Friday Favorites — Pinterest style

Seeing as there is so much awesome stuff everywhere,

and not just in the blogosphere,

I figured I shake up my favorites every Friday

and post things from different places.

Here are some of my favorite pins this week.

1. This photo via Bri Emery of DesignLoveFest

Such a good reminder that inspiration can be found anywhere.

Even in an old gym.

2. This nail cuteness via Sydney Fitzgerald

While I am not normally one to fall into line with new trends,

I just think this is adorable.

And while mixing with solid colors is cute,

the sparkles here really pop!

3. This room via Claire Kelly

 

I'm a book lover. 

And I freak out when I see amazingly cute ways

to store books as part as a room's design.

Imagine my reaction when I saw this display.

[Love the gray!]

4. This oasis via Annie Heyward

 No explanation needed.

Just get me there now!

5. This pizza dip via Kathryn Cox

My sister is obsessed with dips.

And I've heard her mention pizza dip at least a few times.

I think it's about time I try it, too.

Find this recipe here.

Check back next week for more!

Are you on Pinterest? Follow me!

Cleaning, boxing and sorting

With the date fast approaching of me moving into an apartment 

— not a dorm, but an actual apartment —

I decided it was time to go through my bedroom at home, 

every single item in there, 

and clean up a bit.

And what better way to sift through and box up my childhood

than with the music that came with it.

So with Britney, Christina and those heartthrob boy bands crooning in the background,

I'm embarking on a journey through little league trophies and VHS tapes.

---

I said, 'Mom, what do I do with these trophies and things?'

[I threw all my participation ones out a couple years ago;

these are just the ones that mattered.]

Her answer?

'Box them up and put them in the attic.'

So here's what's going into hibernation until I officially move out of this house...

and which is probably bound for the attic or closet wherever I may live later on in life.

The bowling pin I got at my 5th birthday for hosting my party at the alley.

No lies, it's been displayed in my room ever since.

Also, I'm pretty sure I did it because my sister, Jenn, had one from her 7th birthday.

And I just thought it was the coolest.

Little league trophies from when my team placed.

1st and 2nd for basketball, 2nd for volleyball...

pretty sure I have most of my AJAA shirts still, too.

We thought we were cool.

The plate I was presented as one of the top 25 students in my class...hah.

Not that I'm not proud of it, but I hate when it's flaunted and when people exhaustingly told me congrats and whatnot.

I hate being the center of attention in most situations.

Even more embarrassing?

Before I banished it to my bedroom, my parents had it displayed in the main living room where everyone who came over could see it.

[Cool. Thanks, mom and dad.]

So for now, all of these things,

plus my old yearbooks and school things,

can join my stuffed animals in the attic indefinitely.

[And yes, I still have my old stuffed animals and books in the attic.

I want my future kids to enjoy them, too!]

---

Things I have way too much of?

Movies.

I'm thinking it's time to get rid of those old ones I haven't watched since I was maybe 13.

[Agent Cody Banks and Clockstoppers, anyone?]

Magazines.

Seriously, it's a problem.

Maybe a third of those have been read cover to cover.

And I always tell myself I'll get back to them,

or I'll want to read something again later.

But no. I'm just lying to myself.

This is pretty much the only thing I hoard,

and it needs to change.

Three full baskets on the bed.

A half-full closet here.

A half-full closet at the Muncie house.

Two full dressers.

And at least three dirty loads.

My wardrobe needs a serious cleanse.

[Goodbye, AJAA tees.]

---

And then there's all the things I had forgotten about.

Like the telescope I got for Christmas when I was little.

And the mountain of hoodies I can't bring myself to downsize in my closet.

And the photo box full of prints that should be scanned into the computer.

This project could take a while.

I've got 18 days and counting...

So What Wednesday

So What Wednesday

Link up with Life After I "Dew" if you wanna dish too!

So what if I was playing 21 (basketball) this weekend in dress pants and bare feet. I won, and that's all that matters ;)

So what if I had a little bit of junk food last weekend. Once Monday rolled around, I was SlimFastin' it up again. Making the end of this summer count!

So what if I've been rockin' a bumped and purple-bruised nose this week after my nephew let a plastic tub slip from his hands at a rather inopportune time. His apology makes everything okay, and make up does wonders.

So what if I have to make my own car payments this fall. I've waited so long for a new one and I finally get to call it my own! Still in the process of looking and buying, though. I'll definitely share more once something is finalized!

So what if it is the end of July is looming and I haven't started my summer DIY projects. Or finished other projects. I always manage to get things done somehow.

