Halloween // Roaring 20's Style

When Alden's parents bought their current home the back party room (where we used live!) came with an old bar straight from San Francisco. Not a mini bar or a bar cart but an actual full size bar! We don't drink alcohol so this thing hasn't got much use, but when the idea came about of having a Roaring 20's Speakeasy party for Halloween we knew just the place! There was murder, mystery, drinks, beautiful women and dashing men. All and all I'd say this party was the cats pajamas!

baby wynn

This girl is 3 months old today so I figured I'd post some of her newborn pictures. Isn't she the sweetest little lady? It's been so fun to see our friends have babies and watch them grow (both parent and baby). Sometimes I get overwhelmed thinking of the things that are coming our way, but then I get to snuggle one of these sweet angels and I know it will be worth it.

 ps. Did you guys know I am FINALLY going to be an aunt in December! I can't wait for the little guy to arrive and to see my sister become a mother.

going out on a limb

I'm doing something a little different today (no, I'm not talking about ACTUALLY blogging). I'm doing a post about fashion featuring me! (Yikes) I'm not sure if these kinds of posts are really my jam (mostly because I am an awkward model) but I met a new friend (Shannon) who is a ball of fun and convinced me we should get out and do a shoot. So we snapped photos of each other atop a parking lot, like normal people do.

It's refreshing to meet someone new that you instantly feel friends with. I mean this girl is from IDAHO. I think we both knew we could be soul sistas after that. So without further adu...... blouse: f21, skirt: target, tights: H&M, booties: shoemint

This look is the ultimate safe look. Black is the way to go if you want to look good without taking a risk. Its also fun because you can spice things up with something as simple as a sequin collar or polka dot tights.

ps. Don't forget to check out my look for less over on Say Yes to Hoboken.

Restaurant Group // The Stinking Rose

Res•tau•rant Group | groõp | noun
a number of people who gather once a month to partake of delicious and unique foods and sometimes even babies.

First Documented Stop: The Stinking Rose/San Francisco
Type of food: GARLIC
Atmosphere: Dark (hence no inside pics), full of character and old bw pictures of famous people.
Biggest Surprise on the menu: 40 clove garlic chicken
Approximate number of days the smell lingered: 2
Was it worth it: Heck yes
Favorite item: the garlic relish to dip your rolls in
Best Part: Watching my husband hold cute baby Vivian and hanging out with good friends.

Next Stop: Chicken and Waffles. TONIGHT!

look for less: printed pants

Hop on over to Say Yes to Hoboken to see this look (which I love) for less! Someone commented and said that colored jeans are the gateway drug to the "real stuff"... printed pants! I like that line. It makes me want to say, pass me the pipe.

Daily Eats #01 Recap

 I just wanted to give a quick recap on the recipes that I posted for the first Daily Eats. I managed to make two of the four recipes...not too bad eh? I made the granola but realized while making it that I had quick oats instead of the whole rolled oats so it turned out soft instead of crunchy. I also made this RIGHT before/during my teeth problems so I really didn't end up eating more than a couple nibbles. SO in all fairness I think I will have to try this one again. And I do recommend it! It's peanut butter and honey after all.

 As for the WINNER...... The black bean veggie tacos! We actually made them again last night. I cheated and used canned black beans because I didn't plan ahead but they still turned out great. We also added a little bit of red cabbage to ours as well, which was a nice crunch. The first time we made it I didn't have any paprika and after making it with the paprika last night I have to say I think I liked it better without! Overall a great vegetarian dish that doesn't leave you hungry or thinking, where is the meat?! Even Alden said so. And you know how those men love their meat. Stay tuned for Daily Eats #02!

