When I get in my head that I want to change a room around in my house as far as decorating goes, I come up with ideas for the whole house. I want to change my kitchen from the apple theme to setting it up like a coffee house. Our house was built in the 70′s and we have already updated the cabinets and put down hardwood floor, but our counter tops are soooo outdated! So I’ve been on youtube looking for ways to redo them but not having to replace them. I have come up with painting them! I know that sounds crazy and not very durable, but they do sell countertop paint at Lowes designed for that kind of wear and tear. So that will be my next project to tackle. Also the backsplash is the old 70′s style big white tiles that I also want to get rid of… so I am going to tear those tiles off, sand a little bit and buy the backsplash that looks like stone and has adhesive on the back and put that up. It will look like a whole new kitchen by the time I’m done!
Now my living room, I want the retro, vintage feel… that’s just my style
My girls room will be done in peace signs and hippy theme and I’m trying to figure out a color scheme to go in there, but found some cute bedding and curtains and a very cool peace sign table! Looking for lava lamps and bean bags, it will be a cool place to hang out!
My son’s room really needs a good coat of paint and he tells me he wants cars and trains, so I’ll figure out something!
My room will also go with the retro theme. I like greens, browns and orange!
So when my mind gets running about projects that I need/want to do to my house, its for all over the house and I really need to get my mind to just focus on one thing at a time and complete that project before I begin another. Hopefully when I’m finished, it will look like a different house!
I’m excited to get started!
~Ash
It’s been a while since I have written… Today was the first day of school, I have a 4th grader and a 2nd grader! Both girls were really excited to get their morning started, so they were up early and getting everything together. I’m sure that this week, all the mornings will be smooth, because it’s new again but by Monday we will be back to do everything we can to get out the door on time!
Noah wanted to start school too. Olivia let him carry her lunch box so he felt like a big boy carrying that down the school hallway! He will start preschool next year and it’s sad to think that he is my baby, my last one to start school and this year will fly by and then it will be time for him to start! Where does time go? My 10 year old is talking about dating boys and wanting to be dropped off at the mall and my 7 year old wants to wear make up all the time. Momma just aint ready for all these changes at once! But one thing that I am super glad about, my girls are comfortable coming to me and asking questions. And if they ask me, I will tell them the truth instead of hearing some bogus story off the school bus. That’s how you keep trust.
Hope everyone has a good week!
~Ash
We have recently started a new dance studio here in Somerset, KY called Pep & Pizzazz and my girls just had their first recital this past Saturday. My daughter Emmy is just like me and its like she has an alter ego when she gets on stage! I love it!
“Do You Love Me” with both my daughters, Emmy and Olivia
http://youtu.be/KRiaDkyvPi0
“I Wanna Dance With Somebody” with Emmy
http://youtu.be/QQyyJTbUgBQ
I am one proud momma!!
Have a great week everyone!
~Ash
As I approach my last birthday of my 20′s, I find myself thinking back to when I was 17. Living at home with mom and dad, and just working for spending money. Memories of going to the creek with my favorite people, skipping school to go to PC Park and hang out, leaving school at 1:30 everyday for work release and sitting with my friends in my car in the school parking lot to smoke our cigarettes! Workin at Western Steer as a line girl and meeting so many wonderful, special people and partying with them after work. Times were so great back then, no responsibilities or bills…. but I couldnt wait to grow up… what was I thinking!?
Something that seems weird to me is alot of people I know now have jobs that you would always categorize as “grown ups”. For example, I know so many teachers and cops, and some are younger than me. And babies that I remember being born, are now teenagers and it seems like a blink of an eye ago, they were just coming into the world. I guess thats something to help me realize that I’m not 17 anymore and it really has been 11 years since I have graduated high school! I’m not young anymore. I have recently started noticing gray hairs all over my head, and wrinkles around my eyes and mouth. This is not supposed to be happening to someone so young, or am I still thinking of myself as that 17 year old?! Where on earth has the time gone?
Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been. ~Mark Twain
So many things I miss about those times as a teenager, but everyone has to grow up. I have 3 beautiful kids who depend on me, and I catch myself telling them the same things my mom and dad told me. Alot of things I never understood as a kid are clear now. It’s funny how things change, and some people are left in your past, but some have managed to survive to your present and maybe future. You always wonder what could have been, if you had taken a different path in life.
~Ash
How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you were? ~Satchel Paige
http://youtu.be/xS4OqDvhpr
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W3Wix0rlgU&feature=youtube_gdata_player
I want to talk about this video. This has been on my mind and heart ever since the interview. Piers Morgan invited Kirk Cameron on his show to discuss his new movie “Monumental”. Kirk Cameron is a proud christian, and not ashamed to speak of it in public. However the conversation got off path from the movie, to Kirk’s views on homosexuality. Piers asked Kirk his opinion of gay marriage and knew how he felt before he asked the question. Kirk answered the questions thrown at him in a very respectful honest manner. He didnt bash anyone, but the internet has blown up with people tweeting saying he was out of line. Several celebrities, and of course all of the equality groups are attacking him, for simply stating his opinion and beliefs. What happened to freedom of speech in America? He said he will be the first to admit his sin and be at the top of the list. So many people are doing to him what they are accusing him of, hating…. I must say that I am so proud of Kirk Cameron for standing up for his beliefs no matter what back lash he receives.
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”
~ Matthew 5:11
The following is from Kirk Cameron’s facebook page…
I recently was asked to join Piers Morgan on CNN for an interview about my new film “Monumental.” During that discussion, I was asked to express my views about homosexuality, gay marriage, and abortion. While that was not the agreed-upon purpose of the interview, I was pleased to answer Piers’ questions as honestly as I could. In some people’s eyes, my responses were not sufficiently “loving” to…ward those in the gay community. I can only say that it is my life’s mission to love all people, and that I expressed the same views that are expressed clearly and emphatically throughout the Judeo-Christian scriptures. As a Bible believing Christian, I could not have answered any other way.I’ve been encouraged by the support of many friends (including gay friends, incidentally) in the wake of condemnation by some political advocacy groups. In the case of one of my gay friends, we regularly talk and have healthy and respectful debate. We learn from each other, and serve others alongside one another. I thank God for all of my friends…even when they hold very different views on issues of faith and morality. I do not, however, believe that the right way to advance our views is to resort to name-calling and personal attacks, as some have done to me. I also believe that freedom of speech and freedom of religion go hand-in-hand in America. I should be able to express moral views on social issues–especially those that have been the underpinning of Western civilization for 2,000 years–without being slandered, accused of hate speech, and told from those who preach “tolerance” that I need to either bend my beliefs to their moral standards or be silent when I’m in the public square.I hope more than a few people could see the large volume of secularist morality being imposed on me. In any society that is governed by the rule of law, some form of morality is always imposed. It’s inescapable. But it is also a complicated subject, and that is why I believe we need to learn how to debate these things with greater love and respect.
To the thousands of you who have written me letters of encouragement… thank you! And to those who would like know how to further your support, please gather your friends and family, and join me as I seek to show you our true “National Treasure,” at the live, nationwide viewing of “Monumental” on Tuesday, March 27th (www.MonumentalMovie.com).
Sincerely,
Kirk
YouTube:
http://youtu.be/tLBhZIIeBoA This is a video of a tornado forming, that eventually moved to where the damage happened, right below our courthouse in Somerset, KY. All of these photos were taken in Somerset, Kentucky. I’m glad everyone is safe, and praying for those who were hit by this storm.
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7401015n&tag=mncol;lst;1
This is a video of a surviving family from East Bernstadt, KY where the actual tornado hit.
