Little Yummies...

Hey K2 Kanakuk Gals,

Well, girls, I have been baking (is it still called baking if I don't use flour and the baking time is like 4 minutes? Ha!). I made these little goodies above (not the actual ones I made) and they are delicious!!! You can basically make them with any color m&m's and any chocolate piece! They are just a bite of pure happiness popped into your mouth!!! Here is the rundown:

Ingredients:

Bag of pretzels (I like using the square ones)

Hershey kisses (dark, milk, striped, or Rolos: I LOVE THE ROLOS with a bit of caramel kick)

M&M's

That's it! You place them on a cookie sheet and pop the chocolate piece on top then you put them in the oven for 4-7 minutes (oven is at like 170 degrees). Just test them to make sure they are soft. Pull them out and push the m&m into the middle. Super easy! Then let them cool before you move them around!

The Robbins' passed these out to some friends who helped when sweet 2nd born came into the world! They loved them! Just call me Martha without the prison stuff...

Be Awesome & Love Jesus,

kanakuk ashley robbins / ashley@kanakuk.com

photo: google.com / search "pretzels hershey kisses m&m's"

Oh the Christmas Cheer...

"Good lord, you have to be the dumbest person I've ever encountered. Take a writing course and learn some basic grammar. And don't forget to breathe." ~ Anonymous

Hey K2 Kanakuk Gals,

Well, that was the lovely Christmas message I was greeted with as I checked my blog this morning. Oh, how I laughed, chuckled and giggled all at the same time and maybe cried a little on the inside. (As I type I am rather nervous now as I use my commas frequently and my "..." all over the place.) I must admit that I love that somehow this blog has provoked (laughing b/c I just had to ask someone how to spell that word) such passionate emotion. I usually don't post negative or not happy comments that are just pointless to this blog but this was just to sweet and just lovely. To the precious soul that wrote it, I am so sorry that my blog bothers you and that my grammar makes you feel such emotions. I apologize because you are so right. I have a confession...

My name is Ashley Robbins, and I don't write grammatically correct.

So girls, parents, and random blog checkers remember as you come to Kanakuk Ashley that this blog will probably always have grammatical errors and random posts about random things that sometimes make no random sense. I am sorry for any frustrations I have caused to "Anonymous" (my family who is getting pretty defensive for their daughter/sister/wife...), who is also now called "Mr./Mrs. Internet Grammar Police."

Be Awesome & Love Jesus,

kanakuk ashley robbins / ashley@kanakuk.com

photo: google.com / search "ouch sign"

After Christmas...

Hey K2 Kanakuk Gals,

Christmas is over, wrappings unwrapped, stockings unstocked and food totally devoured. What now? What does after Christmas look like for you? I feel like the day goes too fast. The presents get torn into too quickly. The food gets eaten too fast. The tree gets torn down too furiously. I just want to push some button that puts everything into slow, very slow, motion. Don't you?

I hope this season that you, even though Christmas day is technically gone, would just embrace the spirit of this season. That you would crawl into the couch with your daddy to watch Father of the Bride (one of my favorites) with hot cocoa. That you would get on the floor with your little brother to play legos for hours. That you would tell your mom that you are going to do the dishes after supper. Don't let the spirit of Christmas end with one quick 24 hours...

Be Awesome & Love Jesus,

kanakuk ashley robbins / ashley@kanakuk.com

photo: google.com / search "wrapping paper after christmas"

Merry Christmas...

Hey K2 Kanakuk Gals,

MERRY CHRISTMAS friends! Praying today is filled with lots of love, laughter, memories and the TRUE meaning of Christmas. The Lord loves you so much that He sent His son...FOR YOU. Even if you were the only precious girl in the whole world He would have done that FOR YOU.

Be Awesome & Love Jesus,

kanakuk ashley robbins / ashley@kanakuk.com

photo: etsy.com / seller: yourethatgirldesigns / Click HERE to buy (such a super cute sign!!)

Cookies for Santa...

Hey K2 Kanakuk Gals,

With 2 itty bitty little girls, I don't think we are at the point of breaking out cookies and milk for Santa but I wondered with all you high school girls if you still or ever did make cookies and leave them for Santa. There is quite the debate on the whole Santa/Lie to kids issue and by no means do I want to debate that here. This post is simply on cookies? Do you do gingerbread, a typically Christmas-ey cookie, or do you do sugar cookies? Or do you leave Oreos with the red Christmas filling? Oh the deep theological questions...

Be Awesome & Love Jesus,

kanakuk ashley robbins / ashley@kanakuk.com

photo: etsy.com / seller: littleKorboose / Click HERE to buy

My Dear, Brought Home Deer...

