Everyday Ashlie

I am so blessed! God knew exactly what He was doing when he caused mine and my husband's paths to intertwine. We had the best weekend just spending time together and I couldn't help but be reminded of how blessed I am that God gave this WONDERFUL man to me to keep forever! I just sent my Sweetie off to work a little while ago and I'm already eagerly looking forward to his homecoming! I know, I've got it bad...but I wouldn't change it for the world!! I thought I'd share our love story with you this morning. I had written it out over at The Knot , a wedding planning website, when we were engaged and I thought it would be neat to post it here too. If any of you are engaged, or even hope to marry someday, it's a great website for getting ideas. Granted, many of the suggestions are quite costly, but if you just use a little imagination & creativity, you can come up with frugal and cute alternatives. I had a great time looking at all the pretty pictures when I...

Ta Da! Here it is...the bath wrap I made in a class I signed up for when I bought my sewing machine. You can read that post here . My sis and I both went to the class on Monday and it was so much fun! We were both a little cranky towards the end and it took us way too long (about 5 hours)to make this thing, but hey, we had worked all night before the class AND we're beginners! Well, I'm definitely a beginner anyway...my sis has sewn several different things over the years so she's a little more "with it." This wrap was so much fun to make and I know it'll go together much quicker next time I make one. The first time is always the slowest, right? If you're not familiar with the fabric, it's that really soft minkee-dot stuff that's often used to make baby blankets. It's the kind of fabric you find yourself absentmindedly stroking until you notice the amused glances others are giving you. :) The ribbon is just your typical grosgrain and I sewed i...

That was the word that kept running through my head last night at work...YUCK! For those of you who don't know, I am a Registered Nurse and work in the Newborn Nursery of my hospital. Most of the time, I enjoy my job but last night truly tested my patience. First, a little background...our hospital's main population of patients consists of low-income, minimally educated, unmarried women. That's not our only type of patient but it's the vast majority (in the women's center, anway). These women, and sometimes young girls, usually choose the state's Medicaid program as their insurance. This, then, usually means that the mom will rely on the WIC (Women, Infants, & Children) Program to help provide for their babies. Well, beginning on October 1st, the WIC program changed the formula it provides from Similac Advanced to Enfamil Lipil. As we all know, everything usually comes down to the money issue, and Enfamil just so happened to have the best bid this time aro...

Today was way too early of a morning for me. It began at 5 am (on my day off!) because my sweet husband was getting ready to go deer hunting and I just couldn't stay in the bed while he was rustling around. He has been so excited to go hunting and get started on this season! Bow season actually started October 1st but he's been so busy with school and work that he hasn't had a chance to go before now. Well, he was dressed in his non-scented camo gear and safety harness waiting on his buddy to show up 20 min before his friend's expected arrival time. He was so cute sitting there in the chair all excited like a kid waiting to go to the park or something. While he was waiting, I made him some toast with butter & raspberry jam (homemade, but not by me) which is what he said he wanted for breakfast. I guess it's not a good idea to eat a heavy breakfast like pancakes & bacon before you have to go traipsing around in the hot, humid woods. Could be hard to get out ...

I was driving home from work this morning listening to K-LOVE (a syndicated Christian radio station) as usual when I heard the most amazing, startling, & mind-boggling news report. Apparently, there is a 51-year old mom in Brazil who recently gave birth to her own GRANDCHILDREN!!! Yes, grand children , as in TWINS! This selfless woman offered to carry her daughter's children because her daughter was unable to bear children. At first I thought, "What was she thinking?! She's 51 years old!" But, the more I thought about it, I decided that her actions are just about the most sacrificial thing I've heard of anybody doing in quite awhile. Think about it. The lady is not exactly a spring chicken, which means that this pregnancy probably took a major toll on her body. And, not only was she pregnant, but she was carrying twins! My nurse's mind can immediately think of at least a dozen health issues she could have faced and maybe even did face (they didn't giv...