How to make simple bookmarks with things around your house

I love being crafty. Years ago, I was going to a blogging conference and I didn't have business cards. I know I know, bad Sheilacakes. I decided instead of printing business cards, I wanted to be different. I had started making bookmarks randomly. I had purchased a bookmark making kit on clearance and decided to try it. I made bookmarks in the past for my mom and her friends. It was just something fun to do before I started blogging. I quickly went through the materials in the kit. I wanted to make more. Honestly, all I used was the cardboard base. I purposely kept a bare cardboard base and started making my own out of random pieces of cardboard and cereal boxes. Making bookmarks is easy and fun.

How to make beautiful bookmarks:

Cardboard from a cereal box or any other thin cardboard.

Patterned Paper If you don't have patterned paper you can stamp or draw on them

Solid colored paper

Hole punch

Double sided tape

Different flat embellishments like shaped paper shapes, stamps or stickers

Cut bookmark shaped pieces of cardboard. You can use any bookmark you might have around the house.
Repeat the shape with the patterned paper and solid color paper

Using double sided tape tape the patterned paper and solid colored paper on different sides

Embellish any way you would like

Punch a hole towards the top of the bookmark and tie ribbon on it. 

There you have a simple handmade bookmark made with love. 

Old Spaghetti Factory Cotton Candy Drink

 

We love going to The Old Spaghetti Factory downtown. Noah always gets a delicious cotton candy drink called the Cotton Candy Limeade. He loves cotton candy almost as much as I do. It's his favorite part of going to The Old Spaghetti Factory. My cousin's kids also like the Cotton Candy Limeade. It's a cotton candy flavored drink with cotton candy on the straw. 

I had purchased a snow cone set while we were in Florida. I realized like a week later, I could clone this drink. I had cotton candy snow cone syrup. I am assuming they use a different kind of cotton candy syrup. I thought what the heck and tried it. I found cotton candy on clearance at the store before I had this epiphany. Either way I own my own cotton candy machine.I didn't make cotton candy for the drink this time.

  

Here's the recipe:

4 tablespoons of cotton candy snow cone syrup. 

Fill with lemon lime soda and ice

Add a squirt of lime juice.

Top with a piece of cotton candy on the straw. 

I had Noah try it and he said it was right. You may have to add more cotton candy syrup if you want it to taste stronger. I made up the recipe so I didn't want to add too much. 

Enjoy and stay tuned tomorrow for another homemade Sheilacakes original clone.

How to make chocolate covered Strawberries

 When you are going to romance someone the best way is through their stomach. It doesn't matter if they are male or female or who they are. Everyone loves to eat. If you think about a luxurious dessert, you may think of chocolate covered strawberries. Sure you can buy them from the bakery or at a specialty store but prepare to pay out the nose for them. The chocolate covered strawberries could cost you a couple bucks each. I remember making them randomly in my apartment before I was a mom. It just sounded good. I didn't have the money to buy some at the local chocolate shop. So I made my own. I have made them with all kinds of chocolate. Everything from chocolate chips to candy bars. 

Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Big strawberries
Chocolate of your choice 
1 teaspoon of shortening 

Melt the chocolate and shortening in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second intervals until smooth. 
Dip the strawberries and put it on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper. 

Here's some ideas to make them more fancy:

You can add crumbled candy bar and sprinkle on

Sprinkles or chocolate chips

You can drizzle candy melts or another type of chocolate on them after they dry. 
Just have fun with it. 

Put in the refrigerator to harden and enjoy!

Chicken Parmesan Recipe

 

My favorite Italian food is Chicken Parmesan. I order it at almost every Italian restaurant I go to. Parmesan is my favorite cheese after all. It seems like it's a difficult dish to make but it's not. It can be a little time consuming with frying the chicken. I like to make extra and freeze the cooked chicken for a quick meal later. I have been making chicken parm for years. I used to use Shake n bake but it wasn't needed. I did learn to not pour hot grease in a plastic party cup because it will melt quickly. 

