July 4th weekend!  There’s nothing like it, no matter where you are.  Lucky for a lot of you reading this, you happen to live in the greatest city in the world (some in the best neighborhood ;)).  I hear there are fireworks at Citifield after the game on Wednesday night, I’m sure we’ll have the usual street fairs on Thursday, and I know my friends at Singlecut are having a special July 4th Edition of Trivia Night.  All this to celebrate our country’s independence.  I find that especially moving living in Astoria where it is such a melting pot of cultures, races and generations.  That’s what makes this place so great!

And speaking of cross culture, this week my drop was at Max Bratwurst and Bier on the corner of 30th Ave and 47th Street.  I actually used to live over in that part of the ‘hood on 48th and 30th (I’ve had 3 apartments in my 4 years here.  Moving and I are bffs) and watched it go in.  Embarrassingly enough, I had not been there to eat until now. And for anyone else that is saying the same thing, GO.  You will not regret it.

I did my typical drop on Thursday, just the usual “Here are some cookies, yada yada, I’ll be back for the plate, see you then!”  And then all weekend I looked forward to picking up my plate so I could have dinner there 🙂

I came back to Max’s on Sunday, hungry and excited.  I had biked to the LIC Flea earlier that day and all that biking had worked up a appetite.  That’s another place you have to check out, http://www.licflea.com.  Open on Saturday and Sunday from 10-6, it’s exactly what you’d think a flea market in LIC would be; a perfect blend of artisan booths, great food, and antique pop up shops on the water in LIC.

The view from LIC Flea

I had a delicious donut (for $1!) from Old Fashioned Doughnuts, bought a vintage Paloma Picasso scarf from Harold and Maude Vintage and spent the rest of my time avoiding food stalls, trying not to ruin my appetite for later that night.

Antique fire helmet

 

When I got to Max Bratwurst and Bier, I was ready for some good food.  I sat outside in the back of Max’s seating area so I could be close to my bike because my lock broke and I didn’t want to take any chances.  When Daisy, a server there, returned my plate to me, she gave me two cards, each good for one free bier.  I decided it would be very un-German of me to have a brat without a bier, so I cashed in one of my cards, ordered a Farmer hot brat and a side of fries and kicked back with my Hofbräu.

Fun fact, did you know HB was gluten free?  I was informed by the friendly waitstaff that most of the biers they serve at Max’s are gluten free.

When the food came out, it was more than I expected.  You definitely get a bargain for what you pay.

The brat was so good, nice and spicy without being overwhelming, topped with sweet peppers and caramelized onions, and the fries were nice and crispy on the outside with an almost melty hot inside.  Two foods I will never get tired of eating are french fries and cake.

I told Daisy a little bit about Single Girl Cookies and told her I needed a recommendation for next week.  She called up the owner and came back with Ponticello Ristorante.  Now, after being all around the neighborhood, I rarely am close to where I live, but this is three blocks away!  It’s also another place I’ve walked past for years and haven’t been.  And, if I’m being truthful with you, I’ve been watching The Sopranos lately and have had such a craving for Italian food.  Same thing happens to me when  watch Mad Men, except with whiskey.

Now, this weekend I’m out of town again for my brother’s wedding and have to do my drop on Wednesday.  I called to check their hours to make sure they were open and find out that starting that night at 9, they close for three weeks for summer vacation.  Well, darn!

As I’m finishing my brat (I just can’t say enough good things about it, so good), the owner, Renis (pronounced Renny) and a group of his friends have a seat at the table next to mine.  There are many thanks passed around and I tell him about Ponticello’s and that I need another recommendation.  He tells me that his friend Alex owns The Chicken Shack on the corner of 35th and 30th and that’s where I should go.  Either way, I’m still going to be very well fed 🙂

I finish my brat and bier, and Renis sends another bier over from him as a thank you for the cookies.  That opened the lines of communication, as that kind of gesture tends to do.   I like to ask people, “What’s your story?”.   It is purposefully open ended so people can actually choose what they want to share, rather than answering a very pointed question like, “So, what do you do?”, and also, we are more than being defined by our job.  I asked Renis, and all of his friends that were hanging out, what his story was.  I found out he’s a young entrepreneur with a wife and child at home, who opened up this place because he saw a hole in the offering of food in Astoria, and that there wasn’t a German place besides the Bohemian Hall.  Originally from Albania, he moved here when he was 16 after his parents came for a better life and has worked his way up to business owner.

I asked his many other friends a little bit about their background and how they got to this place, NYC/Astoria/where they are in life.  One was from Croatia and had been here 18 years, another been here only a year from Italy, another a German born Italian with the craziest accent I’ve ever heard who identifies as “Italian with a German education”and is taking ESL classes geared at those going to college.  I was the only US born American at that table.

And isn’t that one of the greatest things about living in Astoria?  You can turn a corner and be surrounded by literally 10 different cultures, 4 different languages, 5 different cuisines, and you’ve just stepped out of your doorway.  As different as we all are, the thing that unites us and makes us all the same is that we are all working toward the same goal, a good life, good friends, and happiness.

This group asked me where I hang out.  I replied, “I don’t, really.” I explained that most of my friends are into their own thing, schedules are hard to get together and I don’t have many friends anyway.  Renis pulled back, slightly offended and said, “Hey, what are we now?  Are we not friends?”  Indeed, we are now.

