Farmin' in February

Brian and I got the ground plowed up for the garden at our house and Doug and Betty's. I can't wait for it to warm up so we can start planting veggies!

Fred's retirement party was a blast!!!

Today was Fred's retirement party given by family and friends and it turned out to be a lot of fun. Renee cooked hotdogs and made yummy tuti fruitys, Melissa made the best cole slaw and macaroni salad, Rhonda's Mt. Dew cake was also really good. About 50 people showed up and Ryan got to entertain everyone. It was really nice and Fred seemed to really enjoy his gifts and company all there to send him off into official retirement.

Ashley's got a gun!!!

Today I was livin' in the Wild Wild West! The Kendrick cowboys have decided it would be a great idea for us to get our permits to carry concealed weapons. So today I got my first lesson in handling firearms and I LOVED IT!!! Turns out I am a really good shot. Look out boys! Ashley's got a gun...the whole world's come undone! Yee Haw! Ya better not mess with the Kendrick's!

Happy Birthday and Retirement Fred!!!

Last night I got to visit with my buddy Fred. He celebrated his birthday and his official retirement all on the same day. The people he works with at the county gave him a big send off and so I took his birthday present down to him and let him fill me in on all the details. He was very proud of how the day had unfolded. Renee was there and Brandon (his kids) so we played with Brennan (granddaughter pictured), had a couple of beers to celebrate, took some pics and had a really nice time. But the big surprise comes this weekend. I can't wait for that...It's gonna be a blast!!!!

Snow Day with Ryan

The only thing I can say about today is BRRRRRRR! It was freezing. I woke up to a temperature of a balmy 7 degrees outside and the snow appeared to be stuck firmly to the road in front of the house. I flipped on the light to the back deck and out there it glistened like diamonds scattered in a blanket of white fluff...it was beautiful. I turned on WCYB (by the way my snow pic of the little red barn made the news Monday night...I did it again) and Marcus Lynch warned that if you didn't have to travel this morning you shouldn't. So I took his advise and decided not to make the trek to work today. So I put 15 pounds of ribs in the ultimate roaster oven that I got for Christmas, turned them on low, called the office to report that I wouldn't be there and I jumped my little hiney right back into bed and slept until 11:30am. It felt so good to do that. I never miss work so it was a real treat. Ryan and I took our good old time getting up and then we made a delicious Mountain Dew cake and 3 bean salad to go with our bbq ribs for dinner. It was yummy! Gotta love the snow days in Tennessee...we don't get that many.

Should I take it off?

I've been debating a question today? Should I take it off? Ha ha.. Feedjit I mean...the little tracker on the bottom of my blog. It seems it must bother some people because they sign in to my blog and look around and then they remove their IP address so it doesn't show up that they looked. This happens alot...I sign in to see how many people checked in on me and then an address disappears right before my eyes...mostly from the same city nearby...how weird I thought. Most people I know don't seem to care if I know they've checked it to see what I'm up to. I don't care who looks at my blog...when I first added it I was amazed to see how many people from all over the world so many different countries check out my blog or have the the same interests I do...I really liked it. However, being the nice considerate person that I am I hate to do anything that bothers others...so what do you readers think? Should I leave it or take it off?

Happy Birthday!!!!

Just wanted to give a big shout out to my Mother In Law today is her 60th birthday. Happy Birthday Betty. Also wanted to give a big birthday shout out to Gigi who celebrates hers on the 31st (don't party too hard girl!) and Renee who was born on Ground Hog's Day. Fred and Daniel also have birthdays coming up in February as well so happy early birthday guys. I hope I haven't forgotten anyone.

A new week.

A Houseful of Guys

I was way out numbered last night...let's see...there was Brian, then Pat K. and Jimmy came by, then Doug and Ryan, then Pat P. and James showed up. So there was 7 guys here last night and poor old me. Ha! It was fun. We enjoyed Fred's latest batch of homemade blackberry wine, and Pat's magic moonshine, we talked and laughed and just enjoyed everyone's company. It was a blast!

Today Brian, Doug and I finished installing the new laminate flooring in Betty's master suite. It looks soooooooooo much better. I am proud of us for getting it done...considering we'd never done it before. If you are contemplating hiring someone to install laminate for you...reconsider. You can do this! There are tons of videos and tutorials on youtube and other websites that demonstrate everything. You will save yourself a ton of money in labor if you do this and it can be done in a day if you have all of the materials.

Politics Again.

Check out this story from the Nashville Newspaper:

http://www.nashvillepost.com/news/2009/1/20/memo_documents_allegations_of_sexual_harassment_by_new_house_speaker

Picture fun

I've been very productive today...can you tell...I made two of these fun images. I just love playing with pictures. Just had to share these.

