Well, Hello World!

I cannot tell you how very excited I am to be a part of this awesome blog!  Those of you who are The Lovely Prelude followers will have seen me a couple of times before, filling in for Abbi while she is off in Mexico or Spain or somewhere amazing like that.  You may also know that we both love to eat, cook, read,  and create! 

 I will be bringing some meat (literally) to the blog recipes, and some more crafty or inspirational how-to posts.  I might even post a silly picture of my dog wearing a jacket!  How exciting!

This is my little family: my fiance, Matt, and our pup, Layla.  I get to marry Matt in about a year and a half, which gives me plenty of time to get my DIY on!  We live in Pensacola right now, which could not be more different from Abbi's life in DC; there are fairly reasonable temperatures all year round, the beach is almost always an option, and we don't get to go to nearly as many fun museum/concert/restaurant openings.  I keep myself entertained by crafting, going to the farmer's market on weekends, occasional antiquing, cooking and baking, and reading.  

I cannot wait to start sharing with all of you! 

    

 

Welcome to The Lovely Prelude, Haley! or: A Good Reason to Drink Bailey's

Y'all, I am so, so excited and happy to introduce the newest blogger to write on The Lovely Prelude...Haley!

This Floridian has a lot to bring to the electronic table: she's crafty, loves to cook (with meat!), climbs rocks in her spare time, and is, without a doubt, the coolest girl I know.
Haley is going to take over the blog on Tuesdays and Thursdays,  and we'll share on Fridays.  This means more how-to's, more recipes, and lots more fun photos to browse!  Visit tomorrow for Haley's first post- I just know you're going to love her as much as I do.

The best way I know to welcome good news is a celebratory cocktail.  It's been chilly up here in DC, which always makes me think of Bailey's.  How's this for a simple Bailey's cocktail:
1 oz. vodka, 1.5 oz Bailey's, and a pinch of cinnamon.
Combine the liquors in a shaker with lots of ice, shake up, strain into a glass, and top with the spice.  It's easy, it's festive, it's tasty!

Welcome to The Lovely Prelude, Haley!  I'm so thrilled to have you in this space!

What You May Not Know About Abbi

Hello!  Now, most of you know all about how cute and smart and funny Abbi is, because she proves it all the time in her blog posts.  What you may not know, however, are the silly, funny little things that make me miss her so much. 

She used to wear John Paul's ski goggles so that she wouldn't tear up while cutting onions.  I always heard that you should chew gum while cutting onions, but obviously ski goggles are a much more effective method.

This is how she looks on her reader's card for the Library of Congress. (This was during a trip when I had first started dating Matt, and she sent him a message telling him that he had won a toaster and luggage set for dating me for two months. Ha ha, Abbi.)

When I used to go to school in Jacksonville, and she was in St. Augustine, I spent almost every weekend at her place.  I really did not enjoy my first two years of college, and Abbi would always invite me down to stay with her, luring me with promises of Magic Shell and arts and crafts.  We also watched fun movies like "Princess Bride" all the time.

She is straight-up gangster, yo!

She makes a really great tri-pod.  She is very strong and balanced, and is handy for putting your camera on to take pictures at night.   

Well, you all know that she is a fabulous cook!  She always cooked for me when I visited in St. Augustine, and sometimes I think I get the most nostalgic for those moments when we were sitting in the kitchen together, chatting and gossiping about our days while we chopped vegetables or boiled pasta.  We definitely took for granted all of these little evenings together; what I wouldn't give to be able to stop by and see Abbi at any time!