So, enjoy this weekend!  Celebrate your independence safely, knowing you have the freedom to do things you love and live your dream.  Thanks, Astoria, for making that possible for this Single Girl 🙂

 

Renee Heitmann, Copyright 2013

My cousin graduated high school this weekend.  18 years old, going to Geneseo in the fall for something biology related (maybe??  I’m a terrible cousin) and a full grown human person.  Even as I type this, I’m holding back the tears (I’ve got to get this post out!) because I just can’t believe he’s old enough to drive, old enough to vote, old enough to be considered an adult, and quite frankly, I can’t believe I’m the age I am.  Not that I’m old, but where did the time go?

Going home is always a double edged sword for me,, and probably always will be.  Maybe it’s because I’m so (read: too) self aware.  But every time I go home, it feels like I’m passing through some sort of time portal, one that allows me to revert back to what I was when I lived there, while still being who I am now.  It’s like when I listen to certain songs and pieces of music.  The other week I was on the train, and a song came up on my iTunes that brought me back 4 years.  I had resynced (I know that’s not the real word for it, but don’t care) my phone and threw a somewhat surprise mix of music on.  This was just a regular song from a singer/songwriter I had seen once or twice when I was relatively new to NYC.  I liked what I heard and bought a few and honestly hadn’t listened to them since right after I bought them.  But as soon as I heard those first chords, this odd mix of insecurity and uncertainty came rushing back, but only a glimmer.  The person that I am now reacting through an outsider perspective while simultaneously experiencing those faint feelings as the person I used to be.  It’s such a surreal experience  but one I feel at least once a trip home.  It’s like you’re a gemstone that starts out rough but every experience makes a new cut, making you something different than you were before, while still maintaining the original core of you.

These thoughts have been rattling around in my brain this past week as I prepared to go home and participate in our crazy Catering-For-150-People graduation party.  I had to make my drop this week early on a Tuesday (or was it Wednesday) and didn’t actually pick up my plate until today, being that I was out of town for the graduation.  So I went to Salon Deana on 30th Ave between 47th and 48th Streets to pass of the cookie torch, and they were so well received!  It’s a small, bright and clean shop and had a few customers there when I came by.  I spoke with Andrea (ahn-DRAY-uh, maybe there’s an accent there I don’t know how to put in) who was very nice and seemed to really ‘get’ the project.  I went my merry way excited to see where they would send me next!  When I came back today, they were really appreciative and I actually ran into Ivanna from my last drop at Joe’s French Cleaners who just had her hair done, and looked very good, btw!  For all you ladies, or men I suppose, this seems like a good spot!  When I asked for their recommendation, they immediately said, “The Corner.  Go to the place on the corner.”  Max’s Bratwurst and Bier.  I used to live over on 48th and 30th and watched this place go in, yet have never been in.  So, needless to say, I’m really excited to drop off some cookies and have some schnitzel and bier!

Now, without going into too much detail, my family is nuts.  In all the best ways possible, but we’re a little bit crazy.  My good friends from home can attest to this – Alaina, Jen, you know what I mean.  We do everything to the nth degree just cause it’s more fun that way and we think it’s hilarious ourselves, how nutty we are. And in the the true style of our family, this party was to be just as awesome and over the top.  So for Michael’s party, we rented (btdubs, “we” means my whole family – Mom, Dad, my bro and sis, her husband and their kid, my aunt, uncle, and their three kids.  Plus the Grandmas.  Technically extended, that’s our version of immediate.  We are all involved and invested in one another’s lives) the long hall at Onanda State Park and prepared to cater for 150 people.

The menu was Michael’s Favorite Foods: chicken parm, fried chicken, chicken from Club 86, roast beef, meat balls, ziti with meat balls, meat pies, sydea (omg, SO GOOD), lyuba, mashed potatoes, pierogies, bacon wrapped tater tots, shrimp cocktail, poppy seed salad, fruit salad, rosa marina, and a selection of various kinds of chips and dip – guac, salsa, hummus.  All of this was accomplished with the amazing organization and efficiency of Chef Mark.  What a guy!

Please note his professional looking chef coat.  Guess who has her very own Single Girl Cookies chef’s coat too??

Courtesy of Krista and Chef Mark, sister and brother-in-law of Single Girl.  Embroidered pocket to come shortly.

Then there were the desserts.

I was asked to make my signature cutout cookies and carrot cake cupcakes.  Now, carrot cake was something I had not tackled before.  For some reason, I had always viewed it as ‘more challenging’ than other kinds of cakes, maybe because of all the ingredients? I don’t know.  But anyway, never having made it before, I went in search of a good recipe.   I found it hard to zero in on one, not really knowing what would yield what, so I just took my favorite ingredients from a lot of them and made my own 🙂

These were no for the faint of heart, as there were three sticks of butter in the cake alone, not to mention the frosting.

The cutout cookies were, of course, delicious, and I decided to free hand some letters to spell out the grad’s name.

The quantities might seem small, but my aunt had requested variety so we had a lot of smaller portions of many desserts.  My mom made her famous Heitmann cookies and monster cookies as well.  You know, there is nothing like bringing it back to where it all began and baking with your mom.

We had some moments I will cherish for the rest of my life and pull out when I am old and gray, like the two of us dancing to JT’s new album, making a dance routine to Suit and Tie for my brother’s wedding next week and the both of us trying to belly dance.  No, wait, not ‘trying’, but actually doing it 🙂  Now you know where I get my moves.

