I'm Done Sticking to Plans!

Today I had every intention of finishing the rest of my Christmas shopping with my little 13 month old in tow. I made a list, checked it twice and of course posted the "in the car selfie" to fill the rest of the world in on what we were doing, because they care... 

Our shopping trip started out great, until we got to the actual shopping part... Store #1 and the whining had already started, and the Cheerios were being thrown from the stroller. The woman ringing me up at Anthropology clearly did not have children, her look of disgust and impatience told me this. I thought I had done a good job of cleaning up the Cheerios and Animal Crackers off their floor, so I'm not sure why she was so upset...and, I mean, their floors are wood anyway, it's not like we damaged them. 

Store #2 prompted louder whining, which eventually led to a major fit being thrown while we were in line to check out. Surprisingly, I was laughing as he was screaming, while also telling him that Santa wasn't gonna bring him toys, because Santa doesn't like kids that cry. While I may have stretched that truth a little...it's okay, because Jude didn't understand me anyway, and  I made myself laugh! 

After the meltdown in store #2,  I decided I would try to bribe my 1 year old, so that I could get my list done. So I paid the $3 for the carousel and around we went! He loved it! He was laughing and smiling and all was well again! 

Or so I thought... Attempting to put him back in the stroller once again made me the worst Mommy in the world...there were tears and screams, the whole she-bang. So instead of melting-down with him, which I have indeed done in the past, I decided a lunch date with my little boy is exactly what we both needed! 

So there we sat at Red Robin, outside on the patio, for over an hour, coloring, eating chicken strips and French fries, feeding the birds and laughing a lot! It wasn't some big event or party or holiday, It was just an afternoon, on a Monday. And it was perfect. 

                                  

 

 

























With both of our bellies full I was able to get diapers from Target before he was again telling me how "over this" he was. On the way home I thought about how the day went. I only got a couple things on the long list, but I spent an afternoon with Jude that I don't think I'll ever forget. It got me thinking that slow and un-planned is REALLY REALLY good! I don't want to ever miss Jude laughing at the birds, or discovering how to old his "big kids" cup at a restaurant! From now on, I'm not sticking to plans, because my plans don't matter anyway. I think I could hear God laughing when I said that! He's probably like, "Well, duh!!!!" I'm so grateful to be a mom, and for this life. Today was a reminder to stop putting so much focus on planning the Big things, and to just live in the crazy moments and remember the every-day things!

P.S. Don't think that I've totally embraced the whole whining, loud child thing. I'm currently writing this as I sit in my car, because Jude is napping in the back, and the silence is Bliss! xoxo 

Citrus Quinoa Chicken Avocado Bowl 

"Healthy Eating?! No thank you....pass the chicken fingers and fries please!”

Up until just a couple of months ago, those are words that quite literally came out of my mouth on the regular... embarrassing I know! But I just wanted to eat Taco Bell and In N Out #1's and never gain any weight!!! Is that too much to ask?! Unfortunately, the answer was yes. And despite the battle of whit that Mary Kate and Ashley had in Holiday in the Sun, you CANNOT have your cake and eat it too!!! (True Olsen fans will know what I'm referring to, and if you haven't seen the greatness that is Holiday in the Sun, GO! Right now, and watch!)

Anyways, something finally registered in my brain that I needed to start taking better care of myself! I made a conscious decision to start eating healthier, and by the Grace of God this idea has finally stuck! But the problem in the beginning of my new found healthiness was, "Ughhh, what the heck am I going to eat?!!” I actually love salad so that was an obvious first choice, but one can only eat rabbit food for so long. So I became determined to find healthy recipes that not only satisfied my flavor loving palette, but my husbands picky one as well.

Thankfully, for every person on the planet, Pinterest was created! I cannot remember life without Pinterest, nor do I want to. I've found countless amazing, healthy, flavorful meals through this incredible social site and I'm excited to share this one with you!! Let me also add that all of the recipes I've found are extremely easy to make, and this one is no exception!

Which leads me to the other great thing that came out of my healthier eating habits. Other than, you know, that's it's creating a better quality of life for mysel, eating healthy has also forced me to actually start cooking! The extent of my cooking skills has always been opening the freezer and putting buffalo chicken strips in the oven. Which is quite sinful because my mother is an absolute amazing cook! In all fairness, she tried countless times to teach me, I just never "got it”. 

