Friday, February 27, 2015

Five on Friday Link Up

 I am so happy it is Friday! We have a rather exciting weekend planned, so I will be right to it.

1| Date night with Ryan tonight. We often order food and cuddle on the sofa on a Friday night, but tonight we are going out. Nothing fancy, probably Long Horn.

2| We went bowling a couple of weeks ago with out closest friend and we had so much fun we decided to do it again. So on Saturday we are all getting together and going bowling. Only this time we are not betting with beer. Sadly, my team had to buy four rounds of beer last time.

3| Going along with Saturday my friends Steph and Gabby are coming up to visit and go out with us. Since moving I do not get to see them very often, so I am really excited to see them! It is never a dull moment when we are around each other.

4| Some really exciting news! Our best friends are  having their first baby!!! They are due in September. Ryan and I are so unbelievably excited for the two of them =)

5| Since my dad just had another surgery today and will be recovering over the weekend, I have volunteered to go over and Sunday and make dinner for my parents. I am making some of dad's favorite foods: fried chicken, huh puppies, biscuits and maybe even an apple pie.

 THE GOOD LIFE BLOG

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Quick Weekend Recap

I had such a relaxing birthday  weekend that all started with dinner at Ryan's sister's house after work on Friday. I was able to get my Palmer fix; I cannot get enough of that baby! On Saturday we went to lunch and then started our wedding registry at Target. We could not have picked a better day because we got snow, so Target was empty. Later that night Ryan made us a delicious spaghetti dinner and then we laid around and watched our shows. On Sunday we had a very nice brunch at Cheesecake Factory and it was probably the first, and only, time we did not have to wait to be seated. Needless to say, I could not have asked for a more relaxing weekend.





I got some really, really  nice birthday gifts this year; a Michael Kors watch, a Michael Kors wallet and the Callie's Biscuits and Southern Traditions: Heirloom Recipes from Our Family Kitchen cookbook I have been wanting. And my traditional birthday gift from Ryan; Navy Football Season Tickets fourth year. It is the gift that keeps on giving. Five games at the Navy-Marine Stadium in Annapolis. Now I am really excited for Spring!




Wednesday, February 18, 2015

DIY Wedding Card Holder

Since I love crafting so much and I am on a tight budget for our wedding, I am doing a lot of DIY projects. One of which is this wedding card holder. It was inexpensive and easy to make.

What you'll need:
One large Paper Mache Round Box
One slightly smaller Paper Mache Round Box ( you can use as many as you want)
Burlap/Lace Ribbon
Flowers
Glue
Chalkboard sign
small pins

Steps:
Outline the small box on top of the larger box
Cut the outline out, just slightly inside the line so the smaller box can sit on top without falling trough
Cut the bottom out of the smaller one so that it opens up  into the bottom of the larger one
Cut a small opening, but big enough to fit a card through, at the top of the smaller of the two boxes
Use glue to assemble the small box on top of the large box
I also glues the lids on in care it were to fall off the table, no cards will fall out
Trimmed the bottom of both boxes with the burlap/lace ribbon
I used three white roses to glue in various places
Use small pins to attach the chalkboard sign

 
If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment or email me!  
 
I purchased all of the materials from Hobby Lobby.

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Happy Birthday to Me!!

Today I turn 22, but the good thing is I only feel 18! What better way to celebrate my birthday by having a snow day from work?! We woke up to a winter wonderland, which means I get to work form home today. Ryan is also off today, so we started our day by getting breakfast and coffee before I started work for the day.
 
I am not big on birthdays so we don't do much. Tonight will consist of dinner at my parents. My mom is having my favorite foods; BBQ Beef & Western Fries. The festivities are not over for the week though. We are celebrating my birthday with Ryan's family on Friday at his sisters house after work. On Saturday we are going out for a joint birthday celebration for my birthday and our friend Nolan's 23rd birthday. And on Sunday we are hoping to make it to the Cheesecake Factory for brunch since we were not able to go this past Sunday.

Happy Birthday Beth......Wishing you a wonderful day!!!

Monday, February 16, 2015

Quick Weekend Recap

Good Morning!

So our weekend did go exactly as planned, but it was so cold out that it was nice to stay in and hangout around the house. Ryan came down with something so I spent Friday running around getting medicine, soup, Vicks vapor rub and a Vicks Vaporizer. And although we did not have a Valentines dinner, I did make Ryan his favorite cake to help cheer him up.
 
I did manage to get out to see  Fifty Shades of Grey, which true to the book. It was not as graphic as I thought it would be, but wroth seeing in theaters.
 
 
 



Friday, February 13, 2015

Five on Friday Link Up

I am especially looking forward to this weekend because we have a lot planned, well more than usual.
 
1| Tonight we are trying somewhere different for dinner. It is a Mexican restaurant called Gallitos and we heard great things about from our neighbors.
 
