A Bohall Christmas.

The time has come and {quickly} gone. All the presents are trying to find a home within our house and the tree is soon to come down. It seems this time of year goes by faster and faster each year, perhaps because of the children I'd like it to actually last a little longer. The memories of Christmas I will forever cherish. Wrapping the gifts, sitting out the cookies, spending time with family, celebrating the birth of our Lord, and seeing two little faces as they open presents (even if one little thinks the wrapping paper is more fun than whats inside!) on Christmas morning. 

We had such a blessed first Christmas in the farmhouse and first Christmas with our sweet Eleanor! Exhaustion has now set in from all the hype this weekend and our littles have been sleeping extra long the past two days! Hopefully we can get back into our normal routine and prepare ourselves for the new year!

Here are a few pictures from our Christmas celebrations!😊

Our family on Christmas Eve.

Santa's cookies!

Santa came!

My little cowboy Sawyer.

This little lady loved her new anywhere chair!

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

Xoxo- Ashley 

YES...I will and I do, today, tomorrow, & always!

Rewind 5 years. I was happily dating the love of my life and boyfriend of 3 years. Living life to the fullest. We were young, wild, and free with big dreams in our future...marriage, kids, a bigger house, new cars, and many more memories to come! We had talked about marriage for a while now and I was more than ready to take that next step! I knew Daniel was ready too but had no idea when the day of proposal would actually happen! 

December 12th, 2010. It was becoming night and almost time for dinner, I was in the kitchen of our very first home cooking when Daniel yelled for me to come into the living room because he had a "early Christmas present." He is notorious for not being able to wait till Christmas to give his gifts and I was honestly annoyed that he once again wanted me to open something early! Even unwrapping it, it never occurred that is could be a ring! Much to my surprise there it was, a beautiful diamond ring that was exactly what I had dreamed of. Simple, beautiful, and elegant. My body was shaking uncontrolably as he ask me to be his wife. I could hardly find my voice to say YES! The day I had waited for all my life was happening right that second, I was taking the next step in my life and experiencing one of the greatest days I would ever see! 

This ring was the beginning to our future and would hold as a symbol of our love for the rest of our lives. I can't possibly put into words my emotions in that very moment but I do know this, my vow to say yes that day still holds true these 5 years later! Yes, I will and I do love you for the remainer of my life. This ring has been a symbol of your love through good times and bad, it has seen the births of our sweet babies, it has painted two more homes, washed many many dishes, cleaned, rubbed tiny legs to sleep, and prayed for many years of happiness to come! Like our marriage this ring is not perfect, it is dirty, could use a fresh dip, and doesn't sparkle nearly like it did the day you gave it but it's promise and symbol will always remain the same just as our marriage continues to grow in love and faith and because of that, it too will always remain the same. Thank you Daniel for believing in us then and still loving me now. I will never forget that day and I am so thankful that God continues to bless our marriage! Happy proposal day!

Xoxo- Daniel's Wifey☺️

Christmas at the Farmhouse.

It wasn't until recently (as in two years ago) that I found an all new love for this time of year. In the past I dreaded the cold and the thought of going to 15 Christmas gatherings would send me head spinning (who am I kidding, that part still makes my head spin. Although we have cut the list down tremdously!). After having kids I found that I have a whole new appreciation for things like decorating the tree and shopping for those perfect gifts. Since my husband and I bought our first house we have always made it tradition to put the tree up Thanksgiving night. This year however, being that we weren't able to put a tree up last year since most of you know our house wasn't done, I talked him into bring up the Christmas totes early!😁 I thought I would share with you a few pictures of the farmhouse during Christmas. I am still working on him with the outside lights!😉...maybe next year.

Welcome....

Our living room. I have dreamed of having a bit mantel to decorate for years now. My dreams finally came true!

The stockings were hung...

(A fire sure would make this picture 10X prettier!) 😏

Daddy came home from hunting just in time to top the tree with the angel!☺️👼🏼

Christmas Dining.