A little dose of growing up

I feel as though I am having to grow up a bit more this fall.

It's a goodbye the little bit of acceptable ignorance,

and hello to a little bit of reality.

I just put my name on gas utility for my apartment next year.

I'm about to apply for a credit card.

And I'll have monthly car payments, but more on that later.

While my parents will still be helping me out financially in some areas,

it is still up to me to get that rent paid on time,

make sure my roommates pay me their share of the gas bill,

and buy only the necessities on credit.

After paying for my own gas this summer,

I started paying a lot more attention to the price factor,

whereas before I just pulled up to any Citgo and swiped my parents' card.

So I think it's time I start paying attention to grocery sales and coupons.

I won't be extreme or anything...

(some people go crazy)

...but getting into the habit will make happy wallets

for both myself and my parents.

And it'll make for better habits when I am completely on my own.

I know I still have a lot to learn about adulthood,

but I'm definitely getting a first real taste of it soon.

Friday Favorites

When I'm catching up on Google Reader at work, I tend to star a lot of things as a way of marking them to go back to, instead of pinning them as I would from my laptop.

So here's five of my recent favorites from the blogosphere.

1. Citations for Real Life via Design Crush

I already know a few people I would hand out this cell phone violation to.

Do you think there's one in there for Twitter transgressions?

I know a few people I'd like to call out on that, too.

2. This fun print via Design Crush

Gorgeous colors, awesome typography, and 100% fun.

And photography as always interested me.

3. These Cocoa&Hearts paintings via MadeByGirl

So minimalist, yet way gorgeous.

(And way expensive. $95?! I could do this myself.)

4. This Pinterest find via Dream Book Design

I may be more than a few years away from having my own place for longer than just a couple years, but I help myself when it comes to great interior design. And I love the green brick-style tiling in this kitchen. (One of my favorite colors!) It's definitely different, but not overwhelming.

5. A new kind of bulletin board via Dream Book Design

Not so sure the frame and wire are quite my style, but I did the clothespin idea.

Check back next week for more of my favorites!

So What Wednesday

So What Wednesday

Link up with Life After I "Dew" if you wanna dish too!

So what if I went glow-in-the-dark mini golfing last Friday with some friends, at a place where the average age is probably 12. You're never to old to do go. And if you say I'm wrong, then nobody asked you.

So what if I bought a book for the sole reason of design inspiration. I'm not saying the book won't be interesting as well, but the design and little illustrations just make me happy!

So what if I've been planning out my apartment bedroom since the Spring. And while we're on that, who cares if there won't be much space left when I'm done with it. (And there isn't much to begin with!) I say a comfortable bed and an inspiring workspace trumps walking space.

So what if I put the book I was reading on the back burner and am starting Harry Potter from the beginning. All the hype made me nostalgic, and I want to read the magic from the very first page again...starting now.

To be organized at all times, and not just at work

At work, I am on the ball.

Notes, checklists, reviewing my schedule every other day to make sure nothing as changed.

At home, not so much.

(The current state of my bedroom would more than illustrate that fact by itself.)

And when fall rolls back around, it's back to classes and jobs and scheduling sleep.

A time when I am scrambling and picking my brain to remember just exactly what is due the next day,

scraping by with the bare minimum and never coming out ahead, just doing fine on par.

But this year, I'm determined.

[And though I say that every year, this time I mean it! OK?!]

That means using both my planner and my calendar.
The planner to keep my on track everywhere I go.
And a calendar for the apartment so my roommates know where the heck I am.

It means writing my shopping lists down on paper instead of trying to memorize what I need or texting it to myself,
(yes, I've actually done that. and I can't be the only one)
because no matter what, I always forget that one thing.

This week it was contact solution.

And most of all, it means having some self-disciple and some sort of daily schedule.
No naps in the middle of study time.
Getting stuff done before/during work so I can actually sleep (and therefore not need a nap).
Avoiding having to do homework in other classes.

And no more night-before papers.
So much stress.

I will make this happen.
At least for a couple weeks.

Bear with my childhood just a bit longer

I finally saw Deathly Hallows Pt. 2, so just let me have a moment to gush.

In a word: brilliant

Throughout the entire movie sector of the series, I have been so impressed with how well-done the films are. Sure, we all have our little things we see that are portrayed wrong or left out; but for the most part, the movies are wonderfully written and produced.

And I can't think of a better way to finish out this chapter of my 'childhood' than with a good friend and a favorite childhood destination: the drive-in.

