Giant Homemade Hershey's Kisses

Today I'm excited to share a super easy Valentine's Day treat with all of you!  A while back I saw a giant Hershey's Kiss for sale, but it was around twenty bucks and I just can't justify spending that much on a piece of chocolate.  So, I was able to come up with a cheaper (and more fun) option...a chocolate covered marshmallow treat!

Here's what to do:

1. Cut the top off of an empty two-liter bottle of soda. Coat the inside with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Melt 1/4 cup margarine in a pan over low heat. Add 4 cups of mini marshmallows and stir until melted. Cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
3. Add 5 cups of Rice Krispies cereal. Stir until well coated.
4. Using a spatula, press mixture evenly and firmly into the top piece of the soda bottle.
5. Remove the kiss-shaped marshmallow treat and place onto a piece of tin foil.
6. Melt Hershey's chocolate chips and spoon onto the marshmallow treat.
7. Allow chocolate to harden by placing in fridge for 30 minutes.
8. Once hardened, wrap the kiss in tin foil.  Add a message if desired.

That's it...super easy and so cute.  These would make a perfect little Valentine gift for your kids, friends, significant other...or anyone really!

Sharing over at: Chic on a Shoestring, Just Us Four, The Best Blog Recipes, Rattlebridge Farm, The Shabby Nest, My Romantic Home, Tidy Mom, The Pin Junkie

Ski Lessons.

Since I've lived in Utah for the past 10 years of my life, you might think that I would be an expert skier by now.  Our state does have "The Greatest Snow On Earth" after all.  Truth is, I think I can count the amount of times I've been skiing on one hand.  My husband, Emery, has a history of bad knee injuries...so he has always been really hesitant about going with me.  However, I finally convinced him to come with me when my sister and her husband came into town for Christmas.  Ok, I basically forced him to go against his own will...but guess what?  He LOVED it!  

The two of us obviously had a lack of skiing experience, so we really wanted to find a way to improve our skills on the slopes.  When I found out that January was "Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month" and we could get a beginner ski lesson at a super great discount, I knew we had to take advantage of the opportunity.  We decided this would also be the perfect time to find out if our kids would enjoy skiing, so we all signed up for a lesson at The Canyons up in Park City.  It was only $45 per person for an all-day lesson, including rentals and the beginner lift ticket.  The child lesson even included lunch...and if you've ever eaten at a ski resort, you know how expensive the food can be! 

We drove up to Park City and arrived at The Canyons Resort at about 8am.  We took the Cabriolet lift from the parking lot up to the resort area, where we checked in for our classes and got fitted for our rental equipment.  Then we dropped the kids off at their classes.  I thought they might be a little nervous and not want us to leave them there, but they were so excited to get started...I'm not even sure if they told us goodbye!  

Emery and I headed over to our group lesson, which only consisted of us, another lady and our instructor.  It was so nice having a small group, because we were able to get a lot of one-on-one instruction.  We started out using the magic carpet, which is a conveyor belt that takes you to the top of the bunny hill.  There we were able to practice the basics, going down at a slow speed.  We were all able to master the bunny hill pretty quickly, so we headed over to the High Meadow lift to test out our skills.  By this time the snow was falling like crazy...it snowed over a foot while we were there!

We took a break for lunch and ate at the Red Pine Lodge.  It was nice to warm up, rest our legs and fill our bellies.  But after lunch we were itching to get back to the slopes and keep learning.  We took one more trip up the High Meadow lift and once we finished those green (beginner) runs, we went up the Saddleback Express lift to try out some blue (intermediate) runs.  The steeper incline was a bit more tricky, but it really helped me to work on my speed control.  By the end of the day we were able to go down Kokopelli, which our instructor said was marked as blue, but was actually close to a black.  I'm not gonna lie...I got a little scared when I saw how steep it was, but it was so awesome when I got to the bottom and looked up at what I had accomplished. 

At 3pm it was time to go pick up the kids.  I was so happy to see them both still playing around and having a great time.  They really loved their classes and can't wait to try again.  That's really all that I had hoped to get out of this lesson...that they would have a super fun time and want to go back.  I'm thinking we need to take them to one of the bunny hills soon and spend some more time practicing the basics that they learned, so they can eventually hop on a lift with us and we can enjoy lots of quality family time on the mountain!

Where is your favorite place to ski or snowboard?  It's kind of overwhelming here in Utah, cause there are so many resorts to choose from!  I really want to try out Alta, because I've heard so many great things about it.  I'd love to hear your recommendations...even resorts outside of Utah.  I have a feeling this is going to be a new obsession of mine!

Crossroads.

As 2015 begins to unfold, my mind is filled with so many ideas, questions and emotions.  Many people love to make resolutions for the new year, because it's the perfect opportunity to start over with a clean slate.  Whether hoping to lose a few pounds, get out of debt, go back to school, or just be a better person...somehow seeing that fresh calendar on your desk makes those goals seem a little more within reach.  So many blank spaces, just waiting to be filled in with new dreams and opportunities.

I have spent the past few months contemplating which direction I want to take with this blog.  For the longest time I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It gave me an outlet to express myself, document my life, make new friends and in some ways it even helped me to learn more about myself.  I don't know exactly what happened, but somewhere along the journey that enjoyment disappeared.  I had taken on too many sponsored posts, stopped interacting with other bloggers and blogging simply lost it's appeal.  It wasn't fun anymore.  It makes me sad to say that, but it's true.

This blog started out as motivation to stop wearing old t-shirts and sweatpants all the time.  Much to my surprise, that motivation managed to prove effective and I stuck with it!  Being a mom is a hard gig.  It's absolutely the most rewarding aspect of my life, but it has also been the most difficult.  My family is my number one priority and always will be.  However, I know that setting aside a few minutes to get ready each day makes me feel better...and when I feel better, I'm a much nicer mom!  My genuine hope is that there is another busy mom out there who has read my blog and felt inspired.  I hope that I have influenced someone to take a little time out of their packed schedule to better their self-esteem.  That's what I would consider a success.

My personal style has certainly evolved over the past few years and this blog has helped me to learn so much about fashion in general.  I still love shopping and clothes and fashion magazines, but I'm just not sure I want to blog about that kind of thing.  It all feels so superficial to me.  There is always so much comparison and jealousy.  In order to be a successful "fashion blogger" you need to always be on top of the latest trends, buying the hottest (and most expensive) designer goods.  And don't get me started on the fake EVERYTHING...hair extensions, false eyelashes, fake tans...why do we all have to try and look the same?!  It's just too much.  Don't get me wrong...there is nothing bad about getting all done up every once in a while, but when you have to turn into a whole new person just to get people to notice you, something is not right.

So, I'm at a crossroads.  I want this to be a space where I can be myself and truly enjoy the blogging process again.  I want this to be a space where I can share my passions with others and a place where people can be inspired.  I want this to be a space where I can be open and honest and real.  I want to write more about my flight attendant experiences and share some travel tips I've learned along the way.  I want to visit more beautiful places and work on my photography.  I want to help other women on a budget, whether that means sharing great deals on designer pieces or showing off cute pieces from affordable brands.

The truth is, I'm extremely grateful for all of you who have stuck with me on this blogging journey of mine.  Not only do I want this to be a fun place for me...I also want it to be a fun place for you!  If no one wants to read my blog posts, there isn't much point in writing them, is there?  So, now I have a question for all of you: What would you like to see more of on Plane Pretty?  I'd really love to hear any input that could help in making this a fun, happy space to celebrate travel, fashion, motherhood and life's other little pleasures.

Here's to a happy, authentic, meaningful, positive, fulfilling, and productive new year!