I picked Mr. Claus up about 4 years ago at a goodwill store for $3.00...I knew he would find the perfect spot one day!

My Sawyer decorated his own tree of course and continues to redecorate it daily!

The perfect little advent calendar I found at Kohls! 

There you have it, Christmas at the farmhouse is well underway! Now to wrap all the presents! Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

God Bless! XoXo-

Ashley 

20 facts about Ashley.

1. I don't eat any fruits or veggies! And yes that includes fresh corn on the cob with lots of butter and salt! Oddly enough, even growing up in the country and with my enjoyment for canning I still don't eat it! Although, it is my main goal to make sure my kids love it! Oh and even fresh watermellon! Yuck...don't like it even a little bit! If it is made up of 90 something % of water... than I'll just drink water!

2. I hate mice! I feel that this is a pretty common one really, I mean who likes these gross creatures?!?

3. If it is dark outside and I have to go to the car or mailbox I still have to talk myself out of a freak out situation even at the age of 25 and a mother of two! Most always I still have a bit of a jog to my walk as if someone is on my tail!! Ahh no joke! I'm a pansy.

4. I LOVE to eat out! Although I do enjoy cooking occasionally, I love going out to eat! Having two kids challenges this a little more with being able to actually enjoy a meal but we still eat out probably more than we should!

5. I still have a crush on my husband. Yes after 8 years of being with him and almost 4 years married I still find myself looking at him when he doesn't know it, thinking to myself...wow I'm a lucky woman, sexy husband and cute kids, someone pinch me! And when his name shows up on my phone throughout the day, I still get excited! Now days it's usually a text like "it's going to be late", "how are the kids", or "what's the plan for tonight" but when it's a simple "I love you" or "hope you guys have a good day" my heart melts into a little puddle. 

6. I love company! I get so much enjoyment out of people visiting. It sure doesn't happen often but when it does I love it!

7. I love to coordinate my family. Most people try and coordinate family pictures but for me I love coordinating All. The. Time. Obviously with a family of four the coordinating days are less often than what they once were. Even before we had children, I worked hard to coordinate my husband and I! Lol a lot of people found it funny...except for my husband, he always thought I was weird for thinking we had to match. And he's probably right but I get enjoyment out of it! 

8. I LOVE chocolate milkshakes! No joke people, I literally had one nearly every single day while pregnant with both kids! Still to the day it's a weakness of mine! I'm obsessed! 1 small chocolate shake with no whip and no cherry please! Yum! All this thought about it actually make me want to go get one right now! Mmmmm

9. I love decorating! If you have me on any social media you probably already know this one as I am constantly posting pictures of our farmhouse but I sure do love decorating! When I was in high school I wanted to be an interior designer ...that is until I realized that in my small town the chances of success were slim and this country girl isn't moving to the big city! No way Jose! 

10. I MUST wear sunglasses when it's sunny! I must have the most sesitive eyes there ever was! I literally can not see when it's sunny and if I try and drive to town without sunglasses I'm sure to have a headache by the time I get there! 

11. Dasani water is my favorite. A lot of people say water is water and it all taste the same...I beg to differ! Dasani is much better than other waters however, I rarely splurg at the grocery on dasani and usually pick up the cheap store brand! But buddy if I'm at the g station, I'm walking out with a dasani like a boss! 

12. I could eat pizza for every meal! Seriously though, pizza from different places taste like different food to me! If we are friends and you don't know I love pizza, we probably shouldn't be friends!

13. My kids are my life. This also I'm sure is no shocker but it's true they are. They are my 8-5 and everything inbetween! Me alone these days is very rare!!! Even though many times throughout the day I wish I could take a 15 minute break, I wouldn't change it for the world! They will only be little once! And have you ever met someone who regrets staying home with their kids when they were little?...me either!

14. Yellow cake with chocolate icing is my FAVORITE! I don't particularly enjoy store bought cakes or wedding cakes, my jam is on some yellow cake + chocolate icing! 

