My life!

Well, first semester's about over.

....how did that happen?

Anyway, it has been a decent semester. Lots of SH fun, a fabulous apartment, cooking for myself, celebrating Halloween. Good times. But. It's all building up to...December 1st: Recruitment!

So excited and nervous!!

I think there's a lot of opportunities and friendships awaiting me. But we'll have to wait and see!

That's all for now :)

LOLlen 

(Halloween:))

Cutie Pumpkins :)

To make these cute vampire/bug-eyed pumpkins, I combined these two ideas from Martha Stewart. So simple, and I think they turned out great!!

Click here.

And also here.

Happy haunting :) LOLlen

Pumpkin pie pockets!

Just made these super cute and adorable and delicious pumpkin pie pockets!! YUM.
The recipe can be found here!

xo LOLlen

My car!

LOOK AT LOLA (my car) 's HALLOWEEN COSTUME!

Just used white magnet sheets, colored them with sharpie (the giant "Magnum" kind works the best) and cut out the shapes! (The nose and eyes are each made of one sheet. The mouth is 2 put together.)
 
Happy Haunting, 
LOLlen

DIY: Halloween Countdown Blocks

Aren't I CREATIVE?! 

Just kidding. I didn't make this up. I found it on Pinterest, and here's the link to the person who was actually creative enough to think this up: Here.

But, it was pretty easy and really fun! The person whose instructions I followed actually bought blocks and made her own base piece. I, however, got lucky, and found a set of Christmas countdown blocks at Hobby Lobby to  paint/cover/transform into Halloween blocks. (Tarnishing cute Christmas blocks and making them into spooky Halloween ones - I think Jack Skellington would be proud.)

I digress. 

Here's how I did it.

1. Paint the blocks black, and the base orange. I used cheapo acrylic paint.
2. Using construction paper or Halloween-themed scrapbooking paper, cut out 12 squares. (Measure a side of the block to determine the size.)
3. Cut out numbers using black construction paper. For the first block, you'll need: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. For the second block, you'll need: 0, 1, 2, 5, 6, and 7. (Important: Make sure the 6 also looks like a 9 when turned upside down.) 
4. Glue the numbers to the squares of paper.
5. Mod Podge the squares of paper onto the blocks. 
6. Use letter stickers to spell out "Halloween Countdown" on the base, seal with Mod Podge.

Tah dah! And now you're ready to countdown to the world's best holiday.

Love, candy corn, and cauldrons,

LOLlen

Halloween Music!

(Well. Not to brag.) Here it is! It's been used for many many parties and Halloween yard haunts through the years. Here ya go.

1. The Monster Mash (Boris Pickett)
2. Ghostbusters (Ray Parker)
3. Thriller (Michael Jackson)
4. I Put a Spell on You (Hocus Pocus Soundtrack)
5. This is Halloween (Nightmare before Christmas Soundtrack)
6. Bad Moon Rising (CCR)
7. Witchy Woman (The Eagles)
8. Teeth (Lady Gaga)
9. Werewolves of London (Warren Zevon)
10. Strange Brew (Eric Clapton)
11. Nightmare on My Street (DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince)
12. House of the Rising Sun (The Animals)
13. The Time Warp (Rocky Horror Picture Show)
14. Grim Grinning Ghosts (Barenaked Ladies)
15. Munsters Theme Song
16. Addams Family Theme Song
17. The Phantom of the Opera
18. Super Freak (Rick James)
19. Theme to Halloween
20. Tubular Bells (Theme to The Exorcist)
21. Epiphany (Sweeney Todd)
22. Somebody's Watching Me (Rockwell)
23. Witch Doctor (Ross Bagdesarian)

I'm baaaack...

Just in time for HALLOWEENTIME.

Because I couldn't resist sharing all my adorbs October ideas.

:)

Eh.

Sorry to anyone who had actually started to read my ephemeral blog.

I'll probably be returning during the school year.

:P

A few of my Favorite Things

100 Favorite Things Survey from Quizopolis.com

(I didn't answer the dumb ones!)

(Meow.)

Food? - mozzarella sticks

Restaurant? - benihana

Non-alcoholic beverage? - shirley temple

Song? - currently, it's 'never close our eyes' by adam lambert

Band? - 

Concert that you've been to? - the monster ball

Season? - fall

Holiday? - halloween

Day of the week? - saturday

Time of day? - evening

Color? - pink or teal

President? - fdr

Sport? - volleyball

Hobby? - singing/theatre

Animal? - giraffe

Number? - 

Board game? - cranium

Computer game? - frogger!

