SWEET VALENTINE'S DAY

A sweet day, indeed.

I made chicken and dumplings for dinner... a recipe I've been wanting to try from HERE for a long time now. Definitely a new favorite for both of us.

Andrew quietly set the table and surprised me with the fancy...er...plastic goblets, fancy folded napkin art, candles, and a hidden ipod playing mushy background music.

Whether or not this was accompanied by smooches and slow dancing in the kitchen is not really any of your business.

geez.

For dessert, Andrew presented me with a giant frosted cookie.

I couldn't decide if I loved him for it or hated him for it.

Then, we got to open three {yummy}Valentine packages from family!

{Excited to try out this new book!}

And I had to share a favorite student-made Valentine:

The kissy couple on the sticker has been labeled: "Mrs. Ashmore" and "Mr. Ashmore." Ha!

ANDREW'S MAD SKILLS--featured!

Andrew has some pretty awesome skills in the woodworking department. Please allow me to brag shamelessly.

He just finished this nightstand for me. {cellphone pics}




He often builds beautiful furniture to fill the homes they build at work.

He invited me to the shop one evening to check out his latest projects.

Hello. This is me watching him stain...And trying not to get high on fumes...Or get sawdust on my work slacks.

Lesson learned. Don't wear black to the shop.

I was still dressed for work myself {elementary teacher, you remember}.

Here he's working on what will soon be a fancy kitchen table.

This photo was featured on the fabulous blog of Becky Higgins!! I was so honored to receive the e-mail from her. Check out the post HERE.

Continuing on with my brag-fest, this is a headboard similar to the one he made for me.

That fancy kitchen table he was working on? This is the finished product all set up in the fancy house.

This is the fancy house. It's so fun to go through and see what he's been up to.

Above where the table sits, is this ceiling that Andrew put together too. Gorgeous!

Similar to the ceiling he built in the master bedroom.

More beautiful woodwork{still a little dusty from construction}.

And the staircase.

So, anyway. My husband is a stud. But I'm finished bragging now.

For the moment, anyway.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

1.)

I got a haircut last week. {side view}

I think it's pretty shnazzy. {front view}

shnazzy (adjective)

snazzy, spiffy, cool with some sophistication, a snazzier update on snappy + jazzy 

2.)

Thrift stores are the BOMB. Brand-new $30 belt from American Eagle {with the tags still on it} for one dollar.

     bomb (noun)

1. (before 1995) Something really bad; a failure 

2. (after 1995) Something considered excellent and/or the best (uses modifier "the")

Once, I was sitting in a ward council meeting when the young Sunday school president used the phrase "bomb diggity." The juxtaposition of that phrase in such a serious setting, plus the fact that none of the old, balding brethren surrounding me even batted an eyelid, made me very, very happy. 

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     bomb diggity (adjective)

totally the awesomest, no lie

I encourage all of you to use it in a sentence this week and report back to me. 

3.)

It's still winter in Rexburg. In case you were wonderin'. 

4.)

MMmmmm...There's nothing like leftover pizza for breakfast...

Please tell me I'm not the only one. 

     left·o·ver  [left-oh-ver]
noun Usually, leftovers. food remaining uneaten at the end of a meal, especially saved for later use. Like microwaved for breakfast the next day.

5.)

On a clear day, this is the view of the Tetons from where I work.

     work [wurk] 
(noun) A worldwide slave labour organization run by *The Man. A place where people have to go everyday to get paid. 

     *The Man [th uh man]
(noun) The Man is the head of "the establishment" put in place to "bring us down." The Man wields power and seeks to oppress.  In some cases, it's a male Caucasian between the ages of 60-70, with a buzzed head, and an unnatural love for the sound of his own voice. 

6.)

I thought this sunset from the other night was the bomb diggity. So I thought I'd share. 


That's all. Aren't you glad we had this talk?

PERFECT

No school or work recently, meant sleeping in and building breakfast together.

One word: Levi's.

Frothy goodness.

Everything's better with crunchy peanut butter.

From our window: a rare blue sky peeking through winter morning clouds.
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 Like I said...perfect.
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MORMON.ORG

Check out my profile now found on Mormon.org!
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After reading mine {click on the orange dot below}, go create your own and help spread the good news! 
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Then, go HERE and pick out a blog button that links directly to your newly created Mormon.org profile. What a great way to spend your sabbath afternoon...

"We cannot stand on the sidelines while others...attempt to define what the Church teaches...May I ask that you join in the conversation by participating on the Internet to share the gospel and to explain in simple and clear terms the message of the Restoration."

--Elder M. Russell Ballard

Happy Sunday!

SNAPSHOT SATURDAY--the mashed potata'

Found this picture on a blog I like to stop in on every once in awhile. C. Jane is a clever, entertaining writer from Provo, Utah. You can read her full post HERE.

But enough about her. Look at her daughter!

Little Ever Jane was granted the privilege of having her way with a blob of mashed potatoes. Who knew that smooshing potatoes in your hair could bring such pure joy? I didn't until I saw this snapshot.

But now I'm a believer.

