The Hoarder

I have noticed some very scary trends about my family.

First of all, which I already knew this, I am the neat freak of the fam.
Second, Hopson is the complete opposite.
Third, my children are taking after him.
And fourth, I think if I were to die tomorrow Hopson would become a hoarder.

When I came home from church today I knew there was a mountain of laundry to fold, among other things.  When I say mountain, I mean mountain.  (around 10-12 loads worth)  We've been living out of the clean clothes baskets because I couldn't get motivated to fold clothes.  I was very blessed by the 4/5 of the fam.  They folded about half of the clothes, so when I came home I only had the other half to fold. 

While I was folding I watched the show:  Hoarders:  Buried Alive. During this time,  Hopson was wandering around the house looking for all our paperwork he had started for our taxes.  (I thought this was what his office was for?)  I like to organize the clothes as I fold them.  Regular clothes that get folded are on my side of our bed, hang-up cloths at the foot, with sheets and towels on Hopson's side, and I work my way around.  I look over & notice a HUGE mess on his side of the room.  Clothes, ski gear, tax stuff, a brief case, a box full of who knows what all scattered around his side.  This is nothing new.  He does not place a priority on a super clean house.  Outside, yes.  Inside, no.  That's when I had the epiphany...my husband is a hoarder!

He won't throw away anything!  Can I just tell you it drives me nuts?  I hate clutter.  It makes me feel claustrophobic.  You know how much I hate a mess.  Well, I may have to have an intervention before it gets to situation critical.  Have you ever watched Hoarders: Buried Alive?  It is crazy.  (and sad) The people who are hoarding have so much stuff in their homes they can't do anything because there is stuff piled up everywhere.  Some of it reaches to the ceiling.

The kids are just messy.  I'm trying to figure out a way to get them to clean up without me haranguing them about cleaning up.  I've thought about giving all their stuff away to charity.  I've heard of moms doing that, but I don't think it's me.  Maybe I could become a hermit.  Live a life of solitude surrounded with cleanliness.  That's not practical.  Wishful, but not practical.

I guess I'll have to settle being a responsible mommy & patiently teaching some young dogs & one old dog some not so new tricks. 

You know they say married men live longer than bachelors;  single women live longer than married women & married women live longer than married women with children.  Hopson always jokes that I'm going to kick it before he does.  According to research, he may be right....  If that's the case, y'all please check up on him, because he may become the next candidate for the Hoarders tv show.

Hopefully tomorrow things will look a little cleaner, a little clearer & a little less cluttered!

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley 

Sing Dance Laugh Love

I was driving home from dropping E off at dance last night & what song comes on the radio?  Forget You by Cee Lo Green.  I cranked it up, opened the sunroof, and began to loudly sing along with the radio.  Why you may ask?  My Momma & Daddy. 

I grew up listening to The 4 Tops, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, The Commodores, Frankie Valli & the 4 Seasons, and Clarence Carter.  (that's just the tip of the iceburg!)  Basically it was like we were listening to the soundtrack of The Big Chill all the time.  Momma & Daddy would sing & dance all around the house.  Momma would break out in The Skate. 

They were part of a dance club, and all of their friends danced too.  They would talk about going to 'The Hangout' in Panama City.  There was always laughter that accompanied the dancing & memories.  I liked watching my parents like this & I love remembering them this way.  Jemi Lynn & Evans Whaley, Cathy & Billy Moss, Betty & John Moss, are three of the couples who stand out in my mind who would hangout with Momma & Daddy.  I love each of these people for the joy brought to my parents.  Jemi Lynn & Evans have since joined my parents in heaven, and I still love them dearly.

Jemi Lynn Whaley did not like to cook.  The Whaley family would eat Thanksgiving Dinner with us each year & Jemi Lynn would always bring her blueberry congealed salad that was my favorite.  I'm so glad she gave me the recipe so long ago.  Every time I make it I think of her.  Since I'm trying my best to usher in springtime I thought I would post this recipe.  I would look pretty as part of your Easter lunch.  (It's blue.) 

Forget You sounds so much like the music my parents spoon fed us.  I know they would have gotten me to burn it on a cd for them and then coaxed me to hang out with them and dance too.  LOL.

