God's Precious Gift

On November 13th my brother Dyrand and my sister-in-law were blessed with a sweet baby boy, named Conrad Hale. He weighed 6 lbs 8oz and was 19 inhes long.  According to the docters he was around 3 weeks early,but he is doing great. He has gained around 2 lbs now and is just the most sweetest baby. Seeing that he I my first nephew I might be a little partial!!  He has lots of hair and is starting to get quite chubby. Everybody can't get enough of him.  You'll see why.  

                                        
                                                This picture of the two was taken the day she went in labor!!

                                                Isn't he sooo cute?  

                                        Truly a miracle.   This was just minutes after he was born. His daddy holding his hand. So sweet.

I hope you enjoyed looking at the pictures. He is most certainly a beautiful baby.
Thank you Lord for giving him to us.
Hope you all have wonderful Christmas filled with love,family and friends and laughter.
God Bless,
Ashley

Brownie Delight!!!

Hello Readers,
I made this recipe about a week or so ago and my family absolutely loved it. It is really easy to make and doesn't take very long.
Here it is:
1 package brownie mix (9-inch by 13 inch pan size)
2 packages of cream chese ,softened
2 cups of confectioners' sugar
1 carton (16oz.) frozen whipped topping,thawed,divided
2 cups of cold milk
1 package instantt chocolate pudding mix
1/2 cup chopped pecans


Prepare and bake brownies accoreding to package directions,using a greased 9 by 13 inch baking pan. Cool completely. In a mixing bowl,beat cream cheese and sugar for 2 minutes. Fold in 2 cupswhipped topping. Spread over brownies. In another bowl,combine the milk and pudding mix; beat until smooth. refrigerate for 5 minutes;spread over the cream cheese layer. srpead with remaining whipped toppong ; sprinkle with pecans then refrigerate until serving. Yield: 12- 15 servings

If you make this please tell me what you thought of it. I would love to hear what ya thought.   Have fun and Enjoy!!!
Ashley ;)

Busy Times

Hello Everyone,

I am sorry that I have not been on for such a long time. My family has been really busy the last couple of weeks. We have canned and canned and canned. Its has been fun though. A couple of Saturdays ago my mom, sister-in-law, and I were cutting up what we thought were banana peppers and putting them in bags and freezing them. Boy was that a nightmare! The juice from the peppers started making our hands burn a little but we didn't think anything of it and just rinsed our hands off and kept right on workin'.  Well, that was a mistake!!  When we were done we washed our hands thinking that it would just go away. It did, temporarily. After about five minutes of wondering what was wrong, my sister-in-law got on the computer and tried to find out how to relieve it. Someone said try mixing baking soda and water and putting it on like you would do for bee stings.  Well, we tried that but it didn't help. When the burning started spreading and getting worse we got pretty desperate and tried everything you could imagine.....rubbing tomatoes on them, flour, sea breeze face wash, mouth wash, bleach, and a ton of other things that DID NOT work.  We finally read a site that said it will go away at about seven or eight hours after it happened.  Well, we finished the peppers at around  12:30 in the afternoon and by 8:30pm it was still there. So we ended up just soaking our hands in ice water. None of us could stand any heat whatsoever. Going outside or even holding a person's hand would set it off real bad and make it alot worse.  By 3:30 in the morning it had gone away. Thank the LORD!  Needless to say, we are most certainly going to remember gloves next time!!!!    
Just a couple days ago we canned 35 quarts of corn, 21 quarts of tomatoes and around seven more quarts of pickles. Then our pastor said that if we dug up his potatoes we could have half of them! What a blessing.  So far we have 95 quarts of potatoes and we still have two and a half five gallon buckets left!! I know... it's a lot.

On Saturday we helped my oldest brother and his wife move. He starts his new job on Wednesday so please pray that it goes well. I don't know why I did not post this sooner but I just didn't think to. Several months ago they told us they were going to have a baby!!!!  Then just a couple of weeks ago we found out it's a boy!!!! Of course we were all really excited. He's due in December.  I can't hardly wait. But I know I am going to have to. Babies are just so sweet.

I just made myself a dress for the mini-concert our family sang at last night.  It was a mother/daughter smoothie party event. That was fun. I always enjoy singing with my family. Well I need to stop for tonight.  I hope ya'll have a wonderful week. Be back soon.

                                                   Your Friend, Ashley R.

Country Livin'

Hello Readers,
I hope you all are having a wonderful week. 
Just yesterday we started canning. With all the heat we are having our garden as been really taking off. We canned six quarts of dill pickles and several quarts of  summer squash. Delicious!!!!  We planted alot in our garden this year.  We have beans,a ton of tomatoes, summer and winter squash, jalapenos, watermelon, cucumbers, canteloupe, strawberries, blueberries, lettuce, garlic, and potatoes.  I believe that's it!  We've been managing to keep the weeds down pretty well, thankfully. We also have an herb garden that is doing pretty well also. I dried parsley, oregano, spearmint, and lemon balm today. I think we'll be set for the winter at this rate. :)
The last week or so the heat and humidity as been almost unbearable. Yesterday two of my biggest laying hens died. We think it was from the heat and  being dehydrated. I have nineteen hens total now,in two seperate pens,that I have two water at least two times a day. I don't remember ever having a summer here that was quite this hot. Yesterday at 6:45 pm it was 101 degrees!! Needless to say,we went swimming. All in all it's been a good week.