Hey K2 Kanakuk Gals,

Well, currently in my freezer I have like 50 pounds of deer meat, sausage and jerkey. It's crazy. I am not so much of a hunter, at all, but I am appreciative because I love deer meat and stuff like that. So any of you hunter wives (that should not apply to you all as Kampers so hopefully your moms might be reading this...just to clarify) have any great deer meat recipes...please send them my way.

Off to google deer chili...yummy! (The above pic is Shay with a great kiddo that was out at K2 this summer as his momma is our nursing director at Kanakuk! We love our community!)

Be Awesome & Love Jesus,

kanakuk ashley robbins / ashley@kanakuk.com

Matchy, Matchy...

Hey K2 Kanakuk Gals,

I am getting so excited for Christmas...all 3 Christmases we will be attending! Can't wait! I know that I will never be able to pull this off (unless there is a crazy skit character involved) but I love matching Christmas PJ's. I mean literally Shay would not go for them but I just adore them! I for sure am looking for some for the 2 girls...okay, and maybe mom. They are just so cute!!!! The family above is someone random...I'm sure you might have thought that was Shay and I as catalog models. Ha!

What is your Christmas morning attire? Flannel long sleeve pj's? Robe? Normal tshirt and shorts? Wake up and run right down no matter what your hair looks like? Real clothes like a real wear out and about shirt and jeans?

Be Awesome & Love Jesus,

kanakuk ashley robbins / ashley@kanakuk.com

photo: google.com / search "family matching christmas pajamas"

To Advent or Not?...

Hey K2 Kanakuk Gals,

I must admit I don't know much about what I am blogging about today? I have heard so much about advent calendars. On Etsy (surprise!) they have super cute ones (hello, see the one above...I love it!) but I guess I just don't quite understand. Off the cuff I think you put little bitty gifts in each little number box and count down the days till December 25th. Or maybe you could put little notes of things to be reminded of the blessings during this season...or maybe you just put a part of an itty-bitty nativity scene and each day gains a new member to the scene. Or maybe you can do whatever you want in them...good thoughts.

So does your family have one? Tell me about it...Shay and I are still starting our Christmas traditions as our girls are still so little but we are starting to think through them...

Be Awesome & Love Jesus,

kanakuk ashley robbins / ashley@kanakuk.com

photo: etsy.com / seller: prettyswank / Click HERE to purchase

Best Inventions...

Hey K2 Kanakuk Gals,

I LOVE, I mean oddly love, wrapping presents! I mean I'm obsessed! One of my friends actually each year has a theme for her paper and bows and so they all match for her gifts! Love that! Anyways, so I keep seeing these commercials and I just can't wait to hopefully pick them up to have a night of wrapping! Oh, what a glorious night! I'm sure you all are so very excited to have your own wrapping night! I'm just sure of it!

So wrap away friends with cute paper, bows, and ribbon galore! Woohoo!

Be Awesome & Love Jesus,

kanakuk ashley robbins / ashley@kanakuk.com

photo: google.com / search "scotch pop up tape" and "wrapping paper cutter"

Almost Time for a New...

Hey K2 Kanakuk Gals,

Planner...I know most of you probably have your whole life calendar in your fancy smancy iPads (I'm not bitter, really!) but I, being just a bit older than you, still trust in my paper, 1960's, pen and pencil, scratched out day-timer. I love them. I keep some appointments in my phone calendar but I just love opening it and writing events and little tidbits of info for my days.

So I'm on the lookout now for my 2011 planner. This one, above, is super cute and I was a Chi Omega so cute cartoon owls are sort of near to my heart (not like in a creepy I'm still a sorority girl way...just in a oh, that's a fun connection to owls that are not normally cute). But I'm not sold...TJ Maxx was my location of choice to purchase my 2010 one last year so we shall see.

Paper? Computer? In your brain? What's your planner of choice?

Be Awesome & Love Jesus,

kanakuk ashley robbins / ashley@kanakuk.com

photo: google.com / search "2011 calendar"

Oh, Chick-Fil-A...

Hey K2 Kanakuk Gals,
Ode to my little town of Branson...girls, most of you might be very hardened and "used" to having a Chick-Fil-A at the turn of a corner or maybe a few corners...but here in Branson we do not experience this luxury. Why you might ask? (or you probably know the answer and so therefore are not asking) Because we dont' have one! I keep waiting for the day when I drive over to the new Target/Walmart area where new eating and shopping places are popping up but alas the only thing new is another stop light located 10 feet from the other stop light. No red sign, no weird cow writing banner, and no chicken biscuits.

