Prescott and Christmas lovliness!

Just to give you an idear of how cold it was, I was wrapping my scarf around my face and zipping up my jacket as much as it would.

We also bought coffee just to hold. Poor Randy was gloveless!


Before the temperature dropped and the snow started, it was quite nice.




Running to the car and stopping to take one last pic of the lovely courthouse in Prescott's town square.


And lastly but not leastly, the Christmas village set up at my house. One of the only traditions we have, besides watching White Christmas *sigh*. I love that movie!


Happy (almost) Christmas!
XO
Abbi

I just love this.

I found this on a funny wedding blog but it's just such a lovely picture!



Men in fedoras and ladies in tea length dresses, kitten heels and fur.
They sure knew how to dress in the 50's
:)

XOXO
Abbi

ENGAGEMENT PICTURES!

They're finally here!! The lovely and talented Anna Christy of [a]photographie worked her magic one balmy afternoon in downtown Phoenix. See for yourself!









Just a "few" of my faves!! Isn't she just UBER talented?!



Still dying over them!

XOXOXO
Abbi

Halloween Crafting!

So, we decided, once again, to do a couples costume for Halloween this year. After much brainstorming, Randy came up with the idea of Cruella Deville and a Dalmatian (101 Dalmatians). He didn't realize that I would actually like the idea and that he'd have to stick with the decision! We spent a grand total of about 20 dollars on our costumes, combined, including red gloves and black hair spray for me, and face paint and and ears/tail set for him. I made his shirt using Tempera paint that was lying around and one of his old V-necks.










Randy's shirt ^^



Cruella and Patch :)

Thanks for reading, Stay Fabulous!
xoxo
Abbi

Engagement Pic Preview!!

All taken by the lovely and talented Anna Christy of [a]photographie

more to come soon!


Cheers!
Abbi

Well...

Life certainly has been a whirl wind the past few weeks! Work, play, planning and being of what assistance I can to Nana takes up the majority of my days! We have gotten a lot done in terms of planning. We both have our attire, we have the venue chosen and reserved, cakes and flowers covered, brides maids and grooms men picked out, and dancing/music figured out. Now, we just have to find a caterer and all will be more or less taken care of, minus small details and making invites. Other than that, not a lot has changed in my life! I will leave you with a random non-post related picture, though:


It was two for one College Gear day at Hat Club. and since we don't support UofGAY, we had to go with the ASU.

Alrighty kids, that it for now. More to come soon when we get into the thick of the DIY wedding details!

Love and Rockets,
Abbi

Never fear, new post is hear!!

Sorry to my lovely followers, who have no doubt been puling out their hair out over my lack of posts! ;) I, or should I say We, have been busy going absolutely psycho over the fact that our potential reception venue was not going to work. Okay, well the psycho part was mostly me. Okay, it was all me. But, we got it all figured out and can now plan our reception. Woohoo! Apart from that, we figured out our maids and men, got out officiant, mc, and sound guy set up, and... I GOT MY DRESS! Randy also got his SUIT. Heck Yeah wedding clothes!! My dress is big and pouffy, and super modern, and stark white.


NOT!
It's actually the opposite of that. ...Or is it? Well, I can't give too much away as my intended tends to read my blog. But it's amazing. like, absolutely amazing. I can't even put it into words. The story goes as follows: I went with Steph and Jessica (future sis's in law) so browse dresses, and ended up trying some on. I took my Nana and Poppie a few weeks later and we narrowed the choices down to two beautiful and completely different dresses. I was so torn. Feeling that I needed some time to think and a few extra eyes to help make my decision, we made an appointment for two days later so Nana and I could discuss the options, and so that Steph and Julie (future MIL) could come and give their opinions. The day of, I went to church and then to Randy's to meet with Julie and Steph, and ended up flipping through the catalog one more time. THE dress caught my eye. I had never noticed it and I decided I should try it on, since I hadn't tried any dresses of that style yet. It was the first one I put on at my appointment, and my last. It is so absolutely perfect, and so me. I can't get over it.

On another note, my Nana is in the hospital and should be returning home today or tomorrow. She was hit by a car in the grocery store paring lot, and her knee cap was fractured and required surgery to put a plate on it so it can heal. she'll need to be off her feet for 8 to 12 weeks. She is feeling good and we are so thankful that the situation wasn't worse, as it could have been.


well, that was long and wordy. Sorry all!
Stay fabulous, and Never forget (9/11/2001)
xo
Abbi

sad post alert.

Well, not too sad, I suppose. I've just been thinking a lot today about my Dad. I'm so entirely happy with the fact that my Poppie (grandpa) will be walking me down the aisle at my wedding. But I can't help but think about that fact that my Dad won't be there to see me. It's a sad feeling, not one I enjoy. As Randy reminded me, He WILL be there, just not in person. That's about it for today. Sorry for the depression theme and lack of pictures. Just needed to get that off my chest.

