I Don't Bake

I don't like to bake.  It requires exact measurements & you know I don't cook like that.  I'm a dumper, and that does not mesh well when you have to follow directions down to the ounce and teaspoon.  When you start dumping stuff it can make for one ugly looking & bad tasting dessert.  I just stay away from it & ask my mother-in-law to bring the dessert.  She's a wonderful baker!

One thing I can make though is a cookie cake.  My favorite part is the icing.  It's like painting, but with creamy yumminess instead of paint.  Of course the more icing you have on the cake the better, or that's the fam's opinion anyway.

Last night I made a cookie cake for the Rebel dance team from our high school.  They left for their National Competition in Orlando this morning, and were performing their routines for parents, grandparents, boyfriends, and friends.  I'm so proud of those girls, and wanted to send them off with a little 'good luck & I love you' cake.

I was kinda bummed.  The 'V' is supposed to be red, but with the white icing and red food coloring it turned pink.  The girls said they liked the pink better...I told you they were sweet! 

a close-up of my pink 'V' cookie cake

The cookie is nothing special, it's pre-made toll house cookie dough pressed into a huge rectangle baking pan, and then once it was cooled, I iced it.  No big deal, but it's the thought that counts anyway. 

I love you girls & can't wait to see how you do at Nationals!  I know you're going to knock'em dead!  Go Rebels!

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

Things are a Little Crazy Around Here...

...but in reality, when are they not?  It's the best kind of craziness though.  I love a house full of kids.  Not just my children, but having their friends here as well.  Last night was fun.  Henry had his awesome buddy, Josh, over to spend the night.  (I think Hop & Harry would trade Henry for Josh if given the chance.)  Harry had his friend, Joe, to spend the night, and a group of Hoppy's friends came over to hang out.  We had a house full...it was awesome.  Poor Elizabeth was the only one who was a loner.  :(  Oh well, she'll see all her buddies this morning when she goes to dance. 

I don't have any new recipes I've tried, but I wanted to send you over to 'A Year in the Life' for the time being.  If I cook something new, I'll post it, but it's been kinda crazy around here: trying to work, take care of kiddos, and keep up two blogs.  I post on AYITL everyday, so you'll see a variety of things.

The other day I did make Friday Special with 3 pounds of chicken, and at the end of the night there was only a small bowl full left...my I have some little piglets.  (it's now one of their favorite meals)

I hope you join me as I celebrate A Year in the Life.

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

The last birthday of the Year

Today is the picky one's birthday; Harry is 15.  He will be practicing his driving starting in a few days, so y'all better be on the lookout.  Just kidding, he's going to do great. 

I love that child.  He makes me laugh.  I'm going to send you over to my other blog to read about Harry and why he makes today is so special.

Happy New Year!  May the Lord bless you all in 2012!
~ashley

Smelly Smelly Boys

Oh.My.Goodness...

I think something has died in my laundry room.  No, I'm being serious.  It has to be one of the nastiest smells ever.  You know what it is...teenage boy.  (who "kept forgetting" to bring home all his football workout clothes to get washed for about a month)  I should have been alerted to this when he asked to take a can of Lysol to school to fumigate his football locker.  I honestly don't know how the coaches deal with the smell.  All I know is that it's a good thing I'm not pregnant because I would have barfed all over the place.  Yuck!

I was wondering how I was going to get the stinch out of the clothes.  I knew this smell would not come out with regular clothes detergent even if I boosted it with OxyClean.  It was that bad...

...But then I remembered a beautiful little orange container I have in my laundry room.  It's called Dead Down Wind.  I bought it about 6 years ago for the boys to wash their clothes in before they go hunting, and it takes ALL the smell out.  I have used it before when Hop brought home stinky football clothes, and it worked great then, but this was a whole new level of stink, so I decided to put the DDW to the test.  You'll be happy to know it passed with flying colors!  All the nasty guy smell came out of the clothing...I can't say the same for the pads.  (I'm going to hit them with a different spray, and hopefully that will help.)  I really was shocked and very excited, and knew I needed to share this wonderful information with all moms with stinky boys in their house.  I have bought it at a local hunting/outdoor store, but you can also buy it online, or check their site for retailers near you.

