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Goodbye 2013

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

I really like the beginning of a new year.  Fresh start, back on a schedule & I get to fill out my new calendar!! Is that strange?  I have to say that I'm really excited to say goodbye to 2013.  I have a love hate relationship with this year.

2013

The Bad

The year started out with my dad recovering from open heart surgery.
We had a scare with our pregnancy & lots of testing done.  
I was put on bed rest & missed my sister in law's wedding.
My other sister in law was diagnosed with breast cancer.
I turned 30. 


The Good
Dad recovered from surgery & is active & healthy.  We are so thankful! 

Emma turned 2. 


My sister in law with breast cancer, kicked cancer's ass!!! 


We had the most precious baby boy who is perfectly healthy. We are so thankful & blessed.  


Being a mom of 2 has been the best adventure & brought me the most joy. 


Being able to watch Emma & Brady grow & love one another has brought much laughter & tears.
Friendships have deepened.  
 I joined Rodan +Fields Dermatologist as a consultant & it's has been an amazing few months in business.
New friendships have formed.
I turned 30.  

There is no doubt that like every year we've had ups & downs, but I'm so thankful that God's faithfulness never changes & that He is always there! This year I've really been able to see Him work in my life, through prayers of mine & of others more than ever.  

Goodbye 2013!!!  

The Big 30!

Friday, December 20, 2013




Today is the day I say goodbye to my 20's & hello 30's!  My mom says 30 is better than 20 & 40 is better than both.  I had a 30 before 30 list, but life got in the way & I didn't get hardly any of it done.  My greatest accomplishment thus far in my life are these two……


Today, I am so thankful for this life that the good Lord has given me.  He has blessed me beyond measure & I'm so grateful.  

In this year, I want to….

be more patient
laugh a little more
slow down
be a better wife, mom & friend
be thankful for the mundane
live in the moment
let go a little (i'm very type A & like to control things)
love a little deeper
enjoy the little things
find a way to make someone smile everyday 
& savor every moment.  





Ranch Life

Monday, November 18, 2013

We spent our weekend at the ranch.  It was so relaxing, except for the part where our kids didn't sleep through the night. They were both up at 5am on Saturday morning.  We wore them out though & hopefully this week, we get back on our normal schedule.  

Emma was excited to see the red deer, help Papa  move the cows to a different pasture, fish, ride the Ranger & most of all hunt with her daddy.  




We are in the process of building a new house out on the ranch & one of the highlights of our weekend was checking out it's progress. It's coming right along.  It is going to be wonderful & I cannot wait to start decorating!  I have so many ideas!!! :) Emma loved climbing the scaffolding (scared her daddy to death)!


She also has a thing for getting corn at all the feeders & filling her pockets with it.  The girl doesn't mind getting dirty.  I love that she loves it out here! 






We really had a great weekend.  The city is good, but the open pastures, clean air, & slow living are what we love the most. 

Hope you had a great one too!!  

Why I Give Thanks

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

A Taste of Everything via Pinterest

 via Pinterest
Happy Wednesday!  Don't forget to take time & thank God for all the many blessings He has given you.  

R+F Giveaway

Monday, November 11, 2013

Happy Monday, y'all!

I hope you had a great weekend.  I know we did.  It was a busy one working around the house.  I'm refreshed energize & ready to share some exciting news with you all!

Yesterday I launched my business as a Rodan +Fields consultant.  Have you heard of Rodan + Fields Dermatologist?




It's from the doctors who created Proactiv & they have designed 4 skin care regimens for any skin type.  I started using the Redefine regimen back in August as a Preferred Customer & fell in love with the products.




 My cousin became a consultant this summer & begin talking to me about the business.   At first, I wasn't at all interested.  I had a little stint in direct sales with a jewelry company that I didn't love & I didn't really want any part in it.   But after listening to Laura's success & how the products literally sale themselves, plus R+F offer a 60 day money back guarantee I knew I had to try it.  I'm so glad that I took that jump, because the two weeks that I have been in business I've made some significant money to help go towards all of our Christmas shopping & I'm only working 8 hours per week.  As my business grows, I hope to help save up money for our dream house & some other plans we have for our family in the future.  If you are at all interested in the business, shoot me an email-I'd love to chat with you about it & answer any questions you may have.

Now for our giveaway!!!  