Thanks for reading, my friends.
XO
Abbi

Whoa There!

I keep saying I'm going to post stuff, and then... I don't. I've been pretty busy with my job as a nanny, as well as wedding plans, craft ideas and trying to find a venue. Still gotta work on that, since we decided to put this whole marriage thing on the fast track and aim for April of next year. only 7 months earlier than we had originally planned... :D


totally obsessing over these save the date ideas!


and how cute is this? there will definitely be bunting involved in my wedding!



^^both via 100 Layer Cake

anywhoo, that's about all I've been up to. See a theme in my last few posts? yeah, get used to it. Sorry!

I'll update when we finally decide on a venue, for my few loyal followers who are curious :)

XOXO
Abbi

Weekend to California, more wedding ideas, and over-eating:

So, Randy and I made the 6 hour journey from here (phoenix) to Ventura, CA where my Aunt, Uncle and two cousins live. Record time, even with the GPS getting us lost and taking us directly through the most traffic-y part of LA. We arrived around noon, relaxed, took a walk around the mall and then headed to the neighbor's house for a cookout, complemented by alcohol and a lively mix of gangster rap music. That side of my family is definitely more "party oriented" than the family I have here in AZ. We also went to Santa Barbara, where I was born, for the annual Old Spanish Days festival, aka FIESTA! Fried foods, beer, rodeos, parades, and LOTS of Confetti!!! A trip in the RV for a beach side cook out followed the next day :) Couldn't have been a better weekend.



One of my best friends, Joie! :)

and another lovely friend, Katie


^^part of the "over-eating"


Part of barbeque beach day, pure bliss.

Now, as for the "wedding ideas" section of this post, it's just that, TONS of ideas. I know theres going to be a lot of 50's inspiration behind it, theres no way around that. The problem is, I'm going back and forth between three ideas. Do I want something on the more formal side? A black tie affair that evokes an old Hollywood soiree? Do I want something that's still 50's glamour, but more-so tied to 50's glamour in England? (Something that ties my heritage into the mix, as well as maybe some French, to bring Randy's background into it as well). And last, but not least, do I want something more fun, a little more bright and youthful (but still classy) and bring the modern world's take on the 50's, with sparrows and naval regalia, red lips and swing skirts? I can see any of the options turning out to be really awesome, fun, comfy and just plain cool. Lots to think about. Sorry for what I'm sure is a really long and wordy post!!

Thanks for reading,
Stay fabulous, my friends
XOXO

More posts from a blossoming foodie

Tonight, in lieu of going out for dinner, Randy and I stayed in and had pizza and made mud pie for dessert. It was our own take on the delicious treat we had at Keegan's Grill in Phoenix a few weeks ago.

We crushed a bunch of mini Oreo's (about a cup and a half) and spread them on the bottom of a medium sized bowl, along with about 1/3 stick of melted butter.
Then we covered the Oreo "crust" with a layer of coffee ice cream.
We warmed up some hot fudge, (the jar said to heat for 1 min., I heated for about a min. and a half) and spooned some fudge on top of the ice cream.
Finally, we topped the fudge off with some crushed heath candy and a liberal spray of whipped cream.
Deliciousness ensued.


Randy crushing the Oreo's and a quick shot of the ingredients used (minus the coffee ice cream, which was in the freezer.)

The finished product!

Clearly I enjoyed it. (added more-so for comedic relief than to be informative. The look on my face says "OHH YEAHHH.")

And there ya' go! I am becoming a chef in no time ;)

X's and O's
Abbi

DIY acrylic nails

Not the easiest thing to do, but all in all, they didn't turn out too badly!
I went with the Kiss acrylic french nails kit. It's pretty simple to use, but as someone who's never done nails before, it was a challenge. Oh well, tell me what you think!!




X's and O's
Abbi

One of those cooking type posts...

So, as my first adventure being a future wife and primary cooker of all foods, I decided to make fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn for dinner tonight. I know enough about friend chicken to kind of play it by ear. I got a thumbs up from Randy and from my taste-buds, not to brag or anything ;)

So I'll post some pics, and then I'll add the recipe!





That last one was Randy's photographic handy work.

Anywhoo, heres the recipe/instructions for my "man approved" fried chicken.
(Serves 2 with left overs)

Prepare two large chicken breasts by washing and patting dry.
Remove any fat you can see. let the chicken sit.

In a ziplock bag, combine:
1 1/2 cups flower
1 tbs black pepper
1 tbs salt
1/2 cup fine breadcrumbs (I prefer seasoned crumbs)
1 tsp powdered sugar

In a deep bowl, combine:
3 eggs
1 cup orange juice (to add a sweet, tangy undertone)

In a flat dish/pan:
Spread 2 or 3 cups breadcrumbs

Take a large skillet (cast iron works best) and fill with canola, veg or peanut oil. Oil should fill pan up to about 1 1/2 inches.
Begin to heat on high, reducing to medium when oil reaches between 325 and 350 degrees.