The smell is now...dead down wind!  :)
Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

Why I love Santa

December 1997

There is only one Santa.  I first met him 14 years ago this December.  Hop was 3 and Harry almost 1; my mom was in the end stages of metastatic melanoma; and I was totally stressed out.  Just thinking about those days will bring me to tears.  Staying up 24 hours a day for several days in a row will do that to you.  All I really wanted to focus on was having a Christmas with my sweet little boys, reading Christmas stories, telling them about why Christmas is so special for us, but I was focused on taking care of my mom, except for 1 morning.  For one morning, I was going to just be a mommy to my boys and have a Christmas memory with my little family.

I bought us tickets for a breakfast with Santa and Mrs. Clause.  Not only did we get to see Santa, but he and his wife led us in Christmas carols.  It was the highlight of the season for me.  I needed that time with Hopson, Hoppy & Harry.

Fast forward 14 years...

December 2011

Breakfast with Santa, THE singing Santa and Mrs. Clause.  This time though, Hop is 17, Harry almost 15, Elizabeth 11, and Henry 9.  (aren't they precious?)  A few more kiddos added to the mix, and the older 2 a few years older.  Where has the time gone?  How did my children get so big?  What a blessing they are!  I love the Christmas season.  I love what it means.  It's the moment in time that was perfect for The Word to become flesh.  When Jesus took off his princely robes of heaven and took on an earthly body.  Without Christmas, there is no Easter.



I talked to Santa this morning, I told him about that December day 14 years ago, and how it was the day that made my Christmas.  You know what he said?  "Give that girl your camera & have your picture made with us."  I love Santa. 

Mommy with Santa & Mrs. Clause

May your days be merry and bright & may you be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

Ahh, Brotherly Love

When ever the older boys want something from Hopson or me you can always tell because they start with:  "Oh great and wonderful mother, who is wise and kind..."  I just start giggling, what do you expect me to do?  I usually know what they're going to ask, depending on the time in the year, but I love it when they agree on something and they both (or all 4) will come to ask me something.

Last night I received such a request.  Since they were not doing anything in school, they humbly asked to be checked-out from school today.  I promise Harry needs to be an attorney.  I start thinking about if it's a good idea to check them out & he has 5000 reasons why I should.  8 times out of 10 I will initially refuse their request, but I hesitate millisecond & you can see the hopefulness on their faces.

calling shotgun

I gave in & checked them out, I mean, they really weren't doing anything.  We went to get Henry from school since Elizabeth was coming home from a granddaughters trip to NYC.  I ended up taking all the boys out to lunch.  As you can imagine, when I'm driving, riding shotgun is a premium.  Harry didn't necessarily call it, but he ran and jumped in the front seat to lay claim to it.  Now, I'm not one to stir, but I asked Hop if he was going to allow his younger brother to sit in the front.  The result was hilarious.  They were scuffling and laughing, I was laughing & trying to get a picture that wasn't blurry.  I love it when my boys get to rough-house and laugh. 

Yes, I said I like it when my boys rough-house.  I let them throw balls in the house (but please be careful of my lamps), run, wrestle, and whatever else boys like to do. (bodily functions are not excluded, but time and place please)   When they're out in public or at a friend's house I expect gentlemanly behavior, but a man's home is his castle, so I have 1 king & 3 princes who have marked ever inch of this house.  Elizabeth & I just shake our heads; laugh at their antics; and remember to check the toilet seat before we go to the bathroom.

I hope you all have a wonderfully blessed Thanksgiving!  We're going to Tupelo to have dinner with Hopson's oldest brother, his family, and my in-laws.  I know I will have TONS of stories.  When we all get together, craziness ensues, but there's lots of laughter.

