Biggest Cram Sesh of My Life

I'm sort of drowning over here. 

After a whirlwind week of finishing massive class projects, taking two exams (that aren't even finals!), and hosting/attending Christmas parties, finals week is upon me and I somehow have less than 24 hours to study for two scheduled final exams tomorrow morning. 

Our apartment looks like a bomb went off, I'm crossing my fingers that I have enough clean clothes to last me through the week, and don't even get me started on how atrocious my eating habits have become in the past 72 hours. 

Can you say d i s a s t e r?

Whew. But hey, I sort of live for this. I have a weird love for it all -- the tense atmosphere plus the complete lack of sleep plus massive amounts of pressure everyone is under eventually all comes to a head and results in some pretty hilarious things happening, especially when you're in the library past midnight every night. 

And then come Friday, you've done it and it's over and your body sort of breaks down (I always get sick the week after finals) and you can sleep in and actually have time to go to the gym and eat three meals a day. 

But whoa, lets not get ahead of ourselves there. That glorious freedom is still five days away!

Wish me luck, I'm certainly going to need it. 

That being said, I do have some catching up I need to do on this blog here, so a bunch of new posts are slowly but surely coming in the near future :)

Called To Serve

My little sister is going on a mission!

She opened her call last night and she will be serving in the Morristown, New Jersey mission!

Aaah!! 

I am so excited for her and jealous of the people of New Jersey! 

They are getting one fabulous missionary! 

:)

Any readers from there? Or does anyone know someone serving there?

Christmas Cookies!

I tried out this recipe a few weeks ago and let me tell you, it was a smash! 

These cookies are so delicious and not difficult at all to make (always a plus in my book). 

They look so cute and festive too, AND they're low fat! (ha. ha. ha. not. but it's worth it). 

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

*makes 24* 

1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. packed light brown sugar

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 large eggs

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 Tbsp. liquid red food coloring (I didn't use quite this much...)

1/2 c. buttermilk

8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

1 c. marshmallow cream (such as jet puff, my personal fave)

sprinkles for decoration!

1) preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray cooking sheets with cooking oil.  

2) In medium-sized bowl, Whisk together the flour, cocoas, baking soda and salt.

3) using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, then the vanilla and food coloring. Alternatively add the flour mixture and buttermilk, mixing just until incorporated. 

4) drop lovel Tbsp of the batter onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Baking until the top are set and spring back when lightly pressed, 6-8 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. 

5) while the cookies cool, use an electric miser to beat the cream cheese until smooth. add the marshmallow cream and beat until fluffy, aout 3 minutes. spread 2 level tbsp of filling onto half of the cookies, then sandwich with the remaining cookies. Sprinkle the sprinkles around the edges. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before serving! 

Enjoy!

*disclaimer* Not my recipe, I found it in a magazine at the dermatologist's office! :)

Well I Do Declare!

We had ourselves a little Southern Belle Bachelorette Party this past week. 

Rachel is from Texas, so it seemed appropriate :)

And let me tell you, conversations are way more fun when you're talking in a southern accent...

I might even start incorporating "ya'll" into my daily dialect. 

Can't wait for this girl's wedding, just one more month!

Hey Guys Check It Out!

I'm being featured today on the lovely Julie Blake's blog "Be Inspired" (!!!)

I was so honored (and also nervous) when she wanted to ask me a few questions about my style choices and wardrobe favorites, and you can check it out here if you want! 

Oh Christmas Tree

CHRISTMAS SEASON IS OFFICIALLY HERE!!

& here I am putting the last ornament on our Christmas tree!

Having ornaments on our tree is a pretty big deal, because last year we had a grand total of two ornaments. And now one year later we've upped the numbers a little! 

I love decorating for Christmas, I grew up with a mom who always made our home so wonderful during Christmas time, and I want to try to recreate it now that I've got my own home!

However, I live with a little bit of a Scrooge, who happens to think decorations are a little bit of a waste of time.

 BUT, even he can't resist the Christmas magic. There is nothing better than when I get the tree all put up with the lights and he comes home and sees it for the first time. 

A little bit of that Scrooge-ness melts away.  :)

Happy Christmas Season! Woohoo!

2nd Annual Pie Party

JP loves Thanksgiving. 

And he loves pie. 

So last year, he began the tradition of throwing a "Pie Party" the night before Thanksgiving. 

This year we had an even bigger turn out, which was great, including a few repeat attenders from last year! So much fun to see everyone, although it is a shame that so many people feel like they have to go home to be with their families for this holiday. Can't you all stay in Provo for the break? :)

Like last year, JP's wording for the invitation is really just one of a kind, and here is it for your enjoyment:

Dear family, friends, and associates,

It’s that time of year again – the time when we give thanks for our abundance by trying to consume as much of it as possible in one sitting.

So naturally it is also time for our second annual pie party. Last year we had great turnout with about a dozen different kinds of pie (I am proud to say I sampled every one of them and haven’t fit into the pants I wore to the party since).

For those of you who are not familiar with the concept this is how it works: The pie party is actually a pie competition. Every person or group of people attending is encouraged to bring a pie (if you don’t feel up to the challenge we won’t turn you away), and we will all vote on which pie is the tastiest. The winner, in addition to our praise, will receive a generous prize and will hold the title of pie master until next year. Last year there was a lot of pre-party boasting, but only one winner.

So once again research recipes, consult cooks, and page through pinterest to find the best recipes possible, and let’s have another successful pie party.

Jean Paul

 Couldn't be more thankful for that guy right there. 

 He made a "Kentucky Derby Pie," which I had never heard of, but is definitely a new favorite! JP followed this recipe here, and tweaked it a little. 

I truly hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful, I find that I have more and more to be thankful for every year. 

(I suppose that's how it should be huh?)

Happy Thanksgiving!!