Instagram Account Deleted! :(

Hey there lovelies! I sit here typing this post, pretty much distraught. This afternoon I went to post a picture and I was prompted to sign back into Instagram, which never happens. When I signed in, it said that my account had been disabled due to a “violation of terms and conditions.” I panicked immediately of course! I have done nothing that violates the terms and conditions. I even went and read through them just to be sure! I assumed I had been hacked and spent the better part of the evening texting a few friends and crying over this. Come to find out later this evening that this did not only happen to me and has happened to a lot of people and their accounts have been deleted. One of the rumors is that they deleted people who do not use the Instagram camera…I pretty much ONLY use the Instagram camera so that rumor must be false. As of now, there has been no response from Instagram. I look forward to hearing what they have to say on this and hope they plan to reinstate all of our accounts. I love Instagram to post pictures of the little presidents and our life and to follow other peeps, but I also use it as the main way I run my business. My sole business comes from Instagram , which I love.  What’s even more upsetting is that it happened today. The day I launched my new blog. The day that I have been working so hard to get to and now, before everyone could even have a chance to see the new blog, my account has been deleted and doesn’t exist. I have submitted the forms to Instagram regarding this, but I honestly have no idea how long it will take to get the situation remedied or if it will be remedied, which makes me even more sad. I have met some amazing people through Instagram. I have made friends, I have gained business, I have learned lot of new things and lessons. We always says it’s an “insta family” and that’s so true. I am hoping that Instagram will reinstate my “littlepresidents” account as well as the mass amount of other accounts that I have heard were deleted! I have had that account for over a year now and I have over 1500 pictures that are meaningful to me and over 1500 followers that are meaningful as well. I’m hoping we wake up tomorrow with a solution to what I am assuming is a mass glitch, but if not, please know that I will create a new Insta name and be back soon. I will be so bummed to lose the “littlepresidents” handle though.  The name alone is so meaningful to me. I will tell you that all of you who have emailed and text me mean so much to me. This has been so upsetting and I am so glad to know you all have my back! For now, please feel free to follow me at our new blog and hopefully I will be back on Instagram soon…with my old user name or a new one!

xoxo,
Ashley 

We Moved!

The Little Presidents and I packed our bags and headed over to www.fancyashley.com 
 Come follow us over there on our fancy new and so improved bloggity blog! See ya over there!

Fancy Mother's Day Wish List~

Happy Wednesday lovelies! Hope you had a fabulous weekend and are having a great week! It's been a bit hectic here...Can you believe it's already May?! I can't! Mother's Day is coming up on Sunday! Craziness! Since it's a day dedicated to mamas, I decided to come up with my own, fancy Mother's Day wish list! There is lots of glitter, sequins and pink in between sippy cups of milk and diaper changes around our house! :) Here are a few fabulous and fancy items that I would LOVE to receive as a gift! :) I'm also secretly hoping that the Tedster made me some piece of crafty amazingness at school! :) I will see on Friday! 

1. Miu Miu Glitter Sunnies ~They are glitter sunnies! Need I say more?!

2. Kate Spade Confetti Statement Necklace ~A fab statement necklace and even better, it looks like confetti!

3. Daiquiri Wallet ~I love zipper wallets! This is so fun!

4. Felix Weekender Duffle ~I need this for a fabulous weekend trip!

5. J.Crew Lillian Glitter Low Wedges ~These remind me of my Target glitter flats but with a wedge and extra glitter! Woohoo! These will def be added to my shoe collection!

6. Confetti Paper Placemats Pad ~ I love this idea of using disposable placemats. We rarely use placemats because they always seem to be in the wash! The gold confetti on these are so fun and fancy and you can toss them after you use them!

7. Baggu Leather Bag ~this bag has been on my wish list since Christmas! LOVE!!!

8. J.Crew Havana Clutch ~This bright pink clutch is thebomb.com/FABULOUS! 

9. J.Crew Color Mix Statement Necklace ~This has been on my wish list for a bit, as well! LOVE it so much! Perfect Statement piece with all my fav colors!

10. TenThings Gold Beaded Tassel Bracelet ~These are so adorable! I love them! Perfect addition to my daily arm party!

Have an amazing day! Just a couple more days until the weekend! Woohoo! Tell me, what's on your mama's day wish list?!

Surprise Sparkle Friday Winners and Greek Stuffed Peppers Recipe!