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

Where I Spend My Time

I think I need to paint my car.  No, it's not that the paint is chipping or faded, it's that I'm always in my car driving little people hither and yon.  Yellow, that's the color my car should be, and it needs a 'Children's Taxi' sign gracing the top.  Don't laugh, you know it can or will apply to you in the future.  We even have one child who can drive himself and it is still crazy around here.

We're in the car so much Henry knows how to get most of his homework completed in the car.  The life of being the baby of the family.  Bless that sweet child, he can roll with the punches better than anyone, and doesn't wig out when things suddenly change.  (he did not get that from his mommy)  He could also nap in the car like a champion when he was a baby.  People would see him asleep in his car seat & whisper and say 'oh look, the baby is asleep, y'all be quiet and don't wake him up.'  I would laugh and say, don't worry, you can't wake him up, because you couldn't.  We are not the quietest family...

Last night was one of the coldest nights of the year for us so far.  I really wanted to eat chili, but knew the fam would balk.  Chili is a go to for me in a tight.  And then, it was like I heard a chior singing as I remembered I have a recipe for White Chicken Chili.  I needed somthing I could leave cooking on low on the stove as I hauled my little chicks around.  You know I don't follow directions very well.  If I don't have or like something in a recipe, I'll change it, no biggie.  The original recipe calls for ground chicken.  What, ground chicken, who keeps ground chicken in their freezer?  So, I decided to poach some and dice it up.  I did want some heavy cream to add to it, but didn't have any so it was a healthy chili.

We're coming up on the busiest time of the year.  Every mom I talk to has said that December is crazier than May, and I totally agree.  Hopefully this chicken chili will help make your Christmas season a little easier.

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

No More Men in My Kitchen

I'm pretty good about sharing my kitchen with the fam, but I'm about to ban all men from it.  Hop & his very first best friend, Will, wanted to cook Red Fish Stew on Saturday, and me being the wonderfully nice mom I am (insert hysterical laugh here) allowed them access to my kitchen.  I figured since they are leaving in a year and a half for college, it was time for them to start learning to cook things on their own.

Hop started skinning & dicing the Red fish & Will started chopping the onion and making the roux.  I had to talk them both through the process, thankfully they caught on pretty fast.  In the picture to the left, Will (on the right) has started cooking the roux, and Hop (on the left) was dicing the fish.  I was proud of Will, he said the roux smelled like his Granna's Jambalaya.  I told him that he was so smart because when you make Jambalaya, you make a roux.  I think he was proud of himself.  Sweet Will!

Here is the finished product.  We decided to half the recipe because there were:  the two of them, Henry had one of his best buds, Josh, over that day, and then me.  It was just enough to feed the 5 of us.  There was about 1 serving left in the bowl.  It all went smoothly, but I have one HUGE complaint...those boys did not clean up my kitchen.  I don't mind you cooking, but you better clean up after yourself.  It's funny, I remember my mom saying the same thing to us growing up.

I pointed out several times what needed to be washed by hand & what needed to be rinsed and loaded into the dishwasher.  The trash from cooking needed to go into the garbage can & that garbage taken outside; counter tops needed to be washed off; and clean dishes they cooked with should have been put away.  Did any of this happen?  No it did not, and that leads to a very frustrated, very unhappy mommy.  I don't mind you using my kitchen, but you better leave it like you found it...and for some reason no one ever does.   So, I'm thinking about posting what I expect if you use my kitchen.

Momma's Rules for the Kitchen

1.  Yes, your momma lives here, but she does not like cleaning up your mess when you cook,
      CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF
2.  If you are unsure about what you are doing, ask questions first before you do anything.
3.  Have a wonderful time cooking.  Any other questions can be answered by reading rule #1.

