happiness is...

happiness is....

• pretty autumn trees and leaves dotting the earth

• holding hands with a cute boy
• pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
• Diet Coke.  especially if it's giant.

• clean bedrooms
• spending time with family
• new music
• Chick-Fil-A

• awesome coworkers
• amusement parks
• finally completing an outfit how i imagined it
• peacocks at dinner

• playing with my sister's puppies
• an unexpected letter from a missionary
• hot chocolate on a chilly day

happiness is life.

better than sex (heath) cupcakes

These cupcakes are pretty dang delicious.  Anytime I say I'm making cupcakes people ask hopefully if I'm making Better Than Sex cupcakes.  They really aren't that hard.  I've heard of different methods to making them...but this is the one that works the best for me! {If anything is unclear, let me know and I'll try to clarify}

Ingredients:

• 1 chocolate cake mix (and the eggs, oil, and water it calls for)
• 1 bottle of carmel (I use Smuckers Caramel that looks like this)
• Cool Whip (8 oz I believe)
• 3 Heath bars (varies depending how much Heath you want)

First you make the cupcakes according to the directions on the box.  Simple, eh?

While still warm, poke three holes in each cupcake with the end of a wooden spoon.  Warm the carmel and spoon  into the holes.  Try to do this carefully or your cupcakes will become very sticky and messy to eat. {Note: I have noticed sometimes when I make these that the integrity of the cake is affected by the holes and the carmel combo...either be careful as you eat or go easy on the carmel so the bottom doesn't get too saturated}

Let them finish cooling.  I then let them chill in the fridge.  

Take your Heath bars and chop them into pieces.  A mixture of finely chopped and chunks is fine.  {The chunks are my favorite part.}  Don't eat too much of your Heath or else you won't have anything to put on top!

Once chilled, I spoon a dollop of Cool Whip onto each cupcake and use the spoon to make the peaks in the Cool Whip.  Sprinkle the Heath onto the Cool Whip.  I usually let them chill a little bit more just so everything gets nice and cold.  They are now ready to serve!   

Mmmm.  Delicious.  Now I'm craving them!  Good thing I'm making them this afternoon with my sister :)

love

I was going to come up with some witty metaphor to put with this...but it's just not coming tonight.

Cinnamon Chex are delicious.  Go buy some.  And eat them.  And love them.  Lather, rinse, and repeat.

my week in pictures

So the last week has been pretty great. :)

Last Sunday Katie and I went to game night at the Trophy House.  We got there a little late...so we only played Lap Tag.  Katie bruised my arms with her "dagger hands."  I also ended up with rug burn, a broken toenail, and sprained(?) toe.  I don't think it was broken...but maybe it was?  Anyway, it was a poor little pinky toe - blue and gross and didn't like to be walked on.  I think it's almost better, although I can definitely tell it's not all the way there.  BUT it was worth it.  So super fun.

Monday and Tuesday nights were full of homework...and I have a feeling Disney movies too.  Oh and Tuesday Katie and I went over to the Trophy House to play Just Dance 3.  Those people are a bunch of fun :)  I felt pretty awesome when I beat some of the best "dancers."  That game is great.  And so are those boys.

Wednesday...hmm...I can't remember.  We probably watched. a movie?  I honestly don't know.  Our movie collection is quite embarrassing.  Except not really.  We just like having options :)  I think that's the night we watched The Hunchback of Notre Dame.  And I wrote some computer assignment while watching it...It was one of my favorites when I was little.  I still remember my family teasing me about it when I was little.  I would say it one way and they would say it another....and I would correct them the best little Kelly could.  "It's Dame!"  Yeah...only we would get that I guess.

