TwitchCon tickets are NOW ON SALE!

TwitchCon. The convention for the greatest gamers in the world. This is the SECOND annual TwitchCon and it's just A LITTLE LESS THAN 5 MONTHS AWAY! Now, I can't speak from experience because I didn't get to make it to the TwitchCon first meeting last year, but I can tell you from sheer knowledge, it is an AMAZING event and worth every penny to go! So many of your favorite Twitch Partnered streamers will be there and you'll get to chat with them up close and personal if you run into them!

And, I know what you're going to ask, I WILL BE THERE THIS YEAR! Yep, good ol' Jane-the-Lifecaster will be in the flesh! I'll be strolling about, giving high-fives to all who ask and chilling with my favorite internet buds!

What does that mean for you? Well, obviously that means you should go too! It's an amazing three-day convention filled with gaming peeps, tons of vendors and activities, and just hanging out in California with the best of the best! I mean, come on. Gamers are the absolute most interesting people in the world (Not an opinion. It's a fact.) This year, though, Twitch Creative is blowing up on the site. I wouldn't be surprised to see some great Creative streamers making their way around the show floor!

Want to go? How do you sign up? Buy your tickets through me! If you buy your tickets through my link below, it directly supports me! You're buying your tickets anyway, why not use this link and support one of your (I hope) favorite broadcasters on Twitch? I would love you so much!

So, reserve your tickets soon and let's all make our way to TwitchCon 2016! You can read up more about it on the website here!

Amazing Hype-Yourself-Up-For Breakfast Healthy Bran Muffins!

Ahh...bran muffins. The “brussel sprout” of the muffin variety. On a normal day if someone gives you the choice between a blueberry, banana chocolate, or bran muffin you would definitely go for the former two before you settle with the latter. 

Well be prepared to GET FLOORED! (No, I'm not a floor-tile salesman, sorry.) These delicious muffins are jam packed with nutrition and taste just like Heaven dropped a bit of gold-brick-road dust into your mouth. Just make a huge batch of these, try to not eat 4 or 5 of these immediately out of the oven, and stick them in the freezer for an amazing heat-and-go breakfast muffin! 

I originally found the recipe here but tweaked it up a bit to get more tastiness in each bite. Yes, there are vegetables in this muffin but trust me...you are going to love my muffin. The first time I put these together I made 3 batches for a freezer meal party since we had 3 families we were making these for. Everyone was upset when their batch of bran muffins ran out! I don't gloat over food I made but these are dang tasty and I NEED to share these with you.

So here they are, I'm making these on my Twitch feed today. Hopefully you're able to make it!

Jane's Breakfast Bran Muffins

Yield: 24 muffins

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cup whole wheat flour
• ¾ cup flaxseed meal
•  ¾ cup oat bran
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup Splenda (or regular sugar, if you prefer)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ¾ cup grated or finely chopped carrots (about 1 good-sized carrot)
• ¾ cup grated or finely chopped zucchini (about 1 good-sized zucchini, without the seed innards)
• 2 whole apples, peeled, cored and chopped
• 1/8 cup raisins
• 1/8 cup dried cranberries
• ¾ cups nuts (I used chopped walnuts)
• ¼ cup agave nectar
• ½ cup milk
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 F. 

In a large bowl, mix the flour, flaxseed, oat bran, brown sugar, Splenda (or regular sugar), baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and ginger. Use a wire whisk to mix until brown sugar clumps are smoothed out.

Mix in carrots, zucchini, and apples. (Note: A julienne peeler or a spiralizer works great for the carrots and zucchini. Just chop up the sliced pieces so they’re about ¼ to ½ inches long.)

Mix in raisins, cranberries and nuts.

In a small bowl, mix remaining ingredients together – agave nectar, milk, eggs and vanilla – and then pour everything in the large bowl and mix well. Honestly, you can get away with not mixing the wet ingredients in a smaller bowl but for those of you who like to, you have the option either way.

Grease or line 24 muffin cups. (Since these muffins don't have any oil in them, I highly suggest not going with the liners and greasing the muffin tins. These stick to the paper liners pretty good.) Since these don’t really rise it's okay if it looks like there is too much in one cup. This recipe splits pretty evenly into 24 cups.

Bake 15-20 minutes at 350 F.

Store in the refrigerator, OR…

If you are freezing, let them cool completely. Use a gallon-sized freezer bag and fill so the muffins are sitting flat, or stick them all on a baking sheet and cover them. Freeze them flat for a few hours and then you can break them up and stick them in a more convenient freezer place. If you’re like me, you have a tiny freezer so giving one item so much space is not ideal. The bags work great for me but do what you have room for!