If you don't listen to music with your kids, please start.  Sing loudly & dance boldly even if you do both badly!  I'm so glad I have this legacy to pass onto my children.  And yes, they have started to mock me to my face like I did to my mom.  It's all done with love & laughter though, and I hope as they grow-up and start to leave the home nest to grow-up & then start having families of their own that they will pass this tradition on to them.

So if you see us in the car around town jamming with the windows down don't hesitate to join us!  You'll be glad you did.    

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

Sore arms and toddlers

I have forgotten how precious & high maintenance toddlers are.  There is a reason God made them so cute.  Before I get into this story, I need to set-up some background.  A few years ago, while under the house, Hopson noticed a leak coming from our shower.  It has gotten progressively worse over the years and he decided that before we fall through the floor, it was finally time for  us to have it properly fixed.  The way you completely fix this kind of problem is to have the shower ripped out, a new pan put in & re-tiled.  For those of you who know Hopson, the thought of this killed him.  For those of you who don't know him...Hopson is a CPA.  Accountants are notorious for being tight with money.  Blood from a turnip kinda tight.  He somewhat fits that description, it just depends what he's spending his money on.  He was not excited about this fix.

Chris was our tile guy last year when we added onto our house.  He does excellent work; he's trustworthy; and he cleans up his mess.  (this makes me thankful.)  It was a no-brainer that we contracted him to do our bathroom.  Chris has two precious children:  Alexis 7 & Ashton 2.  We were able to hangout with Chris' children yesterday.  Ok, this is where we pick-up the story. 

I love my kids.  I have loved each stage of watching them grow up, but I have to say that being out of the toddler stage is no hardship.  I love toddlers in moderate doses.  What are a toddler's two favorite words?  No & mine.  Oh wait, those are a teenager's favorite two words too.  LOL!  I forgot a toddler will put anything & everything in their mouth.  I forgot that a toddler had to be entertained or they will find their own ways to entertain themselves.  They like to be held and loved and get down and go.  They are walking contradictions.  I love when they laugh because there is nothing fake about it.  They are exhausting.  Flitting from this to that & leaving a trail toys, food, & whatever else in their wake.

Chris needed to take his children to the doctor yesterday for their check-ups, and knew that we were fine with him bringing them back over to our house to hang out until he finished his work for yesterday.  Bless that baby's heart, he had to get 4 shots yesterday.  Ashton was such a trooper.  I loved watching him interact with his sister & my children.  But there were times last night when he wanted me to hold him.  It's been a long time since anyone wanted me to hold them for hours at a time, and my left bicep is not very happy with me this morning.  :/  Don't kid yourselves, I loved every second of it.

It took Chris a little longer than he thought to get done last night & I was a very bad hostess.  I didn't have any dinner ready for my kids or his.  I would love to say it was because we were just so crazy that I didn't fix dinner, but it was because I was playing with a 2 year old.  If I had been better prepared I would have served this recipe but would have changed out the bacon with turkey sausage, sliced and sauteed with garlic and onions.  Next time I will be better prepared.  It's a recipe a toddler can easily eat & little ones always like to eat noodles.

I love my children so much.  It's hard for me to fathom how quickly they've grown up.  It makes me a little sad knowing how quickly they are changing, but I am also going to enjoy every minute of it!

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

Love the Laughter

A little disclaimer:  all the action mentioned happened 2*19*11, but I wanted to post it now.  :)

I love it when my house is packed with teenagers & I hear laughter coming from upstairs.  The playful arguing, the shrill shrieks of someone getting hit hard in sting pong, the silence for a few minutes as they are scarfing down food, but it's the laughter that gets me every time.

It takes me back... It's 1988, we're listening to Boston's 'Peace of Mind', eating Cool Ranch Doritos & M&Ms, and all us girls are watching the guys shoot pool.  (You do know that you don't play pool, you shoot it. My dad hated it when we said playing pool.)  After we were done playing upstairs we would go outside & swim in our pool.  From March to November we would swim.  Thank goodness my dad said that if we were going to have a pool we were going to use it.  Great memories! 

I guess that's why I love having my house full of kids.  Yes they are messy & they'll eat you out of house & home, but it's the memories they are making that make it worth it.  One thing I've tried to tell my kids is to make as many good (doing positive things) memories as you can because once high school is over you can never get that time back.

