Life's An Adventure!

Ciao

2010-10-13T16:35:00.000-07:00

Hmm it's been over a month since I've posted on here. I think I am going to "officially" make my one and only blog "Brand New Hoosier" aka my secret project. Check. It. Out.

I may post some projects on here so when I have time to work on them, I know where they are all kept!
...like this one:

TTFN :)

Thinking Positively

2010-09-04T10:35:00.001-07:00

Since my life will be spent studying, I need to make my study environment much more welcoming.

My goal for this week is to make it look more like this:

Source

I'll definitely post before and after pics :)

A Preview of my Life

2010-08-31T16:46:00.000-07:00

...for the next 12 months (hopefully not more). Saweeeet.

Yesssss

2010-08-25T18:36:00.000-07:00

Something to look forward to besides the 24/7 studying that will begin tomorrow: the Renegade Craft Fair.

Now I've just gotta decide whether to go for the day or the weekend. Thank you CPA exam. It will probably be just the day.

First CPA exam: Oct. 4th. YIKES. Goodbye whatever little piece of social life I had.

The Moment You've Been Waiting for...

2010-08-22T18:55:00.000-07:00

...the unveiling of my "secret project."

Surprise! It's another blog I've been doing. I've been cheating on this one with my other blog called "Brand New Hoosier." You can read through it all. I've been working on it since April I think? It's pretty self explanatory. I chose today to share it with all my friends and family because it was a deadline for me to work towards. You can read more of the explanation on this post.

As for this blog...you can probably tell I've been slacking. I will still probably post things as I come across them, but my other blog will definitely be updated much more regularly :)

I Suck.

2010-08-20T16:48:00.000-07:00

Ya, I suck at posting on here. I finished my first week of work and couldn't be happier it's the weekend! Sunday is the unveiling of my "secret project" which is 1/3 done.

This weekend will consist of farmers markets, going to the gym, and car shopping :)

First Day: Done

2010-08-16T19:12:00.000-07:00

First day as an "adult" is over. I don't feel too much different. Now I just need to plan trips to see all my friends and they should plan trips to see me :)

Haircut Thursday. Short or keep long. That is the question. We shall see...

Sorry for the short post, but it's past my bedtime. 6am comes fast!

Vanilla Cupcakes :)

2010-08-15T18:29:00.000-07:00

Yum yum yum. Mom made these with the shredded zucchini my bff brought over from her fam's garden.
Who would think they are kinda healthy?? She got the recipe from Cook Yourself Thin --> here.

I didn't make the chocolate ones yet (maybe next weekend) but these were a good replacement!

Self-reminder

2010-08-14T19:11:00.000-07:00

Self: make these muffins!

One day left before I begin the big girl job. I'm staying busy getting ready. One thing on my list to do tomorrow is make these amazing-looking chocolate zucchini muffins. I found the recipe on Everybody Likes Sandwiches.

Moving day!

2010-08-12T13:52:00.000-07:00

I'm moving out of my apartment today. Done with college :'(

I also kind of unexpectedly am starting my job on monday!

All this means: Updates will be sparse this next week. Until I reveal the super secret awesome project next Sunday.

I've gotta lotta shopping and organizing to do!

Heat Warning

2010-08-10T07:49:00.000-07:00

As I'm waiting to go to tennis class, I keep hearing on tv that there is a heat warning for Bloomington. Lovely.

Since I painted my bedroom at home white and I'm moving back into it in a few days, I've been searching for a bedspread. It's time for me to grow up. No more bright pink. I found an awesome bedspread from Anthro but it's a little $$$$.

So I hopped over to Anthro's little punky sister, Urban Outfitters, and found this lovely duvet:

I'm in love.

The Bloomington Dress!!!

2010-08-05T14:07:00.000-07:00

During my boredom I was just browsing Modcloth and came across the Bloomington Dress!!!

I thought, surely this can't be the same Btown I know and love and am currently living in...but it was!!

SO CUTE.

SO BORED!

2010-08-05T13:19:00.000-07:00

One week left as a student at IU.

My apartment is almost empty.

Going to paint my room at home this weekend. White.

Maybe it'll look something like this. If only I had a bigger window!

Time to watch more Wife Swap and look at the new Ikea catalog. Oh my life is so exciting.

These shoes want me

2010-08-03T07:09:00.000-07:00

...and I want them.

Fair Time :)

2010-07-29T15:21:00.000-07:00

I took this picture last night at the county fair. It was fun and felt like I was at the county fair where my cousins show their animals. Unfortunately this is not from my new Polaroid camera. I used a program called Poladroid (google it) which turns jpegs into Polaroids <----I LOVE IT. Many more faux-polaroids to come!

Unexpected Find

2010-07-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

What an interesting weekend. Class was cancelled Friday so I headed home Thursday night...after a little stop in Broadripple. Friday I took my sisters to the Monon Center which is basically a small little water park. Then it was "game night" with my best friend from high school and her college friends. It was so much fun and gave me the perfect idea for my sign language presentation!

Well, I was planning on heading back to school Saturday morning but instead, I got dragged to northern Indiana to help my mom clean out my grandpa's house and get it ready to be sold. It ended up being way more fun than I thought because I had to clean out drawers and closets and ended up finding TEETH! False teeth...multiple pairs.

But that is not the highlight of my finds. I was taking things to his garage when I saw a dirty black bag. I opened it up and found an old Polaroid camera!!!!! It took me a second to figure out how to get it opened, but after I did, I pressed the button and it took a polaroid picture. The film was super old and not good anymore, but it got me super excited to order some online and try it out. Since Polaroid stopped making film, I've gotta order it and it's running about $25 for 8 pictures. Ughhhh

Here it is:

I can't wait to get some film! Now Holga has a buddy :)

Holga and Bliss

2010-07-22T06:36:00.000-07:00

This is just another picture from the Venice Cafe in STL. I LOVE playing around with them in Picnik. This one has a Holga filter on it.

