8. Glowing Eyes

This project is super fun and easy, and can be quite an easy "scary" component to add to your outdoor decorations!  (And best of all, it's cheap!)  All it takes is a little bit of beforehand planning, and that's all!
 
Materials:

• Empty toilet paper or paper towel rolls
• Scissors
• Black marker
• Eye templates (you can find some here and here)
• Some kind of razor
• Glow sticks
• Duct tape
• There is an optional possibility of needing wax paper, but we'll have to see!!
• Optional: colored pencil, or regular pencil, or even a pen

First take your toilet paper rolls (paper towel rolls will need to be cut in half).  You will also want to cut out parts of your template eyes.  If you aren't a visual person, you can use any sort of writing utensil to color in the areas of the template eyes that will have the light shining through them.  Keep in mind that any areas that stretch from top to bottom will need to touch the outside of the eye in order to not get cut all the way out.  Once you have decided which areas of the eyes will need to get cut out in order for the light to shine though, use a pair of scissors to cut those parts out of the template eyes.

After this, you can take each template eye and use the black marker to trace the pattern on to your paper towel or toilet paper rolls.  Again, if you aren't a visual person, you can color them in so you can see which parts will need to be cut out.  Next, using your razor, you can cut those colored pieces out to leave behind the holes that your glow stick light can shine though.  As for the glow sticks, you can usually find tubes of them at Target or a craft store for only a dollar so don't get caught paying five dollars for 10 glow sticks!

To finish this project off, place the glow sticks inside (after cracking them to light up) and put some small pieces over the ends so the light doesn't shine out, and that's it!  Glowing eyes to place in the bushes.  Sometimes, you will be able to see the glow sticks too defined through the toilet paper rolls.  In cases like this, you can take the glow sticks and wrap them in a small piece of wax paper to diffuse the color and no more glow stick pieces looking at you!

9. Yarn Spiderwebs

Yarn spiderwebs are another fun and easy decoration that can be used for the fun Halloween season.  These look great in corners where they can pop out rather than just being laid flat against a wall.
Materials

• Yarn
• Clear Tape
• Fake spiders (can't have a spiderweb without spiders!)

Begin by using two strands of yarn to make a large "X" and tape the edges to where you want your spiderweb to sit.  Continue using double strands to add a few more lines across to make a large star typed shape across the area you want your spiderweb to be.

Making the web rings are a little more difficult than the beginning part of the web.  You need to begin by cutting a very long piece of yarn.  Twice as long as you think you'll need.  In order to tie the rings onto the original star shape, you will need to use a slip through type of knot rather than tying it on to each section.  Here, you have the option of either putting the rings in concentric circles or in spirals outward.
 
Use this knot to tie the yarn in its first location near the center of the circle, then go on to the next and the next section of the inner "star" to make the rings part of the web.  I personally think it would be easier to to tie these in spirals outwards rather than concentric circles, but it's up to you!

Stay tuned for the next DIY!  Glowing eyes for your bushes.  See you next time! (The next post should come later today!)

10. Illuminated Ghost Garland

For today's entry towards the countdown to Halloween, we will learn how to make illuminated ghost garlands!! These are a really fun way to spruce up a string of small lantern lights and make them Halloween festive!

Materials:

• Strand of white lantern lights
• White cotton fabric (about 2 square yards)
• Write string (easy to find at craft stores; thread may work as well)
• Scissors
• Black marker or sharpie

Begin by cutting the fabric into 14 inch squares, one for each of the lanterns in your strand.  After this, take each square and make a valley fold (line up one corner with the corner on the opposite side).  This should form a triangle shape.  Folding in half again should give you another triangle shape with one of the tips being the center of your square.  Cut off that tip of the triangle in order to make a small hole in the center of your square fabric.  Repeat with each of your squares.

Carefully remove a lantern from its light, and slide the light though the hole in your fabric square.  Once you replace the lantern, it's a simple matter of bringing the fabric over the lantern and tying the string underneath in order to form the ghost shape. (Again, make sure to repeat for each of the lanterns in your strand.)

Finish by using your black marker to draw a ghostly face on it and voila!!  A super easy strand of ghost garland completed!  Hang these cute decorations inside or out, either way, it makes a fun decoration that can be enjoyed in the day time or the night. 

Come back in just two more short days to enjoy number nine in our countdown to Halloween: Yarn Spiderwebs!!  Wow, we'll be at number nine already, how time does fly!  Be sure to begin gathering some materials for Halloween!

11. Pumpkin Luminaries

Pumpkin luminaries are a fun cute way to have your own mason jar "jack-o-lantern" that will definitely last longer than any pumpkin you buy (but don't go pumpkin-less either!).  These fun and easy decoration pieces will look great around your home.