Luckily this new change encouraged me to start combining spices and flavors, to get creative and start styling those ingredients! I'll tell you, I couldn't be happier in the kitchen these days! 

With all that said, if I can make food that tastes good, so can you! Ok, ok, Ashley, enough with the chatter already! 

I found this recipe via Pinterest, which led me to SallysBakingAddiction.com. Her recipe is great! However, I found myself tweaking multiple different things and I also paired it with my homemade Avocado Jalapeño sauce! So I’ve re-vamped the original recipe and also added the Avocado Jalapeño sauce recipe here as well! This recipe calls for Quinoa, which is so incredibly good for you!! And it's awesome because it's a grain with basically no flavor so you can add it to just about anything! 

I'll admit I was a little leery of mixing all of these different flavors and consistencies together but OH MY GOSH am I glad I did!! I've eaten this meal 3 times this week, and also came up with another adaptation to mix it up. I’ll share that recipe with you on a later date! I promise you will not be disappointed with this Citrus Quinoa Chicken Avocado Bowl, mixed with a Cilantro, lime dressing and a Jalapeño Avocado Sauce! I know it sounds like a lot, but I insist, it is not! Happy Creating! XOXO

                                                                

FINALLY!

Hey there!!! Welcome!!! I'm so excited that you're reading this!!! No seriously, if you couldn't tell from the obnoxious amount of exclamation points, I mean, like, REALLY excited! 

I've had plans to start a blog for about a couple years now. In the beginning it was going to be an addition to my newly launched ETSY site, complete with Sewing and Crafting DIY's. Then a year later, with still no blog in place, I had decided I wanted to do more of a Lifestyle Blog. It of course would still feature DIY's and Crafts because, well, my life would be nothing without them! However, I also wanted to include my thoughts and opinions on what's going on in the world, on mommy-hood, my new found interest of healthy recipes and important things, like, where to find great nail polish colors that don't cost $9.00 a bottle. 

So I had finally put together a rough outline of what I wanted my blog to look like. I mean, as outlined as I could get in the notes section of my iPhone... detailed outlines and logistics are not my forte... Then the unthinkable happened. My sister-in-love was put in the CICU at Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles after fighting a lung disease for about a year. All of our lives were immediately placed on hold. After a few months of being in the hospital and undergoing multiple surgeries and a transplant, she went to be with The Lord. Death changes you. It changed my family. It changed our friends, even changed complete strangers. It most definitely changed me. I think differently, I love differently, and I actively seek out ways that I am supposed to be living now. 

A couple months after Laura passed I had been thinking about the blog again. I had mentioned it to Laura the year prior and we had even talked about doing it together. I had a new found interest in wanting to get my thoughts organized and "out". It wasn't until another Sister-in-Love of my mine texted me one day pushing me to "Start a Blog!" Because if I did, she would “Totally follow it!" Angelique has a way of sending me the most perfect words that I need to hear at the most perfect moments! She inspires me so much! And I'm starting to believe that God uses her to speak to me sometimes. 

So here it is!!! Finally! My very own blog!! One of the things that had been keeping me from starting this, was the loud voice in my head saying, "Ashley, why do you think people want to hear your thoughts? Or care what kind of dry shampoo you use? You are no celebrity or expert!" That last part couldn't be truer!!! I'm no expert, but I'll be honest, this blog is probably way more for me than it is for anyone else. I have a lot of things piling up in this blonde head of mine, and I would love to get them out! Also, I'm pretty sure my husband would love for me to give his brain a rest from all of my opinions and incessant chatter! 

This blog is ME! I love Jesus, I love my family, I'm obsessed with my baby boy Jude and our little dog Bentley, I adore my friends, I'm a DIY'er to the core! Styling, fashion and party planning are my passions and I never met a Glitter that I didn't like, its safe to say that Sparkle is my favorite color! I'm an open book when it comes to my life, and my blog will be no different! 

So, if you're looking for pinterest-esq DIYs, healthy recipes, baby and mama advice, some affordable beauty tips with some banter and sarcasm thrown in the mix, then stay tuned!! If you're not, then go away! No one likes a Debbie Downer! ;) 

XOXO