Drinking game? - 

Book? - the count of monte cristo

Poem? - 

Musical? - aida...closely followed by les mis

Tv show? - modern family

Ice cream flavor? - pumpkin

Genre of music? - pop

Female singer? - lady gaga

Male singer? - adam lambert

Instrument? - piano

Future career? - teacher

Pastime? - theatre

Animal? - giraffe.....

Pet? - kitty

Language? - english

Historic monument? - st. paul's cathedral

Country you've been to? - italy

State you've visited? - new york

Vacation spot? - nyc

Amusement park? - 

Actor? - johnny depp

Actress? - helena bonham carter

Comedian? - jack black

Joke? - 

Magazine? - cosmo

Store? - nordstrom

Designer? - 

Jeans brand? - 

Perfume/cologne? - secret garden jasmine

Jewelry that you own? - my locket

Pair of shoes? - 

Teacher in elementary school? - mrs. spencer

Subject in school? - english

College? - iu

Fast food restaurant? - steak&shake

Junk food? - ice cream

Cookie? - good old tollhouse chocolate chip

Web site? - facebook

Search engine? - 

Instant messenger? - google

Cell phone company? - at&t

Baby boy name? - don't know yet...

Baby girl name? - jane

Book when you were a child? - the big blue book of fairytales:)

Movie when you were a child? - wizard of oz

Activity as a child? - singing

Candy? - buncha crunch

Hairstyle? - short

Brand of shampoo? - i change all the time

Flower? - daisies

Tree? - 

Outdoor activity? - drawing with chalk

Planet? - saturn

Constellation? - 

Zodiac sign? - pisces

Place to have a date? - carrabba's :(

Best date? - melting pot with josh

Friend? - 

Place to hang out? - josh's

Way to pass time when bored? - watching ray william johnson

Job that you've had? - 

Family member? - 

Gift you got from someone? - my locket!

Inspirational quote? - when you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.

Song lyrics? - 

Song title? - 

Music video? - bad romance

Word? - curriculum

Drink at starbucks? - apple chai

Prank? - 

Vehicle? - vw beetle

Vehicle color? - orange:)

Pen color? - blue

Artist? - 

Photographer? - 

Gum? - strawberry bubblicious

Hat that you own? - 

Place that you've lived? - carmel

Photo of yourself? - senior photo

Anniversary/Food truck frenzy!

So, May 13 was our 4-year-anniversary :)

(Awwwwwww.)

We had a somewhat [okay, extremely] boring day, BUT a great evening. Because it involved a lot of melted cheese and chocolate. At. The Melting Pot!!!!! Perhaps my favorite restaurant. But actually, nothing can surpass Benihana. But anyway. So so good. But I think they took "anniversary" the wrong way...

(Oops...not exactly!))

And he got me Just Dance 3 (the Wii game)! It's turned out to be a really wonderful present. I've replaced my daily horrific 30 minutes of cardio on the treadmill with 3000 "sweat drops" earned on the Just Sweat mode of the game. (Which, according to the game, is equal to 30 minutes of swimming.) It's so much more fun, and I wheeze a lot less. The only downside is how much it works my right arm/entire right side more than the left. To help, I hold another Wii remote or some other small item in my left hand to balance it out. But really - if you need an arm workout, or just want some really fun cardio, play this game!! I love it!

(One of my favorite dances..I think I have it memorized.)

In addition to all the cardio (plus around 15 minutes of crunches, squats, etc.) every day, I've been trying to eat better, too. 1200-1400 calories a day. And I've been keeping that up consistently, but my food choices could be better. Somehow, I always end up eating healthy foods during the day, then "splurging" at dinnertime. It's a habit I'm trying to break. One of my goals for the summer is to lose a little weight and become a lot healthier!

On a completely UNhealthy note - Yesterday, Josh and I experienced the magic of food trucks for the first time!!

Our first stop was the Genie Mac truck, where we got some delicious gourmet macaroni and cheese. (With bacon, sour cream, and green onions!) Absolutely to die for. So rich and cheesy and MMM.

(Is that a genie floating above the truck?! Or Josh's finger...)

(No caption necessary...)

Then, we split a grilled cheese at Scratch Truck. But this was no ordinary grilled cheese. It had some fancy cheeses, plus perfectly tender short ribs and some arugula. Yummiest yum yum yum. 

(Ugh, so goooooooodd.)

Finally, we got a huge, wonderful, classic carrot cake cupcake from Scout's Treats.

(It's a cupcake truck, it has to be pink!)

(Perfection.)

It was such a fun experience!!

