Quotes

I love a good inspirational quote - I get it from my Mama :) 

I was talking with some co workers today, some have older kids, some babies and others pregnant. We were talking about how to help your kids navigate tough social situations like being bullied. Not necessarily over-the-top Lifetime movie type bullying but your more common sneaky, under the radar mean girl type stuff. It was nice to hear the perspective of other parents and even though we have awhile until we have to deal with it, start forming some thoughts on the matter myself.

So when I got home and was browsing Pinterest for next weeks meals, I came across some quotes that seem to fit today's topic. Enjoy :)

xoxo

Ashlea

Catching Up

So we have been very busy around here and I will (hopefully!!!) start writing more regularly but for now we need to catch up on everything that's been going on......

* belly pictures!

 

 

I just woke up, please dont judge me :)

* we went on a trip to Dubai and Goa, India. Goa was where the wedding was held and Dubai as just a fun add on.

Shopping in Dubai. This is what is called the "gold sook" basically just the gold district.

so much gold!

we got talked into seeing the "watch mans" goodies which apparently he kept on the roof. we declined the lovely rolex knock offs he was offering.

middle eastern fashion. you can see the coordinating head covering that goes with each outfit.

the atmosphere was lovely on our shopping day, perfect temperature, sunny and lots of pretty buildings to look at. it did catch me off guard every time they did the call to prayer which is a horn that plays across the city.

dried roses.basil.nuts

the best smelling street in the whole city :)

the owner of this shop was so nice and explained what everything was to us and let us sample whatever we wanted. my favorite: golden raisins that were the size of quarters.yummmm

so pretty. i ended up buying a set of different dried teas and dried lavender which i plan on making some sachets with.

there are lots of camel things in dubai. we looked into riding them but i couldnt because im pregnant. oh well, next time im in the middle easyt i suppose.

waterfall in the 10 story mall. this is on the other end from the indoor ski resort.

more waterfall.

Goa, India

so so pretty. the weather was perfect. when wedding things were on a break we spent all of our time relaxing in chairs by the pool.

flower display in a tub of water.

this one was my favorite.

on our walk around town.

i liked the artwork on this building.

 

 

scaffolding made from bamboo. it fascinated me.

The trip was great and so different from other places we have visited. My favorite parts, as usual, was eating our way around both places. Highlights include: Portuguese coconut cornbread (Goa has a very heavy Portuguese influence), gelato, hummus and flat bread in Dubai and 2 paneer (Indian cheese) dishes I had at the wedding. 

* lastly, a couple of baby related things. We got started painting the nursery this weekend, picked up some precious clothes at a great consignment shop and have been loving feeling her move and kick all the time! Here is one of my favorite outfits we picked up.

 

 

 

 

we got this cute little romper for $1!

Have a great week everyone!
xoxo
Ashlea

Sharing some secrets...

  I usually sweep the house once or twice a week, however we were gone for Christmas and I let my vacation continue once we got back home. This is the result of my inaction.....

Terrifying. I really didn't think it would be that bad. I mean it had only been a hair over 2 weeks. (get it haha) But it was big and gross, really gross. Here is a comparison shot next to a large navel orange so you can see what I was dealing with.

It took 2 trips with a full dustpan to get it all.

  

 

Even though my dust bunny pile had grown to mammoth proportions, it was worth every second of my no cleaning, family filled, relaxing Christmas holiday. Do I love a clean house? yes. Do I love focusing on what is really important and letting little things go? yes. Ah family, I miss you so much already.

On to less disturbing news, we found out a few days before Christmas the sex of our baby. Since our getting pregnant was the furthest thing from a surprise because our families knew all about our IVF and what was going on, I was so exciting to have a "secret" to reveal. We took a picture of the ultrasound and added a little touch to let our families know if it was a boy or girl. We framed it and let each soon-to-be Grandma open it. Tony did not save a copy of it so I cant show it but trust me, it was precious. Here is my belly picture from the day we found out.

