Welcome!

Hello Friends!  This is my first official blog post!  I have been debating starting up a blog for quite some time now.  The last couple of years of my life have been drastically different than before, and IT'S A GREAT THING! First off, I would like to fill you in on a little bit of family info and our life, then I will tell you what, exactly, I will be sharing in the future. :)

I was born and raised in the metro Atlanta area. My husband was born in Colorado(::sigh::) and later moved to the metro Atlanta area as well.  Even though we are both from Atlanta, we met in Savannah in 2006. I was 21 and he was 25.  We worked at the same Restaurant, Locos Grill and Pub(good memories).  He moved away and we later reconnected in 2009.

This Picture was taken in 2009, on Tybee Island, GA(not far from where we lived).

We decided to move back towards the Atlanta area in 2010, closer to our families, and where there would later be more opportunities.
Thomas proposed to me on December 19, 2010, in our living room, after I shot down every opportunity that day(I had NO idea)!
We got married on the Chattahoochee River, on my birthday, July 24, 2011. It was a small, simple, and hot wedding.  All of our close family and friends were there. :)

We're married!

About a year and a half later we found out we were pregnant.  We were not planning to try and have any babies yet and wanted to travel a little more...BUT life happens, and God chooses, and I LOVE our little boy!  I would not have it any other way!  He has brought the best out of both of us in the most magical way!

Silas Bradford DeLaHunt graced us with his presence 3 weeks and 1 day early on August 7, 2013.

He just turned one! (Please excuse me while I cry my eyes out! Where does the time go?)

The following is what I am interested in blogging about.  After reading it, I realized, I suppose I am just covering everything.  It is a slow process, but over time I will just post little things here and there. 

RECIPES
 I have not ever really enjoyed cooking, because, well... I am hungry, and it is a task.  This makes no sense to me, seeing as I would consider myself a "foodie".  I LOVE food.  Unique food.  Quality food.  Delicious food.  Healthy food.  You get the point!  So, with that being said, I want to cook well balanced meals(most of the time ;) ) that are easy, simple, and yummy!  I live off of prepping dinner during nap time, cooking "in a jiffy", and baking.  There is always the crockpot, who has been my best friend for the last year(and saved my life).  

CRAFTS
As a youngster I LOVED crafting, coloring/drawing, designing, building, and anything artsy.  During my teen and college years I lost interest in much of these hobbies and "focused" on other things such as school, friends, hanging out, and having fun.  They were some of the best years of my life, but guess what? I'M BACK!  Now these days in the present moment are the best times of my life!  Now that I have a one year old, I am very busy.  When I was pregnant I designed Silas' nursery. I could not stay off of Pinterest to save my life and I was crafting away like all of my grandmothers!  I always have a vision or an idea and can never seem to find it anywhere, so I just have to find a way to make it myself.  I will share how I put together his "vintage woodland" themed nursery through several posts.  If people are interested in something in particular, then I will be happy to post on it.

PREGNANCY AND BABY
I know this is very broad!  I wish I would have started a blog earlier as I traveled through the harsh 9 month journey of pregnancy.  But then again, I don't.  If I would have been a blogger during that stage I probably would have come off as the most negative person alive!  Some women love pregnancy.  I, on the other hand, did not enjoy it so much.  But I look back now in the most positive way, and I am very thankful for that!  I truly believe that attitude and perspective are everything.  It can really make or break you.  
On baby, I will cover anything from my super tough struggle early on with breastfeeding(what I know now and have learned), to cloth diapers, to my own "theory" :), to what we chose to use/not use, baby wearing(which I am new to) and so on.  We officially made it to one whole year of breastfeeding and I am honestly feeling a little lost on where to go from here.  You can follow me and support me through it and give me tips.  I am always open to hearing what has helped other mothers. 
I simply say my "theory" because I was so adamant about reading and trying so hard to get things perfect and "just right".  Sleeping, eating, time this, time that.  Don't get me wrong, I think reading is great and super informative.  In fact, I think everyone should read a few different books and concepts just for the information.
Here are a couple things I have learned in the last year:
1. Some people are "know-it-alls".  I think we all are at some point or another, it is all ego.  It is hard to get past sometimes.  You learn to let it go.  I love listening to people who are open minded and helpful rather than people who insist you must do things a certain way and you are wrong.  Everyone has different methods to parenting, while every human is totally different.  Mothers will do what they think is best(with the exception of some people- I prefer not to get into news topics), and what works best for them, their babies, and family as a whole.  There are so many topics- Do you CIO(cry it out), attachment theories, do you vaccinate/not vaccinate/delayed vaccination, time schedule, co-sleep, on demand, breastfed(how long), formula, the list goes on and on.  Exception: I mean, of course, there are the obvious safety precautions everyone should follow
2. Never say never.  If there is one thing I have learned it is to be less judgmental(going back to #1).  I honestly feel like if things went perfectly, just the way I planned, and my choice of theory worked out(and stuck), I would probably be more judgmental.  And that is because through my eyes, it works.  Make sense?  Just because one thing works for some babies, does NOT mean it works for all. I recently read a blog post that brought me to a complete realization.  It wasn't anything crazy, and the woman was actually talking about two kids... and I only have one!  It just made so much sense and I understand, now, why women choose to do many different things. 
3. Go with your instinct. Simple, natural, and comforting. 

OTHER MISCELLANEOUS THINGS
Here I may cover anything from cleaning tips, deals, ideas of any kind, to home made products.  

I am going to stop and say one more thing. I am here to share our ways of living and the things we do and enjoy.  I am not here to start debates, have arguments, tell anyone they are wrong or vice versa. So please, keep an open mind, give feedback, advice, tips, encouragement, etc. We don't need any "trolls", and I love meeting like minded, positive, kind people.  :) 

So friends, tell me what you are interested in hearing or discussing. :)

Thanks for reading and hopefully following! :)
-Ashli