i'm featured!

i cannot believe i am only seeing this now. out of boredom after finishing up another recipe card order on my etsy shop, i decided to google my shop (conceded much? :) ) low and behold, i found this! the kitchn did a feature on printable recipe cards and included mine!!! i am especially excited bc the kitchn is from the same ppl who do apartment therapy (one of my FAVORITE blogs ever!!) ok, i'll stop now, but i was pretty excited. :)

if you want recipe cards of your own or for a friend this holiday season, stop over at my shop and let me know! now back to what i was doing! :)

LSU forever

yesterday joel and i spent some time walking around campus. we love LSU's campus because of what it means to us. in college, when we were just friends and eventually dating, we would always find ourselves on campus just walking around, sipping coffee, and talking about dreams and aspirations. it's only fitting that certain spots on campus have a particularly special meaning to us. so because of this, we decided that we wanted to incorporate a few of our favorite places into our home. after narrowing it down, we decided to take pics of the following three places that we will frame and display in our new house. :) it was so fun walking around and reminiscing so without further adieu:

this is where joel put the moves on me for the first time. we went out for coffee one night at charlies (RIP highland location--you are missed) then he brought me to this bench in front of the clocktower and kissed me. it was completely out of nowhere, but joel insists to this day that i was giving him "the look."


this is sooo out of order, but we didn't decide to date until months later. many of you know the story, but it took some convincing on my part bc i was very closed off and scared of dating someone that i cared for so deeply b/c i didn't want to get hurt. so one night, he drove us to this spot by CEBA--now Patrick Taylor--(after three days of him asking me to be with him and me saying no). he got out of his truck, came around, and asked me to be his girlfriend one last time. something about that night and the way he looked at me, i knew that i wouldn't be taking a risk by saying yes. so this is the spot where i finally agreed to be his girlfriend. thank God for his persistence. :)


and....five months later....we were on a date like any other night and then stopped by the clocktower like we normally did (our favorite spot, hands down) and all of a sudden he was on one knee. out came the most beautiful ring and he proceeded to make me the happiest girl ever. :)


so those were the ones we picked! i'll post a pic once they are printed and framed, but these will have to do for now.

also i couldn't be on campus and NOT take a pic of where i spent 99% of my time during college. so many deadlines, late nights, and coffee runs. good times :) i'll probably put this in my office sometime soon.

what's for dinner?

i saw this paper in hobby lobby a few weeks ago (it's amazing how influential cute paper is to me) and knew i had to incorporate it into our kitchen since it had all our colors. i had a few ideas but decided what to do once i came across this idea. i saw something similar online but they printed out the days of the week on the paper and then framed it...i thought it looked weird, so i decided just to buy some dry erase markers and write it all out. i LOVE how it came out and joel enjoys having something to look forward to when he comes home as far as meals go. it also keeps me on track if i feel like being lazy.

so, all you need for this is a frame, paper you like, and a dry erase marker (go to the dollar store), and voila:

fall favorites

my favorite time of the year is in full swing. fall!!! i was up last night finishing a few things so i could enjoy these next few weeks to the fullest. thanksgiving, my birthday, then christmas (more in the winter category, but let's face it, we live in Louisiana)...seriously though, best time of the year ever! sooo in honor of my favorite season, i am sharing a few of my current favorite things as of lately.

favorite artist (he's great no matter the season). why don't i have his newest CD? i need to get on that.


i LOVE these necklaces...i think it's the stamped effect that gets me


if you know me, you know my obsession with white. i have been meaning to buy a set of white dinnerware for the longest time. simple, round, no frills, no thrills, white plates and cups. just lovely :)



pioneer woman...need i say more? i've been following her blog for a while now (thanks to sarah m for introducing us!) and her recipes are sooo good. now, she made a cookbook...could it get any better?


perfume obsession...i smelled this in a magazine a few months ago and fell in love. i don't even know how to explain it--other than perfection in a bottle.


LSU football season...i am by no means a die hard football fan (i don't even know half the rules--or care to learn), but i do love LSU. plus this year i signed up for a square on a board thing (i don't know the official term, forgive me) and i won one! i was beyond excited. :) me and joel also got to go to a game this year (first one in 3 years--thank you ashley and ernie!) and had so much fun...i might have cried a little in excitement just to be back in the stadium. it was awesome...i also might have been the only one in my section doing all the dances :) what's the saying? you can take the girl out of LSU, but you can't take the LSU out of the girl? yeah, something like that. :) i just love it!




pecan pie! i made my first one a few weeks ago, and it was quite delicious if i do say so myself. :) i'll probably be making another one this week for Thanksgiving, but we'll see how that goes...i tend to overcommit myself, so no promises!


that's it for now--i hope everyone has a great holiday! i do have a couple more posts coming...one on a cute pillow i've been working on and the other on a neat concept for the kitchen that i found! but you will have to wait until after the break. :)

notebook makeover

i saw this adorable paper a week ago at hobby lobby and have been racking my brain as to how i can use it. when i came across an old notebook i had, i knew the solution. while i love composition books, they are just kind of ugly...let's face it--you know you agree. i desperately need a new journal for church, so i figured now was a great time for a makeover. it really is such an easy project, and i had all but 2 things on hand, making it a cheap project...$3 to be exact. :) i saw an easy tutorial online, and then i put my own spin on it, so here's the breakdown.

