Engagement photos

My very talented friend, Chris Franz, took our engagement photos a couple of weeks ago. They turned out fantastic.

Fargo wedding on Offbeat Bride

Hi all,
Once again, it's been a while. Life is busy as usual with wedding planning, which usually includes a daily check of my favorite bridal blogs. Offbeat Bride, the one I've followed the longest, featured a Fargo wedding today. How cool.

We're off to Dickinson this weekend for Memorial Day. I'm attempting to take our own engagement photos with a tripod and a lot of patience. I originally was going to skip the whole engagement photo thing because we don't plan to put them in the newspaper. Now we're using them for our save-the-dates.

Other than that, life is much of the same.

Back to reality

I've been on vacation most of this week. I must admit, it's been quite awesome.



Troy and I went to our first Twins game in Target Field for his birthday. It was great, but I won't bore you with the same old crap everyone says about the field, like that it's beautiful, fantastic and blah blah.

I got to see some of my best friends while I was in Minneapolis, and I also spent some time with my sister and mom, planning for weddings and babies. My wedding, my sister's baby.

Sorry I've been absent from the blog, but things seem to finally be settling down after job changes and wedding planning.

Dog lover

Hey,
I've been pretty absent once again this week. I took these photos this fall and put together this audio slide show for a class. Thanks to Chris, I can now post it here.

http://sws.mnstate.edu/franzch/shaffer2/

Thanks Chris and Cristen!

p.s. Don't kill me for posting it, Cristen.

Purr-dy boy

Help me choose

So I'm picking wedding colors. Yup. And already had some decided upon. But then I changed my mind about 50 times.

People, please help me.



OR



Obviously the greens are staying.

Busy times

oh hai.

I apologize for my lack of interesting posts lately. It's been an incredibly busy couple of weeks lately. Between wedding planning, a new job at work and gearing up for the second major flood in as many years leaves little time to do much of anything post-worthy.

We've made lots of wedding plans lately, which I have managed to post a few of on our wedding blog.

I also received word today that I am up for a Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence award, as is the magazine I was editor of last year.

I moved over to reporting this week, and it's been a great transition thus far.

So that's some of what I've been up to, what's new with you?

A yay for the day

Wedding blog

Shame. SHAME! I started a wedding blog. I apologize.


http://heidiandtroywedding.blogspot.com/

Chocolate cupcakes and knight(mare)s in shining armor

I take it back

So remember how the other day I said we were waiting a while to make any wedding decisions? Well, I bough a bridal magazine yesterday. Not only was it really embarrassing for the Target cashier to gush about it and tell me all about her wedding. I can already tell I will get really sick of wedding talk. Hey, and I bet you guys will too. I'll try to keep the wedding blog posts to a minimum.

So once I brought the magazine (OK, magazineS. I bought two.) home I was very bored with them. I'm not going to spend $30,000 on a wedding, and I don't care about traditions, so I think those will be my last two bridal magazines. I already follow Offbeat Bride, but I want to find some other, actually helpful wedding blogs. Anyone have suggestions?

Lookit!

So I waited a while to post about it because I have a few followers that I thought might appreciate finding out in person. But I got engaged on Valentine's Day.

I'm super excited, but we are not deciding on an wedding plans for a while.

WardrobeWednesday: ideeli

So, I apologize if this is a well-known site to most of you, but I recently joined ideeli.

Ideeli sends you e-mails each day of the different sales offered on their site of designer clothing, shoes, accessories, etc. Each sale only lasts about 24 hours, but if you get a "front-row pass" you get an extra hour to shop before the rest of the world can buy.

I bought a pair of Steve Madden shoes last week for $40, and am still contemplating this Nine West dress for only $45:


Are there other great shopping places like this? My paycheck would probably thank you if you didn't tell me, but I'd love to know.

B e M i n e .

My best friend Cristen and I made valentines with the help of my new typewriter a few weeks back.
I hope everyone spent today with the one they love. Happy Valentine's Day.

