Treats for the Munchkins

I am getting a little crazy...two posts in one day!  I made these treats a few weeks ago, took pictures and everything so I could make a blog post about it, and then forgot...so here it goes.  This semester I have been  "student teaching"in a first grade classroom up in Roswell.  I absolutely love first grade!  The kids are so sweet, and their inability to pronounce my new last name makes them even sweeter!  With Halloween rolling around the corner, I figured these kids needed some sugar to prepare for the copious amounts of candy they would get while trick-or-treating.  I found this recipe on Pinterest...my newest obsession thanks to my sweet friend Cara.

So here's what you do...

First, lay out mini pretzel twists on a baking sheet...

Then unwrap 2, 000 Hershey kisses (not really, but it felt like a lot) and put them on top of each pretzel.  I chose to use kisses, hugs, and the caramel-filled kind (what are those called?).  Oh, and I ran out of baking sheets, so I had to use my 9 inch cake pans!

 Bake in the oven on 275 degrees for three minutes.  Remove and place one M & M on the top of each kiss, hug, etc.  Refrigerate immediately until ready to eat!  Here is the finished product...

So I took these to my first graders the friday before Halloween, and they LOVED them.  One of the munchkins came up to me and told me these were the best thing they had EVER eaten.  I got lots of hugs from the others.  Hahaha!! I love winning the approval of seven year olds.

For more awesome recipes...check out Pinterest!

One Year Ago...

A year ago yesterday, Barrett and I got engaged...

I can't believe it has already been a year.  So many amazing things have happened in the past year, and it has been so much fun looking back.  This past weekend, we went to the lake to celebrate what happened one year ago.  We arrived late Friday night and watched movies.  Saturday, we drove up to Lake Burton, ate lunch at this wonderful restaurant, and drove around the whole lake looking at the amazing houses.  Lake Burton got hit by the same tornado last spring that tore through Tuscaloosa.  The damage was unreal!  During our site-seeing, we managed to stop and take one picture (Our only picture from the whole weekend!!! I am so bad about getting out my camera!).  Make that two pictures...I forgot about the other one...

That afternoon, we headed back to Lake Rabun and spent some time out on the boat dock.  We got engaged on the boat dock, so we spent some time trying to remember exactly what happened a year earlier.  Barrett was not as nervous this time :).  That night we went back to the Lake Rabun Hotel Restaurant where we ate the night we got engaged.  We remembered the food being a little better the last time we went, but that might have just been all the excitement!  I don't have a picture from this year, so here is last year's picture...

After dinner, we went home, snuggled up by the fire, and watched the uneventful LSU v. Alabama game.  It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.  Yesterday was back to reality for us...grocery shopping, afternoon naps, Bible study, frozen pizza, and two hours of Shark Tank.  Married life is the best!

Birthday Weekend

A few weekends ago, my family and Barrett's family traveled up to Lake Rabun to spend a "birthday weekend" together.  Barrett's family has a house up there, and it was very nice of them to have us all up there!  Conveniently, Barrett and Dad share the same birthday (September 30th).  Emory's birthday was 3 days before on the 27th and Bob's was the 10th.  Needless to say, we had a lot of birthdays to celebrate!  We arrived at Lake Rabun late on Friday night.  We took a house tour then dove into some cake (that I made :) ) and some cupcakes (from Gigi's, although I wish I could take credit for them).

Gotta love those wedding gifts...

Da with the munchkins

 

Birthday boys!

         

 Not sure...

The next morning, Emory met a friend...

Then we kayaked and jet-skied until lunch...

                                                                   Katherine almost threw Barrett off the jet-ski

                                   

 

Emory wasn't too sure about the jet-skis. 

 Oh, and Olivia did not want to take her life vest off the entire day

 Lunch was delicious...
 
Then we sat around for a bit...

 

before going on a freezing cold boat ride...

That afternoon was full of fun, swimming, games, laughs, and naps.  The Tribble/Thompson's were introduced to Kan Jam (the best game ever), and of course, Barrett and I dominated.  That night we headed up to Louis' for pizza.  But before we went, we took a few pictures on the boat dock.

All the September birthdays...

Barrett, Emory, Bob, Dad

 

At dinner...

 

 The picture of Emory was taken right before she fell asleep at the dinner table.  Luckily, Aunt Mallory was there to carry her home.  Love that one!  It was a wonderful weekend!  I loved having mine and Barrett's families together for such a fun weekend.  We will definitely have to go back soon...maybe when its warmer so Aunt Mallory will actually get in the lake.

Honeymoon

About a month and a half ago, Barrett and I ventured to the beautiful island of St. Lucia for our honeymoon.  We stayed at the Sandals Grande Resort on St. Lucia.  We spent Monday to Sunday there and had the best time.  I am so very thankful that we did not leave for our honeymoon until Monday after the wedding because we were absolutely exhausted on Sunday.  The pictures below describe the week a lot better than I could!

Marta ride to the airport

 Dinner the first night at Toscanini's

 The Pub

 Double fisting already?

 Barrett loves this picture of himself...

 Awkward single photos...

      

Dinner at the pub

 Chocolate night!!

 Patiently awaiting the chocolate...

 The next day we went on the Simon Says Speed Boat Tour, where some locals took us around the island to do some sight-seeing.

 Mick Jagger's house

 Oprah's house

 The Pitons

                                                                                                                                                                    

 We then got off the boat to go to the Mineral Springs...

        

...and then the Mud Bath.  The guide told us it was OK to rub all over each other because we were married...Barrett took this to heart.

                    

 On the way to Simon's house for lunch...not sketchy at all...

Simon's wife cooked for all of us...it was delicious!

 Dinner at Barefoot by the Sea

Street Party

They told us to wave our napkins in the air...so I did

So there was this guy we spotted on the trip that was Ryan Kolb's doppleganger (How I Met Your Mother anyone?)  We spent the remainder of the trip trying to get documentation...he's in the back of the photo in the gray shirt...

Zip lining was a blast!

Love Swans?

The last two nights of our trip we decided to go check out the other resort (La Toc) and grab dinner there.

Barrett loved his coconut.

Dinner at the Japanese Steak House

                       

The last day Barrett went hiking, and I sat on the beach and read...I'm such a good wife.

Dinner the last night at La Toc

Last day...sad we had to leave...

                                     

...but happy we had such a good time

                            

CLUTCH.  Ryan came and sat by us while we were waiting on the van to come get us.  I could not resist.  Barrett acted like he was posing and I zoomed in on my camera...we aren't creepy, I swear!

Goodbye St. Lucia!

I am thinking that a trip to the Caribbean should take place every year on our anniversary.  I'll run it by Barrett and let ya'll know what he thinks.