So I did join the facebook group...will it help? I don't know. Does it make me feel like it might? Yes. So Chick-Fil-A important executive people, please come to my humble abode! Your food is amazing, your service is just amazing, and your family nights (which I hear about all the fun family nights you have from the Springfield one) are amazing. You are amazing. Please come to our little town to bring your amazingness to it. I promise to bring my amazing family and spend money.

Be Awesome & Love Jesus,

kanakuk ashley robbins / ashley@kanakuk.com
photo: facebook.com

4 Years...

Hey K2 Kanakuk Gals,

Today, well 4 years ago today, I got to marry Shay Robbins! Woohooo! It is one of my favorite days in the whole world! I just told him the other day that he is my favorite person to just hang out with and be with...and girls, I have some rockin' awesome friends...but he is my favorite! He is in love with Jesus, leads our family, adventurous and spontaneous, funny, the anchor of our home, comfort, an amazing daddy, my hero, and my best friend! I just love him!

4 years...they have been so fun! I pray each of you know that there is a Godly, so fun, perfect for you man out there that the Lord is looping your journeys together even now. Don't settle for anything that is not God's best because God's best is AWESOME!

Happy Anniversary Day from us to you for us though! That was a confusing statement...

(picture from when we were dating...oh, just still melts my heart)

Be Awesome & Love Jesus,



kanakuk ashley robbins / ashley@kanakuk.com


photo: google.com / search "happy anniversary cards"

Christmas Playlist...

Hey K2 Kanakuk Gals,
Okay, I need your help! My Christmas playlist is, well, it's pathetic! HELP! You can comment at the bottom of this post, on facebook, or any other method of commenting that I probably don't know about and tell me your ultimate Christmas playlist...let's do top 5 songs!

I have a borderline obsession with the Christmas season of music, carols, and jigs! So tell me your faves and I'll be putting the playlist together for the Robbins' house! Thanks for the help!

Be Awesome & Love Jesus,

kanakuk ashley robbins / ashley@kanakuk.com
photo: google.com / search "top 10 christmas songs"

Peppermint...

Hey K2 Kanakuk Gals,
Well, let the debate begin...peppermint or not so much peppermint? My friend Jennifer (K1 Asst. Women's Director. You can check her blog out by clicking HERE) LOVES, and I mean LOVES, peppermint. Me, not so much. In fact I don't like peppermints at all. So although this season is festive with them (oh, ya know what I wouldn't mind decorating with them...ya know like filling a jar with them or something for color...but that's about it) I turn my nose to the peppermint cookies, peppermint hot cocoa, and peppermint Andy's blizzards. No thank you!

What about you? Love it so much you would eat peanut butter and peppermint sandwiches or no, thank you even if it were the last breath stabilizer on the earth and you had just eaten a whole onion? Drastic question, yes...deep question that needs an answer, absolutely.

Be Awesome & Love Jesus,

kanakuk ashley robbins / ashley@kanakuk.com
photo: google.com / search "peppermint candy"

Hope During This Season...

Hey K2 Kanakuk Gals,
This December season I again am brought back to the word HOPE. I blogged about it a while back too but during this season of shopping, wish lists, wants, and borderline greed I am reminded of the word HOPE.

As believers, we have a HOPE of a bigger picture to this oh-so-fun holiday. We know it's bigger than any package we could get. We know it's worth is more than all the money in the world. We know it's value is infinite and priceless. We have hope because during this season "a child is born." And this child is a "wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" to each one of us.

Remember today that your wish list and latest gadget is not important...at all as a matter of fact. You have hope in this season that so many don't. Live it, embrace it, and share it...HOPE!

Be Awesome & Love Jesus,

kanakuk ashley robbins / ashley@kanakuk.com
photo: etsy.com / seller zinckdesigns / click HERE to purchase this awesome print

O Holy Night...

Hey K2 Kanakuk Gals,
Well, I have my Christmas carols going today! I love how radios and iTunes during this season is overflowing with the latest, most fresh Christmas songs but also the old school ones that everyone knows! I love that! Christmas carols and christmas tunes in general just put a little extra skip in my step! Oh, how I love it!

I was trying to think of the last time I went caroling. I must admit I am not real sure. I can vaguely remember being at an elderly home and caroling with high school friends...or maybe it was freshman year in college. Either way, it's been too long. So I am thinking (just thinking at this point because I might chicken out) of rallying some friends/neighbors and going to friends/neighbors houses and caroling. Oh, wouldn't it be so much fun!? Now if I only had like costumes with robes and fur hooded hoodies to make it all the better! Oh, and top hats too!

If you get a chance I think you should go caroling in your towns! Go to a nursing home or your neighborhood or just sing to your teacher one day! That would be awesome!

Be Awesome & Love Jesus,

kanakuk ashley robbins / ashley@kanakuk.com
photo: etsy.com / seller ormolu / click HERE to purchase