15. I live in my dream house. This probably is a shocker to most being that this house is not huge, older than my great grandparents, cost less than some people pay for a vehicle, and not even close to being finished on the outside but it's still exactly what I have always dreamed for! A two story white farmhouse, located in Dudleytown and complete with a porch swing! It is what it is. I may not have it all but what I have is all I need! 

16. My arms are awkwardly double jointed. Anyone that cheered with me back in the day knew the struggle! Where most cheerleaders tighten their arms as much as possible when making a V, I had to keep mine a tad relaxed to look right! 

17. Fall is my favorite season! What's not to love? Perfect weather and beautiful scenery! Ahh and of course pumpkin spice candle smell throughout the house!

18. I don't eat seafood. Not even fish sticks! Not even fish sandwiches from the tractor pulls!

19. I'm pretty much besties with Reba and the entire cast of NCIS they just don't know it, but I do see Gibbs cruising through town occasionally in his charger and I give him a wave!

20. I'm a terrible swimmer! If I'm on a boat and it goes down, chances are I'm not making it out alive! This is also one of the main reasons I don't swim in the ocean, along with the fact that I don't like fish! Don't like to eat them and don't like to feel them touching my feet!!! 

Happy Saturday friends! 

Will it be enough?

Each and every day I wake up, I start the same routine, I wake up, feed babies, clean up the kitchen, pick up the toys, change diapers, turn on paw patrol, and so on. Throughout my day I check Facebook and occasionally tune in to the news here or there given the chance...only to be greeted with political debates, rioting, and people pointing blame on objects rather than people. We all are aware of the craziness going on in this world and each day I am reminded of just how corrupt this world can be. Each time I tune in or read an article on Facebook about the things going on, not just in the world but right here in our communities I am faced with the question... Will it be enough? 

When I look at my children I see bright futures filled with success and determination. I see beautiful families with several smiling faces that call me Grandma. I also see devoted Christians who were raised to understand not only God's grace but his law too. Just as in the laws of the bible, the laws of this country are all too often forgot. My husband and I strive to teach and nurture our children every day, growing them to know and love God, to put him first, and to respect authority figures of every kind. But day in and day out I'm left with the question...will it be enough? Will what we are teaching and instilling in our children be enough? Will it be enough to withstand this cold hard world? Will it be enough to make them stand for what they believe in while remembering that we are all sinners? Will it be enough to make them feel safe when everything around them begins to crumble? Will it be enough to give them the ability to stand on their own two feet when society makes it so easy to fail? And most of all will it be enough to keep them strong in their faith, to continue to love God first, not people.

These questions I am faced with every day. Everyone knows that being a parent is no easy job, day after day we are faced with situations that often times make me question if I have what it takes to raise my tiny humans into individuals that will be a successful asset to society. In a world that believes no one is wrong and everything given is owed, I can't help but question if what I'm doing is actually right. 

Perhaps in a world such as this I shouldn't worry about if what I'm doing is enough but rather know that Jesus is enough. He is enough to teach our children the rights and wrongs within themselves. He is enough to withstand this cold hard world. He is enough to show us that he loves us unconditionally regardless of our sins. He is enough to make not only our children but all of us feel safe in every time of need. He is enough to lead us to success and pick us up when we fail. And most importantly he is enough to walk beside us in our faith and remind us each day that there is another life waiting for us that is much much more than this life here on earth. 

From here on out I will put my trust in him and know that JESUS IS ENOUGH!

I'm his #1 fan.

He will never know how much I love him behind all the chaos of life, the diaper changes, the daily rushing here to there, the dinners with no conversation other than "eat your food", "sit in your chair", and "don't throw your food on the floor"! We go through life every day sometimes seeming as if we are only going through the motions without actually taking the time to enjoy what a wonderful life we have made with one another. Nothing says welcome home like the house smells like ass, the dog is out of water, and I haven't brushed my teeth all day but clearly the kids are alive and I'm ready for a drink and oh while I'm at it, I'll bitch a little bit to you since your here to listen! 

