Having been in a McDonald’s kitchen checking on how everyone is doing for hours on end has made me a bit of a kitchen Nazi.

But having been a newlywed I had to adjust to what Mike wanted to eat. I had to ask him what he wanted for dinner and how he liked his eggs in the morning. There were several times that we had to compromise with what we wanted to eat. I didn’t want to cook two meals because it would be a waste. But he loved spicy food and I had very little tolerance for it.

There was also the constant mix up in the counters. I admit that I am above all into organization. And having someone putting things back to where it doesn’t go can be frustrating. I knew there was a genius idea behind cohabitation before marriage but Mike didn’t want that. His family was too conservative to agree to cohabitation. I love him but I didn’t love the mess that he made.

So I began to label where things should go as artistically as possible. I hoped that he would get a clue but somehow things only improved for a few days. Then it was back to his version of organized chaos.

I finally had to sit him down and told him that organization was something that was very important to me. I told him he could mess up the bedroom and the living room all he wanted but the kitchen was sacred to me.

After that I never saw one plate in the sink and not one single spice bottle out of place.

Tags: Work // Add Comment »

As a child I had always asked my mom why I was the only child they had. She used to say, “Ashley, it’s because you were a present to us. We almost never had you.” As a newlywed, to a wonderful man named Mike, I was afraid that this might happen to us too. He would reassure me by saying that his parents had four kids and that was only because his parents were smart enough to stop having kids.

So sure enough when we decided to join his family on our very first family reunion, I was surprised how many cousins he had. His siblings brought their children and it was almost like the ranch exploded into a kaleidoscope of people of all ages.

Naturally everyone was asking when we wanted to add to the Brady bunch. I was too overwhelmed to even answer. Mike had to say, “Maybe later tonight” and they all laughed.

Staying at the family’s estate seems like the worst kind of vacation for a city girl like me. But the colors and the smells made me feel like this was probably made them live so boisterously. Everything was fresh and a delight to the senses. I wanted this place to be where we could conceive.

The family trip lasted for a three days. Everyone worked together to make the meals and take care of each others needs. There were belated birthday gifts and Christmas presents that they had wanted to give in person. I thought it was a very quaint family tradition. It made me love Mike’s family more and more.

Before we drove back everyone said “See you later” and not goodbyes, after all we would all be back here next year.

Tags: Family // Add Comment »

I never thought that preparing for a covert birthday for my husband would be that hard. Hi, I am Ashley and I am a frantic wife.

I had to get everyone to agree not to greet him on his birthday. The only ones allowed was his mom. She couldn’t imagine not greeting her baby on his birthday.

Then there was the venue. There was this bar that his friend owns that I had wanted to rent. But as his birthday gift to Mike, he gave me the night free with an open bar. He had also conveniently told Mike that he had to close that night because his bar was being repainted.

I told Mike that we were having dinner with some of his family and friends later. He sighed and told me that he thought people had forgotten. I had mentioned his favorite restaurant and he looked relieved.

We passed by the bar and our cab conveniently broke down. That was his friend’s cue to come out of the bar. He had said that we could call another cab while waiting inside. The contractors turned out to be a day late, he said.

Once we were inside there was an eruption of greetings and cheers. Mike was very happy to see his friends and family members all gathered in his favorite watering hole. They gave him his gift and urged them to open it. They had asked him what was the best one and he said while holding me by the waist, “This one right here.”

Tags: Family // Add Comment »

I am not a hard person to buy a gift for. But for the duration of our years together my husband Mike had been totally clueless as to what to buy me for my birthday or Christmas. I always had to steer him to the right direction. Isn’t that just frustrating? But in my case, it covers all matters of sins that I make sure that I would get exactly what I want.

This year thought, Mike had not asked me what I wanted for Christmas. He didn’t even bother to tease me that he would buy me a hideous dress that he would make me wear on the New Year party of their firm. Honestly, the lack of interest dampened my holiday spirit.

But I have been eyeing the Mac Pro for the longest time. I loved my old Mac but I felt like I needed to upgrade to the latest model. I couldn’t possibly live with myself if he got me a scarf for Christmas.

While I was putting the decorations on our tree, he was very quiet. I thought he was going to finally ask me what I wanted for Christmas. But he was just smiling and placing ornaments like he was trying to wait for me to burst. I couldn’t help it so I sat down and moped. Then he asked me what was wrong.

I told him flatly that I didn’t want a scarf for Christmas. He said he knew that and that if I cared to wait he would give me what I wanted.

On Christmas morning, he gave me a scarf to use as a blindfold. In our study was my new Mac Pro.