*source: http://www.overlookpress.com/by-title/bliss-remembered.html

In other news, I'm reading Bliss, Remembered and it's sooo good so far.

drool: Anthro bed

2010-07-19T18:46:00.000-07:00

I wish I could skip the next year and go straight to where I'm moving right into my own apartment that I don't have to share with anyone and I can decorate it however I want.

I would like to move into Anthropologie.

This could be my bedroom:

But really, I love the bed and color of the walls. (yes, this is another post I'm writing so I can save this little piece of inspiration)

source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/adorevintagecom/538907433/ and ya, the link isn't working again!

Who crochets fire hydrants? I wanna meet them!

2010-07-16T19:00:00.000-07:00

*embellishments by pugly pixel

It may be artichoke season?

2010-07-15T19:57:00.000-07:00

I just discovered Pugly Pixel and can't get enough! I'm still exploring it, but there's so much to look at and try out in Photoshop!

Anywho, I went to the grocery store yesterday and artichokes were $1!!!

I had to buy 2, so I grilled one yesterday and tried broiling one today (my grill scares me...fireballs...).

I just cut it in half, boiled the halves for about 20 minutes, then drizzled the cut sides with olive oil and sprinkled them with salt and peppa (and some chicken taco seasoning!). Then I put them cut side up on the grill and let them get yummy. After about 10 minutes, I flipped them and let them cook about 5 more minutes. So good.

Mini!

2010-07-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

I bookmarked TilkShiftMaker.com a long time ago and never used it because I didn't have a real good landscape picture to use. Basically, the website uses filters to make your landscape look like it's actually a miniature version. I think it's pretty cool...so I tried it on one of the St. Louis landscape pictures I took from the top of the arch, and here is the before and after.

Before:

After:

So.Freaking.Cool.

Holgaaaa

2010-07-14T17:25:00.000-07:00

So, back in the day, I was obsessed with my holga. It's not a pink one like in the picture, but it is just as cool. I need to finish up the role of film that's about halfway done and start another role while I'm in beautiful Bloomington for about another month. Then I still have to send them away to be developed. Can't wait!

Oh, and an update on my "secret project" ::: It's going very well. It won't be all "done" for a very long time, but I will post it on August 22nd (the day before I start my big girl job!).

*Image by Dream's Photography...link isn't working but here's the url: http://www.flickr.com/photos/-dream-/4019683807/

Sticky Fries, I love you

2010-07-12T18:06:00.000-07:00

This weekend, "S" (hahaha) I mean Stacy and I fell in love with the Drunken Fish's sticky fries. They are sweet potato fries covered in a thick honey sauce and sprinkled with black sesame seeds. We dipped them in spicy mayo. I was craving them, and didn't have any other food in my apartment besides a partial bag of Trader Joe's Chipotle Sweet Potato Fries. I baked them up and drizzled honey over them. I didn't have any sesame seeds, but I didn't miss them. Since I didn't have any mayo, and in an attempt to reduce calories, I made spicy greek yogurt! I used plain greek yogurt and mixed it with buffalo wing hot sauce. It was sooo good. Stacy, you should definitely grab some of the TJ's fries next time you're home because they have the perfect crispiness and aren't fried.

Mini Trip to St. Louis

2010-07-12T15:45:00.000-07:00

This past Friday, right after class was over, I got in my car and headed west to St. Louis where my good good friend from high school, Stacy, is in grad school. When I got there, I brought my stuff up to her apartment and then we headed out to dinner at the Drunken Fish.

I got a pomegranate martini and Stacy got a "blue" martini. They were both super good. While we were eating, a guy who sounded like Jon McLaughlin started singing and playing his guitar for the restaurant's outdoor guests. For dinner I got spicy octopus sushi and stacy got veggie sushi. We shared "sticky fries" which were so so good.

After dinner we walked around and saw a cupcake shop so we had to stop in...
I forget what kind Stacy got, but I got a peanut butter cup cupcake. We had them at her apartment later for dessert.

Saturday morning we found St. Louis' famous Soulard Farmers' Market. It was huge and had incredible produce prices. Some of their famous items are the mini donuts and bloody mary's. It was too early for me to get a bloody mary, but we saw a handful of people walking around with them. Next time, that'll be me.

Next on our whirlwind tour of St. Louis was "The Loop" which is a lot like the Broadripple area in Indy. We walked around and checked out our lunch options while we were looking at the cute little shops. We ended up eating at Cheese-ology, a restaurant that only served various types of mac 'n' cheeses! My heaven!

After walking around for a while, we went to take the Anheuser-Busch tour. It was pretty cool to see how the beer is made and the free samples at the end were cool too!

After the tour and our free samples, we went to the Venice Cafe. It sounds fancy and Italian, but it's actually a really cool eclectic (to say the least) restaurant. Their menu is pretty small, but I got a falafel and it was really good.

After dinner there, we met up with some of Stacy's friends from undergrad. They were in town to explore too. We were going to go to the top of the arch, but the wait was too long so we went the next morning. I heard the elevator was a little scary, and it was, but not as bad as I was expecting.

Overall it was such a fun weekend! I'm so glad I got to visit Stacy and we were able to explore a pretty cool city (even though Stacy may not think the same..haha).

yay photoshop

2010-07-09T06:49:00.000-07:00

ooh fancy

2010-07-08T07:51:00.000-07:00

Good Riddance, Dell.

2010-07-07T17:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got a Mac! I'm in looove. My Dell was getting old and slow, so it's such a nice change of pace for my computer to start up in less than 5 minutes! (Plus no more calls to India for hours and hours to get my computer fixed)

Now I've gotta water my pepper and basil plants. They haven't had any h20 in a while and are looking very sad.