The Brand New "Do-It-With-A-Book" Contest!

I know I have some book lovers in the house. I know lives are busy and we aren't able to read as much as we used to, or would like to, but you book lovers still love the thought of books, the sight of them, the smell. Even now, seeing your Audible app on your phone or your Nook sitting on your desk gives you a giddiness that makes you crave a new story. Before I even get to the contest, I need you in my book club! I totally understand that jobs, kids, and busyness are real things but reading is something we just can't shake off! 

I would absolutely love to be your motivation to read a new book each month! The cool thing about my book club is that you don't need a ride to get to my place. You don't have to be in the same state or country. You just need a computer! That's right! We meet virtually! Every first Tuesday of each month we meet at 9:00pm CST on my broadcast. I lead the club with my video and all the members are free to chat in the box provided! It's just an hour out of your evening. It's totally doable! I know, I know. Take some time. Think about it. It's a great decision though. The books are usually max. 350 pages and it's always something everyone votes on during the book club meeting. Come check it out on Facebook. You can see our community here. 

Now...to the fun stuff! 

Jane's Coffee Table Book Club's "Do-It-With-A-Book" Contest

This is another picture contest, so get your Polaroids ready! For this contest I want you to take the theme of the book and have you doing whatever the theme is with the book! Make sense? No? Okay, take a look at the pic below.

See how I’m eating a cook book? Take a book (let’s say Moby Dick) and apply the theme of the book (in this case nautical hunting) to the picture. Your picture could be you on a boat hunting the Moby Dick book. Or if you used Harry Potter you could dress the book as Harry and you as Ron or Hermione and try and perform spells at random people.

The Rules:
Photoshop – allowed, but there has to be some reality to the picture. Don’t go crazy overboard. I still want to see your creativity in the real world!
Nudity – none, please. Even if your book is “50 Shades of Grey”, you can do weird stuff, just no nudity or overly sexual themes.
Submitting multiple pictures – do it! Feel free to submit as many as you’d like, just know that only one of your pictures can win a prize.
How to submit - Pictures must be submitted through Facebook (by tagging the book club "Jane's Coffee Table Book Club" – you must be in the book club in order to tag it) or through Twitter by using the hashtag #JanesCoffeeTableBookClub

Prizes:                                                                 
There will be two winners this contest!
1^st place - $20 Amazon card
2^nd place – 1 credit toward an upcoming book club book

Pictures need to be submitted by April 3, 2016 April 4, 2015 11:59pm CST (extended the date because I just love you guys). Winners will be announced April 5, 2016 during book club (which starts at 9:00pm CST) Good luck! Can't what to see what you have!

Enough time to throw in a quickie.

Hey guys, just wanted to let you know I'm still alive. It's the end of the school year so I've been bogged down with finals and projects. Tomorrow I have 2 presentations and next week I have to do finals in all four classes. Craziness but I've almost made it!

So obviously I haven't been broadcasting as much as I'd like to but I still think about you guys! Stay strong and keep up with me on Twitter! I'll see you once summer hits!

JBOC Numba Fough.

In 6 days, April 25th will mark the 2 1/2 year anniversary that I joined and started broadcasting as a lifecaster on JustinTV. Coincidentally enough, today and tomorrow are the birthdays of two important people that introduced me to lifecasting, Dennis and Atticus Jackson. Happy birthday guys!

Alright, well if you don't know already, I like to celebrate important events in my life by holding a JBOC contest. It's a little gesture to reach out to my fans and friends but also a way for me to clean my room out.

If you do not know where I got the "Box of Crap" (otherwise known as a "BOC") idea, check out Woot. They thought of it first. I'm just a fan-girl...and a copycat.


RULES!

1. Each entry is $1 USD
2. Up to 10 entries per person, please. If you WANT to give $100, by all means, feel free! You will only be given 10 entries though.
3. To enter, email me at jane.ds.tv[at]gmail.com telling me your screenname from where I know you, PayPal email address and how much you are entering. Entries due by April 24th, 11:59pm MY TIME.
4. PayPal payments only accepted.
5. Once payment has been received, I will assign numbers for each entry. This is why it is important you let me know your email address! These numbers will be put into a drawing.
6. Winner will be randomly selected live on JustinTV on April 25.
7. Need not to be present to win. Just make sure I have your email address!
8. Everyone is invited to win!