I love the Lord, for He heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.
Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.    Psalm 116:1-2

     God Bless,
          Ashley

I'm Finally Back!!!

Dear Readers,
I'm finally back home. I actually got back on the fourth but have been on a short vacation thingy with my parents and older siblings for the last week or so and have not been able to post anything earlier, even though I've been wanting to since the day I got back.
Alaska was awesome!!! I had a wonderful time. The time flew by so quickly. When it was over it was hard to believe that a month could go by so quick. :)  We went to so many places that they all get jumbled together in my head.  When I have more time I would love to put on pictures for you to look at. Right now I have to get to bed!     I will be back soon again, to give alot more detail and pictures on my trip, I hope. :)
  It's great to be back home.          God Bless,
                                                            Ashley ;)

Alaska and Beyond!!!

Dear Followers,
I just wanted to let ya'll know that in just a couple of days I will be going with my brother and grandparents to Alaska.We will not be getting back till July 4th. What fun!!! I can hardly wait!!  I will be sure to take plenty of pictures for you all. Hopefully the trip goes well. : ) Hope you all are having a wonderful week.  Have an awesome day!

Your very excited friend,
                           Ashley R.

A Purity So Bright the World Marvels By: Sarah Mally

Hello Everyone!  I am sorry I have not been on for so long. I hope I will be able to post more often after this. This post I got from the book, Before You Meet Prince Charming   By Sarah Mally.  If you have never read this book I highly reccommend it. It's a great one.   It talks alot about purity and courtship and dating and many more interesting topics.  I hope you find this encouraging and helpful.
The Cake:
Suppose you made a beautiful birthday cake.  It was rich chocolate cake with homeade vanilla frosting. You spent all afternoon taking the time to make sure it was flawless. You decorated it carefully with frosting, flowers, leaves, and lettering, and added a few cherries for the final touch. Then, enjoying the aroma of a freshly baked chocolate cake, you left it on the counter so that it would be ready for the birthday party.
The suppose I came along, saw the cake, and feeling a little hungry, decided to cut a piece for my self. Just as I was eating my last bite, you returned to the counter and found your beautiful cake- with a piece missing. So much for all your work making sure each detail of every flower looked perfect. As far as you are concerned, the cake is ruined. There's not time to make a new one. How will it look when you serve it at the party? After all your meticulous work to make it just perfect, how would you feel about my careless attitude?  What if I suggested that you bake another piece of cake to fill in the empty space? Obviously, my advice would irritate you even more.  " Of course not,"  you'd say. "The cake is ruined. It will never look the same again."
 A Proverbs 31 woman will do her husband good,not evil, all the days of her life.(Prov. 31:12). One of the best ways that you can do good to your future husband today,even if you don't know him yet, is by protecting your heart so that it will be completely his. Your heart is a priceless treasure that you are saving for one. How will your future husband feel if you have already given pieces of your heart to others and can offer him only a partly-eaten cake? He wants a cake baked just for him, not one with pieces missing that others have tasted first. He wants the whole thing-not just part. One day you will long to give him your whole heart-but in order to give it later,you must protect it now.

Note from me:
I love this illustration. It is a great example showing how we should remain pure for the day when we will give ourselves away to that special someone. Just think, you would be very hurt if you had found out that he had already given pieces himself away before he had come to you.
Hopefully I will be righting more from this book later on. I hope you enjoyed it.

The New Do!!!!

I got my hair done on Saturday at a Hiz and Herz Hair Salon.  It was really exciting. The woman that did my hair was a Christian and extremely helpful in giving instructions on how to take care of my hair. She and her daughter, who helped her out in the Salon, were kind, entertaining people.

Before she did the braiding she washed my hair with different kinds of moisturizing shampoos and conditioners because my hair was very dry and broken. After drying it, she cut off all the relaxed hair because it was all kinds of different lengths. Next she combed it and got the synthetic hair ready to put in. She then got some of the hair and braided it into my hair. It was very painful when she started the braid but as she got near the end of each one it wasn’t that bad. She had to do them tightly so they would stay in better.

While she was doing my hair we got to talking and my mom mentioned that I sang.  Farah, the stylist, asked me to sing a song for her;, so I sang Jesus Take the Wheel. 

After she got all the braiding done she divided all the braids and put them into three braids then she put them into a bun. She then made about four separate braids out of the leftover hair and wrapped them around the bun and put bobby and hair pins in to keep them in place. To prevent my hair from continuing to break off and to help it grow better I am to sleep with a night cap on.  I also need to wear a covering whenever I am getting a shower when I am not washing my hair.  She gave me a lot of other great tips that were very helpful. I was really amazed at how it was done and I love the style. I think it is pretty.

11 Wonderful Blissful Stressful Adventurous Wacky Wagner Years!!!!!!!!



New Look Comin' My Way!