what you need:

:: ugly notebook
:: super cute paper
:: modge podge
:: elastic strip
:: decorative brad (or a plain brad and you can decorate it with paper, a big button, fabric, etc.)
:: scissors


how to:

:: trace outline of notebook on paper (leave room for when the notebook's shut)
:: cut out and line up with notebook (cut excess to fit)
:: modge podge the notebook and place paper on top
:: go have a date night with your hot husband (or friend, family, co-worker, etc.)
:: come back after modge podge is dry and then modge podge the top of paper to seal it
:: punch very small hole on front cover (i used a seam ripper, but a pen or scissors would work)
:: insert brad
:: punch another hole on back (big enough to push elastic strip through)
:: loop elastic and knot it to secure the elastic
:: enjoy!

i'm more of a visual learner, so here are the pics:






yes, i'm a dork, but i can't get enough of this stuff! i'm planning on getting my sew on this weekend with other easy tutorials i found online, so stay tuned. :)

it's that time again...

...for calendars!! here are a couple of my 2010 favorites:





but nothing compares to my ultimate favorite calendar. my wonderful friends got the hint last year and purchased the 2009 version of this beauty for my birthday, and i have had 9 wonderful months with it. it just makes me so happy and cheerful. plus, i've gotten lots of compliments on it (even from engineers! haha), so i like to think it makes others happy too. :) i might have to just go ahead and get this new 2010 version before they all run out since november is still 2 months away! isn't she beautiful?

new design

check out my lastest design at jenandink.blogspot.com.

geaux tigers!

me and masterchief

**warning: month-old post i realized i never posted. sorry!**


so as some of you may or may not know, joel spent last weekend moonlighting as masterchief but in a very different setting than what masterchief is accustomed to. he was quite out of his element with screaming kids and loaded waterguns, but loved it just the same.

we went to the landry's birthday party for two of their adorable children, and paul asked joel if he wouldn't mind getting into the costume for when they bring out the cake. paul bought the suit online and originally planned to wear it, but realized at the party that he wouldn't be able to host the games and say the prayer disguised as halo's main guy. so, he asked joel if he would do the honor. it was like a kid in the candy store; joel was so excited!

he came out and the look on the kid's faces was priceless. some were amazed and excited, others confused, and then you could hear the screams of fear and saw the tears that followed from the little ones. masterchief isn't for everyone, but the birthday boy and his older brother were happily surprised and started playing with him right away.

some of the kids had their picture taken with him and then of course i had to sneak a kiss in. can you blame me? just something about green plastic and black polyester.

it really was one of the cutest things to see how excited the kids were to play and run around with "masterchief." there were water ballons, squirt guns, and super soakers reaking havoc on the landry's backyard. becky and paul are such great parents for making that memory. i'm sure the boys will always remember the time masterchief stopped by. the cutest moment by far was when masterchief had to "go back to his starship" (aka joel was beyond soaked), and the birthday boy turns around as the door closed behind joel, looks at his brother, and goes, "man, i already miss masterchief." so precious!!
















photo credits ernie ballard and sarah norman (thanks guys!)

new home

hey everyone! i'm still here, i promise! one day, i will get better at being consistent. i figured now was a good time to break down and post a pic of the house. we're not close to being done with painting and all that good stuff, so i'll post those pics as we make progress. my head is swimming with DIY projects and decorating, but that post is for another day! sooooo...here's our first pic with our house:


we have been here for a little over a month now and are so, so very thankful for the blessing of owning a house--one we absolutely adore at that! i could seriously live here forever. it's been quite an adjustment transitioning from the apt, but one that we're more than happy to make! we're slowly accumulating all the essentials of home ownership and have been so blessed by those around us with such generous gifts. joel is becoming quite acquainted with our lawn mower, and i'm learning how to cook on a gas stove...i couldn't even turn it on! i thought you had to use a lighter, so joel had to show me...how sad? we really are enjoying this time together though; everything feels so new and unfamiliar. overall, we are learning a lot, having fun, and trying our best not to rush things--something i struggle with. it's so exciting to be in a new place even if it is just 30 minutes from where we were in our old apt. :)

i'll be sure to update as we finish rooms, so slowly but surely, you will get a tour. :)

2 years! i can't even believe how fast it has gone by; i feel like we just celebrated our 1 year. we decided to try a restaurant that we've never been to--bravo! i've heard mixed reviews, but we both loved it! we took our time eating, people watched, got coffee, and looked back on our last two years. talking about our favorite highlights was so fun bc i was surprised to learn that our best memories weren't the same, haha. who knew?

after eating, we killed some time in the mall before getting dessert (half off at menchies after 9 M-Th! :) ) then went to borders to read where the wild things are from the kid section. the movie looks like its going to be really good. menchies was so packed by the time we got there, but we managed to squeeze by and get the deliciousness of yogurt and fruit for a grand total of $3! man, i love that place (kate, shout out!).

overall, it was such a nice evening full of great memories and laughing, and i tried my best to soak in as much as possible. i am so, so thankful for every moment that i have joel in my life, and i think anniversaries are an especially great time to vocalize that if you don't everyday.