Tags: Holdays // Add Comment »

I am sure that almost everyone can attest to how different I am with my husband. For one thing, my friends call me Ashley the Grinch. It was because I had a penchant for moping around when the holidays came in. I was not a big fan of shopping during the rush so I shopped at all year round for the people I wanted to give anything to. I would buy them and then store them in my closet.

But ever since Mike came into my life, the holidays had to take a different hue. He was in love with the holidays. He embraced it with all the flair his inner child could attest. I really couldn’t blame him since he did have a home where they decorated a tree and gave each other presents on Christmas morning.

He wanted our home to be as warm as his was in his youth. So during our first holiday together, I was subjected to a number of traditional Yuletide traditions that I would have otherwise detested.

The hardest part for me was the tree. Oddly enough having Mike tell me stories about how he used to make ornaments for their tree when he was little made decorating less of a chore. Then he put up an angel that he made himself. I was almost sure that in the years to come that angel would always be there.

New Year’s Eve was a blast as well. For one thing, I had started the year with the man I would spend all my years with.

This actually made me feel sad that it was the end of the holidays. Oh well…there is always next year.

Tags: Holdays // Add Comment »

Not having my own child to tell stories to on Christmas doesn’t lower the level of stress I have to go through whenever I have to decide what to buy for my family and my friends’ children. I was blessed with a husband whose love for travelling was so obvious that booking a trip for a vacation was the best choice.

But having to wander through the bookstores and toy stores with hordes of families pouring from all directions is my version of hell. It was like I was slowly being drowned in shrieks. I had contemplated online shopping for everything but had decided that it was easier to see for myself than having to ask people to return things on such a busy holiday.

So year after year, I put myself through the sweaty and grueling torture of buying toys that would be broken in a few months and clothes that they would outgrow by next year. And always I wonder why we have to bother. I wish I could just send them a Christmas card and be done with it. Why does love have to come in a box during this season? I could only imagine if the song came true that everyday should be like Christmas. I would probably faint.

But whenever I see the look on my nieces and nephew’s faces I remember that Christmas was not exactly for little old me. It was for those millions of innocent children who look forward to the rewards of a year of being a nice kid.

That almost makes shopping bearable.

Tags: Holdays // Add Comment »

Whenever my husband Mike asks me the question, “If you were able to bring just two things from the present into the past, what would it be and why?” I would have my iPod and my Mac in mind. He would answer, “Ashley, you probably would be mistaken for a spy if you did.”

I don’t care. The two gadgets I couldn’t possibly do without are my iPod and my Mac laptop. I have very little else in the world to care to learn but what is the latest music and what my friends and family are doing on the other side of the world.

You see I have well travelled friends and my parents only had one child. I think I will repeat that trend since Mike and I have been married for three years and we still haven’t given them any grandchildren. My family and my friends love to send me pictures of the places they have been in the hope of enticing me to come with. But the problem is that I am afraid of flying. It takes Mike’s rockhard patience to fly with me over water. So being online on my laptop makes me experience their adventure right here on dry solid land.

As for my iPod, it has been my constant companion when there are slow hours at the McDonald’s branch that I work in as a manager. But it also soothes my tired mind when Mike drives me back home.

So wherever you might take me, under the pain of having to ride a plane, the comfort that I have them in my person is all that I have.

Tags: Things // Add Comment »

