mason says...

Mason says, "Head on over to my mommy's new blog!!"

Photography Blog

working wednesday

I promise "Monday recipes" and "working Wednesday" will be the only posts that are assigned a day of the week. Promise. It sort of calls for accountability on my part. I know I need to make those 2 posts, at the least, every week. I'm excited! You better be too. 

Working for me is usually taking care of my zoo. Two are in school and two stay at home with me. They are 4 and 8 months. Today we went for a walk/run on a beautiful trail. It was about 3 miles and I ran half of it. We had to stop every few minutes to pick up all the goodies the kids threw out of the stroller. Not sure if they were working on their littering skills or thought I need a break. That would be sweet of them right?!

Also, I managed to snap a few pictures. While I needed to get out of the house, I was also scoping out possible photo sessions sites. 

This weekend I have 2 photo sessions scheduled. I'm currently working to build my portfolio, so I've asked a few friends if they would mind working with an amateur. Lol! I'm not charging them, so it's a win for them! And a win for me!

{This was a pretty walkway, It's not quite fall, everything is still pretty green. I made a few edits and ta-da!I think I'll keep working with the edits, you never know what people will be wearing.}

Well enjoy your day lovelies!!!

monday recipes

I think I will start a weekly recipe post! Monday is perfect, it falls after that long lazy weekend we just had. The last thing on our minds is what's for dinner the rest of the week. 

Originally, I wanted to share what I was cooking on Monday, but I can't promise it that. We might have cereal, order pizza or Friday's leftovers. I'm trying to keep it real here. 

But here is a super easy, delicious crock pot meal I made last week. 

Real quick, I want to add that I just threw some things together and can't promise it's something you never heard of. You've been warned, you may have made this yesterday.

So ingredients:

whole chicken (yep the whole thing - and you get to clean out it's inside) 

1 can sweet corn

1 can black beans

1 can rotel (used mild)

1 package of taco seasoning (used mild)

I think this cost me less than $10. I don't use fancy vegetables.

My recommendation is to buy your chicken and cook that next day. I froze mine, waited, then was annoyed by all the extra work I had to do. Lazy Crocker here. That and I have my own zoo.

Clean the chicken out and place in the crock pot.

Add can corn, undrained.

Add can black beans, drained.

Mix the can of rotel and taco seasoning. I did this to avoid clumping with the taco seasoning. 

Add mixture to the rest of the goodies. 

Then cook!! My crock pot goes by hours, so I can't confirm on a temperature. I put it in at 8am and it was ready by 4pm. I turned to warm and then removed the chicken. Now as I'm typing this I'm realizing a few things, you can decide on your own though. 

I had to break off all the meat and then add it back to the crock pot. Threw out the bones and such. Now, if you wanted, maybe cook the chicken, pull off meat and then add other ingredients. 

I added a cup of water at the end, I liked it soupy. Totally forgot, but try and find those tortilla strips to add, I'm sure that would have been delicious. 

Recap:

chicken

corn

black beans

rotel

taco seasoning

cup of water

crock pot

8 hrs

{Sorry the quality is lacking in the final product. I will tell you it's delicious though and reheats nicely.}

Hope you enjoy and your family thinks you slaved all day creating this delicious homemade chicken soup!!

lost in blog land

So I've been blogging, a lot, but not here. I feel like I've neglected "my" blog in the process of writing one for my daughter. I'm not sure what took me so long to start one that chronicled her journey through treatment at St Jude Children's Research Hospital. She has been through so much, it's amazing how well she is doing today. 

You can find her story and more about cancer, research, funding, etc at:

Bailey's Journey & Cancer Chronicles

September also happens to be Childhood Cancer Awareness month. Maybe you have seen the surge in gold over social media. Or maybe some of the hashtags and slogans such as, #beboldgogold, #showyourgold, #wheresthecure and many more. Some will join in and support, other's will ignore and unfortunately some will be annoyed.  But, we all have causes that are near and dear to our hearts. This is mine.

I wanted to add a quick before and after of our sweet girl. To show you how far she has come in the last 3 years and it's all because of St Jude Children's Research Hospital. 

{Mommy, Daddy and B the night before her 1st surgery July 19th 2012. During surgery, surgeons removed not only the tumor, but her left kidney and part of the right. They also removed several infected lymph nodes.}

{In pre-op waiting to go back. The sweetest girl.}

{Bailey 3 years later. 2 relapses, 3 surgeries, stem cell transplant and much more.}

She's our hero!

Become a Partner in Hope today ---- www.stjude.org

eight months with davis

Davis Owen is now 8 months old. I can't believe it. The last 8 months have flown by and I miss every milestone that has passed.

And can I state for the record that the 8 months of pregnancy DID NOT fly by!!! Not fair. Being pregnant at 32 was much different than at 21 when our oldest was born. Davis is the youngest of 4, so I know the ropes as far as morning sickness, no sleep, difficulty breathing, fighting the urge to eat everything in sight, fighting the urge to punch everyone in sight...the list goes on.

