ramble on.

ramble on is a led zepplin song.
and you know me and my love for classic rock.
but i decided to use that as the title of this post.
for it is just that.
ashley rambling on.

life as of late has been treating this girl very well.
and i attribute it all to my Heavenly Father who watches over me.
i believe and know that a supreme being is the father of my soul.
i know that i have a loving God who protects me and watches me daily.
i know that sometimes God allows me to have trials in my life so i can, hopefully, draw closer to Him.
sometimes i wonder why God is leading me down the path i am currently on.
why am i in the current situations that i am in?
why am i so blessed?
why do i have to struggle with certain things in my life?
why am i given so much?

God is good my friends.
He is wonderful.

i have been thinking a lot and reflecting on the things that have lead me up to this point in my life.
i was thinking about the past over the weekend and thinking about the "what-if's" and the "could-have-beens".
thinking about those types of things gets you nowhere my dears.
nowhere.
it's pointless and will cause feelings of irritation, frustration, and perhaps, depression.
but sometimes, i daresay, it's great to reflect on mistakes made, lessons learned, and people met to make you realize how blessed you are.

that's why i am so happy to look to the future.
there is so much opportunity awaiting this girl.
i don't know what i've done to deserve the great life i've been given, but i want you to know friends, that i am one grateful lady today.

God is good.  God is love. I love my Heavenly Father.
i attribute everything i am, all that i have, and what i will be to Him and His infinite goodness.

it's Christmas time and i recognize that everyone is extremely busy with the hustle and bustle of this holiday season, but this year, Christmas has come to mean something more to me more than ever; it's not just about the gifts, the parties, the lights, the music, decor, etc.

Christmas to me this year is all about reflecting on my Savior, Jesus Christ.
the ultimate gift from my Heavenly Father to the world.

(demdaco.com)

in light of the christmas season, i hope that you're happy, healthy, and doing all the things you want.

God is good my friends.

He loves you.

take time today to remember what blessings have been

given to you because of the ultimate gift - Jesus Christ.

merry christmas.

happy holidays.

all my love,

ashley

oh deer.

this post was totally inspired by the crate paper blog post from monday mornin.
the lovely Tara Anderson, made the most darling pieces i ever did see.

(photos - tara anderson - cp blog)

oh deer.

aren't these just oh-so pretty?!

i thought so too.

there's something about a deer that just makes me happy.

they're my favorite animal. ever.

so gentle, sweet, and pretty.

(photos courtesy of pinterest)

carollama

what is carollama?
read here for more detailed information
my church group went caroling the other night with 8 llamas.
some of guys from my FHE (family home evening) group from church organized this event called CAROLLAMA.
basically, we go caroling with the llamas and collect canned food for the Utah food bank.

it was so much fun last night.

this was me (sorry its blurry) at the beginning of the night with tangerine (the llama)

here's tangerine the llama one someone's doorstep.

this is me and cuzco (the naughty llama)

i was leading this llama all night long.

he was so naughty!

he peed on someone's lawn (on my foot mind you) and he was being really aggressive.

he head-butted me too!  (silly llama)

ate peoples grass everywhere we went.

he didn't want to come to the porch when we were singing...grrr!

but when will i ever be able to try and tame a llama ever again in my lifetime?

probably NEVER!

overall the night was a success. 

i think people were more willing to donate food to our cause since

we had gone to extra lengths to bring llamas along with us.

a big shout out to my FHE brothers Ty & Jordan Clive for organizing this fun event.

it's making a difference in the world around us and i am honored to have been a part of it

 

family.

(photos via instagram - taken by me)

well, it's tradition.
(cue fiddler on the roof music....)
every year my family takes the trip to SLC to go to see
temple square lit up with all the pretty christmas twinkle lights.

we went up to slc and it was 19 degrees.  it was FREEZING!!!!!!!!!!!!
but so worth it.
we ate on top of the joseph smith building in temple square and had a magnificent view of
downtown Salt Lake City y'all.
great food (i had chicken with veggies).

we then walked around and froze our buns off.
my 3 siblings and i even hooked arms and walked around.
total cheese fest my dears.  total cheese.
we had so much fun though - the whole family was together.
it'll be the first christmas in 2 years that everyone is together for the season.

i love christmas time.
mostly because it allows me to reflect on the birth and life of my savior, Jesus Christ.
i'm one blessed lady and i couldn't ask for more!

what fun holiday traditions

 do you have, dear reader?!



