Whew! It’s been a while, friends, but rest assured that I am still here and doing well.
I’ve had a busy summer. I spent quite a few Thursdays at the Log Cabin in Groveport being a vendor in their Farmer’s Market, and I actually spent a weekend in Hocking Hills at the Hocking Hills Craft Show.
Fun fact: Hocking Hills is actually the farthest I’ve travelled for a craft show, and honestly…..I’m hooked!
Let’s start by talking about Hocking Hills, because it was a one-off type of show. It was a two day show at the end of August. Hocking Hills is about 45 minutes from me, and the area was gorgeous! The show was slated to be huge. There were 90 approved craft vendors and about 10 approved food vendors.
The original plan from the show coordinator was to have some vendors show up Friday (the show was Saturday & Sunday) and the rest to arrive to set up 2 hours before the show started to set up. Well…we all know Murphy’s Law, right?… There was a good bit of rain that went through Hocking Hills Friday, so the driveway flooded, making it inaccessible. This meant that all 90 vendors were to set up Saturday morning.
When I got there, I ended up having to wait in the parking area before being allowed to go up to where my spot was. Turns out, there was only one way in and out, and it was a very very narrow driveway, up a hill, and on uneven ground that hadn’t been mowed (think very tall grass that had seeded). I waited probably 10 minutes before even being allowed in to set up. Once I got in, I learned that the coordinator hadn’t completed the vendor map, so it was kind of a free for all on where to place my tent. I decided to stay toward the front, about 6 or 7 spots down from my friend Nikki (who makes and sells the most phenomenal candles).
As I was setting up, I found myself extremely frustrated by the lack of communication, the lack of organization, and overall just felt dejected and ready to call it quits (at 8:00AM and not coming back the next day). In fact, there were a few vendors who ultimately made that decision. BUT I stuck with it, set up, and waited for the event to start.
and WOW I’m glad I did.
My Saturday was phenomenal. I loved my setup, my products were showcased beautifully, and I had a lot of foot traffic and sales. I think overall, I sold ~$250 in product, and made hundreds of connections.
I even decided to go back Sunday 😉
Sunday was significantly slower, I think I only made ~$50. Part of my feedback to the show coordinators was to make the show a total of one day. Even though it wasn’t far for me, I know a lot of people drove down from other parts of the state, some even driving over 2 hours just to come to this show. To me, that’s insane!
Overall, I had a lot of fun at this show, and plan to go back next year, if invited.
The season for the Groveport Farmer’s Market is officially over, and I had a blast all summer. I met some amazing vendors (looking at you, Hannah) and finally got enough of a push to sign up to be a vendor at Groveport’s annual Apple Butter Day. What’s even cooler is that I WAS APPROVED!
October 14th is going to be the date for Apple Butter Day in Groveport, so if you’re close, please stop by. The event is a one-day ordeal from 10AM to 6PM. There are numerous vendors and tons of food options. If you have kiddos, they have a kids area which is phenomenal (speaking from experience of taking our girl last year). I’m so excited to have been chosen as a vendor for this event.
At home, I’ve been doing a lot of experimenting with baking and cooking, and have ventured further than the sourdough realm that I’ve boxed myself into. Last week, I made a traditional yeast-based bread, but substituted a whole wheat flour instead of my usual white All Purpose Flour. I’ll have to do some messing around, because the finished product was a little dense and dry for my liking. The flavor of the bread itself was great, and I’ll likely make another batch of it, just with less flour this time, and hopefully more of a rise to incorporate a little more air and fluff into it.
Cooking-wise, I’ve really been into eating at home more often than I eat out. Full transparency, I’m currently the heaviest I’ve ever been, and I’m really not happy with the way I look and feel in my skin and clothes. When we got back from vacation last week, I decided to really put my health and wellness at the forefront of my focus.
I found an app called Mealime, which has been a great one-stop shop for everything I need to eat better. I signed up for the premium version , which allows me to see full nutrition labels and it unlocks even more recipes. I’ve tried 5 or 6 of the recipes, and haven’t found one that I won’t ever make again. It’s a great app to have in your back pocket if you’re looking to start making changes.
What’s nice about Mealime is that it creates grocery lists for you, too. There’s even an option to add those items to your grocery store’s online option to do either pickup or delivery. To me, that’s really intuitive. There are also a lot of subgroups for snacks, lunches, dinners, quick meals, budget friendly things, and so much more. You can also set dietary restrictions and food preferences within the app.
Here are a couple of in-app screenshots that I’ve taken to show the versatility, and one of my favorite meals that I’ve made so far 😉
If you want to check it out, I’d appreciate it if you could use my referral link here.
And I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t talk about the books I’ve been reading. I tend to be a mood reader, so with the “spooky season” coming in hot, I’ve transitioned into some more fantasy type books, and some warm rom-coms. Two books lately that have really stuck out for me (and coincidently just finished) are You Again by Kate Goldbeck and Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross. I’ve been toying around with the idea of doing individual post reviews on both of these, but haven’t made up my mind yet. If you’d like to see them spelled out in review form, let me know in the comments!
I was also contacted by a member of the Reedsy community to potentially partner with them on Indie published books and getting the word out there on some lesser known authors. I’ve put in an application and should hopefully hear back from the Editorial Manager within the next few weeks. Fingers crossed, because I love books, and I absolutely love working with people to make sure their art is showcased. If anyone knows of any books in the meantime that may be off the beaten path but are fabulous, drop a comment below as well and I’d love to check it out!
I just started the last book of The Cruel Prince trilogy (yes I’m calling it a trilogy even though there are a couple of novellas). I always struggle a bit with the beginnings of these books. Not quite sure why, because I end up being hooked eventually. The beginnings are just slow for me, and then the last 100 or so pages are just in your face action. Hoping for the best for this last one, because I’m starting to lose steam when it comes to fantasy books.
If you’ve made it this far, THANK YOU! I always appreciate anyone who is willing to take the time to read my words. Hopefully it won’t be forever until I post again, so see you soon!
The Mediocre Homemaker 