$$$

     After Alex and I were married I have slowly been noticing that too many people are trying to "keep up with the Jones's" as my mother always called it. We have started looking to buy a car, but every auto salesman tries to get us to buy the most expensive and newest model. I'm thankful that my parents taught me about credit and how poisonous financing really is. Everything my parents have bought, they have paid cash in full. They are wonderful role models and my dad works hard to bring in the "bacon." My mom is the business queen. Almost every morning through my childhood I would see her balancing the checkbook. She taught us about savings and interest rates and bad buys. I thought that she was balancing the checkbook because we had no money, but it was just the opposite. She was balancing  the checkbook to MAKE sure we had money. In Shaq's own words, "It is not about how much money you make. The question is are you educated enough to KEEP it." I never went without as a kid. I was given everything I needed and almost everything I wanted. I never saw my parents fight about money. I actually don't believe I have ever seen them fight. I just want to emphasize how much I love my parents for teaching me good money habits! 
     Getting back on topic, I have learned a few things along the way and I read too much Dave Ramsey! Here are my thoughts on a few financial things:

     1. "Don't buy things you can't afford with money you don't have to impress people you don't like." -Dave Ramsey
     This is so true! The quote says it all. Don't get into debt just to have the newest or coolest car. When I see someone driving a new car I don't think "oh wow! They must be rich!" I think "oh wow, I bet that $1,000 car payment a month really puts a hole in your wallet and in your family fund." When I hear people say they don't want a used car because "someone else has used it" I just think "so you would rather put your family in extreme debt?" ok... kinda selfish... When you finance a new car from a dealership chances are that there is somewhere in your contract that states that you have to have the best insurance, which is more money, and you can only get your car maintained by them for about 100,000 miles, which is most likely going to be more money than having a regular mechanic or yourself maintain it. Don't try to rationalize an expensive car purchase. Millionaires mostly buy reliable used cars. You can save up, buy a used car, and put that extra money you would have saved instead of buying a new car towards your education, or your kid's education, or even towards a nice down payment on a house. My mother always said "the ONLY two things you should finance: your house and your education." Which brings me to my next Dave Ramsey quote...

     2. "You know what you can do when you don't have any payments? ANYTHING YOU WANT!"
     Debt is NOT a tool. You are just a slave to the lender. You could put your money towards anything! I would suggest a nice savings account :) just a nice safety net so that when trouble strikes, that emergency just becomes a minor inconvenience.

    3. Getting out and staying out of debt is not just math, it's BEHAVIOR! You have to learn to control yourself and your spending habits. It's not about how much you make, it's about sticking to a budget and as Alex says "living within your means" or in other words: ACT YOUR WAGE! 
"The goal isn't more money. The goal is living life on your terms." -Chris Brogan
     Every month is different so you need a new budget every month. When you think about it at the end of the month when you're running low on funds, if your bills are paid, they're are clothes on your back, and there is food in your fridge.. you aren't poor! You just took care of business! Being "broke" and "poor" are two different things though. Being "broke" is just a phase that will pass!
 "A budget is telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went." -Dave Ramsey
Make your money have a purpose! Budget before each month! 

    4. Tithing... I have always seen my parents and my grandparents pay tithing to the church. I have read many talks and articles on tithing and church financing. I know for myself how important it is. This should be a priority every month. It should come first! 

"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." Malachi 3:10

And a few of my favorite quotes...

"You'll never be happy if you chase money and stuff all of your life, but you can find true joy through giving and serving others." -Dave Ramsey

"If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money cannot buy." -unknown

"No one has ever become poor by giving." -Anne Frank (my favorite)

     Alex and I do struggle to stick to our budget. It isn't easy! It's all about self control. We save money by budgeting at the beginning of each month and eating at home. (yeah, sometimes we have mac -n- cheese for dinner!) We never blow money on expensive dates. For instance, we feed the ducks at a local lake. We did the free tours around St. George and it was awesome! We toured the old Tabernacle, the Brigham Young Winter Home, and Jacob Hamblin's home in Santa Clara! We always go to dollar theater to see a movie and we frequently have picnics in the park. Sometimes we go to Snow Canyon for hikes (but last time we kinda got lost) and we frequently have movie nights at home. 
     I know this is random but I have been thinking about this for a couple of months now. Alex and I discuss these issues a lot. I just wanted to finally write down my thoughts. 


-Ashlan  

Us.. Right Now!

