Shananigans Rules of Life

So there are certain rules that a girl needs to get by in life.  Here are just a few of mine.  They are in no certain order but I do hold some in higher standard than others.

     * Life is way too short to cry.  You might as well laugh about it.

     * If you can't drive it, don't buy it!!  This goes for both gals and guys.  Test drive that monster of a SUV and if it doesn't feel right, don't get it. I see drivers taking 5 or 6 times to get parked.  Probably wasting 1/3 of their lives. 

     * Don't date or marry a moody man.  Women are moody and hormonal not men!! Now I am not saying that your honey isn't going to be out of sorts every now and then but if your man is a first class passenger on the crazy train... RUN run fast!

  

     * Don't trust a man with a huge hiney.  I know, weird but trust me.  
 Big badonkadonk = untrustworthy.

     * Always wear good and if possibly matching undergarments.  When I was little, I had Holly Hobbie panties with each day of the week on them. My momma use to tell me "Make sure you wear them on the right day, if you were in a wreck you don't want people thinking you don't know what day of the week it is."  Haha love that woman

   * Yep and nope are for most practical purposes lazy words. A simple yes or no will suffice with me but when I asked a somewhat in depth question or idea, don't yep or nope me. It tends to get my matching undergarments twisted in a knot. :)

    * Always send a thank you note.  If you start young, it becomes a habit. You don't always know the lengths that someone went to doing something for you and it only takes minutes to show your gratitude. 

   
   * And most importantly always remember....

LOVE

FREE VERA BRADLEY

Bet that title gets your attention!! Who doesn't like free stuffs?  You have to go into a Vera Bradley store and sign up for their Birthday Club.  The month of your birthday, you will receive this cute little card in the mail-

The cards value is $20 off of a $20 or more purchase = CHA-CHING!!!  And you have the whole month of your birthday to use it. :^)  You can even go online and purchase but then you have to pay shipping.

I got this snazzy new checkbook cover and plastic tumbler (monogramming not included -ha)

I love free stuff!!!  to quote myself- "It's my birthday, what do i get for free?" hahaha

Things I love

I remember a saying that went "Spring has sprung, Winters fell -Summers here and it's hot as"...well you get the picture :^) I don't feel like the South had spring at all!  Either way, my lilies are finally starting to bloom and they are so pretty!! 

I grew another year older and this is the best bday card I got- I giggle every time I look at it! My funny Munch-Mouth.  And not to forget, I got these divine strawberries from Beth AKA Best Southern Cook I Know!! They were stuffed with some sort of cream cheese whipped topping mixture and let me tell you they were to die for!!  I am going to have to get the recipe.

It is over for the season but if you are looking for a great TV show to watch it is definitely Scandal.  Kerry Washington plays Olivia Pope a D.C. 'problem fixer' and it is phenomenal. The first season was only 7 episodes and is on Netflix streaming.  Best TV show I have seen in awhile-

I got this 'flavor' (I always say flavor instead of scent when it comes to good smelling candles) from a friend's sons fundraiser.  Yankee candles are more expensive but man do they smell good.  Lemon has a fresh clean smell.  

Trying to wear my hair straight, but not so sure I am loving it- HA!

And last but not least, I so miss and love the fun times I had with these people- <3 <3<3

Florist I am not

I have never been known as a 'decorator'. My husband complains all the time about how we need a rug here or curtains here. blah blah blah. I dont even know where to start.  I mean my house is decorated but completely by some of my favorites (BFF & Momma). My momma on the other hand has a PhD in interior design. :)  It must have skipped a generation- Heck my Daddy has more decorating flair than I do!!  haha  I can get neat ideas from Pinterest or looking at other people's stuff but to have an original decorating idea of my own?? Isn't gonna happen.

I decided awhile back that my front door needed something besides the normal everyday wreath.  I painted the door a light yellow to match the small amount of siding that is on the gables.  So I needed something RED to match the brick.  I started with a copper bucket that Willow House had on sale for next to nothing.  I added my styrofoam and flowers and next thing you know a momma bird had made a nest in my bucket.  There is no way I could kick a momma and her babies out but when they left the nest- it was funky!!  See the bird poop on the leaves...ewwww!

So I threw out the old flowers and washed out the wasps nests and other random scariness that was left in the bucket.  I am all about the cheapy cheapy so I got my flowers from Dollar General and Walmart where I also got the foam.  I spent $3 on each of the flower bunches and $2.75 on the foam.  So all in all about $9.00 to spruce up the former bird/critter nest. 