Haircut before and after

I've been struggling for months with what to do with my hair. I think I've asked nearly everyone their opinion. For the last year or so I've thought that I wanted it really long. Every time I saw someone with lengthy locks, I'd say "Oooh, that's what I want my hair." Then I'd see a photo of someone with short hair. And I'd remember back to haircuts past. I'd remember how easy short hair was to take care of.

So I went in today and told my hair girly to do whatever she wanted.

And she did.

I'm quite pleased.

Before:


After:

WardrobeWednesday: Bow me over

I am in love with bows lately. The idea of polka dots a bows brings me back to my wardrobe of a few years ago. As I get older though, I realize these aren't always the most grown-up of fashion accessories, but if you pair them carefully and choose sophisticated bows — instead of overly cutesy — it's a look anyone can do.


From diamentdesigns on Etsy.


From breagha on Etsy.



From Anthropologie.


From Anthropologie.


From Anthropologie.

From Anthropologie.















www.modcloth.com

Winter grumpies

I have a case of the winter grumpies today. My way of dealing, sitting on the couch and watching kitty videos. I'm so awesome.


Cat With Machine Gun - Funny videos are here

Sort of like a kitty version of "The Hurt Locker." Speaking of which, I'm looking forward to Oscars season. My goal is to see all 10 best picture nominees by the time the winner is announced. So far I've seen five, and I refuse to see "The Blind Side" because it looks horrible, so I'm almost there.

MondayMunchies: Healthy chocolate cupcakes

Our household has been on a bit of a health kick lately, and I've been trying to find good-for-you solutions to those bad-habit foods.


Case in point: The chocolate cupcake
The solution: Replacing the bad stuff with pureed pumpkin

This is so super simple.

Use 1 box of chocolate cake mix. (I've also used the No Pudge brownie mix to make them a little heartier.)
1 15 oz. can of pumpkin puree (just pure pumpkin, not the pumpkin pie filling)

Combine with hand mixer —the dough is really sticky and thick. Spoon mix into cupcake tin. This should make about 18 regular-sized cupcakes. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. They're done.

If you like pumpkin, play up the flavor by adding about a tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice. If you don't like pumpkin, no worries, you can't even taste it.

If you on Weight Watchers, these are 2 points. For the rest of you, they're about 125 calories with just 2 grams of fat.

ThriftThursday: Typewriter

Ok, so it's not Thursday anymore, but I did happen to buy this item on Thursday, so it still counts.

My best bud Cristen and I went to an antique store downtown yesterday. Whist traipsing through the basement I stumbled upon this lovely lady:



It's a Tower Capri typewriter. I don't know much about it except that it was made in Holland. I did some digging online today and really couldn't learn too much more than that about it.

All I know is I love it and it loves me.

MondayMust: LOVEly dress

This icky weather has me thinking of warmer times, and I can't stop looking at this dress from Modcloth. It's so cute from the front, but the back ... oooooh. And it's only $60. Unfortunately, it's only left in a medium. I guess I'll just have to keep dreaming.

Nikon camera/lenses

Anyone looking for a new camera or maybe some Nikon lenses? Life is Love Cherish Life is selling her Nikon D300 and three lenses and for a pretty good deal!

31

It just hit 31 degrees outside, which means this rain is turning to ice. And in preparation for this weekend, I'm streaming "The Ice Storm" from Netflix. ... at least until the electricity goes out.

Pleasant weekend, everyone.

In need of some tropical air

Most years around this time I've had a vacation to look forward to. Not this year. I'm a working stiff with no time off over spring break and no money to spend.

Today was the second day in which the city was turned white by a thick coat of frost. It would have looked really pretty the week before Christmas. Unfortunately it's not the week before Christmas. At least it not minus-fuck-your-life degrees outside.

I miss actual fresh fruit. One can only eat so many apples and oranges. Last year in Costa Rica, we ate fresh pineapple, papaya, bananas and mango for breakfast most mornings. The real stuff. I didn't know that's what bananas were supposed to taste like, you know, for real fresh — not delivered to your local grocer green for consumption.

Every Saturday in the area of San Jose in which we stayed there's a farmers market. Up here in tundra country that doesn't get started until June, and even then, they don't have mangoes and pineapple. I don't see myself leaving this region any time soon, but man, it would be nice for a break from the winter for a while.