FAQ's

* By "crap" you mean.... - Well, its not literal crap. This box is filled with tons of things that I just didn't have room for in my room anymore. A lot of times I'll buy things specifically for the box so not all the time will everything be used. It is also not limited on things inside. This thing is filled.
* Where does the entry money go? It goes toward shipping the box out. Depending on how many entries I get is how fast I can get the box to the winner! If I raise $10 it might be 5-7 days. If I get $500 million I can afford a time machine and give it to the winner yesterday.
* Can you put [insert desired item from my room] in the box? Not unless I decide to put it in. I don't take requests. I am a firm believer in the element of surprise.


Any more questions? Ask them below! Happy JBOC'ing!

Also! Follow me on Twitter, add me on Facebook, my YouTube vids, and my website!

Early Morning, we meet again.

Woo! Another crazy early morning for me today!

I finally bought OK Go's new album "Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky". I love it! It had been too long since I heard anything new from them! Here's a couple of their new music videos.



And here's the 2nd one (embedding disabled).

Like I said, it's way early. 3:48am for me. My schedule's been changing around a lot so I've been broadcasting at different times. Counting down the days till Spring Break! I'm thinking there's going to be at least one game of HangMan during that week.

Oh man, I need to make Snickerdoodles again!

Doritos Casserolly-polly

This weekend was our Partner Appreciation weekend at work. Rules changed starting this month though and we are no longer allowed to wear jeans during this (as opposed to our black or tan pants we ALWAYS wear). This weekend we decided on having an ongoing potluck meal. Each day I chose a theme and we made food based on that theme. Yesterday was Mexico, today was Italy and tomorrow is America.

So I was in a predicament. I didn't want to spend so so so much time on a meal for yesterday. I wanted something quick, simple-ish, and big enough for everyone to share. That's when I turned to y'all. I asked my chatroom to give me suggestions of delicious dishes and that's when "Doritos Casserole" was thrown at me.

I had never really heard of a Doritos Casserole before but knowing that I love casseroles and you can't ever go wrong with Doritos, I knew it was a perfect choice for the potluck. I started my research.

I'm extremely picky when it comes to recipes. I Googled "Doritos Casserole" and tons of recipes popped up. I didn't want to deal with chicken bones so I chose beef. I didn't want a recipe too short because I know they left way too much room to "play around" with flavors. I finally found a good recipe.

Now, I'm not saying I perfected the recipe after the first try, but I believe with my little modifications, the casserole turned out tremendous. Everyone at work loved it, that is, everyone that eats meat. I even shared some with a couple customers who said they loved it. I was pretty impressed by how the flavors complimented themselves.

So here it is, make it, tweak it, share it, give some feedback!

Jane's Doritos Casserole
Feeds: 1,000,000 (or 6-ish humans, depending on who or what you are feeding)
Prep + Cook: about 1 hour, depending on how multitask-ready you are

Ingredients
[ ] 2 - 10.5oz cans Cream of Mushroom soup
[ ] 1.5 cups water
[ ] 1 - 10oz can Rotel tomatoes, diced
[ ] 1 - 12oz bag Nacho Cheese Doritos
[ ] 1.5 cups chopped onions
[ ] 1 lb ground beef
[ ] 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
[ ] 1 - 15.5oz can pinto beans
[ ] 1 box Spanish style Rice-a-Roni

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook rice according to recipe (will take about 20 minutes) but do NOT add tomatoes to rice. Set aside.
3. Cook beans according to recipe. Set aside.
2. Bring soup, water, and tomatoes to a boil in a separate pan.
3. Brown the beef with the onion.
4. Layer the bottom of a casserole dish with slightly crushed Doritos. You can just crush it while the bag is sealed. Easy.
5. Add a layer of ground beef, a layer of rice, a layer of soup mixture, a layer of beans, and a layer of Doritos.
6. Continue until all ingredients are used.
7. Top with all the delicious cheese.
8. Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes on the middle rack.
9. Eat!

The recipe originally said this dish serves 2. I don't see that at all. It's huuuuge and perfect to share with family and friends!

So enjoy and let me know how you like it! Link me to pics and give comments below when you make it!

Happy 2 year!

Today is my partner (or "employee") review with Starbucks! Can you believe it has been TWO years since I started working for the company! I'm surprised myself!

Anyway, check out some of these videos that have to do with my last 2 years with the company!

JBOC Contest'ddddd!!!

"The time has come," the Walrus said, "to talk of many things. Of shoes and ships, and sealing wax, and [a box of crapful things]."

February the Third. Put that date on your calendar for ONE REASON. Jane's Box of Crap Contest.