All and all, it was a great weekend, successful for Single Girl Cookies (I have a new recipe to add to my repertoire) and solidifying for me personally.  As is with any large family occasion, I was able to chat with people whom I haven’t seen in a few months, or four or five year, sometimes ten.  I was happy to see all of them, for their pathway intersecting into my life for even the briefest moment has shaped the person I am today.  Former colleagues, old singing friends from high school era days, my fourth grade music teacher – her middle child graduated and is a friend of my cousin, my rock of a musical mentor and friend, all the while experiencing a different wave of the person I was when I knew them last.

As things died down, I sat there, outside on a picnic table, watching my nephew, the love of my life, run around with other kids his age.  The party to my back, the lake before me, I could see everything – the picnic tables filled with parents, the groups of kids, now adults, really, talking and laughing, and the children running with abandon around the lawn playing tag, without a care in the world. Behind me, I heard the strains of Neil Young’s Harvest Moon.  In that moment, I felt so full, so fortunate, significant, yet so small.

And as I sat there, I let it all wash over me.  That moment never had been before and never will be duplicated.  You can’t photograph or capture what that moment was.  You can only be present to experience that moment and take in your surroundings, which in turn, become a part of you and shape who you are.  Your moments, your actions and your reactions are simultaneously insignificant and monumental.  They mean nothing but everything at the same time.  Those moments, and that moment, add the facets to the person you are and are always becoming.  It’s in those moments that we are created.  So, ask yourself: who do you want to be?

 

Renee Heitmann, Copyright 2013

That sounds like a television show, right?  Maybe it’s a new reality series about a dry cleaner to the stars, or perhaps a comedy/drama in the style of Desperate Housewives or Scandal.  And what is it with our society and needing to know other people’s private information??  Some of you may know that I did an interview with ABC this week for a segment that will be airing next week and that got me to thinking – what information do I have out there?  There’s a potential for millions of people to see this and know my name and just what will know know about me?  I’ve never really thought about that, and I doubt many of us are in a position to need to know what others know about us. (follow that?)  Thankfully, I live my life in such a way that there’s nothing embarrassing or potentially negative about me that I could find, unless you count my outfit in this picture:

But come on, according to today’s fashion trends, I’m pretty stylish 🙂

Now, I mentioned the interview with ABC, which I will elaborate on in a bit (eek!  So excited to tell you all about it!), but because of that, I did this week’s drop earlier than usual, on Monday instead of Thursday.  So I’ll write about both of those and get back to some sort of normal schedule next week.

In an appropriate turn of events, my drop last week was Lost Sock Laundromat.  Get it?  Dirty Laundry?  Ha ha …ha….  Thank you, thank you, I’ll be here all week!  Anyway, in a good neighborly fashion, Off the Vine had suggested that I go to Lost Sock next.  They have just completed some renovations that were a long time coming (my former roommate and I used to live at 44th and 30th and he said he’d been talking with the owners about it for years) and the place looks more like a cafe than a laundromat.  There are exposed brick walls, unique light fixtures, and of course, state of the art equipment.  Everyone there was very nice and really seemed to “get” it.  She asked if there was a donation she could give or something else she could do but when I said no, this is all there is to it, she just looked at me and said “God Bless you.” I’d surely say I am.

On Saturday, I got an email from Lauren Glassberg of ABC Channel 7 asking me about my cookies and if there was a time to chat about it.  Apparently, a fellow Upstater that I used to do summer community theater with is a producer for ABC now and suggested that Lauren check out my project!  We spoke on Saturday and set up an interview on Monday for them to come and interview and tape me for a segment to be on the news next week!!  Take a moment and let that sink in, I had to.

Imagine:  NYC has a population of 8.245 million.  This channel is also broadcast to the greater NYC area.  If even a fraction of people watch the 5 o’lock news, there’s a good chance that a million people could see this and learn about SGC!!  That’s the potential for a million deeds of kindness to occur.  This could be a total game changer.

So Monday morning, in the pouring rain, Lauren and Gus came out to Astoria to film me baking and do the interview!  We got shots of me mixing, actually baking, then they wanted to film me doing a drop.  With my classic chocolate chip cookies, btw.  I had gone around the day before to pick up my plate from Lost Sock and get my recommendation early and also to give everyone a heads up.  Lost Sock sent me to Joe’s French Cleaner’s a few blocks down on 30th Ave and 46th Street (also keeping with my theme of dirty laundry – I know, I’m just too good) but when I went to give them a heads up, they were closed.  I also swung by Engine 263 for the same reason, to give them a heads up in case ABC swung by on Monday.  It was great to see my friends again and in true firehouse fashion, Rob says to me, “Have you eaten yet?  Come on back, we’ve got turkey burgers and macaroni salad.”  Who was I to say no? 🙂  We spent the next hour catching up on each other’s lives, hearing about new little league games, and making plans for this zeppole making night, which I swear, WILL happen.

Ok, now fast forward to Monday morning again as Gus the cameraman is filming me walking up to Joe’s French Cleaners in the pouring rain to surprise the lovely folks there.  I met Ivanna who was working there that morning, gave her my spiel, and then let Lauren come in and do a quick little interview!  She was very gracious about everything and I hope enjoyed the cookies! I haven’t been back to pick up my plate yet, but will certainly let you know where my next adventure will be one I know.