Materials

• Mason jars (smooth, not textured)
• Mod podge
• Orange tissue paper
• Black construction paper
• Scissors
• Adhesive
• Sponge or foam applicator

Optional Materials

• Green ribbon
•  Floral leaf pick

 
First things first.  Cut your tissue paper into strips only about an inch wide or so (it doesn't have to be exact, just approximate) and make sure they're about the right length to run from just under the lip where the lid would screw on the mason jar to the bottom of the jar (but not underneath).  Brush that mod podge onto the mason jar, lay your strips on vertically (letting them overlap some).  Do note that usually this step is easiest when the jar is upside down.

After this, simply cut out your pumpkin "face" and adhere it to your pumpkin!  For the optional pieces, you can tie a green ribbon around the lid part of the jar and stick in a leaf flower pick in order to give a "stem and leaf" to your pumpkin. 

For more great DIY Halloween decorations, stay tuned.  Another post is coming in just two short days: the Illuminated Ghost Garland!!

12. Boo Bottles

Boo Bottles! These little decorated bottles are definitely cute little decorations that can be great centerpieces.  

Materials

• Glass bottles
• White spray paint
• Black markers
• Something to put inside (paper straws, "dead" flowers, etc.)

These super cute Boo Bottles are also super easy to make! You can raid your recyclables, or save up if you have enough time before Halloween (and of course if you can, you can always ask relatives to help you save a couple).  Before you start, always remember to remove any labels and lids from your bottles (glass usually works best).  Next, all you need to do is spray paint these bottles while and draw some cute faces on them using black markers.  Place whatever you'd like inside to spruce it up.

Place it on your table as a centerpiece or anywhere else as a cute Halloween decoration!

Stay tuned for our next fun DIY Halloween craft: Pumpkin Luminaries!!

13. The Small Stuff

We are now officially three days in to the month of October!  October is a super awesome month!  It's time for fall colors to come and the fun of Halloween, and of course, my birthday *wink wink* :)

Halloween can be a very exciting time for everyone, young and Jung (because there is no such thing as old of course).  For the little kids, it means dressing up, eating candy, and being able to talk about people's guts and brains without it sounding weird.  For the bigger kids however, it means dressing in a terrifying costume, an excuse to eat too much candy, and being able to see or make some scary awesome decorations.  

If you love decorating (like I do), then the holiday season is such a great time, and Halloween is the holiday to kick it off!  While I understand the tradition behind Halloween, I have always loved all things scary and so I LOVE all the scary that can come with Halloween.

Today begins our countdown to Halloween!  Basically, today, I will just start with the "small stuff."  Little decoration pieces that can add a fun dimension to your scary setup (if you're planning one this year).  Don't worry, these DIY's will get better, but seeing as this is the first of the countdown, I thought it would be a great place to put the "small stuff."

• Fog Machines: Fog machines can get a little bit pricey for the fancy ones, but you can get a decent deal if you get them on sale at Party City or something like that.  These little fog makers can add a really fun dimension to a scary scene.  However, as a little side note, it's usually best to use these outside!

• Strobe Lights: In case you don't already know, strobe lights are lights that flash on and off really quickly.  They can be quite irritating to the eyes on a normal day, but on Halloween, this fast blinking light can play tricks on the brain, especially when there's a heightened fear factor.  Paired with a fog machine, its even MORE awesome!

• Black Light: Black lights can accentuate specific props and can add another fun dimension to your scare scene.  Black lights don't always work, but they can do a great job at showing your props better if they are the right colors or are painted with the right colors.

• Blood Splatter: Super easy to do, use either fake blood or different colored red paints (that look like blood) and dip a brush in.  While you can use it to paint fake blood on anything you'd like, it's also great to spread around some blood splatter.  Put extra "blood" on the brush and swing it at the place you'd like your splatter for some thicker drops.  Then, with less "blood" on your brush, use your thumb to pull back on the bristles and fling some smaller drops to add a little more realistic dimension and that's all it takes! Blood splatter. :)

Today was just a few small things to help accent your scary scene, but to come we have some fun indoor props as well as some awesome looking and scary outdoor props!  Come back in two days for the number 12 Halloween DIY decoration: Boo Bottles!

Changing School Paradigms

Watch this video here.  It can really be an eye opener.  Especially in countries where the "Western" ideals have been adopted.  I watched this as an assignment for school last semester, and it hit right on the nail for me.  It helped put into words so many of the things that I have felt about our current school system.  It does a disservice to SO many children, and makes them feel that they don't have what it takes to make a difference in the world.  I truly believe with all my heart that many of these children not only have what it takes to do what they want with their lives, but are almost destined to do so.  They are just made to feel like they can't because of how our system is run.