 

 Here's my recipe:
 You will need:

A package of raw chicken tenders or breasts 
Pasta sauce of your choice. I make my own. 
1/2 cup Bread crumbs
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese 
Italian cheese
Vegetable oil
Two eggs

Pound chicken very thinly between wax paper

Mix cheese and bread crumbs in a shallow baking pan. 

In a separate baking dish crack two eggs with a tablespoon of water. Beat together. 

Starting with the egg mixture place the chicken in and coat with egg. Then the bread crumb mixture. 

Coat the bottom of your skillet with oil about an inch. Heat on medium high and fry each piece of chicken until golden brown and cooked through. Repeat until all chicken is cooked. 

In a 9x9 pan spread a layer of sauce. Then a layer of chicken. Followed by sauce and another layer of chicken followed by a final layer of sauce. 

Cook in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from the oven and cover with Italian cheese.
Return to the oven for 5 minutes until cheese is melted.  Serve with shredded Parmesan on top. 

I like to make broccoli on the side. I make broccoli with Parmesan and bread crumbs. It ties together nicely. 

How to Make a Treasure Candle

One of my favorite candles I liked to make are called Treasure candles. Treasure candles are really neat because they have little treasures you find when you burn the candle. It's a great gift for a friend. You can even have special meanings for the items to personalize it. You can create a key so they know what it means after they find each trinket. You could use it to give a bigger gift like a car or a ring. You could even hide a gender announcement or ask someone to marry you. Just find some small metal letters to spell out the letters.

Treasure candles
Candle holder
Wick
Wax. I like granulated wax because it melts faster. You could recycle old wax if you wanted to.
A big can
A big pot
A few small metal trinkets. Make sure they aren't plastic or they will melt.

Melt the wax in the can over boiling water. Be careful not to let the can fall over or allow water in the can.

Prep the candle holder with a wick and wrap the wick around the pencil at the opening of the mold. I like wax coated wicks for this. It helps it stay in place better.

Pour a layer of wax in the holder and let cool. Place a trinket on the layer and then pour the next layer on and repeat until to you get to the top of the candle. Trim the wick and you have your very own treasure candle.

Be very careful when handling the wax and the trinkets after burning. They will be hot.

Easy and delicious Stuffed Shells Recipe

 

I love Italian food in all shapes and sizes. I love the cheese and the sauce. Parmesan is my favorite cheese. I also love garlic. It's one of my favorite things. There is no such thing as too much garlic in my opinion. However, it does need to always be fresh. The only time I use garlic powder is when I make Chex mix. Fresh garlic is always the best. 

One of the recipes I like to make is stuffed shells. I don't make it as often as I like because it makes a lot of food. I am not even sure how long I had the box of jumbo shells in my pantry, the date was still good. It just sounded so good. So I made it before Noah and I watched The Wizard of OZ. It was his first time. I'm surprised I was able to convince him to watch it. 

I wanted to share my super simple stuffed shells recipe. Try saying that five times fast. 

You will need:
19 jumbo shells (cook extra incase they break)
15 ounces of Ricotta Cheese
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan 
5 cloves of very minced garlic (I use the Nextrend Garlic twist to mince it)
Spaghetti sauce (I use Hunts in a can) 
1 cup  shredded Mozzarella 
A few sprinkles of Italian seasoning 

Cook the shells in boiling water for 8 minutes. Let drain and cool. 

In a bowl mix the ricotta, Parmesan, garlic together. Sprinkle in a little bit of Italian seasoning. Be sure not to go overboard. 

Coat the bottom of your 13x9 pan lightly with sauce. 

Stuff a spoon full of the mixture in the shell. Place in the pan.

Pour over the remaining sauce. 

Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. 

Sprinkle Mozzarella on  top and return to the oven for 5 minutes. 

Enjoy!

