Should you be thinking about what I am thinking about - you will totally understand this post. And should your thoughts be in other areas - just go ahead and skip on over it. :) THERE IS A WEDDING TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have bought in hook, line and sinker. LOL - is that even how that cliche goes? I have a bad way with cliches. I usually get them 95% correct but just a tad off.
A few things that I must mention: my royal name, family connections, and recipes for the perfect British treats to enjoy while watching the festivities.
First, if you haven't done it yet - just stop resisting. Go to the E! News website and get your personal royal name. Mine is HM Queen Abigail Hadley Spencerskitt of Tulsaford. COME ON!!!!! I think I am going to start asking people to refer to me as Queen Abigail. Go to http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/royals/index.html to get your's within seconds and for free!
Second, I have always known that I must be related to royalty is some form or fashion. LOL. Well - as it turns out, I married into it. That's right people - Zion SPENCER is 16 people removed from the Princess of Wales herself - Diana. So it's entirely fair to say that Friday will really be a family affair for us. I am thinking of it as a family reunion across the pond that I just can't make it to. :) I know I am ridiculous if that makes it any better!
And finally, what could be better to enjoy while watching the wedding than cream scones and lemon curd???? My mom and I will be making both in preparation for our ridiculously early morning viewing. If you're interested - here are the recipes:
CREAM SCONES:
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 T baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/3 cold butter, cut into pieces
1 cup whipping cream
Topping: 2 T whipping cream and some sugar
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter with pastry blender until the consistency is course and crumbly. Add 1 cup whipping cream, stirring just until moistened.
Drop batter into finger shapes. Brush tops of the scones with the remaining 2 T whipping cream. Sprinkle tops with sugar.
Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Yields one dozen
LEMON CURD:
3 large lemons
5 eggs
1 cup sugar
8 T unsalted butter
Grate lemon rinds (1/3 to 1/2 cup)
Squeeze lemon juice (about 2/3 cup) into blender. Add eggs, sugar, and butter. Blend until smooth. Stir in lemon rind.
Transfer mixture to saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened OR heat in microwave, about 10 minutes.
Chill. Makes about 3 cups
Cheerio darling! I am gearing up to enjoy every historic, beautiful moment on Friday!
Love y'all,
Queen A
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Weekend Movie Review: Due Date
So we're not big rated 'r' movie watchers. They usually just bring us down, or are too rough, or just have so much language that it's difficult to get past. BUT we are big Zack Galifanakis and Robert Downey Jr. fans! You probably saw the previews but seriously even the trailer makes me laugh:
So, overall, I recommend it! (for an appropriately aged audience of course) The 'f' word is used somewhat liberally but does not consume the script and that's definitely the reason for the 'r' rating. We watched it on Saturday, and the movie is truly funny, very entertaining, and has some really touching moments too. The fact that RDJr's character is about to become a dad for the first time ends up being a minor theme. The movie is about the relationship between these two guys - thrown together by crazy circumstance, absolute opposites, and yet - needing the other for various reasons.
These days, I am lucky to get anything on the TV aside from NBA playoffs. However - THE wedding is coming and my DVR is currently being given a cut-throat edit to make sure that I have plenty of space for hours and hours of coverage. :) Hope you guys had a fantastic Easter weekend!
Love y'all,
Abi
So, overall, I recommend it! (for an appropriately aged audience of course) The 'f' word is used somewhat liberally but does not consume the script and that's definitely the reason for the 'r' rating. We watched it on Saturday, and the movie is truly funny, very entertaining, and has some really touching moments too. The fact that RDJr's character is about to become a dad for the first time ends up being a minor theme. The movie is about the relationship between these two guys - thrown together by crazy circumstance, absolute opposites, and yet - needing the other for various reasons.
These days, I am lucky to get anything on the TV aside from NBA playoffs. However - THE wedding is coming and my DVR is currently being given a cut-throat edit to make sure that I have plenty of space for hours and hours of coverage. :) Hope you guys had a fantastic Easter weekend!