~Ash
Here are some songs that take me back to high school. I tried to just link them into this blog space, but had no luck. Enjoy 
~Ash
“Comedown” Bush http://youtu.be/epPW_-da6oQ
“Bittersweet Symphony” The Verve http://youtu.be/1lyu1KKwC74
“Wonderwall” Oasis http://youtu.be/FAPtTS0TYtU
“Name” Goo Goo Dolls http://youtu.be/Ice7NydF7RM
“Long Way Down” (Twister Soundtrack) Goo Goo Dolls http://youtu.be/r_zGw3hYkgo
“Humans Being” (Twister Soundtrack) Van Halen http://youtu.be/LzwUNV2xIq0
“Push” Matchbox Twenty http://youtu.be/goQXKo1EdCY
“Lightning Crashes” Live http://youtu.be/xsJ4O-nSveg
“Run” Collective Soul http://youtu.be/dpB-Sa04yBc
“Heavy” Collective Soul http://youtu.be/46g8zDcziL0
“Precious Declaration” Collective Soul http://youtu.be/hFebAtN7hhk
“Shine” Collective Soul http://youtu.be/_m0bI82Rz_k
“The World I Know” Collective Soul http://youtu.be/n7TLTjqUyog
“December” Collective Soul http://youtu.be/6exsatE-DUk
“Higher” Creed http://youtu.be/J16lInLZRms
“There You Go” P!nk http://youtu.be/66LnhtnSoKc
“Most Girls” P!nk http://youtu.be/UWJ_P-TdEJ0
“You Make Me Sick” P!nk http://youtu.be/MGfz0fv5wfQ
“I Wanna Know” Joe http://youtu.be/dJ8VjyPw0qY
“Crash Into Me” Dave Matthews Band http://youtu.be/k7in-9E3ImQ
Its days like today that get my adrenaline pumping! I know everyone thinks I am crazy, but I love them storms, lol! Its been a beautiful past 2 days here in Somerset, KY, sunshine and 60′s but we are rolling into March, and tornado season is around the corner. I do not want anyone hurt, or anyone’s homes and lives destroyed, but storms and tornadoes get me excited. Today we are under a tornado watch, and there are warnings in surrounding counties. I just stepped outside, and a slight breeze is blowing and the clouds are getting darker and darker. I just love it! Before I die, I will chase a tornado, (hopefully with my daddy) and that may be the way I leave this world, lol!
When I was growing up, I wanted to be a meteorologist. Not the one in the office or on the TV screen, I wanted to be out in the field, living it, feeling it. I created a binder that had all information possible for the career path I chose. I had info on the different clouds and precipitation, lightening and I had hundreds of pages on tornadoes. It’s really interesting to me how they form and what goes on inside a tornado. I still have that binder and from time to time look through it. My dad and I are still talking about heading out west when our schedules are not so busy, during a tornado season. Riding along with storm chasers is a bit expensive, so we may just do our own chasing! We wont have all the fancy devices that the real storm chasers have, but it will be the thrill of a lifetime!
~Ash
So, we have a new Hobby Lobby in town… I had never been to a Hobby Lobby, but walked around in there the other day and must say I am in love with that store. I have been wanting to get crafty for a while now, but not a creative bone in my body. I want to learn how to sew, and I want my grandma to teach me how to crochet. I have found some cool patterns and diagrams of how to do macrame’s, so I’m gonna try that first then work my way up to harder things. Eventually I want to make my own clothes, and I’m so excited to get going on this! Maybe some Saturday, I’ll have the time to actually go through Hobby Lobby thoroughly, because it seriously would take a whole day! When I get some things made, I will post pictures! Have a good week y’all!
~Ash
My feet began dancing at the age of 2. My mom enrolled me in a local dance studio, called The Dance Company. It was there that I learned the art of tap, jazz, ballet and gymnastics. Dance became my life, along with the other girls enrolled there. Every year we all looked forward to our annual recital. We learned routines, got to wear very sparkly costumes, and make up our face! Eventually I started competing. I loved being on stage, my parents always said I was a ham! I really never got the butterflies, I just got out there and rocked it everytime! LOL. I took dance for 15 years, and now have passed my dancing gene down to my kids. Its awesome seeing the gleam in their eye, that I used to see in my own. Every now and then I run into those girls I used to dance with. Some are on facebook and twitter. We recently had a reunion and it was so wonderful seeing everyone again.
(1st) me on left (2nd) me with my 15 year trophy (3rd) me on bottom left
My daughter Emmy onstage
My daughter Olivia in her dance costume.
~Ash