The garlic is such an important part of it. The garlic really comes through beautifully. It really gives it a lot of flavor. It's such an easy and fun recipe to make with your family. Many stuffed shell recipes call for egg but I don't use it. 

I am really looking forward to dinner tomorrow.

Wine Freeze recipe

We like to go to Johns Pass when we are in Florida. It's a really neat fishing village. It has all kinds of cool shops where you can find more than the typical Florida souvenirs. There are also a lot of restaurants. Noah loves going to Bubba Gump which is a Forrest Gump themed restaurant. We also really like The Friendly Fisherman. There's also a wine shop. I am not a huge drinker so I occasionally enjoy a wine freeze. They are cheap and delicious. We have also gone to the actual  winery that makes the wine they sell. A cup of Wine Freeze is cheap but to make it t home is expensive. It's expensive if you buy the set of mix and wine. It's like $40 a set. It's also really hard to find. Flying with bottles in your suitcase is nerve wracking. If your luggage is thrown the wrong way forget about it. 

I decided to create my own version of Wine Freezes which are great on a hot day or when you want to pretend like you are at the beach. It's really simple too. 

1/2 cup of Strawberry Wine or Moscato Wine
1/2 cup Strawberry daiquiri mix
Ice to fill the blender. 

Put the ice in the blender until smooth. 

You can also do this with any flavored drink mixer. It's best if it's thicker though. 

Throw in a little paper umbrella and enjoy. Remember to drink responsibly. 

Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches

 

Noah loves to eat ice cream sandwiches. We buy them often for his dessert. I like them too. As a special treat I decided to make him a homemade ice cream sandwich. We had bought some cookies from the bakery so I thought why not. You can also make your own cookies if you want. It's super easy fun and special dessert. 

Here's my recipe:
2 cookies per sandwich
Ice cream of your choice 
Sprinkles.

Take two cookies and lay the bottom side up. 

Scoop a couple scoops of ice cream on one cookie. 

Put the other cookie on top and roll or sprinkle on sprinkles on the ice cream. 
Place in the freezer and enjoy.

It's best if you use frozen cookies but my stroke of genius was too late for that. It still worked though. The cookie kind of cracked but I smooshed it back together.  I chose sugar cookies from the grocery store bakery and chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Any kind of sprinkles will do. Mine are from Christmas. 

I hope you enjoyed this simple and delicious treat recipe. 

Delicious Summer Sangria

  

I occasionally like to have a drink when I am with friends. It's a fun way to unwind and just relax. I found out that I like sangria but I am not fond of red wine. I know it has all kinds of antioxidants and health benefits, it's just not my thing. Red Wine is too full bodied for my palate. 

 Here's a simple and delish Sangria using white wine. I love it because it's light and delicious.

1 bottle Moscato
1 bottle Blackberry Brandy
2 cartons of refrigerated Watermelon juice 
Watermelon chunks 
Blackberries 

Combine together in a big pitcher or even a jug with a spout. Stir and let sit in the fridge. The longer nit sits the better it gets.  

Sand dollar wreath

 

My family has found many sand dollars through out the years. We used to vacation in Florida a lot. We would go on shelling trips. A shelling trip is a boat ride to an island where there are a lot of great shells. A couple times we have come home with bags of sand dollars. You have to often bleach them to make them white. Most sand dollars aren't white from the beginning. They are dead of course so bleaching them also helps with the smell. I love making crafts out of shells so I decided to make a simple sand dollar wreath.

You can either find them or buy them. All of the sand dollars I used we found. We don't like to buy shells unless they are not in the area. I have purchased star fish in the past. I buy them from The Shell Shop in St. Pete Beach. You can order them online too. They have an amazing selection. 

Here's how to make a simple sand dollar wreath:

1 wooden wreath from the dollar store

10 sand dollars or enough to go all the way around. 

Glue gun

Embellishments. I used a starfish I bought for a dollar. 

Place the sand dollars around the wreath and carefully hot glue them on. Over lapping them looks really neat. 