Love y'all,
Abi
Friday, April 22, 2011
ONE Week From Today!!!!
Be still my heart. Seriously - you know what one week from today is I am sure. The Royal Wedding!!! Words really cannot express how excited I am about it. I think to some it may seem silly but I assure you - it is not!
When you are little - you make believe all kinds of scenarios and play them out. Cops and robbers. House. Teacher. Church. I was always Princess Diana. If there was one celebrity that captured my heart and attention from a very young age - it was her! From childhood - I had a huge picture book of her that I would peel through for hours. Seriously. And the funny thing is that my mom never pushed me in that direction - it was totally a natural connection that I pursued entirely.
Don't get me wrong. I know that she was not a perfect person and beneath her physical beauty was a fairly troubled woman. But still - I think that she played a part in the world that we as humanity were created to need. Woman. Femininity. Strength. Love. Grace.
Okay - not to get too theologically sticky here...but I believe that both man AND woman are made in the image of God. We each display attributes of God and both genders reflect Him. To me - there is something so deeply satisfying about encountering a woman full of yes physical beauty, but a deep groundedness beneath that beauty. To me - Diana was just that. She walked out a beauty that encompasses grace, a loving heart, and last but certainly not least - strength! For me personally, she is still a role model. Of course not in all of her life decisions - but in certain aspects of her femininity I find inspiration.
I think there's a reason that fairy tales still sell. There is a reason that little girls still twirl. There is a reason why baby girls are often referred to as princesses - even before they are born.
As daughters of the ultimate King - we are royal princesses and it really is a part of our DNA. Sorry if this is too sappy but it is something that I really do believe! :)
So one week from today - I will be awake with my mom at an insanely early morning hour to watch another girl (somewhat) like you and like me become a royal princess. We will probably drink hot chocolate, also coffee, and maybe I'll make pancakes. Yes - I have already arranged to have the day off of work so that Liam and I can sleep during the afternoon to pay for the drastic lack of sleep the night before! And, I most certainly DO plan to do a blog post recapping my experience watching and what stirred my heart. :)
If you have to work - I believe there will be online streaming of the event live! Pinkies up now and here's to Wills and Kate! I just can't wait.
When you are little - you make believe all kinds of scenarios and play them out. Cops and robbers. House. Teacher. Church. I was always Princess Diana. If there was one celebrity that captured my heart and attention from a very young age - it was her! From childhood - I had a huge picture book of her that I would peel through for hours. Seriously. And the funny thing is that my mom never pushed me in that direction - it was totally a natural connection that I pursued entirely.
Don't get me wrong. I know that she was not a perfect person and beneath her physical beauty was a fairly troubled woman. But still - I think that she played a part in the world that we as humanity were created to need. Woman. Femininity. Strength. Love. Grace.
Okay - not to get too theologically sticky here...but I believe that both man AND woman are made in the image of God. We each display attributes of God and both genders reflect Him. To me - there is something so deeply satisfying about encountering a woman full of yes physical beauty, but a deep groundedness beneath that beauty. To me - Diana was just that. She walked out a beauty that encompasses grace, a loving heart, and last but certainly not least - strength! For me personally, she is still a role model. Of course not in all of her life decisions - but in certain aspects of her femininity I find inspiration.
I think there's a reason that fairy tales still sell. There is a reason that little girls still twirl. There is a reason why baby girls are often referred to as princesses - even before they are born.
As daughters of the ultimate King - we are royal princesses and it really is a part of our DNA. Sorry if this is too sappy but it is something that I really do believe! :)
So one week from today - I will be awake with my mom at an insanely early morning hour to watch another girl (somewhat) like you and like me become a royal princess. We will probably drink hot chocolate, also coffee, and maybe I'll make pancakes. Yes - I have already arranged to have the day off of work so that Liam and I can sleep during the afternoon to pay for the drastic lack of sleep the night before! And, I most certainly DO plan to do a blog post recapping my experience watching and what stirred my heart. :)
If you have to work - I believe there will be online streaming of the event live! Pinkies up now and here's to Wills and Kate! I just can't wait.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Wednesday Wake-Up!