We also went to free pie night at Village Inn with random neighbors that Shayna had met earlier.  Heather was making brownies when they came over...so we turned the oven off and locked our door on our way out.  When we got home, we stopped by to talk to Brian and Craig.  Sarah and Katie went home while the rest of us stayed a few minutes longer.  When we got home, we noticed a brownie sitting on a plate on top of the stove.  We pulled them out of the oven (who knows why it didn't click right then) and that piece was cut right out of the middle.  We just figured Katie or Sarah really like middle pieces and went about normal life.  So we're sitting around...and someone asks who cut the middle piece.  We assumed it was Katie since she was sitting there on the chair eating it.  No one would admit it.  If I had come up with the idea, I think it would have been pretty funny and I would have kept going with it too...so naturally I figured someone was lying - after all the windows were shut and the door was locked.  So we go back to I1 and start talking to them...and they broke so fast.  Apparently, they originally wanted to take our front door, but decided against it...which was extremely smart of them.  So they went to take our oven door...and discovered the pan of brownies inside and decided that was a better idea.  Anyway.  If they had to do anything I'm glad they did what they did...because I have a feeling if the door was gone there would have been police involved before we even found out who took it.  And now we deadbolt our door.

On Thursday Tyler brought her bunny Merv over.  He's a cute fluffy white bunny.  He's potty trained and can be on a leash.  But he doesn't walk (hop?) on the leash very well.  He likes to do his own thing.  People got into a big debate over taking him for a walk vs taking him for a hop.  Any ideas to what it is?  Anyway, our neighbors picked up a puppy for their family.  So Old Farm really was a farm that day.  That puppy was adorable.  I can't wait to have a dog again.  So help me if my husband is allergic.

Oh and I made my family's favorite chocolate mint snow-top cookies.  Let's just say my siblings weren't very happy with me...They got demolished pretty quickly...

And then later that night I went over to Blake's and watched How to Train Your Dragon on bluray.  It was pretty adorable.  For some reason Astrid reminded me of my roommate Tyler.  Plus.  Bluray is quite awesome.  Especially when you watch a VHS the next night...you can see a huge difference.

Friday.  Friday I went to my one class.  And found out that for fall break next week...since our Friday classes are moved to Thursday...she cancelled class!  Exciting! :)  That means I get an extra day!  I also got some homework accomplished - I had to go to the major fair for one of my classes.

The pretty sky on my way to school :)

As I was sitting home on my bed, my phone starts ringing!  Okay.  So the ringing part isn't that cool.  But it turns out it was one of my awesome friends coming to visit me!  Sometimes he's a cool kid.

Later that night we went to the hockey game.  I thought I didn't have a heart.  But apparently I do.  By our fifth point I just felt bad.  I felt bad to cheer.  I didn't even want to clap.  The cheers were mean.  It didn't feel like the basketball and football game cheers.  Those ones seem more general and not as mean-spirited.  These were all pretty directly aimed at the goalie.  And maybe because it was close enough that they could actually hear everything.  I don't know.   I wasn't a huge fan.  We left early...and on our way home we saw the Easter Bunny crossing the street.  And then we watched Aladdin.

He's by that car...

Driving a Zamboni might be cool. Literally. Haha.  Dad joke. 

On Saturday I felt super productive.  I decided to stay home while my roommates went hiking.  I figured I should do some of my Monday homework considering I have like 5 assignments due Monday (today...).  So I got a few of those knocked out of the way.  Then when they got home, Tyler and I went to Violet Hill Boutique.  I bought cute flower earrings and a really comfy brown shirt that has buttons on the sleeves.  It's pretty rad.  I like it.  There were some dresses there that I really liked...but were just too short, especially going into winter.  Oh well.

Later that afternoon, Heather, Tyler, and I went to deliver my visiting teaching assignments...I'm a slacker.  I had them almost a week.  One of the girls reactions was so funny.  It looked like she was heading out on a date or something...and she was like "Is that our visiting teaching assignments?!"  So she takes the pile (it had hers and all her roommates) and starts digging through it excitedly.  Needless to say, I know she'll get it done. I need an attitude more like hers!  I at least have an awesome partner named Heather!  We will be much better than I was last year where I only went a handful of times...because Shayna was the one who cared and got us to do it.

Oh and Tyler found a leaf bug on her truck.  She named him Ginko.  He lived on my nose for a minute.  And we had show-and-tell at I3 (Brett, Matt, and Cody) with him.  And invited them to a movie night.

Anyway, after we did that...we went to the store and I bought all the stuff to make my fabulous pumpkin roll, the treat for our visiting teaching training, and our (me and Heather) crayon art.

I really like Pinterest.  It's where all "my" great ideas come from.  It's the greatest time waster.  But maybe someday I'll make a dent in actually doing what I pin...not just look at it all pretty and forget about it.  You can see my boards *here*.  Oh and if you want to join the addiction, I'd be more than happy to send you an invite.

So anyway...to sum up Saturday night, Heather and I did our crayon artwork while Tyler and Matt and Sarah watched us.  For the gist of how to do it, click *here*  Then we stopped by some dance party the Pie Night boys were holding...for all of about two seconds.  And then played Just Dance 3 over at Brian's because his living room set up is more spacious than ours.

Sunday morning I woke up and started making the pumpkin roll.  I had never made one before.  Or seen my mom make one.  In fact, I had never had one until a supervisor meeting at work when Nikki made it.  Anyway, it was amazing so I figured it was worth a shot.  If I failed, I had at least tried.  I guess I didn't fail though.  Because before the night was over it had somehow disappeared...for the recipe click *here*

And I made homemade oreos (except they weren't really homemade...I bought a boxed mix) for the visiting teaching training we had last night.  I was little miss baker extraordinaire yesterday.  I wanted to make Halloween funfetti cupcakes...but haven't seen the mix lately.  What the heck?  It's not even  Halloween.  You can't be out Walmart.

We went to church...where I really had no attention span.  Except for Sunday school.  Normally it's the opposite.  I get distracted during Sunday school.  But we had a really good lesson taught by Shayna.  It went really well and there was lots of participation too which was nice.

I was all baked out when I got home...so I made soup and toast for dinner.  And learned how to use a toaster oven.  My roommates probably thought I was dumb.  But I've never used one.  I owned one for a minute when Heather (sister) moved to Maryland and gave me a ton of her stuff...but we just gave it to a guy at my dad's work haha.  Then we went to our visiting teacher thing.  And I taught my little rotation.  I always felt like I was rambling and saying the same thing over and over.  And would end early.  But I guess that's what happens when everyone else has two teachers and you are the only one for yours.  But it was cool.  I knew Kim had to work.  It was funny we had been paired together considering she was the only person I really knew beforehand.  I figure it went "good enough" for what I had to work with haha.

And now it's the start of another week....hopefully it can top the last, but the bar is set pretty high...so we'll see :)

Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Frosting

So one glorious Sunday at work, Nikki brought a pumpkin roll to our meeting.  I had never experienced such deliciousness before.  The other day it sounded like a good idea to make...but I had one problem.  I had never made one, or even seen one made.  I figured I would find a recipe and give it a shot.  I think it turned out pretty amazing...and my roommates did too.  This recipe is sure a keeper!

I'm not a food-tographer so I don't laugh at my pictures :)

Cake
1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup walnuts (optional)

Filling
1 pkg (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
powdered sugar (optional for decoration)

For Cake:
Preheat oven to 375 F.  Grease 15 x 10 inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper.  Grease and flour paper (make sure you put enough so you don't have problems pulling the wax paper off later).  Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in small bowl.  Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick.  Beat in pumpkin.  Stir in flour mixture.  Spread evenly into prepared pan.  Sprinkle with nuts.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched.  (If using a dark-colored pan, begin checking for doneness at 11 minutes.)  Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel.  Carefully peel off paper.  Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end.  Cool on wire rack.

For Filling:
Beat cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth.  Carefully unroll cake.  Spread cream cheese mixture over cake.  Reroll cake.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

Cooking Tip:
Be sure to put enough powdered sugar on the towel when rolling up the cake so it will not stick.

Source:  Very Best Baking

Just In Case You Wanted a Little Taste of Heaven

Chocolate Mint Snow-Top Cookies.  Mmmm.  Delicious.