Once dried add your embellishments with hot glue. 

Attach a ribbon or a piece of cord and voila! 

Help support Team Hope Walk

The Huntington's Disease Society of America's (HDSA) Indiana Chapter will be hosting the Team Hope Walk - Central Indiana, on Saturday, September 16th at 10:00 AM, at Mulberry Fields, in Zionsville, IN.

Team Hope is HDSA’s largest national grassroots fundraising event, which takes place in over 100 cities across the U.S. and has raised more than $24 million for Huntington's disease since its inception in 2007. Thousands of families, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and communities walk together each year to support HDSA’s mission to improve the lives of people affected by Huntington's disease and their families. 

Huntington’s disease is a fatal genetic disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain that is described as having ALS, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's disease all at once. Today, there are approximately 41,000 symptomatic Americans and more than 200,000 at risk of inheriting the disease.

“While HD might be rare, there are other families and friends here to support you within your very own community,” said Camille Colletti, HDSA’s Upper Great Lakes Regional Development Officer. “With laughter, smiles, and a day of fun; our Team Hope events bring us all together to embrace our challenges, because Family is Everything.” 

As someone who has seen the effects of Huntington’s Disease in Multiple people, it is one of the most heartbreaking things to watch your loved ones lose mobility, and their memories and thoughts as time goes by. 

One of the people was this beautiful woman who I loved with all my heart. I referred to her as my other mother. They never had children. She was struggling with Huntington’s Disease but she was the sweetest and always upbeat regardless of how she was feeling. Her faith was everything to her. She always had a smile on her face and a warm hug for a friend. She was always such a joy and grateful for every day she was alive. She loved to play piano and loved music. She sadly passed away. I will always remember her persistence and her determination and her love for everyone. 

Did you know that Every child of a parent with HD has a 50/50 chance of inheriting the expanded gene that causes the disease. If the child has not inherited this expanded gene, he or she will never develop the disease and cannot pass it on to their children.

Huntington’s Disease is both physical, neurological and cognitive.  Some of the symptoms of Huntington’s Disease:

• Movement problems lead to activity limitations and falls in persons with Huntington’s disease.
• Bradykinesia (slowness of movement)
• Akinesia (delayed start of movement)
• Uncoordinated movement
• Motor impersistence (inability to sustain a movement like holding a cup in the hand without dropping it)
• Difficulty with rapidly alternating movements (turning the palm of the hand face up then face down rapidly)
• Difficulties performing sequences of movements (getting out of bed, standing up from a chair).
• They can struggle with thinking clearly
• Often have memory issues and forgetting things in day to day life. 
• Multitasking 
• As the disease progresses, they will start having a lot more memory loss and experience dementia. 

I feel like Huntington’s Disease, is one of those that not many people knows about. It’s such a hard thing for the patient and for their family and friends. I would love for you to please donate. 

Easy Bacon and Cheese English Muffin Sandwich

 

I am not a big fan of breakfast honestly. I enjoy it on special occasions and sometimes on weekends. I know I should eat it more, I am working on it. When I am looking for an easy and delicious breakfast. I make homemade breakfast sandwiches. I am not a fan of egg on a sandwich. I don’t eat nearly as much sausage as I would like, because it’s time consuming and messy. I used to buy the frozen precooked patties but it never seemed like I got my money’s worth. I love sausage biscuits and gravy but I am not very good at making them. My mom makes the best sausage biscuits and gravy. I am happy that I don’t make them well or she would have me make it. It’s something special my mom makes me. There aren’t many of those things still. 

Pancakes are good, but not with syrup. I like chocolate chip pancakes so the syrup makes it taste weird. Here’s something strange. Noah doesn’t like syrup on waffles but does on pancakes. I am the opposite. Now I love bacon. It’s one of my favorite foods so I can eat bacon all day any day, every day. I used to eat massive amounts when I was younger. I don’t really do that anymore. I created a simple breakfast sandwich that is ready in a couple minutes including prep. 

