Christmas Treats :)

The amazing chef's!!

Kirsten thought it was SO funny that I wanted to use a stool to stir the rice krispies!  I didn't think it was that funny...but then again I do it all the time when I'm at home.  For goodness sakes people, when your a little on the short side, your arm starts hurting from holding it up so high after a while!

Making the Treats:

Step One:  Make Rice Krispie Treats just like it says on the box.  Then use either automotive funnels, or sometimes they have baking wear funnels that would work, and fill up the rice krispies all the way to the top of the funnel.  Then let them cool until they have settled a little bit.

Step Two:  Lay them flat on a piece of aluminum foil.

Step Three:  Wrap up your little hershey kisses!

Step Four:  Last but not least, make a little tag on them, just like on a real hershey kiss.  Our says "hugs and kisses," but it could say anything you want!

While we were making the hershey kisses, Kirst and I decided that this was the first time we had made Christmas treats without our mothers since we've been away from home!! :(  I remember helping my Mom make Christmas Wreaths for people and delivering them to our neighbors and home teachers, which I was informed they did just the other night!  But I guess life moves on and now it's my turn to make Christmas treats on my own...but at least I have fun people to make them with!  We delivered them last night and we got some pretty funny looks which was actually really funny... but oh well!  We got a good laugh out of it. :)  So Merry Christmas to you all and I love you a bunches!

FINALS WEEK!

Here is the countdown as of yesterday....

And here is the countdown as of Today! (Monday)

Finals week is finally here!  That's not usually what I say when Finals week comes around, but this time I am actually excited to take my finals, as weird as that may sound!  So this morning I put up my new "Finals Countdown" so I know exactly what I have left. :)  To be honest, I am just super excited to go see my family for Christmas time and can't wait to get to Arizona and the sooner I take my finals, the sooner I will allow myself to start daydreaming about playing with my family!!  Oh man..... It's going to be SO great! 

* Oh and just incase you were wondering, I will post another Finals Week post when I am all done!  Just because I'm excited :)  Love you all!

Christmas at Temple Square

The happy family :)

My sister Emily just happened to get tickets this year for the "Ring Christmas Bells" concert this year at temple square in the Conference Center, and of course she is in Arizona so she gave the tickets to us and it was absolutely AMAZING!!!  I love concerts and plays and stuff like that, especially listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir live, so I was really excited that I was able to go even with finals just around the corner.  Paul and I had already been to a concert at the beginning of the year in the Conference Center where a singer named Brian Stokes Mitchell was the featured artist along with another singer.  We really loved Brian Stokes Mitchell and we were so excited to find out that he was singing in this Christmas concert too!  

The concert was SO awesome!  After the concert we went out just on the balcony of the Conference Center to leave and we were taking pictures of the temple when all of the sudden something ran into me!  It kind of caught me off guard but I was worried about whoever fell into me.  I turned around and to my surprise, an older woman had tripped over something and fell into my legs and then onto the floor!  Poor thing. :(  I was so sad for her but I was thankful that she hit me first instead of slamming straight onto the hard ground!  She was a little shook up, but ended up being ok thank goodness!  

After that little incident we were able to go to temple square and walk around to see the lights and then head back home to good ol' Provo.  I'm glad that I was able to go to the concert and I am so thankful that I am close enough to Salt Lake that I can take advantage of all of these amazing performances that happen all of the time here!  

Thanks for the tickets Em! :)

This is Why I Love Oregon!

I took these pictures from the plane on my way to home for Thanksgiving and this pretty much sums up why I LOVE Oregon!  It's so pretty and there are trees EVERYWHERE!  There is a part on the flight into the Portland airport where there are seriously miles and miles of just trees and it is so pretty to see!  Just thought I'd let you all know even though most of you have probably seen it already :)  The world is just so beautiful and sometimes I just am in awe of the world!  I love it!

Christmas Time is Here!

Because Christmas is coming up so soon, I was thinking about why I love Christmas so much and why it is my favorite holiday.  So here is what I decided....

What do I love about Christmas?

1.  ..... How happy everyone seems and is so giving to others around them.

2.  .... Being home for two whole weeks without any homework whatsoever!

3.  .... The Christmas lights on all of the houses.

4.  ..... The snow on the ground (at least while I'm in Utah and occasionally when I'm home)

5.  .... CHRISTMAS MUSIC -- especially Winter on the Moors!!!!

6.  .... Giving gifts.

7.  .... When we sit down by the fire with Mom's famous hot cocoa :)

8. .... Shopping for NOEL presents!

9. .... Christmas decorations in the house and Christmas lights being on inside all of the time!

 10. .... Decorating the Christmas tree

11. .... Celebrating the birth of Christ :)

12. .... Christmas Eve traditions - can't forget sheets!

13. .... Burning the Christmas candle every night in December.

14. .... Reading a Christmas story while we burn the candle every night of the month.

15. .... Staying in my pajamas all day long.

16.  .... Cute wrapping paper.

17.  .... Shopping in Mom's closet to see our options after we open our presents :)

18.  .... Singing Christmas songs with my brothers!

19.  .... Taking a nap.

20.  .... and most of all --- BEING WITH MY FAMILY ALL THE TIME!  I LOVE THEM!

And that is why I love Christmas....Who wouldn't?!  :)