Mmmm, Girl Scout Caramel deLites....

Wait, what did I just title this entry? Girl Scout Caramel deLites.....what are those? I only know of Girl Scout Samoas. At the end of January a few girlfriends and I were headed back to Ohio from North Carolina from a girls weekend and right before we crossed the NC/Virginia state line we stopped at a Walmart to look for souvenirs. With no such luck we stopped outside the store at a Girl Scout booth to grab some cookies for the drive home. When we walked up and I read the cookie box titles I asked if they were knock offs, I even glanced at the girls vests to make sure they were actual Girl Scout vests with badges, they were. The scout leader explained to me that the Girl Scouts use two different bakeries to make the cookies and depending on where the bakeries shipped to is what type of cookie you purchase.
There is some confusion based on where each bakery ships to and it's not necessarily geographically divided. Some states have both bakeries ship to them and others only one bakery covers the whole state. According to some of the articles I read, one of the bakeries has been around for decades and they do not necessarily need catchy names for individuals to remember. The other bakery is "new" and chose to have catchy names so individuals could remember and want to continue to purchase them. The only cookie both companies have named the same are the Thin Mint cookies and that is because the name "Thin Mint" is trademarked by the Girl Scouts.

Yellow= ABC Bakers & Purple= Little Brownie Bakers

I was floored reading about the bakeries and the cookies in general.  Each bakery sells the same cookies (except for the lemon flavored ones) but in reality they truly are different; not just the name but even the recipe! I couldn't wait to get home to compare the two, and there is a slight difference in appearance and taste. I added some pictures below to share the differences I found, I can say regardless, they both are still my favorite cookies. (PS if you live in an area where ABC Bakers ships to you must try the Lemonades! They are delicious and I am on the hunt for them!) To learn more you can read this article by the L.A. Times.

Lent

Growing up, Lent was a huge deal in my life, I was baptized and raised Catholic. I attended Catholic school and went to Mass almost every weekend with my family. Every Lenten season, I chose to give up something: chocolate, cookies, pop, and ice cream as the usual. One year I remember giving up red meat (I ate a lot of chicken in those 40 days). Most of the time, our religion teacher led our path to what we chose to give up but I had little understanding of the meaning as to why we were giving something up. I didn't understand the sacrifices Christ made for me let alone what he went through and continued to go through for my salvation.
Now as an adult, I have a new perspective and choosing something to sacrifice for Lent takes a lot more thought and preparation on my end. I reflect on things that I use a lot of in my life and how sacrificing that said thing or things would make my life better. I choose to sacrifice something that will help "save" my life as Jesus chose to save mine.
This year, I chose frivolous spending. I have a great job where I earn the right amount of money to cover bills and extras every month, but it wasn't until I took this job that I realized how much I spend each month (or in a 40 day period). I am a sub-contractor now and I have to track every penny spent while on the job. I had no idea how much gas, food, or supplies I was buying until I had to start keeping receipts and track of it all. It was a ridiculous amount and that was just what I was recording. I wasn't recording anything I was spending for personal use. I knew/know I had to make a change.
To make sure I was choosing something that would require me to really attend to what I was doing daily, I looked back at everything I had spent whether it was by cash, gift cards, debit or credit cards for the previous 40 days prior to Lent.  I never spent more than I made, but basically it came down to a difference of pennies from what I earned and what I spent each month.
Once I decided to sacrifice frivolous spending I set my parameters. I looked up the definition of frivolous to make sure what I was justifying to spend (basic bills, gas, & necessities) during the 40 days was accurate and would not fall into the frivolous category. I had some trips planned prior to Lent and set aside money and set a budget for each so to not falter.
I have chose to keep all of my debit and credit cards at home so I do not have easy access and it is making think twice before spending. Instead of cards, I have $20 in my wallet with the goal for it to last at least 20 days. It can be spent on anything but once it is gone it's gone. Well it's been almost 7 days and my $20 is gone but to a good cause. I donated it to one of my favorite restaurants that experienced a horrific event last week. I have another 13 days before $20 can go back in my wallet.  
Even though it has been 7 days since Lent began, this sacrifice and challenge has really shown me that it isn't important to have everything I want or consider a "need." That taking a moment to realize this helps me get closer to God and the real reason for the season of Lent.