Since football is over for the year, I think the big boys are going to plan a fun night that includes cooking in my kitchen & hanging outside around our fire pit.  I guess I better get the rules posted by Wednesday.  I'll choose to look the other way as they make a mess in my kitchen & I'll help them clean up after it's over...maybe.  ;)

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

Time Marching On

Today is the first Saturday since the first of August that I didn't get up at 6:30 to see Hop off for early morning football workouts.  I had this same feeling 14 years ago when my brother was a junior and they were knocked out of the playoffs.  It's like it was yesterday.  Now it's my child, not my brother, and the same feelings have returned.  There's one season left for these boys...just one...do they know...do they understand how quickly time marches on?

Last night we lost a heartbreaker.  Our team was so close.  The other team kicked a 43 yard field goal to win the game with 5 seconds left on the clock.  Our guys played so hard and left it on the field. 

God bless Hop's coaches, especially his head coach.  He has helped raise thousands of boys; helped them become men. Coach Anderson has been head coach at the high school for over 30 years.  Last night I stood back and watched him.  I saw him go to each senior, as they were coming to grips with their high school career being over, hugging them and whispering encouraging words to them.  It must be hard letting go each year.  The high school coaches spend more time with our boys than we do, so they become family, and it must be hard letting go.

Each year before the season starts, each boy dreams of being victorious, dreams of winning the state championship.  For our team this year, we had some great victories, but in the end fell a little short of the ultimate goal.  For all the juniors, there is one more year for dreams, football victories, and a state championship, but what the they will take away is so much more than that.  They learn about:  time management; being unselfish; relying on others to help you; leadership; listening to authority; the joy of victory; and the heartbreak of defeat. 

To this year's seniors, I pray you God's speed.  As you move ahead and look to finishing up  your senior year I hope it's filled with wonderful happy memories that you will carry for a lifetime.  For the juniors, I pray you make every moment count.  Live each day to it's fullest, because for you, next year starts now; and time is marching on.

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

Because I'm the Mom

Ok, this is going to be somewhat of a rant.  I have started wondering who is taking the time to actually raise their children.  Do parents not realize what their children are doing?  I amazes me!  It's a lot of work being a parent, but when did setting boundaries, and prying in your child's life become something that was bad.  Why is saying no so hard for some parents.  Why do we want to give our kids everything when they're too young to understand the meaning or worth behind it?  See, I told you I was ranting.

I am not my childrens' friend, I am their parent.  My kids have friends & they happen to be the same age as they are, and I have friends that are the same age as me.  If I sound like I don't love my children, nothing could be farther from the truth.  They are most precious to me, and I thank God everyday for Him allowing me the honor of being their mommy.  Because I place value on them, I want to equip them for anything the world may throw at them.  I want to raise them to love the Lord and follow His ways first.  Now I have noticed, that as they are getting older our relationship is changing, and there is a mutual friendship growing.  I am far from being a perfect mom, but I hope my 4 realize that Hopson & I are relying on God to help us raise them to be the best people they can be.

One example is Facebook.  I will scroll through from time to time & and am amazed at what some of the teenagers are posting.  It's crazy and shocking.  When my children became old enough, in our household, to have a Facebook account, guess who was their first friend?  You got it...me.  I will check everything they post if I feel like it, whenever I feel like it.  If there is something questionable, we will talk about it & what do they think the right choice is.   (after all, we want them to learn how to make the correct decisions by themselves.)

If you're not checking your child's FB account, cell phone, iPod, laptop or iPad if they have one, their car if they're old enough to drive, wallets, purses, rooms, closets, drawers, cabinets, and anything else I'm leaving off the list, you are not doing your child justice.  Children want boundaries.  They want to be secure that you are going to keep them safe.  I want my children to trust me that everything I do for them is for their best. 

Moms & Dads, please take the time to be the parent your child needs.  Your child doesn't need you as a friend until they are older, they need your loving guidance and wisdom that God has given you.  Don't be afraid, you can do it!  All you need is a lot of love, a little discipline, and wisdom that only the Lord can give. 

Thanks for letting me rant!!!
Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley