Hoosier Nation

Today I'm going to introduce Blogland to my one, true love..

The Hoosiers.

Background:
I was born and raised in this college town. My parents went to school here. My parents work here. My grandparents went to school here. My aunts and uncles went to school here. My step-dad and uncle were basketball managers. My aunt and grandpa were on athletic teams here.

I grew up listening to IU basketball games on the radio. Grew up tailgating at every home IU football game. Grew up submerged in the Indiana University Hoosiers.

So let's just say, I love them.

I started volunteering there when I was in high school and right after graduation, I became a full-fledged IU employee in the athletics department.

I'm a bit of a sports junkie anyway, but working in IU athletics has seriously caused me to go bananas. Ask me about almost any of the Hoosier sports teams and I can probably tell you a ton of useless knowledge about them. I also am in the unique position of knowing a lot of the athletes, which just makes my job a thousand times better. The student athletes you see on tv, I know a bit differently.

I even went crazy in December and drove 8 hours to watch the IU men's soccer team win the NCAA National Championship in Alabama, then I drove 8 hours back. 24 hour roadtrip.

I didn't miss ONE IU basketball game this year. Not one. Then I watched them win the Big Ten and make it to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.

Then I got to watch the IU baseball team win the Big Ten Championship last weekend. Which brings me to the ultimate point of this post..

IU is hosting some of the NCAA Regional games this weekend. I'll be pulling 13 hours days Friday-Sunday, with the possibility of Monday. But I love it. And I'm excited to watch my Hoosier baseball boys win a few more games!

Now this post was inspired by Venus and her new link-up.

First of all, Venus.. she rocks. And she understands that you can be a girl and still like sports. In fact, that's totally okay and acceptable. #thankyouverymuch

Second, I'm totally geeking out and getting excited about reading everyone's sports posts and probably (respectfully) telling you why your favorite team sucks. Unless it's the same favorite team I have (Hoosiers, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Bears) in which case we'll probably be besties. 

Regardless, you're gonna wanna follow Venus and be her friend and then sponsor her so you can go to her sleepover. Not kidding, do it.

AND THEN when you're done stalking Venus, go creep on Whitney, because it's #backthatazzup Friday and I have the most perfect IU song to get me pumped for my Hoosier Weekend.

SPD {Jello Shots}

If you follow me on Twitter, then you probably know what today's Saw it, Pinned it, Did it is going to be.

Yep, how to make Jello Shots.

Here's the Original Pin

Truth be told, there are about a thousand different pins on Pinterest about this very same subject. I just happened to find this one the most useful this past weekend. Ya know when I made approximately 125 of these babies and they were all consumed while watching cars turn left.

To make these you're going to need the essentials..

Alcohol and jello being the most important players in this game. Flavors, brands, types, etc. are all based on personal preference.

The portion cups and lids aren't totally essential, but I recommend them. I got mine from Sam's (same thing as a Costco) and they weren't exactly cheap. But do you see the box? 2,500 count. These puppies will last me forever and ever. And I plan on using them for more than just jello shots, no worries, Mom.

Another item that isn't essential would be the syringes. I actually only got them based off of a suggestion from a reader, Amy. I must say though, they turned out awesome and everyone loved them! I got mine at a local farm and feed store. I live in Indiana, guys. We have some kind of farm and feed store about every 5 miles. If you don't live in farm country have access to one of those stores, I found these on Amazon!

Oh and here's my secret ingredient..

I know what you're probably thinking. But trust me. Adding extra sugar cuts some of the alcohol taste out of the jello shots. So they taste way more like jello and way less like rubbing alcohol/children's cough syrup. If you're worried about the extra calories the extra sugar will add to a jello shot.. Well maybe you shouldn't be having jello shots in the first place. They aren't known for being low-calorie to begin with.

Recipe..
1 C. boiling water
1 3oz package of jello
1 C. alcohol
1/4 C. sugar

Pour boiling water, jello package, and sugar into a bowl and stir for 2 minutes. Seriously, stir for the entire 2 minutes or they will be grainy and disgusting and no one will invite you to any more parties.

Then add the cup of alcohol. My recommendation is to use some kind of flavored alcohol. Or 1/2 C. of plain alcohol and 1/2 C. of flavored.

Then you can either transfer the liquid into the little cups (i highly recommend pouring it out of the bowl and into a smaller measuring cup with a spout for ease of pouring into the 2oz cups. this is one of those tips i learned along the way.) or suck it up into the syringes.

Each batch (using the 3 oz packages of jello) made 15-20 jello shots. Depending on how much you filled the 2oz cups and how much you put in the syringes.

Then pop them into the refrigerator for approximately 4 hours. I left mine alone overnight.

And YES, I did label the red ones so that I would know the difference. I'm that girl.

I also recommend clicking on the Original Pin and checking out that website. They have a ton of different combinations you could do to make different kinds of jello shots. I made an Orange Creme version that everyone LOVED.

