Caramel Chex

If I may be so bold, this is probably the best chex recipe ever.It is full of caramely goodness, which practically melts in your mouth. You will eat the entire batch before you know it...so beware! However, it is perfect to bring to a New Years Eve party, movie night, or Spring Sing lock-in. It will be the hit of the party!

And trust me, it’s easy. I wouldn’t be able to do this if a 5 year old couldn’t. Yes, my cooking skills are right up there with a child’s.

Time: About 10 minutes

1 box of chex (crispix or off brand cereal. Anywhere from 14-17oz.)

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup corn syrup

First: prepare the cereal. If you have a brown paper sack, great! If not, get a BIG bowl (best if it has a lid with it) enough to pour the chex into, and plenty of room to stir.

Over a stove, melt butter. Add brown sugar and corn syrup. Heat until boiling. Once it is boiling, leave it for 30 sec.

Remove from heat.  Add the baking soda and stir until foamy (if you have kids...or easily amused college students in the house...the foamy part is the fun part!)  

Pour over your chex mixture, and shake! (or if in a bowl without a lid...shaking would not be recommended! Stirring is okay, but try not to crush the cereal!)

Get it all mixed up ( a good couple of minutes of shaking). 

Then every 10 or so minutes come back and shake it again to get it all mixed up. This will help it not stick together. It will stay warm for a good hour. It is still AMAZING warm, just a little extra sticky. Best to make it a couple hours ahead, just to cool it down and make it easier to pick up!

But trust me on this one...it will always be a hit!

Calendars = Love

This is my all-time favorite part of the year. The part where my calendars are ending...and I get to start new ones!!!

I dont know what it is about calendars...but they are one of my favorite things! Since etsy has become my life, I've gotten into all the different calendars other people (that are talented at photoshop...in other words...not me!) can make!

Here are few of my favs I've found!

Free printable calendars

How cute is this village? Click here to download it for free!

I love this simplicity and doodles of this one!

This is so artsy! I'm jealous of anyone that can design this!

To get this one, visit this site, and then it tells you who to email and they send you the file personally!

Still amazing amazing- but cost a bit!

This one is only $1.50 to download...but would be totally worth it!

One of my all-time fav etsy calendars!

And since I'm on esty...I'll add a few more!

And this one

Oh and if you are wondering how to hang the sheets...how about clothespins?!

Trust me, I could post this stuff for hours....but this may just peak your interest to find some more of your own!!

Omaha is my Homaha

Home sweet home! So far, it’s been a great break. The only downside is all the junk I still have stored in my room. Eventually I will have to get a place of my own. From the mirrors and frames stacked in my bedroom, to the bedding and living room decoration in the guest room, and the entire basement wall lined with my kitchen junk (which I keep adding to...thanks to my AWESOME kitchenaid mixer I found at goodwill)

Basically, it’s been great. 

From decorating cookies

To our stay-cation ice skating in the old market

And spending Christmas with our families!



 But now off to bigger and better (whoops parents read this!) things! I’m off to spend a week in Denver! It’s been almost 3 months since I’ve seen Kevin, so I’m pretty excited!!!

All except for the drive...I hate that drive. Please observe:

Although  I dont dislike it as much as I hate the drive to OKC, but friends...be expecting some long phone calls to keep me occupied!

So I’ve packed up my VIA instant coffe, my GPS, a few snacks, and my car full of C.Ds (ipods and I aren't that close yet) ...and I’m off to Colorado in the morning!

Happy Holidays

New Favorite places

So I’ve been in Lincoln about 4 months, and I’ve gone exploring a few times. Sometimes the natives help, other times I just go try something new! Here are a few of my new favorite places

Crescent Moon: very artsy, underground coffee shop. My friends love it for their great “Irish coffee” but I love their iced coffee “Toddy!”

Coffee House: a great study place if I ever needed a change in scenery it is huge and reminds me of an old saloon

Ivanna Cone: Amazing green tea ice cream

Sculpture Garden- on City Campus, there are some great sculptures all throughout the campus.

Haymarket Farmers Market- this one would be first, but sadly it is now out of season! But it’s the best place to people watch!

Salvation Army- take a couple of laps around this place, and I’ve got about 30 different craft ideas under $5!

Trader Joe’s- Finally got one this month! I am loving it!

Conner’s Antiques: ABSOLUTE FAVORITE PLACE! (Thanks Nay for telling me about this!)





The coolest/junkiest antique store I’ve ever seen. There is a room of glass windows, some that are over 12 feet high that you could decorate your house with. Another room you cant even walk to the end of there is so much stuff! (if anyone had been in the junky part of Enterprise Square at OC...that would be my best description of this place!)

