A Little Bit of Life Lately

August 20, 2013 By ashleylately 6 Comments

Hey y’all!

Not a lot happening around here, at least not a lot of blog-worthy stuff. Here’s a little bit of what I’ve been up to lately.

We had a little going-away dinner for Haley a couple of weeks ago! She’s leaving us to go to college. She’ll be close enough that we’ll still get to see her, but it’s going to be sad not having her around every day. She’s going to do great in school, and we are so excited for this next chapter in her life!

The chocolate cake was soooo yummy!

Sarah has been with us off and on all summer too! It’s been nice having her back for a bit. We sure miss her!

The bank a couple of doors down from us at TVP brought in an ice cream truck a few weeks ago and gave us coupons for free ice cream! It was a fun little surprise!

I’m having the best time with my sweet kiddos in Bible class. Wednesday night, we made popcorn, also known as manna from heaven :)

Jack’s favorite game is attacking someone’s hands. It’s not a fun game for anyone but him!

I helped Joyce clean out her classroom last week and found this super creepy doll. Definitely trashed that toy :)

Little Man just celebrated his second birthday!

Poor guy! Colby was being…Colby.

Trying to steal Little Bit’s cupcake

Little Miss sure enjoyed hers!

So did Little Girl :)

Future baseball star (if Colby has anything to do with it)

Joyce’s niece Mikayla is here from Japan to go to school! Excited to have her and Jonna both here this year!

Is anyone else super sad about Lee Thompson Young passing away?

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I was a huge fan of The Famous Jett Jackson, and between him, Gia Allemand, and Cory Monteith, it’s been a sad few weeks :(

Alright, I’m out!

Have a great Tuesday, y’all!

The Sunday Social, Week 62

August 11, 2013 By ashleylately 8 Comments

Hey y’all!

Hope y’all are having a fabulous weekend!

1. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be Katie Couric :) Seriously though, I wanted to be a tv reporter and had dreams of cohosting the Today Show!

2. What was your favorite way to kill time as a kid?

I’ve always loved music, so I would hang out in my room reading no listening to my Walkman or CD player.

3. When did you get your first cell phone?

I got it the week I started college. Shortly after we got to OKC to start moving me in, we went to get a phone for me and a phone for Mom, the first for either of us!

4. What is your favorite magazine to read?

People is my fave!

5. What is the one random object people would be surprised to find in your purse?

At the moment (I always have weird stuff in my purse), the most random thing I have is a roll of medical tape. I have a bandaid allergy, so I have to use gauze and tape. I carry a roll with me in case something happens when I’m not at home.

Your turn! Answer the questions, grab our button, and link up with Neely and me!

Next week’s questions

1. What is something you’ve always wanted to do but are afraid of?

2. Where do you see yourself in five years?

3. What are you looking forward to before the end of 2013?

4. What are your hopes for your blog?

5. Do you always see yourself living in your current town/city?

6. What is your morning routine?

Have a great Sunday!

Boob Tube Babble: Summer Edition

August 6, 2013 By ashleylately 465 Comments

Hey y’all!

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a Boob Tube Babble post, so I thought it was time for us to have some TV talk around here :)

Most of the time, summer doesn’t have much fun TV happening. When it was announced that Bachelor Pad would not be airing this summer, I thought we’d have nothing to watch! To my surprise, there has actually been some fun summertime shows!

Here’s what I’ve been watching lately.

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Duh. I mean, who hasn’t been watching Bachelorette? :) I know, there are a few of you out there that have no interest in it, but I’ve actually really enjoyed it this season! I read the spoilers, so I was SHOCKED by the finale. I liked Brooks the best out of the final three, and I was really hoping she would pull a Mesnick and dump Chris for Brooks. Sadly, that wasn’t the case.

I think that for the most part, Des had a good group of guys, and my offer to her still stands. Since she doesn’t want Zak, I will marry him instead! I read spoilers early on so I knew how it would end, but I still hoped maybe she would pick Zak. I REALLY liked him a lot!

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I really had no intentions of watch Mistresses, but I watched the first episode after Bachelorette and I was hooked! Alyssa Milano is so cute, and I have loved Jason George since he was on Sunset Beach waaaay back in the day.

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I had no idea this show even existed until my mom told me she had watched an episode. I caught up on NBC.com, and I seriously LOVE this show! I love fun trivia shows, and adding a fun group of celebrities to the mix makes it even better. If you haven’t watched before, go watch the episode with the Saturday Night Live cast members. Hilarious!

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Oh my goodness, I can’t even tell you how excited I was to hear that Whose Line was coming back! I LOVED the old episodes from the Drew Carey days, so I am pumped that it’s back! Aisha Tyler is a fun addition to the group, and Wayne, Colin, and Ryan are as funny as ever!

