Living A Country Glamourous Life - 4 Must Haves

As most of you may know I live a very country lifestyle.  But I also like to add a little flair to that lifestyle and give country some glamour.  Here are my "4 Country Glamour Must Have" items:

REDNECK WINEGLASSES - Rural King

COWBOY BOOT PLANTER - Hobby Lobby 

FANCY MAILBOX W/ FLOWER POT - Lowe's

MATCHING BLACK ROCKING CHAIRS - Lowe's 

Crying on A Suitcase

Today on The Better Show I catch up with American Idol alum Casey James.  We talk about the ladies, canine companions AND that hot new single "Cyring On a Suitcase."

WATCH:

Get Carried Away This 4th of July

Happy 4th! What better way to spend your 4th of July than with Carrie Underwood? I had a chance to sit down with country's "it" girl. We talked new music, date night and where she likes to go to unwind. It was so fun having some nice quality girl talk with Carrie. I also caught up with Lady Antebellum and The Voice's Gwen Sebastian. They dish to me their 4th of July plans & what the holiday means to them...

The Loveless Cafe

If you're making a trip to Nashville in the near future and you want to get a taste of the BEST southern cooking around....then you'll want to make a stop at the Loveless Cafe. Between their famous biscuits, mouth-watering fried chicken and delicious hashbrown casserole (my personal favorite)...you won't leave hungry.  And if you do, well then that's your own fault.  

I had a chance to catch up with The Loveless's pastry chef Alisa Huntsman.  She did the talking and I did the taste testing- which was A-OKAY with me.  

Backwoods Barbie

"Backwoods Barbie" 

I often get asked, "Ashlie, out of all the stars you've had the opportunity to interview, who's been your favorite?"  Well, it's hard to choose a favorite because I really do enjoy all of my artist interviews & find each person uniquely interesting.  However...I will always have a special spot in my heart for the legends.  I've had the privilege to sit down with the legendary Dolly Parton, not once but twice.  She truly is such an amazing soul and she has a way of making everyone around her feel comfortable.  Any nerves I may have had going into the interview were quickly put to ease as soon as she walked into the room.  I hope you enjoy my interviews with her and I think you'll quickly understand what I'm talking about...

 

Keepin' It Country with a Little Bit of Glamour

"Keepin' it country with a little bit of glamour" pretty much describes me to a tee.  For those of you who don't know me & just stumbled across my blog....I'll give you a little background info.  I grew up on a farm in Central Illinois.  Yep, I'm a farmer's daughter! My childhood included showing livestock at fairs, cooking in the kitchen with my mom & grandma and bringing food out to the guys working in the fields, riding in the tractor with my dad, and just enjoying the peaceful countryside.  Now granted, it was a lot of hard work and a great work ethic was instilled in me because of this lifestyle.

From an early age I knew I wanted to spread my wings and do "big" things.  The restlessness wasn't a boredom with rural life, just the opposite, it was a desire to celebrate that lifestyle on a much bigger platform.  I didn't know exactly what those "big" things would be but I always had a passion for entertaining people. At first I thought I wanted to be an actress but later realized that I'm much better at playing myself than someone else.  So I enrolled in college journalism courses at Illinois State University then later went on to earn a Master's Degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Illinois.


After college I landed an internship at CMT: Country Music Television and made the big move to Music City....Nashville, TN! This opportunity changed my life. Shortly after the internship I started hosting my first online show & interviewed all the country artists around town (mostly up & coming acts).  It was such a great experience because I was able to hone my skills and make mistakes.  It was the ultimate training tool for a new TV host.  After about a year of hosting the online show, I sent my hosting reel off to The Better Show in New York City. And to my excitement they liked what they saw and flew me out the next week to meet with them.  For the past 3 1/2 years I've been covering country music for the nationally syndicated lifestyles show, The Better Show.  I can truly say that I LOVE what I do - even on the tough days.

One thing I've learned over the years is to never lose who you are.  I think the thing that keeps me most grounded is my family & my rural lifestyle.  When the craziness of the entertainment business gets overwhelming....I know I can always take a ride in the countryside and get back to my roots.  It's where I go for my piece of mind & just to unwind.  So for me....I'm always "keepin' it country" but of course what girl doesn't love to throw in a "little bit of glamour" from time to time? It's the best of both worlds!