The biggest problem I find myself thinking about after watching this video is that now that we've recognized this problem, I don't really have a great idea for how to fix it.  I'm not sure anyone does yet.  Though I refuse to believe that this is the way it has to be, I have yet to be able to find a way to have a school system that benefits more children.  Of course, living with a school system that has been designed this way for all my life may just have made it difficult for me to imagine schools in any other way.  Maybe that's the whole problem: everyone is so stuck on our current system, that no one has yet been able to think far enough outside the box to make a radical change.

What are you're thoughts on this subject?  What sort of changes can we make to our school system in order to help decrease the number of children that are put aside by our current school system?  What disservice has our current system done you or someone you know?  Comment below. :) 

And don't forget!  Starting tomorrow we begin our countdown to Halloween!  Thirteen posts with DIY decorating tips and ideas!  All starting tomorrow. :)

Super Easy Healthy Snack Idea

Right now, the food world has been taken by storm with the newest fad: the organic all natural diet.  While I love what this is trying to accomplish, I am not completely convinced that everything we see is 100% true.

For my family, there is no such thing as a straight three meal day.  We either have three meals with snacks in between or breakfast and dinner with a long collection of snacks between them.  So, snacks are a big part of my day.  However, working at following a more natural diet, the question pops up: without eating processed food out of a bag or in a wrapper, what kind of snacks can I eat?

I (along with my family) am quite busy and don't always have time to put together a smoothie/drink or something like that, it just takes too much time.  Luckily, I have found a great combination that makes a great snack and is so easy to put together.

An amazing snack just needs three components: a fruit, a vegetable, and a protein.  Pretty self explanatory.  Pick any fruit (grapes, a banana, an apple, an orange, etc.) and any vegetable (carrots, celery, cucumber, tomatoes, broccoli, etc.)  These are all already pretty snack sized and very quick easy to grab on your way out the door. 

The protein aspect of the snack is the only one that may take more than a couple seconds to grab on your way out the door.  Choose either a small handful of mixed nuts, peanut butter (or any nut butter) to smear on a slice of bread, a banana, or celery, or even take a hard boiled egg or two.  Combine all these and you have an endless supply of quick, easy, and healthy snack options!As an additional health component, make sure to mix it up so you get a variety of vitamins and minerals.  And for a bonus, throw in a yogurt (or something similar) every couple days.

And don't forget!  Beginning October 3rd, every other day will be a part of our countdown to Halloween!  Thirteen awesome DIY Halloween decorations to help spruce up your home.  Three cheers for Halloween!!

Announcement!

Hello all!  Today's post isn't a real blog post, sorry.  No new information or ideas or anything like that.  I just wanted to announce that we can all look forward to 13 DIY Halloween decorating ideas beginning October 3rd!  So, every other day will feature a new fun and hopefully not too difficult DIY Halloween decorating idea!  Hope you are all as excited as I am!!

The Hydroflask

For all of us just getting in the swing of things back at school, or have a child doing the same, hydrating is extremely important (especially with athletes) on these hot summer days (yes, I know summer has ended, but someone forgot to tell mother nature of that fact).  Hydration helps to keep your body running and functioning as it should be, but can be difficult to get in the habit of.

Here in Southern California, it has been quite warm, and so cold water can be particularly refreshing, especially when the sun is highest in the sky and beating down on you full force.  However, myself and many others that I know don't particularly care for sweaty water bottles.

Who wants a water bottle sweating all over their desk, backpack, car, or anywhere else for that matter?  While some people may not care, there are plenty of other people who don't want to lug around a drippy water bottle all over the place either.  A couple months ago, I found my own solution to this problem.  The Hydroflask!  A double walled, vacuum sealed, stainless steel water bottle, I found that it works amazingly to meet all my needs.  Not only does it not sweat, but this canteen can keep my water cold for HOURS!  I first saw this bottle when hiking with my uncle, who, equally amazed showed me that even out in our 90 degree weather, hiking, a couple hours in, his water was not only still cold, but still had ice in it.  I'm not going to lie, I was quite impressed.

After doing a little bit of research, I realized that there was a whole line of different food and drink products of varying sizes and colors (hurray for colors!) all sporting the same vacuum sealed double walls.  Claiming to keep hot food/beverages warm for 12 hours and cold drinks cool for 24 hours, you naturally want to be skeptical.  While I have not tested my hydroflask for hot beverages, I do use it constantly for cold water.  And now, everyone in my household has their own in all different colors.

In case you were wondering, no, I don't work for this company, any company affiliate, nor do I get money from saying any of this in any way.  I just think that this is an awesome product, and so great for athletes to be able to have access to cold water when they need it.  We use these for hiking, to keep our drinks cold for after runs, and just for the general school or work day.

Yes, I will admit, they are a little bit on the expensive side.  The 32 ounce size most common to my household runs somewhere around $30 if I remember correctly, but I personally believe that it's worth it for the advantages of cold water all day, no sweaty bottles, and the money we save now that we use so many less water bottles every day (my family drinks quite a bit of water).

