Oh Hubby...

Today I decided to take a prompt from Mama Kat. I chose to write a poem about my hubby. You may remember what I great poet I am....not :)  But, they are kind of fun to write.  So, since I've yet to get a card for my wonderful husband I hope he'll accept my poem instead.  

Hubby

Oh hubby, I love you
I think you love me too
You love me when I’m chubby,
you love me when I’m not
But that’s never happened…
and you still think I’m hot.
Oh hubby, I want to grow old with you
I think you want to be old with me too
I love when we do things together,
no matter what the weather.
You like sports and I don’t
I like to cook, and you…just won’t
I’m glad we’re not all the same,
then we’d just be lame.
Oh hubby, we’re best friends
Lets be that way til the end.

To see more poems and other prompts check out the Writer's Workshop.

Remember..tomorrow I am having a giveaway in honor of my 100th post. Please come back to enter!  

Have a great day!!

If You're Bored...

Today for my weekly writing assignment Mama Kat told me to write about 10 things to stave off boredom.  This is what I do when I'm bored. It's a strange mix of things that would probably cause boredom for most people.  But it works for me!

1.  Blog...duh!

2.  Organize finances online.  Yes.  I actually think this is fun.  Stop laughing. 

3.  Read a good book or magazine.

4.  Snuggle with someone.

5.  Make lists of things you should be doing.

6.  Organize the fridge.  I see a pattern here.

7.  Watch trashy television that you DVR'd.  Some options are Real Housewives, The Jersey Shore, As the World Turns, or Teen Mom.  I could go on but it would reach even more embarrassing levels.

8.  Work out.  Now I'm not ever really that bored.  But if you are then that's a good option :)

9.  Cook something special.

10.  Clean.  I actually like to clean some things and it makes me feel super accomplished once it's done.

Well.  That was very Martha Stewart/Jerry Springer of me. Hmmmm...I should see someone.

What's in a name?

Hello, I'm Ashley. I don't really have much of an opinion about my name.  I don't love it, but I don't hate it either.  I've never really felt much like an Ashley though.  I've always wanted to be named something fun like Lucy, Sophia, or Vivi.  I particularly like the name Dottie.  I guess I like names from the 50's. Aside from Dottie, because I think she'd kill me, I think I'd name my girls those names if I ever have them.

 

Anyway, I found out yesterday while on Facebook that my name was the 2nd most popular name the year I was born, in between Jessica and Jennifer. I think my mom lied to me when she said she named me that because no one else named their kids Ashley.  Clearly they did.  Kind of odd considering it means "ash meadow".  I was hoping for something like lovely, spirited, most beautiful on Earth.  But no...ash meadow.  Oh well.

 

Mama Kat said in her instructions to explain why I was named my name. Well...there is a very nice reason and evidently the real reason which is really...charming.  My family owned a German restaurant in Ann Arbor for years.  It was on Ashley Street.  When my mom decided that's what she wanted to name me she told my dad that it was to honor the restaurant. However, she tells me that she named me after her:

That's Ashley Abbott from The Young & the Restless.  My mom tells me she loved her in the soap as soon as she saw her and always wanted a daughter named Ashley.  This is my mom:

This is how our conversations went when I was little:

little Ashley:  "Dad, why was I named Ashley?"

Dad:  "Oh, cause Mommy thought it would be nice to name you after the street the restaurant was on."

little Ashley:  "That's nice"

Mom walks in the room and whispers to little Ashley:  "No it's not, I named you after Ashley Abbott, from Y&R.  You're going to love that show when you're older too."

little Ashley:  "I'll stick with Dad's story."

Mom: "Be thankful, he was going to name you Percy if you were a boy."

Oddly enough, I love Y&R and I also have a secret desire to name one of my kids Percy.  I think Percy and Dottie would be cute.  You?

To see more reasons people are named what they are check out Mama Kat's blog!!

Have a great day!!

Just call me Longfellow

Today I'm doing a writing assignment from Mama Kat. I chose to write a poem about the 7th picture I took last January, because I'm an amazing poet. It just so happens that I made this gorgeous cake for my first Wilton cake decorating class.  I shudder when I see the hideous beauty that is this cake.  Between the cake and my poem, I'm sure to sweep the blog world by storm. Without further ado, here's the masterpiece:

Thugs Like Cakes

This is my cake.

It's so good it looks fake.

It makes boys in the hood shake,

Because it's as beautiful as a lake.

They'd protect the bird with their lives,

to ensure it didn't break.

They'd want to take it to their mother,

Or share it with their brother.

They'd sit and admire it's glory.

It'd go down in family stories.  

It would make gangs dissipate,

and get rid of the hate.

My cake.

Word to your mother.

New Year's Resolutions

I am actually planning on sticking to these resolutions/goals this year! 

1.  Lose 25 pounds by August 1st. That's roughly 1 lb per week...doable I think. I want to look like her:

Lovely.