Hey there lovelies! Happy Thursday! Are you so excited that it's almost the weekend?! I am!!! Cinco de Mayo is happening! Chips, Guac, Margs, here I come! Just a couple more days and we can breathe a weekend sigh of relief!

The winners of my Surprise Sparkle Friday Giveaway, who win the FAB gold straws from 

 Baker's Bling are:

 Miss Mia! So excited for you to use these to celebrate graduation! Way to go!!!

&

Lindsay Daniel! So fun for a bridal shower brunch! 

Will both of you lovely ladies please email me at ash@littlepresidentsdesign.com with your mailing addresses! These will ship out on Friday am! Woohoo!

Side note: I loved reading all the ways that you all would use the fab straws!!! I wish everyone could win! So fun!

Onto a delish and simple and healthy recipe! 

This recipe has been floating around Pinterest and I have been meaning to try it for awhile now! I modified the original recipe a tiny bit and here are my ingredients. To see the original recipe, you can click the link above!

I had a tiny hiccup while prepping these. Ha! 

Slow-Cooker Greek Stuffed Peppers 

• 4 large bell peppers (I used a color mix) 
• 1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup crumbled fat free feta (4 ounces) (I would add an extra 1/2-1 cup next time)
• Trader Joe's Brown Rice, Red Rice and Black Barley mix (I used 2 bags) 
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• {I think I would add fresh basil next time as well}

{they're not pretty but they taste delish!}

Directions

1. Slice a very thin layer from the base of each bell pepper so they sit flat (I didn't do this and they were fine) Slice off tops just below stem. Discard stems; chop tops, and place in a medium bowl. Remove ribs and seeds from peppers.
2. Add beans, feta, rice/barely mix, scallions, garlic salt, and oregano in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Stuff peppers with the mixture; place upright in slow cooker. Cover; cook on high, 4 hours
   That's it! So simple and really yummy! My buddy did an awesome spin on these back in March and brought me one for dinner (yay!) and they were so delish!!!! I planned to add zucchini like she did but realized I didn't have one while I was prepping! Oh well! We were discussing the fact, that there are so many possibilities with this recipe and so many ways to modify it! I have an Italian recipe that I'm going to attempt next week and I am already excited for it! Will post the recipe for sure!
   Have a happy Thursday!!! Two more days till the weekend! Get the cocktails ready! 
   xoxo,
   Ashley

Sparkle Friday and a SURPRISE SPARKLE FRIDAY GIVEAWAY!

Hey Lovelies!!! It's FRIDAY!!!!! Woohoo!!! I can't tell you how much your comments and messages to me regarding my "On God's Perfect Timing" post mean to me! I love to hear your stories! It is amazing how much we can all relate to each other in some ways and how much we can encourage each other as well!

This week has been crazy here! Lots of late night working in the craft suite for moi, Reagan stuck a rock up her nose (really?!!! I'm still not over it! She is a nut!), Teddy is having bad dreams and up a bunch at night, my neighbors are ridic...It is so glamorous here!! Ha!!! I am so excited that I shipped out the giveaway winners' prizes! Yay! I can't wait to hear that you all received your goodies!

Also, this has been an extra extra sparkly week in the presidential house! I have been making lots of glitter wineglasses! Yay! I will be doing a flash sale next week to sell them, finally! If you don't want to wait to purchase, you can comment here or email me and you can buy early! Fab champagne glasses will be joining the wineglasses and all will be sold in sets of 4! Are you so excited?!! I am!

So, onto a few sparkle items that I am loving this week!

I finally took the plunge and added the neon pink Kate Spade studs to my life! I love them almost as much as the clear! :) I feel like I might need to add more colors to my collection too! So fun! I sent a surprise little happy in turquoise to someone earlier this week! That's a great color as well and I can't wait for her to get them!!!!!

This Foiled Dot Napkin Set from Anthropologie is amazing! I use them as placemats as well! My BFF gave them to me. Does she know me well or what?! Anywho, I ordered 6 more sets! They are on sale! Hello!! Perfect for gifts, etc! I could see these paired with a 4 pack of Sofia and paper straws as a hostess gift or birthday gift!!! LOVE!

 While I was making wineglasses this week, I made a few glitter vases! I am obsessed with how they turned out! This rose is from my fav bush in our yard! It smells amazing and of course,
it's my fav color!

I recently found this fab Etsy shop, Baker's Bling! I have been searching for gold paper straws for awhile now! Oh, how I love a paper straw!!! They have gold and silver straws (and any other color you could imagine!!!!!!)! They are FAB-U-LOUS and I love them! What better way to bring bling to your everyday life than by using a blingtastic paper straw!