Tommorrow my mom and I will be going to a hair salon to get my hair done. I might be getting braid extensions. While we were there this afternoon she told us that my hair is the type that can grow long. All this time it hasn't been growing because I just didn't know how to take care of it right.  It was just breaking off and splitting! I was really, really happy about that. The hair stylist gave my Mom and I plenty of tips on how to take care of it though. I can't wait to go; I just hope it goes well!  LOL!

T-Tapp Excersise Program

T-Tapp. You are all probably wondering what in the world that is. It's an excersise program. It is named after the woman who developed it,Teresa Tapp. This program focuses on losing inches more than weight;though you can lose weight while doing it. It involves no jumping,no lifting weights and you never have to do more than 8 reps at a time,and you don't diet at all. It is a no impact program.
I have been  doing this with my mom and we both have been getting really good results! In the first week I lost 8.25 inches and total of 3 weeks I lost 12.45 inches! I was really suprised. My mom and I really enjoy doing it. 
In a couple of days we will be going to a T-Tapp clinic in Oklahoma to learn more about it.

Celebrating in the 1950s Style!

My mommy made me this lovely dress from the 50s.  It is made out of cotton.  The jacket, which is reversible, is made out of Tropical Breeze fabric.  If you aren't familiar with Tropical Breeze, let me introduce you.  It is the easiest fabric to care for.  Just wash and wear; no ironing.  The colors do not fade much even after many washes.  Back to the dress fabric...it has lovely white flowers trimmed in a light lavender color with green leaves and a black background.  

My mom added 2 inches to the bottom of the skirt and shortened the waist by one inch.

The dress is made with New Look pattern 6723 and the balero is made using ASimplicity 3921, figure C.  

I love this dress!  I think it's now my overall favorite!

 

 

The Early 1800s or the 1970s???

Now this dress was originally made with the Regency Era in mind--early 1800s.  However, when I wore it, someone told me it looked like a hippy style from the 1970s.  This was definitely not what I had in mind when I made it. 

This is an extremely easy pattern to make--Simplicity #9716.  I was not sure of the fabric print at first but when it was done I really thought it looked pretty.  The material is 100% cotton.  The pattern features an elastic waist hidden behind the belt.  It is loose-fitting and very comfortable to wear. The dress is tea-length and has long bell sleeves.  Next time I make this, I may try another sleeve variation.  This sleeve tends to get in the way of doing anything productive.

If you are new to sewing, this would be an excellent dress to start with.  I'd really like to hear your thoughts as to what time period you think this dress fits into.  :0)

 

 

Early 20th Century Business Travel Suit

This outfit was used as a business/travel suit in the late 1800s through the early 1900s. I used Simplicity pattern #4954.


The army-green shell of the two piece outfit is a denim/cotton blend. The jacket is very elegant and is form fitting. It is trimmed with cream-colored lace around the collar and sleeves. I lined the entire jacket with sage satin. It was difficult and took awhile to make but my grammy was helpful and we got the job done. The two flaps on the bottom front are held up with two small brass-dotted buttons. The back bottom features a pleated fan at the center. The floral weaving on the fabric is slightly raised and adds to the elegance of the outfit.


The skirt fabric is basically the same with the exception that it has lines rather than floral weaving. It is very full and has a fitted waistband. The skirt is floor-length. When I wear this skirt, I wear my mom's bridal gown slip under it to give it the period appearance.


This was a costly vintage adventure although it is my most elegant outfit so far.

The Regency Era Gown

This was the second vintage garment I made. The gown is a replica from the Regency Era which was from about 1790 to 1820. Depending on the fabric of the dress, it could be worn as an everyday dress or a ball gown.

I used cotton fabrics featuring a very tiny floral print. The flowers are pink and tan with dark green leaves and a nice dark brown background. For the sash, I used a medium to dark green. This particular dress pattern, Simplicity #4055, is loose-fitting as well as floor-length with a slight train.

The neckline needed to be altered as it was rather immodest. My grandmother helped me alter this by using a partial blouse pattern that replicates an undergarment from the Regency Era. We took cream-colored material, cut out the top half of the pattern and then attached that to the top of the dress. We then accented it with white pearl-finished buttons on the back. It looks like the pattern was created that way.

Something to remember...always wash cotton fabric prior to using it. Unfortunately, I did not do that and the dress shrunk significantly the first time it was washed. Needless to say, it didn't fit me.

While the Titanic dress was my favorite style, this gown is my next favorite.

Titanic Dress- 1st Vintage Creation

This dress represents the Titanic Era. I used a pattern from Sense and Sensibility-- "1912 Kimono Dress Pattern". This dress would probably have been worn to travel or for going to church.

This is a cotton fabric. It has small pretty brown, tan and sage green flowers throughout the print. For the sleeve cuffs, I used a light sage green leaf print and also for the top front insert. It has a two-layered tea length skirt and has 3/4 length sleeves. It is slightly form fitting.

The dress was not exactly easy to make because it took a lining and there was a glitch with the fabric directions. We had to alter it quite a bit for the top to fit right. Also, it was one of my first vintage creations. Overall, I was happy with the end result.