Ta-da!

With my friend Joleen's help last night, I was finally able to make jam! This batch was raspberry. Next week's batch will be blackberry. Yum! (Don't mind the ribbon bows that badly need to be cut shorter...)

Our (un) successful trip to The Price is Right

Monday, January 26:

5am (Mountain Time) - Kristen wakes up to finish last minute details for the day's trip and gets ready
6am (Mountain Time)- Brant wakes up & gets ready
6:30am (Mountain Time) - left for SLC airport
10:30am (Pacific Time)- arrive at LAX airport
11:30am (Pacific Time)- arrive at CBS studio for the 1pm taping
11:40am - Find out that people have been waiting since 4am that morning to stand in line for the 1pm taping. Continue to stand in line for arrival passes for the next (and last) 4pm taping.
1:00pm (Pacific Time) - CBS starts calling numbers to start processing for the 4pm taping.
1:45pm (Pacific Time) - Still waiting for our number to be called.
1:46pm (Pacific Time) - CBS announces that there is no seats left in the studio.

What the heck?! We had gotten our 'tickets' from online. I knew that it wasn't confirmed seating and that you had to be there early. But 4am??? Thanks a lot CBS - next time try giving out less tickets so people don't get their hopes up.

2:00pm - (Pacific Time) - regroup and think of how to kill time before our 7:30pm shuttle and flight back to Salt Lake.
2:05pm - (Pacific Time) - find a nearby movie theater and watch the next movie showing - "Paul Blart- Mall Cop"
2:45pm - Wonder if this was the best way to spend our time in LA and use of $19.95
4:oopm - movie (finally) ends. Spotted a Johnny Rockets and grabbed some dinner
4:45pm- shuttle back to LAX and flight back to Salt Lake
11:00pm - (Mountain Time) - arrive back home in Orem.

Our worhtless 'order of arrival' passes

Oh, well....You win some, you lose some, right?? At least a day is the sun is a day won! (so great to get out of the cold and snow for a day!)

**For info on how you too can get free worthless tickets to the Price is Right, visit here

Weekend Highlight

Watching this year's Miss America televised live from Las Vegas. I headed over to Rissa's place since she gets cable and the TLC channel it was on (Brant was on a trip- I don't think he minded that he missed out on this...) So fun to eat, gab, and do our predictions (Rissa called Miss Indiana out as the winner from the start- and I predicted that Georgia would place in the top 2. We were both right).

Last year, the Miss America Organization gave out $340,000 in scholarships (about the same given out this year- and this was just at the national level. Even more is awarded at the local levels).

Love it.

Congratulations Salt Lake City

For being rated the #1 fittest city in America by Healthy Living

Hair Cutting Time

(No before photos- only after)

So stoked

For my Ball Home Canning Basics Kit to arrive this week. Until then, I'll be in the kitchen continuing development of my limited domestic skills. We also just today ordered a replacement piece for our bread maker that was lost during our move. Next after canning jam- making bread from scratch with our new wheat grinder and improved bread maker... yee-haw!

Hearthside Slippers

On Saturday night Brant and I went bowling at the local alley (his bro AK that's going to BYU met up with us and brought some of his friends). Never mind that Brant and I tied with the highest score of 119- on the next lane over I noticed a super cute girl with the most darling shoes/ slippers I have seen in months. After she said she got them from LL Bean (I asked as she was leaving) I hurried home and got online to find them.

So sad that they are all sold out (in my size)!

Upcoming Event

Sitting in the studio audience watching lucky/ wild people win fantastic prizes on The Price is Right! We're not holding our breath that either one of us will be picked to 'Come on Down' but are still excited to go!

P.S. I've joined Facebook (my world is now complete) and am having a hayday finding old classmates and roomates/ mission buddies/ friends. If I haven't found you yet, come find me! I'm under Kristen Wilson Harrison.

HGTV Dream Home Giveaway

I was visiting here and came across this sweet giveaway: a home in Sonoma California with all the inside decor. Go here to enter (once daily until February 19th). And if you win, we get to live with you :)

Tonight

I christened my shiny red Kitchen Aid.

By making home-made butter.

What a mess it left over!

Other domestic things I accomplished this week: cooked potato soup (which we ate in bread bowls), cooked quiche lorraine, cooked home made chili and cornbread, and made a casserole. Look at me go!!

I have NOT sat around and watched soaps. Well, maybe I did once this week.

Did you Know?

Tonight, our analog TV that we get about 4 chanels on (2 of them in Spanish) went from looking like this
to a crystal clear reception with 20 more chanels - after we hooked up our TV converter. Who knew that you didn't have to wait until the switch over to digital in February to install the converter to get a good TV picture now?? (we received our government issued credit and have had our converter for a few weeks now). Oh, the simple things in life. Thanks for the tip, Sugi!

Almost done unpacking

Moving from the north to the south side of town is more work than I anticipated! We really don't have much junk, but I still made a couple goals for this last little while of our apartment living.

Resolution #1: Purge all items from our possesion that we haven't used in the past year.

Resolution #2: To avoid any clutter for the remaining duration of our apartment living, not to purchase anything that isn't necessary for basic survival.