Basically these were a huge hit and super simple. And the extra sugar secret is a must! Everyone told me they could definitely tell a difference in the ones I put the sugar in and the ones I didn't. The ones I didn't tasted a little too strong, even though I followed the same steps, just minus the sugar.

Now, that I've got you liquored up, hop on over to Steph and Katie's blogs and tell them THANK YOU for hosting this link up that I'm completely obsessed with.

And then come back tomorrow because I'll be linking up with Whitney AND Venus/Sarah. Stop it. Craziness, I know.

Indy 500 Guide for Non-Indiana Residents!

It doesn't matter where you're from, every state has something unique about it that is hard to explain to people who aren't from that state.

I remember a post someone wrote after The Boston Marathon saying that unless you live (or lived) in Boston or unless you're a runner, you don't understand what a big deal The Boston Marathon is. I sort of think the same about the Indy 500. Unless you're a driver or you live in Indiana, you don't really "get" it.

So here's a quick little post explaining the Indy 500 to people who aren't from Indiana..

The Indianapolis 500 is a big deal. It's considered one of the top 3 most prestigious motorsport races in the world. In fact many, many call it THE most prestigious. The winner gets about $2.5 million dollars.. and they ALL say that they don't do it for the money. They do it to have their face put onto the trophy.

I don't even like racing. I don't watch Nascar, I don't know a darn thing about sprint cars, and I know even less about Formula 1. I watch one race a year. If you live in Indiana, it's required.

It's such a big deal in Indiana that in 6th grade we spent 6 weeks learning about the history of the Indianapolis 500 and ended that with a field trip to the track the week of qualifications. Ask any kid who grew up here and I'd say over 75% of them have been to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

For crying out loud, this is our state quarter! Yes, that's an Indy car.

Here are the fun facts you need to know.. Some of these I already knew and a few I looked up.

• The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was built in 1909. Yes, it's over 100 years old.
• It's a 2.5 mile track. They race 200 laps to equal 500 miles. Hence the name "Indianapolis 500"
• Churchill Downs, Yankee Stadium, the Rose Bowl, the Roman Colosseum and Vatican City all can fit inside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. All, at the same time.



• At the start/finish line there is a row of bricks from the original speedway. When a driver wins, one of the most prestigious things is getting to kiss that row of bricks. Weird, but a huge honor.


• Since 1933 the winners of the Indy 500 all drink milk in victory lane. There's a big long story to go along with that, but you don't care, so I'm not going to tell it. Just know that every year, they all drink milk. And usually dump it on themselves.. which is gross.



• First winner was in 1911 - Ray Harroun

Also, hilarious fun fact.. in 1993 the winner of the 500, Emerson Fittipaldi didn't drink milk in victory lane. He's the first and only person to do that since 1933. And guess what? He got booed. Homeboy just won the Indianapolis 500, fans are cheering, he reaches for a glass of orange juice instead of milk and instantly everyone boos him. Hilarious.

Anyway, basically what I'm trying to say with this post is that if you don't live in Indiana, you probably think we're a bunch of crazy rednecks. But this is the one day a year where it is acceptable and encouraged to let your redneck flag fly!

Race day is made for watching cars turn left repeatedly, a few crashes, and drinking. Lots and lots of drinking.  Some of my friends went to the track this year to celebrate. My bestie is the one in the pink Merica hat. I have a lime green one just like it. They're also in those other pictures, but I can't find them. They know people who know people. #celebritiesbyassociation

So next year who's making the trip to Indiana to drink in the sun with me all day long? Bring your flannel and your cut-offs.

Memorial Weekend 2013!

Is anyone else sad that their 4 day weekend is over? Because I am. I am a lot. The whole situation is making me incredibly sad and making this Tuesday awfully hard to enjoy so far.

I also got up at 5:30am to workout this morning. Vacation is in less than 2 weeks, so I'm starting 2-a-days. No, I'm not a high school football player. Yes, I am torturing myself. No, I don't love it. Yes, I'll love the result.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Speaking of vacation.. If anyone wants to guest post for me while I'm gone, you are more than welcome to do so! Just email me at kstoll129(at)gmail(dot)com! You'll really be doing me a huge favor and I'll love you forever and ever!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Let's stop wasting time and get to the pictures, shall we? Most of this weekend took place in my grandparent's back yard..

This was the 23rd Annual Race Party. My family and all of our family friends (at one time there were over 100 people that attended this party every year) started this party the year I was born. In Indiana if you aren't at the track for the Indy 500, you're having a party for the Indy 500. *blog post coming tomorrow explaining the Indy 500 to people who aren't from Indiana*

Keg -- Beer -- Moonshine Cherries -- Redd's

It's worth noting that the Moonshine Cherries? Nothing about them were a good idea. Nothing. Also, this wasn't all of the alcohol in attendance. The rest just managed to skip out on pictures. Rude.

