This is the house design we have been looking at since deciding to buy land. There are alot of things I love about it and some that I do not. This is actually alot more affordable than I could have imagined.

Do you like it? Does it look like a house that could fit five people including three small children? I have always dreamed of this and now my dreams are coming true!

What Was I Thinking?!?

What in the world was I thinking when I decided to start a business and build a house all at the same time? I must have been thinking to myself "Ashley, you are not stressed enough, let's throw a bunch more on top of you"

This could get messy - Please let there be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Baby Name Help!

Anybody want to dive into the world of baby names with me?

Did you say Yes?? Okay, then! :)

Girl Names

• Journee
• Macey
• Cali
• Stella
• Harper
• Brynleigh
• Willow

Boy Names

• Vadon
• Tyse
• Nathan
• Mack
• Cash
• Slade
• Liam
• Roman

All advice welcome ...

**Update: I added two polls for each set of names on the left side of the blog - please vote when you have the chance! thanks!!**

Change Is Coming... (Day 5 Finally!)

Barack Obama made a bold statement when he said he wanted "change".

I now make that same statement because I am eager for change (and hopefully I will have more success at "change" that what he has had.. but that is a whole other post!). I have realized a few things about myself -

• I wake up groggy and it's usually at an hour before I can function. This is probably because I have been sleeping 10-12 hours a night. In my defense, I am on a lot of meds, but that is no excuse. My kids have no also picked up this behavior and it saddens me.
• I spend alot of time ALONE. My husband works 10-12 hour days sometimes 2 weeks in a row before getting a day off. This tends to make me somewhat depressed and that sometimes ends up making me feel lazy.
• I do not like where I live. I feel very blessed and thankful that God has given me a beautiful home and family, but the town I live in just has nothing for children or young adults to get into unless you want to do something bad or end up in jail!

So, that's where the change comes. I have decided to make more changes to my lifestyle - big changes. You know that before I started the 90 Days Of Change and today I am picking back up with Day 5. Day 5 is all about making plans! Today, I have made some commitments and some mental notes about upcoming changes and I am going to start working to get them done ASAP. I know that change starts with me and it starts NOW. Some of the future changes I seek are a)to find a new home church b)find a new town to call home (post coming, I promise) c) join a moms/prayer group d) volunteer and tithe .. start giving! d) focus on my health and wellness a little more including eating, exercising, and better sleeping habits e) read the bible, study it more, get more in depth with my relationship with Christ and f) make new friends.

All of this is so important to me. Since I moved from Kingston 8 years ago, I have carried a hurt in my heart to return to my "neck of the woods." I think it was because I had a place there, a beautiful church, and I felt complete. Crossville is a great place and I am not trying to drag it down, but since I have had children, I have been disappointed in the lack of activities for children, the lack of drive for the churches to allow others to get involved, and the lack of young adults that actually want to do something productive with their lives. I think it may have something to do with the fact that 65% of people that live here, work in factories. That's crazy to think about, isn't it? That means there are alot of people here who don't even have the money or opportunity to do those things... which makes me upset that I am complaining that is what I desire.

With that being said, I am visiting a new church on sunday called Potter's House Fellowship. If you are in the area, you can check out the website at http://pottershousefellowship.org/ . It is in the Harriman/Midtown area about 15-20 miles from where we would like to build another house (again, I promise - new post!) I think I even have the whole family including my dad and my husband to join me on sunday to see what they think also. I have desired this my whole life, to have a place where my family can all join every sunday together. I would love to have a tradition of going to church and then coming home to eat a big meal home cooked by me while the boys play and my dad and husband talk sports or something. A girl can dream right?!?

The Youth Pastor there, Tony Ruff, also has a wonderful blog that I have been reading that actually inspired me to visit there in the first place. You can read all about him, his ministry, and his love for Christ at http://diginwithtonyruff.blogspot.com/ . He writes alot of thought provoking messages that help me understand more of what the church is all about. He spoke to me for about an hour today about how the church isn't so "churchy" and I thought that was cool. He also told me it was a "man's church." I love my husband dearly, but the fact that he works 12 hour days all the time makes it hard for him to get up on his days off to go to church in the first place. It is even harder to get him to a place where he feels like he can belong, dress as he pleases, and actually make lasting friendships. So, I was singing praises this morning for what Tony wrote to me - and it actually got me excited about what might be in the future!

So, the blog about the big move is coming soon... and it might suprise some and thrill others. I told you I need "change" and CHANGE is coming :)

Want some Free (or cheap) stuff?!?!

If you are my friend on facebook, make sure you take a look at my album called

"Facebook Auction"

I am looking to get rid of ALL of the stuff in my garage and around my house...

and since my yard sale was never a success due to illness

i've decided to just have an "auction" for my friends...

Some of the stuff I will give away to people that I know could use it more than me -

and some of it will be for sale but at very reasonable prices ....

so take a look at http://www.facebook.com/momtoblazenace

(If you are not my friend on facebook, you will have to send me a message stating that you saw this on blogger, otherwise I WILL NOT add you - I am very private on my FB. Thanks!)

By the way, all the pictures above are of items for sale and they are still available!