 (please excuse the lack of make up, it was early and we were rushing out the door)

Of course we would have been thrilled either way, so we are so excited to be having a little girl! We have been discussing names and planning the nursery. I have been feeling her move for a little while now but just in the last week she has started kicking hard enough for Tony to feel her, his face was priceless the first time. We go in a week and a half for another ultrasound and will hopefully have some more great news (healthy baby) and something to share ( a video of the ultrasound)!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and that 2013 has started off fantastic!

xoxo
Ashlea
 

Baby!!

Most of you know but I wanted to put up an official post and show off some pictures to announce.....

We are having a baby! Very long story short we in In Vitro at the end of the summer and a few days before my 26th birthday I found out I was pregnant. There are no words to describe seeing those 2 pink lines. Confession, I still havent been able to throw away the test.

So far the pregnancy has been pretty great, I had some usual first trimester stuff - super tired, food grossed me out so I didn't eat much and had some mild aches and pains but that's all pretty much passed now and I am just getting to enjoy watching my tummy grow and research all things baby.

 

waving "hi"!

beautiful healthy baby!

 

 

 

 

could that little face be more precious?!

xoxo

Ashlea 

 

Its Fall Yall!!

I love decorating for the seasons and Fall is by far my favorite. Here is a peak around the house of the new Fall decorations Ive put up.....

 

xoxo
Ashlea

Saving Summers Bounty

We have a fantasic famers market here that I go to every week, mostly I just pick up our fruits and veggies for the weeks meals but this week I went to get something to can.

So far this summer I have canned peaches and frozen green beans but I still have some cans to use and summer is quickly slipping away, so I went on the hunt.

canned peaches...........yummmmmm

As I was picking up some sweet potatoes for a really delicious sounding side dish I am making tonight I saw a large basket of okra hanging out in the back. The man said I could have it for $3, sold!

So I spent my Saturday afternoon pickling okra, this was my first pickling experience and its was so much easier than I thought it would be!

Instructions per my wonderful Ball Blue Book guide to preserving book that I have

- prepare canner, jars and lids
- trim steams of okra
- combine 1/3 c salt, 2 t dill seed, 3 c water and 3 c vinegar in saucepan and bring to a boil
- pack okra into hot jars, leave 1/2 inch headspace
- add one clove garlic and one hot red pepper to each jar (I did this to half of them and left the other half without just in case its too spicy for me)
-ladle in hot liquid leaving 1/2 inch headspace
- remove air bubbles
- add lids and process 15 mintues

And there you have perfectly pickled okra

xoxo
Ashlea

Bathroom makeover and a summer wreath

     First I want to share our bathroom makeover!

It started with wanting to just change the vanity counter top. It was too big, dark and stained sooooo easy....

Here is one of the only "before" shots of the bathroom. You can see part of the counter top, gross.

Well it ended up being cheaper to get a whole new vanity, sink mirror combo, so that led to new paint on the walls, sconces, hardware and artwork. Now with out further a do, our new bathroom!

The artwork was so easy and fun to make.

#1 dollar store frame
#2 scrapbook paper
#3 petals cut from paint chip samples

The bathroom feels so much brighter and put together now, well worth it!




    The other latest home craft is a summer wreath. My friend's little girl turned 1 this past weekend, I helped her DIY a bunch of the decorations and one of them was a large number 1 made with coffee filters inspired by this Pinterest find. I decided to adapt it for a wreath.

I used water and food coloring to dye the coffee filters then crumbled and twisted them into a flower shape and hot glued them onto the branch wreath form that I wrapped in burlap.

    We just had an great visit with out wonderful Aunt and cousins all weekend, we went to an animal safari, swimming at the lake, ate a lot of food ( of course!) and just hung out and caught up. This is all part of my plan to get my whole family to come join me in beautiful Alabama :)

                                                            We miss you already!!!

xoxo
Ashlea