Style

These earrings are vintage, but could work with many looks. I love how simple and elegant they are!

This is the first pair of leg warmers I've seen that I'd actually wear. And of course I like the boots! They have "cute farm girl" written all over them. =)

Oh Baby!!

So content after his first bath!

With his Aunt Becky

Yay! He loved the water.

Wearing his Star Wars onesie!!

With his "Gruncle" Michael (Great Uncle - get it?!)

Sound asleep on Auntie Meg's lap.

He looks like his daddy!!

With "Marmie" (Grandma) at the birthing cabin.

Meeting his aunt and uncles!

Thank you, Marmie, for the swing! He loves it!

Evan Michael Arrives!!

December 15th, at 8:10 in the morning, Evan Michael Eldredge made his arrival! After 4hrs of labor and 30min of pushing, he was delivered in perfect health! His name, Evan, means "God is gracious" and it is so true. We are praising our Lord today as we hold this precious child in our arms. 

My siblings were VERY excited to hear the news, of course!

Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement through the nine months of anticipation! He is finally here!!! Evan Michael weighed 8lbs 7oz, and measured 20 1/2 in long. He is the picture of health, and is a very content little guy!

Fun Ideas

A bed in a closet!! I love it! So cozy, and a real space-saver.

Dip strawberries in yogurt and freeze! I'm going to try this as soon as I can get my hands on some berries!

Rejoice in the Lord (by Ron Hamilton)

God never moves without purpose or plan
When trying His servant and molding a man.
Give thanks to the LORD though your testing seems long;
In darkness He giveth a song.

I could not see through the shadows ahead;
So I looked at the cross of my Savior instead.
I bowed to the will of the Master that day;
Then peace came and tears fled away.

Now I can see testing comes from above;
God strengthens His children and purges in love.
My Father knows best, and I trust in His care;
Through purging more fruit I will bear.

O Rejoice in the LORD
He makes no mistake,
He knoweth the end of each path that I take,
For when I am tried
And purified,
I shall come forth as gold.

JE Order

I will be placing a Jordan Essentials order by Wednesday the 14th, if anyone would like in on it! Shared shipping is always a great thing. ;-) It's guaranteed for delivery before Christmas, so this is a super easy (and fun) way to get those last-minute gifts! Ask me for stocking stuffer ideas!

www.myjestore.com/FarmGirl

Place it on the Shelf

I found this bookcase idea on Pinterest, and have decided that when spring comes I am going to have my handy husband make one! The one in this picture is made from skids (leftover shipping boards) and was very low-cost. I love the rustic look, but I think it could be neat to paint the back boards for a fun look!

Holiday Cookies

 Joel saw the above picture and kinda went crazy for a minute. He was like "Ohhh! Those look GOOD! You have to make those!" I'm going to, as soon as I can get my hands on some Oreos. Something else that's really yummy is brownies that have Oreos inside them! You bake them in cupcake tins. Yeah, very un-healthful, but also killer deliciousness! My sister-in-law, Amy, makes them just perfect.

I think these melting snowman cookies look pretty cute (and sweet)! I'm sure they'd be very easy, and you could do a lot of different snow people faces to make your unique.

Remember the little things...

... they fill this crazy life with joy! Here are the little things that have made today happy:

- spray snow on our house windows
- a two hour nap
- homemade granola & a fruit shake
- sparkling blue sky
- writing a letter to my baby
- neighbor dogs coming up to visit
- taking a walk all bundled up
- chamomile tea with honey

"I Will Lift My Eyes"

God, my God, I cry out
Your beloved needs You now 

God, be near, calm my fear
And take my doubt

Your kindness is what pulls me up
Your love is all that draws me in 

I will lift my eyes to the Maker
Of the mountains I can’t climb
I will lift my eyes to the Calmer
Of the oceans raging wild
I will lift my eyes to the Healer
Of the hurt I hold inside 

I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You

God, my God, let Mercy sing
Her melody over me
God, right here all I bring
Is all of me 

‘Cause You are and You were and You will be forever
The Lover I need to save me
‘Cause You fashioned the earth and You hold it together, God
So hold me now

(You can listen to Bebo Norman sing this beautiful song at pandora.com.)

Animal Fashion

This really made me laugh today, especially because of the snow we got last night! I love this... "For the hard to buy for chicken in your life". 

For Someday

Next year for the Fall Costume Party... this is going to be Evan!

He will be almost a year old by then - wow! That's a crazy thought.

Anyway, I found this costume idea on "Pinterest" (thanks, Jill!) and had to share. I'm sure you all know who it's supposed to be! Very cute and funny.

Happy Sunday, everyone! Enjoy taking it easy and spending time with those you love.

Evan says to tell everyone he's coming soon... and he can't wait to be featured on the blog! ;-)

Blessings,

Ashley

Pumpkin Pie Recipe

For Thanksgiving this year, I went to Food Network.com to find a really great pumpkin pie recipe. Boy, did I find one! It's by Paula Deen (my sisters will love that, I know), and is as easy as it is delicious. 
Ingredients:

• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups canned pumpkin, mashed
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, optional
• 1 piece pre-made pie dough
• Whipped cream, for topping 
• Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place 1 piece of pre-made pie dough down into a (9-inch) pie pan and press down along the bottom and all sides. Pinch and crimp the edges together to make a pretty pattern. Put the pie shell back into the freezer for 1 hour to firm up. Fit a piece of aluminum foil to cover the inside of the shell completely. Fill the shell up to the edges with pie weights or dried beans (about 2 pounds) and place it in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, remove the foil and pie weights and bake for another 10 minutes or until the crust is dried out and beginning to color.
For the filling, in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer. Add the pumpkin and beat until combined. Add the sugar and salt, and beat until combined. Add the eggs mixed with the yolks, half-and-half, and melted butter, and beat until combined. Finally, add the vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger, if using, and beat until incorporated.
Pour the filling into the warm prepared pie crust and bake for 50 minutes, or until the center is set. Place the pie on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Cut into slices and top each piece with a generous amount of whipped cream.

Sounds of the Season

So I was thinking about how my favorite Christmas song is "Mary Did You Know", and that got me wondering what YOUR favorite Christmas song might be! Care to share? :-) 

Happy 1st day of December!!