2.  Eat breakfast.

3.  Eat at least one vegetarian meal per week for dinner.

4.  Eat at least 5 vegetarian meals per week for lunch.

5.  Start viewing sweets as a privilege not a right.

6.  Start trying to get pregnant by the end of this year.

7.  Finish a guest bedroom, bathroom, and bedroom in our unfinished basement.

8.  Finish flower bed outside this summer.

9.  Workout at least 3-5 times per week.

10.  Go on a Mediterranean Cruise/Italian Vacation this summer.  Has anyone ever done this? I need major advice please!

This isn't an option for me.  Can you remind me of that in 3 months when I've gained 5 pounds instead of lost it?  Thanks so much :)

Well, now I'm off to cook and clean my butt off for a party that we're having on Saturday.  Can't wait to go out tonight for New Year's!  

Check out some more writing assignments and resolutions at Mama Kat's awesome blog here!

Happy New Year!!!!!

Happy Girl

After last week's very pessimistic post about things that I am sick of, I thought I would take another one of Mama Kat's suggestions and write about 10 things that make me happy!

1.  Having a house makes me really happy.  I love to keep it clean.  Yes I know I'm an oddity.  I like to decorate for the seasons and change things up too. Mostly though, I just like knowing that it's mine :)

2.  Blogging make me really happy.  I totally didn't expect to get such joy out of blogging when I first started.  It really has been something I look forward to everyday.  It's nice to have a way to document my life and I like that friends and family who I don't see all the time can read to keep up me!  And of course, I like all the blogs I read and the new "friends" I have met.

3.  Cooking.  This should be obvious.  I love cooking!  I like to make things for people as a sign of affection and my hubby loves it too.  Lets get real though....I mostly just like to eat.

4.  Gardening has recently became something that I really enjoy.  Since having a house I have loved getting to know different flowers and watching what everything turns into!  Here's a picture I took this morning out the window, because the weather isn't so good here today:

5.  I really like to read.  I come and go with how much I actually read, but when I get into a book I can rarely put it down.  I don't know why it takes me so long to actually start one.  I don't have a favorite but I am still really enjoying reading the series I wrote about here.  

6.  Babies also make me really happy.  I don't have any yet, but nothing can make be smile faster than a squishy little baby.

7.  Traveling.  I don't do it much, but when we do go somewhere it is so exciting!  I travelled to Europe for 2 months in high school, and I still have super fond memories of it.  I would love love love to go to Italy or back to the Dominican and lay right here:

8.  Menu planning makes me happy and also keeps me sane.  I know it's really weird that I would add this but I am able to save money this way by not wasting and make more unique and varied meals because I actually have time to plan them.  I also really hate going to the grocery store, so not having to go all the time makes me happy too :)

9.  My friends and family.  It sounds cliche but they really do make me so happy everyday. Whether it's my mom or my girlfriends, I love spending time with all of them.

10.  And the best for last.  My hubby.  He makes me the happiest.  I love all the time we spend together, especially the boring couch snuggles where he lets me watch all the Jeopardy and Real Housewives I want.

To check out what makes others happy or more assignments go see Mama Kat here!!!

Have a great day!!!!

Sick Of

So today I decided to do an assignment from Mama Kat. I'm listing 10 things I'm sick of because I wanted to be a Debbie Downer today :) Just kidding, I'm not in a bad mood at all, but hey it's kind of nice to write down what you're sick of. I wrote it down now I'm moving on! Okay here's me complaining.

I'm sick of:

1.  Flies.  As I'm writing this one flew past my head.  We live in the country and they are everywhere!  Seriously, being originally a city girl this has been the hardest thing for me to get used to.  Maybe if I dressed up like this I could scare them away.

2.  Hearing about Twitter.  I don't care if people have it and there are some I even like to read. However, I think it's getting a little out of hand.  I don't need to know when you pee.  I don't think it's meant for all that.

3.  Hearing about the economy.  The more we hear about how bad it is, the more we worry. The more we worry, the more we don't spend money.  It's a vicious cycle.

4.  Tanning.  I'm in a wedding in a little over a week and the dress currently matches my skin color.  I never seem to have a problem tanning quickly, but for some reason it's not going so well this time.  I don't really like to tan and this is becoming very unfun.

5.  Texting.  Are you sensing an aversion to technology here?  I just think texting, like Twitter, is getting out of hand.  I don't think people talk anymore. I also think texting an entire conversation is a lot of work.  Why not just call me and we can discuss it in 5 minutes instead of spending 20 minutes typing it out. Oh, and have you heard of sexting?  I saw it on the Today Show the other day. Hmmmmm....is all I have to say to that.

6.  Not being able to go the the beach.  It's still a little cold here.  But not for long!!!!!!!!!!!!!

7.  Feeling like I need to lose weight.

8.  Having giant cravings for things like this:

That's a peanut butter pie in case you were wondering. I think about them 24/7.

9.  Wanting to plan a vacation but not having the funds to actually do it because of annoying car/house things.

10.  Not having projects done in our house.  I want our bedroom to look like this:

There you go! I'm officially a big complainer! I promise tomorrow I'm going to have a very positive post :)

To check out more assignments go to Mama Kat's here!!

Have a great day!!

