Ashley
Mama to Maddox, Walker and Finn plus three unruly dogs: Nick Carraway, Ladybird, and Charlotte. Owner of Nest, a custom painting and furniture restoration business run out of my SoKno home. I've written for Knox Moms since 2014, and have also written for The Dollywood Company, Her View From Home, and Today.com. I'm a recovering type-a personality, overcaffinated, sleep with too many pillows, am a better person near water, and love a good British period drama or anything about gruesome true crime. I'm going to die trying to pet something I shouldn't or lifting furniture I have no business lifting, and am a firm believer in convenience meals. Probably a top contender for the title of World's Okayest Mom.
I Went Camping with Three Kids and You Can Too: A Non-Camper’s Survival Tips
For the entirety of my life, my idea of camping has been staying in a hotel without a Starbucks in the lobby, so imagine the collective horror of those who know me well when...
I Don’t Know How You Do It
“I don’t know how you do it,” she said to me, a strange mix of awe and pity.
My kids and I were at a birthday party and an acquaintance had heard that my marriage...
I Don’t Know About You, But I Might Die at 32
Laura Elizabeth Willis died on August 18, 1958 of aggressive ovarian cancer, caught too late, that spread throughout her body. She was my great-grandmother.
She was 32...
For as long as I can recall, the women...
I Hope You…
Recently, I spent a whole week watching my three boys at the beach. As cheesy as it sounds, I was reminded of that old Lee Ann Womack song, "I Hope You Dance." While she...
There Really is Always Something to Be Grateful For
The last four weeks or so have been a bit of a blur for me. I filed for divorce from my husband, moved out of my dream house, changed my big boys' school (they're...
Everybody Dies Famous in a Small Town
“They say life is sweeter, behind the telephoto lens of fame. But ‘round here you get just as much attention cheering at the high school football game...” Seymour, Tennessee in the late 1990s resembled more...
The Realities of Maternal Health
A picture is worth a thousand words, right? To a casual observer, the picture below is a young mother holding a brand new baby. To me, though, it's a picture taken about an hour...