We also saw To the Arctic at the IMAX today. Ehh. I mean, it was fine. But it was very preachy about greenhouse gases and there were not nearly enough cute baby polar bears. Plus it was only 40 minutes! 10 bucks and a drive downtown for a 40 minute film...dumb. But I did love those baby polar bears. And walruses! Dahhwww. After the movie, we strolled along the canal for a bit. It was a nice afternoon.

RENT auditions are this weekend! And I am so excited to [hopefully] be doing theatre again! 

Having a great summer & can't wait for all the adventures ahead!

Delicious Summer Fun!

So far, this summer has been fun!

I made some awesome cupcakes the other day...

(YUM - SO GOOD. Recipe is from the back of What's New, Cupcake? which is a fabulous book.)

Went to the zoo...

(My favorites!!)

And did some cooking...

(Skinny broccoli and mac&cheese casserole!)

(Not-so-skinny homemade mushroom pizza!)

I also reunited with some of my wonderful friends, got pedicures, and made s'mores.

Tomorrow is my 4-year anniversary with Josh! 

And we're going to the Melting Pot :):):):):)

Next weekend will be busy but fun!

Can't wait! :)

Summertime!

The past few days have been so fun and relaxing!

I started my summer health plan - 30 min cardio, 20 min calisthenics, and <1400 calories a day, except exercise break days on Friday and Sunday. Bleh. But, I lasted longer than one day this time...so, hopefully I can keep it up throughout the summer.

Haven't done a lot, really. Last night, I had a Cinco de Mayo taco night with Brittany and Josh. 

(Speedy Gonzalez...meh)

The day before, Josh and I saw The Lucky One. It was pretty good. Nothing great. Other than that, just some TV watching, walks, garage sale-ing, and fun times with our families.

Looking forward to the rest of the summer!!

Reflecting on Freshman Year

(Reflecting. Haha. Get it?!)

So, tomorrow is my last day at IU as a freshman. 

And it feels. So. Weird.

At times, this year seemed like it would never end. First semester in particular was...tough. Moving away from all I've ever known, starting over socially and academically, and getting used to the giant mass of people at this school...was a lot. I remember coming into IU with the intent of majoring in Journalism with a minor or double major in Theatre. Feeling certain I would be in a choir and hoping to get involved in some shows, as well. Ending up as an Elementary Ed major, who didn't even make it into choir first semester and never got into theatre at all. 

I went pot-luck with my roommate, which didn't end so great. (She, for whatever reason, hated me enough to move out at the end of the semester. Without telling me.) But that turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because that left a spot for my friend Brittany to move in. And Brittany soon became the best roommate ever, and now I can't imagine life at IU without her friendship! <3 :)

(Ahhhwww. I miss my roomie already.)

Getting rejected from choir was easily one of the most devastating experiences of my life. (And I know, if that's the worst thing that's ever happened to me, I'm a pretty lucky girl.) The one talent I felt sure of in a time of change and uncertainty failed me. I was really alone and really sad. And a lack of extracurriculars or clubs left me a little socially isolated. Thank God I made it in second semester, because I don't know what I'd do without SH. It's been so great to feel like a part of something and be surrounded by friendly people at rehearsal every day. I really hope the new director chooses to keep everyone in the group. It'd be absolutely awful to lose something that's quickly become very special to me.

(Singing Hoosiers banquet!)

I also really missed the comfort of home and my wonderful family. And Josh's family, too. And definitely my cat :((((

I'm so glad I went to school close to home so I can frequently come home for the weekend. Next year with a car, it will be even easier, which is great! I honestly prefer being taken care of and comfortable at home to having the freedom that comes with living in a dorm. I'll take my full-size bed and clean bathroom over a top-bunk twin and shower shoes any day. But I've gotten acclimated to it. And, dare I say, I may miss this room a little bit.

(How could I not miss this cutie??)

But, there have definitely been some great moments this year. Decorating every inch of my dorm room for each and every holiday (hand turkeys, pumpkins, Christmas lights, heart-shaped doilies...you get the picture). Creating chalk art all around my dorm and getting compliments. Someone actually took a photo of me one time...still not sure about that. Meeting a bunch of cool kids from Teter, SH, and my classes. Going to shows, movies, and get-togethers. Getting some great grades and really enjoying (most of) my classes. Discovering my passion for teaching. Rekindling my passion for singing by performing in the SH spring concert and Coffeehouse. Discovering a little bit of freedom. Getting even closer to my amazing Josh, who was there for me through every sad time, happy time, exciting, exhausting, difficult, and wonderful time. It was a hard year overall, but there were a lot of laughs, hugs, and smiles, as well.