• Handicapped Vehicles - Posted to Handicap Access
  One of the first things I wanted to write about here as I get this blog underway is the means for transporting people with disabilities around the place, or more exactly, handicapped vehicles in general. That will cover most types of handicap transport as this post will be mainly an overview of what you can come to expect in this area. Handicap vans have been the talk of the Internet just lately. My experience with this form of transportation is something I've been going through as well. I need to recognize that. These are questions to ask in accessibility for people.. (Read More)
• Warren Buffett Investing Advice - Posted to Warren Buffett - the Oracle of Omaha
  Warren Buffett Investing Tips In his annual letter Warren Buffett gives some very interesting investing tips and as he is the 3rd richest man in the world with $47 billion it might be worthwhile listening to him. 1. Always have plenty of cash Don't put yourself in a position where you have to rely on the kindness of strangers. arrange your affairs so that any conceivable cash requirements can be dwarfed by your own liquidity. High returns on high risks aren't everything, cash provides low returns but is also low risk. So make sure you build a nice healthy cash pile. 2. Fear is.. (Read More)
• Get Yourself A Single Wardrobe - Posted to Home Furnishings
  When space is at a premium in the bedroom but storage is still required the solution to begin with is a single wardrobe. A single wardrobe is simply referring to the fact that the wardrobe only has a single door. These wardrobes are generally quite narrow in width but they will still afford you a reasonable amount of storage space. It’s the storage space that is the vital aspect to what you are getting out of your single wardrobe and although it is smaller than other types of wardrobes there are various options that will give you a diversity of storage.. (Read More)
• What Is The Best Web Hosting? - Posted to Best Web Hosting
  So really now it is time to break the truth to you nice and simple - the best host of them all. At first I am going to tell you a little bit of the backgrounds that I have for my selection and the experences that I have had wiwht a lot of different hosts. Changing from one host to another is not easy and it is simple, but it can be done. And if you feel like the one that you are using right now is not meeting these criterias then you should probably think about changin it to.. (Read More)
• Venere e Adone vi danno il benvenuto - Posted to Venere e Adone
  Venere e Adone. Due ideali di bellezza del mondo classico che ancora oggi ci affascinano e ispirano. Ma come poter essere in questi anni 2000, eleganti, in forma e in salute, sia psicologica che fisica, come questi due fulgidi esempi? Come coniugare il benessere, la salute, l'esercizio fisico con l'equilibrio mentale e la cultura? Le diete, i prodotti per dimagrire, gli esercizi per stare in forma, gli alimenti piu' sani, le ultime tendenze del benessere, le saune, le terme, tutto questo e molto di piu' saranno i temi quotidiani di Venere e Adone! .. (Read More)
• Keeping Cool At Restaurants - Posted to Taking Aim
  Looking for new and innovative ways to keep their customers cool on hot days, places such as restaurants with outdoor areas and resorts are using misting nozzles to spray fine mists over their customers. The idea is that the water is sprayed in such a fine jet that it is simply a mist when it reaches the customers and has the effect of cooling them down rather than wetting them. The mist is produced by placing filtered misting nozzles on a stand and then positioning it in such a way that the mist is directed over a.. (Read More)
• Pregnancy Weight Loss - Posted to Pregnancy Weight Loss
  After having a baby, most women must deal with the issue of losing weight gained during pregnancy. A combination of diet and exercise is the best way to succeed at weight loss pregnancy. Many women have achieved weight loss with a raw foods diet and regular aerobic exercise. Pregnancy belly fat will come off through the use of a gentle fitness routine.  There are a variety of exercise programs and therapies available. Choosing to simply include more raw foods daily, as part of a permanent lifestyle change can help you lose weight after pregnancy. Yoga for baby also.. (Read More)
• NutriSystem Cost - Posted to Weight Loss Tips
  NutriSystem cost is a major factor in anyone's decision to try their delivery diet plan, but there is more to this than just money. When your weight is a problem, then you must do something about it and there's no getting away from the fact that as diet system's go, NutriSystem has a long history of success covering three decades. So what is the NutriSystem cost in terms of losing weight and getting healthy? First up, your health is everything and if you have poor health because you're overweight, then your quality of life suffers badly. This cannot be placed into.. (Read More)
• Carpet Cleaning Tips - Posted to Carpet Information
  If you have carpeting in your home, you need to know the best way to keep it clean and in good condition. The first step to taking care of your carpets is to vacuum regularly. If you occasionally run the vacuum, you might remove surface dirt, but if you really want to take prevent damage to your carpets you need to vacuum more often. If dirt and debris get down into the carpet fibers, the dirt rubbing against them can actually damage the fibers. The answer to avoid this permanent damage to your carpet is to.. (Read More)
• Index Futures Trading In A Live Trading Room - Posted to Stocks And Futures Trading
  It is agreed when we plan to study something brand new, people will of course search out the greatest foundation of expertise which will speedily provide us with the know-how we want to move up to speed on whatever the issue may be. Learning how to trade index futures is no different and acquiring the skills essential to promptly become profitable as a emini day trader can help reduce the learning curve and save a lot of capital. Enrolling in a respectable emini trading room to observe as reputable traders call out trades entering and exiting the market is a.. (Read More)
• Knock In A Nail Right Now - Posted to Deal Breaker