What you can win this week:

1) Rodan & Fields AMP MD Roller ($200 value)

2) $20 Visa Gift Card

3) Lip Micro-Dermabrasion Paste

*********************************

How you can win:

1. To win the AMP Roller MD, go to the bottom of the post, and enter using the Rafflecopter.

2. To win a $20 Visa Gift Card, sign up to become a Preferred Customer, and your one-time joining fee will be paid by me-via a $20 Visa Gift Card. Be sure you email me, and let me know of your purchase.

3. To win a Lip Micro-Dermabrasion Paste, go to the Solutions Tool, take the online skin consultation and reply in the comments section with your results. I'll pick a winner out of the comments.



Winners will be announced on Friday, November 15th! 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Favorite Things Friday: Happy Hunting

Friday, November 1, 2013

It's here…it's finally here. It's the weekend that takes precedence over anything else in our house.  My husband would hurt me if I ever scheduled anything on this sacred weekend.  We only do one thing & go one place on the first weekend in November.  College football takes a backseat, birthday parties-we will mail a gift, weddings-no way. The first weekend in November in our family means heading out to west Texas & the only thing on our agenda is deer hunting.  Yes, and I even take part.

I grew up hunting.  It's my husbands true first love. Sometimes I think he may love it more than me.  We really enjoy it.  It's our adventure that we do together.  It gets us out of the city, away from the hustle & we can relax. Emma loves going out to the ranch & this year will be even more fun for her because we are taking her to the stand with us.

Being in the deer stand with my dad are some of my fondest childhood memories.  We'd get up real early- dark early & head out to the blind.  I'd lay in the floor & sleep, color & once daylight came dad would get me up to watch the deer.  I'm excited for Emma to have that with us, but especially for her to share this time with her dad.  I pray that it's a precious memory she will always cherish.

I'm really looking forward to this trip because we have to kill something---our freezer is empty.  We eat venison year round---hamburgers, tacos, spaghetti, meat loaf…pretty much anything you put ground beef in, well we put venison in.  Our garage was broken into at the end of August & they took almost all of our blasted meat.

In honor of deer season here are some of my favorite hunting related things….

Now that we have kids, I don't go as often as I use to, so this is so true in our house. 
Via Pinterest

www.tanga.com via Pinterest

www.skreened.com via Pinterest
 My husband hates it when we get a wedding invite during deer season.  
via Pinterest

via Pinterest

via Pinterest





I Need to Be Reminded….

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Some days I just need to take a step back & be reminded of these things.  I'm not of this world, I'm a child of God.  It's my prayer that I can become a woman of God.  And I'm so thankful that His grace is there for me when I tend to act more like a woman of the world. 

meditationsofhislove.blogspot.com via Pinterest

Child Free Weekend

Monday, October 28, 2013

The hubs & I were able to have a kid free weekend.  My parents are the best about wanting to take the kids just because.  So on Thursday morning we packed them all up & headed to meet my mom.  They LOVE, LOVE, LOVE going to NeeNee & Pop's house.  And why wouldn't they---play outside all day, eat a ton of sugar, & they rule the roost!

With our weekend freedom the Mr & I were able to kick back & relax.  I was able to clean out some closets, get my hair cut & got a much needed mani/pedi.  We attended the silent auction at Emma's school & snagged some great gifts for Christmas.  We slept in, had breakfast, went out for lunch (& had drinks), watched football, hung out with friends, and dreamed, planned of where we want to be in the next few years.  It was a much needed time with one another. It was a great weekend.


I'm rejuvenated & ready to get my hands on these precious babies today!!

Don't they look like they are having a blast in their costumes? haha!

I hope y'all all have a fantastic week!  

Favorite Things Friday

Friday, October 25, 2013

It's time for Favorite Things Friday & since I'm hosting an online Matilda Jane show next Friday, I thought I'd share with yall some of my favorites from MJ.

For the girls:

Are these not the cutest pjs ever?
www.matildajaneclothing.com
 The details....
www.matildajaneclothing.com 

 Love this little cardigan. 
www.matildajaneclothing.com 

 And these denim pants. 
www.matildajaneclothing.com 

 Just precious yall! 
www.matildajaneclothing.com 

www.matildajaneclothing.com 


And for the ladies:

Love this entire outfit.  Would be great with boots & a fitted jacket for the fall/winter! 
www.matildajaneclothing.com 

And a cute everyday blouse! 
www.matildajaneclothing.com 



I can't wait to see all the yummy goodness this final release on November 1st has. Head on over to www.matildajaneclothing.com & start making your wish list.  And if you want an invite to shop my online show send me your email address so I can include you!
























