1 Dog or 2 - that is the question

So Brant and I have seen dog-sitting for our good friends, The Erwins, since Sunday. They have two labs: Jeter (5 months) and Bleu Belle (4 years). Two weeks before this, our neighbors have been re-doing the fence and there was no fence between our two yards, so Dax and Reese (the neighbors 2 year-old lab) played together all day long. So, Dax has been surrounded by friends for almost 3 weeks, and I know that he is going to be terribly sad when he is all alone again.

I have said for quite awhile that I would LOVE for my Daxy-Boy to have a brother, but Brant has never been so sure...but now he's actually considering it because he sees how much fun Dax is having with other dogs.

So, the other night, we took all three dogs, Dax, Jeter and Bleu, on a walk...it actually went VERY nicely! So Brant and I really began talking about whether or not we should get another dog...rescue one from the pound, or a local shelter. But the dilemma comes in because I say IF we ARE going to get another dog, we need to get it quickly so that Dax isn't lonely for too long., but Brant is completely sure we should get a second one.

So for right now, we are up in the air. Unfortunately, Brant will be watching the DBU Patriots in College Station this weekend, so we don't have a ton of time to talk about it before Jeter and Bleu go back home. So my only choice is to wait and let the Lord lead us...yes, I believe HE leads us even in decisions about dogs!!!

(although can I just tell you that I found a yellow lab, male at the Mansfield Animal Shelter named Duke...how cute would that be...DAX and DUKE!)

Oh well - I'll keep you posted!

Creative and Crafty

So I found a new blog, thanks to Notes from the Soul, called the Nesting Place. It is a blog full of FUN, CREATIVE, and CRAFTY ideas to brighten any room in any home!!! I'm in love!

Well I was doing some reading this morning and found this:

Isn't it just wonderful? Anyways, the Nester (blog author) said she just used some material from old curtain she had and added a fringe at the bottom...the gathered pieces are just held together by safety pins, and the element at the top is just an old door handle!!!!!

So, this all got me to thinking that "Hello!!!" I need curtains for my bedroom..yes ladies, we bought this house over a year ago and I have greatly sinned...I still have no curtains in my bedroom! Becasue the window is wide, but short, I have had a lot of trouble figuring out what to do with it. So, I have decided that this weekend, I'm going t go find some inexpensive material, and fringe...and this is my new project!!!!

What do ya think...will it be FABULOUS??????

Well, just as I promised, here are some pictures from LAST weekend, when my sis and I went to Shreveport for my cousin's graduation.

This is a picture of Baby Michelle and my MeMe. Michelle and Ethan are only 2 weeks apart and Ethan is double her size!

Part of the family relaxing on MeMe's back porch. We were blessed with beautiful weather!

This is Ethan with Michelle's NaNa!!!

And this is Ethan and Michelle - they like to poke at each other!

For Memorial Day weekend, we ALL (meaning my Mom's entire side of the family, except my mom) went to the Kelley Family Reunion in Louisville, Mississippi at Lake Tiak O'Khata. It was a great time of relaxing and catching up with family from all over! Thursday night, everyone drove to MeMe's house, in Shreveport, since it was about half way. Then Friday morning, the caravan left and made the 5 hour drive to the Lake. Well, 5 hours turned into 6 1/2 hours because of the lunch and a few other necessary stops! But it was well worth the trip!

Friday, we checked into the hotel...Brant and I had a room that adjoined to the Rooney's suite so we had a nice, big space to spread all of our stuff out...not to mention the it allowed the kiddos to come see us anytime they wanted (Kate has a new obsession with her uncle). Before we even had the car completely unloaded, Brant was at the lake with his fishing rod out...that man LOVES to fish! After we got settled, we all went to the buffet at the main lodge...it was seafood night YUMMMMMM!