My Mini Mini Mini Marathon

2010-07-06T14:13:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday I ran in a 4.5 mile race, the Carmel Freedom Run. The longest I had ever run before it was 4 miles on a treadmill. I hate running outside so I never even attempted it. My dad gave me advice, like I had never run in a race before..such as "start out slow." I didn't listen to him and ran way way too fast for my first mile and a half. Then I slowed way down at the first water break and it all caught up with me. I thought I was going to have to find a stranger and call my mom and have her pick me up! I kept walking though, right past a hooker who was going the other way...talk about a bad walk of shame! Then I thought...dang, this is going to take forever if I walk the rest of the way, so I started to jog, real slow. I kept up a slow and steady pace until the end and finished 4.5 miles faster than I had finished my 4 miles on the treadmill! My official time for the run was 57:40.09. I'm glad I did it, and more glad it's over. Now I will be training for a 5k that's at a vineyard in late September. My goal is to run the whole way without stopping at all!

I want...

2010-07-02T06:52:00.000-07:00

to buy this:

to roll this:

and play with these:

Scanwiches

2010-07-01T05:09:00.000-07:00

This website, Scanwiches, is so random, but I love it.

garden update

2010-06-29T13:39:00.000-07:00

Some lovely human being decided to steal my purple basil plant yesterday. I think it's the lawn guys who mow the grass because they mowed yesterday and mowed the day my pink chair got stolen off my deck! Suspicious! But at least they left this one! It's my pepper plant and green basil plant. So..that's my updated garden. It's in sad shape!

Car Shopping

2010-06-28T20:04:00.000-07:00

This weekend began my car shopping expedition. My brother's car is on its last leg and he will be getting my car once I buy a new one. I grabbed a bunch of used car magazines (you know, the kind at the grocery store entrances) and started checking them out. Unfortunately my financial advisor, aka my dad, said no Volkswagon van.

"Those aren't accountant cars" - Dad

So I am moving on and will save the Volkswagon van purchase for when I retire.

I am moving on to smaller and better things though:

My dad approves.

she knows me well

2010-06-23T10:36:00.000-07:00

Like I've mentioned, my family recently got back from their vacation (without me).

When I went home last weekend, they told me all about it, and my mom gave me a little present since I couldn't go. She stopped at an Anthropologie (my FAVE) in Myrtle Beach and picked up this adorable measuring cup set. My little sister was kind of confused how it worked, but she got the hang of it. Looooove it. Thanks mom!

the perfect morning

2010-06-22T07:54:00.000-07:00

The Today Show Kathie Lee and Hoda from 10-11. So good.

Homemade Iced Coffee Instant coffee, milk, sugar, creamer

A Trip to Target Tennis balls and salsa

Tennis Class 50 minutes of learning the basics. "Just show up, you'll get an A"

Father's Day dinner

2010-06-21T13:57:00.000-07:00

The last summer session wasn't as relaxing as I thought it would be, but I shouldn't have been surprised since I was taking 10 credit hours. Now I'm down to 4. Sign Language and tennis! I have so much free time I don't know what I'm going to do with myself.

I went home yesterday morning for Father's Day. Traditionally, I make my dad breakfast in bed, but this year I let my sister's take over so I could sleep a little longer! I cooked my dad some special apple/chardonnay/chicken sausages on the grill and then took my sisters shopping. My dad had to get a bunch of stuff done for work, so we let him work. After shopping the sisters went to the pool and hung out there since it was crazy hot. When we got back we picked up our mom and did some more shopping (same store...). Then it was time to start the most epic Father's Day dinner ever created.

We made:

pesto from basil my family was growing
bruschetta
giant fillet from Fresh Market
pear, goat cheese, walnut, and arugula salad
mini potatoes cooked on the grill
fruit cups: strawberries, pear, raspberries, blueberries

It was soo good!

my project!

2010-06-16T15:11:00.000-07:00

After the past two days filled with rain and tornado sirens, we finally have a gorgeous day! I finished my project.

You can check it out here: Old and New I'm not gonna lie, I really like it! My other projects felt rushed, but this one wasn't because I didn't have to learn a new Adobe program to make it.

pretty food, pretty website

2010-06-15T16:01:00.000-07:00

Someone told me about this website, and I'm so glad they did!

The website, Eat Drink Pretty is so adorable and so is the food they make.

Ugh, I wish this could be longer, but there is ANOTHER storm coming! Today only, there has already been two tornado sirens!

Spring > Summer

2010-06-14T12:58:00.000-07:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bugalugsrox/469788104/

This weekend I have had enough of the storms and lightening! I barely got the yard mowed at home before it rained and the grass grew 2 inches.

Currently I'm working on a pretty cool (in my opinion) project for my digital design class. It's another website (not a lame one like the last one) and I will post it on here when I'm done on Thursday.

Time to work out and study for the final I have tomorrow. blah

I like Spring better.

a few self reminders

2010-06-08T19:39:00.000-07:00

I'm mainly posting these two recipes on here so I don't lose them!

The first is Zucchini Chips

I will definitely be making these with the two giant zucchinis I got at the farmers' market this past weekend.

And this recipe, from Trader Joes, is called Breakfast Casserole. Plain and simple.

No picture, but I will post it eventually after I make it. I got a bunch of chicken sausage when I was at TJ's a while ago that I want to use in this recipe.

Sooo cool!

2010-06-07T18:39:00.000-07:00

I want to try these just to see what they're like! I feel like they can't be any good...but I still want to try.

brain freeze

2010-06-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

I was soo ready to write a blog, lots of good ideas...and then blogger was down. Now I'm watching Oprah and should probably go work out soon, and good ideas are gone. For the next two weeks, I'm going to be putting all my creativity into my digital art class. We started Flash today and I'm excited to see what I can do with it.

