ReBlog.

I guest posted over Brooke's blog Silver Lining last week. 
It was all about Winter Dressing and I 
just wanted to share it all with you. 
I added in where everything is from. Enjoy!! :]


Emma's Tips on Winter Dressing:
 I am fairly new to the whole winter dressing thing as I grew up in Chandler, AZ where it does not get cold. I moved to Flagstaff, AZ where it snows just about as much as it does in Utah. In fact, a couple of years ago it snowed more in Flagstaff than in anywhere else in the US {excluding Alaska}! That year was awesome. Our finals were cancelled! Anyway, I'm off topic! This year will be my fourth winter in my life so here are some little tips and tricks that I have learned on how to stay warm {in no particular order}!

Warm boots are a must have!
From left to right:
Land's End- $40{?}
Kohl's- $8
Kohl's- $15

Scarves! Wear them over or under your jackets and outfits. 

Either way they keep your neck nice and toasty warm!

Top Left: Old Navy- $5

Top Right: H&M- Scarf Swap!

Bottom Left: WalMart $3

Bottom Right: Old Navy- Gift!

Tights! I wear tights with everything! I even wear them under my jeans when it gets super cold. 

But they're much cuter when paired with a skirt or dress!

Top Left: Charlotte Russe- $3

Top Right: Old Navy- $2

Bottom Left: Target- $5

Bottom Left: Charlotte Russe- $3 

Cardigans & Sweaters {layers!}

Layer everything with a cardigan or sweater for extra warmth!

Top Left: Target $8

Top Right: Old Navy- $3

Bottom Left: Target- $4

Bottom Right: Target- $6

Cute coats! Every year I like to add a coat {or two} to my ever-growing collection. 

A cute coat on top of your outfit makes everything just that much classier!

{Other tips: Coats can make a boring outfit look super cute! And every year OldNavy has coat sales sometime before 

Christmas where almost all of their 

coats are 50% off. Look for those!! I am pretty sure they have that sale going on RIGHT NOW!}

Top Left: Old Navy- $10

Top Right: Target- $6

Bottom Left: Charlotte Russe- $10

Bottom Right: Newport Beach- $20

Hats/Earwarmers!

Keep those ears nice and cozy with a cute hat or some earwarmers. 

I just learned how to make earwarmers thanks to Pinterest! 

Top Left and Bottom Right: Made by my sister-in-law- GIFT!! 

Top Right and Bottom Left: Made by me from old t-shirts- FREE!!

Well, that's all I have for you today!

Dress warm and enjoy the winter!! :]

Today I am grateful for my adorable new blog design! {I seriously can't stop looking at it! Teehee!} 

What are you grateful for?
And what are your tips for staying warm during the winter?

Three Day Wondrous Weekend!

This weekend was just what I needed! I have been {and still am} sick all week and working and going to school has not been fun. So, relaxing and sleeping lots this weekend was absolutely wonderful! Some of my family came up to visit this weekend and that was super fun as well! Friday was spent sleeping in ridiculously late {read: 12:30 pm} and then waiting around for my family to get here. They got stuck in traffic for THREE hours! So a normally two and a half our drive ended up taking five and a half hours! I felt awful! But once they got here we had lots of fun! My dad came up with my brothers Enoch, Stuart, and Solomon and my youngest sister Gelsey. The boys spent most of the day playing various video games so Gelsey and I got to spend some quality time together shopping and then having a Girls' night where we made some earwarmers and did each others' makeup! It was lots of fun! {We also bought matching dresses for Gelsey, Helena, and I but we don't have a picture of those. I'm sure the dress will show up in an outfit post later this week!} While Race took a break from video games we made our second batch of Grandma's Fudge. Race's grandma makes this fudge every year and Race had never successfully made it until Thursday night. That first roll didn't last long so we made more on Friday. It is delicious! {I plan on posting a recipe!} Friday night was spent watching The Truman Show. I haven't seen that movie in a long time and I loved watching it again!

Gelsey looking fabulous with her makeup!

{Does anyone think that Gelsey and I could be twins 12 years apart?
We've been told that a lot.}

Race and I perfecting Grandma's delicious fudge!

Saturday was spent sleeping in again and then heading up to Snow Bowl {the ski resort in our area} to play in the snow. My siblings have grown up in Chandler, AZ so snow is always an exciting thing for them! I loved it too! We built two snowmen, had lots of snowball fights and ended up soaking wet. It was a blast! We grabbed some food on the way home and then relaxed for a few hours before they had to head back down to the valley.

After my family left I spent Saturday evening with Teal and Ellie {sister-in-law and cousin-in-law} watching some SUPER old Law and Order. Let's be honest, the new Law and Order {SVU} is way better. In the old show everyone just yells at each other a ton. It's weird. So after watching that I came home and started reading Matched on my Kindle. I'm LOVING it! I'm more than halfway through {because I stayed up much too late reading} and I can't wait to get the next book in the series!

