Nurse Jello Shots

This weekend we celebrated my mother's graduation from nursing school! She is a registered RN and is actively studying to pass her state boards (which she is super stressed about but we all know she will pass with flying colors!) 

Might I add, that we COULD NOT POSSIBLY be more proud of you mom. As a single mother, my mom has spent most of her life making sure we were successful, and watching her accomplish this for herself has been an inspiration. She is such a caring and nurturing person, I know she will make the best RN out there. No one works harder than Nurse Norma ;)

To celebrate, I made syringe jello shots!

 

I used plastic syringes similar to these.

I prefer the syringe's that come with caps so that you don't have to prop them up in the fridge and they are easier to transport.

When making your jello, just add 1 cup boiling water, and 1 cup vodka (for the 4 serving packs).

If you use a bigger box of jello, just substitute the amount of cold water with vodka :) I used raspberry jello and strawberry vodka. Poor planning on my part to not get raspberry vodka as well but they turned out great!

They were a big hit!

Again, congrats to my beautiful mother Norma! 

 *Here she is pictured with her best friend Debbie who also deserves a congratulations! 

Aren't they cute?!

Love you mom,

Jes

Easiest Cake Pops Ever

So a few months ago I tried making cake pops the real way... bake a cake, crumble it with a fork, mix it with the perfect amount of frosting, roll into balls, stab yourself in the eyeball, freeze balls, stab with cake pop sticks, dip into candy melt mush, get mad when they keep falling apart while trying to coat them, cuss and stuff your face with ruined cake balls, end up with 10 good cake pops out of a batch of what felt like 30, and finally swear to never make cake pops again. The cake pops were super DELICIOUS but they took for-ev-er and I did not enjoy making them.

Then, my roommate got me the Babycakes Cake Pop maker for Christmas this year and let me tell ya... I LOVE MAKING CAKE POPS! Seriously so easy. A tablespoon of batter in each reservoir and 4 minutes of baking time is all it takes! You still have to go through the candy melt part but it is much easier when your cake balls aren't threatening to fall apart on you every ten seconds.

This batch I went for lemon cake balls stuffed with raspberries and pink candy melt coating for Valentine's Day of course ;)

The raspberries floated to the top while baking but I think they looked amazing!

Perfectly simple.

If you have been dying to make cake pops or just want to speed up the process, i highly recommend the Babycakes cake pop maker. Next time I might try donut holes! :)

xoxox,

Jes

Puppy Portrait

In a previous post ANGEL, I shared with you the story of my family dog Angel and her need for surgery. Angel is now out of her head cone, and recovering wonderfully. I just recently took her on a walk and she was acting like a 4 year old skipping around (she is about 11 years old!). I was worried she might get too excited and re-injure herself but the doc assured us that she is strong and doing well :)

Friends of the family, Mel and Jon donated reward money that Spartacus won in a cute dog contest, and as a gift for them, I painted a Puppy Portrait of their other dog Peanut (so he wouldn't feel left out) and because he is too awesome to NOT have a Puppy Portrait.

Spartacus (on the left) and Peanut (on the right)

Aren't they funny!

Here is Peanut modeling with his Puppy Portrait!

If you are interested in a Portrait of your Puppy or pet, contact me at Jbarmstrong87@gmail.com with a brief description, and a picture of pet!

I look forward to hearing from you! :)

Oh Snap

It has been so nice to get settled into my new apartment, and catch up with friends and family. My life looks a lot like this lately, and I am perfectly content :)

Vinyl Love

It's no secret that I love music and as my birthday gift from Adam, I became a proud owner of a shiny new record player :)

I can't wait to start collecting vinyl!

Cherry Blossom Fever

April is the month of Cherry Blossom fever in Washington DC.. and I'm not mad about it!

So here is the story according to Wikipedia:

Japan gave 3,020 cherry blossom trees as a gift to the United States in 1912 to celebrate the nations' then-growing friendship, replacing an earlier gift of 2000 trees which had to be destroyed due to disease in 1910. These trees were planted in Sakura Park in Manhattan and famously line the shore of the Tidal Basin in Washington DC. The gift was renewed with another 3,800 trees in 1965. The cherry blossom trees continue to be a popular tourist attraction (and the subject of the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival) when they reach full bloom in early spring.