Sheila’s Bacon Breakfast Sandwich:

English Muffin

2 slices of precooked bacon

Two pieces of American Cheese ( I like Velveeta slices)

Open up the English muffin. 

Put a piece of cheese on each half of the English muffin

Cut the bacon and make a hashtag with the bacon and close the sandwich

Microwave for 45 seconds and let cool and enjoy!

Pearberry Fruit leather recipe

Here is my recipe for Pearberry Fruit Leather:

3 pears

1 container of blackberries

1 tablespoon of honey

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees

Cut up pears and place in the food processor. Add the blackberries and purée until there are no lumps.  Add honey and mix it up. 

Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and  spread it evenly.  Bake it for about 5 or 6 hours until completely dry. 

Remove the fruit leather from the cookie sheet carefully and cut in to strips and enjoy. 

My fruit leather is really thin. It is really good this way. It melts in your mouth and doesn't hurt your teeth, like the thicker stuff does. It's also a little crunchy. We love it though. Noah tried to attack it this morning, I thought it would be great for lunches.

If you would like it thicker you could use a smaller cookie sheet or increase the amount of pears and blackberries.

Adventures of Pumpkee!

The Original Pumpkee 2013

We always carve pumpkins for Halloween. When Noah was only 7 weeks old, I carved a little pumpkin with a screwdriver. It was a pumpkin I bought at the apple orchard. When Noah was one, I tried to get him to touch the pumpkin insides, he freaked out. He ran away. He tried to protect me from it. It made for some interesting photos. I learned quickly that I had to do it all by myself. I am a horrible carver. I am left handed and well, it’s just a win when I can carve it. I tend to make very simple shapes. One year I went crazy and decided to carve a sea life theme in the pumpkin. It took me forever but it was so cool. I was very proud of it. It was a masterpiece.

Sealife Pumpkin 2011

When Noah was seven years old, I carved a face in the pumpkin and he loved it. It was very simple. He had grown very fond of it. He named it Pumpkee. When Halloween was over and it started to get mushy, it was time to say goodbye to Pumpkee. He was so distraught. He was sobbing and inconsolable. I felt horrible for throwing away Pumpkee, but I had to. I had a brilliant idea. I told Noah that Pumpkee would come back next year. 

So, the next year, I carved Pumpkee again. I recreated him exactly. Every year since Pumpkee comes back for Halloween. He still hates when it’s time to throw Pumpkee away but he knows that he will be back. Pumpkee always comes back. 

I told Noah that he has to make sure Pumpkee comes back every year for forever with his kids and grandkids. So, this year Pumpkee will be back and we will probably carve another cat. I am glad that Noah doesn’t judge me by my pumpkin carving skills.

How to make easy candles

 I used to love making candles when I was younger. I still have an extensive candle collection. Making candles can be really easy and you don't even have to melt the wax. It's a great craft for little kids because there's no heat while making them. I know the thought of dipping candles over a hot pot of wax where you have to make sure you dip them in wax and then in water can be time consuming. It is fun but it is annoying if you don't remember if you did it properly. Noah and I have dipped candles before and they turned out great. I like the easy way though for a quick rainy day craft. 

Easy candles
Different colors of granulated wax
Wicks with the metal button on them 
Glass candle holders. You could even recycle one. 

Place the wick in the bottom of the candle holder. The ones with the metal button help it stand up. 

Layer different colors of wax in the candle holder. You could even break up little bits of scent that you find in the candle making aisle at the craft store to make them smell good.