So today I finally used up the rest of the cookie dough in my freezer.  These are amazing.  Want to make them?  Click here.

So today I finally met with an advisor about my schedule.  I guess I'll listen to most of what she said and explore my options this fall.  I have two directions I might want to go and they don't relate to one another.  One is pretty straightforward and I could figure it out, plus most of what I've done should count I think.  But I'm more intrigued by the other direction.

I'm glad I have a friend who is willing to listen to me whine and complain.  I was talking to him and said how I just wish someone would tell me what to do with my life.  Ever since forever teachers and counselors have told me, "You can be whatever you want to be!"  No.  That's not the answer I want.  Today I got more of the same.  Sometimes I wish I didn't get the perfect grades so there would be an obvious area I excel at.  It's not good for me to have so many options.  I'm indecisive.  I tend to second guess myself.  I just end up feeling frustrated and that I'm wasting my (and others') time and money.

People say I don't have to have it all figured out now.  And I agree.  I don't.  Not now.  Not tomorrow.  But soon I will.  And what's the point of wasting all of this?  I feel like this semester has pretty much been a joke and really hasn't counted towards anything.  At least academic-wise.  I wouldn't change the social aspect of the last month or so for anything.

Next August will bring many changes - roommates, classes, friends {you dang missionaries!} and probably other aspects I can't imagine right now.  It might be hard to adjust, but I'll be able to do it.  And eventually, I'll be able to figure my life and school out.  Just not tonight.  And that's okay.

Chocolate Mint Snow-Top Cookies

Mmmm....look at these delicious cookies!  Okay the picture isn't the greatest...but I promise they taste amazing!  Wanna know how to make them?!  Keep reading...

Chocolate Mint Snow-Top Cookies

What you need!

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• One 10-oz package (1 1/2 cups) Nestle Toll House mint flavored semi-sweet chocolate morsels, divided
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• confectioners' sugar

Here's what you do!

     In bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt; set aside; Over hot (not boiling) water, melt 1 cup mint chocolate, stirring until smooth (Or, microwave morsels in bowl on high power 1 minute; stir.  Microwave on high power 30 seconds longer; stir until smooth)

     In bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy.  Add melted mint morsels and vanilla.  Beat in eggs.  Gradually beat in flour mixture.  Stir in remaining 1/2 cup mint morsels.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap; freeze until firm.

     Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Shape dough into 1-inch balls; Coat with confectioners' sugar.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

     Bake 10-12 minutes, until tops appear cracked.  Let stand 5 minutes on cookie sheet.  Cool completely.  Makes 3 dozen.

Other Tips

*Scoop the dough while still pretty frozen and roll in powdered (confectioners') sugar and cook.  According to the "expert", this makes the cracking appearance look better.  I don't have enough experience to know for sure.

*You can make extra dough and keep it frozen for a while...then you can make cookies multiple times and only make the mess once!

And that's it!  Mmmm...delicious.  Share with EVERYBODY!  They will love you.

Things That Make Me Happy :)

Sometimes I wish I was Oprah so I could give everyone my favorite things. BUT...I'm pretty sure no one could be Oprah except Oprah...plus I don't have her millions and some just aren't possible to give away, so you'll have to figure out how to get these on your own :) Now...in no particular order...here are the things that make me happy :)

pulling faces

Oscar

love

sea lions

trips/vacations

cooking

the quote board

old friends

new friends

my awesome comforter

my bird necklace

this blue mug

movies

my spider plant named Alfredo...except today his name is Spencer

my star blanket

my picture wall (and all the people on it)

technology

time that goes in order like 12:34 or 2:34

being messy

my roommates

making cupcakes

Things I'm too tired to find a picture for, but I still love:

laughter

cleaning

crepe parties

telling people they're my favorite

being other people's favorite

new clothes

my family

Aggie ice cream

music

learning new things

the gospel

staying up late

Xela sweats

thick rimmed glasses

flowers

dinosaurs

post-it notes

not doing homework.....