Let It Sink In.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Read it.  Let it sink in. Remember it.  Rest in Him. Repeat.

http://www.brightontheday.com/9990

Save the Date

Monday, October 21, 2013


Moms, have yall seen the adorable Matilda Jane Clothing line?  I was recently introduced to it a few months ago & I'm in love!!!  I was a little apprehensive to pay so much money for E's clothing, but I found this adorable quilt on Pinterest made of MJ clothes.  Isn't it fantastic?  

via:For The Love Quilts

So I bought a few pieces thinking that E will get a few wears out of them & then I can make a quilt for her.  I got our first order & I was amazed at the fabric, the quality & the fit.  These pieces will easily grow with Emma & she loves them! 


All this being said, MJ is having their final release of their Paint by Numbers collection on November 1st, right in time for the holidays.  I'm hosting an online show & would love for you to find the perfect piece for your little princess, tween or even yourself.  Yes, they have adult pieces!!! So put the date on your calendar!  I'll be taking orders November 1-2, so you can get your hands on these fabulous pieces! 


If you'd like me to email you with all the details then leave a comment with your email address.  Head on over to www.matildajaneclothing.com to start your wish list.  I promise there is something for your girl! 



Easy Breakfast Casserole

Friday, October 18, 2013

Are yall ready for the easiest & delicious breakfast casserole recipe?  My cousins, Laura, over at Kitty & June shared this recipe with me over a year ago.  It's awesomely easy & you can change it for your taste & crowd.



Ingredients:
Can of crescent rolls
6-8 eggs
Sausage/bacon/ham (whatever you'd like)
milk
Shredded cheese

Directions: 
Pre-heat oven to 350
Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray
Spread out crescent rolls on the bottom of the pan.  Pinch together seems to make it one piece of dough.
Brown sausage or cook bacon.  
Spread sausage on top of the dough. 
Whisk together 6-8 eggs with a little milk.  Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder.  
Pour egg mixture over sausage.
Cover with shredded cheese. 
Bake at 350 for roughly 30 minutes until bubbly.

This recipe is great because you can cook whatever meat you'd like ahead of time.  I always cook my meat the night before.  You can also change it up & add any veggies, salsa, and different meats to it.  I personally like mine with green chiles & salsa.  YUM-O!

Yall enjoy!

Dreaming

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

I dream of life in the country.
I dream of open fields, watching my kids running & playing from sun up to sun down.
I dream of a small community of friends.
I dream of a garden in my backyard.
I dream of neighbors that are a acres away.
I dream of country roads.
I dream of watching the sun come up & go down in a rocking chair on our front porch with my man.  My heart longs for these things, and I wonder if they will ever come to be.

Source: www.somewildthing.tumblr.com

My husband's business is based here in Houston.  I have a love/hate relationship with it.  I love his job because it has allowed me to stay home with our sweet kids, it pays the bills. It's provided a wonderful home for us.  Since it's a family run business, it's nice that he is essentially his own boss...it definitely has it's perks.  I hate his job because it's based in Houston.  It will never leave Houston & we will never leave Houston while our kids are young.

I don't want to seem ungrateful because I'm very grateful.  God has been so good to us. He brought me to Houston 7 years ago & this is the city where I found my husband. I know He has a plan. His plan is far greater than I could ever imagine, but sometimes I wonder, why does God put these certain desires in our hearts? And is it a God thing or is a selfish me thing?

Today I choose to be thankful--thankful for the smell of fresh cut wood (even if it's from the house that's being built behind us).  I'm thankful that Target is only 5 minutes away.  I'm thankful for family that is close by & some only a phone call away. I'm thankful for the land that we have that we can escape to on the weekends.  I'm thankful for the sweetest neighbors who have become very special friends. I'm thankful that my husband works so hard, so I can stay home with my sweet babies.

I Got a Facelift!

Monday, October 14, 2013

Welcome to the new & revamped This Country Fried Life.  A huge thanks to Kerri at Big K, little k Designs for her fabulous design.  I am in LOVE with it! 

If you are a new reader, welcome to my little corner!  If you are a returning reader & friend, thanks for being so faithful & patient with me.  I'm so thankful that you stop by & visit.  

With the relaunch of my blog, I figured that now is a good time to introduce myself...again.



