The kids

We are pseudo-parents now.

As of March 2014, we have Kyrie and Samantha Hughes in our home.

K and S, as they will be referred to now, are Carrie's nieces.

They are by birth, nieces. By law, under our guardianship. By love, our kids.

K just turned 13. She likes to sing and is constantly humming or whistling.

She likes superheros, Frozen, and really any toy she can get her hands on.

She's had some problems with behavior and adjusting to the changes, but she's progressing.

She'll be starting junior high this year at a new school.

Her favorite color is blue.

S is 11. She loves reading, movies, and playing out stories with her dolls

 and many stuffed animal horses.

She will be starting 6th grade this fall in a new school.

She has a very tender heart and what I'm starting to think is ADHD-I.

She is kind and loves to meet new people and chat their ear off. 

It's been challenging to say the least for everybody, but it's for the best so we're making the best out of it. We got season passes to Sunsplash water park and we've all had a great time together there.

We like to explore the neighborhood with the dogs and our bikes when it's not too hot outside.

We're our own little patchwork family now.

Love, 

 The Ashcrafts

For serious this time

This blog has been like 80s fashion, 

totally with it for a minute then being trashed in a flash

like your bad-permed 5th grade pictures.

For serious this time.

I'm going to be all about this blog.

Bad perms, jeggings and all.

I need to be.

I used to think that if nobody read what I was putting out there, then what was the point of writing it?

I'm not ever going to be that talked-about chick with people pining for ads on my web space.

I'm never going to be the cute, living pinterest girl with the midas touch for home and family.

I don't look good in jumpers, I will probably never have ombre hair and I still prefer silver over gold.

I feel like a globber instead of a blogger.

 But I need to be a globber.

Its a way to vent. A way to get my thoughts to come together and maybe make a little sense.

Its a way for me to check myself before I wreck myself and make sure that what's going on in my life is taking me in the direction that I want to go.

Its a very public way for me to be accountable.

{I know its 'the ashcrafts' blog as in Seth AND Carrie, but Seth is like most husbands, where he supports what I'm doing, but is happy to just pose for a pic every once in a while}

Don't get any ideas like I have a 2nd life or something and need to be accountable for it.

There is no dark underbelly that's going to unfold here.

I'm talking about being accountable for spending a few too many nights parked in front of the boob tube with Big Bang Theory on DVD. Its not something I really want the world to know that I did. Again. 

 Not because its embarrassing (come on, its HIlarious!) 

Who wants to read a blog about a tv episode that made me laugh diet coke up my nose?

I'll need to get out and do more to have things to write about.

Too many of those nights wasted are not going to get the Ashcrafts in the place we want to be.

What is that 'place'?

It changes. Mostly it consists of happiness, strong family, sure foundation of faith, financial stability, fitness model bodies {hey, it could happen} and whatever else makes us happy. At the moment, its the beach for me, but ask me tomorrow and that could change.

That's the beauty of being human. I used to think that I could only present ideas on a blog if they had the same theme, that I would have to keep the same opinion or thought pattern 

to not look like an idiot or something.

I've decided that's a bunch of ninny muggins. I can love, loathe and lust after anything I feel like at any time. We, as evolving humans, have the right to change what those things are at any time and anybody who wants to stink about it can shove it :)

the fall

Fall came and went in a hurry 'round these parts.

Here's a photo dump of what went down.

Yes, they are all from iphones. I'm quite the lazy photog lately.

Oct 9 I had a girls night where we saw Morning Parade open for The Wombats.
Venue: Crescent Ballroom. My new favorite venue in Phoenix!

Naps between October conference sessions. If you missed it, you missed out.
Click here to learn about/watch The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints conference meetings.

Homemade Halloween costume. A witch with a tutu made of tulle strips.
The five yr old girl in me was in heaven.

We made a huge, fun mess carving pumpkins (while watching Hocus Pocus- I have a good husband that lets me dork out like that.) Reason #247 why being a home owner is awesome: making a huge mess and having nobody to care about it except ourselves. Maybe I was so happy about that because I haven't really been much a pumpkin carver since a was a kid and back then I had to watch the mess so I wouldn't get in trouble. It was quite a liberating realization, let me tell ya.
I threw an extra handful of pumpkin seeds on the floor in celebration.

I made the effort to learn how to make pizza from scratch. 
Our taste buds and my hips will never be the same.
I don't want any other type of pizza anymore. Home made is where its at.

November brought excitement over holidays, but slow times at work. Buying cruises isn't at the top of peoples priorities this time of year. Hence the boredom coloring at work.
I've also taken up origami to pass the time between calls.

We adopted a 2nd puppy from the pound at the beginning of November.
Chihuahua dachsund mix we named Bob. 

His little tail wags at just about everything. He's a lover and Bodie instant bff.

Seth ran the 5K Mesa Turkey Trot. It was a last minute thing, but he finished like a champion.

I don't have any pictures from when my entire family came to Mesa for Thanksgiving. Lame, right? I know. We're just not a cutesy picture family. We had good times though.
One of my favorite good times was ladies day in the salon. 

It rekindled my love of gel nails.And sparkles. Oh sparkles.

We've been busy and happy around here!