  Some people might feel too daunted by the prospect of using a heavy duty power tool such as a nail gun. Just the thought of a tool that can fire a ballistic missile could be enough to turn the domestic user off. However there is a small version that should suit just about everyone. It’s called a palm nailer and it works like a breeze. All you need to do is position the nail in the right position place the tip of the palm nailer over the nail and then apply downward pressure. The nailer then proceeds.. (Read More)
• Small Talk About Girls and Handbags - Posted to Ladies Fashion
  Talking about tote bags, all women agree in one respect: one is definitely not enough. That’s why they spend in excess by acquiring a new bag each season. After admiring their acquisition, they discover that they need footwear that goes with the bag, so they buy the shoes. Then it’s the moment for some modern accessories to complete the outfit. Now you can see why fathers of families need bigger salaries It’s true that not married guys will spend more in taking their lady to cinema or in romantic vacations, but those are not as dangerous as a Prada bag,.. (Read More)
• Having Fun With Slot Cars - Posted to Milo's Musings
  Let's discover more about slot cars blow by blow. It will eat up your competition. It's only going to help out doing this more in the long run. Slot car is one of the most popular 1:32 slot car varieties out there today. I don't have to convince you of how great this is. Am I talking to a brick wall? No, I won't foot the bill for you. Trust me, there are others. We're only guessing and groping in the dark. Sure there are a ton of slot car but few chums seem.. (Read More)
• Free Reverse Cell Phone Number Lookup - Search Cell Numbers - Posted to Reverse Telephone Number Search
  Reverse Phone Lookup - Type Any Phone Number And Find Name & Address Of Registered Owner. Best Reverse Phone Lookup - Search For The Owner of Any Phone Number!!! What is the true situation with free reverse cell phone number lookups? This option is free, so it is worth a try if you have the time to search. There are actually a few reliable sites, some of which are free, that you can check when looking for phone registries for reverse lookup. Start by checking which reverse search phone numbers providers get a lot of customer.. (Read More)
• A (made for Canada) guide to deciding if an online DVD rental service is the right choice for you. - Posted to Can't Wait To See...
  I thought that I would post some thoughts on those times when you have obviously chosen to wait to see a given movie on video at home.  A change of pace, I guess. Within the last few years, the  option to order your films online  through an online video rental  service provider has get a viable  preference for so many  folks, whether their preference is  for DVDs  or the more fresh Blueray format. Because of  this development, everyday someone is  making a decision vis-à-vis whether to rent their films through the more normal brick  as well as mortar  storefront or to.. (Read More)
• Healthy Diet and Exercise - Posted to Healthy Lifestyles
  If you want to live to a ripe old age, healthy diet and exercise is a must. During the past two decades obesity has doubled. Beta-carotene is known as an anti-aging vitamin, thanks to its powerful antioxidant properties, and vitamin E has been linked to a decrease in coronary vascular disease and helps to stop damage to cell membranes from free radicals. Try reducing the size of the portions you eat. Watch the carbohydrates and not just the fat. Fruits, vegetables and whole grains are loaded with thousands of substances, called phytochemicals, which are.. (Read More)
• Effective Curtains For the Kitchen - Posted to Tortured Mind
  There are a few suitable materials and styles that will work well in particular rooms of the house but kitchen curtains are the ideal type of curtains for eyelet curtains. Give me a second to get oriented. In the end, I figured the whole design style out by myself and most wanderers that have talked to me before will know that the kitchen can handle all kinds of styles. I found out that there were no meetings in the matter of eyelet drapes after I got there. Eyelet curtains aren't hung in the way other curtains are.. (Read More)
• Why Cook Healthily? - Posted to Healthy Cooking
  How nice is it to enjoy a good health that would allow you to do everything you want, with no restrictions? If it's as appealing to you as to determine you make some "sacrifices" and dump your unhealthy habits, then you need to learn healthy cooking methods. Of course this in only one step, because health and wellbeing are more than following a bunch of healthy eating recipes and wait for your body to thank you for that and to serve you unconditionally. You'll have to take care of the fitness side as well, you'll have.. (Read More)
• Nutrisystem Reviews for Slimming - Posted to How to Get Slimmer
  Nutrisystem reviews benefit individuals who are thinking of trying to drop some weight by making use of this product. For this article we will focus on its numerous advantages and disadvantages to impart an unbiased view on the way Nutrisystem performs and the way it can assist you to lose weight with success. The foremost thing you ought to understand about Nutrisystm is that the complete system is based on providing the consumer with ready, prepared meals that substitute the meals you may normally consume. Nutrisystem's set meals are perfectly balanced and have every one of the nutrients that your body.. (Read More)
• Tankless Toilets in the home? Maybe, maybe not. - Posted to HOME RENOS 4 U
  There continually seems to be individuals out there considering the setting up of a tankless toilet system into their abode. It is the enticement of a trendy bathroom fixture that would demand less area within bathroom and be a great deal more unassuming that has numerous homeowners observing the tankless toilet as well as thinking it could be a viable alternative. Prior to making a decision concerning something accordingly vital in your residence, it is imperative to get a suitable grasp of the issues concerned in opting to go with a tankless toilet and how it differs from the customary.. (Read More)