Baby D is such a happy baby. He brings a smile to everyone's face. He loves to love on you. He loves learning new things as well. Boy wants to run a marathon I tell ya. Table food, check. He can down some beans, apples, avocado, grapes, carrots...and everything else in sight. Davis makes me want all the babies. No one ever asked the dreaded, "so are you done having kids?" question. Now, it's all the time. I guess the difference in age between him and his brother. Or maybe it's just typical for others to want to know the next time you and your husband plan on being intimate, while you're ovulating, so you can become pregnant. I mean I get it. #notreally

We went to the park and attempted some pictures. He was more interested in eating grass, sand, rocks, sticks and anything else that presented itself.

Enjoy our sweet baby! And I make no apologies for your ovaries and what they might be saying to you after seeing such cuteness.

{mom the grass is dry and uncomfortable}

{i can't, i can't do #8monthsold}

{look at mason, crazy brother}

{i'm positive this gravel is perfectly fine to eat}

{my thighs bring all the moms to the park...}

{and they're like...you get the picture}

{my sweet baby}

{who me? i'm the favorite. shucks}

home sweet home

We currently live in Collierville, TN. The downtown is adorable and full of southern charm. When you walk down Main Street, you feel as though you belong in a Hallmark movie. It's just like those sweet small towns you see on t.v, I can't get over it!! Totally in love.

Tonight I walked around the downtown square. I went a little too early, as the sun was still shining so bright. I was able to get a few pictures and wanted to share. I edited the photos in Adobe Lightroom. It's very overwhelming, but I'm committed.

I'm going to do a little research on Collierville and the downtown area. I want to be able to give you a little info about each picture. For now just enjoy :)

sweet addy jane

My sweet friend Heather was kind enough to let me shoot her little girl this past weekend. Not only was it humid, it started pouring. I'm still learning how to use my Nikon D3200, really trying to stay off auto mode. There is nothing wrong with using that setting, but digital cameras offer so much more, especially for those with a creative eye. 

A few things I learned from this session...

Scope out the location and look for the best lighting. Both indoors and outdoors. This was mistake #1. 

Make all the adjustments to your camera settings first depending on where you will be shooting. While I had my settings ready, we moved back and forth between natural light and using a flash indoors. This created shadows. Mini mistake #2. 

Remember the age of your subject! Addy Jane is 11 months old, mobile and loves to move around. I have 4 kids, so I'm no stranger to circus that is family photos. However, I should have been ready and more prepared so I wouldn't miss as many shots. Smedium mistake #3. 

Overall, I'm happy with the photos. Again, wish I had more crisp, in focus pictures, but this was a learning experience. For both of us!!

Now onto the photos. These are just a couple from outside. I will be working on the rest of the album this week. 

{addy jane enjoying some leftover cake}

{sweet girl and those baby blue eyes}

{addy loved sticking out her tongue and hanging toes out}

{balloons are a great photo prop}

Stay tuned for more photos of sweet Addy Jane! I can't believe she will be one next week. 

the housewife, part 2

Welcome to the "Housewife Chronicles" Part 2 {still as ridiculous as part 1 ;)}

How did I come up with the title for my blog?

I honestly have no clue how I decided. I wanted something funny, sarcastic, honest and sort of summed up what I might be talking about in general.

I think we all live a little of the "American Dream." While we may strive to be better, to have more, we should all be grateful for what we do have.

I'm thankful for staying at home with my kiddos, my cozy roof and hot home cooked meals.

Anyway, so I tried some catchy housewife slogans, mom sayings, using a family name, my own name and nothing really fit. So I came up with...

{almost suburban housewife}

Let's take a look:

almost: very nearly, not quite

suburban: of or characteristic of a suburb {suburb: a town or other area where people live in houses near a larger city}

housewife: a married woman who manages her own household, especially as her principal occupation

So if I understand this correctly...

I'm not quite the girl who lives in a house/suburbs outside of the city, but I professionally manage my home.

Basically, I'm living that rich life, but in an apartment, down the street from CEO & Brain Surgeon Parkway. We are in an amazing school district. I stay at home raising my 4 zoo animals while my life partner works 40 hours a week at a corporate job. {housewife: check}

Why do we live in an apartment with 6 people...never said I wasn't crazy!!

The average home around my sweet apartment complex is somewhere around $450k. I'm sorry, but no thanks. Not only do I hate the mortgage on said house, but I do NOT want to be the one responsible for cleaning it (all of the above fulfills the suburban part...so suburban: check).

And on a more serious note, we are not Memphis natives (larger city we live outside of...almost: check) and were brought here for very special circumstances. So buying a home here is something we're not ready for. Tennessee is beautiful and there's so much to see if you're willing to travel.

