Countdown!

I got the idea of doing a countdown of little tidbits about me from Liesl at Fabulous Fashions 4 Sensible Style and just loved it!  I hope some of my other followers do this too, because I just love learning new things about people:)  Here goes!

TEN things I wish I could say to people (but don't say their name!):

1. Sorry about sophomore year.  We royally f****d up, and it was mostly my fault.
2. You were amazing in every way, but just not for me.  I hope you've finally found the one, and I wish you all the best.
3. I've forgiven you for all the awful things you said.
4. Same as number 3, only I've forgiven the things you did, too.  Believe me, it was hard, but I've moved on, and so should you:)
5. I wish we had kept in touch, chica!  We used to be best friends, and now I don't get to see you:(
6. You're seriously hot.  That's all;)
7. I'm more jealous of you than I should be.  I get that we're not in competition, but it still feels that way sometimes.
8. The poetry you wrote me was so beautiful that it nearly hurt.  If nothing else, thank you for brightening my days the way you did!
9. You may be superficial, but I still love you, and always will.  Just not like that.
10. I miss hanging out with you!  I may have woken up in a pizza box a few times, but life is never boring with you around:)

Nine Things About Myself:

1. I have a habit of peeling my nail polish off soon after I do my nails.  I can spend hours doing them, then just chip it off while watching television.
2. If I weren't going into History, I'd try to break into acting.  I don't have many passions, but I'm seriously into the ones I like.
3. My favorite food is a good falafel sandwich<3
4. I have a goal to visit every country in the world.  I've visited ~17 out of around 196.  Still have a long way to go!
5. I have a sponsor child in Mexico, and someday I hope to visit her and her family.  If I could, I would pack up a car full of amazing things to take to them and roadtrip through Central America.
6. I don't wear pants, except for exercise purposes.  I don't have any religious reasons for doing so, I just prefer the freedom of skirts & dresses:)
7. I'm afraid of sea turtles.
8. I'll try anything once as long as it doesn't violate my beliefs- so no killing or eating bizarre/exotic animals!
9. I legitimately don't see a point in wearing a bathing suit to the beach- they're such scanty little items, why not just skinny dip?

Eight Ways to Win My Heart:

1. Listen to me- nothing is more amazing than a good listener.
2. Have a positive attitude- "everything is okay in the end- if it's not okay, it's not the end!"
3. Be open minded.
4. Have a sense of adventure.
5. Be spontaneous.
6. Make the world a better place- even if it's just by opening the door for a stranger, kindness goes a long way.
7. Be calm, but not boring.  No violent outbursts, no psychotic rages, etc.  Having a temper is okay- using your fists isn't.
8. Don't be judgmental.  Everyone is different, and they all deserve to live their life the way they want to.  And that's okay.


Seven Things That Cross My Mind a Lot:
1. The future.
2. Philosophy.
3. The past.
4. Food;)
5. Travel.
6. My faith.
7. My beloved cats.

SIX things I do before I fall asleep:
1. Wash my face/remove makeup.
2. Brush my teeth meticulously.
3. Drag the cat into bed so she doesn't meow all night.
4. Moisturize my lips- I can't stand them being chapped!
5. Turn something on my computer to fall asleep to- Silence makes it impossible for me to sleep.
6. Make sure my alarm is nice and loud.

Five people who mean a lot:
1. My parents.
2. My grandparents.
3. My best friends.
4. My cats (do they count?  I'm counting them!)
5. Henry VIII.  I just love that man, and have no idea why.

Four Things You're Wearing Right Now:
1. MAC makeup.
2. A soft purple dress.
3. A cozy cardigan.
4. A cameo necklace.

Three Songs You Listen to Frequently (currently):
1. What Makes You Beautiful: One Direction
2. Glad You Came: The Wanted
3. Somebody That I Used to Know (Remixes): Gotye.

TWO Things You Want to Do Before You Die:
1. Go somewhere forbidden...a country or city that I'm totally not supposed to be in.
2. Hike to Choquequirao and see the more hidden ruins:)

ONE confession:

1. I hate surprises.  No idea why:(

Thanks for reading all this crazy stuff about me.  Now, it's your turn- are you going to do one of these lists?  If so, let me know, so I can read yours too:)

Until Next Time,

Ashley

Snakes!

Sometimes, I'm okay with living the country.  I'm a city girl, but hey, we can all use a little peace and quiet every now and again, right?

Of course, as with everything else, there are downsides to living in a really rural area.  You know, not living near a grocery store, coyotes outside the window at night, etc.

But the worst?

These dudes:

Eek!  He was hanging out in our garage in a roll of tar paper.  We thought he might be poisonous (spoiler alert: turns he was totally harmless for humans), so my dad used a rake to fling him off the shelf and kill him.  I couldn't watch it because, as a vegetarian and animal lover, it pulls at my heartstrings to watch anything die- even something that terrifies the hell out of me.