Oh, I hear someone singing 'Living on a Prayer'.  That one takes me back too!  Sorry, squirrel.

I wish I could go back and tell my parents thank you for everything they did for me and my friends.  They helped me have a wonderful high school experience, and I hope it's a legacy that I can pass onto my children.  But for now, I'm just going to love the laughter.

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

Pretty in Pink

I wrote this a few weeks ago, but for some reason want to publish now.  I would love to know your thoughts on this...

I have a slight bone to pick, but before I start my opinionated diatribe, (aren't you impressed I used the word diatribe?) you should know that I didn't read this woman's book; I could only read a few sentences of her article; and listen to a few minutes of her speech.  There is a mom who has written a book called: Cinderella ate my Daughter.  This mom claims that we have made our girls identify too much with the color pink; and I also understood her to say was that we are having our girls identify too much with Disney princesses.  I would respectfully disagree.

Ever since my daughter was born we have told her she is a pretty pretty princess.  We even had the game to prove it.  (the boys looked exceptionally nice wearing all the jewelry when they played the game with her.)  Some princesses wear pink, some may wear purple, others may even wear leopard print.  Pink is only a color.  It has no power over my daughter, because her identity is not founded in a color.

As I was thinking about what this woman said I started to ask myself, why do I tell my daughter she is a princess & what are the expectations placed on her because of that?

First, my daughter is  princess.  Because she has accepted Christ as her Lord & savior, she now belongs to Him.  Romans 8:17  "Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."  If Christ is King of Kings, than that makes all His children princes & princesses.  No matter what anyone says, they can not take this distinction away from any who belong to Him.

As far as everything turning pink:  softball bats, gloves, bikes, helmets, etc, I think it's to remind our girls that they can do anything, but they shouldn't forget the feminine part of who they are.  (Plus, a pink softball bat is so much prettier than a silver & grey one.)  If my daughter wants to be a hand surgeon or a homemaker I don't care, but I want her to do what God has called her to do.  We are all equal in God's eyes, but boys and girls are different, and I think it's time we celebrate the differences.  I don't want my sons made feminine & I don't want my daughter made masculine. 

Now being a princess does not come without responsibilities.  A princess must be loyal to her King.  She must be willing to serve Him with honor, and be willing to share the love of her King with others.  Micah 6:8  "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."  What a prayer for my princes & princess.  May they always feel the love of Christ in their lives & know that they belong to Him.  May they 'act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.'

May you be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

Just rub some dirt on it

Baseball season is here.  This year is going to be so easy compared to years past.  I only have 2 playing instead of all 4.  It was a little crazy when they all played, but Hop has chosen lacrosse, and he can drive himself & Elizabeth is dancing, so that eases things up a bit.

With a new season here, that means for almost every family, the trying on of cleats, pants, belts etc.  I am excited to say that the only thing we needed was new pants for Harry, the picky one.  How we managed this feat I will never know, but so far, so good.  Poor Henry will never get anything new because of 2 older brothers.  It's life...

So, earlier this week Hop needed to go to Academy sports for some lacrosse balls.  'Fine,' I said.  I didn't have to drive him so it's a little hard for me to complain when he wants to do something for himself.  Harry had been bugging me about his pants, so I told him to go with Hop to the store to get some.  (I had forgotten that Harry likes to get the most expensive things on any rack.  Needless to say I was hoping he would use good judgement & not buy the $50 pair of baseball pants.)  I am happy to note that he did come home with an appropriate pair of baseball pants.  (big sigh of relief here!)  But, there's always a but isn't there?  But, this morning he came down with said pants and said:  "Um, mom, last night at practice I slid and I slid so hard I had a 1/2 inch of dirt caught up under my belt.  Don't worry I vacuumed it off the floor, but could you wash my pants?"

I looked at the pants & FTL (for the love) it looked like he a wallowed around in the mud.  Really, I'm not kidding.  The entire side of one of the legs, the fanny, and the entire front was red.  And not the surface kind of red, but the ground in kind.  Brand new white pants were not white any more.  Why are baseball pants white?  I mean, shouldn't we get some that don't show dirt? I told him to put them in the laundry room because I was going to have to do some serious work to get the stains out. 