Goooooood morning!
Business doesn't do the blog much good does it? LOL. There are so many things that I could and should (and will) post about....just give me a few more days. Zion and I are definitely using these last few months of 'just us' to the fullest and last week we had the pleasure of spending time in Nassau, Bahamas. Let me just say - there are a few perks to having a traveling husband and one of those is airline miles!!! It seems to now take me at least half a week to recover from trips now and I am definitely still in recovery mode.
Laundry needs to be done, my suitcase needs to be unpacked, and the dishwasher desperately needs to be run. :)
But at the same time - my spirit is awake. I love the Easter holiday. And the older I get, the more space in my heart and mind I want to make for the true reason of celebration. These days leading up to Good Friday and Easter Sunday always draw me to the first four books of the New Testament. I don't want to forget. I don't want to let the beauty of this reality slip my mind: Jesus died so that I could live. He gave it all just to have me...and to have you too.
I cannot imagine my life without Hope. He has brought me to life in so many ways and I want to keep saying yes to the invitation to more life in Christ. Can you even begin to imagine facing life without Him? I honestly believe that I would be one depressed chickie.
Philippians 3:10-12 (New Living Translation)
"10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!
12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me."
But I press on!! YES! I press on. I press on to let more of the dead parts of my heart, my thoughts, my words, my soul fall off. His resurrection power is about more than Christ coming out of the grave alive. It is a real, active, and powerful reality today. He is resurrecting me and you today.
So if you've been discouraged at all recently - in any way - lay your burden in His hands. He wants to bring new life to you. And this is such a sweet time to receive His New Life. Just lay it down because it doesn't have to be your's anymore. We truly can be alive in Christ.
So here's to a Wednesday full of life and awknowledgement of His Life and who He wants to be in our lives. Happy Resurrection Week my friends!
Love y'all,
Abi
Business doesn't do the blog much good does it? LOL. There are so many things that I could and should (and will) post about....just give me a few more days. Zion and I are definitely using these last few months of 'just us' to the fullest and last week we had the pleasure of spending time in Nassau, Bahamas. Let me just say - there are a few perks to having a traveling husband and one of those is airline miles!!! It seems to now take me at least half a week to recover from trips now and I am definitely still in recovery mode.
Laundry needs to be done, my suitcase needs to be unpacked, and the dishwasher desperately needs to be run. :)
But at the same time - my spirit is awake. I love the Easter holiday. And the older I get, the more space in my heart and mind I want to make for the true reason of celebration. These days leading up to Good Friday and Easter Sunday always draw me to the first four books of the New Testament. I don't want to forget. I don't want to let the beauty of this reality slip my mind: Jesus died so that I could live. He gave it all just to have me...and to have you too.
I cannot imagine my life without Hope. He has brought me to life in so many ways and I want to keep saying yes to the invitation to more life in Christ. Can you even begin to imagine facing life without Him? I honestly believe that I would be one depressed chickie.
Philippians 3:10-12 (New Living Translation)
"10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!
12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me."
But I press on!! YES! I press on. I press on to let more of the dead parts of my heart, my thoughts, my words, my soul fall off. His resurrection power is about more than Christ coming out of the grave alive. It is a real, active, and powerful reality today. He is resurrecting me and you today.
So if you've been discouraged at all recently - in any way - lay your burden in His hands. He wants to bring new life to you. And this is such a sweet time to receive His New Life. Just lay it down because it doesn't have to be your's anymore. We truly can be alive in Christ.
So here's to a Wednesday full of life and awknowledgement of His Life and who He wants to be in our lives. Happy Resurrection Week my friends!
Love y'all,
Abi
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
24 Weeks!
It is hard to believe that 24 weeks have come and gone! It seems like a very long time but in other ways - it's flown by. It's such a surreal experience overall that's it is hard to come up with the right words for it!
