While The Seasons Change

It's October, My favorite month out of the year. I've been waiting for it since the end of last November. I've been waiting for a happy holiday season. Its been really hard since granddaddy died, at times its almost unbearable. At the end of last month, I came to the realization that October marked the one year anniversary of granddaddy falling ill. As I step back and look at the whole picture, I am reminded of the solemn fact that he was with us this time last year. He was fine.  Everything just happened so fast.

I decided This year I wasn't going to sit back and be depressed. I am going to make the best of the next three months. I am going to make this Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas one to remember! 

Some Me Stuff

Q&A

1. What is your dream job?
A. Egyptologist

2. Who is there in your life that you would take a bullet for?
A. I'd take a bullet for almost anybody. I don't surround myself with people I don't care about in some way, including strangers.

3. Under what circumstances would you adopt a child?
A. There are no circumstances that would hold me back. I would love to adopt!


4. Why were you given your name?
A. My mom was on a romance novel kick when she was pregnant with me. I was named after Ashley Wilkes from Gone With the Wind. Is he my favorite? No way. I'm a little peeved that she named me after the winey man. I'd rather have been named after Rhett.


5. What was the last national park you visited?
A. Glacier Bay National Park In Alaska


6. What was the first thing you learned to cook?
A. Ramen Noodles


7. What book series can you read over and over again?
A. Harry Potter


8. What makes you feel young?
A. I still get excited about Saturday morning cartoons!


9. Did you ever work at an on-campus job? What was it?
A. Yes! I worked at a campus bookstore!

10. What was the first concert you went to see?
A. The Red Hot Chili Peppers


11. If you had it to do over again what would you study in school?
A. Journalism. Still might go back for this! I'm 26 with no kids, it's a doable goal!


12. What did you do to get pocket money as a child?
A. Honestly? I was really spoiled. I only had to get good marks in school to get pocket money. I don't think I would do the same for my own children as my parents did for me. Definitely not productive. 


13. What is the strangest food you have ever eaten?
A. Escargot. The flavor was good, but the texture did not work well for me. I've also had alligator tenders.


14. What in your life is more important than money?
A. Love. Whether from my family or friends or strangers on the street, Love makes my world turn!


15. When was the first time you saw the ocean?
A. I was probably around 1 or 2. We lived a short driving distance to the Atlantic Ocean when my dad was going to Duke. 

The Prettiest Little Orchid

The Prettiest Little Orchid

Here I sit without you,

As emptiness fills the air.

Do I cry about you?

Do I even dare?

For many days and weeks

I've made it through,

Just by the mere memory

Of sitting here with you. 

Some days are better.

Others, just okay.

But most of the time I'm seeking

You're guidance throughout the day.

Every time I hear your name, 

Or remember a time we both knew, 

I hear a voice from deep inside 

I'd almost swear it was you.

'Here's my prettiest little orchid!'-you"d say

'My rarest gem.

Treat her with care, for she's very fragile within. 

Water her with all you know, Spend time with her like I did,

Give her time and room to grow 

And She'll blossom

Into my prettiest little orchid,

This name he once called me

serves as a reminder. 

As if one day he knew I'd need it.

As a promise. As a binder.

For now, I am small

I have no buds, no blooms.

But I feel them coming 

Because I've been given so much Love.

I have roots.

I feel my granddaddy smile from heaven above

He knows somethings coming 

And that somethings is self-love.

His prettiest little orchid will bloom one day soon 

And sit with her sweet angel

Feeling no emptiness,

No gloom. 

For I am his prettiest little orchid

His rarest gem.

And I know, now,

I am always with him

Sherkat Ranch

A few weekends ago my dad came into town with my stepmom and little brothers! We had a blast, it's always so good to see them! My uncle owns a large amount of Property in Weleetka, OK. We went to visit and go fishing and just spend time together!!!

Here is the entrance to the pasture! It says "Sherkat" which is my maiden name!

I just fell in love with the cows, there were so many! The little baby cow here is named "Happy" I had never seen a cow with markings like this! The name "Skunky" was in consideration due to her markings. But since she jumps and frolics and is just so happy, that what they named her!

More cows! The one looking at the camera is Little Red. I didn't catch all their names, but each one has their own little personality. 

Little red Looking out! I love this shot because of the contrast between Little Red and the darker cows!

This is little Stephanie. She was 6 days old in this photo. Stephanie's mom wasn't really being very motherly. She leaves Stephanie and won't nurse her when she is hungry. My uncle is trying to get the mom to bond better by putting them both in an enclosed area.

We were looking everywhere for little Stephanie that morning. Mama cow left her alone in the pasture and went to join the adult cows towards the front of the property. Let me tell you, she was hard to find! But we finally did!

Little Stephanie running to find her mama. She was calling out to her the whole time. The mama cow finally answered her call. My uncle might end up having to bottle feed this little one if mama doesn't start letting her feed.

Heres my little brother Jackson fishing! He is 9 years old and is seriously the sweetest little guy I've ever met! Jackson caught several largemouth bass on Sherkat Ranch! I was so proud of him, He's a very good fisherman!

This is my Littlest brother, Owen! He is 4 but will be turning 5 next month. Owen is very fun and high spirited! He's a very active little guy and has a great sense of humor! He had a hard time fishing at first but ended up catching quite a few fish too! He's going to have some great fisherman stories to tell!!!

Caught a great one of Jackson and Owen in the act! Jackson found a small dead snake by the house and was using that as bait! He would drag his line all over the pond to make it look like the fish was swimming! Such a smart little guy! Owen got so good at casting his line. That's a hard one to do when you're little!

