oh ya know, no biggie

ditto to the title of this post.
i'm going out of town.
for 5 whole days.

i am excited. scratch that.
i am ECSTATIC.


5 whole days to be lazy.
to lay around.
to read my list of books.
to relax.
lay in the hammock and listen to the river.
float down the canal.
go fishing.
hike to Rasmussen lake.
drive in the canyon.
look for deer and moose.
go shooting (yes, actual guns people!)
eat lots of gluten-free cookies, brownies, cake.
drink lots of cherry coke.
listen to country music (everyone knows country music is the soundtrack to the mountain-woman ways)
star gaze.
watch the fireworks.
neola rodeo time.
hot dogs.
crickets singing me to sleep.

no cell phone service.
no internet.
no blog.
no facebook.
no distractions.


just me and some of my favorite people on earth.
are you jealous yet?
no, you say?
well take a lookie:

my favorite lake - Rasmussen (it's a 2 mile hike into this place)

(and you just thought i liked to shop! pshh.

i love to fish, i'll have you know)

look how cute he is?  we threw him back, don't worry!

jealous yet?
i would be too.

have a safe and fun 4th of July weekend my teenies (pronounced: tea-nuh-ees)

desert rose

you all know that new clothes make ya happy.
i am a retail addict.
i love clothes and i seriously will go shopping
when i feel down or feel depressed.

well, i bought this darling little sweater for only $15!
what a steal.
what a DARLING top.
i am in love.

i'm also in love with my new MAC blush i bought.
i wanted a fun summer shade, brighter pink.

i went with desert rose.

its gorgeous.


do you have a retail addiction like i do?
what do you like to go shopping for?!

liebster award

what the heck is a liebster?  good question.
when the ever-so-lovely Gentri Lee awarded me this blog i had to take a minute and ask myself the same question.

apparently this award started in germany to bring attention to bloggers with fewer than 300 followers.
300 followers?  i've never even dreamed of that before.
I am to link this up to some of my favorite bloggers (4 to be exact)
I am having a really hard time deciding who to choose.


in no particular order, i pass this award on to the following lovely ladies:

Stephanie over at Stephanie and Such
I love this girls blog.  She has great fashion sense and is amazingly gorgeous to boot.  her blog is a lot of fun to read, go check on it.


Suze from Suze Blog
I love reading about her fun life.  She has a passion for history and speaks French! jealous!  she has a great sense of humor and is so witty. 


Kelsey from Kelsey Anne
another adorable lady.  she has some fun stories about life and her many adventures.  she makes me jealous because she looks perfect in every outfit.  jealously. but mostly i just love her style.

Kaitlin from Kaity Your Lady
nuff said.  i went to high school with kaitlin. she is one of the most amazing ladies i know.  i totally envy her, she is going to fashion school in San Fran.  she is someone i want to be like when i grow up.

Congrats ladies!  Ya'll deserve it!

my life be like whoa.

* bree getting her makeup did by a DUDE at Nordys

* me. at work on this lovely Monday morning. no biggie.

* my new obsession.  green shake. 

(kale, spinach, blueberries, strawberries, apples, bananas, water, whey protein powder. delish)

* coco my pup playing phase 10 with the fam yesterday

* my brother, elder warner (2nd from the left) in Lithuania

* cool handout i gave the girls for my lesson yesterday

its a great Monday ya'll.

i am so looking forward to this week. 

only 3 days of work, then its off for a fun 4th of July vacation.

i cannot wait!

do you have anything big planned for today?!

start your week off great.  make it count.

life is too short to waste time dreaming of tomorrow.

live in the moment.

life your life.

enjoy your Monday.

i know i sure will.

mermaid tears, skulls, and pirates...oh my!

remember this?

i thought we were in love, but alas. 
a pirate is a forever wanderer.  never to settle down.
so i gave up all hope on him, and just decided to carry his memory on
with these bad boys:






exhibit a - mermaid tears

exhibit b - steady as she rose

exhibit c - skull and gloss bones 

I have become a nail polish advocate.  I used to get my nails done, but ever since working in the dental field, artificial nails are frowned up...not to mention how many germs those things harbor.