Love this "mixed media" piece of art. I think once my summer slows down, I may try to make something similar.

blah

2010-06-03T19:53:00.000-07:00

The past 2 days have been crazy busy. I have been catching up on projects and papers and exams. They are FINALLY over and tomorrow is Friday :)

Sorry for the random post. I uploaded my pictures and will be posting some stuff tomorrow/this weekend!

Oh, and my webpage I made in class: click here

Gotta have a summer song

2010-06-02T16:41:00.000-07:00

My mom told me to listen to this song...and I'm in love.

In other news, I finished my webpage that's due tomorrow! Looks like it isn't working...great. I'll post it sometime soon. Now I get to write my marketing paper. Fun fun.

bit my cheek

2010-06-01T17:06:00.000-07:00

ow, I bit my cheek, HARD. No fun.

Well I'm back from my grandpa's funeral. I wasn't expecting it to be so hard, but it was. I'm just so glad he and my grandma can be reunited in Heaven.

On a lighter note...I need to hit up Goodwill real soon for some inspiration. I need some crafty projects to work on! In a couple weeks, I'll only be taking golf and sign language and I want to make the most of the free time I will have.

*image from dziner

The Tomato (Titled by Fer)

2010-05-29T18:51:00.000-07:00

Today I went to the farmers' market to pick out my plants. They were 6/$5 so I got a couple of basil plants (one green, one purple), a couple tomato plants (one big, one small), a hot pepper plant, and the last one I forgot...I planted my tomato plants into the Topsy Turvy. My apartment neighbors laughed...but they won't have fresh tomatoes growing on their porch like I will! I'm at home this weekend for my grandpa's funeral :( so I can't upload the picture of my mini garden, but I'll post that later.

-Title explanation:: Fer (my little 8 yr old sister) wanted to help me write the blog. She titled it then lost interest and left.

*original image from ewen and donabel

change of plans

2010-05-26T05:33:00.000-07:00

I'm soo excited for my bff to come to town today! Too bad I have class from 9-3. Oh well...it's gorgeous outside AND my secret project is going well. It will be posted at the end of summer :) Hopefully I will get that creative bug back because unfortunately, I'm just not feelin it lately! Maybe a trip to Goodwill will cure me.

update: my friend isn't coming. reason = lazy! but at least I will have time to get some other stuff done so I can leave the weekend free of homework and errands!

*original image from ecstaticist

The most inspiring blog I've ever read

2010-05-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

NieNie's Blog

This blog made my cry the first time I read it. It is so inspirational. I'm too tired to write out the story, but I just wanted to share it.

My group for a marketing class I'm taking sucks, well most of them. Anyways, procrastination is our favorite activity and our redic paper is due tomorrow. I'm finally done putting it all together and have passed it on so it is out of my hands. Feels good.

Weekend Recap

2010-05-23T13:54:00.000-07:00

Well, this weekend went way too fast. Now it's Sunday afternoon and I'm going to be working on homework forever.

Yesterday I went to my first casino with some friends. It was really fun, but a little different than I had expected.

Yesterday I also went to the farmers' market when I was home. It was the first day and was less than impressive and much more expensive than the one here! I got a Topsy Turvy to grow my tomato plants in and I'm super excited to get that going next weekend!

*Original image from N2scrapn

Weekend Project: Tomato and Herb Garden

2010-05-20T14:32:00.000-07:00

When I was at the farmers' market last weekend, one vendor had an amazing selection of heirloom tomatoes and herbs. I can't plant them in a garden since I live in an apartment, but I do have a porch so my friday mission is to find a big pot and get some soil to start my mini garden! Pictures will be up after I get it all together.

*image from bigbrownhouse

Schmoozing

2010-05-18T07:21:00.000-07:00

The only thing I hate more than walking to class...is walking to class in the rain! I'm ready for the real summer to come, the one where there's sunshine and I can get a tan!

My secret project is taking up a lot of my time but I love it. The only downside is that this blog isn't getting as much attention as it used to. This will have to change.

Going to watch Kathie Lee and Hoda on the Today show now...learning "How to Schmooze."

*image from AdamFoster

Farmers' Market Season Has Begun!

2010-05-16T13:45:00.000-07:00

I don't know why I love going to farmers' markets so much, but I do. I love to just walk around and see what everyone is selling and the interesting people who attend. Yesterday I walked to the market and regretted it when I saw all the plants I wanted to buy! Next week I am definitely driving so I can get some plants for a mini garden on my back porch. I'm pretty excited to get that going. While I was walking around I saw several people selling strawberries. I got some last year and had to get them again because they have an amazing taste, nothing like what you buy at the store. I also got a bundle of green onion and some beets. When I got back to my apartment I made the most delicious salad: spinach and romaine lettuce with sliced strawberries, 1/2 oz goat cheese and balsamic spray dressing. Yummm

Drive-in...yes please!

2010-05-13T14:10:00.000-07:00

I've been in summer school for 3 days and I'm already feeling restless. I need to go on some road trips or have something to look forward to! One thing I wanted to do last summer that I didn't get to was go to the Starlite drive-in. I've been to a drive-in in northern Indiana a bunch when I was younger but I really want to go to the one near Bloomington. Now I'm just waiting for some good movies to play. This weekend is: How to Train Your Dragon and Iron Man: 2. Not too bad...but I think I'll wait and see what's playing next week.

p.s. The secret project is going very well! I may reveal it sooner than originally planned :)

Ready for finals to be over, not college!

2010-05-06T12:32:00.000-07:00

I'm about to take my last final of the semester (ugh still have 14 credits in the summer...). Then it will be time to graduate. I'm trying not to think about how all my friends are leaving me so I'm making plans to visit them!