After that we stopped into Sorriso’s and got an impromptu interview from Frank, who, poor guy, didn’t know I was coming but still said some really nice things anyway 🙂

Lauren said I could look for this to air early next week and that she would give me about a day’s heads up when it does.

She also said that they would be sending a courier around 2 o’clock on the day that it airs to bring to the studio for the other newscasters to sample my cookies once the segment is finished!  I am really so excited, I can barely contain myself!!

And so this week I comb the interwebs for myself, making sure how I’m represented is accurate and honest.  I don’t care if I’m silly and goofy, because I definitely am both of those things and more, but because Single Girl Cookies is really its own living, breathing thing, and I’m just its representative, I owe it to my  supporters to practice what I preach; make sure that the actions I take are honest, thoughtful, heartfelt, and made with intention and integrity.  We all need that little check now and again, but Single Girl does that for me.  It’s made me live more open and honestly and I can truly say I’ve never been happier.  I’d say so far, I’m doing alright 🙂

 

Copyright 2013, Renee Heitmann

For those of you in the know, you’ll be happy to know that a check and informational package is on it’s way to the Red Cross as you read!  For those of you scratching your head and saying, “Whaa..?”, here’s the deal:  Single Girl Cookies put on a fundraiser last Saturday the 25th  to help the victims of the recent Oklahoma tornadoes.  I made about 100 cookies, was asking for a $5 donation per cookie, set up shop at Singlecut Beersmiths, and watched the donations pour in.  I still can’t thank you all enough for making it happen.  To Singlecut for donating their space and grain bag handbags, to everyone that gave money and enjoyed a cookie, and to my friend Corey, who is from that area and has helped me funnel the funds directly to Moore, OK.  Oh, and BoroMag and Zagat for doing those write ups too!  http://boromag.com/featured/eat-a-cookie-to-help-oklahoma/    http://blog.zagat.com/2013/05/restaurants-for-oklahoma-relief-where.html?utm_campaign=-&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_content=national&utm_term=

Singlecut even had milk on hand!

All and all, it was a great success.

I also did my usual Thursday drop this week, at Off the Vine, a wine shop on the northwest corner of 45th St and 30th Ave.  I used to go there a bunch when I lived on 44th Street and have always enjoyed their selection.  John Paul is always really knowledgeable and can steer you toward a good selection that is a little bit different from your usual go to wine.  I didn’t get around to picking up my plate until Tuesday after Memorial Day but when I did stop in, her referred me to go to Lost Sock Laundromat right across the street.  Being that I have approximately 4 loads of laundry to do, this feels little like kismet.  Or at least a reminder to do my laundry.

Speaking of Memorial Day, who was at Strand’s block party???  Was that not the best time ever?!?  $2 Narrangansett Beer, multiple bands, bbq – it doesn’t get better than that.  I came with a plate of cookies with the intention of meeting a follower and continuing my fundraising but while I was waiting in line, got recognized as Single Girl!  Although, before I get cocky about my reputation, who else would be waiting in line to get a beer with a plate of cookies?  I made some new friends, collected a few more donations, and before I knew it, the cookies were gone.

My new friend, Astor.

Keeping in the theme of party week, I attended Yelp’s Spring Spectacle at the Museum of the Moving Image.  For those of you who haven’t seen this exhibit yet, get over there.  Spectacle The Music Video explores the world of, well, music videos – fan made, cult favorites, sans music, interactive, etc.

Look, ma!  I’m part of A-Ha’s Take On Me video!

For this musician, it is by far one of the most fun exhibits I’ve been to, only second to the Jim Henson exhibit that was at MoMI last year.  A big shout out to Jando from Yelp for sneaking me onto the list last minute 🙂  There was food and drink, a really great dj, and a photo booth.

AND you got to explore around the museum.  Welcome to the World of Awesome.  My favorite snack came from the Alobar table, a place in LIC that I’d been meaning to get to for a while.  If anyone cares to join me, I’ll be there tonight, I an attempt to escape the heat and humidity as well as try some delicious food.

Some of you may have noticed this post is a little later in the week than others, which is just a reflection of how nutty the other half of life is becoming.  I’m taking a week off from the usual drop, although not from baking entirely; I made some strawberry cupcakes with strawberry icing this morning for a friend as well as some cookies for rehearsal today.  After this weekend’s success, I felt I needed the time to collect my thoughts, wind down the spring semester with my voice students, and come back next week refreshed and more ready than ever.  It’s going to be a Single Girl Summer to remember!

Hello, fellow cookie kindness lovers!  What a week; busy, productive, thought provoking, tiring and fulfilling all at the same time.  I reconnected with old friends, had inspiring conversations with both old and new friends, and ate way too many cookies and cupcakes.  That qualifies for a good week, wouldn’t you say?

This week’s journeying took me to one of my favorite places EVER.  If you’ve ever had a conversation with me, I’ve mentioned this place and how great it is.  When I asked my mom (who doesn’t live in Astoria or even close to it) to guess where I was going this week, this was her first guess.  Anyone?  If you guessed Sorriso’s Italian Pork Store, you’d be right!  I was first introduced by my friend Jen (you remember her from last week’s post, right?) and have been a customer for the last close-to-4 years.  Those of you who have been following Single Girl for most of my journey may remember that before I was officially “Single Girl Cookies”, I was taking my goods up to the fine folks at Sorriso’s to share my creations with someone.  I’ve brought cookies, cupcakes, pumpkin bread, even some of my homemade butternut squash soup.  And not to brag, but just ask my friend Lauren about my soup.  She’ll tell you how good it is.

