The Cannery, A Magazine, A Recipe.

So yesterday we went to the Cannery in Carrollton while my sweet best friend watched my kids. It was great! I had never been to the cannery before and when you walk in you have to go through the LDS employment services offices. You could totally feel the spirit- it was so peaceful and all the people were soooo nice. So then we went into the cannery and we hadn't realized that to can you have to have an appt if its not on a Wednesday, but despite that a really nice lady named Carolyn helped us and she told us we could buy the extras of stuff that people canned and didn't need/want. So we ended up with a bunch of stuff and while we were driving away Shawn was like "i feel so calm now!" And I felt the same way. Its the same way I feel when I have a full pantry after a trip to the grocery store when I've bought alot of extra stuff. And that is the way the Lord wants us to feel. He doesn't want us to be worried and that's why we all need to take seriously the feelings I think alot of us have been feeling lately- namely, that we need to hurry the heck up and get our food storage taken care of, and learn some ways to be self-reliant! We are going back tomorrow because they're getting a shipment of stuff in today because they were flat out of lots of stuff when we got there yesterday. They said it's because of the article in the Ensign- everyone is rushing to get their year supply now.


I found a new magazine at WalMart that you should all check out. It is right up my alley because I just love reading reviews of products and finding which one is the best to spend my money on. It's called Shop Smart and its from Consumer Reports. It covered everything from the best diapers to the best sunscreen, to the best cars to buy under 4000 dollars, I mean you name it it was reviewed. And it's a magazine, which means even more stuff will be reviewed next month that I can read about!! Here is a link about the mag: http://www.dmnews.com/cms/dm-news/database-marketing/38287.html.


The other day after Liam prayed we asked him if Heavenly Father heard him. He said yes. We said "how do you know?" and he said "because I pray loud." So just a little tip from Liam: when you don't think Heavenly Father is hearing your prayers, pray louder.


I made a killer salad the other day. Oh it was so yummy. Here ya go: toss together romaine, grape tomatoes, black beans, carrots and cucumbers. Season some chicken strips with Montreal Steak seasoning and grill. Cut up and throw on top of salad. Make cilantro pesto: process or blend cilantro (without stems), olive oil, salt, lemon juice, minced garlic, and cracked pepper. Drizzle pesto over top of salad (or individual salad portions whatever you prefer), along with some good salsa, crumbled tortilla chips, and mexican blend cheese. Mmmmmmm, so good. The cilantro pesto is also yummy on a corn tortilla just pan fried with cheese, salsa, and black beans.


I'm gonna get offa here- a nice lady from my ward is coming over to my house today and showing me how to can food. I've got some peaches I got on sale the other day so I'll start with that. I'll let you all know how it goes!

About Ashley...

1. Where is your cell phone? wherever my phone obsessed toddler has left it.
2. Relationship? Married
3. Your hair? I've never really decided on the color, but I guess for the sake of this quiz I will just say dark blond.
4. Work? why yes I do.
5. Your sister/s? dont have any by blood but I have some rockin sisters in law!
6. Your favorite thing? i have to pick one? umm, reading while laying outside.
7. Your dream last night? I didnt have any (that I can remember)
8. Your favorite drink? water
9. Your dream car? I really really want a saturn outlook
10. The room you’re in? Office
11. Your shoes? Barefoot
12. Your fears? someone breaking in the house while shawn is gone.
13. What do you want to be in 10 years? a freelance writer
14. Who did you hang out with this weekend? my fam in houston
15. What are you not good at? getting motivated to do stuff.
16. Muffin? cranberry orange
17. One of your wish list items? going on vacation
18. Where you grew up? Tyler, Texas
19. Last thing you did? sat outside with Liam
20. What are you wearing? bermudas and a shirt from ae
21. What aren’t you wearing? well, that would basically be anything but bermudas and a shirt from ae.
22. Your pet? a boxer named clark, also known as clarky malarky, clarky, and clarkster.
23. Your computer? really really old.
24. Your life? a little confusing at the moment!
25. Your mood? tired and missing my husband!
26. Missing? lots of people!!
27. What are you thinking about right now? that I really need to get off the computer and go take a shower.
28. Your car? nissan XTerra
29. Your kitchen? nice and clean today. but I'm sure somebody will go in there in a second and make me a liar!
30. Your summer? hasnt felt like summer at all with all the stupid rain!
31. Your favorite color? green
32. Last time you laughed? about 5 minutes ago when Liam made a "temple" out of a sippy cup and my mini camera tripod.
33. Last time you cried? I know it has to have been recently because Liam has been very difficult lately.
34. School? done with for now.
35. Love? so many people! all my friends who are so awesome, my husband who helps me see the bigger picture, my kids who teach me how to be a better person, and my family for raising me with the gospel!!!!
36. Name? ashley

k, I tag....steph and karie!