I've got to call my mom now to remind her that my fam needs to get there early or they may have this lovely view:

I'm still sad Bobby Knight will be speaking in the state of Indiana while I am graduating (at my cousin's school for her commencement!). But Quincy Jones will have to do.

p.s. My project (the one that's hiding in the top tab) is coming along very well. In a few months, it will be shared :)

*image from skittlbrau

Study Study

2010-05-02T11:36:00.000-07:00

I am trying my best to focus and study and not let senioritis get the best of me. It's harder than I thought it would be though! Taylor Swift and Dunkin Donuts coffee are getting me through it. 3 more finals left :)

*original image from iirraa

Kentucky Derby - Wishful Thinking

2010-04-30T17:09:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the Kentucky Derby and I really wish I didn't have finals to study for so I could go! Good news: next year I won't have finals and I'm definitely going. I don't know who I'm going with yet, but I will be there...with a giant hat. I've been scouting some...

hats: clockwise from top left

Well, this week is finals week, even though I've already had 4...3 left! Once those are over, it will be time to graduate. aaaaaaah

4 things...because I couldn't think of a 5th.

2010-04-26T20:16:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Greatest College Weekend in America.

2010-04-19T10:56:00.000-07:00

According to Urban Dictionary, Little 500 is:

"Known as the Greatest College Weekend, but it actually encompasses a much longer period than just one weekend. Takes place in the greatest college town in the world, Bloomington, Indiana, home of Indiana University. Starts earlier and earlier every year, until one day, it will be all of the Spring semester. Little 500 is a bike race that has gained a lot of notoriety around the world and is a much better spectacle than the Grand prix that takes place at rival purdue university."

This is my last Little 5 celebration as a student here and I can't wait!

*Original image from wfiupublicradio

Bloomington Handmade Market

2010-04-15T08:03:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, when my sisters visited, I took them to the Bloomington Handmade Market. I thought I was in heaven, but they seemed to love it just as much! It was kind of crowded, but it was cool to see how many different artists there are in the area. One lady was selling necklace charms made from Scrabble pieces. She happened to be having a deal of "buy 2, get 1 free." Perfect for the three of us! So we all picked a charm out and she gave us the necklace part "free." I also got a handmade flower pin which fer picked out. Overall it was really fun and I may try to sell my t-shirt necklaces there next year!

It's all better!

2010-04-14T15:34:00.000-07:00

My computer has been sick since Sunday. I woke up and the screen was black! Today the Dell mechanic guy came to fix my computer and he was full of stories! Since he travels to people's homes to fix their computers for Dell, he gets sent all over Indiana and has seen many odd people. For example: he told me a story about cockroaches in computers...which I won't repeat on here because it's gross!

Anyways, this weekend will be super busy and next week is Little 500 then dead week, then finals, then graduation! aaaah time is flying and I don't like it!

*original image from bluestarmedia

fer visits btown

2010-04-07T20:00:00.000-07:00

My sisters came this past saturday to watch me and my dad run in our races. Afterwards, my dad and brother went home and I took my sisters around Bloomington. They saw Campus Candy on Kirkwood and had to go haha. It's a super cute candy store and my sisters couldn't decide which candy to get, so they talked me into a $5 bag of candy. Our favorite was the candy teeth. They didn't taste the best, but they were fun.

ohhh Butler

2010-04-06T13:27:00.000-07:00

My advanced financial accounting test on cash flow derivatives, fair value derivatives, options, interest rate swaps..etc...is over! Now it's smooth sailing until finals :)

Well Butler lost in the championship last night. Sad sad night. Such a young team with such a young (hot) coach did such an amazing job against Duke!!

Here's a peek into my first time at the Final Four:

Happy Easter :)

2010-04-04T14:22:00.000-07:00

It is so much fun to have a little sister who still believes in Santa, tooth fairies, leprechauns, and Easter bunnies. My brother volunteered to be the Easter bunny this year and hid all of the plastic eggs around the house...well he got creative and taped some to the ceiling, taped them under counter tops, and some other unique places around the house. My sister was pretty impressed. She said the Easter bunny really stepped it up this year hahaha...I love it.

We died some easter eggs and then about an hour later made them into deviled eggs (a little family tradition).

Then we had a special Easter lunch and my family packed up and split up. My brother and I went back to school while the rest of the family is heading up to see my grandpa who is in the hospital. :(

Well, the weather is beautiful, and I am off to go study so I can watch Butler v. Duke in the NCAA championship game tomorrow...more about the Final Four games later!

p.s. my bracket has Butler v. Duke in the championship...I should have bet more than a $1 in the family pool! I'd like to meet someone else who had Butler going that far :)

*original image from organicpixel

busy busy weekend ahead!

2010-03-31T15:29:00.000-07:00

I can't wait for the fam to come down saturday morning. I am running a 5k and my dad is running in the IU mini. Then we are heading up to Indy and I'm going to see Butler play in the Final Four! Sunday is Easter and I'm looking forward to going to church and having our family's mini easter-egg hunt :) There will be a big update after my test is done tuesday!

*image from here

mom: don't read this

2010-03-27T18:05:00.000-07:00

The weather is nice(r) than before spring break and I am afraid that I am truly feeling what senioritis is. I may have had a slight case my senior year in high school, but let me be honest, besides that awful chem class I took, my classes weren't really that difficult. Now I am facing graduation in a month and all I want to do is be with my friends before they all scatter to different states, countries, and continents! Rough life, let me tell you.

So...I'm noticing a flower theme with my pictures. I will try to mix it up a little in the future :)

*image by {finnrose}

Happy friday!

2010-03-26T09:27:00.000-07:00

As you can probably see...I made some new changes to the blog! I recently discovered "blogger in draft" which is basically blogger's beta website where you can use new tools on your blog. I added a few tabs at the top. I'm sure there will be a few more later on. Also, they have a template designer where you don't have to know any html. Thanks goodness!

Today is a gorgeous day so I think I am going to walk around Bloomington for a while...maybe take my holga along!

As I'm sitting here writing, I smell my hyacinth flower that I got from Trader Joe's when I was home. Smells like spring!

*image from DMC43

STORE UPDATE!!!!