It felt a little like coming full circle to be sent to Sorriso’s, essentially where the seed of this all began.  And because I’ve brought them so many things, I couldn’t just bring them the usual chocolate chip cookies this time.  This time, it had to be something special.

I started brain storming with my mother (another trend you may have picked up on in my SGC life) and her love of cannolis made me think, well, what if I did a cannoli cupcake?  I didn’t want to look at recipes too much and just copy something that was already out there so I decided on a vanilla cupcake with dashes of cinnamon and orange with a cannoli filling for the frosting.  I originally meant to put mini chocolate chips in the batter but as per usual Renee, I forgot 🙂

The cupcakes turned out pretty well, maybe a bit too dense for my taste but I made a second batch that I took to my lovelies at SingleCut.  the second batch was a bit lighter and fluffier and definitely more moist than the first go ’round.  But the frosting, oh my god.  It took me three tries to get it right (and an HOUR traipsing around the neighborhood trying to find an open establishment that sold ricotta cheese at 10:30pm on a Wednesday night) , but when I did, boy did I get it right!  I gave the tops a light dusting of cinnamon and sprinkled mini chocolate chips on top and voila:

They are every bit as delicious as they look.

The Sorriso’s crew loved them, I took home a sandwich (The Sorriso.  Grilled chicken, roasted red peppers, balsamic and oil, fresh mozz.  Another favorite of mine is the Hollander; roast beef with pignoli nuts, sundried tomatoes, mozz – so good.  I write haikus about my sandwiches and profess love to them) and some homemade ricotta for further experimentation and was a happy girl.  Sal also told me to head to Off the Vine for my next drop, which excites me greatly; I used to go there all the time when I lived at 44th and 30th.  I even ran into Jean Paul at some industry wine tasting years ago and because he’s so open, welcoming and nice, it felt like we were fast friends.  They also have a great selection of wines and he is pretty knowledgeable.  I’m looking forward to doing a little wine shopping while I’m there this week!

Also this week, Single Girl’s reach spread beyond Astoria and into the borough of Manhattan.  Turtle Bay Music School held their 9th Annual Perform-a-thon this weekend which is where the school and community comes together to fund raise and performs for three consecutive days (http://www.tbms.org/performathon/).  There are raffles, cake walks, and bake sales, in addition to the music being made.  It’s quite an amazing thing.  I participated by singing as well as contributing some baked good for the bake sale, which sold in hours.

Incredibly, we met and exceeded our fundraising goal for a total of $75, 325!  See what happens when people come together?

You may also remember a few weeks back I mentioned being interviewed by two students from Parsons about Astoria.  Curry and Andre had stumbled upon my project while researching the area and decided to use me and my project as a focus of their final presentation in one of their classes.

First of all, the class was fascinating to me because I never really sit down and think about economic growth and how it can be created within specific communities.  We all experience this with our desires and wants but never analyze how it happens and how it can be stimulated.  It was really eye opening, and perhaps I’ll be able to share some of it with you once they send it to me.  The other guests and professors seemed to really enjoy the concept of what I’m doing, and most importantly, Curry and Andre’s interest in SGC provided a whole new platform with which to introduce people outside the neighborhood to what I’m doing.

I met up with a friend on Saturday who was in town playing some gigs here in NYC this weekend and had mentioned my project.  As per usual, I brought cookies for the crew and band, but the exciting (for me) part is that I left my plate at the theater.  You know how I sometimes give plates of cookies away with a signed bottom?  Then other people sign the bottom and give it away with something else, like Astoria Coffee did to Astoria Bookshop.  It’s a bit like marking a dollar bill.  Btw, how excited am I that Astoria Bookshop found a location and we will be having a real, live bookstore here soon??? http://www.astoriabookshop.com/post/50665314621/hello-astorians-friends-and-readers-everywhere

Back to the plate.  I left it at the theater, which means either it got cleaned up and taken back with the caterer, or left at the theater for folks there to use, who knows?  The fact is that I have another SGC plate floating around somewhere with the potential of someone looking at the bottom, thinking, “What the heck is Single Girl Cookies?” and being curious enough to sit down at a computer and look it up.  My empire and reign of kindness is just beginning…aren’t you excited? 🙂

 

Copyright 2013, Renee Heitmann

I would not be here in Astoria today if it were not for one Ms. Jennifer Chase. Who I owe a long overdue phone call, btw, even though we only live a few blocks from each other. Jen has been a long friend of mine from home where our mothers used to teach together at good ol’ PYE and our families would get together for occasional pizza nights at the local Pizza Hut, or order in and spend the evening around the kitchen table over dinner and cookies, discussing the latest events and happenings in our respective lives. It was fate that brought she and her mom to our house one day when she was home (Jen had already been living down in the area for quite some time now) to drop in and say hello. We got to talking and I said I was looking to make the big move to NYC to pursue my dream of singing professionally, and that I was just going to find an apartment and then find a job and it would all magically work somehow. I remember those days of looking on craigslist at apartments and seeing things in the UWS, $1600 for a 1 bdrm, and thought, sure, no problem. My rent is far less than that currently and I still have to meticulously plan each month to make sure I’m squared away. All that is to illustrate just how naive I was and how little I understood about how NYC works. Jen, being the kindhearted and generous person she is, said, “First get the job, then the apartment. I live just outside the city and have a futon that you can stay on until you figure things out. I’ve had friends stay there off and on, come on down” I, having a few suitcases and bags of clothing, shoes, sheets, etc and $75 dollars in my bank account, took her up on her generosity and set up camp on her futon on Audrey Ave. in Elmont, Long Island, with the intention of staying for a month or so until things fell in line. I stayed for a year. Rent free. Go ahead, take a minute and let that sink in. Ok.