idaho trip / part 2

After part 1 of our trip spent in bear lake we headed up to swan valley for the Shaum family reunion. This reunion was so much fun! The kind where everyone cries when we have to say goodbye.
The highlights:
• Taking Alden to the secret waterfall
• Staying in a HUGE lodge (all 50ish? of us)
• The long slide down the front of the lodge (see above) that my grandma went down! That thing was scary. She may have said the s word and it may be on video. Just sayin.
• Playing "steam roller" at night and laughing till we couldn't breathe.
• Alden playing with my cousins triplet 5 year old boys. I'm mad I never got a picture because they seriously thought he was the coolest (who doesn't??)
• Going white water rafting down the snake river (no pictures, sorry!)
• Eating LOTS of food (its what us Shaum's do best)
• Taking a hike and learning all about the plants/flowers
• Doing a couples relay, including a giant slip and slide. Alden and I lost, big time. But to be fair we were the first ones to go. Someone had to test the ropes!
• Playing softball and watching all the boys make a dam in the river.
• Seeing all my extended family, especially my sweet grandparents. They mean the world to me and I am so blessed to have grandparents that arrange events like this so we can all be together.
• Getting home that night, getting sno cones and going to a double feature at the drive in. We had only planned to go to one movie but when my dad ordered hot french fries after the first movie while we were loading up, we just had to stay.

Part 3 next week..... Island Park and Yellowstone!

  ps. October??? Whaaa? When did that happen?

Pardon Me

Picture is from the Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros concert we went to after my first two root canals.  That night was a trip.

I wanted to apologize for being gone this month. I had a lot of great exciting things planed for my blog and I was feeling good about the direction it was going. But life is funny and fickle and hardly ever goes according to plan. So I guess I should have known I would be traveling the road to hell this month. The best news as of late is that it is not a one way street, and I'm scooting my way back to real life. Relieved and grateful for a bit of normalcy.

I was having some tooth aches/pain a few weeks ago which ended up turning into five root canals and 4 crowns ( I didn't know initially I would need FIVE... things just kept getting worse and it was a huge case of the domino effect). I drove 3 hours 3 times (In a week and a half) to have this work done in Nevada because heaven knows Nevada is half as cheap as California. I was poked and proded and restrained. I had dry ice put on a highly sensitive tooth. I sat in a chair with my mouth open for over five hours straight (causing my jaw to lock up for 10+ minutes) and major jaw pain later. I spent 25+ hours at the dentist office. I had over ten x-rays taken. Spent well over $5,000 (after insurance). Been taking medication every 4 hours. Had a couple of good freak outs and said some cuss words.

Anyway, the point of all that is not to make you feel bad for me or to justify my absence. The point is that through all this I've learned a few things.

1. To be grateful. Grateful for my health and even though this trial has been painful and horrible it hasn't been life threatening and nothing compared to the hardships that others go through. I was especially thinking of my friends Geri and Jason who have been waiting for a donor for Jason to get his double lung transplant! (which he just got btw... yay!) How do I compare?

 2. To have compassion. I've been very blessed with good health my entire life. I guess my bad teeth are a way for me to try to understand those who live a life of chronic pain.

3. To trust my Father in Heaven. In church today we sang an impromptu hymn of "where can I turn for peace". The words of the second verse really touched me.

Where, when my aching grows,
Where when I languish,
Where, in my need to know, where can I run?
Where is the quiet hand to calm my anguish?
Who, who can understand
He, only One.

It was one of those tender mercies from the Lord. The word aching can describe so many things but in that moment it was describing me, my aching teeth and the weeks of anguish I had been through. Only he understands and ultimately only he could bring me the peace I was lacking.

4. This I already knew, but my husband is truly nothing short of amazing. I broke down in tears multiple times just because of my overwhelming love for him and his service to me. He has tended to my every need (and there have been many). He got up in the night with me, watched endless chick flicks, made me food, cleaned the house, drove me to Reno and sat by my side, etc etc. I feel so blessed to be married to my best friend.

5. I have the best friends and family. Not a day went by that I didn't get a text or phone call. My dear mother (who also happens to be a nurse) got calls from me constantly about what medicine I could or couldn't take and how to control the pain. She even got to hear from me at 5:00 am when I woke up knowing I would need yet ANOTHER root canal. Oh and my dad, he offered to have his finger cut off if it would take the pain away. Kind of a strange offer but still very sweet. I love my family and I am grateful for their prayers on my behalf.