On top of sacrificing for Lent I also began a new Bible study from Nap Time Diaries. I love Bible studies as they help me reflect on my relationship with God and help keep my faith in the forefront of everything I do. I am not someone who will willingly walk up to a stranger and discuss my beliefs and attempt to "save" someone, but I also will not do something if I believe it goes against my values and morals (thank you mom and dad and Catholic school for this upbringing). I believe religion and faith are private and everyone is entitled to what they believe, even if I may disagree (even blogging about faith sometimes gives me anxiety). I am honestly struggling quite a bit with this Bible Study. Every day of Lent a scripture passage is provided along with blank space for reflection. The reflection part is very difficult for me as I like guidance following a scripture passage. Without this, it has required me to dig deeper into my thoughts to produce even a simple sentence. I know though that this Bible study is the one chosen for me. Many things have changed for me in the past 6 months and are going to continue to change in the coming weeks ahead (more on this in future posts). This study which looks at eight different characteristics of God is also showing me how to work within myself to strengthen each one of the characteristics in my own personal life and how to strengthen my relationship with him. In addition to the Bible study, I follow an account on Instagram (@daily_bibleverses) that provides one character from the Bible each day throughout Lent. Each character provides concrete examples of how we should live our lives for God. Ironically, the individuals they are discussing coincide with my Bible study and are encouraging me to dig deep.

DIY Etched Glass

In one of my previous blog posts I talked about going to Charlotte for a girls weekend with some of my best friends. As a gift to each of them I made them a wine glass with the letter of their first name etched into the glass. I also added a wine charm to the bottom so we knew who's was who's. I have never etched on glass before so I scoured Pinterest and Google to find the best way to accomplish this. I found many different ways and each sounded like an answer to what I was looking for. In the end I chose my method based on curing time. I found one that took a total of 21 days to cure (didn't have that much time),  one that used a Dremel (was terrified to use a Dremel on glass, especially thin wine glasses), and one that uses this awesome liquid that looks like Mod Podge and takes about 5 minutes. I decided on the 5 minute curing time and went with it. I read and re-read the directions to make sure I used it correctly, seemed terrifying that something could etch into glass within 5 minutes and didn't want it to etch into anywhere else. I have listed the steps for you below to create these awesome keepsakes from such a fun weekend.
1. Choose your glass of choice, since it was girls weekend and 3/4 like wine I chose decent sized goblet glasses (usually the red wine glasses) and found some at a great price at a local discount store.
2. Cut the design you would like etched onto your glass from either a die-cutting machine or use a stencil. I used my Cricut Explorer and vinyl as my medium. It is best to use something like this, as it is already pre-sticky so you do not have to worry about adding additional adhesive.
3. Apply the design to the glass in designated area. Make sure when you are doing this that the entire design lays flat against the glass. If it does not lay flat, the liquid can run and mess up your piece.
4. Apply the Armour Etch according to the directions.
5. Wash off and clean the glass, enjoy drinking your favorite beverage.

It truly was such an easy process that I wanted to etch on everything that night and I am filling my crafting pin board up with great ideas!

#goddessofcrafts

We're the Four Best Friends Anyone Could Have (Girls Weekend)

This past weekend I was able to get away with 3 of my great friends for a weekend of relaxing, catching up, and laughing non stop (and maybe some wine). Three of us started out as co-workers and the fourth was a parent we knew through our job. When one of us experienced a health issue, the other three of us gathered around her and help her get back on her feet. We became close through the past two years and when one moved away we decided to do our best to try and visit each other. The three of us still in Ohio travelled to the fourth's new home in Florida (couldn't it get better) and spent a week with her and her family last spring break. This time, since we are unable to do that again we decided to have a girls weekend. We chose the halfway point between our home and we decided on Charlotte. A quick easy drive for all of us and a couple days kid-less and stress-less.
Charlotte was the perfect place for us to meet, we did very little in regards to the history and culture of the city, instead we just "were" and we had a blast. We stayed at the beautiful Double Tree in downtown and we were one mile from Bank of America Stadium. It was the perfect location, as it is located right off of 77, and we had easy access to where we needed to go.
Saturday morning we started with a delicious breakfast at The Flying Biscuit. We all thought biscuits were seriously going to go flying, but we were wrong and slightly disappointed. I am not one to try new foods immediately so I went for the "typical" meal of eggs and bacon. Two of my girlfriends ordered scrambled eggs with sausage gravy over top. I was mad I didn't order it, as the bite I had was amazingly delicious. I also tried grits that I actually liked it if I added a little bit of salt. The biscuit were beyond delicious and their homemade apple butter on top was the perfect addition.