I added the foam and then started stuffing in the flowers.  I had a hard time with the placement because as this post title reads I am NOT a florist :)

One side may still be a little off.  I am so not good at this stuff.

But I think for $9 it looks fine on the front door.  :^)



Super Duper Easy Pork Tenderloiin

So I made this the other night and let me say it was delish. And the best part was how EASY it was!!

Pork Tenderloin

2 small pork tenderloins (about 1 3/4 pounds total- I cut mine in half)
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons olive oil


Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl and place to the side.  Rub olive oil all over the tenderloins, then coat with the spice rub.  Wrap each tenderloin tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate 3 to 6 hours.

Remove the pork from the refrigerator about 30 mins before baking.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Place tenderloin in a 9 by 13 dish.  Put pork in oven for 15 minutes.  Turn off oven.  DO NOT open oven door.  Let the tenderloin sit in oven 45-60 minutes longer, until meat thermometer reads 145 degrees.

My meat thermometer is broken but after 45 minutes in oven, mine was done :)

I made Pioneer Women's smashed potates and sauted zucchini and squash as sides. 

Super Easy T-Shirt Halter

I saw these super cute no sew halter tops made from T-shirts.  All you need is a T-shirt ( I used men's small), scissors and a marker. Mark the T-shirt like the pictures below (front first -back second)

Cut along the red lines and then cut down the back midway.  Twist the front and tie the back!! 

How easy & cute!!!!!!

Things I love

Spring will be here this Thursday and always reminds me of this lady.  She was my confidant and one of my best friends.  Not a day has gone by that I don't miss her. She would have been 94 on April 13th.

I definitely got my jewelry liking from her.  She had beautiful jewelry.  Even if she was cleaning, she had her earrings on. :-) I have gotten into stacking bracelets lately.  I found these awesome cheap bangles 
 @ http://ishoplarue.com. 

So I wasn't quite sure I liked the Chevron print that everything is being made with but I do I do! I got this one shoulder top and this taupe/black dress from

  my friend's MIL boutique.  I haven't worn them yet but how cute are they ?!? 

Another thing I have been loving lately are Cuties!!! Could be the 5 pound box was on sale ;-)  So easy to peel and so good

 Speaking of Cutie, I got a Boston Terrier bobble head from my husband for

 V-Day ! I have always wanted one and she is awesome on my dash  :-) 

Its not ME!!

So I have long had the reputation of totally butchering song lyrics... I guess there are worse reputations to have. ;^)  The person this has tickled most has to be my BFF.  Probably because she knows every lyric to EVERY song ever made!! Or I guess it could be that I always botch the lyrics in front of her. HA  In my defense, I recorded snippets from the 'questionable' songs....



Example #1  Trace Adkins "Gone Fishin"- Perfectly cute song about a Daddy happy to be making memories with his daughter.  We are in the car and I am singing (or a clown was being strangled) and I sing "Nuttin too malnicious"  I say to BFF what is malnicious?  She is like huh?  He said nuttin too ambitious and I am like nawwww he said MALNICIOUS.  New word created right there- Mal-ni-cio-us = to be ambitiously malicious.   Someone call Websters stat...

Example #2 The Script "For the first time"- On my way to pick up BFF at work, I hear this and am blown away that the local radio station wouldn't bleep out a cuss word.  She gets in the car and I say I cant believe it but they just played the cuss word.  She said what cuss word?  I said listen.... "drinking cheap bottles of wine, sh*t talking up all night." She is laughing and says nooo it is sit talking.  Sit Talking?  Like what is that? I mean if we arent gonna sh*t talk each other and say that your grandma wears combat boots..I am not interested in being up all night.  Just saying.....

Example #3- Saved the best for last but I can't take credit for this doozy. :)  Working at Central Hardware, we would listen to the radio while we were closing up at night.  A cashier asked me to turn it up because she LOVED this song.  It was from the second Karate Kid movie.  So she is singing, "I am a man who will fight for Euroanna"  I said what did you just say.  She said it again.  I said what is Euroanna?  She shrugged and said "I guess a country in Europe??"   Best lyric mess up EVER!!

Fat puppies round two...

Heart Mani

I love manicures!! I am blown away at how intricate some people can get. I can't even draw stick figures HA.  My nails were already painted a light ivory. I printed my hearts on vinyl but Pinterest suggested using masking tape and a scrapbook cutout.

I slapped the stickers on and lightly painted a coat of red.....

