SICSA Event Results

Remember last week when I posted about having a pet adoption at my store? Well…it went GREAT!  I am so thankful for all my co-workers who pulled together to support me and the cause.

I got to the store around 9a to set everything up.  I had to get the table situated, put all the signs I made in frames, put the baked goods out, get the beverages out of the cooler, etc.  It didn’t take too long and before I knew it, I was sitting around twiddling my thumbs waiting for the animals to arrive.

They showed up around 11:30a and we got to work selling the baked goodies and raffle tickets.  My manager, Kristy, and another store manager from our community, Pete, were helping me hawk the goods.

We had so many delicious treats available!  My co-workers were amazing and made brownies, chocolate chip cookies, Reese’s cup cookies, Rice Krispie treats, poppy seed bread, and 7 layer cookies (aka “magic bars”).  I also had a co-worker buy Chick-fil-a brownies and cookies for the event.

My favorite part?  The poppy seed bread baker (Carrie) said she “ruined” a loaf of the poppy seed bread and thought I’d like it.  Well, if you insist…

We also had a couple generous donations!  7-UP donated 6 cases of mini sodas.  They are promoting the new “TEN” beverages, so it was a win/win!  The Cake Shop, a local bakery right across the street from my store, donated 24 cupcakes as well.  They were a BIG hit and so delicious.  If you’re in the Creek area and looking for a bakery for your next event (Graduation anyone?), seriously consider The Cake Shop.  They are moist, delicious, and obviously generous!  I sure loved my cupcake…

Speaking of donations, let me tell you about the raffle prizes.

First up was City BBQ.  They were able to provide us with a $50 gift card and three bottles of sauce!

The Dayton Dragons ended up giving us a pretty snazzy prize pack and, thanks to another co-worker’s connections, I was able to include a voucher for two free tickets!

Edible Arrangements participated by giving us a $50 gift card.  They are a great way to send someone a little love plus healthy eating!  Love that!

Finally, a local dog groomer, Groomingdales, tossed in a $35 gift card.  Love that I was able to include something pet based!

It was a wonderful event, even though it was only 50º that day.  Yes, we froze our tushies off!

I wasn’t too cold aside from my hands.  Playing with Sebastian the dog and Scout the cat made it all worth it though.

Thanks to all our sponsors, my co-workers, and of course the customers, we raised over $250 for SICSA!  I’d call that a success. 

Support SICSA

Many of you know I work for a retail chain. As part of my job, I am encouraged to participate in community events. For one, this gets our name in the community and helps people connect to us not just on a business level but hopefully on a personal level as well. It’s also a way to give back to the community that has supported us over the years. Finally, it’s FUN!

My manager and I were discussing community events a few months ago and I decided it was time I hosted one. She mentioned a few she’d heard talk of at a meeting she’d attended and one in particular stuck out. Apparently a store in Cincinnati did a pet adoption fair that was highly successful. I love dogs, so this one was perfect for me!

I began the process of putting the fair together. I called the store manager that had had success with the event, talked to several vendors about donating various items, and of course called SICSA to get some animals out to our store. Once I got in the swing of things, I found I thoroughly enjoyed it!

“Why are you telling us this, Bethany?” you might be asking. Well, I’m glad you asked. To make this event successful, I need the community to come out and support it! It’s a community event, after all. ☺

So, if you’re in the Beavercreek, OH area on Saturday, May 11th, please stop by the Beavercreek Walgreens. Obviously there will be pets to adopt, but in addition we have some really great prizes to raffle off. We are also going to have a bake sale. All proceeds from the raffle and bake sale will go directly to SICSA.

It’s supposed to be a gorgeous day. What better way to celebrate May than to support your local community!

As we say here at Walgreens…be well!

Wishful Weekend Weather

I’m excited to be off this weekend.  All weekend long.  What I’m not excited about is this:

I’m supposed to do a 5k on Saturday morning with my work.  No big deal because I can get all bundled up if need be.  However, we are also supposed to take the little man to hunt for Easter eggs that afternoon!  It’s going to be 43º.  It could be worse, but doing an egg hunt in the warm, sunny, 60º weather of my dreams would be so much better!

Guess we’ll just buckle down and deal with it.  It’s not like the weather will be changing for the better any time soon.  Apparently.  Stupid groundhog.

Appreciate ‘Cha!

We did it, you guys!  Due to your awesomeness, I reached 100 likes on my facebook page!  Thanks so much!

They like me!  They really like me!

As promised, I drew one name from a hat (OK, really I used random.org) and one lucky winner will win a delicious treat straight from me!