Kitty’s T-shirt blanket for dummies

For a girl who hated sewing machines...I’m pretty proud of myself this week! I’ve learned to work the thing successfully! Also, I got a little ambitious, and decided to give a t-shirt blanket a try!

Ta-dah!

It took WAY less time than I expected (about 3 hours), because...well, I’m sure I didn’t do it right! The “kitty tshirt blanket” takes a piece of cardboard  (cut into a 15x15 square) from one of those millions of boxes I have stacked in my room from online shopping. Also some fabric scissors, an old comforter (no point in paying for batting when you’ve got a blanket full of it just lying around. Oh, and don’t forget a lot of old tshirts!

The perfect use for the old high school/middle school shirts I’m too old to wear, the weird fitting PacRim shirts, and the ugly gamma shirts! (Yeah I said it. Some of those gamma shirts are not my fav)

How to do it:

• Cut out tshirts using your cardboard template. I started with 16 shirts, but changed my mind and added 4 more. (yes you could measure out each one and make them very precise...but I'm not that sorta person!)
• Sew them together! I sewed 4 together in strips, then took those strips and sewed them together to make the entire thing.
• Then took an old comforter, and cut it to the size of my blanket. Flip the tshirts to face the comforter, sew around it (but leave enough space to flip it rightside out! just like making a pillow!)
• And flip it right-side out and sew 'er up!

Lessons from Hagrid

I’ve abandoned my ancient ways, and finally broke down to become...one of them. That’s right, one of those people who actually use a sewing machine.

However, I’m not that hardcore yet

Now I’ve just got to make friends. I’ve decided the safest way is to take Hagrid’s approach to meeting hippogriffs:

I’ve decided sewing machines, like hippogriffs are proud creatures.

Dealing with Proud Creatures, Tips from Hagrid:

1.       They are easily offended, don’t insult one, it might be the last thing you do

2.       Wait for them to make the first move, you’ve got to be polite!

3.       Then bow

4.       Hopefully it bows back, or else STEP AWAY

So far it hasnt tried to attack me...but it's actually just giving me a false sense of security

Purple=Love

I love the color purple…and everything that is purple! I love grape soda, purple smelly markers, grape medicine, grape gum, grapes, grape jolly ranchers. Purple is just my all-time favorite.  

So here are a collection of a few of my purple loves right now. 

I'M DONE!

Can you believe I just got through a semester of law school?! (I sure cant!) That means I am 1/6^th of the way through!

Before you know it...this will be me!! (minus the Harvard graduate part!)

These past few months have taught me A LOT! Most have little to nothing to do with school...but I figure this sums up my semester quite accurately.

1.      Make friends with the smart kids

2.      Don’t make promises you don’t want to keep (you may just find yourself making a contract!)

3.      There is a loophole in everything, find it, but don’t rely on it

4.      Don’t eat anything from a baseball vendor if you have an allergy

5.      Fat cats eat lots

6.      You can sue for anything, but the only real winner is the lawyer

7.      Don’t pull chairs out from under people

8.      Don’t steal someone’s clothes while skinny dipping, you just falsely imprisoned them

9.      Time flies (even when you aren’t having fun)

10.  Don’t be afraid of something new, it could change your life

11.  Listen to your parents...especially when they tell you to be a lawyer in when you grow up

12.  Stressing does nothing for you, get over it, do something about it.

13.  Don’t compare your life with what others are doing, it’s okay to be different

14.  Crafts may be fun, but they may force you to drop out of school

15.  Don’t leave banana peels laying around

16.  It’s okay to have a weakness, if coffee is the only thing that gets you up some mornings...well at least you’re up

17.  If you catch a home run ball, don’t let go of it.

18.  Make time for friends

19.  Just because you’ve been sewed up after surgery, doesn’t mean they didn’t accidentally leave something in there

20.  Play Bingo

Slowly Losing Sanity

I will probably regret this post in the morning...however I have slowly been losing my sanity these past 2 weeks of finals.

Hard to believe this was actually taken over the course of a few days...told you I didnt change clothes!

From wearing the same clothes for 3 days straight, to realizing I've been staring at a blank screen for 20 minutes...tonight all I can hang onto is the fact that I am going to be over with all of this in less than 24 hours.

10 Minute Upcycle

I know I said I would stop...but its just not in my nature! I start studying for finals, and all of a sudden black out. When I wake up, I’ve got a staple gun in one hand, and scissor in another! I just can’t help myself!

One of these episodes hit me while studying for my Contracts final. Thankfully the project only lasted about 10 minutes, but it was enough of a break to simply lift my spirits!