We are having a JBOC drawing on another randomly-picked date off the calendar! February 3: no use for the date except to have a useful contest during it's existence in the year 2010 (Speaking of which, have you gotten any resolutions spoiled yet?? Let me know in comments below!)

If you do not know where I got the "Box of Crap" (otherwise known as a "BOC") idea, check out Woot. They thought of it first. I'm just a fan-girl...and a copycat.


RULES!

1. Each entry is $1 USD
2. Up to 10 entries per person, please. If you WANT to give $100, by all means, feel free! You will only be given 10 entries though.
3. To enter, email me at jane.ds.tv[at]gmail.com telling me your screenname from where I know you, PayPal email address and how much you are entering. Entries due by February 2nd.
4. PayPal payments only accepted.
5. Once payment has been received, I will assign numbers for each entry. This is why it is important you let me know your email address! These numbers will be put into a drawing.
6. Winner will be randomly selected live on JustinTV on February 3.
7. Need not to be present to win. Just make sure I have your email address!
8. Everyone is invited to win!


FAQ's

* By "crap" you mean.... - Well, its not literal crap. This box is filled with tons of things that I just didn't have room for in my room anymore. A lot of times I'll buy things specifically for the box so not all the time will everything be used. It is also not limited on things inside. This thing is filled.
* Where does the entry money go? It goes toward shipping the box out. Depending on how many entries I get is how fast I can get the box to the winner! If I raise $10 it might be 5-7 days. If I get $500 million I can afford a time machine and give it to the winner yesterday.
* Can you put [insert desired item from my room] in the box? Not unless I decide to put it in. I don't take requests. I am a firm believer in the element of surprise.


Any more questions? Ask them below! This JBOC is filled with tons of goodies! I'm excited about it!

Also! Follow me on Twitter, add me on Facebook, my YouTube vids, and visit my new website!

Good and/or Great Ideas to keep in mind for 2010

We all learn our little lessons throughout our life. Some of them make us smarter. Other lessons make us, in another similar sense, NOT AS DUMB.

1. Eat before you go shopping. It helps you save money. When you're hungry and happen to walk down the oatmeal/cereal row, everything looks so... freaking... delicious. I literally have gone down the foreign foods aisle and started craving curry sauce.











2. Sing as loud as you can to music when you drive at night. Scream if you have to. The louder the song, the better. This way your mind is awake and you're not drowsing off into dreamland (which happens to be the next ditch or underpass).
ADDED BONUS: It will keep other drivers alert if they see you screaming at your windshield. Oh no...I'm sharin' the road with one of them crazed maniacs.













3. Sell your textbooks early. Yup, another money saving tip but seriously publishers come out with a new edition almost every freaking year. Wait too long and no one's gonna buy your book back. That's $3,215,890,813 you paid for that stupid thing down the drain.




















4. Create and save an ongoing Christmas list. I know once December hits, I'm not thinking about what I want to get for Christmas, I'm more stressed about what to get everyone else. As the year progresses, remember things that would be nice to have and create a Christmas List Word Document. Know what I thought up today? Ross gift card. Yeah. Original. I should probably change it to a Charlotte Russe gift card. Yup. Much better.













5. Change and/or wash your bedsheets and blanket at LEAST once every month. Just do it. Please. It seems like it should be common sense but you'd be surprised how many people don't.















6. Aaaand watch JaneTV. :) Had to throw it in. Oh and also my lovey dovey website.



Got some feedback earned, lessons learned? Comment below on what you've learned in the last year.

Don't Get Sick!

Wow Thanksgiving has already come and gone. Can you believe its less than a month until Christmas? It's a stressful time of year sometimes and too many friends and family are getting sick and missing out on the fun and festivities of this time of year. It's also a bummer if we miss out on a long hard day at work because we've got a migraine and the sniffles. Not too many people understand that we can prevent colds. Keep these tips in mind as you go on your day, especially this time of year. It's frustrating when you're sick. You can't enjoy the time spent with family as much as you'd like to. Here's how to prevent a cold.

1. Keep stress level low - Stop putting yourself in charge of everything. Don't pile your to-do list so much. You'll seriously topple over. What keeps you the busiest this time of year? Delegate it out. You don't have to put off something if it stresses you out, just get someone to help you.

2. Do some water aerobics - Okay, maybe not water aerobics if its -34 degrees F outside but exercise keeps you healthy and you should be out on your feet doing something. Walk up the stairs as opposed to an escalator or elevator at the mall or work. Ride your bike to the grocery store. You could even *gasp* run or walk for 30 minutes a day. I know, I know. You're no Arnold Schwarzenegger.