The choice is yours!  Leave a comment below letting me know if you have or have used a hydroflask or what you think!

My Favorite Not-So Einstein Quote

Everyone knows that everything you read on the internet is true.  No one would put anything on the internet that wasn't true, it just doesn't happen.  And people who write things on the internet, only do so because they are experts, and they know what they're talking about.

If you found these statements to be ridiculous in any way, shape, or form, congratulations.  You have some common sense, oftentimes sorely lacking nowadays.  Looking at the statements I have written above, I can't imagine hearing anyone actually agreeing.  Yet, it's astonishing how it seems so often, we forget these very same things.  So many people accept things that they read on the internet without going in much depth or doing very much of their own research to see if whatever they're reading actually has some merit.  It's astonishing to me really, the sheer overwhelming amount of propaganda that is seen all over the internet.

One of my most favorite quotes of all time happens to fall into this "everything on the internet is true" circumstances.  This quote is most often attributed to Albert Einstein, though if you actually delve into the quote a little further, you'll find that the quote definitely does not come from Einstein, and in fact, no one seems to have a definitive answer as to where it actually came from, but here it is:

"Everybody is a genius.  But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."
~ Anonymous (or so it seems)

My Favorite Einstein Quotes

I had a friend once who told me that it was impossible for a person to be both intelligent and wise at the same time.  While I vehemently disagreed with him, he was sure that wise men could not be super intelligent and super intelligent men could not be wise.  But while it may not be common to find incredibly wise geniuses, I can at least hold faith that Einstein could be my example.

Albert Einstein was what many would call a great man.  Most well known for his physics contributions, he is the creator of both general and specific relativity, shedding light in a whole new way to physicists about the way things move with relation to each other. He is widely accepted as a genius in his own right.  However, not everyone is as familiar with the wisdom he possessed as well.  He had this incredible insight into humanity and saw things that many people still don't see.

Below I have included 10 of my all time favorite Einstein quotes.  Some funny, some profound, but all with a great message:

1. "Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.  The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his opinions courageously and honestly."

2. "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."

3. "A man should look for what is, and not for what he thinks should be."

4. "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the universe."

5. "Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding."

6. "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."

7. "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent.  It takes a tough of genius - and a lot of courage - to move in the opposite direction."

8. "A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary.  Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death."

9. "The true value of a human being is determined primarily by the measure and the sense in which he has attained liberation from the self."

10. "Most teachers waste their time by asking questions that are intended to discover what a pupil does not know, whereas the true art of questioning is to discover what the pupil does know or is capable of knowing."

Oh, people

Today, while heading to school, I hit some unfortunate construction, and when I finally got far enough to see the construction (so I could pass it), I saw this:

It is a little difficult to see in the picture, but here we see one construction worker digging away, and two standing there watching him do it. I sincerely hope that somehow this digging was actually somehow important to whatever the other two had to do because otherwise this is just a sad example of human waste/laziness. It doesn't take three men to use one shovel and I would think that there would be at least SOMETHING useful for the other two to be doing rather than "spectating." Sure, who am I to assume? But I must say, it didn't look particularly promising. 

Mean Girls

So, I had to "duh" myself when I realized that this blog is a blog and it's mine.  So, basically, I can make it whatever I want to make it.  So it can be my college piano, tutoring, children, grad school, girl's hair styles, movie watching, holiday crafting, anything in the world blog. 

Unfortunately, I don't have anything so interesting to say today.  Hopefully I come up with something even remotely interesting some time soon otherwise this will easily turn into a pretty sad blog.  I have never done a blog before and know nothing about blogging, so I suppose I'll just have to live it and learn it, like so many other things in life.

I recently found out that my brother (recently turned 15 years old) has never seen mean girls so I have decided to make him watch it with me.  I am appalled at some of the things kids watch nowadays and how few of them have actually seen all these movies that people my age grew up with! It's crazy.  Anyway, I have a research presentation coming up and my professor said that a lot of people were able to find relevant clips in the past from Mean Girls (and then went on a little tangent about how he had to see the whole movie so that he could figure out who the "plastics" were).  So, showing this to my brother does have that whole "two birds one stone" kind of thing going on.  Maybe I can find relevant clips for my part of our group presentation and he gets to see a movie that is actually surprisingly universal.

First Post EVER!

Hi, everyone! So, today, I will be posting my first post in a blog where I don't even know what it will be about. How exciting! For those of you that don't quite get my title, it's just a little psychology joke.  Carl Jung (pronounced more similar to young) is a very well known psychologist, and I just thought using his name would make for a silly little title.  Anyway, I will have to cut this a little short, seeing as I really should be working on actual school work rather than typing away in random meaningless babble.  Until next time!!

Hopefully by then, I'll figure out what I actually want to put on here...