[Look at that gorgeous Indiana sunset!]

Of course, when I was little, drive-ins had playgrounds to keep kids occupied until dusk.

But in New Castle, kids were hitting rocks with a baseball bat.

Uh...no thanks.

Also, remember that with picnics come ants,
and be careful when throwing ice in the cooler, or you could end up poking a hole in your pop can and having to shotgun it like me...

Anyways, if you haven't seen the final Harry Potter movie yet, GO.

It may be the shortest of the films, but you can't tell in the moment.

And if you are even the slightest fan, you will feel giddy when it is over.

And now...I will just wait and hope The Hunger Games films are just as amazing.

[Don't know what I'm talking about? Go check out the book series by Suzanne Collins right now! You won't be disappointed.]

When summers meant trips to Grandma's

My sister's post about summers with grandmas got me to thinking about our trips we took to our grandma's house each summer, and I just wanted to share all the sweet memories I remember, too.

So here's a dose of nostalgia, of summer after summer in a rural town in northern Indiana called North Judson.

source

Each new morning on our visits brought smells of blueberry pancakes wafting through the house.

And Grandpa, without fail, would be in the kitchen drinking his morning coffee and listening to the police scanner before heading out for his morning drive into town.

A glance out the kitchen window and we'd see everything from deer in the fields, birds in the birdbath, and other little critters nibbling at the scraps my Grandma put out.

The days brought endless possibilities.

We would run around playing outside in our bare feet against our Grandma's wishes, and realize she was right as she was picking cactus prickles out of our feet with tweezers.

We would ride bikes down the country roads without a car coming for miles.

 source

 We would play school and house in the basement, where there was never a short supply of National Geographics and Ball jars.

We never said no to a game of Uno, Go Fish, or Sequence.

And no matter how many times we played Borderline U.S.A., I would always get a little mixed up when it came to the New England states.

 I remember walking just down the road to pick raspberries.

And driving just a little ways to get the most delicious blueberries from the local blueberry farm.

And we learned that sometimes the best way to get a taste mint is just to pull off the road and pick a leaf from a mint field and just chew it.

During harvesting season, you can smell those mint trucks a half a mile away.

And you know that if you drive into town and see that mint green stripe painted down the middle of the road, you're just in time for the mint festival, and are sure to have a good time.

Grandma taught us that the best strawberry jam, rye bread, and dill pickles were of the homemade variety.

And it was there that I first had a tuna melt; or as my grandpa liked to call it, Shit on a Shingle.

I remember that whenever we took car rides together, Grandpa would always put in a cassette tape, and reward us with a quarter if we could guess who the singer was.

We would go visit family in Judson and San Pierre, because there was no short supply of Eckerts around there.

Aunt Emma always had M&M's on the table, and would curse the ice cream truck for passing too quickly.

And Uncle Butch's garage always smelled like gasoline.

And after visiting Aunt Erna, we would go play at the park across the street from my grandma's church.

We would go with our cousins to Indiana Beach.
[Because there is more than corn in Indiana.]

Grandma would take us on the train to Chicago, where we did everything from visit Navy Pier, the aquarium, and Millennium Park, to hit up a baseball game.

We took countless trips to Bass Lake.

 

And Lake Michigan. Climbing up the dunes and rolling back down. Jumping in the waves, pretending they were as big as the ocean's because we didn't know anything else to compare it too.

 

And we were always armed with Subway sandwiches and those small, green glass bottles of Canada Dry.

 

Then on the way home, we would stop to get ice cream at The Point in town before heading back out to the farm.

 On gloomy days, we would turn to the attic, where there was never a shortage of treasures to look through, and most importantly, a collection of books we would sift through and take our favorites back downstairs to read.

 There was no cable, but mornings were passed with Dragon Tales on PBS, and movies at night.

That's where I was first introduced to Barbra Streisand, because Funny Girl was a favorite.

 And we would always end the night with homemade cookies or a dish of ice cream.

Then we would go to bed, and wake up the next morning to start all over.

In a small town where everybody knew everybody and their extended family, smiles and hellos were never scarce.

And although my grandparents sold the farm and moved to town,

and even though my grandpa is no longer with us,

every so often I will take the long way to my grandma's house through the back roads,

honking as I pass Fred and Kathy's,

and just getting another glance at the old farm house that fostered so many sweet summer memories.

In honor of the last 12 years of my life...

And I say 12, because Christmas 1999 was when I received a very heavy package with the first three Harry Potter books. Hardback additions. That Amazon box sparked my childhood more than anything else.