Pair these straws with a Sofia or one of my hubs' Mojitos and one of the sparkly Anthro napkins
and you are totally set for a fab and fun cocktail hour!

Now for the Sparkle Friday SURPRISE!!!! 

I am giving away 2 sets of 50 of these FAB straws from Baker's Bling!!!!!! They will be a mix of GOLD stripe and chevron! Are you sooooo excited?!!!! YAY!!!! I am so excited for you!!!!

So, the deets, my dears! Same as last time! If you follow my blog, that's one entry! If you follow me on Insta (littlepresidents), that's another entry! If you post about the giveaway and tag @littlepresidents and #littlepresidents on Insta, that's another entry! Please comment on this post and let me know if you did one, two or all three! You must comment on this post with that info! I would also love to know in your comments, what you will use these fab straws for, if you win! The giveaway will end at midnight on April 30th! It's a short one, so be sure to enter right away! I hope you have a blessed weekend and that it's filled with lots of love, sparkle and happiness!

xoxo,

Ashley

On God's Perfect Timing

Happy Monday lovelies! This post was supposed to go up Friday but I forgot to publish before I headed out of town! Ha! Sparkle Friday will be happening each Friday from now on, but I decided to work on this post, since we just celebrated our five year wedding anniversary, and I wanted to talk about God's perfect timing. So much happened last week that has caused me to reflect on this even more than I have been lately. The tragic events in Boston and now, the tragic event in West Texas. It's so hard to comprehend the bad things that happen, but at the same time, I try to remember that everything happens for a reason. Jesus Calling has been spot on, as always, this week. I feel so blessed to have this daily devotion in my life. Honestly, I feel like so much was missing before I was told about it. The devotion from April 16th has really had an impact on me. I have read and reread it numerous times. I posted it on Insta and it seems to have made an impact on so many others' as well which I love.

This is the devotion from Jesus Calling, April 16th: 

I am calling you to a life of thankfulness. I want all your moments to be punctuated with thanksgiving. The basis for gratitude is My sovereignty. I am the Creator and Controller of the universe. Heaven and earth are filled with My glorified presence. 

When you criticize or complain, you are acting as if you think you could run the world better than I do. From your limited human perspective, it may look as if I am mismanaging things. But you don't know what I know or see what I see. If I pulled back the curtain to allow you to view the heavenly realms, you would understand much more. However, I have designed you to live by faith, not by sight. I lovingly shield you from knowing the future or seeing into the spirit world. Acknowledge my sovereignty by giving thanks in all circumstances. 

Pretty darn powerful, right? It has totally made me think of so much, this week. Because of our anniversary, I have been thinking a lot about my life and the past ten years. If you would have told me ten years ago that I would be married with two children (and finished having children at that) before I was 30, I would have been shocked. I can still remember graduating from college and thinking "okay...what now? Where do I go from here?" That's the part that no one tells you about. You graduate and then you have to figure it all out! I decided I was burnt out from my major (television production and broadcast journalism) and wanted to do something else. I had no idea what... I took a huge leap one day and decided I was moving back to Houston and left a week later. No job and I found an apartment online.  So random, yet so neat at the same time. I moved a lot as a kid and honestly I have no fear of moving. I enjoy it and like going somewhere new. I struggle to stay someplace longer than a few years! Ha! Always ready for a new adventure! Anywho, I got a job selling advertising after I moved there. I loved it and saw myself going so far with that company. I thought I was meant to be career driven for awhile and was not looking to be in a relationship. Then, I was set up with my now hubs. Life happens when you are busy making plans, right?! We ended up falling in love (duh!) and getting engaged and then married...all within about a year and a half's time. We had kinda gone back and forth about when we would/should start having babes. My hubs is a tad older, so we figured, a couple years, max was the plan, but obviously if it happened sooner, we were totally ready! Well, low and behold, one month after getting married, I found out I was prego with Teddy. Such a blessing. I couldn't imagine our life any different. We knew we wanted babes pretty close together, so Reagan came 2.5 years later. We had planned that after two, we would be finished and that was pretty much set...but, I always thought we could possibly have another down the line, somehow. Then I had a yearly ob visit which changed everything. This made me think of God's timing so much. Through all my worry and stress up until my surgery, I couldn't help but think "I have TWO healthy, beautiful and perfect children." Everything happened for a reason. Teddy, Reagan. They both came exactly when they were supposed to. I couldn't be more thankful and blessed with God's timing when thinking about them. I always say they are the best thing I have ever done and it couldn't be more true. I guess where I am going with this is, I feel like God's timing is always perfect. In time it all seems to make sense. I thought I would never find a husband...I mean, I know some single ladies can relate! Then, he just kind of dropped into my life and just like that, everything changed. We have been through a lot together. I could not imagine spending my life with anyone else. It is true that we were meant for each other. Five years of marriage has flown by! So much has happened, good, bad, amazing, tragic. We've weathered it together. I couldn't be more blessed with who God chose for me and even more so, who God chose to be Teddy and Reagan's father. We are all very blessed and lucky that he is ours. This devotion has made me think though of how much I complain on a regular basis. Lets face it, with two toddlers, some weeks are better than others. Ha! It's always a nice reminder to know that HE is looking out for us and has our lives all planned out. I look back on so may parts of my life where I have questioned and wondered why things were happening or weren't happening and reading this devotional from April 16 (and really most days) reminds me to have hope in His timing because it's always perfect. I'm so thankful and so blessed. 