(Jellen :))

All in all, I guess this year wasn't half-bad. I'm so excited for the summer ahead of me, and beyond that, SOPHOMORE YEAR! Gosh, I am old. Ha.

One more final tomorrow evening, and I'm on the road for home. Wish me luck!

:) -et.

Last Few Days of Freshman Year

Hey! I have had a busy week with lots of events and studying, so haven't had much of a chance to update.

I finished all of my classes :) Now I've just got one final per day Monday, Tuesday, and Wedneday to get through before I'm donnnneeee!

It has been a pretty fun weekend. Josh, Brittany, and I went to see The Five Year Engagement Friday night.

(So funny.)

It was sooo good. Really funny and well-written.

Then, last night, we went to Mother Bear's for pizza (YUMM) and then went to see IU's Straight No Chaser's spring concert. I <3 a cappella :)

Today, I've just been doing a little studying and hanging out. I am so ready to go home!!

Can't wait for Wednesday :) Adios!

Recipe: Skinny Edamame & Chicken Fried Rice

This recipe is  from one of my favorite websites - Skinnytaste! 

I modified it veeeery slightly. I didn't use all of the vegetables because I didn't have them, and I used regular soy sauce, because that's all I had on hand. (But, it is actually so bad for you...40% of your daily sodium in ONE tablespoon. So go for the lower sodium one if you can.) I also added some chicken to make it a meal instead of a side dish. It was..so...yummy :) 

And it was actually the first time in my life I've ever cooked with meat. So, if I can do it, so can you.

Ingredients:
3 cups instant brown rice

1/2 chicken breast, sliced into little tiny pieces

2 egg whites, scrambled

1 whole egg, scrambled 

1 tbsp Smart Balance oil

2 cloves garlic, diced 

5 scallions, chopped, whites and greens separated

1/2 cup shredded carrots

cooking spray

1 cup ready-to-eat shelled edamame

2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce, tamari for gluten free (or more to taste) 

salt and fresh pepper to taste

Whisk eggs and egg whites, season with salt and pepper. In a hot wok, spray a little oil and cook the eggs. When cooked, remove from pan and set aside.

Let the wok get really hot. Add oil and cook chicken first, making sure it's white all the way through. Then, add scallion whites, carrots and garlic for about 30-60 seconds, careful not to burn. Prepare brown rice according to directions. Add brown rice and stir well a few minutes to heat through. Add cooked egg along with soy sauce, scallion greens and edamame, mixing well for about 3-4 minutes.  

Recipe: Cookies & Cream Marshmallow Bars

Picture a chewy, sticky, delicious rice krispie treat - plus OREOS!

I also found this recipe on Pinterest, right here: Click!

Recipe:

One 16 oz package of Oreo Cookies

5 cups large marshmallows

4 tablespoons butter

 Butter an 8X8 inch baking pan. Line the baking pan with parchment paper letting the paper extend up two sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. Butter paper; set pan aside. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse Oreos  until ground. In a large, microwave safe bowl, melt butter and marshmallows in the microwave until puffed, about 1½ – 2 minutes. Stir in ground Oreo Cookies until combined. Transfer to prepared baking pan. Using a piece of wax paper, press mixture evenly into prepared pan. Let set up for at least 10 minutes. Cut into bars and serve.

Yields: 16 bars

Recipe: Peanut-Buttery Pudding Cookies!

How yummy does that dough look? :) Well, it was. I was tempted to turn off the oven and just eat the entire bowl...

First, I'll say that this recipe is based on the one found right here: Click here!

I found it on Pinterest and had to try my own version!

Here's the final product...excuse the horrible iPhone photo. Someone remind me to get a memory card for my camera...

They are really moist and delicious, and the Butterfinger and Reeses' Pieces mix together perfectly for a delicious peanut-buttery flavor. 

You can format this recipe to your wants and needs by switching the kind of pudding you use and the candies you put inside! Enjoy :)

Recipe:

Peanut-Buttery Pudding Cookies

2 1/4 C. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 C. margarine or butter, softened

3/4 C. brown sugar

1/4 C. white sugar

1 3.4-oz. package instant french vanilla pudding

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 eggs, room temperature

1 C. crushed Butterfinger and 1 C. Reeses' Pieces

In mixing bowl, cream together sugars, butter, vanilla extract, and vanilla pudding mix. Beat until creamy. Add eggs. Add dry ingredients and stir until well-combined. Fold in Butterfinger and Reeses' Pieces. Form one-inch balls of dough and put them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. 

We can sing, we can dance, after all, this is France!

What an awesome weekend! :)

I wasn't expecting to come home on Friday afternoon, but my mom was near Btown, so she offered to pick us up. Leave it to me to miss the biggest IU party weekend to go see my high school musical...but, hey. Some things are more important than parties.