2| Ryan and I have never been big on Valentine's Day, as long as we are together that is fine with us. But this Valentine's Day he has offered to make a surprise dinner and I am making his favorite kind of cake. I am extremely happy that we are staying in and not dealing with crowds.
 
3| On Sunday we are going to brunch at the Cheesecake Factory! I have already scoped out what I want to try:
 
 
 
Monte Cristo Sandwich
Monte Cristo Sandwich
"Crunchy French Toast Stuffed with Bacon, Grilled Ham, Scrambled Eggs and Melted Swiss Cheese Dusted with Powdered Sugar and Served with Strawberry Preserves"
 
How yummy does this look?
 
4| I am also planning a much needed trip to Victoria's Secret for more leggings, because that is what I live in now. I can't get over how comfy they are, plus they are 2 for $32.
Fashion Legging
 
5| Best part of the weekend is we get to see Palmer on Sunday! I can only imagine how big he has gotten in this short amount of time. I am also going over to go see Fifty Shades of Grey with my soon-to-be sister-in-law.
New poster: Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson romantic up against a wall in the latest poste… http://www.pinterest.com/lilyslibrary/




THE GOOD LIFE BLOG

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Sticky Fingers BBQ Pulled Chicken and Hush Puppies

Ryan and I were very pleased to find that out local grocery store carried Sticky Fingers BBQ Sauce. So for dinner over the weekend I made Sticky Fingers BBQ pulled chicken (crockpot style) and homemade hush puppies. I am a sucker for fried foods, especially hush puppies. I looked at several recipes for hush puppies, but finally decided to wing it and start mixing.
 
Ingredients:
2 1/2 Cups of yellow cornmeal; 1/2 Cup Flour; 4 t baking powder; 1 t baking soda; 1 t salt; 2 t sugar
2 large eggs; 1 1/2 Cups Buttermilk; 1 small onion chopped; sweet corn ( I didn't measure, I used maybe 1/2 cup)

Steps:
Mix Dry  Ingredients
Mix Wet Ingredients
Add the wet mix to the dry mix
use a spoons to drop batter into 1 quart of peanut oil
It should only take about 1 to 2 minutes ( I waited until they were golden brown)
Place between two napkins to soak up oil
 
We have a small deep fryer or you can use a large put filled with peanut oil.
 
I was a little nervous how they would taste, but they trued out great. Since it made like 50, I passed them out to our neighbors and to my soon-to-be in-laws.
 

 
 

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Card Holder for Wedding

Our wedding is approaching quicker than I thought and I still have the little details to attend to. I did, however, manage to get a one DIY project done for the wedding. I saw really nice rustic looking card holders for weddings, but I did not want to pay for it, so I made my own. It was inexpensive and did not take long at all.
 
 

 
I will be posting a step by step tutorial on this DIY project, so stop back!

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Get to know me…ABC's about me!!!!!

Good Morning! I am linking up with Chelsea, the blogger of the williams' journey. I read her blog today and it was really nice to get to know another blogger a little better, so I thought I would join her, so whoever reads my blog can get to know me a little better.

A-  Age: 21
B- Birthday: February 17
C- Color: Right now I am loving Coral and Mint Blue ( I am always changing my mind)
D: Drink: Sweet Tea and Cherry Coke
E: Essential Item: Phone & Planner
F: Flashback: The summer days when Ryan and I were 15 and could spend the weekdays together, not a care in the world.
G- Gent:  Mark Wahlberg
H- Hobby: DIY, cooking, baking, traveling, exercising, reading...I like to stay busy
I- Indulgence: baked goods
J-Job: Paralegal
K-Kiddos- None yet
L- Live: Just moved to PA March of 2014. From Maryland, but long to live in SC
M-Music:  Country
N-Nickname: Shan or Shan O
O-Overnight hospital stays: None
P-Pets: Nope
Q-Quotes-  "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”Joshua 1:9
R-Right or Left- Right
S-Siblings: One Sister, Cori, who is 25.
T-Temperature: I am always cold, so I like the warmer weather.
U-University: Stevenson University Class of 2014
V-Vehicle: 2014 Jeep Patriot
W- Worst Habit-  Worrying
X- X-Ray: So many!
Y- Yuck: Spiders!!!
Z- Zoo: I love the Polar Bears & Alligators 

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

DIY No Crease Hair Ties

I started using the No Crease Hair Ties a few years ago and soon it was all I was wearing, but they started to get expensive. So....I went the wonderful Hobby Lobby and picked up some elastic ribbon and decided to make my own. They turned out great and I can make so many, for so little.  



What you'll need:
Elastic Ribbon
 
What to do:
measure a piece at 11.5 inches
fold in half
tie the end
Optional: take a match and burn the ends to they don't fringe



 
 
There you have it!
 
My next mission is making the no crease headband. I will post an update once I make a few.
 
If you have any questions about this DIY project, please feel free to contact me.