Berries -- cookout staples -- my healthy plate -- more berries

I don't know if you can tell, but in the bottom right picture, there are white chocolate chips inside of the raspberries. Well, inside some of them, some of the chips fell out. Anyway, that's a quick tip to make your fruit look way more fancy than it is and I'm giving it to you for free. You're welcome in advance.

jello shots -- my boat shoes and the 20 year old lawn chair -- my Indy 500 drivers in the pool

Also worth noting that the 2 drivers I had in the pool? The same 2 drivers who wrecked in the last 10 laps of the race to cause 2 separate yellow flags. My luck is unreal you guys.

the spread

S'mores!!!!! -- pissed because it started raining on me -- fireside talks and drinks

Monday meal prep -- plastic mason jars, with lids and straws, in patriotic colors. at walmart. Get chu some!

Also very worth mentioning.. My Hoosier baseball boys WON the Big Ten Tournament on Sunday! It's totally okay if you don't care, because trust me, I care enough for the both of us. Love, love, love them!

 

Okay, now that I'm doing gushing over my IU boys, I'm gonna go to work. And then I'm gonna go home and workout again. Then I'll probably lay on my floor in pain and wish it was time for vacation. Then I might work on another blog post for this week.

Now that you know my plans for the rest of the day, go stalk someone else who linked up with Sami and find out where they're doing. Ps. Sami rocks, you should follow her.

Things that annoy me..

Because it's Friday, let's talk about a few things that are currently annoying me.

ONE

It will forever be my biggest pet peeve when someone says "broke" when they mean "broken".

"My laptop is broke."

So, let me get this straight, your laptop is poor? It has no money of its own? Because that is what you just said. OH, you meant that your laptop is broken. Now I understand. Thank you for clearing up my confusion. Say that again and I'll break your laptop, promise.

TWO

I live on the 2nd floor of a 2 story apartment building. I have one downstairs neighbor. He currently can't drive his car because of the multiple DUIs he's managed to rack up. He works the night shift. He's told me multiple times he starts work at 10pm. I hear the obnoxiously loud truck that picks him up every night at 5 minutes til 10pm. I know where he works. I know for a fact it takes longer than 5 minutes to drive there, no matter how fast you decided to speed. But like clockwork, every night, 5 minutes until 10pm. I personally don't care if he's late for work or not, but I get irrationally annoyed every single night at 5 til 10 when I hear that truck and I know he's going to be late for work. Every. Night.

THREE

I don't understand the "i before e, except after c" rule.

 I read the other day that there are 923 words in the English language that break that rule and only 44 words that follow it. I have no way of knowing if that's true or not, but I did make a little list of words that don't apply that people use frequently.

Weird. Height. Science. Protein. Glacier. Leisure. Neighbor. Society. Weight. Veil. Vein. Beige. Caffeine. Efficient. Foreign. Their. Feisty. Being. Onomatopoeia.

Okay, so no one says that last word frequently, but I think we should. But seriously, who made this rule? It feels like some evil trick they teach 1st graders so for the rest of their lives they second guess their spelling, constantly. Well played, teachers, well played.

FOUR

Any and all bloggers who think they're better than any other blogger. Honestly, I just want to slap you. And then I want to laugh at you. Is it just me or is that whole way of thinking just.. stupid. And childish. It's awfully easy to bring people down behind that computer screen. And that's all I have to say about that.

FIVE

When tv shows don't understand the different between a cliffhanger and "to be continued". It's that time of year. Most of my tv shows are having their season finale episodes. It's expected that the finale will end with a cliffhanger so you'll watch the premiere in the fall. Totally acceptable. What is not acceptable? When they end a season finale with the words "to be continued". NO. It was like they taped an episode, cut it in half, only showed us the first half, and now we have to wait 4 months for the 2nd half. Not nice. Incredibly annoying.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

I don't know why I'm so cranky this morning. I have a 4 day weekend ahead of me! So I'm going to go enjoy it!

Feel free to comment and tell me things that are annoying you! I love a good vent session!

SPD! {Clean Make-up Brushes}

Pinterest never lets me down.

My make-up brushes were gross. Really super gross. So I went into that cute little search bar in Pinterest and I searched for "make-up brush cleaner" and I found a ton of options. I can't link to the original pin I used because the link took me no-where. *insert annoyed face here* but I found one similar here. I saw it. I pinned it. I did it.

This is fool, fool, fool proof!

The Problem:

The Solution:

Mix up
-1 Cup of warm water
-1 Tbsp of vinegar
-1 Tbsp of dish soap

I used the swirl and tap method.

Swirl the brush around in the solution, tap the excess off on the side, rinse, re-shape, let dry overnight.

I was blown away by how well this worked. Here's a better look..

The brush on the left was before the swirl and tap (can i make that a catch phrase?). In the past I had rinsed that brush off before to try and get that blackness off. Never came off. The picture on the right? After the swirl and tap. Do you see blackness? No, you don't. Want to know why? Because this stuff works!

I sound like an infomercial.

But look at these pretty, clean brushes!

Here's a nice little before and after!

Now YOU..

Yea, YOU.. Go check out Steph and Katie. And while you're visiting Katie, wish her a Happy Birthday!