All Things in Moderation!

Tomorrow is the Super Bowl and ya'll know what that means - delicious food and drinks!  (Have I ever mentioned that spell check counts "ya'll" as a misspelled word and it makes me mad?  I guess I work with the redneck dictionary...)  Anyway, Weight Watchers will have to sit back and shut up tomorrow because I am making my favorite dip ever - Spinach and Artichoke Dip!  I'll be making some other things too, but this one is my fave.  I almost wish I could make it today so I could steal a few bites!  This is NOT my recipe so I can't take the credit but I have made several versions and this recipe far outdoes the others!  Check it out...

Ingredients:

*4 cloves garlic (pre-roasted)

*1 package frozen spinach, thawed and drained

*1 can artichoke hearts, drained

*1 container Alfredo-style pasta sauce (weird but oh so good)

*1 cup mozzarella cheese

*1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

*1/2 a package of cream cheese

All you have to do is mix all of this wonderfullness together and then bake it for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven!  Finished product = dip heaven!

I better not eat too much though because I still have to fit into this dress for a wedding soon.  Actually, it is not until March but you can never be too prepared.  I love this dress because it is simple and I can really fab it up with some accessories and great shoes - I can't wait to wear it!  I know what you may be thinking, it is winter and it will be too cold for this.  Well, in Texas winter doesn't exist so I am positive that March will be bringing spring weather.  If it is a little chilly for some odd reason, I will throw on a cute sweater...plus the wedding is inside anyway!

Thank you J. Crew for taking over my life with your new spring line!

OK, before I go I have to tell you about two new beauty finds that I am in love with already!  They are both from Smashbox - the first one is a little strange, but very cool!  It is called O-Glow and it is what they call an "intuitive blush."  It is basically a clear cream and when you spread it on your cheeks it turns a color that compliments your skin tone.  I don't know how it works but it does!  This is NOT for a lot of color, but more for a dewey type look...very natural.  They have intuitive lip glosses as well but I haven't tried those yet.

The second find is the Muse line of lip glosses...I particularly like the Creamy Berry because it has those subtle undertones that really bring out the whiteness of your pearly whites!  Love it!

I think I'm done for today.  That was one hell of a rambling post but my mind is working high speed today since I FINALLY got good sleep on my Tempur-pedic.  Anybody else have one?  I will have to tell you about that later...

XOXO  Have a wonderful evening and have fun watching the Super Bowl!!

Missing in Action

First of all, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to everyone who commented on yesterday’s post! I got so many fabulous recommendations for great mascaras – now I just have to pick which one I will try first! I really appreciate everyone who reads and gives their fashion/beauty advice!! I have another question for you toward the bottom…

But now for the real dilemma…I might have lost something; something very important, in fact. On our wedding day, Drew game me a charm bracelet from James Avery with one charm on it – it was going to be an anniversary bracelet so every year, we would add another charm. (If you are not from one of the southern states you might not have heard of James Avery, but you really should check them out!)

Anyway, I thought this was so incredibly sweet of him and now I have gone and lost it – am I a jerk, or what?? I have looked everywhere…in my purses, in the apartment, in the car, EVERYWHERE! Not to play the blame game, but I have a specific cat in mind that has been caught several times digging in my jewelry drawer – I don’t know how she does it. I really think she might have gotten it out to play with and then she forgot to return it. No manners!

I told Drew that it *might* be missing and he seemed OK with it. Maybe we can replace the bracelet and the first charm if I promise to be extra careful with it this time around!

(I also happen to LOVE this ring)

Well, now that I got a good start on mascaras, what do you ladies recommend for foundation?? Do you wear it? Do you like it? I never wear it because I don’t like the feeling of having a bunch of stuff on my face. Luckily, I have pretty good skin these days (NOT the case a few years ago – I credit Proactive as ridiculous as that is) so I don’t feel like I need a lot of coverage – I just want something to even things out. What do you think??

Mascara Mayhem!

OK.  It got me.  Those commercials with the amped up (fake) lashes and the cute little "stiletto" shaped bottle.  I should have known that Lash Stiletto is not all it is cracked up to be...but why was it so enticing?  The commercial mentioned extreme length and "patent black shine."  Why then, did it take three coats for me to even notice a difference?  Dang...I wanted to like it so bad!  It did have a little something to offer in the length department, but offered no volume and the "patent black shine" was MIA.  

I am ALWAYS on the search for great mascara.  I really like my current choice, the Double Extend Beauty Tubes, but since it is one of those "two-parters" as I like to call them, it takes a little too long to get the effect I want (it is great however for weekends when I have the time to mess with it).  