    So many great things have happened these last few months in our family. First Alex and I have been married longer than Kim Kardashian! Our friends told us that and I find it kind of funny. It has been so much fun. Just last night he took me bowling and we went and saw "Safe Haven" and it is a WONDERFUL movie. I'm not too big into Romantic movies but I couldn't resist the urge to go see Julianne Hough. She's amazing! I stopped watching dancing with the stars after she left. Anyway, we went to Fatcats here in Rexburg and we planned on just going bowling but for $8 each you get unlimited bowling, unlimited billards, and a free 9 o'clock movie from 7-11 on Tuesdays and Thursdays! We bowled a couple of games (Alex won one and I won one) and we headed to the movie. Next Tuesday we plan to go. We like to go on dates on weeknights except Mondays which is Family Home Evening nights in Rexburg and everywhere is packed. Fridays and Saturdays are just as packed. That's why we love weeknight dates.
     We normally try to go to the LDS Temple on Thursdays, but we've been finding time on Saturdays. We have a lot of work to do since Alex has been doing my Dad's family history. My mom's side is pretty much done, or from what we've looked at. That is our second thing that is exciting in our family. Starting on my mom's side: My grandma is made up of Brady and Britt. The Brady's are from Ireland and they're named changed from O'Grady and the Britt's come from England. Of course I could go into so much depth, but it is extremely hard to explain if you aren't looking at my family tree chart. We just noticed that my grandpa needs a lot more work on his than I thought. My grandpa is made up of Nation's and Ashley's. Alex loves family history and I love temple work so we are just two peas in a pod. Now for my dad's side: Alex has worked so hard. He secretly loves to hear how excited my dad gets when we find a missing link or a missing relative. My dad is made up of Wallace's and Walker's. Alex found out that the Walker's (my other grandpa's side) are made up of Walker's and Braswell's. The Walker's are pure English until they married some German and Swiss. The Braswell's are from England too, but with some Scottish, German and even French. It's crazy. The Wallace's (which is my other grandma) is made up of Massey and Wallace. The Wallace's married into the Collin's which are Irish, but the Wallace family has only been traced back to the 1700's where they were in South Carolina. The same goes for the Massey's. Genealogy is very time-consuming, but very important. We still have a lot of work to do.
     My sister-in-law, Lindsey, decided to go on a mission! She got her call to the Albuquerque, New Mexico Mission and she leaves April 17th! I'm so excited for her. Alex and I passed through there when we drove my car out to Idaho and it is so beautiful. We left early one morning and we ran into a balloon race! My family there is so amazing and funny! I can't wait to go again! Lindsey will love it!
     I officially was accepted into Dixie State University!!! I'm so ready to leave this cold city of Rexburg. We are looking for good apartments down there. Our contract is over in July so we expect to be moving out as soon as Alex is done with his last few credits here at BYU-I for the spring semester. He has worked extremely hard and has been making excellent grades! I'm so proud of him! He's excited about going into the CIT program at Dixie. We will be adding classes next month so if you have any suggestions on professors please tell me! I hate mean teachers. 

Our kitty!

     My brother will be getting home from his spanish-speaking mission in Los Angeles, California! His official release date is at the end of May and I'm SO SO SO ready to see him! We are so close and I miss him so much! I'm ready to see all of my other family too in Mississippi and some of my friends. We will probably move down south more after we go to college. 

     My Grandpa is turning 70! I can't believe he is that old. He is a hard working man and he is so funny. Roy Nations is the most inspiring man I've ever met. I've always been a grandpa's girl. I miss him so much. 
     Alex and I love our family so much! Alex keeps me entertained. He's hilarious! He has mostly online classes but he has two on campus. He came home with a cat one day and we love her so much. We named her Zelda and she is like our baby. I love cooking and trying out new recipes and doing some Pinterest crafts. I'm a preschool assistant two days a week and I love those little kids! So this is our life right now summed up in a few paragraphs. It changes every semester. Oh, and we love Taco Bell.
 This will be funny when we look back on it in a few years.




Love,

Ashlan

Chocolate Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Filling

     I have many dessert recipes that I have never used. I always stick to the same ones that I've known my whole life. I decided to venture out and try a more difficult recipe that I found on Pinterest. The difficult part was having to be patient! As they say, patience is a virtue! It took a lot of time to make this cake, but the finished product is AMAZING! Alex loved it and he is not big into sweets. It is extremely rich and moist and all of our friends loved it too! I will definitely be making this again! So so so yummy! Here is the recipe:

This is the final product after Alex cut a huge piece!

Chocolate Layer Cake
Adapted from Hershey's

2 cups sugar
1 & 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat three 8-inch cake pans with nonstick spray. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper. Spray each pan again and coat with a thin layer of flour.

2. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until everything is thoroughly incorporated. Stir in the boiling water; the batter will be very thin.

3. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each layer comes out clean. Cool the layers in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

4. Wrap each layer in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Make the cream cheese filling and chocolate buttercream (see recipes below). When you're ready to assemble the cake, remove the layers from the refrigerator. If needed, level each layer with a serrated knife or cake leveler.

5. Place the bottom layer on a cake plate. Evenly spread about 3/4 cup of the cream cheese filling over the cake, leaving about 1/2 inch margin around the edges. Top with the second layer and repeat. Finally, top with the third layer. Apply a thin layer of chocolate buttercream over the top and sides of the cake. This is only a crumb coat, so it doesn't need to be perfect. Refrigerate the cake for about 30 minutes.

6. Remove the cake from the refrigerator and apply a final layer of chocolate buttercream, as well as any desired embellishments.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 cup cream cheese
3/4 cup butter
1/2 tablespoon vanilla
6 cups powdered sugar

Beat the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer at medium speed for about one minute. Add the vanilla and beat one minute more. Reduce the mixing speed to low, and add the powdered sugar about 1/2 cup at a time. Once the sugar is completely incorporated, beat at medium speed for about two minutes or until fluffy.

Chocolate Buttercream

1 cup butter (8 ounces)
1 & 3/4 cups cocoa powder (5 ounces)
6 cups powdered sugar (25 ounces)
1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla

In a large bowl, combine the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Beat the butter with an electric mixer at medium speed for about one minute. Reduce the mixing speed to low, and add the sugar/cocoa mixture about 1/2 cup at a time. Halfway through this process, add the milk and vanilla. Once all of the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated, beat at medium speed for about two minutes or until fluffy.

Thanks for reading! 

Love,
Ashlan

Best chocolate chip cookies ever!

     Alex and I love sweets and we have tried out a lot of chocolate chip cookie recipes, but this is definitely our favorite! It takes only 10 minutes to prep and 10 minutes to bake! It serves about 24.

    Ingredients:
     -1 cup of softened butter                    -1 teaspoon of baking soda
     -1 cup of white sugar                          -2 teaspoons of hot water
     -1 cup of brown sugar                        -1/4 teaspoon of salt
     -2 teaspoons of vanilla extract             -2 cups (or more!) of semisweet chocolate chips
     -3 cups of all purpose flour                 -1 cup of walnuts (optional)
     -2 eggs
   
    Directions:
     1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
     2.Cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve the baking soda in the hot water and add it to the batter along with the salt. Stir in the flour, chocolate chips, and walnuts. Spray nonstick cooking spray onto the cookie sheet and drop large spoonfuls a couple of inches apart.
     3. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are brown.

     These cookies are my all-time favorite! Alex likes his best with a tall glass of milk, but who doesn't?!

   Just for the heck of it, here is a picture of Alex singing to me. It makes e laugh every single time! If you have any good recipes you would like to share, I would love to try them out! Just leave it in a comment!

Love, 
Ashlan

Our Fun & Cheap Date Ideas

     Alex and I have come up with some really fun and cheap date ideas! We love to spend time with each other and venture out from the usual dinner and a movie. I feel so guilty when we spend over $20 for just movie tickets and popcorn! I love the movies but I would rather do something more fun and exciting!

     1. We love the usual cheap night in! We turn on our favorite show and have a snuggle session on the couch. Sometimes we play Bananagrams and it really brings out my competitive side.. Alex doesn't really have one. Maybe that's why he wins almost every single time! 

     
     2. If you know me, you know that I LOVE chocolate covered strawberries! Alex and I love to have a fondue night where we coat everything in chocolate! It's absolutely wonderful! We buy strawberries, marshmallows and even pineapples! All you have to do is buy some chocolate chips and a small bit (maybe half a cup) of vegetable oil and heat it on the stove! Alex is my "stir-er" and continuously stirs the chocolate for me. We really enjoy it! 

     3. I try to coupon as much as I can! It is fun to me for some crazy reason. Alex and I just received a coupon to go bowling to Fatcats here in Rexburg! The coupon is for an hour of bowling, 20 tokens, a large pizza, and a pitcher of soda for $40! That's a great deal! When split into 3 bills it is less than $15! We love double or triple dates! 

     4. We are so fortunate to live right by a park and even though the weather is cold right now we still plan dates for the summer. One thing Alex loves to do is to fly kites! You can get them from the dollar store or even Walmart for cheap. You just have to be creative with your dates and even act like a kid!

     5. For our first date Alex brought me fishing! To some girls this is gross, but I grew up in the sticks in Mississippi and Daddy took us fishing as much as possible. When Alex and I went fishing we grabbed some cheap fishing poles that included little baits and sat on the riverbank and talked and joked. Of course we didn't catch any fish but it was so much fun!