There it is. For the 4-5 readers I have, lol. Welcome to the "Burbments!" Where yoga pants and top knots are appreciated.

the housewife, part 1

Welcome to the "Housewife Chronicles" Part 1 {sounds as ridiculous as the series will be ;)}

So you know, this will be a 3 part series. I tried writing a little about myself the other day and was stumped. I've added a little over the last week and still, it feels unfinished.

Part 1: About Me
Part 2: The meaning behind my blog title.
Part 3: How I spend my days as a SAHM.

So I'll do stats first, they'll blow your mind, swear. Ok, kidding.

Ashley Ann
Cancer/32/Blue Eyes/Fake Long Brown Hair
Spouse: William (My Current Life Partner in Crime)
Children: Yes please, all the babies.
Jaymes 10, Bailey 8, Mason 4, Davis 7mths
Born: Louisiana
Raise: Texas
Living: Tennessee
Sisters: 3, Jenny (Georgia 25 Married) Molly (Califorina 22 Married) Emily (20 In a Relationship)
Parents: Insanely Happy (Married 27 Years)

I know those are boring, it's so hard to list your likes and dislikes in your 30's. I mean, I have legitimate pet peeves. We all do. I'd like to say I have a very liberally open mind.

I think I've always been to scared to really share my feelings on moral and political issues on social media. We are cruel and judgmental of others and it's unfortunate. We are all entitled to our own opinions and we shouldn't be judged for this.

Hopefully, you're still reading and you'll be my blogger friend.

I want to divide this up into 3 parts. I'm having trouble organizing all my thoughts though. This is a problem I see in a few aspects of my life. I'll be bleaching the toilet and then remember I left the sink going. So I go turn that off and start making a snack.

I like to pretend I know how to cook. Did you know you can through just about anything into a crock-pot and call it dinner??!! Mom for the win.

I love every.single. romantic comedy made. 50 Shades of Grey counts right?! I also like inappropriate humor and comedy, Amy Schumer.  If you don't know her, google her, YouTube her, fall in love with her.

I love taking pictures, mainly because I want to learn how to use my camera. I mean gosh, paying $700 for something, learn to use it. Read the manual. Right??!

Mexican food, right to my soul.

I like men's t-shirts. Especially the V-neck, they are so soft and comfy. And I'll always be a size XS. I said it. I know size shouldn't matter, but when you go from a large to an x-small in the same shopping trip...#winning.

I suppose that's good for now. You know what I like to watch, wear, eat, do for fun and the names of those in my family :)

Until next time...

photographer wanna be

{sunflower fields off walnut grove in shelby county tennessee}

There's a gorgeous patch of sunflowers not to far from where we live. I've seen several local photographers hold mini sessions out there. The photos are beautiful. It's rare to have such easy access to something so beautiful. It's literally right off the road. I first went with my daughter last week. She wasn't really feeling the [stand in bee infested sunflower field] that I requested. I did get a few though. Such a good sport.

I wanted to write this post, mainly to document some of my favorite pictures I've taken with my camera. 

Here are the specs on Norman the Nikon:

{Nikon D3200}

Lenses: 18-55mm & 55-200mm

For the last few years, I've been shooting in auto mode. I had no idea what ANYTHING else was or how to use it. I would google tips and tricks, but never found anything that really helped. Until I feel upon this fabulous blog! 

Moose's Nikon D3200 Cheat Cards

Also, follow on facebook...

Nikon D3200 Tips for Beginners

It was there that I found these amazing cheat cards for using my camera. You can print them or view digitally on your iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire, Android or PC. I download them into ibooks on my phone so I can pull them up whenever I need them. 

{here is an example of one of the cards}

And here are a few of the photos I have been able to take since using these amazing tips...(including the sunflower picture above)

I hope to really study up on the tips and put them to use. I would like to use our camera for all big events. The 3,498 iPhone pictures just aren't cutting it for frames. Poor babies, no photo albums to send them off with. I can, however, send them off with their own personalized external hard drive. That's the same, right?!

clay pot decor

This was a super easy and fun project. I spend 40% of my week at craft stores. I'm sort of afraid to admit that, but it's better than the grocery store or like the gym. Who am I kidding, I need to detour to the gym. That's obviously another blog post.

So here are the details for this cute project!

Ashland Spanish Moss {1}

Price: $4.79

(use your coupon for this item)

Ashland Clay Pots {2}

Price: $0.49 a piece

Craft Smart Outdoor Paint {1}

Price: $0.79 - $1.29

So I painted each pot in a light charcoal color. Just one good coat, of course 2 would be fine as well. They dried quickly. Then I took a dry brush and lightly added some white paint. I painted all around and then wiped so it gives it that aged look.

It's not pictured, but I added a little something in the pot to create a base.

Floracraft Styrofoam Half Ball {2}

Price: $2.99 a piece

{after}

So here is the finished look. With the upside down Styrofoam ball, the candle sits even and steady. I hot glued the moss around the edge of the pot, on the inside. You can easily change out the candle this way. Now, I don't light the candles. I have some LED candles that I put in them. So cute at night.

Hope you enjoyed this crafting session!