For a while there I really like MAC's Zoom Lash but the hold it had on me quickly disappeared and I moved on.  It was a quick relationship to say the least.

I always seem to drift back to the old stand-by (Great Lash) and in fact I have a bottle at all times in case I get frustrated with the mascara flavor of the week.  It is loyal.  It is my friend.

Am I crazy?  I can't commit to a mascara...I need help, an intervention, something!  I need ideas, ladies!  What are your favorite mascaras?  HELP!  My lashes will thank you!

XOXO

Press My Luck

Any chance I'm getting this for Valentine's Day??  Probably not since it costs $700!!!!  Dang.  That doesn't mean that I can't love it, right?  It just seemed appropriate since it is in such a lovely shade.  

I already have what I want anyway...my sweet Drew P (so cheesy, I know).  

But let me ask you this?  Does anyone out there *really* like conversation hearts?  You know, those colorful yet oh so chalky little freaks that always end up in my house after Valentine's Day?  I can't figure out how they get there...no one in my family has ever liked them and I surely don't buy them.  Where do they come from?  What are they?  Forgive me if you are a lover of conversation hearts - I always replace them with the SweetTart version.  Same cute colors minus the chalk dust.

Any ideas of what to get a man for Valentine's Day?  Anyone ever gotten something HORRIBLE for V-Day??

Compulsive Liar

...not really!  In fact, Rosemarie at the *beautimous* Just Moi gave me the Honest Scrap Award!!  

Here is how it goes:

#1: Choose a minimum of 7 spectacular blogs that you can't live without and pass this goodie on to them

#2: Post the "chosen ones" on your bog in link form AND

#3: List 10 honest things about yourself (the hardest part unless you are addicted to embarrassing stories like me)

I will try my absolute hardest to think of things you don't already know about me but I will apologize in advance just in case any of these are repeats!  Let's roll...

number one - I still cry EVERY time I watch The Notebook.  It never fails, no matter how hard I try to act like I just have allergies that day, everyone knows I am crying like a baby.

number two - When I was a teenager, I would cut off pieces of my hair that weren't acting right that day.  This all stopped when I realized that I was beginning to look bald.  Who would have thought?

number three - As a young child, I was asked to sing "Jesus Loves Me" in front of the church (even though I couldn't sing).  When I got to the part that says, "We are weak but He is strong" I said, "We are FREAKS but He is strong."  Booya.  Talk about never singing again.  

number four - I randomly try to convince people to buy Mac computers.  I have no real reason to do this and don't really know what I'm talking about, but somehow I feel compelled to pass on the wonder that is Apple.  My very first computer (way back in the day) was an Apple and I fell in love at first site.  It had the old color logo and the screen could only produce black and green.  But damn it if I didn't play me some Oregon Trail on that thing!

number five - I hate candles that smell like desserts, i.e. sugar cookies, vanilla ice cream, creme brulee....

number six - One time I stole a fortune cookie, or five.  It was completely innocent - I asked my mom "Can I have one of these" and she thought I said, "Do you have to pay for these?"  Her answer was "No, they look stale" so I took about five of them.  Why I would proceed to take them after I was told they were stale remains unexplained but later my mom found the wrappers and asked if I had paid for them.  Busted!

number seven - When I was in elementary school, a little boy told me that ketchup was made of chicken blood and I believed him.  I should have slapped him instead.  ;)

number eight - I get upset when my husband says something mean to one of my cats even though he says it in a nice tone and they obviously can't understand English. I have actually cried over this...lame.  He secretly loves both Grenade and Biscuit.

number nine - I love all things sour.  I think I mentioned this before, but I have been known to forego regular food and eat only sour candy for a meal.  Delicious...maybe I still have some sour patch kids left??

number ten - I love reading comments that people leave on my blog - especially if they have experienced whatever that particular post happens to be about.  If you ever read something on this little blog of mine that makes you think of something funny, PLEASE, PLEASE share it!  I love to laugh and I love to hear about crazy stories!  

Now comes the easy part.  There are way more than seven blogs that I absolutely adore, but I will try to pick those of you who have not yet gotten the chance to be brutally honest!  If you have already done this, feel free to skip it...

I pick:

 Pocket Full of Pink

 Weight for Me

 The Hall Family

Newbie New Yorker

Life at the White House

and...anyone else who wants to be totally honest!

I know that is only six, technically five, but it is hard to people who haven't recently played!  That just means we are super honest ladies!

XOXO

Fabulously Talented!