That winner is………drum roll please……….Jen!

Jen, please shoot me an email (onegirlstaste@hotmail.com) and let me know what your favorite (mailable) dessert is!

Have a great weekend, everybody!

Like…Whatever?! (A Giveaway)

So, if you’re my friend on Facebook, you might have noticed an (innocent) request to like my Facebook fan page in the last few weeks.  I mentioned I would do something big when I got to 100 likes.  Today I’m at 78, which is a huge jump from where I was a few weeks ago.  I believe I was at 42 back then.

Anyhow…I want to give back to my lovely readers, so I’ve come up with a little temptation for you.  If I reach 100 likes by Monday, February 18, I will send one lucky subscriber a delicious goodie bag full of homemade treats.  I haven’t decided exactly what I will include, but you can bet it will be along the lines of this:

or this:

or maybe a new recipe from Pinterest.  Maybe this?

So how can you get this scrumptiousness in your belly?  All you have to do is like my Facebook fan page and then leave a comment on this post.

You can tell me your favorite dessert, your favorite movie, you favorite color, your favorite Muppet Baby, or simply tell me you’ve liked my page.  Whatever your little heart desires.  No matter what you tell me, I’ll still like ya.  Now go like me back!

Soapbox Available

I love blogging.  Ever since I started way back in August of 2009, I have been cooking, baking, and exercising my way through life and telling all of YOU guys about it!  I’ve met some awesome real life friends through my blog and even more virtual ones.

I’d like to take the time to get a little input from my favorite readers.  Yes, this means you!  Do you have a topic you’re interested in?  A recipe you’d like to share or a kid’s craft you love?  Have you been on an awesome vacation and want to give others ideas on where to go and what to do?  Do you have a favorite restaurant you’re just dying to talk about?

If you answered yes to any of the above, then now’s you’re chance!  I’d like to start some sort of reader show and tell if you will.   Drop me a line and let me know what you’d like to talk about.  If I get enough participants, I could make this a regular post.  Wouldn’t that be fun?  Kinda like being back in grade school.

I really hope you’ll join.  Jake hopes so too.

Award Show

Remember when I said I would be taking a slight step back from blogging during December and some of January?  OK, maybe you don’t.

[I moved my blog to a different address only to have the hosting company, weeks later, pull my address because of some BS issue.  The posts I posted on that site did not get posted here and, now that I can't access that site anymore, are probably lost forever.  I'm not bitter.  Not at all.  Grr.]

Because of my job, it is very hard for me to keep the blogging up during that time.  It is also pretty hard keeping up with reading all the great blogs that my friends and blends (blogger friends) post.  I still haven’t really gotten back in the swing of things, which is why I didn’t notice this post by Supermom until yesterday!

Supermom nominated me for a Liebster award.  Lots of these blog awards are floating around in the blogosphere, so I wanted to do a little research into what this award was actually about.  Apparently “liebster” means “dearest” or “loved one” in German.  The purpose behind this award to basically to show encouragement to your fellow bloggers.  Blog Love if you will.  Who doesn’t love a little blog love?

Anyhow, the rules are:

• Write 11 random facts about yourself
• Answer the 11 questions given by the blogger who nominated you
• Create 11 new questions
• Nominate 11 bloggers and mention them in this post
• Thank the blogger who nominated you and tell the bloggers you’ve nominated

First thing’s first…my 11 random facts:

1. I don’t mind folding laundry.  However, I hate putting it away.  And I really, really hate hanging my husband’s clothes.  His rods are too tall!
2. I love the kind of snow that is really quiet.  You know…standing outside, especially at night, when there’s no wind and the snow just kind of floats down.  It’s calm and serene.  Plus, if you take pictures in the snow, they look like little crystals.  It’s marvelous.
3. I have a tendency to download games on my phone, get super into them for about two weeks, and then completely stop playing them.  My apologies to all my friends who are currently playing Ruzzle with me.  Enjoy it now, but don’t expect me to be around in another few weeks.  Consider this your warning.
   