3. Candy = bad - It seems like a bad season to say this but we really need to cut back on the sweets. We shoved it in our mouths at Halloween so now we need to take a break and limit ourselves. It's one of those "quick energizers" so energy from candy/sodas/sugar wears off fast and could stress us out.

4. ZZZzzzzz.... - GET ENOUGH SLEEP. Get as much as you can. Your body charges itself while you sleep. If you're up on your feet or watching late night Telly, you're not giving your body the time it needs to re-energize itself.

5. Wash hands - It sounds cliche, but it's not. Do it for the sake of getting/spreading germs. Keep your sink handle and bathroom door knob clean as well.

6. Echinacea and Goldenseal - I've been taking Echinacea since my mom shoved it down my throat because I had a raspy voice. These 2 will help with symptoms and build immunity against competing bacteria that might get you sick.

7. Z-z-z-z-z-Zinc! - Do you get enough of it? Probably not. Zinc can be taken in forms of calcium-magnesium-zinc capsules and even lozenges. Take it. It's good for your body.

(Tips taken from eHow)

Reckless Driving

First of all, she was holding her phone with her shoulder when she turned her little red Cavalier onto the main street I was on. I could tell she was arguing with whom ever she was speaking to onto the phone because of the wide hand gestures and angry facial expressions she was giving out when I viewed her through my rear view mirror. Next thing I knew, she had moved over to the middle lane and sped past me. I don't know. Something about these kinds of drivers makes me a little mad. I look forward and she stops, not even at the light. She's about 40 feet from the turn, which I found she had been close to missing and stopped in the middle of the road to move over quickly. I was too close to wait for her to move over so I go ahead and pull in. She decides she would get in behind me and I see she stalls mid-lane, 2 or 3 cars behind her. She's still arguing on the phone, maybe a little more mad because of her current situation. She turns on her emergency lights as she fumbles for the key and starts it back up again so she could pull up behind me to turn.

Okay, to wrap up this vent, we really need to watch what we do on the roads, guys. I'm talking "techies", Generation Y's, Millennials. This girl was so close to being hit so many times today. We've been so wrapped up in the latest technology that we're taking it to places that it really shouldn't be messed with. Scrolling through your iPod or iPhone looking for songs or texting while driving really should not be happening. Too many things go on in front of you and really it kills your response time if something or someone were to jump out in front of you. Trust me, it has happened to me before, several times. In neighborhoods, in YOUR neighborhood, it is the worst. Keep an eye out for children. A short text message, even a tweet, is not worth a child's life.

So to end on a better note, there is hope for us! Haha. Remember bluetooth headsets? Yeahhhh. Those still exist and they still WORK. They might not be the fanciest looking thing ever but they are a great investment so we can keep our eyes and hands focused on driving. Holding a phone with your shoulder is dangerous. It limits your eyesight. Even just holding a phone with your hand is dangerous. We need to make sure we can have full control of the car. Are you looking to buy a new car? Check into bluetooth enabled cars. In the Fiesta, I a phone pad and the phone call will play through the speakers. It even has a little mic on the roof by the console light. It is extremely handy. If you're not looking into getting a car anytime soon, look into bluetooth enabled GPS's. Before I had the Fiesta, I would use my Garmin to answer calls.

Also, answer text messages when your car is stopped, whether it be at a light or at your destination. Texting is terrible to do when driving because you are staring at something other than the road.

It's really a great investment to look into bluetooth enabled devices. We need to do whatever we can to keep the roads safe. It's not just children's and other's lives we're saving. We are also saving our own.

Box o' Jane Crap Contest! Redux!

It's that time of year again! My 2 year anniversary is quickly gaining on us and its time for me to do some cleaning around my room. It's JANE BOX OF CRAP BOX THING CONTEST TIME!

Again, if you've ever participated in Woot's BOC giveaways, you know where I got the idea from. You don't have to pay shipping though! Here's the updated rules.



RULES!

1. Each entry is $1 USD
2. Up to 10 entries per person, please. If you WANT to give $100, by all means, feel free! You will only be given 10 entries though.
3. To enter, email me at jane.ds.tv[at]gmail.com telling me your screenname from where I know you, PayPal email address and how much you are entering. Entries due by October 24th.
4. PayPal payments only accepted.
5. Once payment has been received, please tell me the numbers you would like to be added to the drawing. (Example - You entered $5 in the drawing and your lucky numbers are 3, 18, 472, 94, and 44927. I will enter those numbers into the drawing! If you numbers have already been taken, I'll let you know to choose again.)
6. Winner will be randomly selected live on JustinTV on October 25, 2009 (my anniversary!).
7. Need not to be present to win. Just make sure I have your email address!
8. Everyone is invited to win!