So the blog is new and improved and I have the wonderful Marina of Penny Lane Designs to thank!  As usual, I can never make up my mind and I can NEVER pinpoint exactly what I want to do so I provided a general description of what I had in mind - let me just say that the finished product is far more than I could have imagined and I am already in love with it!  If any of you are hankerin' for a new design or were already fixin' to change yours up (two totally Texas words by the way - excuse my southern) you should check out Penny Lane Designs!  Absolutely fabulous is all I will say.

Thank you Marina!

Martini Monday!

First of all, I cannot quite believe that it is already Monday BUT that just means it is time once again to share some of my favorite martinis!

This first one is the Key Lime Martini and it is definitely in the dessert martini category.  This is a fabulous mixture of key lime juice, vanilla liqueur and cream so if you don't like creamy, frothy drinks, this might not be for you.  For me however, this drink is pure key lime heaven.  These beauties usually feature sweetened graham cracker crust around the rim but sometimes I forego this and add a tiny bit of whipped cream to the top.  Hey, sometimes I have both - nothing shameful in that, is there?  Yum...

This next one is the Blackberry Martini and it is more on the tart rather than sweet side.  It is a mixture of blackberry schnapps and vodka - in other words, this is one powerful drink since the only mixers are alcohol and more alcohol.  I have used both plain and raspberry infused vodka and I honestly ended up liking the plain better.  I have even had a fabulous twist on this one - the Blackberry Lemon Drop Martini.  It is basically the same ingredients only with some triple sec (more alcohol) and a little sweet and sour.  Stick some fresh blackberries on top and you've got yourself an amazing drink!

I love sweet things but I love sour things even more.  After all, I have been known to eat a whole pack of sour punch or sour patch kids for lunch.  Who cares, I love it and I think you will *love* these martinis!  ;)

XOXO

Patterns of Happiness

I adore these dresses and want all of them, especially the third one.  Ahhh, happiness!  All can be found at Anthropologie - in fact, I love all of their stuff!

XOXO

One of these things is not like the other...

So, I ask you, what is the difference between this:

and this:

The answer that I have come up with is that one is a *POS* and the other is not.  The first picture is a model similar to the one that I have - it is less than a year old.  At first (literally the first time I used it), it worked but hasn't ever since.  There is nothing wrong with it except for that fact that it has zero suction which I figured would be a requirement for a vacuum.  It was not cheap either.  

The second picture is a model similar to the one my mom has had for over 10 years (minus the sweet red trim)!!  AND it still works perfectly.  I know this because I had to borrow it and it worked better than mine ever did.  Things aren't made like they used to be I guess - maybe I should look for  a 1998 Oreck.  ;)

HEPA filter, my butt.

I am in love...

with Saturday's!!!!  I woke up this morning and was so happy to see that it wasn't dark outside - no alarms, no business suits, no nothing!!!  Although it is a little cloudy today in my part of Texas, it will be in the 70's which is wonderful.  I am sure it will brighten up later in the day.

So, yesterday was my WW weigh-in day and I lost 1.8 pounds.  I am pretty good with that - I had set a goal for two pounds but hey, anything other then gaining should be cause for celebration.  That means I am now 7.2 pounds away from my goal weight...so close!  I can't wait to go shopping for bathing suits!!  I say that now, but usually have a different reaction when I am actually trying them on and looking in the mirror.  We will see!  

I hope everyone has a fabulous Saturday - go do something fun and take advantage of a no-work day!!

XOXO

Pocket Full of Pink!

Hey everyone!!  My fabulous friend just started a fabulous new blog and I would love for you to check it out!  She is always full of fun ideas and I absolutely adore keeping up with her on the blogosphere!  You can check her out here - Pocket Full of Pink!

XOXO

For the love of piano...

Have you ever told someone that you loved them on accident? I’m not talking you secretly love someone and it just slips out at the wrong time, I am talking about when you honestly don’t love the person.

Example: When I was little, I took piano lessons with Mrs. Chen – I would go every Wednesday whether I wanted to or not. One week I was sick (kind of) so I decided that I would tell my dad that I did not want to go to my lesson. To my dismay, he made ME call the lady and tell her that I would not be there – this is the ultimate challenge for a shy, little kid. Talking on the phone? Hated it! Still half-way hate it. Moving on. So anyway, I picked up the phone and dialed Mrs. Chen’s number secretly hoping that she wouldn’t answer so that I could get away with just leaving a message (while making myself sound extra sick of course). And then….

Mrs. C: “Hello?”

Me: “Hi, Mrs. Chen. This is Ashley. I will not be coming to my piano lesson today because I am sick.”

Mrs. C: “Oh, OK. I will see you next week then.” She probably added something about practicing and not missing lessons like she always did but I have blocked that out of my memory.

Ashley: “OK, I will see you next week. I love you, bye.”

