Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Taste of Tuesday: Strawberry Lemonade Cookies

It's Tuesday and you know what that means...Taste of Tuesday link up!

I know the title of this post says cookies but really it's cake. 
Cake rolled up into little balls...not cake balls. 

Let me give you the recipe so you can see for yourself

Strawberry Lemonade Cookies 
{Makes about 40 cookies; Prep time: 12-14 minutes; Cook time: 10 minutes per batch}

Ingredients: 
1 (18.25 ounce) package lemon cake mix
1 (18.25 ounce) package strawberry cake mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil (for each batter)
3 teaspoons pure lemon extract
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration

Directions: 
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). 
  2. Mix all the ingredients together in one big bowl
  3. Drop the ball of CAKE mix into a bowl of the confectioner's sugar and roll it around a little bit.
  4. Once sugared pop them into the oven for about 12-14 mins 


This is my go to recipe when I need to make something quick and delicious.
It is PERFECT for spring/summer coming up!!

Linking up with Ashley and Jessica!!

Monday, April 29, 2013

If you really knew us {part 3}

Last week I started a 3 part series "If you really knew me". 
Part 1 was about me and Part 2 was about my amazing boyfriend (yep, he wrote it)

Well today I give you Part 3

If you really knew US


If you really knew us then you would know this May marks 3 years together for us
I can't believe it has almost been three years!! We have made so many memories!

If you really knew us then you would know that when we were younger we both played sports.


If you really knew us then you would know that we both LOVE going on what I like to call "Matthew & Shelby adventures" When we both have the day off (which is rare) we like to go somewhere for the day (Fall Creek Falls, Burgess Falls, The Nashville Zoo) It doesn't really matter where we go we just enjoy the day being just us two and my favorite part really is the car ride together. LOVE it.

If you really knew us then you would know we both love TTU! Matthew is a senior there and this coming fall I will be a junior there. This fall when I transfer to TTU it will be the first time in our 3 years of dating that we will go to the same school. Excited is an understatement. 
reppin TTU!

If you really knew us then you would know that we both love roller coasters 
This past May I rode my first ever roller coaster and it just so happened to be with this good lookin man ;)
Matthew has always loved them and I quickly grew to love them!

If you really knew us then you would know that we can be some of the goofiest people you have ever met.
Don't get me wrong we can be very serious but when it's just us or when we are around our closest friends we can be ourselves. That is just one of the many things I love about our relationship!!

Well there you have it!! 
Now you should know me better, Matthew better and us as a couple better!
I hope you have enjoyed this little series because we both have enjoyed it!!
If you decide to do this, email me or let me know somehow because I want to read it!!

*On a side note I just wanted to wish Matthew good luck on not 1 but 2 interviews today!!!!
Go get em hunny!

I hope your week is off to a great start :)

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

If you really knew me...I mean HIM {Part 2}

Remember how I told you there was a three part series coming this week? 
Well I gave you part 1 on Monday and today I am...someone else is giving you part 2. 


My incredibly awesome boyfriend is doing his FIRST ever guest post
(still not sure how I got him to do this but I did, so show him some extra lovin today!!)

So here is his guest post...If you really knew him {part 2} (He is black, I am in blue)
(I added the pictures...he might just kill me)



First of all I would like to thank all of Shelby’s followers and all of the encouraging comments that you have made to her. Blogging is something that she enjoys to do and a lot of her enjoyment is attributed to followers like you. I myself am not much of a blogger, but Shelby asked me to do this so here goes… (He came up with my blog name...nifty right?)


If you really knew me then you would know that I am, before all things, a servant of Christ. I was baptized on August 31, 2002 when I was 11 years old. Although I fall short sometimes I try and do all things the way that God would want me to do them. I am currently a member of a ministry on campus sponsored by Sycamore church of Christ. I have been raised in the church and hope to remain a faithful member for the rest of my life. (Such a Godly man)


If you really knew me then you would know that I am a twin. I was born with something that most people are not born with, a built-in best friend. I have been very close with my twin Nathan since we were born (that tends to happen when you share the womb with a person). I was born exactly one minute before Nathan and I will never let him live it down. Even though we sometimes fight, we have different personalities, and look nothing alike he will always be my brother and I will always want the best for him.


Matthew on the left and Nathan on the right

One of their senior pictures...I mean how handsome...and tan

I found these shirts down in Florida on vacation and just HAD to get them for these goofs!