Box is filled with tons of goodies, including a duct tape wallet made by yours truly! Winner will also receive a FREE JaneTV mug.

Again, email me for entries, and if you have any questions!


Also! Follow me on Twitter, add me on Facebook, and watch my YouTube vids!

Happy Cursive Day

The video will speak for itself.

World Habitat Day

Did you know:

- About 95 million people, one third of the nation, have housing problems including a high-cost burden, overcrowding, poor quality shelter and homelessness. (National Low Income Housing Coalition: 2004)

- UN-Habitat has reported that because of poor living conditions, women living in slums are more likely to contract HIV/AIDS than their rural counterparts, and children in slums are more likely to die from water-borne and respiratory illness. (UN-HABITAT: 2006)

- The number of low-income families that lack safe and affordable housing is related to the number of children that suffer from asthma, viral infections, anemia, stunted growth and other health problems. About 21,000 children have stunted growth attributable to the lack of stable housing; 10,000 children between the ages of 4 and 9 are hospitalized for asthma attacks each year because of cockroach infestation at home; and more than 180 children die each year in house fires attributable to faulty electrical heating and electrical equipment. (Sandel, et al: 1999)

These are very real situations going on in not just the United States but all over the world. Many people are living in, and some not even in unsuitable housing that you can't even consider a "home".

I have teamed up with Habitat for Humanity to help spread the word about World Habitat Day. The United Nations has designated the first Monday of October (this year it is October 5th, 2009) to be the day of awareness toward human habitat. You might remember back in my Fiesta Movement Mission #4 when I volunteered at a ReStore. This really got me hooked onto the organization and what it stands for.



This year Habitat for Humanity is holding a photo petition to raise awareness. President Obama, in a speech, said that "it all starts at home." What better way to raise awareness that human health and well-being starts with having a simple, decent place to live than to create a petition based on this phrase? Habitat's goal is to collect 500 photos on their Flickr group so that they may present the photos as a petition to deliver to the White House in honor of World Habitat Day 2009.

Remember to educate others and educate yourself about Habitat for Humanity's goal. Check out their resources and find ways to help out the world, starting with your own community. There might be people in your workplace, at your school, behind you in the grocery store checkout line, that might be struggling with their housing situation and nobody knows about it. We need a way to show those people that we care and we want to help.

Want to help from right where you're sitting? Donate today to Habitat for Humanity and help families build a better life.




Join Habitat for Humanity’s photo petition! Habitat needs our help to remind President Obama that human health and well-being starts with having a simple, decent place to live. Join me in reminding the U.S. government that “It all starts at home.” Visit http://www.habitat.org/gov/take_action/WHD_Photo_Petition.aspx, and follow the instructions to post your photo to Flickr.
If you submit your photo by September 25, 2009, Habitat will deliver your photo to the White House in honor of World Habitat Day 2009.

World Habitat Day info: http://worldhabitatdaynews.com/
Habitat for Humanity homepage: http://www.habitat.org
Habitat for Humanity Twitter page: http://twitter.com/Habitat_org
Habitat for Humanity Flickr group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1190924@N23/
Habitat for Humanity Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/habitat

Mission 5 is in the works.

ADVENTURE MONTH IS ON US. Goodness gracious I cannot believe I actually picked this months mission. I'm nervous more about my ankles breaking rather than the act of it.

You'll find out soon what I'm to do in a week from today.

I never really got to chat about Mission 4. It went great! I had a blast helping out Habitat for Humanity...behind the scenes! I grabbed a couple buddies and we went and volunteered 4 hours at the H4H ReStore to clean/build/move things, pretty much whatever or where ever they needed us! Click here to see the video and pictures from it all.

I started school up again. I'm only taking 2 classes, Principles of Marketing and Keyboarding (aka. Typing). Both are great classes and things I'm actually interested in. I'm about 4 weeks ahead on the lessons in my keyboarding software so I don't really have to worry about that. Marketing is extremely interested and I can now see where I my fascination of customers/trends/demographics is going to be focused on once I graduate and get situated!

Which reminds me.... I have homework to do.

Alright, time for another entry of Nostalgic Jane. (Go back to Entry 1)

Entry 11: February 8, 2005
I just remembered another thing that happened between Daniel and me. It was my turn, one summer day, to pick the game to play. Well, being the girly-girl I was, I decided we should have a wedding. The boys groaned. I don't know how but I persuaded them to be part of my wedding. Jeffery decided to be the preacher, Daniel was forced to be the groom, and I, of course, volunteered to be the bride.