We've been playing baseball 11 years.  Never once in those 11 years have I been able to bleach, oxyclean, or detergent the stains completely away.  It's frustrating.  I would like to have fresh looking pants for the 1st game, but have never been able to pull it off.  Until today...

...I remembered a book I have somewhere in this house titled 'How to clean almost anything', so I start hunting it down.  I couldn't find it, but then I remembered I have a wonderful thing called the world wide web!  How our parents survived without it, I'll never know.  Anyway, I went to Google & typed in what I needed to know & you know what I found out?  Murphy's Oil Soap.  Yep, MOS.  I'm thinking there is no way that it's going to get out the stains, but at this point, I had nothing to lose, so while the pants were dry I coated the spots with the stuff.  I let is sit for 15 minutes & then started rinsing it out with hot water.  The mud was coming off!  OH MY GOODNESS, I couldn't believe my eyes, it was great!  So, I decided to repeat the process, and even more came out.  I'm now on my 3 time & for this step I started scrubbing the spots before I left them to sit.  The stains were disappearing before my eyes.  I'll have to let you know later if the stains come completely out, but so far so good.

I just wanted to pass this onto everyone since it's time for America's game to commence.  As Aunt Bethany says in Christmas Vacation:  "Play Ball!"

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

Dinner and a Movie Part 2

As you know from Dinner and a Movie that while I was growing up, when one of the big 3 classic movies was on TV we would eat spaghetti.  While my children have been growing up they have not really cared for my homemade spaghetti.  I've tried making homemade marinara, and since they didn't like it I just gave up & used the stuff out a jar.  I know it's sad and pathetic.

But guess what, I found an easy (YEA!!!) but very yummy basic marinara sauce.  We love to watch Cake Boss.  Buddy Valastro, who owns Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, NJ, is now doing a show called Kitchen Boss, and can I tell you I LOVE IT!  It's like all the cooking shows that are out right now, but he made a marinara sauce that is to die for & because the entire fam loved it, I want to share it with you.  One neat thing about this recipe is that once you get the garlic cooked, you can make the rest of it in the crock pot.  That's right, I said the crock pot!  I am thankful for my crock pot, it has been a wonderful friend to me over the years.  :) 

I know you're going to laugh when you see the marinara recipe, but try not to.  Just be thankful!  It makes enough for 2 full servings, so you can use one and freeze one.  After my sauce was cooked, I added ground venison with onions, garlic, and a ton of Italian seasonings & returned it to the crock pot for a few hours to really get the flavors simmered together.  They all inhaled it, even the picky one.  It was a very successful night!  Everyone went to be full and happy & I went to bed satisfied that I now have a marinara that they love & will eat! 

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

Knowing who I am

I know this may seem silly to a lot of people, but for me it's a good gut check, and it's my blog & I'll write what I want to, write what I want to, write what I want to.  I need some humor somewhere.

As many of you know, I am a 3rd generation graduate of Auburn University.  It is something I am very proud of, like anyone who has close family ties to a school.  I walked the same paths others in my family walked while at Auburn.  Some of you may say it's just about football, but those of you who are part of the fam. understand what I'm talking about.  It's driving into Auburn, no matter how old you are, and knowing you're home.

Part of that for me are the trees at Toomer's Corner.  We found out today that someone intentionally poisoned the trees, and they may not live.  Before you poopoo on what I'm saying, please know I'm not some tree hugger.  I believe God made us stewards of this earth & put us here to be "keepers of the garden".  It's not the trees themselves, it's what they represent.  The Toomer's trees are over 130 years old.  They have been a part of Auburn for a generations of students.  It feels like a little part of me is dying, because I am Auburn.  It's the tradition that surrounds the original trees that will be missed.

I like what the president of AU had to say:  "It is understandable to feel outrage in reaction to a malicious act of vandalism," Gogue said. "However, we should live up to the example we set in becoming national champions and the beliefs expressed in our Auburn Creed. Individuals act alone, not on behalf of anyone or any place, and all universities are vulnerable to and condemn such reprehensible acts."