4. My favorite thing to make in the kitchen is anything baked.  I’m not always the best cook, but I can run circles around anyone who wants to challenge me to a bake off.
5. Speaking of baking, I’ve always wanted to work in or even own my own bakery.  As I get older, my thoughts on this have changed a bit.  I would still love working in one, but I don’t think I’m cut out to own my own business.  I like spending time at home with my boys way too much.
6. I almost always set my alarm for 5a even if I don’t have to work early.  I like getting up before everyone, enjoying a cup of coffee, and watching a program or catching up on my computer type chores.  Or sometimes I’ll just sit and read.  It’s one hour of bliss before the chaos breaks.  But really who am I kidding?  My little guy is the best and when he starts stirring at 6a, I get excited to play!
7. I hate for my house to be messy even though 90% of the mess is my fault.  I have a bad habit of taking things out and not putting them back where they belong.  My husband hates this.  I’m working on it.  Promise.
8. I have a nail polish addiction.  Not a horrible one, but an addiction just the same.  And since I only usually wear pinks, purples, and reds, I have a lot of colors that look extremely similar.  But they’re different!  I swear!
9. My basement is where anything I can’t find a place for upstairs goes to live.  If I can’t find a home for it upstairs, but I don’t want to get rid of it, I just put it in the basement and tell myself I’ll deal with it later.  Right now I have about six big piles of stuff waiting for a home.  In time.
10. Speaking of, I’m actually a relatively organized person.  I have pretty good spacial recognition and can typically plan a room out without having to measure.  
    I thought everyone could do this, but apparently I am wrong.  One of my jobs at work is to set whole aisles of product for different seasons.  I can imagine what everything is going to look like before I even start, but apparently my manager works a little differently.  Not sure how, but once I mentioned I was good at spacial recognition and she admitted she wasn’t.  Interesting…
11. I think everything made in the slow cooker tastes the same.  Maybe it’s my slow cooker, maybe not.  All I know is, no matter what meat I put in, no matter what flavors I add, no matter how long I cook it…all tastes the same.  I think that means I need a new slow cooker.  My husband would tell me it will just wind up in the basement.

And as part of the post, I am to answer the questions Heather has posed to me:

1. What is your favorite band?
This has changed over the years and now I can’t really name just one band.  That would be like asking me to name one spice to cook with for the rest of my life.  Or to pick one shirt to wear forever.  Nope.  Can’t do it.  My top 5 would be Barenaked Ladies, Staind, Incubus, All American Rejects, and for old time’s sake, Aerosmith

2. Coffee, cocoa or tea?
Love them all, but if I had to pick I would go with coffee

3. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life what would it be?
Cheeseburgers.  No question.

4.  Your hair color: natural or from a box?
A little of both.  Before I got a new car and decided to give all my money to the Kia company, I would get my hair colored every 6-8 weeks.  Luckily right before I bought said car, I had my hair dyed to almost my natural color.  Now, I have about half my hair colored and half natural.  I need to start coloring it again though because I’m starting to notice those hairs that are colored the color we won’t be mentioning today.  (Hint: it’s gray)

5. Aside from blogging, what do you do in your free time?
What’s that?  Just kidding.  Free time is reserved for cooking, cleaning, and recently exercising.  As I put on Instagram yesterday, it’s a whole new era!  Time to get back to Healthy B.

6. What is your favorite season and why?
I used to say Fall was my favorite season, but more and more I’m thinking Summer is.  I love all the seasonal foods, the cookouts, swimming, and playing outside.  I don’t even mind the heat anymore.  I still love Fall, but Summer is just awesome to me.  I will love it even more when I am able to spend more time playing with my boys!

7. Chevron craze – love it or hate it?
I’m kind of indifferent to it.  I don’t hate the pattern, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to include it in my decorating.  I’m partial to stripes though.

8. What was the last movie you saw in the theater?
Les Miserables.  I liked the movie, but I much prefer the live musical.  I also did not like that they changed the lyrics unnecessarily in the movie.  WTH?

9. Where is your favorite vacation spot?
This is an easy one and anyone who knows me can guess the answer but…Maui.  Anytime I go to Maui (yes I’ve been more than once…4 times actually), I say I’m going home.  This applies to all the Hawaiian islands, but Maui holds a very, very special place in my heart.  In fact, I usually don’t watch the shows about Maui on the travel channel because it makes my heart ache and I get all teary eyed.  Is that pathetic?  Oh well.

10. If you were in the Miss America pagent what would your talent be?
Wrangling children?  Ha!  No, for real I have no idea.  I took dance and music lessons when I was little and I was also a gymnast for about a year, but talents?  Not sure.  Maybe cross stitching. 

11. If you could have chosen your own name what would it be?
I actually really love my name.  I used to hate it because it was different, but now that’s the reason I love it!  It’s unique without being weird.  Paired with my last name, I get a lot of compliments on it.  I wear a name badge with my first and last name on it and I get asked probably once a week how to say my last name.  Once I pronounce it, I almost always hear “That’s beautiful!”  Yay for pretty names and creative mothers!