Made Out Of Real Things

My darling darling darling friend, Nicole (did i mention she's DARLING)
we have been friends since like...maybe jr. high or high school?  i can't really recall now...it's been a long time though.
i've considered this girl to be like a sister to me. she is incredibly talented at hair and makeup and one of the most beautiful people i know.


she also is hosting the most bomb GIVEAWAY over at her darling (yes, darling again!) blog.
her blog is called "Made Out of Real Things" and i highly recommend you go pay her a little visit.
i secretly wish you wouldn't enter the giveaway because it's something that i want to win!


it's a bare minerals brush set and darling silver clutch.
who wouldn't want to win this.
you'd be out of your flippin' mind to not go pay her a visit.

what are you waiting for?

go be blog friends with nicole.

oh, and maybe become a follower of her so you can win this fabulous prize.

if you win, you have to promise to split those brushes with me, deal?! :)

just teasin...kinda.

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and just a reminder for those who are interested in the vintage garland, there's still time to enter that giveaway i'm hosting!

to enter, click on the link here

weekend fun

yeah, it's wednesday...but i wanted to show a sneek peek of what
the gals and i did over the weekend...

watched the biebs on the lighting of the Rockefeller tree.

wow. my white trash neighbors have outdone themselves....

pretty nativity scene.

nothing says happy christmas like cocoa from a

jack skellington mug.

peppermint = heaven.

sweet tooth fairy visits. make me happy.

ok, so like i said, i know it's wednesday, but that means we're only 2 days away from the weekend coming up. 

what did you do over the weekend that was spectacular?!

or

what will you do this weekend that is going to be amazinggggg?

God said "no"

I asked God to take away my pride,

And God said, “No.”

He said it was not for Him to take away

but for me to give up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole,

And God said, “No.”

He said her spirit is whole,

her body is only temporary.

I asked God to grant me patience,

And God said, “No.”

He said that patience is a by-product of tribulation,

it isn't granted, it's earned.

I asked God to give me happiness,

And God said, “No.”

He said he gives blessings,

happiness is up to me.

I asked God to spare me pain,

And God said, “No.”

He said, “Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares

and brings you closer to Me.”

I asked God to make my spirit grow,

And God said, “No.”

He said I must grow on my own,

but he will prune me to make me fruitful.

I asked God if He loves me,

And God said, “Yes.”

He gave me His only Son who died for me

and I will be in Heaven someday because I believe.

I asked God to help me love others,

as much as He loves me,

and God said,

“Ah, finally, you have the Idea.”

                   -Claudia Minden Weisz

i heard this poem from a friend in church.

it was too lovely not to re-post.

i hope you had a lovely weekend my dears!

HAPPY MONDAY!

giving.

ok, i love to be crafty and make stuff.

i had a lot of compliments on my homemade paper garland i made a few weeks back.

one of my fave bloggers even asked me if i would do a giveaway.

so guess what?  because today is December 1st (the month of giving, not receiving) 

i have decided to giveaway a pretty little garland. 

pretty, huh?

to enter: you must be a follower of All Things Ashley 

and leave me a comment on your favorite holiday dessert

* extra entries *

1 - blog about the giveaway

2 - facebook about the giveaway

pretty simple my dears!

if you like vintage-esque and homemade things, this giveaway is for YOU!

bijou.

the girls and i went to the bijou market a few weekends ago (yeah, i'm behind on this)

i got a few pairs of earrings and a headband, but i wasn't too overly impressed with everything that was there.  it was fun, but nothing worth raving about.

i've heard from friends that have gone before that this one wasn't as great as one's in the past...kinda disappointing, but the company was fun!

we went to lunch afterwards at TWO JACKS PIZZA in Provo.

they have some of the best cheese bread and dinner salad around.

if you're in the provo area i suggest going there.

you'll love it.

love these girls.  

we call ourselves "the gorgeous bunch"

not that we're stuck up or anything...no, never! 

who's been to bijou before?!  

were you as disappointed as i was?