Setting up for the wedding wasn't very hard. We decided to have the wedding in Jeffery's next-door neighbor's front yard since she had pretty flowers in her garden.

Jeffery and Daniel stood at the garden as I slowly walked up to them holding a bouquet of dandilions. Jeffery cleared his throat and began, "Dearly loved, we are here today so Daniel and Jane can get married..." He paused while I giggled. "Um...do you guys have rings?" he looked at us.

"Yeah." Daniel tied a piece of grass into a circle. I did the same.

"Okay. Now give each other your rings." I handed my ring to Daniel as I tried to put mine on but it broke.

"Oh well." I shrugged.

"Okay." Jeffery grinned. "You have to kiss the bride!"

Daniel looked at me wide-eyed and blushing as I kissed him on the cheek.

New Starbucks Pricing

Yes, due to the economy we knew it was bound to happen. We just didn't want it to come this soon. Starbucks' popular beverages will be changing in price, some going up, some going down.

Here's some, not all, of what will be changing.


- Hot Brewed coffee - (T) -10 cents (G) 0 cents (V) +10 cents
- Iced Coffee - (T) -15 cents (G) +5 cents (V) +10 cents
- Latte - (T) -5 cents (G) +10 cents (V) 0 cents
- Mocha/Vanilla Latte - (T) +5 cents (G) +20 cents (V) +10 cents
- Caramel Macchiato - (T) +10 cents (G) +25 cents (V) +25 cents
- White Mocha - (T) +5 cents (G) +20 cents (V) +5 cents
- Coffee/Vanilla Bean frappuccino - (T) +5 cents (G) +15 cents (V) +5 cents
- Caramel/Mocha/Strawberrys&Cream frappuccino - (T) +10 cents (G) +10 cents (V) +25 cents
- Iced Tea - (T) -5 cents (G) +10 cents (V) +15 cents
- Add espresso shot - +15 cents
- Add soy, breve, dairy - +10 cents
- Add syrup - +10 cents

Like I said, this isn't the full list, it's just what I believe are the popular drinks for today. Yes, I know its frustrating but Starbucks isn't the only corporation having to change their pricing due to the economy.

There are many ways you can still save at Starbucks though. Remember the Gold Card? It gets you a year-long 10% discount off anything in the store (not including newspapers and gift cards) from the day you purchase it. Plus Starbucks will send little surprises as long as you register the card. Sometimes its a free drink on your birthday, a coupon to try one of our new beverages, maybe even a reload of your card! Even if you just have a regular Starbucks gift card, REGISTER IT! If you lose it, you'll be able to get it back, PLUS you get free syrups and milk upgrades (soy, breve, specialty milk) in your drink, and 2 free hours of wifi!

Alright, now to the mellowness that Jane used to be! (Nostalgic Jane starts here)

Entry 10: January 28, 2005
Mika silently walked down the hallway as her schoolmates rushed by her, too busy to notice the new student.
"I hate this," was all she kept saying to herself.
She passed a group of sophomore girls who snickered and teased her while she passed.
"I hate this."
She passed by a boy getting beat up by older students.
"I hate this."
She passed by the classroom where the SCRABBLE club played every Thursday.
"I hate this."
She got bumped into a wall while a boy ran past because he forgot his calculator in Algebra 3.
"I hate this," she said picking up her supplies that fell.
She stood up, turned, and fled. She ran fast. Past the classrooms, the bullies, and the teasers. She ran past the stress, the confusion, and the feelings of being alone. She ran far. She ran home.

Orange-u-tan.

I'm getting my replacement Fiesta Movement/Threadless shirt mailed to me! I'm so excited because I really loved this months shirt but I keep receiving the wrong size so there's no way for me to wear/promote! (Yes, the replacement is ALSO the wrong size but at least its a size bigger, not 3 sizes too small! Eek!) Woot for awesome Fiesta Movement gear!

I haven't been talking much about El Ninja Turtle Fiesta have I? Well, I hit 4900 finally! Or was it 4800? Hm...not sure. Anyway, the car is still running awesommmmmme. It's extremely smooth and so fun to drive around. Everyone who comments on it has something good to say about its style and performance (if I let them play around with it). It still could use a dome light in the back seat, especially when I'm carting around my brother at night and he drops something on the floor or I have to clean up Rice Krispies off the back seat.