I'm Ashley.
From small town, Texas. 
Houston is home.
Aggie, Class of '06
Wife of Matt
Dated my hubs for 2 months
Married for 4 years
Mom of Emma & Brady 
Teacher for 5 years
SAHM

My little Aggies
Love...
Jesus
chocolate
coffee
sweet tea
boots
the sound of pattering feet down my hall
a good book
lake days
open spaces
a good bloody mary
a cold beer
my momma's cookin'
junkin'
HGTV



I believe family is one of the most important things. 
I believe in friends that become family.
I believe that motherhood is the hardest most rewarding job on the earth.
I believe in the power of prayer.


I believe a good mani/pedi can turn your day around.
I believe a mother's love is like no other.
I believe in Johnny Cash, George Strait, & Aaron Watson can make your day better.

I believe that the Good Lord has blessed me far more than I deserve & for that I'm so thankful.












Baby Food Galore

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

B-man has started eating food.  Seriously, where does time go?  I can't believe he is already 4&1/2 months & that the Dr. gave us the go ahead with baby food.  With E, I made all of her baby food--call me crazy or whatever you want, but I just wanted to make sure I knew everything that was going into her sweet little body.  With little man, I wanted to do the same.  Plus, making your own food is a lot cheaper than buying it!! My MIL had both kids one day last week, so I did my shopping & spent roughly 3 hours making 3 months worth of food....YES, 3 months!  Super easy!




The Menu (Grocery list at the bottom of the post)

  • Apple-Carrot

  • Sweet Tater, Apple & Cinnamon

  • Zucchini & Banana

  • Broccoli, Apple, & Kale

  • Peach & Kale

  • Butternut Squash

  • Peas

  • Blueberries



I bought this handy little steamer from Target.  Best $30 I spent.  It helped to quickly steam the veggies, while I was working on different batches of food.



Apple-Carrot

Cut & core & peel 1-2 apples.  Steam apples along with 3 carrots.  Blend until smooth.  Add water or breast milk to thin for desired consistency.

Sweet Potato, Apple, Cinnamon

Skin & cut 1 sweet potato. Cut, core & skin 1 apple.  Steam sweet potato & apple until soft.  Add a dash of cinnamon & then blend apple, sweet potato & cinnamon until smooth.  Add water or breast milk to thin to desired consistency.

Zucchini & Banana

Skin 3 zucchinis & steam until soft.  Peel 2 bananas.  Put steamed zucchini & bananas in blender.  (To keep from having the bananas brown add a tsp of lemon juice).  Blend.  Add water or breast milk to thin to desired consistency.

Broccoli, Apple & Kale

Steam 1/2 bag of frozen broccoli. Skin, cut, core, & steam 1 apple.  Steam 1/2 bag of kale or 1-2 leaves of fresh kale.  Once steamed add to blender & blend until smooth.  Add water or breast milk to thin to desired consistency.

Peach & Kale

Skin, core & steam 3-4 peaches.  Steam 1-2 leaves of kale or 1/2 bag of frozen kale.  Add both to blender & blend until smooth.  Add water or breast milk to thin to desired consistency.

Butternut Squash

Skin & steam 1 butternut squash.  Blend until smooth.  Add water or breast milk to thin to desired consistency.

Blueberries

One bag of thawed blueberries, add 1-2 cups of water & blend.

Peas

One bag of thawed peas, add water & blend.



Once I blended a batch I would pour them into ice cube trays & freeze. Once they are frozen solid, pop them out & put them in baggies.  Be sure to label them & include the date.

My MIL bought me this fancy little Infantino Squeeze Station.  It was great too!  Once I ran out of ice cube trays I poured the baby food into the squeeze station.  It worked great--easy to use, easy to clean.  These little pouches will be great once we start traveling in the Fall.






And now this is what part of our freezer looks like!