I love you? I LOVE YOU?? I sure as hell didn’t love her…I barely even liked her! Talk about a head on collision with embarrassment. I could have died. I can only think of one thing that would have made me do something like this - at that age you rarely talk to anyone on the phone outside of your mom, dad or other family member and what do you say at the end of the call? I love you. I guess it just came out of me automatically. Oh, the horror! I still feel embarrassed.

Please tell me this has happened to someone other than the seven year old me!

XOXO

Bossanova

Wooooooooooooow.  That is all I have to say.  Today was a rough day at work - I guess that is what you get when you work in Human Resources.  Apparently, when an employee calls and has a problem, it is automatically my fault since I was the one to answer the phone.  I understand that people have bad days and I am willing to admit that I have bad days of my own, but come on people.  I work in HR because I love it - I love to help people and solve problems, but sometimes people drive me to drink.  If I weren't so diligently sticking to my Weight Watchers, I might convince myself to make a martini right about now.  The better solution..laugh it off!  I am blessed to have such a wonderful job and to work with wonderful people and for all of that, I am happy!!

Besides, when I have a drink or ten, it makes me do things like.....

And this.....

And this.

I am just kidding - these are all random occurrences and I mostly posted these pictures because they make me laugh.  What could be funnier than my own embarrassment?

Have a great evening!!

XOXO

Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Seriously, what is your biggest fear?  I have had something on my mind lately so this post will be a little deeper than most of the recent ones.  I will be the first to admit, I am scared of a lot of ridiculous  things.  Everything from spiders, to snakes, to clowns (hate them).  But there is one thing that creeps into me that I can't get over...the thought of losing my husband. 

 I have written this before but I will say it again - there a lot of things I want in life (nice house, nice car, nice clothes, good job) but Drew is something I honestly need.  I know you can't go through your whole life worrying about things that you have no control over but this one specific fear often gets the best of me.  When you marry someone they should be your best friend and you should be able to overlook all of their faults and shortcomings to see what they are truly made of.  DP is all of this for me and it almost brings me to tears every time my mind leads me back to the fear of losing him.  I can't explain it so I hope that those of you who are married or have someone that you love very much (family member, friend, whoever) know what I am trying to say.  For me, this is the most unimaginable hurt that I hope I never have to experience.  In spite of all of this, I hope none of you ever hold back on loving someone.  Sometimes you love someone for the wrong reasons or at the wrong time, but it will make all the difference if you just do it anyway.  A lot of the time it won't work out and sometimes you will get your heart broken but trust me, in the end you will be so thankful for every experience in your life (good and bad).  I honestly believe in this.  I also know that many people who might read this will disagree with me, and that too, is so OK with me.  Love is different for everyone but this is the way it is for me.

My prayer is that I will put this in God's hands because I absolutely know that I am not in control of it.  It feels good to be honest even if no one really cares what you have to say.  Go out there and love today!

Martini Monday!

OK, I know it is only Monday but that does not keep my mind from wandering to thoughts of my favorite drink...the martini!  My favorites are still the Lemon Drop and the Flirtini but the two wonders below happen to be pretty delicious as well.  Check this out for the originals.

Isn't this one pretty??  It is the Raspberry Martini.  Yum!  I use raspberry infused vodka, Sprite, a little bit of raspberry liqueur and add either some fresh raspberries or a twirl of orange.  I usually don't like sugared rims but on this martini, the extra-fine sugar makes it extra good.  I hate giving out specifics to recipes out of fear that people will hate what I have come up with (my usual paranoia setting in), but there are tons of good ones out there on the web and especially on RecipeZaar.com.

This one is the Grapefruit Martini!  One of my faves for sure because I love, love, love grapefruit for some reason.  Now, I know there are a lot of people out there that dislike the taste of grapefruit but you really should give this one a try at least once!  This one needs a good helping of grapefruit infused vodka (Absolut is my favorite), some grapefruit juice and a little pineapple juice.  I always put a tiny bit of grenadine or a cherry in the bottom to make the pretty pink fade thingie (what do you call that??).  

Oh, if it were only the weekend!  If you get brave enough to try these, be sure to let me know how it went and if you have any favorites of your own, pass those along too!  ;)

Wiggin' Out

Today I felt like wearing a wig.  I don't know if there was extreme humidity or what but my hair was giving me one hell of a time.  I fixed it every possible way I could think of and it simply revolted against all my efforts.  I left it down, put it up, put it half up...etc.  Yow.

Today I also realized that I cannot iron clothes.  I got out the ironing board, iron (that I paid way too much for and never use) and the chosen articles of clothing and at the end of it all, my cute pink button-up looked worse than it did when I started.  How can I learn how to iron?  Is there some online video that can cure this for me?  I certainly hope so because my current skills are just not going to cut it!