It’s nothing outrageously unique, but I’ve really started getting into this upcycling concept which has really got my creative juices flowing

There it is. Simple! I found this frame a month or two ago at this Goodwill Outlet in Omaha. (how cheap can I get right?!) The clothes pins are from my grandmother’s laundry room (which I cut and glued strips from old Starbucks giftcards to give them some color!) and the twine I found in the closet. Oh, and the photos...all are cut from my calendar which is about to end!

How’s that for recycling?!

Just from looking at this, you can probably figure out how it is done. Cut pieces of twine, staple it to the back of a frame (tie a knot on the end of the twine, or ribbon, whatever so it doesn’t slip through the staple!)

I’ve had this empty frame on my wall for a while with no ideas of what to do with it. Since I live with my grandparents, I try only to put necessary holes in the walls! So this way it is one hole (to hold the frame) and as many pictures as I want! Perfect for my living situation!

Yes the frame needs repainted, and I could have made this much cuter...but I love it just the way it is!

Good Afternoon, Good Evening and Goodnight!

When the mailman knows your name, should that make you reevaluate your habits? How about when he comes to the door and asks “doing some more online shopping again are we”? Well at least he made the effort to thank me for single handedly allowing him to keep his job.

My grandma has enjoyed talking with the mailman when he comes to the door with a package. The first time, she was alarmed when he made reference to how much mail Kitty has gotten since she moved it. She assumed he knew me since he said I seemed like “a nice girl” but apparently saying hi to the mailman on occasion, accompanied with his ability to match my name on my letters to my face makes it appear we are more than acquaintances. (slightly creepy!)

Yes, I am an online shopper...hardcore.

But, I am also known to send a number of things snail mail (Who doesn’t like to get a letter?!) but I certainly have never had a postman know my name! I have noticed everyone is extra friendly here. From the AAA man who came to get my keys out of my trunk, to the neighbors, the Ace Hardware employees and the exterminator…everyone seems extra friendly.

Ever seen “The Truman Show”?? I am not saying I am full of myself and think the world revolves around me, but some days in Lincoln I honestly feel as if I am living in that movie!

EnGAGement

Throughout all of this studying...I’m always trying to find a good release to lighten the mood!

I’m a huge fan of engagement photos, so today I decided to have a little fun and find some of the worst engagement photos I could find. It was actually much harder than I thought!

So here they are a few of my favs...my enGAGement collection:

If you are thinking about law school...don’t read this.

Just kidding...don’t let this scare you. By the time you reach finals, hypothetically, the semester has truly prepared you for this week. (or at least that’s what the professors tell you!)

I know I’ve talked about the logistics of finals before, but now that I’ve actually been through one. I thought I would explain again.

First: you’ve got this outline.

Yep, that’s the size of that thing. The outline is a summary of all the rules of law you’ve found in the cases. So yes, it is actually a condensed version of all your notes

Second: You’ve got to study.

They more you’ve studied throughout the semester the better. You better study well too, because let me remind you that (A) your ENTIRE grade is riding on the finals and (B) you are graded based on how EVERYONE ELSE does in the class. If they are doing better than you, you are doing worse.

My outline of my outline. The goal was to hopefully be able to rewrite this beauty in the first 10 minutes of the test.

However- that failed. Go from whatcha know and hopefully it sorta just flows spews our into coherent stream of consciousness

Third: The test.

In general, all of my finals are 3.5 hours long (or if you prefer, 210 minutes). Each final is comprised of around 2 cases which you’ve never seen before (because they are all made up!) which touch on just about every element you’ve talked about in class.

Read the cases: write all the legal issues you see, and the defenses for those issues.

Basically throw in everything but and the kitchen sink

Oh and there is no right answer. Yeah, you heard me. NO RIGHT ANSWER. None of the stories are like what you’ve read. The idea is that throughout the semester you’ve been given the tools to figure it out on your own.

Fourth: You get out feeling so emotionally and physically drained. Now...get ready to do it all over again for the next final! Since they are so strenuous, finals last for 2 weeks and are spaced out so no student has more than 1 final every other day.

Ta-Dah! And that is what I will be doing until December 15^th at promptly 4:30pm!

Caramel Apple Spice: By Your Friendly Ex-Barista

I’ll be the first to admit...cooking is NOT my thing. However, Starbucks has taught me a few tricks for the holidays...for example...anyone else LOVE their Carmel Apple Spice?!?

Well it was my FAVORITE to make while I was learning drinks, because it was just so easy! So I figure everyone should know how to make it!

 My caramel apple spice never looks like this when we made it! I don’t know why online pictures look so much better!

Before reading this...I have another Starbucks Secret.