So, we got home Friday evening and Josh and I went to Abuelo's with my mom. Then, Saturday was spent baking and preparing for our high school's production of Beauty and the Beast! (See the "Recipes" tab for Cookies and Cream Marshmallow Bars and Peanut-buttery Pudding Cookies!) We put them in little goodie bags for some of our friends in the show.

(They look better in real life - I swear!)

Before the show, I made my first meal with meat. Chicken fried rice! (Also in the "Recipes" section.) Guess what? Raw chicken is DISGUSTING. I had no idea. It was difficult to keep my composure. But, once I got past the grossness, the dish was really fun and easy to make, and super yummy :)

Then we headed to our beloved alma mater for the musical. We were really pleasantly surprised by just how great the show was. Everyone involved should be really proud!!

After the show, we kinda crashed the cast party. (LAAAME I KNOW.) But it was at Josh's house, so we kinda couldn't resist. It was good catching up with some really cool Catheatre kids that I've really missed this year.

Today, we make the LAST journey back to IU before summer break! I'm so, so ready for the year to end.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and be sure to check out the new recipes :) [*Coming Soon*]

Journeys, Fiascos, and Adventures

HI! Life is so good. The last few days have been nice. I haven't had much to do, so I actually have free time!!

On Monday, Josh and I went on a long journey to the registrar's office. (It's really not that long a journey normally, we just happened to take the LONGEST way possible.) Of course, when we got there, we found out I needed to wait one more day. And I could do it over the phone.

(Whoops.)

To quell our frustrations, we got frozen yogurt from Campus Candy. Yum. And that place is so cool! The walls are lined with different types of candy, and they even have cheesecake and cupcakes. Might be fun to bring my family there sometime. (Also, I just used the word 'quell'. Who does that? Me. All the time.) ANYWAY - 

Yesterday, we went to a Singing Hoosiers rehearsal and met one of the candidates for the new director position. It was followed by a Q&A reception, which was fun, but, uh...long. I'm really curious to see what happens in the future for the Singing Hoosiers...I hope traditions and family are still important, even after leadership shifts to the new guy. Whoever it may be.

Today was the scheduling fiasco.

Okay, first of all, I am cursed when it comes to scheduling. Even if I have everything planned out, something is bound to go wrong. Today, I had to make so many phone calls it was just plain silly. At one point, I called the instructor of a class, who told me to call an advisor, who told me to call the registrar, who told me to call the department of education....Yeah. So, finally, I got into the classes I wanted. I'm still waiting on one instructor's permission, but, aside from that, I'm all set.

My classes sound pretty good! Luckily, I'll be able to sleep in a little bit more every day. And on one day my first class is at 1pm (Chyesss.) 

I'm taking geology (learning about rocks), intro to scientific inquiry (digging up rocks in the Jordan creek), movement and expression for preschool and elementary children (Gymboree?), more child psychology, and more teaching elementary math. And Singing Hoosiers. And also, field experience on Friday afternoons.

I'm really excited for a fresh start and some great classes next year!

So, after the fiasco, Josh and I adventured to Chipotle for the first time :)

(I love guacamole!!)

Aaand I accidentally ate his burrito instead of mine. Oops. 

But, I really liked it! I think the meat was really high quality, and the chips had a really nice corny taste and weren't completely coated in salt. But, I have to say, I'll always be a Qdoba kinda girl.

Off to do some homework and watch American Idol.

Enjoy your evening! 

18 more days...

Hi! Just writing a quick post before I start getting ready for the banquet this afternoon. 

It's been kind of an uneventful weekend. I've been sleeping a lot after my exhausting week of sickness and stress, and I feel much better. 

Friday night we went with our friend Sarah to see IU's production of Cabaret. It was pretty good! I haven't seen that show before, and I was pleasantly surprised. I wish it would have had a happy ending though :( 

Yesterday, Josh and I went to see this movie called Cabin in the Woods.

(Boooooooo.)

It's apparently supposed to be really good? It's not really good. It's really dumb. I think the plot had potential for being really interesting, but it was poorly executed. Gratuitous drug references, a little overboard on the monster-ghouly stuff, and a few instances of pretty mediocre/bad acting. Meh. 

Anyway - After that, we just hung out and watched Rent in the dorm. We're getting really excited for auditions in a few weeks and wanted to refresh our memories about the show. Fingers crossed!

Today, I just finished some homework and I've been relaxing, waiting for the dinner tonight. 

Also - 18 MORE DAYS.

Have a good rest of the weekend :)