Things did go well and fall in line, but in the form of tours and possibilities of tours that kept pushing back the thought of getting an apartment together. When we talked about it, Jen kept saying, “Oh my God, I LOVE Astoria. It’s just the best. I want to get back there. That’s where we need to look for apartments.” She had lived here for years before and I had even stayed a night with her before years before our NYC journey together even began. A roommate’s unfortunate boyfriend situation led to the need for an immediate place which brought her to Long Island, but she never stopped wanting to get back. If her generosity of letting me crash for an entire year wasn’t enough, when she found a place, I wasn’t prepared for all that a NYC move entails – first/last/security, etc, and she fronted the security deposit for me. This woman deserves a friendship medal. We spent the next year in quasi-harmony 🙂 but never ceased to be close friends and remain that way today.

Great story right? I bet you’re curious what the point of all that was. Well, we’ll get to that later. For now, let me tell you about my week.

I made a stop at Parisi Bakery as suggested by Engine 262.  I dropped them by with Frank on Thursday and got to meet Joe this morning when I went to pick up my plate.  As a side note, I also picked up a slice of lemon coconut roll cake on Thursday that was definitely not made for just one person but I managed to decimate the whole thing.  I’m pretty sure anything you get from there will be just as yummy.

I grabbed a cup of coffee (also very good, btw) and said i just needed a minute of their time and would wait and let them help the actual customers.  I didn’t have to wait very long due to the quickness of service, not the amount of people that kept coming.  Every time I thought things had died down and I could talk with Joe for a few minutes, someone else would walk in!  And literally every person that came in was either addressed by name or treated like an old friend.  That’s just the way they do things at Parisi.  So when it finally was my turn, I introduced myself to Joe and vice versa and told him who I was.  He responded with, “Oh, you’re the one!  That’s a great thing you’re doing, my brother told me all about it!  And the cookies were good, actually!”  Ha, the cookies were good, actually.  Coming from a baker, I will take that as high praise.

We chatted for a few minutes and he was genuinely interested in the project and wanting to know more about it.  Although, from my short interaction, I’d be surprised if there is anything Joe or anyone else does there that is not genuine.  I walked away with such a good vibe, feeling like I just made a new friend.  One that just happens to make excellent baked goods.  Joe did also sincerely offer the use of their kitchen and generally “them” if there was something big I was working on or needed, or really just for anything.  It’s an offer that is very generous; people better watch out what they offer, I will take them up on it one day.

When I asked Joe where he thought I should go next week, he said without hesitation, “Sorriso’s.  It’s an Italian pork store over on..” and I interrupted him before he could go any further.  Oh, boy, do I ever know Sorriso’s!  I explained to him how they were a part of the start of SGC but that I had never been there as part of the official weekly drop.  I know the chocolate chip cookies are the Single Girl Signature, but these guys and gals deserve something different, something special.  Stay tuned, as I’ve got just the thing…

I also had what I’m calling an extra curricular drop this week.  I saw the show Blood Brothers last weekend at the Astoria Performing Arts Center and wanted to say “congratulations” with something sweet.  I wanted to do something different than cookies (in addition to cookies, I should say) and the organic store down the street had a great sale on strawberries, so I thought strawberry cupcakes would be nice.  The cake part turned out delicious as always but I couldn’t quite get a strawberry frosting that I was happy with, both in taste and in look.  I thought, what would look cool and also taste good?  I thought maybe a vanilla frosting with a dollop of strawberry preserve in the middle almost like a buck eye cookie would be good.  Luckily, I had some friends staying with me (built in taste testers) and we were able to come up with the perfect balance.  What resulted are some of the best things I’ve done yet!

I swung by the APAC on Saturday to drop off the cookies and cupcakes before I had to jet into the city to teach lessons and didn’t want to stick around and bother the actors before the show.  I completely forgot to take pictures, but luckily, my friend Jenny, wardrobe supervisor for the show, had the forethought to do it for me.

The cast ogling the goods.

What would any of us do without our friends and those who offer their services, kitchens, forms of help and selves?

In regards to the story I told you about my Astoria origins, I have what I call a lot of “couch karma” to pay back and frequently offer my aerobed or couch to anyone that needs a place to crash. For the last two weeks I’ve had a pair of brothers, good friends of mine from home, staying with me while they work here in the city for a bit. They’ve been immensely fun to have, helpful with dishes, tasting of new recipes (I need that more than you’d think, and would love any volunteers!) and for a pair of men, are fairly tidy too 🙂 They did bring me many ‘thank you’ goodies for the couch stay and contributed to the Single Girl cause. I also had a friend from college reach out to me after reading my post to offer her business knowledge and more to help me sort things out. I got to spend another whole day with a new friend just talking things out and taking in art. And I know you all saw that ridiculous display of awesome that my mother sent me in an unexpected package.