After breakfast we stopped at a few stores, waiting for our appointment time at a local nail salon. We all love getting manicures and pedicures and when I found a great deal on Groupon a few weeks prior we knew that is exactly what we wanted to do. We bought the Groupon which said we were purchasing the VIP gel mani/pedi. We had no idea what we were in for.
Besides sitting in a private room and being offered wine during our appointment we also received the 'gel' touch. Each of us thought gel meant gel polish. Nope, we were totally mistaken. 'Gel' meant a foot bath with a warm jello type consistency. Personally, I thought it was absolutely gross. I did refused to move my feet or toes while it was in the bath. Once the jet started however, the water and the movement made the texture disappear and it became a better experience. As an OT, I get the purpose of the gel for a sensory experience but we all were definitely not prepared for a 'gel' pedicure.

Following our appointment, we grabbed lunch and headed back to the hotel for wine, snacks, and card games. As a surprise I made each of us a custom wine glass and wine charm to commemorate the weekend. We listened and sang some of our favorite songs and caught up on life without littles running around or interrupting conversations. The weekend definitely ended quicker than we wanted and on the drive home we took our sweet time.
Cannot wait for our next weekend in Charlotte and catching up.

10 Facts About Me

I am not one to post about me a lot, I like to write about my experiences and what is going on in my life, but when reading about what to add to a blog almost every article said something along the lines of introducing myself. The easiest way I thought I could do this was by providing 10 facts about me. Let's get started....
10. I love Mexican food. Truly, I love many different types of food, but I could eat Mexican everyday for each meal and be content. I am that odd girl that still ate/eats Chipotle even with the e. coli outbreak going on (don't want one of my favorite places to go out of business). Chips with salsa or guacamole, tacos, fajitas, thinking about it now makes me hungry.
9. I love nail polish, specifically OPI and besides owning over 50 bottles, I love to paint my nails and kinda have to have my toes nails painted all the time. Many women will say they feel complete once they are wearing mascara, or have their jewelry on, for me it's to have my nails/toes painted.
8. I love to cruise. Escaping from reality and being on a boat where I do not have cell service is amazing to me. I also love visiting islands that hold different cultures and experiences. From cruising I have learned that I love, love, love snorkeling and am not that big of a fan of dolphins. I really love to travel and besides cruising, NYC is one of my all time favorite places. the busyness of the city actually relaxes me.
7. Independence is one of my strengths and weaknesses. I love being independent and being able to go and do what I want to do. At times though, I don't realize how independent I am and want to do everything on my own, until I have someone offer to do something (even if it's small like carrying a bag for me) and I turn them down. I am working on changing this, but it is a slow change.
6. I cannot stand drama. Many people will say this, but to me there is no point in living with it. Life goes on, people move on. Drama causes people to move backwards and I don't want to do that. Life goes forward every day and we should too. I try not to feed drama and do my best to not be a part of it.
5. I am very crafty/creative. Many of my friends can show me what they want to do and I know how to execute it. My parents have a craft room in their home, which I have easy access to since I live there (no shame) and I absolutely love it. It is how I destress, many use exercise to release energy and stress, I craft.
4. I love children and cannot wait to be a mother. I have been surrounded by children all of my life and enjoy working with them. I am so glad that I found a career that lets me play with children all day and enjoy the little things in life. Every day is a new experience and watching kids with disabilities progress to their own roles in life makes me so happy. I also love watching parents see their children progress and accomplish new goals.
3. I have a faith and believe in God. I won't shove it down your throat as I think it is a personal relationship. Currently, I do not attend church but I pray twice a day, read my bible and devotional when I need to, and listen to Christian music. I believe God has put all of us on this earth for a reason. It might be years after we are gone to realize why, but we all have a purpose. I also want to raise my kids this way.
2. I have 7 women in my life that are not related to me and I consider them to be my best friends. Each one of them helps me in a way the other cannot. They are an amazing support system and I enjoy spending any amount of time with them, even if I only get to see some of them once a year or less than that and only communicate through texts (I don't like to talk on the phone).
1. I like simplicity, organization, cleanliness, planning and being succinct. The motto "less is more" is huge for me. When disorganization surrounds me, I feel like there is no control and struggle accomplishing anything.