The 11 questions I would like my bloggers to answer are:

1.  Do you have any pets?  If so, what are their names?
2.  What is your least favorite chore?
3.  Where is the last place you went out to eat?
4.  What’s are you listening to right now?
5.  If you could vacation anywhere, where would you go and why?
6.  What’s the top item on your bucket list?
7.  Do you know any foreign languages?
8.  What is your favorite form of exercise?
9.  Who is your favorite celebrity, living or dead?
10.  Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
11.  Who are you subscribed to on YouTube that you look forward to watching most?  If you’re not subscribed to anyone on YouTube, who is your favorite blogger?

I am nominating:
Gretchen at Real Life Motherhood of 4
Abby at Sugar and Spice…Or Something Like ThatAlison at The Next Big Adventure
Marcia at Travel, Run, Eat
Katie at Healthy Heddleston
Nicole at My Love for Cooking
Alicia at Blessed and Blissful

This was really fun!  I hope you all take the time to participate as well.  I look forward to reading your posts!

And by the way…a great big THANK YOU to Heather for the nomination!

Restaurant Review: Cobblestone Cafe

Remember when I wrote this blog post asking for your vote on which topic to talk about next?  You all voted on Jake’s new jammies.  I still have so many topics to discuss from that blog post!  I picked my venture to Cobblestone Cafe to gab about today:

When my mom was visiting in September, she asked if we could visit a friend of hers who had moved to Ohio from Texas.  We decided to take Diane out to lunch and just have a girl’s day of eating and shopping.  I Facebook’ed one of my friends for advice on a fun, but different place at which to eat.  She suggested Cobblestone Cafe in Waynesville.

I checked out their menu and it seemed like a place perfect for a girlfriend day.  The fare is light and healthy, with many of their items including produce straight from their garden.  It’s definitely not a restaurant Jeff would pick to dine in.

When you pull up to the restaurant, you’re greeted by a welcoming hallway.  I love the older feel of the entrance.  They boasted an herbal patio in which to dine, but it was slightly chilly so we opted to eat indoors.

We were seated under the watchful eye of “The Chef” (he’s their mascot I’ve decided) and left to peruse the menu.

Everything looked delicious!  We all had a hard time deciding.  While we were choosing, they brought around iced tea and mini cranberry muffins.  Oh my…these muffins were so tasty!  They were light and airy with just a hint of sweetness.

We were all pretty hungry, so we decided to split the Goat Cheese and Tomato Spread as an appetizer.  It was pretty good.  I have decided I like goat cheese, but only in small amounts.  As this appetizer was pretty heavy handed with the goat cheese, I wasn’t bowled over by it, but it was still good.  My mom and Diane loved it!

Mom and I decided to split the Mushroom Ragu Crepes.  These were very good albeit a little small for splitting.  I think if I had ordered them just for myself or if I had gotten a salad or soup on the side, it would have been the perfect amount, but as it was I was still a bit hungry after I was done eating.  I also wanted just a hint more spice.  I added a touch of salt and it livened up the flavors quite nicely.

Diane opted for the lunch your way, getting a half That’s a Wrap and a side Cobblestone Salad.  She raved about both!  They looked really good and I was a bit green with envy I didn’t order it for myself.

After the main course, they brought around the dessert tray.  I have decided if I ever have a restaurant, bringing around the dessert tray is a must.  It’s a lot easier to say no to a menu that just lists the desserts versus a tray that boasts all the wonderful, shiny, sugary treats they have to offer.  Mom and I both ended up ordering something!  Baklavah for me,

and lemon meringue cake for her!

We also both got cappuccinos.  It was a coolish day outside, like I mentioned before, so this warm, toasty treat was just the ticket!

After dining, we wandered through the gift shop on the opposite side of the store.  So many unique gifts to choose from!

My mom lives in the hill country of Texas and every time I visit, we end up going to antique-y type stores.  I’m not a huge antiques lover, but I like to meander through the stores looking at the items.  I think most of these things would look out of place in my bare, undecorated home.  I’m extremely challenged in the decorating department so if anyone ever feels like helping out, I’m up for it!

Finally, we stopped by the Cobblestone Cafe sign for an impromptu photo shoot.  She had been asking me to take pictures of her for her blog while she was here, so I took a couple in front of the sign for practice.  We actually never got around to taking the real pictures!  Whoops.  I guess there’s always next time.

She snapped a couple of me too!  Don’t you just LOVE that scarf?  I’m not typically a scarf person…but I can change!

I shot a quick one of her and Diane as well and then it was off to the Hidden Valley Fruit Farm to pick up some apple cider.  Yum!