Men in black? #brotherlylove #twinning
If you really knew me then you would know that even though I don’t admit it all of the time I love my dog Murphy. We got Murphy from a woman in Chattanooga when I was a sophomore in high school. When we got him he was so small that we could fit him under a baseball hat. Now he has grown and is a major part of our family. ( a man and his dog...warms a girls heart I tell ya)


If you really knew me then you would know that my family is very important to me. I have already told you about my twin Nathan, but I also have a brother that is 3 years older than me named Andrew. Andrew is a Mechanical Engineering major that has graduated with his bachelor’s degree and is now attending school to get his master’s degree. He is one of the smartest people that I know and is very sought out by engineering firms because of his skill set. I have two loving parents, Thom and Judy, which I owe everything to. They have made countless sacrifices to their careers so that they could spend more time with us and attend all of our sporting and academic events. They have also sacrificed personal things so that they could send us to a private school and get the best education available. My father and I are very similar and I hope that one day I can grow into a man comparable to him.


If you really knew me then you would know that all of my friends saw me naked at my 18th birthday party….including Shelby. We all went out to eat at our favorite restaurant Cozumel that night and had a big room to ourselves. Everything was going great and everyone was having a good time until it was time to eat cake. The waiter walked out of the kitchen holding a huge ice cream cake and I got really excited because I love ice cream cake, but then he set it down on the table….on top of the cake was a picture of me and Nathan when we were babies standing next to the bathtub BUTT NAKED. I can honestly say that it was one of the most embarrassing things of my life. (you heard him...BUTT NAKED)


If you really knew me then you would know that I enjoy playing tennis. I started playing tennis my freshman year of high school because there was a girl on the team that I had a crush on. I ended up falling in love with tennis instead of the girl though. I started out as the number 12 player on the team and worked my tail off that summer and started my sophomore year as the number 1 player on the team. My junior year I made it to the quarterfinals of the state tournament in singles and to the quarterfinals of the state tournament my senior year in doubles. I won several awards for tennis, but the one that I cherish the most is the Rutherford/Cannon County Player of the Year. Although I can’t serve over 100 mph anymore I still enjoy playing tennis casually. I give some kids tennis lessons on the weekends and also string racquets for some clients. (he is so good!! Proud girlfriend)


If you really knew me then you would know that I was voted most likely to go bald out of my entire senior class. Although I have a full head of hair now I am not sure how much longer it will last. Both of my grandfathers were bald and my dad is balding (sorry dad but it’s true) so my chances aren’t looking too good. I wanted to be voted most humble in my class, but that wasn’t a category….so I wrote it in….and voted for myself. (so.humble.)


If you really knew me then you would know that I love going to Gatlinburg. Some of my favorite vacations and trips have been to Gatlinburg. When we were in high school we would always go with the youth group to Challenge Youth Conference that was held in Gatlinburg every year. We would go and worship God with thousands of other Christians and get to have fun walking the strip and looking in the different stores. This past summer we went there with Nathan and his girlfriend and it was most definitely in my top 3 vacations of all time. I hope that we can go there again sometime soon.

Our second year at CYC
Our 3rd year at CYC

If you really knew me then you would know that I am quite shy around people that I have never met before. I have never been the outgoing type of person and frankly the thought of having to network when I graduate and get a big boy job frightens me. (someone has an interview this Monday for an internship this summer...WOOO HOOO!!)


If you really knew me then you know that I don’t like crowds at all. Shelby and I have gone to several events in Nashville and other places where there were quite a few people. I eventually had a good time at these events, but it took me a while to calm down and get a grasp on things. (CMA Fest this summer, say whaaa!?)


If you really knew me then you would know that my 3 year anniversary with Shelby is coming up next month. I don’t know what I’m going to get her yet, but I am excited to spend the day with her. I have never been what people would call a ladies man; Shelby is actually my first girlfriend. I was always too shy to speak with girls. People would make fun of me and call me a loser for not having a girlfriend all throughout high school, but in the end they're the losers and I am the winner because
I get to call Shelby Kelly mine. ( MAKIN YA GIRL TEAR UP OVER HERE)

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Taste of Tuesday: Garlic-Parmesan-Cheese pull apart bread

This past Friday we ate dinner with Matthew's parents and his mom made THE best bread to go with our grilled chicken and baked potato. I loved it so much I asked her to email the recipe so I could share it with y'all today!! Now I have to tell you I was a complete blogger fail...I didn't make any pictures of it but I have found a picture of it! That makes up for it right? 
I had can't take any credit for this delicious recipe because it was all his momma...she is the queen of the kitchen!!

She actually found the recipe on another blog so I am going to send you over there to get the full recipe and directions on how to make it!


http://melissassouthernstylekitchen.blogspot.com/2012/03/garlic-cheese-pull-apart-bread.html

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!!
Linking up with Ashley and Jessica today!

