop for a WONDERFUL vacation!:)

Fall Break at Water Color {Part 2}

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 11:00:00 +0000

The pool and beach are such nice place to be mid-October...The high was around 82-85 and the pool was heated. The ocean was a little cool, but playing and digging in the sand was sooo fun! That is exactly what we did the whole day on Tuesday!

On the bike ride back we stoped for a sno-cone treat at Frost Bites...YUM...and a little dancing in the streets!

Tuesday was also the 14th anniversary of mine and Mr. Nice's first date!! Crazy huh! Our first date was in 11th grade! Here we are before our date at Bud and Allys..

After dinner we met up with the girls and mom and dad at the beach for more kite flying!

Wednesday was filled with more outdoor activities including fishing....

playing in the butterfly garden...

After that Sugar was pretty worn out..

Later on Wednesday night the girls found a treasure map that led them to the beach and two treasure boxes filled will jewelry and coins!! This was very exciting...so much Spice said she could just cry her eyes out...ha ha!!

One more post and I think I will have covered everything!:)