Saturday, Brant went golfing, and I played with the kids at the lake, fished and just had fun! We had a big family lunch, then back to fishing and swimming we went, except during the time that we (meaning myself, sis and cousin Krystal) were scrapbooking. After dinner, back to the fish we went and Brant hooked a nice catfish so I RAN, literally RAN the entire way back to the room to grab my camera, RAN ALL the way back to find out that it got off his line....SERIOUSLY? Then a storm blew in, so we packed it up and went back inside.

So, bright and early Sunday morning, Brant was out again and on his first cast, caught the same cat! He was so proud!!!

Well here are some pictures from the weekend. Go over so Sister's blog...I'm sure she'll have more up shortly!

This is Big E and Uncle B!

Big Brother, Baby Brother

Baby Michelle with her Nana

Brant and Baby Michelle

Much Love,
Ashley

Calling all Prayer Warriors...

in more ways than one. First of all, pray for Steven Curtis Chapman and his family. If you haven't heard, his 5-year old daughter, Maria Sue, was killed yesterday when she was struck by an SUV driven by her older brother. He was pulling into the drive way and didn't see her. Notes from the Soul said it perfectly when she said that yesterday was no surprise to God, but what a battle for this sweet family. Please pray for their broken hearts, and their mourning. Pray that peace surrounds them in every inch of this storm.



Secondly, pray for my dear friend, Jessica. I mentioned her briefly yesterday, but I'll elaborate a bit more. Jessica's grandmother passed away very suddenly early Monday morning - she was not old, not sick, not battling chronic illnesses...she was healthy. But the Lord called her home and it has been a hard battle for this family. Jessica, just as the rest of her family, was very closedto "Mimi", as she was more commonly referred to. She was a woman who exuded Christ with every inch of her being, and had more care and compassion that most people I know. Mimi helped to raise Jessica from the day she was born...Jessica even lived with them for a period time while she and I were in college together. I can remember spending entire summers at their home in Duncanville...I remember shopping (frequently) with Mimi, and going swimming in their pool. My heart is aching for the loss of such an incredible woman...a woman whose heart was as wide open as her arms when welcomed me into her family and loved me like her own. Today, at 11, I will wrap my arms around my best friend and help her say "goodbye" to a woman who brought pure joy to those who knew her.


Pray for the Druin family...for Pappa (her husband Toby). Pray that this family is stronger tomorrow than it is today and that Lord Almighty will be their rock and strength. Pray that Mimi's wish comes true - that today will be great celebration because she is DANCING with her Father.


Much Love,
Ashley

How Many of ME

So I found this on God's Grace in Practice and look at how many Ashley William's there are!!!!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 3,369 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

So for fun, I searched Ashley WAGES and there were only 8!!! Did you know that "Williams" is the third most popular last name in the U.S.? There are 2,125,782 people with the last name of Williams in the U.S. So much for being unique!!!

Much Love,
Ashley

Crazy, Fun Weekend

Sorry it's been awhile, but I've been BUSY!

First, Sis and I went out of town with her kiddos over the weekend. We went to Shreveport to see my little cousin, Austin, graduate from high school. I can't believe he's old enough to graduate high school...where did time go? But it was a wonderful weekend seeing and spending time with family. I have pictures, just haven't gotten a chance to upload them yet, but I promise there are pictures to come!

Then on Monday, I received four new blog requests, so I've been working overtime on creating blogs and headers! Take a look over at Great Grabbie if you want to see the new designs.

To make things more hectic, I received a call on Monday from my BF, Jessica. Her grandmother suddenly, and very unexpectedly, passed away in the middle of the night. Jess and her grandmother were extremely close because her grandmother helped raise her. I remember being in college and spending entire summers over at MiMi and Pappa's house. Please pray for the Druin family - this is very, very difficult for them and as I said, completely unexpected. I will be going to the visitation tonight, then the funeral tomorrow morning.

After the funeral, Brant and I are packing our bags and road-tripin' it to Mississippi for my family reunion. The Rooney's are going, as well as all of my mother's side of the family! It's going to be tons of fun. So, if you don't hear from me until next week - you know why!