So here are the updated bump pictures:
Yes - still looking up and to your left. I don't know! Maybe it's becoming my thing for these pics. :)
As you can see - Baby Boy is having no growth issues. None. It is definitely enjoyable to have such a very pregnant looking bump! On the other hand - DANG! I feel like if I told people I was 32 weeks or something with only 8 more to go - it would be totally believable. It makes you wonder - just how big am I going to get? Embrace the whole experience. Embrace the whole experience. :)
Regardless of size - I do so cherish seeing more of him and knowing that he is growing. Apparently - this week his face should be almost 100% developed although tiny. Is it not CRAZY to try to wrap your mind around the miracle that is conception and delivery of a human being???? God is so beyond my capacity to even imagine and I love it. At the last ultrasound, the tech kept mentioning his very developed nose and lips. Well hello! Have you seen his parents??? I can't wait to kiss those big full lips and to rub noses - stately nose to stately nose. LOL. I just do not understand how people cannot believe in God after experiencing carrying a baby and then birth.
My prediction is that he is also going to be a strong boy! His pow pow pow kicks and punches are impressive.
A few random fun facts:
Likes:
Haribo gummy bears - I purchased a THREE POUND bag and divided it into baggies
Peanut Butter Sandwiches with honey - yum
Pizza
And many many more things..... let's get real, I still just like food - and I really always have so I don't know that any of these things can seriously be credited to pregnancy :)
Dislikes:
Cleaning
Grocery Shopping
It's overwhelming people!
Also, it's great to report that the emotions have kicked in fully and I am totally taken by this boy. I cannot imagine anything other than a boy - and this one specifically. Feeling him move changes everything and I am filled with confidence regarding the plans God has for his life.
Name update: We are fairly settled on William for a first name. We'll call him Liam for the most part though. It means 'strong-willed warrior.' Now of course, we may 100% change our minds in a few weeks! For now, middle name is undecided.
I feel like this post is going on and on. And it is! But - the thoughts just keep coming!
We finally decided on having his bedding made by a seamstress I found on Etsy. We are excited about it! Not so excited about the ten week wait to receive it but I think it will be worth it. Specifically for boys, so many of the bedding options are very cliche or cheesy (for my taste at least).... So! We chose these two fabrics and we'll build a color theme around black/white/lime. The green in the print is much more lime in person than the yellow/gold it looks like here.
In conclusion of this post, I leave you with a picture that depicts what it feels like to see yourself grow and grow and wonder....what in the world?????
Love y'all!
Abi
So here are the updated bump pictures:
Yes - still looking up and to your left. I don't know! Maybe it's becoming my thing for these pics. :)
As you can see - Baby Boy is having no growth issues. None. It is definitely enjoyable to have such a very pregnant looking bump! On the other hand - DANG! I feel like if I told people I was 32 weeks or something with only 8 more to go - it would be totally believable. It makes you wonder - just how big am I going to get? Embrace the whole experience. Embrace the whole experience. :)
Regardless of size - I do so cherish seeing more of him and knowing that he is growing. Apparently - this week his face should be almost 100% developed although tiny. Is it not CRAZY to try to wrap your mind around the miracle that is conception and delivery of a human being???? God is so beyond my capacity to even imagine and I love it. At the last ultrasound, the tech kept mentioning his very developed nose and lips. Well hello! Have you seen his parents??? I can't wait to kiss those big full lips and to rub noses - stately nose to stately nose. LOL. I just do not understand how people cannot believe in God after experiencing carrying a baby and then birth.
My prediction is that he is also going to be a strong boy! His pow pow pow kicks and punches are impressive.
A few random fun facts:
Likes:
Haribo gummy bears - I purchased a THREE POUND bag and divided it into baggies
Peanut Butter Sandwiches with honey - yum
Pizza
And many many more things..... let's get real, I still just like food - and I really always have so I don't know that any of these things can seriously be credited to pregnancy :)
Dislikes:
Cleaning
Grocery Shopping
It's overwhelming people!