Well as I wrap this LONG post up I realize I have maybe been a little over dramatic (but tooth pain really is the WORST right?) and I am slightly embarrassed to admit to the world just how bad my teeth are ( I brush them, I PROMISE).

Idaho Trip / Part 1

We had so much fun on our trip back home to Idaho. My love for that state has quadrupled since moving to California... even Alden was ALMOST convinced that he could live there.

We didn't have a moment to loose so we were picked up from the airport and went straight to my sisters house in Pocatello. We had a little bbq in the backyard and picked out some antlers from their collection (which arrived in the mail yesterday! - Can't wait to put them up). We then went on a drive in the jeep for ice-cream and got hit by a sudden rain storm.

We then headed to Paris... Idaho. It is right outside of Bear Lake and my sister in law Chelse was nice enough to let us stay at her house. We got up the next morning and headed into the hills to Bloomington Lake (see above). It was beautiful! And we had fun jumping off the cliffs and swinging on the rope swing. Confession: I did neither, I am a wimp these days and prefer to opt out of jumping off of anything remotely high. However my dad jumped (see above)! Shocked us all. Go pops!

After Bloomington lake we headed to Bear Lake for the day where we rented jet skies and paddle boards. It was so nice to just be in the sun ALL day. I didn't get any pictures of the lake (google it if you've never been, its gorgeous!) The day ended with burgers and fresh raspberry shakes at La Beau's. I've been dreaming about that food ever since. Raspberry shakes are a MUST for any Bear Lake trip.

A highlight for Alden this trip was driving my dad's motorcycle. He is now convinced more than ever that he wants/needs one. I'm still on the fence.... but mostly because I want my own car first :) The last picture on the left is of Alden and I preparing for phase two of our trip! We loaded my moms small SUV with 2 twelve man boats, 24 paddles, 24 life jackets and whatever else we could fit. Stay tuned for part 2!

Dare to wear it

Who knew that socks could be daring.... Well guess what? They can! Hop on over to Say Yes to Hoboken to read about putting your socks in the lime light.

And in case you've missed my last few posts over at Say Yes to Hoboken, here are some links!
Trend Crush: Statement Blazers
Trend Crush: Round Sunglasses
Pencil vs. Pleat (which would you choose?)
Look for Less
Dare to Wear it: High Waisted Shorts (Go look at this post just for the comments! ...I am still laughing.)

Daily Eats #01

Its been a long month since I've posted! And in that time I traveled to 4 states, attended girls camp for a week, went white water rafting, cliff jumping, swimming in lakes, and everything in between. I'll be posting pictures of some of our adventures this week, you can also follow me on instagram (@ashleyaikele) if you want to spoil the surprise, or just take a gander at my daily happenings.

Meanwhile.... I've been in a cooking mood so I've decided to start a new series on the blog called Daily Eats- a days worth of meals all in one post! I will gather recipes from around the web and post them here... and HOPEFULLY it will motivate me to do MORE good ol fashion home cooking. (The Wendy's diet has to go!). Then as I try the recipes (and hopefully you will too) I can give tips and comments on what I liked/what I would change etc.

Here are some recipes that have caught my eye as of late.

Breakfast: Peanut Butter + Honey Granola by Eat Sleep Cuddle
Lunch: Black Bean Veggie Tacos by Eat Sleep Cuddle
Dinner: Zucchini Rice Gratin by Smitten Kitchen
Dessert: Sour Cream Peach Ice-Cream by Cafe Johnsonia

Pump V.S. Platform

 I've started a new series over at Say Yes to Hoboken called Versus! Basically its like a fashion "would you rather". Today's line up is pump V.S. platform so be sure and check it out and voice your opinion!

Look for Less and Tube Skirts

 Another look for less over on Say Yes to Hoboken! And in case you missed it, I also did a post on Monday on wearing tube skirts!

picnic dinner

Sometimes this is what summer is all about. And sometimes we forget. But that evening we remembered.