Originally, we thought he was a poisonous Timber Rattler, like this one from last summer:

But after a little hunting, we found out he was a totally harmless Grey Rat Snake....of course, living in the country, there's a big rat problem.  Happily, we have three cats and stay totally rat free (then again, we have 7-10 different varieties of snakes living on our property, most of which are totally dangerous).

                                                    My dad with the snake

Come on, guys, tell me I'm not the only one who's terrified of snakes!  Let me know what you think in the comments:)

Until Next Time,

Ashley

New Year's Resolutions: March Check-In

March felt like it lasted forever, I'm not going to lie.  It just was not a good month.

Anyway, onto the resolutions!

1. Original Goal: Lose weight/tone up/ get stronger.

     Basically the only thing I did this month was work out and study.  Seriously.  That's it.  I tried hiking this BEAUTIFUL trail in Tennessee, near Lynchburg.  It has two beautiful swinging bridges, which are so much fun to run across!

2. Original Goal: Make all A's this semester.

     I felt SO accomplished- I made a B on my first English test, and with a lot of hard work and determination, made an A on the next one:D

     I also made As on both papers I turned in.  Lovely month for my studies:)  I'm incredibly excited to transfer and get started on all my major course work!

3. Original Goal: Get accepted to all my transfer schools.

     One of the schools I'm applying to has been absolutely hounding me with fun postcards and emails.  On one hand, it's really flattering and I'm loving the personal attention, but on the other...I already know I'm not going there and will probably not even apply in the first place.  So...kind of a waste of their resources, I suppose.

4. Original Goal: Assorted Blog Goals:

     Terrible month for blogging...only four posts in one month?  Sheesh!  I've been having trouble thinking of things that people would even want to read.  I look through my favorite blogs, and their lives just seem so interesting..and mine seems pretty dull in comparison.  I was thinking of diversifying a little, since I've been too busy to cook something spectacular and delicious every night.  Any suggestions on things you guys would like to read on my blog?  Let me know in the comments!

5. Original Goal: Stop Stressing the Small Things & go to Church more.

     Bad month for this too.  I feel like I stressed my way through this month, and didn't go to Church a single time.  C'est la vie, right?  At least April seems to be starting out pretty well- and as a bonus, it's my last full month at this school (hopefully!)!  

I seem to be failing in my goals more than I would like, but the thought of being accountable to a bunch of strangers all over the world on the internet seems to keep me going.  Are you keeping up with your resolutions?  Let me know in the comments!

xoxo

Ashley

Sixlets Cake

I can't believe it's been like....two weeks since I posted anything.  I feel so lazy, ugh!!

I was going to post a lot more over spring break, but I had a terrible allergic reaction to a new sunscreen I tried and wasn't really able to leave the house for the entire week.  It was terrible and totally ruined the break, so I didn't really feel up to blogging.  Bummer!

Anyway, Friday was my mothers birthday.  We're pretty low key about birthday's in my family, usually going for some kind of family trip or just having a nice meal at home/in a restaurant.  We're really just not party people, I suppose:)

A few months ago, I posted this, where I detailed 10 dishes I was absolutely going to make this year.  I've already crossed off numbers 1 (stuffed Vidalia onions) & 4 (pasta aglio, olio, e peperoncino), but today I get to add a new one!

Ta Da!

Obviously, I'll never be a professional cake decorator, but it was sooo much fun to make and decorate.  I knew as soon as I saw this yummy, candy colored cake that it would be something my mom would go totally nuts for, and I was right!

Since it was her birthday cake, she picked the type of cake and I went with it.  She chose a lemon cake, and I added a raspberry liqueur buttercream frosting.  So tasty!

I really wouldn't actually recommend that you guys make this particular cake with the candy, because (in my opinion, at least), the flavors of lemon and chocolate just don't go together that well.


But hey, birthday girl gets to pick, right?

:)

The lemon cake is absolutely fabulous though, and perfect for summer.  If you or someone you love likes lemon, this is the perfect surprise!

Lemon Cake Recipe:

2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
Zest from 6 to 8 lemons (I used five lemons, and got roughly 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of zest, which was   perfect)
3 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (juice from about two lemons)
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla extract.

Don't be intimidated by the weird/lengthy ingredient list!


Instructions:

1) In one bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In a second bowl, combine the lemon juice, buttermilk, and vanilla.

2) In yet another bowl, (this one attached to a mixer!) cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy (~5 minutes).  Add the eggs, one at a time, and the lemon zest while the mixer runs at medium speed.

3)  Alternately add your flour and lemon juice mixtures, beginning and ending with the flour.

The baking pans are totally up to you- the recipe calls for loaf pans, but I used a medium sized cake pan, sprayed it with cooking spray, and baked three layers for 35 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  As usual, check for doneness with a sharp knife or toothpick.  When it comes out clean, it's done!

If you want to rapidly cool, like I had to, slide the hot cake on a pan and find a shelf in your freezer that isn't near anything else.  Freeze the cake until it's about room temperature, and you'll be able to frost/devour the cake much, much faster!

Recipe found here.

Sixlets Cake recipe found here.

If you try, let me know how you like it!

Until Next Time,

Ashley