Some More Random Photos For Elder Standard

why, yes, actually, I will be showing all his dates this picture.

what a cutiepatootie!

figuring out the sock-foot connection

chocolate face. yum!

Some Random Photos For Miles

me and Liam! he loves me!

shawn and liam at addy's 1st birthday dinner

addy at her first birthday dinner

addy's cupcakes

love ya bro!!!!!!

Lots of jumbly thoughts

Today has been great. On Wednesdays I get to read Miles' letter to the family, so it's always great to know how he's doing and to hear what progress he's making with those stubborn Canadians! I took the kids to a park early this morning before it became Hells Kitchen outside and they had alot of fun. Addy is the type of kid though who just watches stuff for a while. She watches and watches, and then decides to jump in and have fun. I am always reflecting on how different 2 kids in the same family can be.



I am in mourning right now, because one of my dear friends has passed away. Her name was Morning Nap, and one day she was here, the next she was gone. Poof. Just like that. Addy just decided she didnt need two naps a day after all, so now she takes one around lunch time. At least it's a long nap, around 3 hours. Niiiiiice. It's been good and bad. On the good hand, we can go do stuff in the morning without Addy becoming Miss Cranky Pants. On the bad hand, I cant just wake up when the kids do and then work out when she lays down for her morning nap, which was around 9:30, 10:00. Now I have to actually wake up before the kids do *gasp* if I want to work out and shower. You know, at a decent hour instead of waiting until 2:00 in the afternoon to look presentable. But I guess it's more good than bad because I've been really really trying hard to do the "early to bed, early to rise" thing. So now I just have more motivation to do that.

You know whats funny? All day long I will think of things to blog and i usually write them down on a list, but today I just cant think of all the things going on. And actually, if you look at the date on the top of this blog, it will say I wrote this on Wednesday. But in actuality, it's Friday. It has taken me that long to write out a decent post. And it doesnt even have pictures! For shame!!! But seriously, I took a blog addiction quiz the other day, and I am 70% addicted to blogging. I could've (hmm, my spellcheck is telling me that could've is not a word. Does it know I'm from Texas and I can make any word I want into a contraction?) sworn that it more like 98% or something like that, but I'm also pretty sure that it was The Official Blogging Addiction Quiz, so the numbers must be right, right?

Oh, oh oh!!!! I know I know!! I was going to tell you that I have a talk this Sunday. Eeewwwwwwwwww. It is like the worst possible week to have a talk to give. My house has been in a total shambles because we redid the flooring in the hallway and the kids rooms. All the furniture from 3 bedrooms was in my room, plus Liam and Addy were sleeping in there. 2 beds, a crib, 2 dressers, a ridiculous number of childrens books, and clothes strewn everywhere (dont ask me why moving furniture involved strewing clothes everywhere) all conspired to make me, well, not feel quite so.........spiritual, if you know what I mean. Cleanliness is next to Godliness you know and I swear I have been so cranky this week. So I have looked over my talk once, and luckily it is very short and Shawn will be speaking too so that means he can pick up the slack on my 8 minute talk. I love having a husband who likes giving talks. So anyway, back to why this is the worst possible week to give a talk: tomorrow (saturday) is Richards wedding and reception (shawns younger brother), I had to put my house back in place from the Flooring Fiasco, and Sunday our realtor is having an Open House and my house has to be *spotless*, and Sunday we are driving to Houston so I have to pack for that. yuck yuck yuck.

Well, that is enough griping for one night. Well, it's not really I could do some more about how hard it is to have your house show worthy all the stinkin time with 2 small children. I dont know how Becky Hansen did it. I dont know how Stephanie Gibson did it. I dont know how anybody does it. Kuddos to you ladies!!!

Okay that really is all. I will let you all know how my weekend goes. And if you're a Tomballite, I look forward to seeing you in a couple days!

What If the Shoe Doesnt Fit?

This morning as we were getting ready for church I went to put Liam's shoes on him and I was stuffing and stuffing those feet in there and they would not fit!! I finally figured out that his toes were scrunched up at the top of the shoe, and there was nowhere for the feet to go! So he ended up wearing his trusty black and white converse sneakers to church, which I bought when I was pregnant with Addy and which I realized this morning are getting to be too small for him too. It always comes as a shock that Liam is getting bigger. I mean, the laws of the universe make it pretty clear that a child will grow into an adult, but still, sometimes you'd like to think it wasn't happening to your child. Of course, other times you'd really like your child to be a grown adult capable of pulling on his own underwear and getting his own milk. But then, I guess, you wouldn't get funny conversations like these:


Liam: "mom, theres a bug outside! and it has tweezers!!"
The funny thing about this is that I knew exactly what he was trying to say but I couldn't think of the word for about 5 minutes. Finally I found the word and yelled out "Antennae! you mean he had antennae!" He said "yeah mom. tweezers." Okie dokie.