Today was a wonderful Monday - I stuck to my Weight Watchers and had a pretty good day at work.  BUT...tomorrow will be the ultimate temptation.  Mexican Food!!  One of our vendors at work is providing lunch for the entire corporate office and better yet, it is being catered by one of the best Mexican restaurants in town.  Is it realistic that I will not partake in the wonder that is chips, salsa and fajitas?  No.  Will I even attempt not to eat it?  No.   I can say, however, that I will not overindulge...I will have a reasonable amount of food and no more.  Yum...

I hope everyone has a fantastic evening, I'm going to go look up Ironing 101.

XOXO

Tell Me (no) Lies

Yay!  Thank you to Holly for the Honest Scrap!  Holy cow butt, now I have to be honest!!  ;)

So, check out the rules...#1.  You have to chose a minimum of 7 fabulous blogs to pass this goodie onto...#2.  Post the fabulous blogs of your choice as a link on your blog...AND #3.  List at least 10 honest things about yourself.

Picking the blogs I love will be easy, but finding 10 honest things about myself that I haven't already shared, not so much!  Hmmmm, here goes:

#1.  When I decide that I want something, I usually go buy it right then and there.  I do not take into account whether we have enough money for it nor do I think about if I really need the item about to be purchased.  In fact, I seldom really NEED the chosen item but that doesn't subtract any of my want for that thing.  This applies mainly to things that I want to decorate the apartment with and rarely applies to shoes, purses or anything like that.  That should make me feel a little better, right??  Sometimes this "disorder" applies to animals which drives DP to the loony house.  One time I brought a stray cat home from work after giving zero thought to it actually living in our apartment.  Not to mention, I already had one cat at home.  Oh well, they are friends now!

#2.  I like to put half-and-half in my cereal.  Gross, I know.  It is soooo bad for you but also soooo delicious to my soul.  The strange thing is, I don't really like milk AT ALL but give me the opportunity to have some half-and-half (H-A-H) and I will most certainly indulge.  It all started when I was a child and my Mimi would let me drink the little one serving H-A-H's at the table of any restaurant.  My mom only let this occur because there were a few months when I refused to eat for some reason.  Kids!

#3.  I peed in my pants in the third grade.  I still remember my teacher - Mr. Kincaid.  This is how it went down.  We were learning how to count money and I kept raising my hand to go to the restroom.  Needless to say, he never called on me which caused my cute little 3rd grader bladder to give up on me in the middle of the class.  Luckily, no one noticed at first and then to my surprise, a little girl named Vanessa raised her hand and told Mr. Kincaid that she had saved some lemonade from lunch and had spilled it all over me.  I will never know if he believed her, but the other kids sure did and I was saved!  How sweet is that?  God bless her wherever she is!

#4.  My mom and I blew up the fish tank when I was a kid.  My mom and dad had just gotten divorced and he hadn't moved all of his stuff out yet.  That left my mom and I to take care of his "prized" aquarium.  There were certain fish in there that required the tank to have a heater - my mom and I had no idea what temperature to set it to so we just cranked it up.  We ended up forgetting about the damn thing and we went to sleep; soon after we had a rude awakening.  There was a HUGE bang and the next thing we saw was smoke coming out of the attic so my mom called 911 thinking that the house was on fire.  The firemen showed up and discovered that the fish tank had been blasted to smithereens.  I always hated that thing anyway.  

#5.  I gag when I do the dishes.  It completely and utterly grosses me out and for no good reason.  This leaves my sweet DP to do them most of the time.

#6.  I love to take pictures but usually end up deleting most of them because I think my face looks fat or that my teeth are too big.

#7.  I crack up every time I see a car/truck/vehicle that is "tricked out."  This includes custom paint, hilarious rims that couldn't have been bought anywhere besides Wal-Mart, hydraulics or any other insane addition.  I literally laugh until I cry...I hope I haven't offended anyone.

#8.  Every time I say "I won't drink too much," I drink too much.  End of story.

#9.  I am sometimes unnecessarily afraid of driving.  I have anxiety attacks about accidents, hitting unseen animals, running out of gas, blowing a tire - you name it, I worry about it.  What to do?

#10.  I love when people tell stories and insert their own sound effects into the story line.  I have a bad habit of doing this but to me, a story isn't a story without sound effects.  The thought of this very thing is making laugh just while writing about it.  ;)

Phew!  Now to choose some fabulous blogs!  