I find myself getting so wrapped up in my daily chores as a mother that I often forget to be his wife. This reality of my relationship is sad but true and it pains me to admit it. Recently I have found myself allowing my aggravated emotions of not being able to get it all done in a days time to play out as soon as my beloved husband walks through the door. Being a Momma is no easy job as any Mom knows but allowing a days worth of spilled froot loops and terrible 2 attitudes to open like a flood gate on my husband as soon as he comes home is not the way to express myself I'm finding.

I'm obviously not writing this just to let everyone know what a lousy wife I am but maybe to explain how I plan to be a better one or perhaps to apologize for letting myself be dreadful daily. Well shit, honestly, in addition to that above, I reckon the reason I'm writing this is because today when I walked into our mudroom with thoughts of Monday on my mind, just a day away, I happen to look ever and see my husbands work boots sitting right there by the back door. When I saw those dirty old worn out work boots I was surprised with an overwhelming amount of appreciation for my husband. He doesn't hear often enough just how thankful I am for all his hard work and dedication to our family. He works hard to provide for our family while I am home living out my dream of caring for our children and making memories with them while they still need me. He wakes up every morning leaving for work while we all stay snuggling in bed. Yes, there are days where a piece of me wishes I were the one getting up to go to work but I am quickly reminded of the sacrifices we made before our children so that I could spend as much time with them as possible and I wouldn't change it for the world! We won't get these years back!

I am so grateful for the man I married almost 4 years ago, the life we have made, the beautiful children we raise, and the sacrifices he makes, and I should tell him more often how I am without a doubt his #1 fan! 

Xoxo-

Mrs. Daniel Bohall

From Field to Freezer: My first time experiences in freezing fresh corn + How to Steps!

It's hot and humid here in Indiana and produce its growing like crazy! Last year I took a dip into the canning world by canning my own green beans that were fresh out of my Grandma's garden. The idea of serving my family fresh food that I had canned gave me a sense of pride as a wife and mother in knowing that I knew exactly where those green beans had came from! This year I decided to jump on the bandwagon of freezing corn! (Fun fact about me: I do not eat green beans or corn!) My grandparents freeze corn every year and this year was going to be like any other so I jumped on the opportunity for them to teach me their techniques so I can start my own yearly tradition! Last night was the night! I bought 3 dozen ears of corn from some of our family friends and headed to Mamaw and Papaws with both kiddos! 

This is how my oldest stayed entertained!

Here is the step by step method I learned:

1. Shuck the corn. We took all the husk and hairs off the cob being sure to cut off any bad or rotten parts of the corn.

2. Boiled the cobs using a large outside deep fryer filled with water. Once the cobs came to a boil, we boiled the batch for 3 minutes. (It's a messy job, we did everything outside on the back porch!)

3. Using the blanching method we removed the corn and put it directly into ice water that we had in coolers until the corn cobs were cool.

4. Once cooled, we removed the corn from the cooler and took the corn off the cob using tools like this...

5. After we had blanched all the corn and cut it off the cob. We added the ingredients and began bagging. Below is the receipt we used.

2 cups corn

3 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup of water (we used the water from the fryer that we had boiled the corn in to add more flavor.)

6. After we combined the ingredients we put them in a quart size freezer bag, sealed the bag, and flattened it out for freezing! (Since I do not eat corn, leaving only my husband and 1 year old to share the bag, I did smaller bags and put a little more than half of each batch in each bag so that we don't waste any!) 

7. Done deal! Stack in the freezer to freeze! Don't forget to put date your bags!;)

Over all it was a fun experience and the best part of it all was making memories that will last a lifetime with my grandparents and learning new traditions that I can someday pass to my littles! If you have thought about canning or freezing your own foods but are like me and just not sure it's worth the hassel, I'm here to tell you it is a lot of work and a messy job but the reward is so much more! I encourage you to try it at least just once! And maybe some day I will be brave enough to put out my very own garden...probably once my littles are big enough to help!! Hehe! 

Enjoy your day!