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I’m not usually into mystery type shows, but I decided to give Whodunnit a chance because one of our local TV reporters was a cast member. Oh my goodness y’all, it sucked me in! I’ve been trying to figure out who the killer is right along with the rest of the cast. Apparently I’m terrible at reading people because every time I think I know who the killer is, that person is the next person killed :)

What are y’all watching this summer? Anyone watching these shows right along with me?

Happy Adoption Day!

August 5, 2013 By ashleylately 11 Comments

Hey y’all!

Oh, I have so much good stuff to talk about today!

If you follow me on twitter or instagram, you know this already, but for those of you that don’t, Friday morning, my friends Joyce and Wade finalized the adoption of two of the Littles! Little Man and Little Girl are officially part of their family forever!

Best day ever!

I got to go to court with them, and it meant so much to me to get to be a part of their special day!

Little Man is so stinkin’ adorable! He has gone from a sweet little baby to a precious little toddler, and he is so much fun!

Little Girl is such a sweet, funny, beautiful girl! She makes us laugh so much and has a smile that lights up a room!

She loves making funny faces with me. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing some of those faces in instagram selfies in a few years :)

Friday evening we had a special dinner to celebrate! I got a giant cookie for them and they loved it!

So cute!

It’s been a long time coming. After years of prayers and over a year of loving these babies, this day finally came, a beautiful answer to those prayers. I’ve said it before, but one of the greatest things in the world is watching a family be created. Adoption is such a beautiful thing, and it is even more special to watch it happen to people you love. There is nothing like seeing one of your best friends become a mom, and it meant so much to me to be there. It has also been amazing to know that these wonderful children that I love so much will be a part of this family forever. I can’t wait to share more about these little angels! To allow them some privacy, I won’t be sharing any details or their names, but I’m excited to finally show their sweet faces!

“For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him.” 1 Samuel 1: 27

The Sunday Social, Week 61

August 4, 2013 By ashleylately 6 Comments

Hey y’all!

1. What are 3 items you can’t live without on a daily basis (water, food, shelter, and clothes don’t count)?

I can’t live without my iPhone, Dr. Pepper (that counts, right?), and mascara

2. What is your all time favorite book? Why?

It’s so hard to choose! I love Redemption by Karen Kingsbury. It was the first book of hers that I ever read, and I fell in love with the characters and the story.

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3. What is something you’d like to accomplish before the end of 2013?

I’d really really like to organize my closet. Probably not going to happen though :)

4. If you could go back and relive any year of your life which year would it be?

Ohhh this is a hard one! I had a really awesome freshman year of high school and a really awesome junior year of college, so maybe one of those?

5. What do you wish people knew about you without you having to tell them?

Sorry folks, got nothing for this one!

Your turn! Answer the questions, grab our button, and link up with Neely and me!

Next week’s questions

1. When you were little what did you want to be when you grew up?

2. What was your favorite way to kill time as a kid?

3. When did you get your first cell phone?

4. What is your favorite magazine to read?

5. What is the one random object people would be surprised to find in your purse?

Have a great Sunday, y’all!

Ashley Lately

July 30, 2013 By ashleylately 8 Comments

Oh hey, y’all!

I know, I know, I said I was going to do better at blogging, but it’s been a crazy couple of weeks. Blogging just hasn’t been a big priority lately, but I’m really trying to jump back into it.

Here’s a little bit of what’s been going on lately.

We had a big summer sale at The Vintage Pearl a couple of weeks ago. We had popsicles, tea, and lemonade, had a bunch of giveaways, and had a sale on some summer jewelry! Sarah was able to come back to help us out, and we had a fantastic day!

I have THE BEST team!

Becky and I got to meet Kathi Yeager a couple of weeks ago when she came in TVP! She is one of the hosts of a morning show on one of our local radio stations! I have been listening to her show on my way to work for YEARS, and it was wonderful to finally meet her! She’s super sweet!

Last week, I got sick, so I spent most of the week in bed when I wasn’t working. Colby and Joyce, Wade, and the Littles were all out of town, so it was just me and that cat. Alone. All week.

He was by my side pretty much every moment.

It was cute. At first.

I couldn’t do ANYTHING without him next to me. It’s sweet that he wants to snuggle, but when I’m trying to fold laundry, it’s not really very helpful.

I was so excited last week when it was announced that Neely was named best local blogger by Dallas A List!

It was so fun seeing this in my email :) Neely SO deserves this, and I’m so excited for her!

This is going to be such an exciting week! The adoption of these little sweeties is being finalized this week!

I can’t wait to have these precious babies officially with us forever! I also can’t wait to show you their sweet faces! I’ll be back later in the week to “introduce” you to these sweet Littles that I love so much!