[Or as my family would tell you, with a laugh, a box from amazin', because that's how my 8-year-old self pronounced it at the family gathering.]

But you know what, it was amazing.

I don't call myself a superfan by any means. 

Some people really just get way to into it.

But saying that Harry Potter was not a big part of my life would be a lie, too.

Ask anyone my age,

we grew up with those characters.

And J.K. Rowling taught us to be as imaginative as ever.

But everyone is saying it is 'the end.'

You know what, though? It will never be the end.

I will read those books over and over again.

And watch the movies like it is the first time.

...and force it on my future children. ;)

But for now, I will leave you with the Daily Prophet pages I designed for our school paper today.

You can see the featured on Charles Apple's blog here (near the bottom).

Or you can download a PDF of the whole issue here.

Enjoy!

[P.S. I may or may not be just as excited for the new Winnie the Pooh movie. Hey, it was another big part of my childhood! ;)]

So What Wednesday

After reading so many of these fun posts from Hello Miss Chelsea

(who is my sister's best friend)

I decided to give it a whirl myself.

 

So What Wednesday

Link up with Life After I "Dew" if you wanna dish too!

 

 

So what if don't really have the time to be posting this today. I'm trying to be a better blogger, and it really is just something to give me a needed distraction from my looming to-do list.

 

So what if I really have no free time to do typical summery things this summer. All the hours I'm clocking at my internship and job will be worth it in the long run.

So what if I prefer to make long drives in the dead middle of the night. There's no traffic, and people can't see me rocking out to my music.

 

So what is my 21 by 21 list has been on the back burner. I still have six months left!

 

So what if I don't fully understand Google+ yet. It could be the next big thing, and the social media fiend in me is determined to master it.

 

And lastly,

 

So what if it is only July and I am planning am planning a trip to Vegas for next March. The earlier you plan, the cheaper it is sure to be. And we're college students. Cheap is how we live.

 

 

What are you saying so what about this week?

Lessons in living in an unairconditioned house during an Indiana summer

I may have only lived up there continuously in May,

but I'm back at least twice a week and it doesn't make
certain situations any better.

Here are some of the things I've learned.

1. In an old house like this one, there will be bugs. Lot's of bugs. Especially gross centipedes like this:

And boy are they fast little buggers.

In addition to meeting these bad boys, I've also learned that if you just leave the spiders alone, they will leave you alone, as well.

Works for me.

2. Do not complain about heat in May.

Don't complain in June for that matter either.

No matter what kind of heat or humidity you get in the house during those first two months of summer, it always cools down at night for sleeping. And that's all that matters.

July? That's a different story.

Cold showers are a regular occurrence, just to beat the heat.

3. Gas stoves boil water faster.

Gas ovens cook brownies faster.

And gas ovens seem to emit more heat than regular ovens.

That's when I broke out the box fan.

4. When you're renting a house right off campus,

have low expectations.

If it exceeds your expectations, great!

But chances are, you won't be too thrilled.

Thin walls, loud plumbing, and rotted-out windows wrapped with plastic.

(But I'm sure that last one is just my house.)

5. Lastly, for now, ants seem to know how to avoid the little ant traps scattered over the counters. Sounds more like a money trap for desperate consumers.

Let's just say I'm am impatiently awaiting the arrival of August.

And the keys to my new, airconditioned apartment.

Burnt out. And not by the sun. It is summer, right?

Is it Wednesday yet?

Pretty sure it's time for me to jump on the So What Wednesday bandwagon

with half a summer's worth of so what's.

Beginning with:

So what if I fail at blogging on a regular basis.

That's a big one. And it's a work in progress.

It's bad when you haven't blogged so long that the dashboard layout has changed and you no longer know your way around.

So, in my true nature, how about a catch up post.

If you do the math, I am technically working...

60 hours a week.

[It's summer vacation. Is that even allowed??]

But it will be worth it in the end.

My résumé and distant future career will thank me.

My current sleep schedule and lack of leisurely activities will not.

But let's stick to the important stuff.

The Indianapolis Star is not what I expected.

But I don't mean that in a bad way.

It's just different.

New, great experiences, for sure.

And I think design editing up at my school paper simultaneously has made me not only a better designer all around, but a better leader, too.

And it keeps me excited for the full staff to return in the fall.

Actually, I'm ready for fall in general.

School things aside, I just miss it.

And mark my words, I will return to the promises I made at the beginning of the summer very soon!