Today was spent passed out in bed drugged up on Benadryl. I am still feeling a little bit groggy but I had to get on and write about my weekend and announce something exciting!! Okay, you probably all noticed but I have a new blog design! Thank you to the wonderful Daryl of Roots, Wings, and Other Things my blog is looking fabulous! And you all should go have Daryl design your blogs now! Daryl had a little sheet to fill out on how I wanted my blog to look. The only direction I really gave her was that I wanted something simple. And she came up with this beautiful creation that you see now! I am in love with it and can't stop checking it out! Haha. So, head on over to Daryl's blog and check out her amazing prices and then be amazed at how good she makes your blog look! Have fun!! :]

I took pictures of Race while he was getting ready for church. 

I love him. :] 

{He didn't love my nonstop picture taking though!}

Now tell me about your weekend! How did you spend your extra day off?

P.S. Grateful Catch-up!
Friday 11/11/11: I am grateful for all of the people who have fought/are fighting for my freedom.
{Also, I am grateful for the chance to make two awesome wishes!}
Saturday 11/12/11: I am grateful for carrying on family traditions. {Fudge is one of those traditions in Race's family and it makes it so much more exciting that we figured out how to make his Grandma's fudge!}
Today 11/13/11: I am grateful for my Kindle! I have been being lazy and reading all day and it is wonderful! I seriously think that everyone should own a Kindle. Even though I have to get my real book reading in occasionally I really do like the easiness of accessing books on a Kindle. And I love how many books you can get for free. It's wonderful!

Introducing My Swap Sponsors!

I am sure that you have seen my Swap Sponsors over to the left but I wanted to introduce all of them to you as well!

Name: Kylie Pond

Name of blog/shop: Love Always & Blissful Blooms Boutique 

Social Networking: Pinterest & Facebook for Shop 

Here's what Kylie's blog is all about: "Pretty much my blog is amazing. The end. Just kidding! In all seriousness, I put my heart into writing my blog, keeping track of the adventures I have with my husband. I'm a lover of photography, cooking, music, movies, books, and crafting....and all of that shows up on my blog. I also have an etsy with my good friend where we sell hairpieces, belt, and wreaths. I'm all about learning to love always, and recognize the little things."

Kylie's favorite thing{s} about fall: "The changes outdoors! I love changing leaves, crisp temps, and beautiful landscapes."

Something Kylie is SUPER grateful for this year: "This year, I am super grateful for my testimony of prayer. Simple as that, prayer is truly my lifeline. It is so comforting to know we are never truly alone in this big ol' world."

Name: Autumn 

Name of blog: Stay gold, Autumn 

Here's what Autumn's blog is all about: "I was raised where fire flies came out every summer night and met my husband on a blind date in a desert. We are both in graduate school, complete opposites, and I am surviving my first year of teaching Special Education. My blog lets me sort things out on a computer screen, relate to people, keep in touch, see my personal progress on goals, and have a memory bank." 

Autumn's favorite thing{s} about fall: "My favorite thing about fall is crunching leaves when I walk and of course- all of the cheesy jokes because of my name. :)"

Something Autumn is SUPER grateful for this year:  "My husband and I spent the first two-and-a-half months of our marriage living on complete opposite sides of the country so both of us could work on the educational and career goals that feel right for us. I am grateful to know that Heavenly Father is always mindful of us- especially when He asks us to do hard things." 

Name: Kaycie

Name of blog: Redhead Memories 

Here's what Kaycie's blog is all about: "I love memories, so that's exactly what I do  on my blog: document them and reminisce. I blog about my newlywed life, my cat, photography, all things vintage, and anything that makes me smile. I also have a terrible memory, which is pretty ironic."

Kaycie's favorite thing{s} about fall: "The feel of it outside. I love the beautiful scenery and wearing a warm fall coat to take a walk in the crisp, chilly air."  

Something Kaycie is SUPER grateful for this year: "This year I’m most grateful for my husband. He never stops trying to make me happy. And he does a really great job. :)"








Name: Brooke
Name of Blog: Silver Lining
Here's what Brooke's blog is all about: "Hey there! I blog over at Silver Lining, where I ramble on about silly hapenings of my everyday life, my {sometimes disastrous} domestic attempts, the handsome mister, and my love of bell peppers. I believe it's all about the little things in life, and in my blog I try to capture the small moments of silver lining that make our lives so significant. So head on over. Check it out, leave a comment, grab my button. Why not, right? Plus, I believe in reciprocal blogging, so it's a win-win :)"
Brooke's favorite thing{s} about fall: "Crunchy leaves, crunchy apples, crunchy bell peppers {I'm apparently on a crunchy kick right now}, as well as the start of a new school year {elementary school teacher, can't help it} and of course those drop-dead colors on the trees."
Something Brooke is SUPER grateful for this year: "This is the first year I have a HUSBAND, and I cannot even get over that crazy guy!"