The point is, nobody goes this life alone. We might think ourselves the most independent, stalwart islands of a person, but we all need a little help from time to time. There’s no shame is asking for it and there’s certainly no shame in taking it. Just be sure you’re giving it every once and a while too.

 

Copyright 2013, Renee Heitmann

Do you ever have one of those mornings where you feel like you’re the bad news bear wherever you go?  I feel like I’ve delivered bad news with just about every email I’ve written, but it’s only because of good things.  What it really means is that Single Girl Cookies is growing faster than I know what to do with and we’re starting to experience growing pains over here.  It’s times like these when I wish I wasn’t a really fabulously trained and educated singer, but a trained business and finance guy.  Oh, who am I kidding, I NEVER wish that!  Not that there’s anything wrong with that, btw, just that it’s not for me.  Although, it would be nice to have someone to spit ball ideas/figures/strategies to and have them tell me how (un)attainable they are and maybe help me achieve them.  Anybody want to volunteer?  I pay in cookies.

Or what I really want is for someone to come along and say, “I believe in this idea.  I believe it can be a movement and I want to be part of it.  Here, let me help get you started, fund everything, do the work of getting you set to sell if that opportunity comes up and get you primed for whatever comes your way.”  So I guess what I’m looking for is a fairy godmother 🙂  Know any of those?

And similar to a fairy godmother that watches out for us, I spent this week at Engine 262 on 21st Street, the third and last firehouse stop in Astoria.

They were all very nice guys and seemed to appreciate the cookies.  I think more than that, they appreciated my bike, you know the one.  One even asked to ride around on it.  I told him he could and that someone at Engine 263 did last week.  I’m not sure he believed me but I have picture proof.

Pictures, or it didn’t happen, right?

Well, I asked them if they would do me a favor and I explained the picture that I was after; the third and final shot of my series “Single Girl Cookies with Firemen”.  I don’t think they understood at first until I showed them the pictures I had taken previously.  They then decided it was best to call another guy down to help them out.  In other news, I’ve taken up running again 😉

I got them all assembled and got a shot of them before they had to hoist me up.

Here was the end result:

I thanked them for obliging me and told them I’d be back in a few weeks with some more goodies.  When I got home, I took a closer look at the picture and thought, “What is going on at the end by my feet there?  Why are my feet all weird and why is he gripping them that way?”  Upon closer inspection, I realized that the gentleman holding my feet is also holding a cigar.  Awesome.

Paul, the one by my head, told me the official selection for next week’s drop is Parisi Bakery at Broadway and 31st.  I’m really looking forward to that, because, embarrassingly, I have never been in there, but know of their great bread from Sorriso’s.  Paul told me that they put out a fire in the kitchen there in 2009 and are very good to the men of E262 when they go to get their bread every morning now.  I bet I’d be grateful too.

In unrelated things, I came across these pictures from SITE’s 6th Anniversary Party that I never posted!  Shame on me.  It was a great time, and I swear, twitter came to life!  I met so many of my followers and people I follow, had some great cocktail from Haber’s Tonic (http://www.haberstonic.com/) and Cocktail Crate (http://www.cocktailcrate.com/), snagged some coffee from Astoria Coffee(http://www.astoriacoffeeshop.com/), took some fun photos with the Drunken Photographer (http://www.thedrunkenphotographer.com/about.html) and generally had a blast.  Mackenzi (http://sitenyc.com/) had asked me to make some cookies for the party and I came up with some hand drawn crowns, a 6 and some smaller crowns and hearts cause Single Girl’s got love for Queens and for SITE!

Cute shot of Mackenzi

They were gone in 23 minutes

So, in addition to my usual drop at Parisi Bakery, I will be swinging by the Astoria Performing Arts Center (http://www.apacny.org/) to drop off some congratulatory cookies to the cast and crew of Blood Brothers, now playing, and doing an interview with Nancy Ruhling for her Huffington Post blog Astoria Characters!  Yes, life is good.

 

Copyright 2013, Renee Heitmann

Do you like your job? Do you love your job? Ask a fireman. The answer will always be a resounding “Yes”. But even those of us that do love our jobs (I include myself in that category) have moments, or days of less than love. Things go wrong, we get frustrated by one thing or another, and find ourselves wishing for the future moment when it will be over. Not over in such a final way, but the seemingly innocuous thought pattern of “Geez, once Friday is done and ______is finished, I can finally relax”. Or, “I’m so excited for _______, I can’t wait for it to get here”, leaving us to wish away the days separating us from that thing we so eagerly anticipate. It seems harmless at first, but what happens when you realize one day that you’ve breezed by weeks, months, or even years living only for the highlights?

This week was quite the week for Single Girl, if I do say so myself. I had a couple of meetings with potential SGC future partners, did my usual drop, had lunch and spent an afternoon at the firehouse, and made 130 cookies and about 75 cupcakes. Come again? No, that’s not a typo, you read me correctly 🙂

I will have to gloss over the meetings, only because nothing is official yet, but there are lots of exciting possibilities that were discussed this week. Which got me thinking about farmers markets and such for the summer. I think something like a pop-up Queens Market or the like would be the perfect vehicle for Single Girl Cookies, and I’ve been told that people would buy a cookies or two if it were available. Then imagine the reach I could have! And, brilliant idea by Kate Forster, I’d make people tell me one joy before I let them have their cookie. There’s definitely something to this idea….If anyone has knowledge on what I need to do to obtain the proper licenses and such to do this, I’d love to hear from you, summer is coming soon!