Also, it's great to report that the emotions have kicked in fully and I am totally taken by this boy. I cannot imagine anything other than a boy - and this one specifically. Feeling him move changes everything and I am filled with confidence regarding the plans God has for his life.
Name update: We are fairly settled on William for a first name. We'll call him Liam for the most part though. It means 'strong-willed warrior.' Now of course, we may 100% change our minds in a few weeks! For now, middle name is undecided.
I feel like this post is going on and on. And it is! But - the thoughts just keep coming!
We finally decided on having his bedding made by a seamstress I found on Etsy. We are excited about it! Not so excited about the ten week wait to receive it but I think it will be worth it. Specifically for boys, so many of the bedding options are very cliche or cheesy (for my taste at least).... So! We chose these two fabrics and we'll build a color theme around black/white/lime. The green in the print is much more lime in person than the yellow/gold it looks like here.
In conclusion of this post, I leave you with a picture that depicts what it feels like to see yourself grow and grow and wonder....what in the world?????
Love y'all!
Abi
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
P.S.... Movie Review
I had Saturday night to myself and so I did the only logical thing: ordered pizza, ate ice cream, and watched a chick flick. So nice!!! I rented "Life As We Know It" with Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel. Yes - it was predictable. But I really liked it! It's definitely worth your time and a dollar or two at RedBox. I laughed out loud a few times and the characters pulled me in quickly. Great girls night in option!
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Weekend Report: Washington D.C.!
Isn't there something so great about weekend reports? If you read them during the week - it's like a mini escape to weekend living! Some weekends are just a little more exciting than others aren't they? Some have me running from activity to activity, arriving on Monday's doorstep breathless. And then there are those weekends that offer you a downright through-and-through adventure. Last weekend was one of those adventures for Mr. and Mrs. Spencer.
Zion has been traveling for work for quite a while and sometimes he goes to really great places. We have always talked about taking advantage of those trips and me joining up with him for a weekend when it's a fun location. Well folks, after two years, we made it happen in Washington, D.C.!
I will let the pictures do most of the talking but it had been since middle school that either of us has been there and it was pretty cool to take it all in from a more adult understanding.
One thing I don't have a great picture of: Five Guys Burgers. Hallelujah! Funny enough - we ate our first and our last meal at Five Guys and I just have to say that they make one great burger.
So here we go!
These are all in random order but I just decided not to take the time to fix it. :) The rotunda of the capitol! And that striking figure in black is my handsome husband. :)
Well, we are big cupcake fans. I won't admit to how many we ate over this particular weekend! LOL. These are from Crumbs and it's still our favorite - totally beats Georgetown Cupcakes in our humble opinion. Our two favorite flavors: cappuccino and red velvet. They were eaten in totality shortly after taking this picture - have no fear.
Oh man there were some gorgeous trees! I had never seen a weeping willow-ish pink flower tree (my profession name for it you see). It was so pretty!
Baby Boy goes to the Capitol!
So funny bc I didn't mean to not look pregnant! That's what a larger than life purse will do for ya ladies. Quite useful under certain circumstances.
We hit DC at the beginning of the annual Cherry Blossom Festival! AMAZING!!! Yonder is the Thomas Jefferson Memorial and yes you guessed it smarties - Cherry Blossom Trees.
They were beyond pretty. I am not certain if I had seen cherry blossom trees in bloom before but they are all a gift from Japan to the US over many years. Very cool gift if you ask me!
Back yard of White House. Because I watch the HGTV White House Christmas special every single year (!) I can tell you that this is where the White House Christmas tree is rolled up in that wagon thing and all of the decorations are loaded in. Goal: go to a State Dinner at the WH someday. Hey - I like big dreams!
Perhaps not the very best pic - but on the front lawn of the White House there was this gorgeous flowering tree right by the fence. I loooooved it.