If the National Cherry Blossom Festival isn't enough to get you excited, you can experience cherry blossom treats like cherry cupcakes, cherry flavored brandy, cherry upside down cake... you name it, and as long as it doesn't remind me of cherry flavored cough medicine.. I want it!


I first fell in love with cherry blossoms when I went to China last summer. There are subtle hints of cherry blossoms in  everything from pottery, to paintings to garments... when my trip came to a close, I became obsessed with doodling cherry blossoms all over my notebooks in class. So obsessed that I got one of my cherry blossom drawings tattooed on my body. 

My tattoo

The cherry blossom has different meanings in Chinese and Japanese culture. In China, the cherry blossom stands for women's dominance and beauty as well as feminine sexuality. In Japan it symbolizes the transient nature of life, as the cherry blossom blooming season is so short.






So now that I have bored you with my interest in the cherry blossom, take a look at some beautiful pictures my friends and I took along the Tidal Basin when the trees were in full bloom

Who Wants To Be My Plus 1?!

About every month, I check Amos Lee's website for tour dates near me... Last night, right before bed I checked again and GUESS WHAT?! He's coming to DC April 6!!

First thing this morning, I bought 2 tickets... one for me and one for an unknown person who will be the luckiest person in the world :) He's playing at 9:30 Club in DC, which is known for its intimate atmosphere and is, from what I hear, one of the best music venues in the country. I can't think of a better way to spend a cool April night...

A few of my paintings inspired by his songs:

"We all need a place where we can go and feel over the rainbow"

Amos Lee - Keep it Loose Keep it Tight

"When you're gone, all the colors seem to fade"

Amos Lee - Colors

And of course, a picture I drew of the man himself :)

The Man, The Myth, The Legend.

Scribbles!

When I'm bored at work (often) I Stumble and I came across this AMAZING WEBSITE! Okay, so you might not think that it's as AMAZING as I do.. but it's a ton of fun :)

ScribblerToo

My creation

Music According to Jes: November

I can't narrow it down to 10 songs anymore... I mean who likes short mix tapes anyways?!

All songs link to YouTube :) Enjoy!

1. Howl - Florence and The Machine
2. Sweet Disposition - The Temper Trap
3. Linger - The Cranberries
4. Swimming - Florence and The Machine
5. Lost and Found - Johnny Flynn
6. She's Got You High - Mumm-Ra
7. The District Sleeps Alone Tonight - The Postal Service
8. Apologies - Grace Potter and The Nocturnals
9. Paperweight - Joshua Radin & Schuyler Fisk
10. The Lovers Are Losing - Keane
11. Piano Song - Meiko
12. Sick Muse - Metric
13. Where You're Coming From - Matt & Kim
(couldn't find it on YouTube but you can find it on Grooveshark.com)
14. For The Summer - Ray LaMontagne
15. How Do We Know - Katie Costello

Sweet October

Happy

October is here and I don't mind. I slept like a baby last night. There's nothing better than holding your blankets close to comfort you from the chill of the night air while the rain drops dance on your windowsill. I woke up this morning excited to put on my light jacket and scarf. While the rain usually puts a damper on my mood in the hot summer months, on this October morning, I enjoyed the walk to work.

You know those girls that always bust out their legs and boobs at the first hint of spring? Well that's me only not as slutty... the first glimmer of fall sends me rushing to my stowed away "winter clothes" bins. Hoodies! Jackets! Scarves! More Scarves! Finger-less gloves! Boots! Leg warmers! Even more scarves! Need to buy more scarves!

The smell of Autumn and bonfires is enough to make me weak in the knees. Pumpkin scented candles litter my room, and Cocoa Joe's and pumpkin spice lattes warm my belly.

See how happy I am in that hat and scarf?! ---> It's undeniable.

