Kamis, 30 Desember 2010

photo of the week

My photo of the week turned into two instead of just one. I took these back in July when I did family photos for my aunt's family. These two cuties are my cousin's kids, Kristopher and Kaitlyn. We don't see each other often, but they were visiting for Christmas this past week and so I thought I would post these now.

I told them to smile and this is what I got. Don't you love it?



Rabu, 29 Desember 2010

Wardrobe Wednesday

This was my Christmas Eve outfit. As you may remember, I had no idea what to wear. I ended up getting creative and wore my gorgeous gold Tucker for Target skirt over a black lace dress. The dress is a little short for church, considering I bought it for a trip to Vegas. I love the dress and I'm happy I was able to remix it, and that I ended up with a great outfit for Christmas.







Top (Dress with Bow): Forever21
Skirt: Tucker for Target
Tights: Target
Shoes: Marc Fisher

Seen It, Heard It, Read It

SEEN IT

1. Curly Sue



I loved watching this when I was little. Curly Sue is such a sassy little girl. My favorite line from the movie has to be, "Slap my butt, no way!" Haha! It's funny, but also sweet. It's a classic.

2. The Goonies



Heyyy you guys! Who doesn't love The Goonies? It was hilarious to watch this with my parents! Even though they'd seen it before, it had been a long time and everything was so much funnier.

3. The Closer, Season One and Season Two





Since my family doesn't have cable, I've missed this show like crazy! I'm so sad that it's not on Instant Netflix, but luckily the library has it. I love Deputy Chief Brenda Lee Johnson!

HEARD IT

1. Taylor Swift: Speak Now



I swear that every single album Taylor makes is amazing! I finally just got this one a couple weeks ago. She is so down-to-earth and honest. I love that she writes her own songs. Her music is relatable, real and fun.

2. Mumford and Sons: Sigh No More

I don't think I can even begin to say how much I love this! I want to wrap myself in it's sweet goodness. It's glorious!

3. Tyrone Wells: Metal and Wood



I've already expressed how much I love Tyrone! I don't think there's much more to say. This is one cd that I could never get tired of listening to.

READ IT

1. Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston



I finished this a couple days ago and oh my goodness!! Although parts of it made me sick to my stomach, it was so emotional and powerful! I definitely think everyone should read it. Read quickly through the gross parts, but read it. I really want to see the movie now, but I'm kind of nervous I'll get sick. I think I might make myself go and pray for my stomach because I know it'll be worth it.

This is one of my favorite quotes from the book.


2. Romans 14 (The Message)



We read this passage last week in Bible Study. My mom and I started laughing in the middle of it, because of my recent change to being vegetarian. Obviously the passage is not just about eating meat or not, but it was interesting to read after I've made this change, because it came with a change in perspective. This is one of the things that isn't black and white in the Bible. This is about respecting each other, not judging others for their choices, and not being a stumbling block for others with the choices you make. I love reading different versions of it. Check out The Message version HERE and the New International Version HERE.

3. Kendi Everyday



Heather introduced me to this blog a month or so ago. It's easily become one of my new favorite blogs to read. She's cute, stylish, down-to-earth and fun! Her 30 by 30 Remixes are inspiring! I think Heather and I might do our own versions of 30 for 30 starting in January.

Sabtu, 25 Desember 2010

Merry Christmas


source

Merry Christmas friends! I thought I'd share some of the Christmas decorations around my house. The painted decorations were done by my mom. I love our nativity and those gorgeous angel figurines, they're some of my favorites. Some of these take me back to when I was little. When I was growing up Heather and I helped our mom make an advent wreath out of felt. We still have it but it's not the prettiest anymore since it's covered in wax from being used so much. What are some of your favorite Christmas decorations?

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and are able to spend it with your families and loved ones.

























This is a picture we took last night. My mom had been wanting to get a family picture, so I set up my camera and we had some fun. Merry Christmas from my [crazy] family to yours!

Jumat, 24 Desember 2010

photo of the week

This photo definitely summarizes my week. I spent a lot of time cleaning things out and organizing my life. While I still feel like I have a long way to go, I have to remind myself that I've gotten a lot accomplished. I wish I had a before picture of these shelves in my bedroom. It definitely wasn't very pretty so I got rid of almost everything that had been here. The bottom left and top right are the only shelves that stayed the same. Our family has way too many dvds and not enough room for them all, so Heather and I moved some of our tv shows on dvd back to our room since the parents will never (and should never) watch them. Haha! Now if my whole life could always stay this neat and tidy.

Fashion Friday: Christmas Dresses

I’ve always loved dressing up, but dressing up for Christmas Eve service at church is always extra special. When I was little my mom would usually make our Christmas dresses. Hello velvet and floral prints. This year I have absolutely NO IDEA what I’m going to wear tonight. Here are some fun dresses I found as I was searching for inspiration for what I should wear. I chose a mix of low and high dresses, not going over $100. As you can see, I love the lace! Also, I’m very proud of the fact there’s only one black dress in the mix. If you know me, then you’ll know this was hard for me. I love my LBDs! Merry Christmas!