Feeling very blessed to have had a great weekend reconnecting with my hubs. It's so nice and necessary to be able to have these weekends every once in awhile. Hope you have a very happy Monday!

xoxo,
Ashley

Orzo Salad with Feta, Mint and Green Onions...OH MY!

Hey there lovelies! Happy Wednesday! It's almost the weekend! The hubs and I are celebrating 5 years of wedded bliss this weekend! Woohoo!!! So, today I have one of my most fav recipes to share with you! I planned to write this post about a year ago and never got around to it! Ha! Finally, the wait is over, it's here, in all it's glory! This recipe comes from one of my favorite restaurants ever, Julienne in San Marino, California (the town where Father of the Bride was filmed and takes place and one of the houses from The Holiday is there~our friends live there!)! I LOVE this restaurant so much! Anytime, I go to visit my fam, I have to hit it up! We ate there the day of our rehearsal dinner and even had them cater Reagan's Baptism. :) They came out with a cookbook and while it doesn't have all my favorite recipes, it does have a few key and delish recipes that I believe, are life changing! The one that I am going to share is my fav from the cookbook. Seriously so delish and add a glass of Sav Blanc or Pinot Grigio and you'll be in heaven. Perfect for a spring or summer day. You can serve this as a side and pair it with anything really, they suggest lamb. We eat it as a meal in itself, most of the time! If you ever get to that area, you must try this restaurant! Their chilaquiles are pretty much the best thing you'll ever eat, along with their chicken tarragon salad on their amazing rosemary currant bread! YUMMMMMMMM!!!! Really, you can't go wrong with anything you order!

It seems like a lot of bell peppers! I doubled the recipe once! Now, that was a lot of peppers!

I can justify 12 ounces of Feta because it's fat free. ;) But, if I'm being honest, I can justify any amount of Feta, at any time!

 

Now for the amazing recipe!

Orzo Salad with Feta, Mint and Green Onions (serves 8-10)

1 pound orzo

3 red bell peppers, cut into 1/2 inch dice

3 yellow bell peppers, cut into 1/2 inch dice (I use orange peppers as well...more color!)

4 garlic cloves, minced. (I use a tablespoon of minced garlic...this stuff makes my hectic life a tad easier. It's the small things.)

1/2 cup olive oil (divided)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

5 green onions, minced

12 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup (lightly packed) fresh mint leaves, chopped

1/3 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Cook the orzo in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, stirring frequenctly to prevent sticking, about 10 minutes. Drain well and transfer to a baking sheet to cool completely.

Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. Toss the peppers and garlic in a large roasting pan with 1/4 cup of the olive oil to coat (I wear kitchen gloves and mix this up with my hands...works best in my opinion). Season with salt and black pepper. Broil the mixture, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly blistered, about 20 minutes. 

Combine the cooked orzo, broiled peppers, green onions, feta cheese, mint and pine nuts in a large bowl. Toss the salad with lemon juice and enough of the remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil to moisten thoroughly. Season the salad to taste with salt and black pepper.

*You can make this salad 1 day ahead, then cover and refrigerate it. Serve cold or at room temp. I like cold best, but both are delish. I usually let sit at least an hour in the fridge before we eat. Makes a great leftover lunch as well!

Some advice from moi? You should make this recipe this weekend! You will not be disappointed! Add some vino and make it ever better! Hope you had a fabulous day! Friday is coming! Get excited!

xoxo,

Ashley