Trim the wick. Easy Peasy you have a simple homemade 

DIY ID Bracelets

When you go to an event, the store or anywhere with your kids, you risk them getting lost. It only takes a second for them to run off or dawdle behind. I remember one time Noah and I were at the grocery store. It was shortly after we got our kitties. We were in the pet aisles. I had finished getting what I needed and kept shopping. About five or so minutes later, I noticed that Noah was not with me. I thought maybe he was with my mom but hen wasn't. He was 9 so I wasn't took terribly worried. I went running around looking for him. He was looking at the cat toys. Noah is now old enough to give out my number or state if he's lost. Younger kids don't have the skills to do this. There's all kinds of safety things out there from tattoos to bracelets. I would have no qualms taking masking tape and marker and sticking it on his shirt.

We go to a lot of festivals and fairs. We seem to have a lot of the plastic band bracelets. We have them with all kinds of logos. Noah got one that says Shark Con 2017 because I liked them on Facebook. I have seen ID bracelets with information engraved in the plastic. I wonder if the information is visible or not. 

Either way here's a mom hack. Take a plastic bracelet and turn it inside out. Write your info and allergies on the inside with Sharpie. Put it on your kid's arm and draw a small arrow on the outside. If someone finds your child, they know who to contact. I have seen many children wandering around at the store. Save your money on spending $10 and make your own with the free ones you picked up at the fair. Kids love to wear them anyways. 

Here's a bonus mom hack using the same silicone bracelet, use it as a drink label for water bottles. You can assign colors or even write names and keep them tucked away for the next time. 

Chocolate covered strawberries

When you are going to romance someone the best way is through their stomach. It doesn't matter if they are male or female or who they are. Everyone loves to eat. If you think about a luxurious dessert, you may think of chocolate covered strawberries. Sure you can buy them from the bakery or at a specialty store but prepare to pay out the nose for them. The chocolate covered strawberries could cost you a couple bucks each. I remember making them randomly in my apartment before I was a mom. It just sounded good. I didn't have the money to buy some at the local chocolate shop. So I made my own. I have made them with all kinds of chocolate. Everything from chocolate chips to candy bars. 

Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Big strawberries
Chocolate of your choice 
1 teaspoon of shortening 

Melt the chocolate and shortening in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second intervals until smooth. 
Dip the strawberries and put it on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper. 

Here's some ideas to make them more fancy:

You can add crumbled candy bar and sprinkle on

Sprinkles or chocolate chips

You can drizzle candy melts or another type of chocolate on them after they dry. 
Just have fun with it. 

Put in the refrigerator to harden and enjoy!

Free ways to be kind

I have always been big into being kind. Being kind is so easy. It’s much harder in my opinion than being mean. When you are mean, you have to work harder and think of ways to hurt people. There’s a common misconception that being kind means having to reach in your pocket and give money. While giving money is a great thing to do, not everyone can afford to give all the time.  I wanted to share some free ways you can be kind to someone else. Maybe if more people realize that you don’t have to give money, they might be open to being more kind. 

Open the door for someone else at the store. Let others go in front of you. Hold the door for as many people as you can. I remember one time, I was at the mall and there was a woman using a walker and I waited for her to come in and I held the door for her. She thought that was the kindness thing. 

Let someone go in front of you in the checkout. If you aren’t in a hurry, let them go before you.  It doesn’t take very long to wait. I always have a knack for finding the line that will have problems anyways. 

Smile at someone. My best friends mom is in a nursing home. The other day we went to go take her something. There was a woman in a wheelchair and I smiled at her. She smiled back. It was the coolest exchange. 

Say something kind to a stranger. Give them a compliment. If you like their hair or their outfit, tell them. You can definitely find something about them you like. Just even as them how they are doing?

If your baking, send some treats to a friend. I did my normal holiday baking and I sent treats to two of my friends who in turn shared them with others. Bring cookies to a neighbor. 

Spend time with people. I know that one sounds so easy and almost redundant. Honestly though people just want your time. They want to make memories with you. You don’t have to do anything special. Just give them your undivided attention. Put your phone away and focus on them. 

Offer to help a neighbor or friend. If you know how to do something a neighbor can’t do, do it for them. Offer to take them to the store if they don’t drive.  Loan them something.  Neighbors are friends that live next door. 