The chosen ones:

Kelly at Dear Friend, 

Stacy at The Hall Family

Anna at Sweetly Unique, Beautiful Life

The Mrs. at Simple Yet Classic

Meredith at The Tichenor Family

Caitlyn at Love, Cait

Em at The Life and Times of Team Taylor

Now it is time for some honesty!  

XOXO

So, let's get this party started!  Holly over at In My Overactive Head has sent me five interview questions so I will do my best and try not to embarrass myself.  

#1.  If you could be friends with any celebrity, who would it be and why?

I would most definitely be friends with the hilarious Jim Carrey.  I know, he can be over-the-top and endlessly weird but I think that he is soooo funny.  My favorite movie of his is Liar, Liar - I used to have it memorized as sad as that is.  I love his physical comedy so I can imagine that hanging out with him would be thoroughly entertaining.  I might have to risk a little embarrassment but it would totally be worth it since one of my favorite things in life is laughing! 

#2.  What do you remember about your first day of school?

This should be good.  I remember my first day of school very vividly, mostly because it was a somewhat traumatic experience for my childhood best friend and I.   I was dressed in an outfit that should have never been allowed on the market, but hey...it was the 80's and I can't be blamed.  I wore a shirt and skirt set that was purple and black striped.  It had a thin line of lime green around the edges and featured a scottie dog on the bottom of the skirt as well as the pocket of the shirt.  Damn I was cool.  My friend and I got all ready with our backpacks and lunch boxes (I had a California Raisins backpack) and our moms came out to take pictures.  We waited for the bus and when it finally pulled up.....it was the short bus.  Dang.  Later we figured out that since we lived so close to the elementary school that really shouldn't have been given the privilege of riding the bus anyway so we'd better just appreciate the short bus.

#3.  Who makes you laugh more than anyone in the world?

This is easy.  The person who makes me laugh the absolute most is my sweet husband, DP.  Not only is he innately funny, he has the capability to do what no one else in the world can do.  He can make me laugh when I am in the worst of moods; he can totally turn my mood around instantly which makes me so very happy!  He still has that "kid" side in him that makes him do the craziest things.  He would kill me if he knew that I was posting this picture of him, but I couldn't help myself.  This is last summer at the beach...a 25 year old man with my brother's boogie board from 1996.  I love everything about him.

#4.  If you could choose your own first name, what would it be?

This is a hard one!  I was named during the first wave of Ashley's which means even though I was one of the first, there were many, many, many, many more to follow.  There were at least three, if not more, Ashley's in every single one of my classes.  I have always loved my name though - I just feel like it fits me.  This is probably more because I never knew any different but I think I would keep the old Ashley thing going on.  When I was little I wanted to be named Veronica for some strange reason but that has come and gone.  I didn't answer this one to well but I would feel like a traitor if I went against my own name!

#5.  If you could fly over any city in a hot air balloon, which city would it be?

I think I would fly over Maui.  I chose Maui because it is where DP and I went on our honeymoon - it was fabulous!  Beautiful beaches set right in front of mountains...I think it would be beautiful to see from the air.  Wait...did I mention that I am deathly afraid of the idea of going in a hot air balloon?  On one hand it seems like such a magical and beautiful experience, but on the other, it seems like the balloon would explode and send us to a horrifying end.  I make myself laugh.

So there it is!  And to think...nothing embarrassing was revealed except for maybe the short bus incident!  So, who's next to play along?  I would love, love, love to interview someone else so if you are brave enough, leave me a comment with your email address and I will send you five questions!  Oh, and don't forget to check out Holly's blog!

XOXO

New Wheels

It is rather chilly in Texas today.  Of course it is nothing like some of you are experiencing, but to a wimp like me, the 40's and 50's are a little on the cool side.  For a few days now I have had summer on the brain...I have always loved the beach, and this year I am more excited than usual.  When I was little, my family would always go to Galveston since it was so close but as I got older, the destination switched to Florida which I love!  

Florida reminds me of white sand...

beautiful sunsets...

and HOT, HOT sun!

So, as the title suggests, I got some new wheels.  Nope, the Mustang is still wonderful...these wheels are...rollerblades.  If this doesn't solidify my nerdiness, nothing will!  Before you judge my sanity and before you make the decision to never read this blog again...hear me out.  Rollerblades are radical, bottom line.  They remind me of being a kid when my best friend Stacy and I would take off on our skates and be gone for hours.  We were cool.  They also are a really good workout for your legs and of course, your butt.  Sweet DP is kind enough to go with me (he must really love me).  OK, OK -  they might not be as radical as I thought but I am not ashamed to admit that I am a rollerblader.  I just get SO SICK of treadmills and ellipticals and I want to do something outside so this is my solution.  Now that I have exposed yet another strange thing about myself, I should probably end this post before I think of something else that is ridiculous.  