Finally SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

This morning as I peered out the window I was pleasantly surprised to see it finally snowed! It is absolutely beautiful outside and the snow is still coming down. It is a winter wonderland outside and I hope it keeps it up all day. Ryan and I have the day off and I am grateful that we get to stay home and enjoy this gift mother nature has finally blessed us with.

Weekend TV

Well this weekend was too cold to do anything but stay inside and watch TV. Brian, Ryan and I are loyal watchers of the Barrett Jackson Auto Auction...we watch it every year...this year being no exception. I was curious. Could anyone possibly be willing to spend as much money as they have in the past on collectible cars? With the economy in the shape that it is would there be enough rich people left to dole out ridiculous amounts of money for a car that is only going to sit around in their garage and possibly be driven once a year? The answer is yes...there are still rich people out there who want a collectible car...but...and that is with a big BUT...they were not willing to dole out as much money as they have in the past. Bidders were very conservative in their bidding. Welcome to 2009. I was however very impressed with the amount of money that was raised for various charities. For instance the Darryl Gwinn Foundation raised a lot of money auctioning off cars to be able to provide children with power wheelchairs, Hendrick was able to raise a lot of money for Bone Marrow Transplant Organizations, and the list goes on. Of course as usual Ron Pratt was the big dog in the race he purchased a Ford Triplane for over a million dollars then moments later donated money to one of the charitable organizations. It's always interesting to watch Spanky Assiter do the auctioneering and his wife Amy work the crowd. I personally love the fantasy bidding which you can do online through Speedtv.com. Its fun to see if you can guess how much the Fantasy Bidding cars are going to go for and go up against others in the US for prizes. We came close on a few but still no big prize for us...maybe next time. Stay tuned.

Enough cold already!!!!

I am sooooooooooo ready for spring! Enough of this drastically cold bone chilling weather I say. It's too cold to even walk the dog down to the woods, too cold to go out and get in the car and drive, too cold to even go out and get wood in for the fire. If it's going to be this cold it should at least snow or something. Our power kicked off and back on over 20 times last night. I should call the electric company and tell them that I don't want to pay for the time that the power was off. I don't know why it kept kicking off other than possibly they were so overloaded on demand that they couldn't keep up. Thank goodness for the fireplace...at least I am able to keep the heat turned down to a normal level when it gets down to zero. I hope everyone is keeping warm...bundle up baby!!!!

Disgusted by Politics As Usual

I am sorely disappointed by the latest news from Nashville concerning my friend and State Representative Jason Mumpower. If anyone deserved the House speakership it was he. Jason goes above and beyond the call of duty and in my eyes he is the only deserving person for that position. I am proud to have Jason as my representive and I know that in time he will take his rightful place at the capitol. Kent Williams is a disgrace and no doubt karma will catch up with him.

Exercise

After a weekend of feeling really low on energy, short of breath, and generally anxious I have come to the conclusion that it is time...time to get back on the exercise path, change my diet, and get back to my healthy self. There's no time like the new year to start this regiment...I have already cut back on smoking and am sure that I will be wanting to eat more because of that. So I am going to buy tons of healthy snacks and meals to munch on, and try not to purchase any sugary drinks. I am sure that the guys are going to hate it but it will be for their own good as well. I am not going to say my goal is to loose weight...I have never been one to pay attention to weight or a scale. I just vow to get healthy. Guess I'll go visit Cheryl at Gwen's Herb Shop today and get some herbal supplements as well. Wish me luck!

Some exciting news on the homefront though. I was talking to my little nephew Noah on the phone yesterday and he finally said my name! My name is very hard for most little ones to say but he finally got it out there. I was so excited I started to cry! He's a sweetheart! Anyway...good job Noah Aunt Ashley is proud of you.

Happy Birthday Mom!

I just had to send a shout out to my Mom and tell her Happy Happy Birthday! I hope it's one to remember! I love you!

Momma came to visit.

Saturday I was thrilled because my mom came down from West Virginia to visit. It was a great day. Me, Brian, Ryan, Mom, Mike, Amber, Taylor and Noah all had a nice time enjoying each other's company. We went out to eat and when we got back Mom's friend Teri and her new grandbaby Zoe were here to visit too. It was a wonderful day. I was sad to see Mom and Mike head back home. I know my hometown is only 2 hours away but sometimes I really wish my Mom were here close. Later our friend Pat came by and it was a welcomed distraction from the funk I was in after mom left. Pat brought shrimp cocktail, which he was supposed to bring on New Year's Eve but he got side tracked by a certain female companion and wasn't able to make it, but all is well...we devoured the shrimp anyway! MMMMMM! Gotta love the shrimp. Thanks Pat! The shrimp is on me next time!

Happy New Year

What else can I say about New Year's Eve 08...it was a ton of fun! Great food, fun, friends and fireworks! I especially enjoyed the games...I laughed until I thought I'd peed myself. Thanks to everyone who helped Brian and I celebrate and Happy New Year Everybody!