Mow someone’s lawn or shovel their driveway. All my neighbors have snow blowers and thankfully my neighbor will clear off my driveway and sidewalks for us. 

I would love to know ways that you can be kind without spending any money. 

What dating a blogger is like

While I was thinking about dating and random stuff while I was mopping the floor. I started thinking about what it is like to date a blogger. I have never dated a blogger, but thought I wish I could. They would understand almost everything about what I do. It would be so easy to connect on that level. Unfortunately, there seems to be a lack of single male bloggers online. 

There are some great dad bloggers but they are either married or attached. I am honestly pretty shy about talking about my blog in real life. I love blogging and I have made some really great friends and had some amazing opportunities from it. I am just weird about it. It's a strange job, it's not super mainstream. I remember talking to my aunt and uncle about my blog when I first started almost eight years ago. My uncle was kind of skeptical about the whole product thing. 

I mean how to do explain professional blogging to a potential love interest? I mean it's kind of hard. When I am talking to someone, I mention that I am a writer. I work with brands to promote products and services. Usually the reply is cool or how can I do that? I always say it takes a lot of work and discipline. Some are supportive others think it's weird. I wanted to write a post about what it's like to date a blogger, but I can only tell you what it's like to date me as a blogger. Everyone is different and writes about different things. So, I can't make a blanket statement about dating any blogger. 

I am very disciplined, I have things I have to do right away. Sometimes I have a client who asks if I can post right away. I usually accommodate unless there's a reason I just can't. 

I am great at multitasking. I am not answering an email or doing something to be rude to you. I am listening, I promise. I am not glued to my phone but I might need a few moments to do something. 

I wear a lot of comfy clothes. I work from home and I don't dress up to work. It's just not comfortable. I must be comfortable to be creative. It's just who I am.

I have a pretty open schedule during the day so if you want to grab lunch or go to a movie I am usually good with that. 

I sometimes work weird hours. I will resist texting you at 3 am while I am finishing up something. If you are up, text me. If I don't answer I am probably sleeping. 

I get invited to local events and I might take you along. You need to be professional too. You are an extension of me and my brand. 

I might mention you on my blog. I will usually ask first. I share a lot of stuff publicly. I won't share personal information about you or your life without consent. 

I like to take photos. You might be in said photo. I will have you sign a waiver and a non-disclosure agreement. I get invited to things like movie screenings that are embargoed. That means you can't talk about it, including social media. 

I have spent almost eight years building my brand so it's one of my babies, like Noah is. I have poured my blood, sweat and tears in to this. Your presence is important too. 

I might be guarded about certain things because of confidentiality agreements. Please don't take this personally. You may not have access to my email because of this. 

I will get stressed out. Sorry. It's just part of the job. Just hug me and give me some cupcakes. 

I might ask you to try a product out and ask for your honest and brutal opinions. I will include them in my articles maybe even photos of you using it. 

Read my blog. Get to know me better. I include personal stories in almost all my posts. If you need a list of keywords let me know. 

I might use strange blogging words like SEO. That means search engine optimization. That's basically how to get ranked better in search engines. 

I may have to go on a trip with short notice. Sometimes you might be able to go depending on the brand and the level of the relationship. 

I love creating and trying recipes. That means you get yummy food to try. Who doesn't love food? 

I'm a writer so texts might be long. I have lots of interesting things to say. I don't expect novels back but more than ok or cool would be great. 

I get excited about opportunities, so I will probably get excited about things you are just ok with.  Be excited with me. 

I might ask for your feedback sometimes. Sometimes you just need another pair of eyes to catch things. 

I can work from anywhere if I have internet or cell service which is always nice. 

I might have boxes around. Let me know if you need any. I can open a closed box with my bare hands. 

I have a very supportive community that I am part of full of amazing blogger friends who I love. 

That's basically what it is like to date me as a blogger. Hope you enjoyed reading it.