2010-03-23T20:20:00.000-07:00

It has been so flipping long since I have had anything in my etsy store. When I was at home, I made a bunch of these necklaces and my sister graciously modeled for me. My other sister wanted to help model too...I will be making more this weekend: many different colors.

My other tiny model (she decorated it herself!):

Please check out my shop and tell your friends! If there isn't a color listed that you want, please send me a message and I can create a custom listing. Thanks!

happy monday

2010-03-22T17:30:00.000-07:00

Mondays are bad enough...and then it had to rain all day!

At least tomorrow when it's sunny the grass will be green and

the flowers IU planted over spring break will be refreshed :)

*image from ange de l'amour

Spring Break: Recap

2010-03-21T10:25:00.000-07:00

Well, after coming up with all of my wonderful ideas for places to go on spring break, I ended up staying in Indy the entire week. My only plans were to work for my mom (genealogy stuff) and go to the gym and that's how the first few days of break were. My mom woke me up at 7:30am almost every day to take me to her crazy classes at our gym. I went to so many I don't even remember them all. A few of my faves:: cycling, yoga, and ZUMBA! I'm so excited that I can take more zumba classes at school even though I look like an idiot doing the moves.

I also went to pretty much every mall in the Indianapolis area. Enough said about that...

On wednesday, my mom took me to a cute little restaurant in Carmel called Serendipity. It's inside of an old bank and you can even eat in the vault! The food was amazing and they dyed their delicious scones green for St. Patrick's day. Overall a really cute place.

The next day, I went to a wine class at Grape Inspirations in Carmel with my parents. I was not sure I would enjoy it because I'm not really a wine enthusiast...but it turned out to be really interesting. We learned a lot of wine terms and got to taste 7 different wines. I loved the fruit wines and got a couple small bottles to enjoy with my friends when it's a little warmer :)

After the wine class, I met some of my friends from school at Howl at the Moon, a dueling piano bar. It was college night so we all got in free! They played some good songs and even got a bunch of the "older" crowd up on stage. It was a fun people-watching night.

Friday, I worked on my super secret project that will be unveiled Tuesday!

Saturday, I had an appointment for a facial at Bungalow 226. I don't remember the last time I've had one so it was a treat. My mom showed me pictures of the place and it is totally my style! The things you lay on were covered in pretty flowered quilts. It was really Anthropologie-ish. My fave. I will definitely go back once I start working.

Then I headed back to Bloomington to meet up with my cousin. She brought her roommate and friend down to check out the law school and tour IU. We played euchre, watched basketball, and had a fun night. It was definitely a fun end to my spring break.

Sorry this has been so long! It's more of a post to remind me of the places I went over my last Spring Break.

*images from here, here, and here.

blue skies...brb

2010-03-19T10:50:00.000-07:00

It is a PERFECT day here in central Indiana. I am going to enjoy it in a few minutes because there is a possibility for snow on sunday. Either tomorrow or Sunday I will post my spring break update.

Tomorrow my cousin, who's my age, is coming down from northern Indiana to visit with her roommates because one of them got into law school at IU. So, I plan on showing them around and teaching them how to play Sink the Biz at Nicks!

*image from Shana Rae

Wednesday night dinners with the girls: 2nd installment

2010-03-11T10:43:00.000-08:00

Well, so much for taking a few days off of blogging! As of yesterday afternoon, I am on spring break and I am already bored!

Last night my friends came over for our weekly "family" dinner and I wanted to try a recipe I found for a German pancake. A few weeks ago, I went to Chicago with some friends and a few of them ordered German pancakes for breakfast one morning. They looked so good and unique so I had to try to make my own. I think it was a success. I cut up some lemon wedges and had powdered sugar to put on top. Sooo good. I got the recipe here.

Here's mine:

And here is the Original Pancake House's version:

Mine has a little different shape, but I like it. It has character.

bananas

2010-03-09T19:23:00.000-08:00

My little sister (the one in high school) collects these Chiquita stickers and covers her iPod with them. I instantly thought of her when I saw them. Chiquita is starting a new campaign and they have tons of of new designs.

On a side note, I will be taking a few days off of blogging for my Spring Break :)

*image from design:related

Pretty Package Exchange #2!!

2010-03-07T20:49:00.000-08:00

As you can see to the right, I am participating in the Pretty Package Exchange that oh, hello friend is organizing. Over the summer I tried out my first Pretty Package Exchange and I after seeing how it works and what everyone did for that, I am so freaking excited for this one. I am putting these pictures on here mainly for myself, as inspiration, but I think these examples of packaging are gorgeous. Partners for the exchange are still in the process of being determined, so it will be around the end of March before I will send out my package. After my partner has had a chance to receive the package I will definitely post the results! Can't wait.

*images from debee{art}

so many things to do, soo little time!

2010-03-02T15:31:00.000-08:00

Today has been such a gorgeous day! I wish I had classes outside of the business school so I could have realized how nice and sunny it was today, before my walk home at 5pm!

Well, I got a nice surprise in my email, the book I put on hold way back in January finally became available for me to check out from the library. This special book...Julia Child's masterpiece: Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I'm going to look it over and pick a recipe to make this weekend. After watching Julie & Julia over winter break, I'm pretty excited to try out a few of Julia's recipes!