I'm glad he mentioned the creed.  Did you know Auburn is the only school with one?  It was written in 1945 by George Petrie who was a professor.  It is our creed that helps to know who we are as Auburn men & women.  If you've never read it before, or love AU and know it's who you are I invite you to read it again:

"I believe that this is a practical world and that I can count only on what I earn. Therefore, I believe in work, hard work.
I believe in education, which gives me the knowledge to work wisely and trains my mind and my hands to work skillfully.
I believe in honesty and truthfulness, without which I cannot win the respect and confidence of my fellow men.
I believe in a sound mind, a sound body, and a spirit that is not afraid, and in clean sports that develop these qualities.
I believe in obedience to law because it protects the rights of all.
I believe in the human touch, which cultivates sympathy with my fellow men and mutual helpfulness and brings happiness for all.
I believe in my country, because it is a land of freedom and because it is my own home, and that I can best serve that country by "doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with my God."
And because Auburn men and women believe in these things, I believe in Auburn and love it."

Two years ago, for Christmas, I bought Hopson & my brother, Cotton, Toomer's Corner seedlings.  I wrote Hopson a letter talking about our tree.  We met at Auburn, so that's where our story began.  Now more than ever that tree is so special to me, because not only does it represent our beginning, but it represents a place we love, and the trees that held such a coveted place in the hearts of the Auburn family. 

I hope they can save the trees, but it is a very sad day for all of us in the Auburn family.

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
 ~ashley

Toomer's Corner after the BCS Win 2011

Thinking of Bill Cosby & Chocolate Cake

I think Bill Cosby is one of the funniest comedians ever!  His take on raising children from 'Bill Cosby:  Himself' is right on the money.  That video came out when I was a teenager.  I thought it was funny then, because I was living the children's side of it, but now I understand the true humor behind it because I now have children of my own.

I can really relate to a lot of the different bits in his monologue.  The first one being when he talks about childbirth.  I know this has nothing to do with cake, but it's a funny part of my life that I like to tell.  My wonderful husband, made the mistake of telling me when I was in intense labor with our first child, that he knew exactly how I felt.  Um, did he really say that?  Yes, he did, and I wanted to slug him, or as Bill said, take his bottom lip & stretch it over his skull.  The labor was a long & painful, and it's story that I won't bore you with here, but know that I had no pain meds (not of my own free will) and the peaks of my contractions were every 30 seconds.  Can you say active labor?

I also love the story of his wife kicking him out of bed and making him make breakfast for his children.  And what did said children get for breakfast, the infamous chocolate cake!  I'm an early bird.  I can get more done before 12pm then I can get done the rest of the day.  I don't fix a big breakfast for my kids for several reasons:  1. they all want different things (Hop ate spaghetti for breakfast yesterday, hey who am I to complain)  2.  they don't eat everything on their plates (if I'm agonna cook it...you're agonna eat it, kapiesh?)  3.  they would rather have the extra few minutes to sleep.  But on weekends, I'll make the big breakfast:  pancakes, bacon, eggs, grits and anything else they may be having a hankering for.  I  have to admit, on rare occasions, if we have cake around, I might let my kids have a slice for breakfast.  Like Bill said, it has eggs, flour, and milk.  Breakfast of Champions!

The Busy Day Chocolate Cake recipe I've linked to was made by my friend, Martha Cook.  Somethings you need to know about Mrs. Martha:  she is a wonderful cook (her husband, Robert, was mentioned on my blog too),  she is a great mother of two precious boys, she is a fabulous attorney, and does many things for our city.  She's a busy momma!  (She also has a kitchen to die for.)   We are in supper club together & Martha was hosting it at her house.  I love supper club.  It's so funny because it's always the girls in one room & the guys in the other.  We talk & laugh, and talk some more.  Some of my favorite memories happen at supper club.  At the end of dinner Martha pulls out this chocolate cake & OH MY, but it is good.  She said it was easy & of course my ears perked up.  You know I don't like to bake.  You have to measure it just right or the dessert will fall or be a brick.  No no, baking is not the life for me, but I think I could do this chocolate cake.  There are not 5 million ingredients & steps, it's super simple & the butter cream frosting, um, it melts in your mouth.  (but it should, it's 4 sticks of butter & 1 pound of confectioner's sugar, I can feel my fanny expanding just talking about it!) 