Writing Assignment ~~ Book Review

A few months ago I was having trouble falling asleep. You know the wandering mind where you become obsessed about why you can’t fall asleep so you don’t fall asleep thing. Really annoying. So I started playing Sudoku before I went to bed. It helped for a while but then I totally mastered it and got sick of playing. Next, I tried crosswords but I’m not really smart enough for that. Then I thought I should read a nice not scary kind of boring book so I don’t want to stay up all night reading it.

Then I remembered this book I bought my mom a few years ago. It had the cutest cover and sounded like a nice mom book. Perfect. So I marched to the library and asked the cute librarian where I may find a book that I think was called Mitford but I wasn’t too sure. She got all starry eyed and told me it was her favorite series and that I would become addicted. Thing is…she's like 85. That got me a little worried. But then I didn’t want to hurt her feeling so I got the book.

Okay. These books are pretty cheesy. Well they’re actually really cheesy. However, I LOVE them. Totally not what I would normally read but the characters have completely consumed me. I wish I lived in a little town like Mitford and was a Rector’s wife and ate at the same coffee shop every morning. The stories are really endearing and sweet all around. When I read them at night it’s perfect because while they capture my attention it’s not like I can’t put it down. I find that at times I laugh out loud at the dorkiest things or cry when something happens to a character I like. The author, Jan Karon, does a really wonderful job of making the characters seem like friends. I go back to the library every time I’m done with a book because I want to see what happens to them next. I only have two books left in the series and I haven’t read one for 3 months because I don’t want it to end. So if you’re looking for a nice easy read you should give these a try. If after reading you feel a little like you just read an adult version of Mr. Rogers, well I told you so. But honestly, is that really that bad?

P.S.  I also did not order the accompanying cookbook off Amazon.  I swear.

P.P.S.  To check out more writing assignments and other book reviews go to Mama Kat's Blog!!

Have a great day!

Where I Would Spend $400

Today I am doing another writing assignment from Mama Kat. I love her funny writing assignments and it always gives you something to write about!!  The prompt I chose was:

1.) If I sent you four hundred dollars today what is ONE thing you would spend it on and why. ps I want my change.

Well this shouldn't be too hard!!!  First off I would probably put it towards our bedroom/bathroom project.  For those of you that don't know, the people that built our house put wood floors in the bathroom.  Yeah.  So we are getting them ripped out this weekend. Then all this weekend and next week we will be painting both bathrooms. Then next weekend they will be tiling! Currently we are also using hubby's old high school furniture for our bedroom and it's about to break.  So, we are looking for a big dresser and a couple of night stands from Ikea.  I'm going to do a whole other post on this but for now I would buy this dresser:

Or maybe I would save it to put towards a trip.  Hubby and I want to have a baby in the next couple of years and we want to take a unique wouldn't-ever-go-with-a-baby trip first.  I was surfing the internet last night and found this really cool site.  I've always wanted to go to Ireland but thought that it would be hard to see just one thing.  This package was so appealing, one, because it is so cheap and, two, because you can choose where you want to go.  I love love love that it includes a car!

So that's what I would do with an extra $400 laying around.  What about you??

Have a great day!!!

Playing Hooky

I recently found this really great blog called Mama's Losin It.  She posts a writing assignment every week.  You can check out what others are writing about here.  Since I couldn't think of anything to write about today I thought I would pick one of her "assignments".  The one I chose was:  If you could go back to one day in your childhood, what would it be?

I had to think about this for a little while.  I knew it would be something about my dad as he passed away when I was 11.  He was sick for a long time and I really wanted to write about a time when we did something together and it didn't seem to me that he was as sick as he really was.  Then I remembered one time when I was in school and we "played hooky".

I think I was in 3rd grade.  I don't remember the exact year but I know that I had been in school for a little while when the secretary came down to deliver a message.  It was always exciting when she came because everyone wanted to know who got to be so important that the secretary had to come all the way down the hall to our class just for them.  Were they in trouble?  Did they forget their lunch?  Did they have to go home?  I had never gotten a special message and was really hoping it was for me.  Even if I was in trouble, I thought it would be cool to get one.  

So, to my total surprise it was for me.  I was hoping and hoping that it wasn't something dumb like I'd forgot my lunch. She said that I needed to get my stuff together and that my dad was waiting to pick me up.  Of course, at first I was worried that something was wrong, but the secretary told me nothing was wrong we just had to go somewhere. To this day I don't know if she knew what my dad was up to or if he told her a fib.  I got to my dad's big Suburban and he had this total "shit-eating" grin on his face.  He was a big jokester and always up to something.

I got in the car and he said that we were playing hooky and not to tell mom.  Ha!  Talk about a dream come true for a kid.  That day we went to A&W and had hotdogs that they brought to your car.  We each had giant rootbeer floats and sides of fried mushrooms.  My favorite.  The rest of the day we spent at the park fishing and looking at cool rocks.  It wasn't that we did anything extravagant like an amusement park, but it was so fun spending the day together when nobody else knew about it.

We were back by the time I was supposed to be home from school and my mom had no idea.  I remember making up some story about what we did at school that day and my dad was grinning from ear to ear across the room.  Like he knew it meant as much to me as it did to him.  It's funny how such a little thing can mean so much when your little.  Thanks Daddy, miss you!

Have a great day,