*image from GillianRice

v-dub love

2010-02-25T08:39:00.000-08:00

Well, ever since I was young, I have had a mild obsession with the Volkswagon brand...more specifically GREEN vw bugs! I even got a poster of a green bug in first grade at the school book fair. As I've grown up, so have my tastes. I have moved on to the Volkswagon van. I know as a future accountant, this is not a practical dream car. I should be dreaming of black BMW's but that's just not gonna happen. As I was walking home from my morning class, an awesome green Volkswagon van, like the one in the picture above, crossed my path and reminded me of my love for the odd vehicle. While I will probably never own this van, it will always have a special place in my heart :)

*original image from nicki s (minus the mustache!)

wednesday night dinners with the girls

2010-02-23T18:40:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of the semester, one of my friends who I didn't get to see much last semester suggested that our little group should get together every wednesday and do "family dinners." We wait until everyone is done with their night classes, then take turns at each person's apartment/house to host the dinner. We make the time, no matter what is going on and have dinner with each other. I love it. The person who is hosting makes the main meal and then the others bring drinks, side dishes, and dessert. I haven't really taken as many pictures as I should have, but I have a couple. The other week I made white chili with sour cream, cheddar cheese, onion, and cilantro on top. That's the picture on the right. Tonight I made whole wheat banana chocolate chip muffins to take for tomorrow's dinner. My roommate makes the best version I've ever tasted but she was gone so I found one online that sounded similar. It's from the Sisters' Cafe and so is the image.

my "pinkberry" has been rejuvenated!

2010-02-17T21:09:00.000-08:00

I was looking at jonathanadler.com and saw that he has downloadable phone backgrounds. Most websites I come across that offer something like that only have backgrounds for computers, so I was super excited he had ones for phones!

I have the second and third design downloaded to my phone but I may download the rest some time soon so I can test them all out!

my new fave food

2010-02-16T14:26:00.000-08:00

I miss kindergarten.

2010-02-14T17:06:00.000-08:00

Valentines day makes me miss kindergarten sooo much! I loved walking around to all of my classmates' desks and putting their specially selected valentines into decorated bags. Aaah the good old days!

*image from a_kindredspirit

So close to the weekend!

2010-02-11T09:11:00.000-08:00

I was talking to my mom this morning and she was telling me how sunny was up in Indy and I told her how it was NOT sunny down here. Well, I came out of class and to my delight: it's now bright and sunny! Love it! Now if only the snow would melt.

*images from here, here, here, here, and here :)

Also:: My holga came yesterday!! I put my high-sunshine film in and I'm ready to take some pictures!

getting impatient

2010-02-09T10:37:00.000-08:00

Lots of snow, more to come! I want my Holga NOW so I can take pictures of the pretty snow!

*original image from here

Tom Crean is my hero.

2010-02-08T13:33:00.000-08:00

Thursday may have been one of many highlights of my senior year in college. My roommate was at work, and Tom Crean (head coach of IU men's basketball) came through her line. She told him that we were sitting in the very top balcony all the way in the last row. Sadly, this is true. He offered her tickets for the group that she sits with and I happen to be in that group! We weren't getting our hopes up but he really blew my expectations out of the water. We moved from last row in Assembly Hall to ROW 8!!! Not only were we moved close, it was the IU v. Purdue game and the intensity in Assembly Hall was nothing I have ever experienced. The game was close the whole time and we were even ahead for a while. At the end, we were three points away from tying and it just didn't happen. Even though we lost, it was the most amazing basketball game I have ever been to and I know I will remember it forever. I'm sure I'll be telling my grandkids..haha

Just a frame of reference for where we were originally supposed to sit:

It's so dark you can hardly see up there!

Kale Chips!

2010-02-04T13:36:00.000-08:00

I might be a mean person, but I am making these kale chips for sunday's super bowl game. A few of my friends aren't very adventurous so I'm going to share these with them!

*image from Well Sphere

I will be posting more later in the weekend. This week has been crazy busy and the weekend is going to be more of the same, just more fun!

high fashion

2010-02-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

I love these gloves. I don't wear them out often because they don't go with much that I own...but I wore them a few nights ago and I'm so glad I did. My friend wanted to borrow them while we were driving so she is modeling them in the picture.

*picture from me!
*gloves from Old Navy

Thank you soooo much

2010-01-31T08:01:00.000-08:00

I received the purse I won from Jujie a couple of days ago and I am in love with it. Thank you sooo much!!

DIY sushi

2010-01-30T19:25:00.000-08:00

Last night I made spicy shrimp sushi with the sushi supplies my fam got me for my bday (wayyyy back in september). My parents make sushi at home so I have had some practice helping them out. Once I was done making it my bff came over to help me eat it all. Good times!

*image from me!

Holga!!

2010-01-28T19:00:00.000-08:00

Before dinner, I bought a Holga camera!! I can't wait until it gets here from Hong Kong. I have checked them out before but never really thought about getting one.

*image of the camera by Tamiro

When I was looking at flickr for some blog-worthy inspirational pics, I found a Holga group. All of the images are soo cool and rugged looking. Here are a few:

*top image from billion

*bottom image from god_dess_ss

This is what Wikipedia has to say about the Holga:

"The Holga is an inexpensive, medium format 120 film toy camera, made in China, appreciated for its low-fidelity aesthetic.

The Holga's cheap construction and simple meniscus lens often yields pictures that display vignetting, blur, light streaks, and other distortions. The camera's quality problems have become a virtue among some photographers, with Holga photos winning awards and competitions in art and news photography."

Now I just have to order some film and research places to get the really large film developed! Can't wait!

pretty campus

2010-01-26T14:02:00.000-08:00

I love this picture of IU's campus. That's pretty much what it looks like today after we got a bunch of snow last night. It makes for a fun walk to class...

*image from shrff14

so.much.fun.

2010-01-24T14:03:00.000-08:00

This weekend (for most of us college kids that includes thursday), has been sooo much fun. I went home to indy thursday and met up with some of my friends from Butler. We took a bus to Howl at the Moon for college night. I came back friday and got a spontaneous manicure with one of my best friends here at school and then we went out with her roommates to see a local band play. Saturday I went with some good friends to a nearby ski "resort." It's basically a hill with fake snow (snow that was melting into ice because it was 50 degrees!). We all made it back safely and had a good time. Today (right now) is the Colts' playoff game and an IU bball game. So much fun and so little time to do homework. whoops...