Name: Ali Mills
Name of Blog: Our Happily Ever After
Here's what Ali's blog is all about: "I got married December 2010 to my high school/college sweetheart ;) My blog is just about our life together and our crazy adventures. We also just found out that we are expecting our first child! We are so happy and scared all at the same time! 
Ali's favorite thing{s} about fall: "My favorite thing about fall is that once it starts cooling down it means Christmas is very very close! And Christmas is my absolute favorite, The Grinch, hot chocolate, presents, Christmas trees, lights etc. ;)"
Something Ali is SUPER grateful for this year: "One of the greatest blessings in my life has been my family. My husband is the BEST support I could ever ask for, and my parents, grandparents, and brothers are so great to me and they can always make me feel better. My parents are especially excited to soon be grandparents. I couldn't be more grateful for them in my life! Come by and say hey! I love meeting new peeps from the mighty blog-o-sphere! ;)"


Go and check all of these wonderful ladies out! 


P.S. I'm guest posting on Brooke's blog today! You should check it out!


P.P.S. Today I am super grateful for the many friends I have made through blogging! 

Wonderful Weekend {on a Wednesday}!

Here are some pictures from the weekend with the family! It was such a good weekend! Although I'm pretty sure we are all getting sick now from freezing our butts off on Saturday! Oh well! It was worth it!

Friday night family started getting into town and I got to hang out with cute Baby Madison. 

We like to take pictures together. :] 

Saturday morning we woke up to GORGEOUS snow!

Then we headed to 

Out of Africa Wildlife Park. {If you live in AZ

and you haven't been to Out of Africa

you should definitely go!}

Saturday night was spent opening, presents and reading the 60 memories talked about in this post. 

It was such a special night for everyone. We all laughed, got emotional, and just loved hearing about Dad Ashby from all different points of views.

Finally, Sunday was spent going to church and then squeezing EVERYONE into our itty bitty apartment and eating dinner. The whole weekend was filled with so much love and laughter.

It was so much fun and also absolutely exhausting. After everyone left Sunday afternoon I spent the rest of the evening sleeping. And it felt so good!

There were a billion other pictures that I could have posted but I figured I would try and keep the photo overloading to a minimum! Haha. Now tell me about your weekend! 

{And go check out this post by my sister-in-law at Thrifty {Modest} Threads. She transformed a shirt and I LOVE it!}

And today I am grateful for a comfy bed. :]

I Love Me Some Fall Clothes!

Does anyone else just absolutely love fall style? I do. I love the colors and the warmth/comfiness that all fall clothes exude! Here is my favorite fall outfit so far this season! Also, my favorite way to do my hair this season is in this awesome sock bun! Check out this tutorial for help on making it look as awesome as mine! ;) 

{This is the most perfect spinning dress. AND it has pockets. Basically it's perfect in every way.}

Breakdown:

Shirt- Old Navy {$10}

Dress- Old Navy {$3}

Belt- Wet Seal {$0.99}

Tights- Charlotte Russe {$?}

Shoes- Target {$6ish}

Jacket{Ruffles are seen in second picture. Full jacket seen here}- Charlotte Russe {$10ish}

Grateful Catch-up!

Sunday: A home that can hold our huge family. {We had EVERYONE over to our itty bitty apartment for dinner after church on Sunday. It was crazy but we got everyone to fit and it was just so full of love. It was a good day!}

Monday: I was grateful for how gorgeous our campus is covered in snow. The first snowfall is always so magical!

Today: I am grateful for cute fall/winter clothes! I love the change up in outfits with every season. {Is it weird to be grateful for clothes??}

Well, have a wonderful Tuesday everyone! Come back tomorrow for a post about my crazy awesome weekend with our family!

Also, you should check out my outfit post over at Thrifty {Modest} Threads! 

And you should go to the Thrifty {Modest} Threads Facebook page and do some liking! 

Happy Birthday Dad Ashby!

This weekend will be spent celebrating my Father-in-Law's 60th Birthday!! EVERYONE is coming up to Flagstaff and today we are heading to Out of Africa. It's going to be a lot of fun! I wanted to share a little bit of a gift that Race and I got to be a part of. My sister-in-law Tyne found an awesome idea on Pinterest where you gather 60 memories for the past 60 years. I wrote a memory and Race wrote in a TON of memories. I thought that I would share some of them on here because they are just that special.


Here is mine:


Dear Dad, 

I don't remember exactly when this was but it was probably pretty soon after Race and I were engaged. We had spent the weekend in Show Low with family and as we were about to leave you gave me a big hug, kissed me on the forehead, and said "I love you." I remember feeling an overwhelming love for you and being so excited to be a part of the wonderful Ashby family. I look forward to that hug and kiss on the forehead every time I see you Dad! Thanks for making me feel so included in your family! I love you! Happy Birthday!! 