What makes YOU happy?!

food, family, friends

So let's pretend my weekend started on Thursday for the sake of blogging :)

THURSDAY

On Thursday I started my day in Bountiful. Stephanie, Bailey, Eryka, my mom and I went to lunch together and then stopped by Dan and Eryka's apartment for a minute after. It's coming together really nicely. It's awesome to see how Eryka is able to change it from what it was originally. It's dated -- wood paneling, carpet that looks like it belongs in a church/school, stuff like that. Yet somehow it looks adorable. Kudos to Eryka.

Then I finished getting ready for the day and went to work. I love the people I work with. I didn't realize how much I missed work and the people from it until the last month or two. You may think I'm crazy, but I like my job. And I'm actually looking forward to next Saturday. All 10+ hours of it. AND I'm not being sarcastic.

Then I picked Sierra up and we drove to Logan. Sierra, Sarah, and I had a sleepover in our living room on our mattresses and watched a movie. It reminded me somewhat of junior high and high school when we would have sleepovers.

FRIDAY

I had the pleasure of attending class. And then I decided I should probably stay on campus until my homework was done since it was due by midnight and I knew I wouldn't do it if I went home. So by two I was headed home to my favorite house guest. Sierra and I went to lunch with some of her friends to Cafe Rio. Mmmm. Plus, free meal.Even better. My mom gave me like a thousand free meal cards when I moved up here...I'm hoping that wasn't my last one!

Then we came home. I was asked if I would take three of the boys (Aaron, Tyler, and Seth) from across the hall to Walmart. So I said "Sure! I have nothing better to do!" (because all my roommates had refused). But then, I convinced them to set foot in our apartment (they've been too scared for some reason) and so Sarah agreed to drive (that was the condition they had to meet in order for her to drive).

So we all piled into the suburban and drove to Walmart. They got their groceries and we went home. How eventful! Then we decided we should all get pizza. So we piled back into the suburban and drove down to Little Caesars...which is practically next to Walmart and then went to Walmart to buy drinks. (I've been to Walmart like 5 times this week...which is sad considering I don't think I've been up here 5 full days). Then we came back to our apartment and stuffed our faces with the pizza and free breadsticks. Garen and Kevin then joined us and all ten or so of us "smurfed."

And then came time to clean the sink. In fact, we cleaned two sinks. No, we did not grab our soap and water and wash everyone's dishes. We went to Angies! After devouring the sinks full of ice cream, oreos, reeses, carmel, bananas, and such, we headed over to the Logan Arthouse for the Antics! It was a little bit ridiculous of a wait. They had some concert before it started and it went like 20-25 minutes over...ridiculous! And then once it started it took the cast a little bit to get warmed up. I was worried since out of everyone who went with us, me and Shayna were the only ones to have ever watched them before. But they finally figured it out and became funny! Yay!

SATURDAY

Today is Saturday. Finally by like 1 or 2 Sierra and I loaded up my car. We stopped and got Aggie ice cream. We also went down to Gossners so she could grab some squeaky cheese and rootbeer milk.

Then we left the happy land of Logan. (We gave up the Festival of Colors idea. It didn't seem like it'd be as fun in the wet/cold and I didn't feel like waking up early...) I stayed in Bountiful until my Mama Llama came home (yes, that's a term of endearment). I figured I would be a good daughter instead of leaving before getting a chance to say hi, even though I'll be back Thursday.

I got up here and I get to the top of the stairs and one of the boys across the hall is grabbing the vacuum. He looks at me and asks "Do I know you?" "Yeah...we hung out last night." We decided it was my lack of glasses that was probably throwing him off. I thought it was pretty funny. :)

I attempted to watch the Bourne trilogy with Sarah and Janie once I got back up here. I couldn't/didn't try very hard to get into it, so when Kevin called me, I decided to be the awesome friend who went to buy him medicine and make him soup (which I kinda failed at. How hard can canned soup be?!) We talked for a while and watched some 30rock. And then when I got home, Sarah and Janie were still having their marathon. And so instead of joining them, I find myself on my computer.

And that, so far, is my weekend. Lovely, eh?