*top image from stefan weidt

*middle image from finkscholar

*bottom image from me!

local etsy finds!

2010-01-22T11:26:00.000-08:00

I love these etsy shops that are owned by people right here in Bloomington. I think it's so cool that there are so many other etsy sellers so close! (sidenote: I will finally be adding some things to my abandoned etsy shop in feb!)

*jennieorr etsy shop

*ConduitPress etsy shop

*metalsmitten etsy shop

*sassafrasstudio etsy shop

Well I started this blog post before I went to the dentist. Then I sat at the dentist forever and he pretty much said I was fine! Now I'm waiting for my 7-year old sister to get home from 1st grade to say bye to her and I'm off to Trader Joes and back to Bloomington. Hopefully no returns home for a while (sorry mom).

decisions, decisions...

2010-01-20T09:00:00.000-08:00

My goal this week is to hopefully figure out where I'm going for spring break. I've never really gone anywhere for spring break because my fam goes on trips during the summer and once I start working in the "real world" I will be in the busiest part of busy season at spring break time. So this is my last chance to go somewhere until I retire...I know it sounds dramatic but it's true! I worked for my mom over winter break to save up money to go somewhere and now I just need to make the plans.

In no particular order, these are the places I've been thinking about: (they just so happen to have design guides from the design*sponge blog that I love to read!)

*image from Joits
*design guide by design*sponge

*image from Meteorry
*design guide by design*sponge

*image from kevindooley
*design guide by design*sponge

*image from seemidtn.com
*design guide by design*sponge

I'm sure I will find other places in my search this week, but these are my faves so far!

weird hair day

2010-01-19T15:33:00.000-08:00

One side of my hair is curly.The other side is not. Boo

So, I think living in a plain white apartment is starting to get to me. We aren't allowed to paint the walls but I REALLY want to! I guess I will just have to wait.

Some inspiration for myself once I can paint and have money to decorate:

images from:

1) rosaperfecto
2) la cabeza de maria antonieta
3) Christel Weixelman
4) Melissa Simonetta
5) Jolante
6) o0o0lulu0o0o

ooh what a weekend.

2010-01-17T20:26:00.000-08:00

This has been such a fun start to my last real semester at college. I love that I still have one more day left of my 4 day weekend but it will be consumed with homework and preparing for the rest of the week :(

Today I went to the IU vs. Minnesota game. It was a great game(81-78 OT), super suspenseful, but I think it was missing two things: Bob Knight (of course) and this video that used to play before the games. If they can't bring Knight back, they should at least bring the cleaning lady back.

three day weekend!!

2010-01-15T15:55:00.000-08:00

Actually I have a four day weekend because I don't have classes on fridays! I need to be productive but there are way too many fun things to do. One project I want to work on eventually is making the lamp shades in the picture on the right. These pictures were taken through the window because the store was going out of business and wasn't open. It's so sad when cute stores go out of business and this is the last one in the area!

pretty scarves!

2010-01-13T14:51:00.000-08:00

The snow started to melt a little today, but it's still cold and I'm still loving scarves. These are my faves from etsy!

Barbie

2010-01-12T13:52:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve, the Childrens' Museum of Indianapolis had free admission! All the girls in the family headed over after visiting Santa at my dad's work. The museum was having a special exhibit all about Barbie. They had old old old Barbies and brand new Barbies. I loved hearing all the ladies oohing and aaahing about how they remembered all the different Barbies. The lighting was amazing. One of the chandeliers had plastic barbie shoe cutouts dangling all over. My favorite part was the life-size Barbie outfits that designers made for a fashion show. We even got to design our own Barbie mini-dress in a special room. There were dress forms, glittery pink fabric, and a bunch of other fun things to use. Sooo much fun!

GREAT start to the semester!!!

2010-01-11T17:05:00.000-08:00

I actually won a giveaway! Soooo excited! I got back from my long day of classes and started checking my long list of favorite blogs and I looked at Oh, Hello Friend and saw my comment was randomly chosen to be the winner!!! Jujie's shop is full of gorgeous purses and I can't wait for my clutch to arrive in the mail!

Warm Things :)

2010-01-10T17:55:00.000-08:00

My mom told me about the Pioneer Woman's Cookbook. She said the blog was amazing. Well, I'm sitting in my frigid apartment and anything warm sounds amazing. The Pioneer Woman's recipe for Dulce de Leche Coffee sounds really good to me right now and I am in l o v e with her step-by-step photos!

*image from The Pioneer Woman Cooks!

On a different note, classes start tomorrow! I've never been so excited for a semester to start. I wish it could last forever...but sadly I'm sure it will fly by just like last semester did. Posting may be a little sporadic until I can settle into a routine.

January Desktop Calendars!

2010-01-08T08:02:00.000-08:00

I'm in love with both of these calendars! I may have to switch back and forth through the month.

This one's from Design*Sponge. To download, click here.

This one's from Oh, Hello Friend. To download, click here.

my light box experiment

2010-01-07T08:51:00.000-08:00

I needed a way to make my shop items look better, so when I saw this article on Etsy's Storque website, I had to try it.

the results:

still numb

2010-01-06T20:12:00.000-08:00

*original image from Papafrezzo

ugh, it's been 12 hours and part of my face is still a little numb from the dentist. oh well. I was so productive today! I made a light box to photograph some of my knitting to put in my etsy store. I'll be posting the results tomorrow. I am also working for my mom who's a genealogist to earn money for spring break. I don't know where I'm going yet, but I will be going somewhere for my first and last spring break vacation. It will be my last because next year and every year until I retire I will be buried in tax returns at that time of the year. To top the day off, I went to a comedy club with some friends for ladies night. I thought getting called out at the gym by the spinning teacher was bad...being at a comedy club in a room of seriously only like 20 people and getting called out multiple times is way worse.

7 hours till the snow storm arrives. yay. get me out of indiana.