We had such a good time! There was talking, Laughing, picture taking, and a lot of good family fun! Ryan and I will be going back soon, we loved the remote location and my aunt and uncle are two of my very favorite people!

We love Weleetka, OK!!!!

Easter Egg Carton Dinner

I found a really cute idea on Pinterest on using Egg Cartons and Plastic easter eggs to make a fun snack pack for kiddos. I shared it with my mother-in-law and she loved it! Little did I know she'd fill the eggs with a healthy dinner instead! These kiddos are pretty picky eaters one in particular so It was wonderful seeing them get excited to eat dinner and eat everything! I was a proud aunt!

Here's the Cartons and eggs all ready to go. 

They were numbered and the kids had to go in numerical order until they got to the golden egg which was filled with a special surprise! It was so fun to see them get excited over chicken nuggets, bananas, jelly beans and other candies! 

This was the cutest and most clever idea I've seen in awhile and props to my mother-in-law for making it work! 

I have to remember this Idea when Ryan and I have kids of our own! Thank goodness for Blogs!!!

.....but next time we might want to rethink golden egg prizes. Pennies are hardly adequate enough for these kids! 

Delicious Pudding Cupcakes

I've been looking for the perfect cupcake recipe and I think I've found it! I've heard in the past "Oh, add pudding mix to your cake batter and it will be the best cake you've ever had!" Well, of course I wanted to try it, but I work off recipes and didn't just want to add pudding mix and then mess up some potentially lovely cupcakes!! So I searched and searched and FINALLY found it a few days ago. You follow the ingredients portion listed and follow the box on the baking time and temp. I might never go back to regular cake mix again!

Ingredients-

4 eggs

3/4 cup of milk

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 box (your choice) cake mix

1 box (coordinating flavor) Instant pudding mix

1-2 Containers of (your choice icing)

Optional-

M&M's to sprinkle on top!

1. Read the cake mix box in its entirety and assess your tools. You don't want crunchy cupcakes!!!

2. Mix eggs, milk, oil, cake and pudding mix in blender for 2 minutes!

3. Add mixture to cupcake tin and cook according to box on cake mix. (Depending on if you are using a nonstick pan or not, you will have to add or subtract time and temp accordingly..the box tells all!!)

4. I baked mine for 25 mins in a nonstick cupcake pan. My oven runs a tad bit cool. 

5. Allow time to cool and add your amount of icing and toppings and Enjoy!!

Easter

Ah, Easter! I love this holiday, one of my favorites in fact! This Easter was a bit different than ones we've had in the past. Usually, we have two dinners to go to...at least. This year we only had one. And there were two very prominent men in our families that were not joining us at the head of out tables. So, it was not the traditional Easter we usually have, but it was still wonderful!

This morning when I woke up it was cloudy. And my first reaction was, "Of course, first Easter without Granddaddy and Ryan's dad and its gloomy already." Needless to say I was grumpy. Luckily, I woke up a little late and busied myself with my hair and makeup and slipped into my Easter best. (Which is my Easter comfy....after being stuck in a frilly wedding dress I aim for comfort) 

We go to a local Methodist Church called Asbury. 

Service was beautiful and I got pretty teary at...well, the whole time. Seems to be the popular thing of late, me not being able to control feelings. It's been a blast. But when we came out of service all happy/sad/teary (and whatever else I was feeling) it was sunny!!! YAY! So of course we had to take pictures!!!

After church, we raced home to get started on our Easter dinner preparations! I was particularly looking forward to making some cupcakes and try out a tutorial on Chocolate Pretzel Buttons by my sweet friend at Smith Peas{in a pod} (Check her out, She's fab)

So I got started on it, napped, finished, and napped some more. Napping seems to be my thing lately, too. Especially on Sunday afternoons. I can't stand being awake when nobody else is, and I can't stand being asleep when nobody else is. I don't want to miss anything! But since I fell asleep, I missed all the hustle and bustle downstairs. So, I was quite surprised when I woke up to ham, potatoes, broccoli, and green beans all ready to go and be eaten. 

Ham from a local store called The Hamlet, it was so tasty! 

These are the cupcakes I made, Check them out under my Good Eats tab! 

I probably could've kept my Chocolate Pretzel Buttons in the oven about 30 seconds to a minute longer. But they were a hit, especially with one of my little nephews!!!

Easter is a beautiful time of year, I wish I could have gotten more photos, and I wish I could have had my Granddaddy and Ryan's dad here. But wishing for the impossible only brings heart ache. We had a beautiful NEW Easter. That's what Easter is, a new beginning. And despite it being so different than years past, and me dreading it for quite some time now, it was beautiful.

Yummy Breakfast Quiche

I made these for my family this morning and they were a big hit! Here's the recipe, I hope you and your's enjoy them too!

Ingredients- 

6-8 eggs

Milk or a milk substitute

1 tsp All purpose flour

Chopped Spinach

Shredded Cheese

Chopped Chives

Bacon, sausage, or any other meat or meat substitute. 

Here's What you do-

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Coat a muffin pan with no stick cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Cook your meat and add it in the bottom of the muffin pan.

3. Beat 6-8 eggs with milk in a mixing bowl. Add 1 tsp of All purpose flour and beat well.

4. Chop up veggies! You can be as creative as you want with them, I love spinach and chives with my eggs But the possibilities are endless!

5. I stir in the veggies with the beaten eggs. Some may like to layer them {meat, veggies, eggs}its up to you!

6. Stir in some cheese to the mixture

7. Pour the mixture in the muffin pan and add some extra cheese on the top

8. Bake the Quiches in the oven for 18 minutes!

These can be refrigerated and heated up throughout the week!