If you need a great homemade cake in under an hour, you have to make this BDCC!  I think I may have to make on this weekend for the fam.  I could go for a huge hunk of cake right now, but alas, the clean clothes are calling my name! ;)

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

Dinner & a Movie

Does anyone remember when the classic movies only came on once a year?  The Sound of Music, The Wizard of Oz, and Gone with the Wind were the big three.  On these days my mom made it like a special occasion.  Momma would make a special dinner and we were allowed to eat in the den & watch the movie.  It was a HUGE deal.  For all you Gen X'ers this was way before DVDs and movie channels.  We actually had to get up to change the handful of channels we had on our tv.

My mom would always make spaghetti on these nights and we would have a salad with it.

I'm sitting here in the den, by myself, watching Gone with the Wind.  I'm thinking that Rhett Butler is still a  handsome rake, and I'm watching how Scarlet flirts and manipulates all those around her to get what she wants.  But most of all I'm remembering a time when my family would stop and enjoy hanging out together and watching a classic.

What would I give to have a day back.  Rhett says "waste makes me angry, and that's all this is, is sheer waste."  I feel like that sometimes.  I remember the times I wasted, and the times I was selfish.  I guess that's one of the major lessons I learned early in my life.  Live each day as if it's your last, because once it's gone you can't get it back.  I know that sound trite and overused, but it's so true.

I hope you and your family will have a special time together with dinner and a movie.

Be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

Getting to Know You

Getting to know you...getting to know all about you.  Are you singing the song yet?  We are never too old to learn things about ourselves, and, well, I learned some things about myself this past weekend.

Hopson turned 40 in December.  I remember when my parents turned 40...I thought they were older than dirt.  Well, now Hopson is as old as dirt & I'm not far behind.  Well, my accountant husband did not want a party.  He was actually hunting the entire week of his birthday so he could make it as difficult as possible.  Instead of a party he and I decided to take a trip.  We decided to go snow skiing.

I learned to ski 6 years ago, and needless to say I'm not a super skier by any stretch of the imagination, but I can hold my own, or so I thought.  We usually ski in the spring.  There are a few things I am used to when I ski:  average temperature is usually around 35-40 degrees, all the green and blue slopes (except 3 or 4) are groomed as well as a few black runs, and we are lucky if we get a few inches of fresh powder to ski on.

What I learned about myself is I'm a spoiled rotten skier.  I learned this very hard lesson in Colorado this past weekend.  While skiing in Vail we had 10-12 inches of fresh powder over one night.  Um, yeah, I don't like that much powder, or I should say my knees didn't like that much powder.  I thought they were going to explode.  At one point I fell, and just wanted to lay in the snow.  I wasn't cold, but actually really comfortable.  LOL!  Poor Hopson.  He showed extreme patients with me, and really took care of me.  Towards the end of each day on my last runs I had to stop a ton, and he never complained or left me, but followed me down the slopes in case I hurt myself & needed the ski patrol.  Yes, I was in that much pain.

There was no one to carry my skies for me, no one was excited that I had come to ski on their slopes, and there wasn't a HUGE buffet for me to make a gigantic salad to eat for lunch.  Like I said, spoiled rotten skier.  On the complete opposite side of the spectrum, Colorado is beautiful!  I don't know how the early settlers handled the savage beauty of this state.  Early February is COLD, and very snowy.  It is so beautiful it looks fake.  As you drive on your way to the Vail/Beaver Creek area each town has trees lit with Christmas lights, and it looks like the town is in a perpetual state of Christmas.  It is breath-taking.

Hopson and I had planned to go out to dinner at least once, but after all the hard work we did on the slopes each day we decided it was more relaxing to eat in just the 2 of us.  We ate fried chicken salad. I'm going to include the recipe below because it's so easy.

We are going skiing again over spring break with the children.  I desperately hope we don't have as much snow as we had a week ago.  I'm being a little selfish, but if I'm going to last all day I am going to need a little help from the Ultimate Weatherman.  I'm keeping a close eye on the snowfall totals, but no matter what, I know I'll have tons of fun spending time with my family.

Y'all stay warm & be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

Fried Chicken Salad for 2:
1/2 pound friend chicken fingers
1 bag baby greens or spring mix lettuce
Feta cheese
1 can Mandarin orange segments
1 small bottle Wish Bone Italian dressing

Cut chicken into bite size pieces.  Toss in with all other ingredients and serve immediately

Breckenridge. Co