Elegant Draping Dress, Forever21 $27.80



White Lace Peter Pan Collar Sleveless Shift Dress, Topshop $80



Sleeveless Silk Bow Dress, Forever21 $32.80


Burgundy Bell Sleeve Lace Shift Dress, Topshop $100


Roberts Sequin Dress, BB Dakota $88


Floral Lace Dress with Belt, Forever21 $27.80

Rabu, 22 Desember 2010

Wardrobe Wednesday

I wore this last Friday. It was a pretty uneventful day. I ran some errands, stopped at Moxie Java and then organized my desk and closet. Nothing special, but I really loved this outfit!













T-Shirt: Express
Sweater: Ann Taylor Loft
Jeans: Forever21
Cowl: Handmade by me
Boots: Steve Madden

Selasa, 21 Desember 2010

Senin, 20 Desember 2010

Seen It, Heard It, Read It

I'd like to introduce my new feature, Seen It, Heard It, Read It. I'm not sure how often I'll do this, maybe every other week or so, but I'm really excited about it! These are some things I've seen, heard and read lately. Have you you seen, heard or read any of these too? Any favorites or suggestions?

SEEN IT
With finishing the semester and having friends in town I've gone to the movies a lot lately. These are some movies I've seen recently and really enjoyed.

1. Burlesque





If you haven't seen this one yet, you need to change that immediately! I LOVE this movie!! I must admit I've seen it twice in theater. I don't even remember the last time I've done that. Heather and I saw it with our mom and her friend and then went again with Jenny. It makes you want to dance, sing, and find a cute bartender named Jack. Haha. I just got the soundtrack this week and every time I put it in I can't help but dance. So fabulous!

2. Easy A



This comes out on DVD Tuesday, but I was able to catch it at the dollar theater a couple weeks ago. Emma Stone is so funny and Penn Badgley is pretty easy on the eyes. Ha! It had an interesting storyline. I wasn't sure what to expect going into it, but I really liked it! Not only was it really funny, but I thought it had a good message.

3. Life As We Know it



Another dollar theater movie! I went into this movie kind of knowing what would happen. It was a fairly predictable storyline, but I still thought it was a good movie. Definitely made me tear up a little. I'm such a cry baby, haha!

HEARD IT
I definitely love my music. When Heather and I worked at the fire center we would listen to music 10 hours a day. I really miss listening to music all the time. I've gotten so much new music lately but I feel like I've barely touched the surface of it all. These are some that I've made time for recently (aka listened to while I finished my last weeks of school).

1. Joshua Radin: The Rock and The Tide



Oh how I love this man! I've been wanting his cd since it came out in October and I was so happy when my friend Caitlin gave it to me for our Christmas exchange. I didn't realize how much I listened to it while I was finishing up school, but Heather put it in yesterday and I was singing along. He's coming to The Knitting Factory in March and I would LOVE to see him. It's not in the budget now, but maybe a cute boy will take me on a date. Haha. Not really, but I can dream.

2. Duffy: Endlessly



I've only listened to this a couple times in the past week, but I'm sure I'll be playing it a lot. I feel like I've been waiting forever for her to release something new. I'm excited to get to know her new songs better!

3. Justin Bieber: My World



Hi, my name is Ashlee, and I have Bieber Fever. This cd was a lifesaver during the last two weeks of school! It's a little humorous to hear him singing about love, when he's still a little baby-face teenager, but I do love it. I want to be One Less Lonely Girl. Haha!

4. Schuyler Fisk: The Good Stuff



Heather and I would play this ALL the time at the fire center. I absolutely LOVE this girl! The entire cd is incredible! This cd is a must-have! Also, you might want to check out Schuyler in I'm Reed Fish on Instant Netflix.

READ IT
I haven't had a ton of free time to read lately, but I did manage to read a few books recently.

1. Francine Rivers: A Lineage of Grace



I started reading this last year and just finished it a couple weeks ago. It's about the stories of five unlikely woman who changed eternity. Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary. Each of them were faced with different, sometimes scandalous, challenges, but each fulfilled their callings and played important roles in the lineage of Jesus. The books I just finished up were Ruth, Bathsheba and Mary. It was particularly interesting to read the story of Mary at this time of year. Each story is a fast read. I loved to see the faithfulness and the hearts of each of these women. It's a little different perspective than just reading these stories in the Bible.

2. Karen Kingsbury: Unlocked



This is Karen's newest book and a few people I know are getting it for Christmas. I love all of Karen's books, but this one is especially close to my heart because of her Forever in Fiction character Kate McRae. With the donations of many generous people, Karen made Kate a character in this book. I've been following Kate's story from the beginning, so it was really neat to read this book with her in it. Besides all that, I loved this story about an autistic 18 year old boy and a girl who wants to be his friend.

3. Karen Kingsbury: Between Sundays



After I finished Unlocked, I had to pick up another one of Karen's books as soon as I could. Luckily my mom has a couple, so I chose Between Sundays, which I finished the same day. It was definitely worth staying up until 2 AM to finish. Her books are so hard to put down! This is the story of a star football player and a woman with a heart for underprivileged kids. My favorite quote from the book: "It's what you do between Sundays, that matters."

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