Two requests:

Pray for this family - Kelly's Korner

AND, check out this blog - Hall Family 

She is a good friend of mine that just got back into blogging!

Did I mention...

that I love light blue? It is one of my new faves!

Brain Lapse

Why the hell did I go to Pei Wei today? I have been doing so well on Weight Watchers and then the overwhelming desire to have Spicy Chicken took over my brain. Looks like I will be spending the night in the gym! Joy! At least it is FRIDAY! My mom is going to New York for the weekend and I am oh so jealous…minus the extreme temperatures that they will be experiencing.

I can’t believe it but my mom and step-dad are celebrating their ten year wedding anniversary this month. I still remember the day that got engaged…it was Christmas. My step-brother and I had opened all of our presents when my step-dad walked in and said that there was one more big present hidden under the tree. Yay! Of course we thought it was going to be something radical for us…but no. It was an engagement ring for my mom (insert disappointed cartoon noise here). My step-brother and I were really upset because we thought if our parents got married, they would inevitably forget about us and we would be forced to live out on the streets – oh to be a kid again. I ran upstairs to my bedroom in tears and my step-bro followed close behind, in a pair of underpants alone. He had a habit of running around in nothing but tighty whities – you would have thought he might dress up a little for Christmas but it was not the case; after all, he was only nine.

Eventually we got over it and were excited for our parents to get married. In fact, in the following years we would get scared every time we thought they were going to get divorced. We would write each other letters saying how we would “cry all day if we couldn’t be brother and sister anymore.” We were both insane back then, but hey, we survived! ;)

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend – go do something fun and if you are in Texas, enjoy the beautiful weather!!  It will be summer and 100 degrees before you know it - sooo excited about beach weather!  The picture at the top always makes me miss the ocean!

Anyone have any fun plans??

What wakes you up?

I have seen some fabulous posts lately about morning routines - like this one!  It really is interesting when you think about...I pretty much do the same exact thing, every morning.  These are the things that wake me up!

I have 1832340293842 bottles of shampoo, all of them half used.  I have always been a serial shampooer and have never been able to find anything that I really LOVE!  I have tried it all and the one thing that I know for sure is that I will never again buy expensive shampoo.  I came across L'oreal's Hydra Gloss recently and I think it will have a permanent place in my shower.  This stuff is heaven if you are going for shiny locks! 

So if you live in Texas, wavy hair = fro. In order to avoid this, 

I have to pile on loads of products which in turn, stay on my hair

and wear out their welcome. Once a week I use Neutrogena Anti-

Residue Shampoo. It totally removes everything that makes your

hair dull-looking BUT doesn't touch your color if you have any. Love!

Did I mention my addiction to lotion?  I think I did.  Aveeno is my lifeline...for the face it has to be Aveeno Calming but for the body it is Aveeno Firming.  Maybe if I put enough on, my butt will shrink and I will wear that dream bathing suit...1985 leopard print thong.  So not happening!

Once there was this lady at work who had the most fabulous eye lashes in the history of the world.  Everyone would comment on how beautiful they were until one day I saw her in the hall and her beautiful eye lashes were hanging half way off her face.  I guess she forgot to mention that her coveted lashes were impostors.  Hmmm...small detail.  Anyway, I love the Beauty Tubes mascara made by L'oreal.  It really is like having eyelash extensions.  Only these won't fall off and blow your cover!

Last but not least, "I can't leave the house without my lips on," as my mom would say.  Victoria's Secret is wear it is at.  Check it out!

Those are my main morning components outside of my PM flat iron and coffee with Cool Whip in it!

What wakes you up?  I am dying to find some more miracle products!!

Out of Line

Confession: I never wore my retainers when I was younger.  Punishment: My teeth revolted and strayed away from the correct position.  Solution: Invisalign.

That is right...I am a nerd.  I have being doing the whole Invisalign thing and have seen major improvement.  My teeth have never been that bad...they just have a tendency to get too close together since they are on the larger side (hence the middle school nickname of Mr. Ed - Kids are cruel).  In reality, I probably didn't NEED Invisalign so I guess it was more of a preventative measure.  Anyway, today was supposed to be my last day to actually wear them but the dentist thinks I need a little more time.  Damn.  Don't get me wrong - this is a fabulous alternative to traditional braces.  They don't hurt and you can't even see them.  One more month or so is all it will take...I can't wait!

I love pink, but seriously?

I think I have pink eye.  I thought this was reserved for children but apparently, I was mistaken.  I seem to get some of the most random conditions...nothing serious thank goodness, but random nonetheless.