Ashley

My New Life With A Toddler & Newborn

On June 17th, 2015 we welcomed the fourth and possibly final member of the Bohall family into this world. A beautiful baby girl, Eleanor Reid Bohall. 7 pounds 14 ounces and 20 1/2 inches long with a head full of dark hair<3 

Our family feels so complete with this special tiny addition! 

Our sweet Sawyer is in love with his new baby sister! The love they share fills my heart with more joy than you can even begin to imagine!

Now that we are just shy of her forth week here, life as we know it has surely changed! Being home with a toddler and newborn has its challenges (as you see I'm just now writing this post almost FOUR weeks after her birth!) for sure but being able to spend my ever waking day with two of the greatest accomplishments I have ever made, make my heart explode inside! In one of my previous post, I questioned how it would be possible to love another baby as I love Sawyer and I'm here to tell ya'll your heart grows just like everyone says it will! It's unexplainable! 

They say a pictures worth a thousand words so here is a glimpse into our new life as a family of four!

These two bring us more joy than we could have ever imagined! I can't wait to continue watching them grow up!

Xoxo-

Ashley

The mysteries of the pregnancy brain.

If you are pregnant, have ever been pregnant, or for that matter ever been around someone who is pregnant than chances are you have felt or witnessed the effects of pregnancy brain! Ok just so we are all on the same page let me tell you, the struggle is real folks! And if and when you think it can't get any worse, I'm here to tell you...it does and it most certianly will! The random thoughts that take over your brain are at times unexplainable and the dreams or in my case night terrors that come when you close your eyes to go to sleep will have you waking up wondering where you are, who you killed, and if you are even alive at this point! All of these weird and unsettling thoughts bring me to wonder many questionable things, so much so that I decided to capture a days worth of pregnant brain thoughts. Here is what I came up with...

1. Shaving. Ha the first thing that comes into mind is the want to use #smh which just so you know, months ago when the hashtag originated in my world I most certainly had to google it to even know what it meant! But honestly shaving this prego self of mine leads me to wonder...how to over weight people shave the lower regions?? Do they just choose not to shave or do they do as I do and go in blind and hope for the best?? Random I know! But the struggle is so real in this department! 

2. Belly buttons, I have never been a fan of my belly button because it was always deep in my opinion...not today junior! I currently have no belly button and on certain days when little miss is laying a certain way I have an outy! Yes an outy! Never have I been a fan of outy's! No I didn't like that mine was in my opinion deeper than necessary but I sure didn't want an outy! And my husband finds it funny that if I'm lying down and laughing it pokes in and out as I giggle! Gross! Also I have always had a fear of my belly button coming unraveled! Ugh still a fear today although I have been assured it cannot happen! Listen anything can happen in this world! 

3. I would pay for someone to come scratch my belly for an hour! Literally pay! The hair brush just isn't doing it!

4. I do wonder just how many people sing "wrapped up like a douche" when singing along to the lyrics "revved up like a deuce" by Manfred Mann?? I'm thinking its a lot!

5. If my water happens to break while out and about like last time, would people think I was lying and that I just peed myself? And holy Jesus please just don't let me be in a resturant or grocery store!!

6. Why oh why did I leave that Milky Way on the counter??? I knew when I made eye contact with it this morning that come 2 o'clock I would be wanting it! Stupid me!!

7. Why is it when I get a pedicure it always seems like my left big toe nail grows way faster than my right? Is it possible for one to grow faster than the other??

8. I am beyond a doubt certain that over half of my crazy thoughts come from reading articles on Facebook! Hardly anything other than wrecks, half dead dogs, drama in the White House, and neglected children! Ugh never anything happy!

9. If bedtime for Sawyer around here is going to continue to be 8 o'clock in the summer I'm going to have to invest in some black out curtains! 

10. 

^^hahaha I obviously didn't get to finish this blog because well on this night shortly after writing #9 the hubs and I decided to try and "speed" the labor process up after our Sawyer went to sleep and immediately after I started having contractions!😉 Hey it does work friends! Just do it!😂