     6. We had been dating a month when Alex took me to a local museum. I am a history freak so when he heard King Tut's tomb was in Idaho Falls he brought me! We even got our tickets on sale cause we were both students! After that we grabbed lunch and sat by the water falls. I took A LOT of pictures in the museum!

     7. Alex has a huge romantic side! I know many of y'all are surprised but he keeps it well hidden. One time my roommates were just getting under my skin and I needed a break so Alex put a mattress in the bed of his truck, took me out to where we fished for our first date, and we watched the stars for a couple of hours. It was an awesome night. To make it even better, we should have brought my laptop and a movie.

     8. So I believe everyone loves a good snow day where the air is warm and the sun is shinning! It hardly ever snowed in Mississippi, so when we had our first snowy day together we played all day long! We bought a sled, went to the sand dunes with our friends and we attempted to build a snowman. Afterwards we came back indoors and I made Alex some hot chocolate. I have a good recipe for it that he LOVES! I heat it on the stove and I put half water and half milk. After it is warm I put some coffee creamer if it isn't creamy enough. Then, I add some caramel topping like for ice cream. It is honestly the secret ingredient! He loves caramel hot chocolate! I also put marshmallow cream instead of regular marshmallows.

     9. One thing I want to try when it gets warmer is "paint twister"! I saw it on Pinterest! It is the game twister (which Alex has never played) but instead of the mat you go out to some grass and put paint where the circles would be! Sounds messy but extremely fun!

     10. My mom gave us a picnic set before we left and I am eager to use it! A picnic sounds so much fun! Maybe just stick a few games or even kite flying and you have yourself a fun afternoon! This would be fun to do with some friends or family! 

     11. Alex and I planned the ultimate Valentines Day! We made a blanket fort and watched movies and played video games in it. We bought tons of candles (50 for $3) and used 4 or 5 to build a "campfire" and made smores! It was camping without the cold or bears! 

     12. Every once in awhile we have a "his" day or "her" day where we do whatever that person wants to do. For instance, if it is Alex's day my prediction is that he will want to go to Wendy's and then go to the dollar theater to see an action packed movie and I have to go along with it without any complaints. It is actually really fun and I like to see what Alex comes up with.

     13. One night I want to paint some white coffee mugs and bake them to stay permanent. I want to make Alex one with a joke on it or a funny picture. Every time you drink from the mug it will be a reminder of that night. Maybe even make a pizza together! 

My Daddy!

     14. Before Alex and I were "official" he brought me to the Idaho Falls zoo. It is really small, but I had never had so much fun at a zoo in all of my life! Alex made jokes the whole time and he was really excited about the penguins! We went and saw the lemur 3 or 4 different times cause it was hilarious! It has become our "thing". We love zoos!

     15. One of my hidden talents is to roller skate. Daddy took us almost every weekend when I was a kid. My dad is the best roller skater I have ever seen. He can skate backwards! I anxiously await the day to show off my skills to Alex!

     16. Alex and I were bored one day so we went to an arcade! We got a few bucks in quarters and played arcade games against each other. When we redeemed our tickets we got Shrek temporary tattoos and put them on! Alex had the three little pigs on his stomach for a few days!

     17. Alex and I love to read so he brought me to the library! We looked for books and started laughing when we would see each others through the shelves. We go every couple of weeks now and then we grab a cupcake from Cocoa Bean.

     18. I LOVE this idea: a letter date! For instance if you draw the letter "S", you could go to the sand dunes, make smores, eat at Sonic, go swing and etc. You have to be creative!

     19. Alex and I like to do things to stimulate the mind. One time we did a 500 piece puzzle. It was nice to work together! Maybe we can make dinner and then do a puzzle while it cooks. Some puzzles take a few days or weeks to do so when you're done don't just put it back up! Just Modpoge the pieces together and frame it. 

     20. I have a competitive side. I love sports and games. I always challenge and bet Alex on everything! It would be fun to play a game of soccer or tennis! We could even go watch a game for free here at BYUI! I love sports and I would watch anything even some kids playing t-ball!

     21. For our Valentines dinner we decided that we didn't want to go wait at Applebee's for an hour just to get a table, so we stayed in. We bought sparkling grape juice and I made a Pinterest recipe I had been dying to try out! We lit candles and used our fancy crystal glasses! It was romantic and we made a picnic on the living room floor.

     22. We used to always get a bunch of people together and go play laser tag at the Craze in Rexburg. It was so much fun! We would always team the couples against each other and see who got the most shots! I love a big date night! The bigger the group the cheaper it will be per person, too!