Love, Emma Frances Ashby 

Here are some of my favorites that Race wrote: 

How on earth can EVERYTHING under the sun be related to a math problem?! “Dad, can I drive the BMW? I don’t know Race… this sounds like a math problem to me…” “Dad, how do you spell ‘biology’? Well Race, where’s your calculator?” “Dad, do these cookies taste o.k.? Tell you what Race, get me a piece of paper and a pencil…” “Dad, should I add a few more boxes of cereal to this cart? Add… subtract… whatever it takes.”

Dad is kind of an artist. Like when I was really little, and Mom wanted me to be the Phantom of the Opera for Halloween. I don't know how long it took Dad to make my Phantom mask, but he sculpted it like he had made a career out of paper mache mask masking. Every detail, right down to the left nostril hole added at the last minute with a sharp pencil, remind me that Dad took his job seriously- no just as chief costume designer, but also as my Dad.

I've been called the "cookie doctor" in our family, and the title is well deserved. I've wasted more sugar and flour than anyone I've ever met in an effort to perfect every cookie recipe under the sun. I'd be working on something I'd found in Grandma's old recipes- some cookie-delicacy I was sure would impress the whole family, and Dad would wander into the kitchen and ask something goofy like "why aren't those chocolate chip cookies?" I know I inherited my love of cookies from Dad, but in his eyes, there is only one kind of cookie; chocolate chip. Anything else is practically a vegetable.

We've all probably changed our "favorite movie" a hundred times. Not Dad. He has one favorite movie; Matilda. Teal and I can weave movie lines in and out of any conversation, but we learned all that from Dad, who can't talk about cameras without asking if you know how to "adjust the eyepiece," or spell the word "difficulty" without shouting "why are all these women married?!"

I remember playing soccer as a kid- I was never the best on the team, or the most coordinated. I did get a lot of playing time though. I could say that was because Dad was my coach, and it would be true, but not for the reasons you might think. Having Dad as my coach made me want to work hard. I wanted to show him I could play soccer well, because he liked soccer. I wanted to show him I could run fast, because he liked to run. Dad watching me has always made me push myself to do better- without saying anything he made me want to try harder in high school sports, academically, and as a worker. Dad’s not watching me all the time anymore, but just thinking about him still has that effect of making me want to do the best I can. And while I’m pretty sure Dad was never impressed with my bicycle kick in little league soccer, I’m glad he coached my team then.


I remember singing the primary song “I’m so glad when daddy comes home.” Dad was in Korea, and he would be coming home soon, so I really worked on getting the words and hand motions right; including the whole “pat his cheeks and give him what? A great big kiss!” part. I remember exactly where I was and how I felt when I saw him. No matter how long it had been, or how young I was, I remember when Dad came home. And I made sure I got that hug and kiss just like the song said.


{How cute are Race's stories? And isn't he an absolutely wonderful writer? I think so!}

{This is both sides of the family at our wedding. I don't have super good pictures of Dad Ashby and Race and I anywhere. I'll have to get some of those this weekend!}


So many wonderful memories of such a wonderful father. :] I loved this gift idea and I loved learning more about my father-in-law. He really is a wonderful person! Happy Birthday Dad Ashby!! 


{Today I am grateful for my in-laws! They are all such wonderful people. I gained an absolutely wonderful family when I got married!}

Phone Photos Ep. 5 {Insta-Friday}

My week in Instagram photos!

Happy Halloween everyone! This is what one of the maintenance guys at work 

recorded as what he had got done on Halloween day! So funny!! :]

Some outfits I wore in the past couple of weeks.

This picture is from a post I wrote for Kylie's blog.

You should all go check it out!

A shoe collage. Didn't this turn out geometrically awesome?! 

Earrings that I made! I LOVE them! 

Apples+Caramel. My favorite snack that I had pretty much every day this week. 

I didn't always have the caramel but I love apples with or without caramel. 

I have eaten an entire bag of apples by myself this week. Mmmm!

Race was a little excited to rent this game from Redbox. Haha. He's been playing it nonstop. 

{I can't wait til he finishes it!}

Well, that was my week in photos! :]

This weekend is Race's dad's birthday so there will be a little post about that. 

There are some cute little stories in there so you should definitely check it out! 

Also, these giveaways are ending so you should check that out!

And, my sister-in-law wrote a cute post on our blog so you should also check that out!

And don't forget about my guest post on Kylie's blog!

So many fun things to check out! Now head on over to Insta-Friday and link up your

week in cell phone photos!

Today I am grateful for my phone. I use it for everything. Mostly for pictures and entertainment when I am bored. But really, iPhones are just so much fun. So that's what I'm grateful for today!