Rule Number 1 in being a Barista! Be happy, and when you dont want to be happy, find a sneaky way to get back at them.

This is WAY more true then you will ever believe. If you think I'm kidding, go ahead and ask your favorite Barista if they've done it.

I bet they will say yes.

It took me a few times before my fellow Baristas finally talked me into it (I had to work my way from 1/2 decaf to full!) but it was the best way to get out your anger out and move on! I will be honest, I really haven't done it to THAT many people...most people are wonderful. But those that do...they deserved way more than just that. 

Anyway, back to the Carmel Apple Spice!

All you need:

Apple Juice

Cinnamon Dolce Syrup (from Starbucks!) For low-cal you can use sugar free kind, The HUGE bottles run about $6.95 or so...they will last you FOREVER. However, it makes a great cider if you are having a party! People will be SO impressed

Carmel Sauce- you can pick this up at Starbucks as well, however, you can use a store bought caramel sauce to save a little cash!

Optional- whipped cream

*also, when you buy your cinnamon dolce syrup, ask if they have any extra pumps. It depends on how nice they are, but a lot of times they will give one to you if they have extra!*

You will see below why I'm not great at cooking...I eyeball everything so nothing turns out right…but its hard to mess this one up! And if you do, you just have to make and drink another (shucks!)

Single Serving

For a single cup (and by cup I mean tall size of sbux so 12 oz), add apple juice (12oz or so) add 3 pumps of Cinnamon Dolce (about 2 Tbs) you can always add more if you’d like! Then go ahead and heat it up in the microwave like you would any other hot beverage (if you are doing this for a party, just put it over the stove)

If you are a whipped cream person (which I am not!) this is where you put the whipped cream on the top! Then top it off with caramel sauce! If you want to get technical (...and boy are they picky when you work there!) The caramel should be in a swirl shape on the top...but go crazy and make fun designs!!!

And there you have you're Caramel Apple Spice! 

Par-tay!

If you are making it in bulk, go ahead and melt 2 teaspoons of caramel sauce per every cup of apple juice. If you are measuring by the cup, you may want to go ahead and only use 1-2 pumps of C.D per cup. That way it is all ready to go and people can add whip cream on if they’d like!

I have a few other Starbucks Secrets here and here if you're looking to try them out! 

Who’s Kevin??

Well, to continue on from my story from a while back...I thought it only fair to explain how Kevin and I started dating.

Fall semester of my sophomore year, I decided to go on PacRim. So while I’m on this trip...one of my new  friends, was Carrie.

Carrie and Me after zorbing in New Zealand

Anway, Carrie used to tell me stories of her and her boyfriend and all their awkward first moments. She is such a great story teller! Anyway, I remember sitting in an internet café in Sydney, being obnoxious (I still had a bit of that freshman attitude left over) and talking to Carrie while she was trying to Skype with her boyfriend, Jeremy.

Well the conversation turned to finding me a boyfriend (yes...pathetic). Although I’d never met Jeremy, his first idea was that I should date his roommate/cousin. So Carrie asked “Do you know Kevin Boone?” The name did not ring a bell, so I said “Nope, who’s Kevin?” Carrie pulled up his picture online and after seeing it, I told her “uh...no, that kid doesn’t talk.” Well unfortunately Jeremy overheard and decided to have a word with me beginning with “what was wrong with my cousin Kevin!?” Whoops!

So basically the rest is history

After coming back to the states at the end of the semester, it apparently became a running joke that Kevin and I would start dating. It wasn’t gradually...I mean I literally stepped off the bus that day and meet Jeremy who, with a goofy smile, proceeded to introduce me again to his cousin, Kevin.

That spring, Carrie lived in the apartment above mine. So throughout the semester Kevin and I would be sent on trips to get a cup of sugar (classic right?!), or return a movie while he was conveniently watching The Office in Carrie’s apartment, or catch a ride to church together, just to put us in the same room together and make us talk.

Then one day, I marched up to him on the basketball court and said “Hey, why aren’t we dating??”

And that was 2 years and 8 months ago!

Taken right before dating...



Right after! (we look much better haha)



**Oh, and I’d also like to add, today was my last day of classes!!! However, it would be a lot more exciting if (A) that didn’t mean finals were coming up and (B) these same classes didn’t continue 2^nd semester as well.

FINALS

(Dedicated to my mother for asking me to read her 5^th graders acrostics)

F is for the FUN I’m not having

I is for the INTERNET which is now my enemy

N is for the kNOWLEDGE I am supposed to be gaining

A is for the AGONY this week has been

L is for the LIBRARY where I now live

S is for STUDYING…which I should be doing right now