Megan's Visit

We walked all the way to Country Mart with our dogs! (It's actually not very far from our house.)

We three, with the pups, out for a walk. It was a really beautiful day!

I thought they turned out very pretty! :) And oh my goodness, they tasted soo good! I'm definitely going to make these again next time we have overnight company.

Cooking our yummy breakfast on the little stove!

We tried a new recipe for breakfast - French Toast banana/peanut butter sandwiches!

It was a very fun visit, and I hope that she will come again soon! I love sisters ~ and being married to my best friend.

Coming...

I posted on here a while ago that Megan was coming over for a sleepover... she did! And we took lots of fun pictures! Here is a sneak peek. Molly got to push the crosswalk button for us on our big walking adventure! The rest are coming soon. :)

In Preparation...

... for Thanksgiving Day, I wanted to give you this verse to think about. We are so blessed!

Our Day

So, today has been very unplanned. But it's been a really good day!
I slept in this morning, which was so nice. And then Joel didn't leave for work till almost 10, which was even nicer! :)
Then I got a call from Mama asking if we wanted to meet her and the girls at Wal-Mart to shop for Thanksgiving  and Christmas things. That sounded fun, so it was a plan! (ok, so i planned a little)
I did some housework and then came into town and met Joel at Dave's house where he had been working. I made us some lunch (warmed up leftover BBQ chicken and biscuits!) and then we headed to Mike's Car Care to drop off my little car to have a doctor visit.
Then it was off to Wal-Mart! We met up with the ladies and then split to separate sections of the store to do our holiday shopping. Megan and Steph helped Joel and me pick out Christmas tree decorations and some other decorating things we needed. Actually, Joel said we did. If the man says it, then you'd better go ahead and buy it, right?!
We all met up again to have a snack break in the little McDonald's there in the store. Joel had apple pie and we girls had French fries! Much talking and laughing occurred during this part of the trip. :)
And now I am sitting on the *very comfortable* couch at Dave's house, writing this post for you all to hear about our day! Joel is downstairs working to Christmas music. He found some station on the Internet that's already playing it; he is happy.
We don't have any big plans for the rest of the day.... considering that we are both still recovering from mono, I'd say that's a fairly good thing! We need to rest up for the big holiday weekend ahead!
I hope this isn't too boring. Next time I'll stick a random picture in there to keep things lively.
Love you all,
ashley e.

Eldredge Farm

This is Ben. He was helping Joel to clear our house site when this picture was taken!

Timmy S.

Picnik playin'

This is Ben's dog.

Photo Editing

So, I've been messing around with Picnik, and I've decided that I like it better in some ways than Picasa, which is the photo editing program I usually use. This picture turned out pretty good, I think. :)
He's such a cute kid, though... doesn't really matter what kind of editing you do, it would still be good!

Sleepover Tonight!

My dear, sweet, amazing sister, Megan, is coming over to spend the night with me and Joel tonight! We are so excited!! We set up the office as a spare bedroom (there's a pull-out couch in there) and I vacuumed the whole house so it's nice and clean for our company. :) I think the dogs are excited too... they just don't know why yet.
Anyways, we will be taking pictures, so check back sometime in the next few days to see what we all did on our sleepover!

Old Pictures I Found

Ben, Susie, Mom & Dad, Joel (aww), Carl, David

My sweet sister, Susanne, with baby Riley! He is such a big boy now - time has gone by so fast!

Brookie

This is Joel's (and now mine too!) niece, Brooke. Isn't she a cutie?

Joel's Sheep

 These pictures were taken a few years ago... we haven't gotten out there to take new ones this year yet.

 Susanne used to have a horse and it stayed in with the sheep.

His sheep dog, Indy

Christmas Shopping

Joel and I went to the Rolla Antique Mall this morning to do some Christmas shopping! I found two gifts for less than six dollars, which made me pretty happy. :)

"I've Always Loved You" by Third Day

I don't know how to explain it
But I know that words will hardly do
Miracles with signs and wonders
Aren't enough for me to prove to you
Don't you know I've always loved you
Even before there was time
Though you turn away
I'll tell you still
Don't you know I've always loved you
And I always will
Greater love has not a man
Than the one who gives his life to prove
That he would do anything
And that's what I'm going to do for you

We Ran Away!

 Joel and I ran away a couple days ago with some friends to a secret spot way out in the boonies.

 There was a river there, where beavers had been hard at work! (Didn't catch any in action, sorry.)

 It was a beautiful day for November! So warm, we walked around with out shoes off for a while.

 I love this picture. It reminds me of the beach!

 And this picture got thrown in for fun! Isn't Sam adorable?

And the three puppies! Wesley isn't really a puppy anymore, but sometimes he acts like one. They enjoyed the warm weather in our backyard by digging holes and having wrestling matches.

Third Day Farm Cousins Day Hike, second edition

 The three "big boys". Hard to believe they are almost all grown up now!

 We visited the old cemetery near our property. It was so beautiful and peaceful out in the woods - and there were leaves all over the ground that made a nice loud crunching sound when we all walked!

 Gracie, posing by a very old headstone.

 The ever-beautiful and entertaining Megan! I love that girl so much.

 Joel standing next to the spring.

The Lord blessed us with an absolutely amazing day! What fun memories we will have to pass on to our kids someday!

This is For Alyssa...

 ... She spent the night at our house last night, and informed us at breakfast that she had dreamed about Easter. So that immediately put images of cute little bunnies in my head, and I had to post these cuties for you all to enjoy with me thismorning!

Absolutely irresistible!

Third Day Farm Cousins Day Hike

 We all wore hats... they're all the rage out on our farm.

 Joel and I on the "Green Horse"

 Me, at the opening to the vulture cave. (It was empty this time)

 Joel with the campfire he built for the kids to roast their hot dogs.

Alyssa, Me, and Joel... I think Joel has something in his mouth, lol.
There are more pictures coming! I stole this set from Megan (with permission, of course).
I have some from our camera, though. Those will be added tomorrow!

Thanksgiving is Soon!

 Don't you love the Peanuts characters? They make holidays a little more fun, I think. :)

The Smith girls reminded me the other day that Thanksgiving is right around the corner! I can't believe that November is already here and we are into the holiday season!
As the end of this month approaches and we prepare to celebrate with our families, let's not forget to pray for children around the world who do not have their own families to spend the holidays with.
We have been so blessed!
Love,
ashley

Coming Up!

Dear Everyone,

Sunday evening we had a big cousins movie night/sleepover on the Third Day Farm! And this morning we had an outdoor adventure complete with a campfire and hot dogs. It was a wonderful little vacation for all us cousins, and we took pictures to show you all the things (however crazy they may be) that we did together!
So photos should come tomorrow, and be sure to check out Megan's blog too. She is a better poster than I am!
Love you all,
Ashley E.

Going to Church

This morning I am going to church at Landmark to surprise my family!
Joel is sick with mono, but he is doing pretty well today. :) He wants to go to church too, poor guy! But the doctors say that rest is the best cure.
It is so beautiful outside today, and I think we should all bundle up and have the service outside! "This is the day that the Lord has made - let us rejoice and be glad in it!"
God Bless,
ashley e.

Kim Anderson Photography

I absolutely love Kim's pictures of children! I bought a calendar today that is of her work, and it makes me so happy. :) That's why I blogged about it and let you see some of my favorites... you you could be happy with me! Have a beautiful day, and hug a little one if you get the chance.