Have a great Tuesday, y’all!

The Sunday Social, Week 60

July 28, 2013 By ashleylately 11 Comments

Hey y’all!
Today’s Sunday Social questions are all about food!

1. If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Chocolate! I can’t live without chocolate!

2. What’s your guilty pleasure/comfort food?

Um…chocolate? :) Dr. Pepper too!

3. What’s the weirdest/craziest thing you’ve ever eaten?

In elementary school, we ate seaweed in our science class. It wasn’t bad, but I don’t think I would eat it again.

4. What foods do you avoid at all costs?

I don’t eat Asian food or barbecue. Asian food has weird sauces that I can’t handle, and I got food poisoning after eating barbecue a few years ago and…I just can’t eat it again.

5. What meal reminds you of your childhood?

There are so many! My momma is a great cook, and she always cooks wonderful meals!

6. Share one of your favorite recipes and the story behind it.

My family makes an awesome taco soup! It’s one of the few things I can actually cook :)

2 lbs. ground beef, browned and drained

1 chopped onion

1 can Chili/no beans

2 cans chili beans

1 can stewed diced tomatoes

1 can Rotel tomatoes

1 lb. velveeta cheese-or wal-mart brand

16 oz. sour cream-add 10 mins before ready to serve

Combine all ingredients and heat thoroughly.

Pour over chips and sprinkle grated cheese on top.

Let me know if you try it :)

Your turn! Answer the questions, grab our button, and link up with Neely and me!

Next week’s questions

1. What are 3 items you can’t live without on a daily basis (water, food, shelter, and clothes don’t count)

2. What is your all time favorite book? Why?

3. What is something you’d like to accomplish before the end of 2013?

4. If you could go back and relive any year of your life which year would it be?

5. What do you wish people knew about you without you having to tell them?

Have a great day, y’all!

The Sunday Social, Week 59

July 21, 2013 By ashleylately 13 Comments

Hey y’all!
Today’s Sunday Social is all about tv talk!

1. What was your favorite TV show as a kid?

I loved USA High, California Dreams, Hang Time, Full House, Family Matters, Saved by the Bell, and all of the fun shows like that!

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2. What is your current favorite TV show?

Army Wives! I also love The Voice, Nashville, Scandal, and The Young and the Restless.

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3. Which reality show would you NEVER do?

Survivor. I couldn’t do it.

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After a couple of hours, I would be ready to go home! I don’t like to get dirty. Or be outside for more than a few hours. Or sweat.

4. Which reality show would you LOVE to do?

I don’t think it’s on anymore, but a show I would have loved to do is Don’t Forget the Lyrics!

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I have always been good with song lyrics, and I think I could totally win :)

5. What is the TV personality/character that you feel is most like you?

I really don’t know! There’s not really anyone on tv, at least on the shows that I watch, that I feel is like me!

6. Which TV character would you want to date?

I love General Holden on Army Wives :)

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If you’ve read my blog for any length of time, you know I love him! He’s such a good guy!

Your turn! Answer the questions, grab our button, and link up with Neely and me!

Next week’s questions

These are all about food!

1. If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

2. What’s your guilty pleasure/comfort food?

3. What’s the weirdest/craziest thing you’ve ever eaten?

4. What foods do you avoid at all costs?

5. What meal reminds you of your childhood?

6. Share one of your favorite recipes and the story behind it.

Have a wonderful Sunday, y’all!

Happies & Crappies

July 19, 2013 By ashleylately 4 Comments

The Vintage Modern Wife: Happies and Crappies Link Up

Hey y’all!So…kinda forgot to blog this week. Oopsie :)I’ve got fun stuff to tell y’all about, but that’ll have to wait until next week because today I’m linking with Stephanie and Sarah for Happies and Crappies!For Happies and Crappies, we share the good things and not so good things about our week!Happies
My fabulous friend Amber is the winner of my Seattle’s Best Coffee giveaway! Yay Amber! I’ll be in contact with you shortly :)Monday night, Regina was in town, and we got to hang out!!

We had such a fabulous time! I love getting to hang out with her, and I’m so thankful for our friendship. She’s amazing, y’all!

And, we got really cute mani/pedis :)

Last night was C’s last baseball game. I haven’t been able to go all season, so I was really excited to get to see him play!

He got a hit, and his team won the game! They were undefeated the whole season!

Joyce and Wade are taking care of another foster kiddo for the week while his foster parents are out of town, so he came to the game too!

He got REALLY into the game! His clapping was pretty stinkin’ cute!

Crappies

It’s been kind of a long weird week. Let’s just say that I’m pretty excited about my Sunday afternoon nap!

What are your happies and crappies this week? Link up with Steph and Sarah!