Right now, B is only eating one pouch a day or 2-3 ice cubes.  Each night I put whatever food I want in the fridge to defrost.  I also add oatmeal or rice cereal & thawed breast milk once the food is thawed.  Now we are set for the next 3 months!! :)

Want to make this too?  Here is your grocery list

4 apples

3 large carrots

1 sweet potato

1 butternut squash

3 zucchini

2 bananas

4 peaches

1 bag of frozen blueberries

1 bussel of kale or 1 bag of frozen kale

1 bag of frozen broccoli

1 bag of frozen peas

Foodie Friday: Not Your Momma's Chicken Salad

Friday, August 16, 2013



Hey y'all! I'm about to share with you the most fabulous chicken salad that I've ever put in my mouth.  I'm not much a chicken salad fan....there is always too much mayo for my liking.  And I don't like chicken salad with nuts or grapes in it. Eww!   My MIL made this chicken salad  a few years ago for a shower & I just couldn't stop eating it.  I have no clue where the original recipe came from. My mother in law assured me it wasn't hers.  I wish I could take ALL the credit for it. I made a few changes to it for my taste, so I guess it's my recipe now! Go make it & try not to eat it all in one sitting!





Not Your Momma's Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

5 garlic cloves, minced

2 skinless chicken breasts, roasted & diced***

1/2 cup & 2 TBL mayonnaise

1/4 cup celery, chopped fine

1/2 TBL green onion, chopped fine

3-5 TBL basil leaves, chopped

Juice of one large lemon

salt & pepper to taste



Directions:

**For the chicken breast-you can by a rotisserie chicken at the store & use it.  You can roast your own or you can cook the chicken breasts in the crock pot (which is what I did).  Crock pot chicken is too easy---add chicken breast with 2 cups of chicken broth, salt, pepper, garlic powder to crock pot & let it cook for 4 hours on HIGH or 6-8 hours on LOW.

In a bowl, combine mayo, lemon juice, celery & green onion.  In a separate bowl, take chicken from crockpot & shred (or take your diced chicken) & gently fold in the basil.  Pour mayo mixture on top of chicken & basil & gently combine.  Add salt & pepper to taste.

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TWB: Getting to Know You Link Party

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Texas Women Bloggers



Today I'm linking up with all the wonderful ladies who are apart of Texas Women Bloggers.  I joined the group earlier this month & I'm so excited to get to know all of the women involved in this community.

So pull up a chair & let's chat....





1. What part of Texas do you call home?

I am a Native Texan & so proud of it. There are 3 places I consider home in Texas. First off,  I grew up in the little town of Crandall, just south east of Dallas (and when I say small, well we still don't have a red light in town).  I am a member of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of 2006, so College Station was home to me for 4+ years.  And after graduation I moved to Houston, where I've been for the past 6 years & plan to stay until we can retire.
2. How long have you been blogging?
I have been blogging a little over 3 years.

3. Why did you start blogging?
When I got pregnant with my daughter I started my blog.  I wanted to be able to update my family that lived out of town on our pregnancy & then on our little family.  Obviously over the years, the blog has evolved & changed as my life has.

4. When we visit your blog, what can we expect to discover?
You are going to get a lot of different things. Currently my blog is getting a makeover, so it's a little bare right now. But you will see lots of pictures of my kiddos & our life here in Houston & at our ranch. I love to cook, so I try to share recipes that our family loves.  I love to create & decorate, so DIY posts. Baby product reviews (mostly non-sponsored reviews), my faith, random rants, really, whatever is on my heart...you name it, I'll probably share it! :)

5. How did you come up with your Blog Title and what is its meaning?
I knew with our blog title I wanted to stick with my roots.  I grew up in the country. I love being in the country & getting dirty.  Our family spends a lot of time at our ranch.  I love to cook & when you are from the South everything is fried. So This Country Fried Life just came about.  Now that we have two kids, it still fits perfectly, because we will be raising our kids in the city, but with a love for the country life.

6. What do you love about being part of Texas Women Bloggers?
I just became apart of this group this month, but I'm looking forward to connecting with other ladies around the state!

7. Who inspires you to blog?


My family.  I love being able to write about our lives & things that are going on--the good & the bad.  Now that I'm reading more mom blogs, I'm inspired by their blogs.  It's nice to know that there are others going through the same every day battles as you, and I want to be able to share my experiences with other moms, because you never know who might need a little pick me up!

8. If you could pick a favorite blog post from this past year, what would it be?
This year was a big year for us because of the birth of our son.  I didn't blog as much as I did during my pregnancy with him, as I did with my daughter, so the post about his birth is my favorite.  It's amazing how a little boy can grab your heart. http://thiscountryfriedlife.com/2013/06/27/brady-allen-moore/



I hope you got to know a little about me.  Now it's your turn, answer one of the above questions in the comments for all of us to read!



Getting to Know You Link Party with the Texas Women Bloggers
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