The Spencers 'visit' the White House!
Our cupcake choices from Georgetown Cupcakes! The show is called DC Cupcakes but the actual store is Georgetown Cupcakes - I agree: confusing. Aren't they pretty! They were good. AND THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN after the hour wait in line just to get into the shop and order! For real! But a DC pro who goes every Sunday after Mass for her weekly order of two cupcakes got in line right behind us and after about twenty minutes of talking - she shared with us the insider tip if you are a facebook fan of Georgetown Cupcakes. Each day they make a secret cupcake flavor and post it on their FB Wall. If you get the flavor from there - the first 100 people to order it get one free! The super secret flavor was the S'Mores one above. We felt so legit ordering it - I was tempted to whisper my order. :)
The promised land after our hour wait in line!!!!!! Fun experience but we still heart Crumbs the most.
Fun weekend with my favorite adventurer! Hope you all had great weekends...I would love to hear about them. Here's to an excellent week!
Love y'all,
Abi
Zion has been traveling for work for quite a while and sometimes he goes to really great places. We have always talked about taking advantage of those trips and me joining up with him for a weekend when it's a fun location. Well folks, after two years, we made it happen in Washington, D.C.!
I will let the pictures do most of the talking but it had been since middle school that either of us has been there and it was pretty cool to take it all in from a more adult understanding.
One thing I don't have a great picture of: Five Guys Burgers. Hallelujah! Funny enough - we ate our first and our last meal at Five Guys and I just have to say that they make one great burger.
So here we go!
These are all in random order but I just decided not to take the time to fix it. :) The rotunda of the capitol! And that striking figure in black is my handsome husband. :)
Well, we are big cupcake fans. I won't admit to how many we ate over this particular weekend! LOL. These are from Crumbs and it's still our favorite - totally beats Georgetown Cupcakes in our humble opinion. Our two favorite flavors: cappuccino and red velvet. They were eaten in totality shortly after taking this picture - have no fear.
Oh man there were some gorgeous trees! I had never seen a weeping willow-ish pink flower tree (my profession name for it you see). It was so pretty!
Baby Boy goes to the Capitol!
So funny bc I didn't mean to not look pregnant! That's what a larger than life purse will do for ya ladies. Quite useful under certain circumstances.
We hit DC at the beginning of the annual Cherry Blossom Festival! AMAZING!!! Yonder is the Thomas Jefferson Memorial and yes you guessed it smarties - Cherry Blossom Trees.
They were beyond pretty. I am not certain if I had seen cherry blossom trees in bloom before but they are all a gift from Japan to the US over many years. Very cool gift if you ask me!
Back yard of White House. Because I watch the HGTV White House Christmas special every single year (!) I can tell you that this is where the White House Christmas tree is rolled up in that wagon thing and all of the decorations are loaded in. Goal: go to a State Dinner at the WH someday. Hey - I like big dreams!
Perhaps not the very best pic - but on the front lawn of the White House there was this gorgeous flowering tree right by the fence. I loooooved it.
The Spencers 'visit' the White House!
Our cupcake choices from Georgetown Cupcakes! The show is called DC Cupcakes but the actual store is Georgetown Cupcakes - I agree: confusing. Aren't they pretty! They were good. AND THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN after the hour wait in line just to get into the shop and order! For real! But a DC pro who goes every Sunday after Mass for her weekly order of two cupcakes got in line right behind us and after about twenty minutes of talking - she shared with us the insider tip if you are a facebook fan of Georgetown Cupcakes. Each day they make a secret cupcake flavor and post it on their FB Wall. If you get the flavor from there - the first 100 people to order it get one free! The super secret flavor was the S'Mores one above. We felt so legit ordering it - I was tempted to whisper my order. :)
The promised land after our hour wait in line!!!!!! Fun experience but we still heart Crumbs the most.
Fun weekend with my favorite adventurer! Hope you all had great weekends...I would love to hear about them. Here's to an excellent week!
Love y'all,
Abi
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