After letting the chicken sit, cut each breast into 2 or 3 pieces (this is your preference)
Place the chicken on a cookie sheet and salt & pepper to taste
With tongs, place 3 or 4 pieces at a time into the bag full of dry ingredients. Shake to coat.
Take each piece out of the bag, and dip chicken into egg mixture. Coat evenly.
Take chicken pieces from egg mixture and transfer to pan of breadcrumbs. Coat evenly.
Use tongs to place coated chicken into hot, oil filled skillet.
Flip chicken every 1 to 2 minutes, until deep golden brown and fully cooked.

Let sit on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes.

Enjoy!!


So there you go, my original fried chicken recipe!
If anyone tries it, let me know what you think!

(insert "Cannon in D" here)

Yep, definitely still got weddings on the brain, but hey, it's only been a day!

YEAH, incase you missed the previous post: I am ENGAGED. To the man of my dreams :) Godly, gentleman-ly, caring, loving, hard working, amazing at hand/arm massages, and not to bad on the eyes either ;D


this would be last year, but I do so love his silly smile :)

Anywhoo, I've been recommended to sign up to various sights, stalk various blogs, and talk to various people about various vendors. All in time, my friends! I'm so excited! Weddings will most likely be an under-lying theme of a few posts to come. Just sayin'!

Besides that, I have a few pics to show you to help describe what else has been going on in my life this past week!



My Aunt and Uncle came for the weekend to sit by the pool and sip Mimosas with us. My two cousins, N & J (names abbreviated for protection) then stayed at our house this last week and will be heading with the Nana and the Poppie back to their parents in california this coming tuesday.


I also remembered just how cute my cousins and my dogs are.


My car, Maude, decided to completely fizzle out on me. She is "grounded from flight" by my Poppie. He fancies himself an air traffic controller.


I finally finished and labeled all of my bows for Esty. J is modeling the "Cheyenne Western" bow. She wanted crazy pigtails in return for some camera time.

And that's about it, sorry for all the pictures. At least I didn't sneak in another picture of my ring.
:D I'll save that for another day.

Continue being fabulous, my friends!
X's and O's
Abbi

SO...

THIS ^^ right here is what my blog post is about.

Today, at approximately 1:46 and 1/2 p.m., Randy got down on one knee, on a scrubby patch of grass, surrounded by trees and fountains and other lovely things, and asked me to be his wife. Naturally, I said NO and ran away with the ring.

JUST KIDDING :)

I am now, soon to be, Mrs. Shumate!!

AHHH!!

Short Post Sunday:

Not much crafting going on the past week or so. My adorable cousins are in town for ten days from California, so there will be much swimming and watching of the Disney Channel. They're so energetic, was I like that when I was seven or nine? No possible way!! ;)

Anyways, here is something I found on thebeautydepartment. I would never do it (my hair is finally normalizing itself after years of abuse), but I think it's fabulously funky and adorable.



What do you think?

Have a great week, everyone, and I shall update with cousin pics and other crafting escapades I manage to fit in.

Keep it fabulous!
Abbi

4th of July, cake pops, and (more) bows.

So, in the past few days, I made some more bows, made some super amazing star shaped cake pops for a Fourth of July party with Randy's family, and celebrated the actual holiday by lounging poolside and watching fireworks on a golf course with some friends. So fun, happy (late) Birthday, America!!


Randy enjoyed playing HorseBall. He and Mark were Undefeated!


The Stewarts graciously opened their home and pool to us.

My new bows and our amazing 4th of July cake pops. It was such a fun weekend! Hope you all have an amazing week, and if you have any cool holiday treats, feel free to share!!

X's and O's
Abbi

Adorable and Edible!

Ok, been a little slow on the crafting front lately, but that should pick up again soon. This post in focused on some of the adorable things I found of one of my favorite sites: musthavecute.com (once again, my computer is refusing to let me add links!)



First off, we have some adorable corset cookies. Maybe for a boudoir themed party? A bachelorette bash? Something Marie Antoinette themed? Or maybe it's a sick way to remind people that if you eat cookies, you might end up having to wear a corset? (I'd still eat one!!)



Also in with the "french" theme, cameo cookies! I'm a huge fan of cameo jewelry, so I would love to munch one of these.



I am in love with these! This is definitely going to be a project and future post. Basically, it involves baking pink colored cakes, cutting out heart shapes and baking the heart shapes into cupcakes. LOVE IT!!



Lastly, these fabulous floral cupcakes. They look so lovely and delicate, I would most likely admire them rather than eat them. I wonder how much time went into crafting these little pieces of flowery deliciousness.

If you have any other cute edibles, please, let me know!

Until next time, Keep it fabulous!
Abbi