Like the time I had some type of allergic reaction.  I awoke from a deep sleep with my lips on fire and couldn't figure out why.  As soon as I flipped on the light, I saw a ridiculous sight.  It was like Angelina Jolie gone wrong...terribly wrong.  I still don't know what caused that but I am sure glad it was only temporary.

Anyway, I will be staying home today in my effort not to infect others.  It is a pet peeve of mine when co-workers come to work sick and stand around my desk.  Sometimes it can't be helped but when you can....stay home!!!

I hope everyone has a fabulous day!!  Anyone ever had a random condition??

XOXO

Late Night

DP has to work late tonight so I guess I will be hanging out with Grenade.  Hey...at least it is an excuse to watch The Biggest Loser AND American Idol! 

I have no shame!

My Brother was an FBI Agent...

For the first time in my life, I need a new cell phone. All the previous cellular purchases were strictly because of want and were in no way a necessity. Ok, ok…I don’t really NEED one, but I want one! I guess nothing has changed after all…

This I can say – the cell phone that lives in my purse has outlasted all of the previous models I have owned. In fact, I have had my Blackjack for almost two years now which is the longest on record. It all started with my mom’s car phone – not cell phone, but car phone. Back in the day my mom drove a black Buick Park Avenue which featured a sweet-A car phone. It literally was connected to the floorboard and served no purpose other than for my step-brother’s communication with the FBI. That is right – the “FBI.” When we were little, he thought every black car was made to transport members of the FBI and since my mom’s car was black, she was obviously a secret member herself. He would always try to beat me to the front seat so he could receive our mission for that day via car phone and if he were so lucky as to snatch the coveted seat, I knew I was in for it. He would strap his little body into the seat and get on the phone immediately, all while turned around in his seat giving me that glare of his – my mom was nice enough to play along and most of the time we would take unnecessary turns around the city because of our “orders.” I can still remember how MAD I would get!

When I was sixteen I FINALLY got a cell phone of my own and until recently, I would upgrade every chance I got. The Blackjack has been a faithful companion and now that is time for my upgrade, I almost feel a little guilty. It is light years above that old car phone, which now that I think of it, happens to be the source of quite a few hilarious memories. I hate to think that I will never again see my little brother make another call to the FBI in the Park Avenue, but then again he will be 19 tomorrow! I am getting old…

As for the phone, we will see. I might just keep it a while longer.

XOXO

Operation!

No. I don’t believe you that it is Monday right now. This past weekend was so fun that it blew right by with no shame and now here it is, Monday morning. My best friend came to town and we had a blast! On Saturday we even went to a MOVIE. This is so unlike me…the mere thought of being confined to a movie theatre seat is usually enough to drive me insane. I am not sure what causes this problem; I think it stems from the idea that I must sit in my seat and attempt to make zero noise. I won’t even mention the fear that comes over me when I realize that I have to walk in front of people to escape to the bathroom. I am a freak. When I was little someone told me that “creeps” would stick needles in the seats and wait for someone to come rip their butts apart unknowingly. I half-way believed this…damn those creeps. Anyway, we saw Benjamin Button and it had me crying within the first ten minutes of the movie. It was a loooooooong movie but definitely worth seeing.

So today is the start of Operation “I could damn well wear a thong bathing suit if I wanted to.” Make no mistake, I would NEVER actually wear one in public or otherwise but wouldn’t it feel great to know that you could if you wanted to?? I did not do that fabulous on Weight Watchers last week so I have given myself a second chance only this time, it will be coupled with extreme workouts at the gym. It is time. Time to get it together and prepare for the summer so I never have to be hesitant about the old bikini. The only time anyone should be scared about a bikini is if it is a “weenie bikini.” I might come back to that in the future but for now, I will leave it to you to figure out. ;)

Cheers to Summer ’09!

XOXO

What the fruit?

Today is day #3 back on the Weight Watchers wagon so I am trying to be good and eat some fruit.  This seems to be a problem though because every time I go to the grocery store lately they don't have much of a selection...maybe a twig of half-rotten bananas over here, a frazzled pack of strawberries over there and that is if I am lucky.  What the fruit is going on?  I know that fruits appear in seasons but where can a girl get some decent variety?  Last time I had this problem, Drew and I went to Whole Foods; they had delicious fruit but I went broke.  I can't get my mind off eating a huge piece of watermelon but my heart knows that this won't be happening any time soon.  Who is ready for summer??  This girl!!

Until next time - XOXO

I forgot...

I came home to a toilet paper massacre again today...my camera was dead so I couldn't take a picture of how bad it was but I did add some pictures from one of the 2434539 times it has happened before.  For a better explanation, read this.