Hot Fudge Sundae

I am the girl to contact if you ever are looking for free wifi in Columbus. Since I am currently an OT that travels all over Central Ohio to see kiddos in their home, I do my best to find wifi anywhere so I can check email, send reports and access my files. Before you ask, I do have a smart phone with data, however I share my data with 6 other people and do not want to be the one that causes overages on the bill, so I scour for free wifi (and public restrooms. I don't like to use my client's restrooms, I think it is unprofessional; a personal opinion). I have done a great job of finding libraries close to many of the my kiddos homes or a Panera (I really should start taking stock in Panera, I am there at least twice a week).
There is a specific time each week though that I struggle. There is no Panera nor library close enough and usually I go shopping which is causing money to leave my wallet.  I have been looking for a place with wifi and I have finally found a McDonald's that suits my needs, free wifi and a bathroom. I generally do not eat during my McDonald's trips- 1. it's not lunch time and I have already eaten my Panera 2. I don't like to eat out twice in one day 3. not the biggest fan of the golden arches (besides their ice cream). However, I do feel guilty using their wifi, taking up space in their restaurant, and using their bathroom. If I lived in NYC, I would have to purchase something at a McDonald's in order to do one of these.
This week was different, I was feeling guilty so I decided while writing notes and answering emails I would get a hot fudge sundae. I ordered and received my treat and looked for a place to sit. Where I generally sit was taken so I opted for a back corner booth. An older gentleman was seated at a table next to where I chose to sit. He said "hello, how are you?" and me being me, said "I am great, how are you?" He then asked what I had ordered as it looked delicious. I told him it was delicious and it was a hot fudge sundae. I thought once I responded and pulled my work out the conversation would end as it generally does, but this was not the case. He asked what school I went to since I had a bag with me and what homework I was going to work on. I told him I was not in school and that I was an OT that travels from home to home to work with children with special needs. He was interested and we began to talk about anything and everything, almost like we have known each other for quite some time. We talked about Columbus, where each of us grew up, our families and news in the US today. This gentleman was sweet and we talked nonchalantly for probably 15 minutes about anything and everything.
About 10 minutes into the conversation he told me how he had recently lost his wife (3 weeks and 1 day ago). My heart ached for him, my grandfather lost the love of his life 2 years ago. I asked how long they had been married, and he replied 50 years. I explained how both sets of my grandparents have been married for that long or longer as well and I love seeing couples who have lasting marriages. I was raised with this example from all sides of my family and my parents have currently been married for 33 years. He had finished his meal by then and I had finished my ice cream. He told me it was great talking to me and to have a great day. He then proceeded to go back to the counter and ordered a caramel sundae.
After getting his caramel sundae he came back and asked if he could sit with me since his table was now occupied. I replied with a yes and he sat with me as we continued to talk and he finished his sundae. Once finished he got up again and said "good-bye, have a great day." I responded with the same. As much as that gentleman needed me that day, I needed him. I have a feeling that every time I eat a hot fudge sundae from McDonald's I will think of him.

Let's Try This Again.

Every year I post a new "I'm gonna start blogging again" post and then my blog sits and I do nothing. I love blogging, and a few years ago I felt I needed to blog. I guess it was my way of journaling or keeping a diary or documenting memories. I haven't had the urge to blog in years, not that I didn't think about it; I thought about it all the time, but nothing truly moved me to want to sit down and write. I am not looking to become a famous blogger, I want to share my stories and my experiences in my life. 2016 is going to be an exciting year with many changes happening. I also am taking on a blogging challenge to see if it will help me continue blogging and get back into a rhythm. I tried to start a craft blog and ended up with 2 entries, not realizing how long that it would actually take to post about a craft with step-by-step directions. My first blog post in three years was a post (see previous post), I actually wrote for Facebook. So check back to learn more about me, what makes me tick, and what is going on in my life in 2016. #hello2016