Next time I have a bad day, I'm going to roll around in my own blob of mashed potatoes. If for anything, just to see Andrew's reaction when he happens upon me, my potato encrusted hands resting on my head, my face making that same joy-filled expression.

Let me show you Ever Jane again, just so you can picture it.

Okay, I'm finished now. Just hoping that photograph brings as much happiness to your heart, as it did to mine. Ciao.

THANKFUL THURSDAY-- Tie a Bow Around it

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"Your life with Andrew sounds so cute I could tie a bow around it. You guys sound so happy and it sounds like you take time out to have fun – that’s good! I am SO HAPPY for you two!! It makes me smile reading all about your life I can just picture it – I’m glad you decided to change your mind [about a mission]and marry Andrew!"


This excerpt comes from an old e-mail I received from an old friend. I hadn't been trying to paint my life to sound overly sunny and rose-colored.  We were just catching up on what the other has been up to lately. I just listed the basic facts. 


But I think about her statement a lot...that image of tying a bow around my life with Andrew. We really do have a blessed life. And I bet you do too. 


It's just that sometimes, I forget...or get distracted by what's difficult, so that I can't see what's good. I need to stop existing on survival mode and really enjoy these good times. 

• Sickeningly in love with my man
• The good news of the Gospel
• Jobs with regular paychecks
• Working vehicles
• Our cozy house
• Health
• Money to spend on luxuries like date nights
• Church service
• Education
• Family
• Friends
• Freedom and peace

Yep. Cute enough to tie a bow around...top with a cherry, and eat with a spoon!

OUR HOUSE PLANS--take 1

FIRSTHOUSE Layout2 (2) (1)
Do you remember me telling you we are building a house? Well, we are, and we are having the time of our lives dreaming and planning it into reality. 
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The floor plan above {click for bigger view}is already out 
of date. Our dreams, it turns out, are a bit unrealistic 
for a first home. For example:
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1.)The third car garage we were going to use for the 
work trailer will have to be replaced by a concrete pad on the 
side. No biggie though.
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2.)Also, we can't afford the bonus room above the garage 
or the partial basement below. So, the stairs will have to 
go and the whole mudroom/laundry room will need to be reworked
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3.)And finally, for the better, we've picked out a corner lot, so 
the garage will be flipped on the side instead of the 
front. {Hooray! This'll make the house's curb appeal go way up!}


There were some points that I insisted on as we drew up the plans:
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1.)No formal dining room. What a complete waste of 
space!
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2.)A small, formal sitting room is a must to separate 
guests from the messy living areas of the house if needed.
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3.) A mudroom to store all those wet snow pants and 
boots. A necessity in wintry Idaho...and with Andrew's messy career.
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4.)As little glass on the master shower as possible. Less glass to clean, you see.
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5.)You'll notice the built-in decorative shelves in the 
living room and breakfast nook. I love the ones in our current 
house and I'm not willing to part with them.
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That is all for now...but more to come! We are currently preparing plans and paperwork to submit to the bank. 
Hopefully, this will happen in the next week or so, so 
wish us luck!

VALENTINE KISSERS AND MUSTACHES

For Valentine's Day, I'm giving my kiddos suckers attached to felt lips and mustaches. Then, when they put the sucker in their mouths, they look like this:

Andrew and I should totally take up modeling.
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The felt cost me $1.50 and the suckers $1.79. A girl I grew up with posted about this on her blog, and I've been looking forward to trying it with my class ever since. She got her idea from HERE. 

The downloadable template made them kinda big, so I think the lips need some de-botox-ifying before I cut out the rest.
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But anyway, if you're looking for a last minute idea, this one is kinda fun. Send them with your kids for their school Valentine parties.

Don't Andrew's muttonchops look sexy?

A little bit, maybe?

AS OF TODAY

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7' 10" and counting...

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SUN VALLEY SLOPES

We left the Inn that first morning to beautiful, sunny skies.

The mountains were already covered with skiers, the fresh powder billowing up like smoke.

We took a shuttle to the lifts and began our ascent in large, enclosed gondolas. This place made the Kelly Canyon slopes we are used to, look like a total dump.

We were so high in the air, and the view became so incredible...

That we were slightly giddy.

So much fun.

And it only got better as we got higher.

More shots from our ride up the mountain...

The price of the lift ticket was worth it just for the views.

Amazing designs on the mountain made by downhill skiers.

After a second, slightly colder lift ride, we reached the summit at 8,680 feet.

I can't even describe how frigid it was up there.

And I'm from Rexburg.

And the view from up there was slightly unnerving. I had to make it down this mountain on a thin board of wood and plastic?

The lodge at the top provided food and fire. 

How they got the building materials up there to construct it in the first place, I'll never know.

Have I mentioned how beautiful and fancy it all was?

We payed $16 for two slices of pizza that were pulled straight from a flaming brick oven. Then eaten on china dishes.

Yes, it was the best pizza I've ever consumed.

Then we boarded the afternoon away until I was more exhausted than I have ever been in my entire life.

{I'm in love with this photo, by the way!}

Well, that's the end of the pictures for now. The rest of this day was only spent lying on the hotel bed in a near-comatose state. We hurt everywhere.