Monday, April 22, 2013

If you really knew me {part 1}


I always feel like if I knew just a little bit more about the person behind the blog then I will be able to understand them better and like their blog even more than I already do...so with that being said girlfriend over here decided to do a 3 part series this week. 

If you are following me on Twitter (if not go on and follow me!) then you will find out before everyone else what part 2 and part 3 are about.

If you really knew me then you would know I am the oldest of my siblings. 
I have three little sisters, who mean the world to me. They have taught me so much.



If you really knew me then you would know my first job was a a Daycare. 
I had the infant room and I fell in love with all 8 of my babies!! I worked there a little over a year and became attached to every single one of them and they all had me wrapped around their little finger. Thankfully I am still able to see them through their parents FB pages. There are some days were I miss them so much and I just wanna go rock them. It was such a fun first job!
If you really knew me then you would know I have lived in the same house my whole entire life, yep you read that right. We have never moved but we have added on to our house 2 times,ha! This will also make moving out this summer even harder. How do I even begin packing everything up?
If you really knew me then you would know that Christmas is my favorite holiday...ever!!!! I start listening to Christmas music on Thanksgiving and as soon as Thanksgiving is over I am ready to crawl up in the attic and bring down boxes and boxes of our Christmas decorations. One of my favorite Saturdays and favorite traditions of the year is the Saturday after Thanksgiving, we wake up and start the coffee and make sausage balls and spend the whole Saturday listening to Christmas music and decorating.
If you really knew me then you would know I have only been to the beach 3 times in my whole entire life...sad I KNOW. I plan on that changing in the next few years :) I love the beach and I could spend the whole day laying there in a beach chair with an icee and I would be completely satisfied!!


Beach babes

If you really knew me then you would know summer is my favorite season!
I love the warm weather, I love it being daylight longer, I love the summer nights, I love the carefree feeling, 
I love sunshine, the tanning, the swimming, concerts, festivals, picnics, bike rides, shorts, sandals, vacations, pretty flowers, I just love it all!!

summer 2010


This past summer




If you really knew me then you would know I love decorating. It doesn't matter what event or holiday it is I LOVE decorating and planning for it. It can be something as simple as making coasters for St.Patrick's day or something as big as my sisters 16th birthday. 

If you really knew me then you would know my daddy is a 7th degree black belt in Karate and I couldn't be more proud of him for all his hard work he has put into Karate over the past 30+ years. There are only a select few people who have reached the 7th degree in Tennessee and he is one of them!!
If you really knew me then you would know that I am awful with directions and giving them. Honestly I don't know what I would do without my lovely GPS Matthew got me for my last birthday. My best friend called me at 1 a.m. the other morning asking which exit to take to get her back home from Nashville (she knows I take the interstate all the time to get back and forth to classes) and guess who couldn't tell the exit number....yeah this girl. Oops! All I could tell her is take the exit with the wide ramp...really Shelby? It's dark how is she going to be able to see the wide ramp?! 
I can't remember the names of the roads, I just remember what is on that road or what is before that road. 
I know I know, I need to work on this!!
If you really knew me then you would know that I get super stressed out if things don't go as planned and sometimes even frustrated. I have really been trying to work on this and to just go with the flow but sometimes it's not that easy. I would say this is because of my type A personality but I have been very pleased with myself the past few times plans have been changed...I just sat back and went with the flow. It's still a working progress hahaha.
If you really knew me then you would know that I HATE doing my own laundry. I will put it off as long as I can but give me someones laundry to do and I will have it washed, dried and folded as quick as I can. Weird I know.
If you really knew me then you would know that I LOVE blogging!!
I have met so many wonderful ladies on here who I wish all lived closer!! Because I really do believe we would get along. I have learned so much and I love reading all of your blogs! I have had so much help from a lot of  kind girls and wouldn't be where I am now if it weren't for them.
If you really knew me then you would know that I had to get glasses in 1st grade, my poor eyes failed me at an early age. In sixth grade I finally switched over to contacts...thank goodness!! Without my glasses or contacts I am literally blind as a bat. It is awful and I am hoping to have the laser eye surgery in the future.
One of the only pictures I have with my glasses on
If you really knew me then you would know that I love love love going to trips. It can be a just a day trip, weekend trip or a week vacation but I LOVE getting out of my town for a few days and exploring what is all out there. I even love the car ride, it is actually one of my favorite parts of the trip. The 8 hour car ride to the beach doesn't bother me at all, I love it.
Our roadtrip to Burgess Falls

Fall Creek Falls

Fall retreat at Camp Discovery

Our weekend trip Matthew's parents took us on to Gatlinburg last May
Just a tad bit excited to be crossing over the Florida line this past summer
Watch for part 2 on Wednesday!