After I impatiently waited for them to dry, I took the vinyl off and then painted a topcoat.

How cute and easy!! Oh the possibilities .... shamrocks, crosses, American flags :-)

Cookie Monster

                                                           4 ingredient PB Cookies

I can not NOT make these cookies lately :-) I got the recipe from my BFF.  One cup sugar, one cup of pb, one egg and sea salt.  Mix sugar, pb and egg together and roll into balls. Flatten with fork and sprinkle with sea salt.  Bake @ 350 for 8 -10 mins. No flour at all!!

So sweet

I don't know which is sweeter - the baby or the fat puppies!!!

Eat your vegetables!!!

I made these awesome green beans and the recipe was definitely a Shananigan's recipe!! Easy + 5 ingredients or less = Right up this chicks alley ;-)  All you need is about 1 pound of fresh green beans, olive oil, salt n pepper, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese.

Start with washing and cutting off the ends of your beans

Drizzle olive oil over beans, just enough to coat. Sprinkle w/pinch of salt n pepper and as much garlic powder as you like. Place green beans on cookie sheet and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over them.

Bake for about 12 -15 minutes @ 400 degrees

Parmesan Roasted Green Beans :-)  They are crisp outside and tender inside. 

Too much stuffs

With so much going on, I feel like everything has become so disorganized that I need an intervention!! I ran across this in Pinterest and if I can get more organized in 3 little ole weeks, I am going to be a happy camper.

Bless Y'all's Heart

Gift idea

So around Christmas, I am on Pinterest and to what did my wondering eyes should appear but this.....

 

Wha? A mini charger for your purse?  I soo need that so I promptly ordered myself & my BFF one. And then I waited, and waited, filed a claim with PayPal, waited and then guess what showed up??

 

 

 

How little and cute! And it was only....wait for it....$10.59 and free shipping!!  Of course it comes from China so you have to wait at least 3 weeks for shipping unless you want to priority ship.  It charges your camera, IPhone, IPad and most devices charged with a USB port.  After the charger is completely charged (tongue twister), the instructions say it can recharge a device 5 times before it needs to be recharged.  I haven't used mine that many times yet.  It doesn't seem to charge my phone as fast as an outlet but it charges it nonetheless.  Awesome & inexpensive gift for someone who doesn't always have access to an outlet or car charger. 

 

http://www.everbuying.com/product172197.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





 



 

 

Saucy

I don't know what it is but I have developed a taste for spicier food in my old age. :-) Maybe my taste buds have changed or maybe I have become saucier HAHA Anywho I have been making these roasted potatoes forever and they are divine but most importantly they are EASY.  I got the recipe from Taste of  Home (and of course I changed some stuff up).  Next to Food Network magazine, it is my favorite subscription.  LOVE it!!

Just sayin.........

Support Group for PINTEREST?

I fought it... I would ignore people... I couldn't possible take on one more 'project'...

What was I thinking?  Pinterest is the best thing since sliced bread and caller ID people!!! I pin everything from recipes to Bostons to tunafish can Tiki torches (they are really awesome).  I am definitely one of those instant gratification kind of people.  One of those "I have been on a diet for 2 days and i haven't lost 15 pounds?!?!"people.

http://eatright-staybright.tumblr.com/post/7188718242/worlds-fastest-workout-burns-as-many

 

WORLD’S FASTEST WORKOUT

- Burns as many calories as a 40-60 minutes run.
- Makes your body adapt and improve very quickly.
- Increases metabolism for next 36 hrs
- Takes only FOUR minutes, no excuses.

So when I saw the worlds fastest workout I was all over it. 4 mins a day that burns as many calories as a 40-60 minutes run= WINNING And 4 mins? Easy Peasy.  Anyone can do 4 mins....... Let me tell ya I was dyinnnnng after 4 mins.  I think this is an abbrevated Insanity workout.  I am going to try to stick with it and hopefully it will help my endurance.  That is if I don't make the macaroni and cheese balls I just pinned :-)

Maybe Kraft isn't the cheesiest....

So my KK was over last night for a play date with her Aunt Nannon and wanted some Mac n cheese. I didn't have any of 'the blue box' so I thought I would try homemade like my Mimmy used to make.  I took wide noodle pasta (no elbow Mac in the hizzle) put in a bowl covered with water & nuked in the microwave for 3 mins until it was al dente.  Then I added butter, a little milk & lots of cubed velveeta.  Aye Carumba it was awesome and my baby was happy :-)