We had a fhe a while back on safety, and what to do if you get lost, and if someone tries to pick you up, etc. I'm always having mini lessons on this with him because, obviously, as a mother I'm petrified of something like that happening. The other day I was sitting on Liam's bed with him, and he goes "Mom, what should we do if a kid gets lost in the store?" and he said it in the way a teacher would ask her class. I said, "he should yell his mommy's name really loud." He said "No mom! he prays first!" I felt dumb.

While on a walk with him recently he was picking things up that he wanted to take home and show daddy. He kept begging me to hold his things and I had to say no because I was carrying Addy on my shoulders. (her little short legs didn't make it very far before she wanted to be carried. Luckily the route I chose was not very long.) Shortly I found something that I thought was neat and since my hands were full I asked Liam to carry it for me. Big mistake. Liam goes "Mom! I cant carry it for you! I'm not an octopus! I don't have bunch of arms to carry stuff! I only have 2 little arms! You have to carry it yourself!" I just had to laugh. He'll be a good daddy one day, coming up with stuff like that to say. All I could come up with was "If you find it you have to carry it Liam." I should be taking lessons from him on "What To Say When Your Child Asks You "Why?" So Many Times You Think They Might Be Trying To Set A World Record."




So I guess the grass really isn't greener on the other side. One day when he can put on his own underwear and pour his own milk I know I'll miss the funny things he used to say. That's why we have to enjoy every minute of parenthood and not let things like the internet, our to-do list, and cell phones suck away these small moments we have with our kids. Speaking of, I have some cute little nieces over here that I need to spend some girl time with, so we'll see ya tomorrow. Have a good Sunday!

Panic! at my house

So, yesterday, someone came to see the house. Not the first time, but definitely the most stressful time. I had visited Falconhead for the 4th, and when we left the house was a complete disaster. So I get back home and get a call: "can we come see your house at 3 or 4?" Sure, I said. Of course. I hang up and get to work on the house. Thankfully Addison was tuckered out and slept a really long time for her morning nap, so I got a whole bunch done while she was asleep. But there's always those last minute things, like hanging fresh towels in the bathrooms (you know, in case the people wanna smell my towels. "Honey, what about that pretty house on Lake Durant?" "You mean the one with the stinky towels? No way!" I cant let stinky towels be a reason they dont buy the house!), hiding laundry that needs to be folded, emptying out the bathroom trash... etc. I am very nearly done when there is a knock on the door! Oh my gosh! I go into a panic! These realtor people are never on time!! It is 3 o'clock on the dot people!! Apparently my panic spilled over into my children because the kids had been playing contentedly outside. Liam knows the drill: if we are here when the people get here, we go outside. He has been totally fine with that concept, until we heard The Knock. At the sound of The Knock, all of my children's mule-ish tendencies made themselves known. All of a sudden, Addy wants to come inside. Clark is still inside, which I was told by the realtor was a big no-no. Liam decides he doesn't want to go outside after all. I (quietly- wouldn't want the people outside to hear me) hiss at Liam to "take your sister outside! NOW!! Don't come inside!!" but the hissing didn't work because right about the same time I'm opening the door and saying Hi and trying to look normal, I hear Addy at the back door being wrestled outside by her brother and she was in no uncertain terms telling him that she did NOT like being wrestled out the back door. She was not going quietly I can tell you that!!! I look back and see Liam trying valiantly to get her outside, and he yells "she doesn't want to go mama!" I mean really, it looked like she thought someone was trying to drag her to the gallows or something. And if you've heard Addy protest lately, you know how loud and piercing it is. I imagine it sounds something like what a pterodactyl must have sounded like. So then I look back at the people, and I swear that the look on the realtors face was a look you only see in movies. Seriously, I felt like I was in Desperate Housewives in a scene with Lynette and her crazy triplets. She just had this look like, oh. my. gosh. With her eyebrows raised she goes "Can we come in?" I was like "Sure. Sure. Just...um, hang on a second while I grab my kids by their ears and throw them outside. And the dog! You wont even know we're here!!!" So they're in the house at this point and I'm trying to shoo Liam outside and he very emphatically does NOT want to go outside, so I end up putting us out of the way in the family room and turning on Animal Planet. When they leave I notice that the towels are still where they were dropped in my panic (on the bathroom floor), and the laundry was still there in all its rumpled glory. Definitely selling points, don't you think?