Doll House: Be Bold!

So, who was excited for Star Wars VII????

Katie, you're a bit late with this post.  Yes, I know.  I got busy.

A while back (before the movie came out) I made a series of dolls psyching myself up for The Force Awakens.

And yes, during the movie I went into shock.  But 'tis a story for another day.  For now...

Meet Dorovio!  Dorovio Bold, they call her (thus the post name).  You may or may not have noticed her in Return of the Jedi.  (In the BluRay version, she is sitting down behind Lando Calrissian while he is talking to Han Solo on Home One. I don't know if the others are different, because they did take alternate scenes for some parts of the BluRay trilogy).

I read up on this particular character, and she was pretty much cut out of the movie, but it shall be sufficient to say that she is one of the unsung heroes of the Battle of Endor who didn't make it home.

I guess we could claim this doll could be one of the female pilots from The Force Awakens (I saw at least three and got super excited as I am a fan of the X-Wing book series and they had some pretty awesome ladies in the squadrons), but I think I noticed the leg restraints being black instead of white.  I shall have to investigate more.

Fun fact: this doll started out being Wedge Antilles until I noticed Dorovio while watching Return of the Jedi.  Let's say I spent an hour or so figuring out how I wanted to do her hair.

She could potentially be my favorite doll so far.

Study Tip: Map Out Your Ideas

If you didn't already know, I am a senior in college, and this semester I have a course load of six classes. Yes, I said six. I am also naturally lazy, so I keep having to ground myself from various things (ahem, Pinterest and YouTube) so I might actually get something done. 

As I said: I'm lazy. 

Anyways, my favorite way to study is to grab my pen case and some notebook paper and map out the people, ideas, and themes. I tend to group things together by chapter and by color. 

For example, in this class I am learning about the history and culture of Spain. For chapter six, I drew out a map for the four different kings and major events/ideas that occurred during their reign. I assigned a different color to each king/timeframe. 

I find this much easier to read and understand than just a boring page of notes, plus your brain has to organize the information into groups and then you have to physically write it down. Great way to study, no?

Hint: for lots of studying ideas, check out the blog Organized Charm.  It's full of tips that has helped me at the University.

October 2015 General Conference

What I Took to Heart...

It's funny how a major decision can be placed before you right before General Conference weekend. Let's face it; it happens to (probably) most of us...

...and it's amazing what kind of clarity and answers that the Spirit can bring.

What did I get out of this past weekend's General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

Ten Ideas:

1. God will hold you up in your times of weakness.
2. Don't let fear keep you from doing something new.
3. You are doing better than you think you are.
4. It will all work out.
5. Get up and go learn something.
6. Center yourself on the Lord and His Gospel. That will help you not to be such a mess [pottery wheel metaphor].
7. Exercise faith in every aspect of your life.
8. Inspire; don't just impress.
9. Small efforts lead to big results.
10. We don't have to be perfect, but we need to be good at getting better.

..and pancakes are always a perfect treat for the Sunday morning session (Larsen family tradition).

Recipe for chocolate chip pancakes can be found here.
I'm not a perfect cook, but I'm learning!

Minimal Makeup Kit

"Happy girls are the prettiest." -Audrey Hepburn

Welcome to my newly-lightened makeup kit. I recently pulled a konmari and tossed out anything that was old, unused, or didn't make me happy.  I spent too much time putting myself together in the morning, just to end up looking like myself.  So why not just be myself?

So here it is: my minimal makeup kit (and I still have all my bases covered for my needs).
[or in the case of the eye shadow palette, beyond covered... I'm thinking about finding a nice duo because for me, twelve colors really is too much...but it is very nice!]

Primer. Concealer. Blush. Eye shadow. Mascara. Lip balm. Lip gloss. Perfect for us fair-skinned ladies.

I am working toward not wearing any makeup on a daily basis. Who knows if that will ever happen? Maybe if I can finally get the science behind skincare figured out...

Welcome to the Doll House!

Making it My Own

A while back, my darling husband bought me the Yuna pattern by BaburuStar that we both thought was so adorable (okay maybe it was just me...)  I came home from work and found the pattern in an e-mail! (Isn't that so sweet?) I very excitedly gathered up my yarn and threw this little girl together.  To my surprise, as I am now understanding how crochet works and can work faster, I finished her in just a matter of hours.  (So much prettier than my other one).

My make of  Yuna from Final Fantasy X.

So, this pattern that my lovely and frugal husband paid for was now used up.  Thus, I figured I could get his money's worth out of it.  I decided that since I now better understand mathematically how 3D crochet works, I figured I could tweak the hair, change the clothes, and make whoever I please.

So stay tuned for my improvised army of dolls inspired by this pattern. Who knows who may appear?

Italian Chicken Rice Pot

In procrastinating doing my homework a while back, I ran across a YouTube video by Laura Vitale for one pot chicken and rice. I have learned that some of the greatest dishes are super simple, and this is definitely one of them. I didn't have all of her ingredients on hand, but I had enough to make a most delicious variation for a college student such as myself.

By the way, this makes a lot food...and I didn't get to eat any of the leftovers!

Italian Chicken and Rice

Inspired by Laura in the Kitchen
I've linked the original video and recipe here if you are interested.

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil (or olive oil, etc.)

2 pieces of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 can tomatoes, diced

Salt

Pepper

Garlic Powder

Italian Seasoning

2 cups of white rice
3 cups of water + 3 bouillon cubes (chicken-flavored)

[or three cups of broth...]

It's almost easier than Rice-a-Roni, and tastes a lot better.

Instructions:

Heat oil in skillet and cube chicken breasts.  Fry cubes until they start to develop color.
Meanwhile, dice bell pepper.
Add pepper to chicken and fry until color starts to change.  Season with salt and pepper.
Add rice and cook for about a minute to let brown.
Add water, bouillon, can of tomatoes, and seasonings.
Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and let simmer.
In about twenty five minutes, your yummy chicken and rice should be ready to eat.

This one is sure to be a classic in my house (assuming I ever have not-frozen chicken!)

Finally, I would like to thank Mrs. Vitale for inspiring this wonderful dish.

The Ultimate Spring Cleaning... Book?

A Book that Sparks Joy

Hello, world!

It's that wonderful time of year when our cars are covered in pollen and cleaning supplies are on sale. Three cheers for spring!

Anyways, a book found its way into my life a few weeks ago after my husband found an article about the author in the Wall Street Journal.  He showed me the article and asked if I might be interested in what she had to say.  Well, it more than piqued my interest.

What book was it?

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo.

How can you resist a title like that?

(I'm a sucker for a clever name and a pretty cover)

I immediately looked up information about this lovely little book and only found positive things.  Plus, decluttering and living in a tidy apartment sounds rather appealing to me, especially as someone who doesn't lift her feet very high when she walks (thus is likely to stumble, knock my shin, or hit my toe...)

This book was lovely.  It introduces the art of tidying by using the systematic KonMari Method to train you in how to thank objects for their service and either appreciate them for longer or let them go give someone else joy.

Kondo's philosophy of tidying leaves you surrounded only by things that make you happy.

Think for a second: how awesome would that be?

Honestly, it sounds pretty appealing.

There is a reason this book is a #1 bestseller.  Check it out for yourself.  Maybe it will even have a side-effect of a clean house.

My closet has already been trimmed down, drawers rearranged and folded nicely, and who knows what will happen to the rest of the house once I find some time...like that will ever happen!

Have you read this book?  What do you think?