My Mission #4 is TOMORROW! I'm going to help out a ReStore for Habitat for Humanity. If you've never heard of the organization, look into it! It's an awesome cause and I'd really love to help build a home one of these days! You should too! I'll actually be helping out the ReStore, which works sort of like a Goodwill/Salvation Army store. The money from the sales of all the donations goes toward supplies used toward the homes. It's real interesting and I can't wait to help as much as I can!

Onto the Nostalgic Janeblog! Start from the beginning if you haven't already!

Entry 9: January 27, 2005

Ode to a Tree (not in poem form)

Ode to a tree, how thou hast provided my shade from the dangerous ultraviolet rays from the sun. Waving in the wind, thou hast turned the carbon dioxide from my mouth into oxygen. What a wonderful feeling it is to see pictures of jungles and see a vast variety of deep green fluffs amongst the ground. Thou hast given thy life for my school supplies. Oh, how I need paper and pencils. I thank thee. I love thee so much for all of the habitats you provide for the squirrel, and the bird, and the koala, and the orangutan, and the raccoon, and the runaway child. Oh, runaway child. I love thee also. Do not be scared. Run home! Where was I? Oh yes. Tree. Oh how I love to see thee at Christmastime dressed in lovely decorations of crimson. Thou hast also provided heat for me in the yonder fireplace. Trees. Trees. Ode to trees. Thank ye ever so much for all ye hast given to me.

Time to play Catch-up

So, yes its been a couple, okay...about a week since I last updated my Nostalgic Jane blog. Guess its time for me to show you a couple at a time again. (Click here to start from the beginning)

Oh and I took my little foster brother bowling for the first time today. At first he didn't really enjoy it until he started hitting spares left and right yelling "I beat you!! I beat you twice!!" He's a little prodigy kid, I swear. He's also SO interested in all my computer stuff. He actually builds little "computers" and "iPods" and "cell phones" out of his little toys just so he can match me. He came up to me one day with a green plastic rectangle thing saying it played music so he could hook it up in his car. He has another similarly shaped object that he calls his cell phone, which he "calls" me often on.

I made the mistake of showing him my miscellaneous cord/wire box and he is soo intrigued by it wanting to know which cords go where. It's crazy. He asked me to add a charger to his "iPod" so he can charge it when it goes dead. It's cute.

Oh and speaking of prodigies, at the bowling alley I saw a guy named Kirk who looked a lot like Paras from justin.tv. The whole time he was there, he scored at least 1 perfect game and the rest of the games were all close to 300. It was crazy. I wanted to take a picture with him but he left before I could say anything.

Okay, (ouch!) just removed my Biore strip. Now onto the journals.

Entry 7: January 21, 2005 (multiple entries this day)
"Ti-a drink with jam and bread..." the middle school Honor Choir sang, a little too loud.
"Thats great! Just sing to your heart's desire. Louder!" I heard the director say.
Oh. I disagree. I thought to myself. Sing quieter.
"C'mon! The louder we sing, the better the judges will think we are! We've got four days! Y'all are doing great!"
Wow. If I was the director four days before competition with this choir, I'd cut out 2/3 of the people. And get a group of monkeys to replace them. They have a better voice.

Entry 8: January 25, 2005
Eenie, meanie, miney Moe.
Catch a tiger by its toe.
If he hollars let him pay
Fifty dollars everyday.
My mom told me
To pick the very best one
And you are not it.

Horrible tempered boy with nickname for Moses
Go out and hunt a wild striped cat and hold it by its foot
If he so happens to make a loud roar, force him to give you
Two twenties and a ten dollar bill every 24 hours
My maternal parent requested me
To choose a pure person out of a group
I will not choose you.

Many innocent rhymes do not make any sense at all. When we read them at a younger age, we think they are fun rhymes to play with. In reality, they are horrible and twisted. (Ex- "Cinderella/Dressed in yella/Went upstairs to kiss a fella/Made a mistake and kissed a snake/How many doctors did it take?/1, 2, 3, 4...etc.) I think the writers of these rhymes either like hearing children say twisted words or they just can't rhyme better words.

Futbol Americanooooooooooooo!!!

I love football, but apparently she doesn't.

Go here if you have no idea why I started this entry at the number 6.

Entry 6: January 21, 2005
Every Saturday and the occasional Sunday, Martin would paint his face, grab some money, and throw on his Vikings hat. He would call up some friends and they would leave an hour early even though the stadium was ten minutes away. I would sit at home for hours waiting for him to return. When he did, he had a huge smile on his face no matter the outcome and say, "How 'bout them Vikings? Honey, that game was great!" That was our football season.