On the way back to the car, my photographic eye spotted a couple gorgeous subjects I just had to capture.  I’m getting better and better at “seeing” pictures (if I do say so myself) and try to snap as many of them as I can.

It was a great day and a great local restaurant find!  If you’re in the area and want to check out a deliciously hidden gem, try Cobblestone Cafe.  It’s worth the trip!

Cobblestone Cafe
10 N Main St
Waynesville, OH  45068

*Cobblestone Cafe did not sponsor this post in any way.  All opinions, thoughts, and photos are my own.  I purchased all the food and drink myself.*

Oh, Hai…

So, by now you notice I’ve been missing a bit.  Yeah, life has been a bit hectic lately.  My mom came for a visit in early September and since then I’ve been playing catch up at work and at home.  Well and doing a bunch of fun things also!  Here’s what you have to look forward to in the coming weeks:

Jake turned 9 months old

We finally finished the outside of our house with the completion of our landscaping

My mom and her boyfriend/partner person Wes visited

We did several fun things including going to the Renaissance festival, trying to go to the Mansfield Reformatory and failing,

taking a Thai Cooking Class,

and eating at a several places including the Cherry House Cafe,

and the Cobblestone cafe.

We took Jake to the park and had a psuedo impromptu picnic.

I tried a few new recipes of banana puff bites for Jake

and PW’s Crash Hot Potatoes for us.

I also tried freezing herbs.

Jake got new jammies!

And, oh yeah, I got a new car!

Before long I’ll be posting about Jake turning 10 months also.  I may have to do a joint 9 month/10 month post.  Ha!

So, dear readers, I’ve missed you so much I’d like you to tell me which post you’d like to see on Wednesday!  Please leave a comment below and tell me which of the above topics you’d most like to read about!

 

September Foodie Penpals

So, um, *whistles and shifts eyes uncomfortably* yeah.  It’s been a while since my last post.  In fact, it was nearly one month ago exactly.  The last post I did was Foodie Penpals for August.  Whoops!  I know bloggers aren’t supposed to apologize for not posting, but I’m breaking the rules.  Sorry, y’all!   I’ll explain everything soon, but for today just enjoy seeing my goodies from last month’s foodie penpals!

In August, I had a bit of a snafu with my foodie penpals.  Everything got worked out eventually, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit hesitant going into September.  Luckily, I was not disappointed by the women I got paired up with.  Before 24 hours were up, I was emailed by Melaina from It Really Works!.  She was so sweet and got right on asking me about my foodie preferences and everything.  I made sure I was equally as prompt with Sarah.

After a bit of emailing back and forth, I anxiously awaited my box of food stuffs.  One day, as my mom and I were heading out to go to a Thai Cooking Class (more on that to come), I glanced at the front stoop and saw a big box!  Yippee!  My package had arrived.

I threw the car in park and ran up the path to grab my box.  I then took it back to the car with me where Mom and I tore into it.  Here’s what I got:

Pomi Tomatoes-According to Melaina, they are “the best packaged tomatoes you’ll find!”  My mom agreed with her stating she used to use them a long time ago.  I don’t remember her using them, but I can’t wait to cook with them!  Mel suggested tossing them with some al dente pasta, olive oil, and fresh basil.  Yum!

Chocolate Chunk Brownies-My favorite dessert is a brownie, so I was super excited to see these!  They were delicious!  Moist and flavorful and oh so yummy!  They had a hint of something in them that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.  Maybe espresso?

Spicy Snack Mix-This Colorado-based company (Rocky Mountain Treats) has all kinds of flavors according to Mel.  I’m not a huge spicy fan (I like it to a degree) but this snack mix is dang good!  I definitely have to have a beverage to each more than a tablespoon, but I’m OK with that. 

Multi-seed Crackers-Crunchmaster knew what it was doing when they made these crackers.  I’m not gluten free, but boy are these tasty!  I love garlic so Mel sent me the Roasted Garlic flavor.  They are thin, crispy, light, and airy!  The flavors burst in your mouth!  They’d be good with a spread of some sort of by themselves.  You know what they’d be especially good on?  A big salad!

Finally, Mel threw in some Dove chocolates “because a girl can never have too much chocolate”.  This girl is spooky…she knew I liked brownies, garlic, AND Dove chocolate!  This was one of the best boxes I’ve ever gotten.  Thanks so much, Melaina!  You can send me goodies anytime. 

Want to get involved with Foodie Penpals?  Visit here to sign up!

If you want to check out what I sent to Sarah, visit her blog!