Music According to Jes - October

Music I enjoyed this month. Some old, some new... in no particular order:

(All songs link to YouTube)

1.All My Days - Alexi Murdoch                                
2.My Little Bee - Minipop
3.No One's Gonna Love You - Band of Horses
4.City of Black & White - Mat Kearney
5.Stop This Train - John Mayer
6.Kathleen - David Gray
7.Never Far Away - Jack White
8.And Then You - Greg Laswell
9.Carry Me, Ohio - Sun Kil Moon
10.Sleep - Azure Ray

Enjoy :)

Dare-Devil

Yesterday morning I was suffering from a terrible hangover.. This is usual for Thursday mornings because of Wednesday night kickball festivities.

While waiting for the shuttle bus to work I was awkwardly staring into space.. (which probably resulted in the coffee stain down my shirt that I discovered later in the day when I took a break from awkwardly staring at the wall in my cubicle)... all the sudden this old man comes whipping around the herds of business suits on his power scooter which seemed to be going 35 mph. To my horror... he was headed straight for a little flight of steps.

Before my brain could register what was about to happen (mind you, I think I was still drunk).. the man was going full speed ahead right down a little set of stairs!

THUD

     THUD 

         THUD! zoooooooooom

He didn't even brake at the bottom! He just kept on trucking. At one point, it looked like he was floating. As he was making his speedy escape he yelled "I DIDN'T EVEN SEE THOSE THERE!!! HA! HA!"

Scooter man. You are my hero.

Sh*t I find Funny #2: "My Booky Wook"

I'm not a critic and I'm not a writer so bare with me.. or is it bear with me? (see what I mean).

I just finished Russel Brand's, "My Booky Wook: A Memoir of Sex, Drugs, and Stand-Up" It was my Labor Day present from Matt, and it is the best Labor Day gift I've ever gotten!... The only one I've ever gotten, but the BEST!

  

The man. The myth. The legend

As you know I commute to work, which means awkward positions in close quarters with smelly strangers. What better way to make yourself comfortable than laughing out loud (yes, LOL) while you are uncomfortably close to others. I figure that people on the metro have made me feel uncomfortable enough that it was now my turn to make things awkward for them by laughing hysterically, looking up and whispering "sorryyyy" with a smile.

They probably think I'm bloody mad (as Russell would say) but I couldn't help it. "My Booky Wook" is just an easy, laugh out loud, kinda book. The book is about Brand's life journey through a sexually and disastrously drug filed career into a path of redemption.

I was safely above the legal age and under my drug-brella - the device that protects me from all condemnation. Beneath its shelter I cannot be damned, nor can judgements affect me; they are deflected like the rain, as I skip off into the decadent night   -Russel Brand

He not only pokes fun at himself, but religion, western culture, and the industry that he has grown to love: comedy. One of my favorite quotes from the book:

 Of all the consumer products, chewing gum is perhaps the most ridiculous: it literally has no nourishment - you just chew it to give yourself something to do with your stupid idiot Western mouth. Half the world is starving, and the other's going, "I don't actually need any nutrition, but it would be good to masticate, just to keep my mind off things."  -Russel Brand

If you're looking for a book, pick it up. You won't be disappointed... just be aware that you might LOL on the metro and make things awkward.

Sh*t I find funny #1: OMFG Sushi!

I stumbled on Smosh.com which featured an article on the "12 All New Best Test Answers of All-Time." I found this one hilarious.... I actually LOL'ed.

http://www.smosh.com/smosh-pit/knowledge/12-all-new-best-test-answers-all-time

Underwear Man

Found this little guy in Georgetown. Love it.

Music According to Jes - September

I'm always on the hunt for new music and I go through more phases than a teenage girl during puberty, but here some my favorite songs right now (no particular order):

• Uprising - Muse
• Sailing by Night - Department of Eagles
• Gold Guns Girls - Metric
• Penelope - Pinback
• The Funeral - Band of Horses
• Let Down - Radiohead
• Boy With a Coin - Iron & Wine
• Future Foe Senario - Silversun Pickups
• Substitution - Silversun Pickups
• You're the One - The Black Keys

A few new songs to keep your ears warm. Enjoy :)

*UPDATE: I linked each song to YouTube for easy listening!