Hope everyone is having a fantastic week so far. What is every one's plans for the Memorial Day holiday?

Much Love,
Ashley

A Few New Ones

Two new recent designs at Great Grabbie.




And dear friends, The Billups!



Much Love,
Ashley

SHOPPING!

Ok, so I did some shopping at Coldwater Creek online Clearance Center,
and here are my finds... I got these denim, cropped cargo pants for only $19.99... I know they look old-mom'ish, but in my minds, that signals comfort. I thought they would be great for the spring and summer to throw on with a tee and just be comfortable!!! My motto is that I would rather be ok-cute and comfortable, than super cute and uncomfortable!


Then I saw this dress...and I thought it was cute for a summer night out...only $24.99!

Then I put pictures of the 4-piece

outfit I wanted...but they didn't have it in my size, so, I went with one similar.This 4-piece outfit was only $54.99 instead of $61.99, and the only difference is the jacket! I really liked the other jacket better, but this was still a GREAT deal!

To make things even better...if you purchase more than $100, you can use coupon code WXP2134 and get $25.00 off, so I paid less than $100.00 for all of this!!! I love shopping!

Much Love,
Ashley

Lazy Days

So, the past few days have been pretty slow...my boss is gone and there just isn't much to do at work, so I have been keeping myself busy......yes, with shopping! Don't judge!

Yesterday, I went and saw my mom at the Brighton store and got this great new pair of sunglasses...shhh, Brant doesn't know!

Then today, I wandered over to ColdWater Creek's online Clearance center and found these...The first picture to the left is an entire 4-piece set on Clearance for only $69, I think I have to have it!!! And the blazer below if adorable - it has the really cute, big buckle in the front (this picture totally doesn't do it justice). I have actually loved it since it came out in early spring, and now its on Clearance for only $19.99!

I posted awhile back that we were going to Mexico in July and here is the link to our resort - we are so excited!!! http://www.realresorts.com/Caribe_Real/ Brant and I started doing the SouthBeach Diet last Monday and as of Monday, I had lost 4 lbs!!! YEAH! I've got to get kickin' to be in shape !


Much Love,
Ashley

New Designs

Check out some new designs at Great Grabbie Designs.

Much Love,
Ashley

Poor Dax

Well Mr. Dax had to go to the vet this morning. Sunday, Brant and I noticed that he was limping and it hasn't gotten any better. So, I took him in and vet did some X-rays. He has a sprained muscle in his shoulder and its very swollen and tender. And, he has a bacterial infection. So, for the next 2 weeks, the boy is bed-rested! He has to stay in his room or in his kennel and can only walk around to either get his food, or go to the bathroom...that means, no jumping up on the bed to snuggle with mom, and playing fetch outside with his ball...we can't even take him on a walk. So, for the next 2 weeks, he'll be here...

And while he is there, he will be taking all sorts of medicine to help him get better. Let's see...we have: an anti-inflammatory, a stool hardener (for the diarrhea), and two antibiotics...not to mention the regular heartworm and flea/tick medicine we take on a regular basis.

My dog takes more medication than Brant and I put together....hahaha! But in all honestly, I hate that he is sick - Brant and I love playing with him in the backyard and he loves to go on walks. We're going to miss that these next 2 weeks!!!

Oh a happier note, I thought I would give you a few looks as to some of my newest digital pages. These are all from Brant's birthday when we went to the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Game.

Much Love,
Ashley

The Siesta Fiesta

Ok ladies,
How many of you are complete Beth Moore and LMP fans like I am??? In August, after the LMP Live event in San Antonio, there is going to be a fantastic fellowship of the Siestas - the SIESTA FIESTA!!!


Much Love,
Ashley

Great Grabbie Designs

In three days, I have learned more about digital scrapbooking than I ever thought possible and have FALLEN IN LOVE! Not only have I discovered how to make digital pages, I have discovered how to make customer blog headers...so now presenting...







Much Love,
Ashley