Jen A. Miller Consulting

Category: At Home

11 Not-So-Scary Halloween Movies to Watch this October

A List of Classic Halloween Movies that Pack More Fun than Fright

I love Halloween for exactly two reasons. The first reason is the costumes. I absolutely love a good excuse to dress up. If I’m being honest it’s at least part of the reason I joined a sorority in college (theme party anyone?). It’s also why I was the president of the drama club in high school and why I adore my trips to Burning Man. How could you not enjoy the liberating feeling of getting to be anyone/anything you want even if just for one night? Anyone who has seen my oversized costume duffel bag can attest that I get behind themed endeavors.

The second reason I love Halloween is the candy. Though I consider myself fairly stable minded with a good head on my shoulders and a strong will, something happens when chocolate enters the room. Throw in a great excuse to eat as much of it as possible and all diet bets are off. Halloween only comes around once a year right? The snack sizes are so small! No one is counting, everyone is doing it, just one more piece won’t hurt…. Excuse word vomit takes over my brain and I’m totally okay with that in celebration of the season.

Now that we’re clear on what is good about Halloween, I can tell you that what I hate the most about the holiday is the scary movies that it brings about. If it were up to me, even the trailers to horror movies would be banned from playing in public. I catch 20 seconds of one and I can’t sleep for nights. That’s not to say however, that I don’t enjoy a good seasonal film. I just prefer that they don’t leave me cowering under the covers.

For those of you who, like me, want your Halloween movies to teeter on the tame side, I’ve compiled a list of 11 flicks that pack more fun than fright. Read on to see the list!

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October 23, 2014
Apartment Design Inspiration | Single Girl at Home

Jen Shares How She Turned Her New House into a Home

Last month my boyfriend and I made the big decision to move in together. We weighed the pros and cons of living with one another and in the end, felt that it was the right step for our relationship. Once we had made our decision, we turned our attention toward finding the perfect place. In LA finding a home that fits your budget, is in the location you want, and is some place you actually like is a tall order. We were fortunate to find a place that checked all the boxes- an idyllic home nestled just steps from the sand in Venice Beach.

Two big decisions down, one to go–how to decorate our new home. Since this was the first time we were living together we needed to find a way to design our space in a way that we both found suitable. That meant no dark leather bachelor pad as he would have it nor a pretty pink palace as my old place had been done up.

Here I’m sharing the process we went through to turn our house into a home we both love–not too manly, not too girly, just right.

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October 16, 2014
Guide to All Things Makeup

8 links to everything you need to know about caring for, throwing out, and storing your makeup

PHOTO: Cupcakes and Cashmere.

Spring cleaning is often attached to cleaning out your closet. As we move into fall, it’s time we give our cosmetics some much needed attention. Because they’re so sneakily small, we often take for granted the little space they take up in our living spaces. Products build up, and we can easily forget they’re there. However, with this round-up of articles from trusted beauty sources, devoting time to cleaning your brushes, tossing out products from your makeup bag, and re-organizing what you keep, you are on your way to a vanity area that will make your getting-ready routine worthy of a red-carpet entrance.

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October 3, 2014
Wake Up with the Perfect Cup of Coffee

All You Need to Know to Brew the Best Cup of Joe

In general, I would consider myself a fairly good cook in the kitchen. Give me a recipe and a little room for creative interpretation and I’ll whip you up pretty mean meal. Yet, despite my kitchen finesse when it comes to cooking, there has been one menu item that has remained outside of my capabilities. I have been plagued with an ineptitude to brew a great cup of coffee.

At first glance, the process seems simple enough. Pour hot water through coffee grinds until it turns into a black liquid, sweeten up with milk and sugar, and serve. Though, time and again my attempts turn out less than satisfactory. I can’t seem to get the water to coffee ratio correct; always ending up with a drink that taste watered down or far too bitter.

These epic fails have resorted to the use of a Keurig to get through my morning ritual. I have a love/hate relationship with my Keurig. I love it for its simplicity but hate it for what it stands for–my complete ineptitude to master the most basic of kitchen skills. The latter seems to have been more pronounced as of late and has me stirring to break out of my training wheels. After experiencing the cafe culture of Vienna I decided to do a little research and attend a tasting at my favorite coffee shop to learn how to step up my coffee game.

Though the practice has just begun, I’ve already picked up quite a few helpful tips that have taken my coffee capabilities from a few notches up. Whether you’re a brewmaster or just getting started, read on for the tips that will help you too to serve up the perfect cup of coffee.

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September 29, 2014
Why Snooze When You Can… | Morning Rituals

5 morning rituals that will get you out of bed

PHOTO: Pinterest.

I am a night owl. I can stay up later than most people, and my love of sleep means that, historically speaking, me waking up naturally before 11am is unusual. Sleep is important to me, so I’ve always made it a priority; I would categorize that under “good self-care.” Living a freelance life means that I now have the freedom to sleep in a little later when I have to stay up to the wee hours to get work done. In the past few months, however, sleeping in late just ain’t what it used to be (hello, late 20s). Although I’m a creature of habit, part of me does want to become more of a morning person. If you’re like me and need a little boost in the AM, here are 5 rituals you can add to your morning routine that might motivate you to stop hitting the snooze button (or at least cut back to one hit).

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September 22, 2014