     23. If you have a stale loaf of bread, go to the duck park for a date! I love animals and water so it's a perfect combo! I remember my dad taking me a couple of times but the geese were bigger than I was! It is a perfect atmosphere for us to just talk and enjoy each others company! 

     24. This is my ultimate favorite: make a time capsule together! Just get an old shoe box and duck tape it completely shut when you're done! Put it in storage and open it in 20 or 30 years! I would put stuff like letters Alex wrote me and maybe a few nick-nacks that reminded me of dates. I think this is oober romantic! Your kids will enjoy it too! 

     25. Recreate your first date! I think every couple should do this every year! Try to do everything exactly like you did. For instance we would go fishing in the same exact spot (I would wear a tshirt and my zebra rainboots) and then we would order the same thing from McDonalds that night (an oreo McFlurry). Every time we do something like this a new memory comes back. This is just perfect! 

    
 Alex and I love to try out new date ideas! If you have any suggestions tell us! Thanks for reading!


Love,
Ashlan

How it all started...

     After seeing all of my new family writing these amazing blogs I decided to start blogging! I also want to use it to stay in touch with my family down in Mississippi and my new family here in Utah, Montana, and California! I was just married in November to my husband Alex who is so wonderful. He's the kind of husband that shows up with flowers and donuts while I'm still in the bed at 11 am. I know, I know... he is definitely a keeper!
     So many people don't know mine and Alex's "story"... so here it is: I started school at BYU-Idaho in January 2012. My first semester was pretty tough on me. I was almost 2,000 miles away from my family and the harsh winter was new to me. I was so ready to get back to the Mississippi heat and my family. I actually wondered how anyone could live in such a dreary and cold place. Before I left for the two week break in April I decided to pray if I should attend another semester at BYU-I. After much thought and prayer I received my answer to come back for the spring semester and let's just say I was NOT happy with that answer,but I sucked it up and signed my apartment contract for another semester.
     About a week into school I met our FHE brothers. They were funny and nice, but I noticed there were only 5 instead of the usual 6. When I asked about the 6th guy, they didn't know much about him. He became this mystery and I anxiously awaited his arrival. Another week rolled around and he was still a mystery to everyone except for one of my FHE brothers, Rich. I always would asked him questions about the 6th guy but his answers were vague. The only thing I knew about this guy is that he was finishing up a semester at Dixie... wherever that was.
     One night I will never forget was when I saw Alex for the first time. My roommates and I were watching TLC's "Say yes to the Dress" and I was about to fall asleep on the couch when Rich popped in. I was wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt- my usual. Someone was right behind rich but his face was hidden for a few seconds.. long enough for me to glimpse at his shoes which were big Nikes with loose laces and very skinny legs coming out of them. I figured this was the mystery guy and suddenly my heart dropped. I felt a connection with this mystery guy even though he had not even bothered to look my way. I had never seen him before but I knew him from somewhere. Seems clique but it's true.
     We planned a night to go to Sammy's to get shakes and then go play hide and seek in the Garden on the BYU-I grounds. The whole time we planned this he still didn't even look at me. I hardly knew what his face looked like but I liked his green Hollister jacket. His hair was messy and for some reason it reminded me of Edward Cullen. I don't know if I just like people's attention or what but I was actually mad that he was not paying attention to me. So I did what every curious attention seeking girl would do... I sat RIGHT next to him at Sammy's when we got our shakes. I knew I was making him uncomfortable, but frankly I didn't care. I learned his name was Alex. The name didn't sound familiar at all, but it has continuously rattled in my brain ever since then.
     We played hide and seek in Gardens. I hid with my friend Lacey and we laughed at the gross couple taking a romantic stroll. Little did I know that would be me in a month. I finally was "it" with Alex. Something I had been waiting for ALL night! I talked with him and we joked. We were no longer interested in the game of hide and seek anymore. As I walked by him I watched his movements and the way he walked. Alex walked with long strides, his shoulders slightly back and looking straight forward. He walked with his hands either opened by his sides or halfway in his pockets. I pay way too much attention to detail.
   After that night I spend every single minute I could with Alex. We were inseparable. Rich even gave us the name "Ashlex" cause we were always together. We have been best friends ever since. Alex asked me to be his girlfriend 2 or 3 times before I said "yes" because I didn't want to be another one of those Mormon girls who get married so young. I knew what was right and I knew Alex was the reason why I supposed to stay at BYU-I another semester. A little bit later we were engaged and planning a wedding, but that's another story for another day!
     Alex is my best friend and my the greatest blessing I've ever received. Everyday is so much more fun with him! Thank you for reading!

Love,
Ashlan