needless to say, I have switched to polish and giving myself manicures.
i went to get some new shampoo the other day and these like pieces of booty (treasure, ya sicko) caught my eye.

i just can't decide which color to use next.  i'm thinkin about tryin me some mermaid tears....
i'll let ya'll know how it goes.

are you a nail polish lover like me?

what's eating ashley (grape)

ya, lame title.  who gives.
i tried to be cool like the movie "what's eating gilbert grape"
but alas, i've failed.

oh well.  bigger and better things now.
i am now a gluten-free lady as some of you know, if you've been reading
the blog lately. 
let me tell you one thing, when your tummy growls at 11:00 AM and you
aren't quite ready to eat lunch simply because chicken and black beans
and carrots don't sound quite appetizing...this is my fall back.

Gluten-Free Rice Cakes
These bad boys fill my tummy up and tide me over until its lunch time.

exhibit of g-free cakes.

yeah, my computer screen is massive. no biggie.

artistic shot of the cakes via Eris the Droid

told you they're legit.

they're even Vegan to boot.

this is me looking stellar. as usual

go try something gluten free, then you'll know how i look so stellar all the time. (wink)

to love...

(photo: esty  editing: me)

words of wisdom from my favorite C.S. Lewis

holla atcha girl!

a few weeks back, the CEO of ContentWatch (my dad...wink!) asked me if I wanted to take some head shots for the net nanny blog.  I was flattered and agreed to do so.

Now, I am not a professional by any means and I more-so take photos as a hobby, not a job.  So I am super critical of myself and the shots I do take.  In all honesty, I was very pleased with how all of these shots turned out. (hardly touching up any of them, thanks to the new Canon camera...love that baby)

I was even more thrilled when one of the correspondents on the blog emailed me to tell me how excited he was about his photo.  His wife wanted me to know that his photos make him look better than he does in real life (laugh).  I was flattered.

without further ado, I thought I'd showcase these lovely works of art. (psh, yeah right)
i just felt so excited about the compliment,
i thought i'd brag about myself.  i mean, who wouldn't, right?

fathers day treats

for my dads special day i thought i'd make a special treat.

cupcakes in a jar (excuse the horrible photo quality...but i just snapped this with my phone)
introducing, cupcakes in a jar.

these are so easy to make, and a lot of fun.
for the jar toppers I used Crate Paper's Toybox Collection papers. 
(my aunt is the designer and owner  for this lovely company)

Bake the cupcakes, then freeze them.
Take them out of the freezer and slice them in half.
Slide one half of the cupcake into an open mason jar.
then top that cupcake with icing.  (it's easier if the frosting is in a pastry bag)
once that step is complete, top with another cupcake half.
repeat this until the jar is full.

these were a huge hit at the party, and they tasted great (so i hear...these bad boys are NOT gluten free)

{sigh}

i have a lot going through my mind at the moment.  i'm getting close to dental assisting graduation (august 9th). HOLLA!
I have been getting to know this great man. 
yes, I said it.  he's a man.


 not at all like the infamous man-boy from Fever Pitch.



it feels good to be working so much. 
i love being busy and life hasn't been better for me.
i am serving in a new calling (which i am LOVING)
i am now a gluten-free junkie.
i have lost 10 lbs.
i am working out lots.
loving my dental office.
trying to woo the mentioned man.
living life to the fullest.
enjoying the summer sunshine.
listening to good music (of course!)
smiling a lot.


life is good.


because i am giddy and you have to deal with it, listen to how cute this is!
named man sent me a sweet text this morning which included some sweet words and this scripture:
Psalm 27: 1, 14

"The Lord is my light and my salvation;

 whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my

 life; of whom shall I be afraid?...

Wait on the Lord: be of good courage,

and he shall strengthen thine

 heart: wait, I say, on the Lord."

Exactly what i needed to hear this morning

dontcha think life is sweet?