Thursday, Drop Day, took me to Engine 263 Ladder 117 of the FDNY on Astoria Blvd South.

I must have come at a good time because I got to chat with about 8 or 9 guys. I told them all about Single Girl, went through the whole bit and they just got it. Which is more a testament to them and the nature of their understanding than my explaining. One guy even started to ask what the catch was, and the other guys interrupted him with “There isn’t any, it’s just for kindness, bro.” YES! They loved me (really, they loved the cookies, but I’d like to think they liked me too) so much, they asked me to stay for dinner. Someone even suggested “Hey! That’s what we do with the plate! We’ll fill it up with food for her to take home, let’s make her dinner!” That’s what I mean by “getting it”. I was asked what my favorite food was, “If it was your birthday and your mom said she would make anything you wanted, what would you asked for?” to which I replied I like steak, anything fried, and things with cheese. Classy.

They told me to come back later after my rehearsal and we’d have dinner. Sadly, they got a call, so when I came back that night, they were eating Chinese (which they offered me, btw. Firemen are generous guys) and told me they weren’t able to make me dinner but I could come back anytime I wanted. So I made a lunch date for Sunday to have some firehouse food and get my picture. What picture? Oh, you know, the second in my series of Single Girl Cookies with Firemen. You’ll see.

Meanwhile, I-Renee was freaking out because the day before, my school, TBMS, had called me up and asked if I would be able to make some goodies for the reception of their Black Tie Voice Recital on Friday, which I was also participating in. I, of course, was thrilled and jumped at the chance to spread the word beyond my usual reach, and share more of myself with my students and their parents. As it turns out, making that many of various things (cookies, cupcakes, etc) isn’t all that hard or unmanageable, just time consuming. I decided to go with a strawberry, blackberry, lemon, and vanilla. The lemon is one of my favorites and quickly becoming a staple in my repertoire. The vanilla I wanted to offer as an option for those that may enjoy the simple side of cupcakes.

The blackberry I had done before and just think it looks pretty

But the real winner of the night was my strawberry cupcake with strawberry cream cheese icing. Something about the fresh berries in the batter gave it a light fluffiness that was just enough real strawberry to be refreshing while still satisfying a sweet tooth craving. And I think these are real purdy too 🙂

Everyone did an excellent job during the recital, I was so proud of my students and their performances. The staff at Turtle Bay also did a very nice job at arranging and displaying my SGC creations and helped me spread my message of kindness and love!

Finally Sunday rolled around and I biked up to the firehouse for lunch. They said they had been expecting me and were just getting back from a call. Once everyone was back and the trucks were in, we went back to the kitchen where they served me up truly delicious pasta salad with grilled chicken and we got to talking.

This group of men was mostly different from the ones I met on Thursday but the inclusion and welcome feeling the same. They seemed to really enjoy answering my questions about how a firehouse runs, the difference between a engine and a ladder (I had no idea) the rigorous training that goes into becoming a fireman, and everything in between. Did you know that Tony Bennet used to come in and practice on the third floor of the firehouse? There used to be a piano up there and he’d come in and belt out a few tunes back when he was Anthony Benedetto. When talking the these guys, what comes through more than anything was a sense of pride and love for what they do. Some of them got into because they are thrill seekers, some did it because of family history, and some just thought it sounded like a good job and ‘why not?’. Which seems crazy to me, because you’re running into burning buildings, or prying people out of cars on the highway, or any number of insane scenarios, but ‘why not?’. I, for one, an thankful for whichever decision and choice brought them to that part of their life path; their job is to keep us safe or rescue us when we’re not. And nobody goes through life without help.

I told them about my quest to get another picture with them holding me up like the last house, and out came a flood of other suggestions! Like, how about you go up in the bucket?

And here, put this hat on. And wait! Hold an ax while you’re up there!

Who was I to say no? 😉

I also got the picture I was hoping for too.

As I prepared to leave, I handed out my business card with my contact info to Rob who says he’s going to get in touch with me when they have homemade zeppole night. Every guy has a specific task in making them, so that when they’re finished, everyone’s had a part in making them. He said I could come and help – I cannot wait for that. I was also handed down the official word that next week’s drop is to be at Engine 262 over on 21st Street. I believe that is the third and last firehouse left to visit in Astoria, so if anybody has any firehouse secrets they’re dying to have me ask about, let me know and I’ll ask!

Biking home, I couldn’t stop thinking about the conversations we had. About why they do it, how they feel about the horrific things they see, what motivates them to continue on this path. The answer to that was as long as I I know I do the best I can to help and save, then there’s nothing more I can do, and I feel good about that. It occurred to me that they probably get the most out of their lives than anyone else; they see daily how quickly it can all end, and without warning. Which made me think about my own. This weekend I had a lot to do, all things I loved, but lots going on where more than once, I thought, “Ok, once Friday is over, then it’s smooth sailing”. But then on Saturday it was, “Ok, so Sunday is the marker for me to be able to breathe and relax.” So when’s the stopping point to that? “Once summer comes, then it’ll be fun.” “I’m counting down the day to August for my vacation” Then what? Christmas? Pretty soon the whole year is gone and we haven’t lived, really lived but a fraction of it. How do you know the good if you don’t experience the bad? Living for the highlights in life makes them less sweet and less meaningful. But finding the good in the everyday and being present and celebrating the everyday is what makes a life worth living.

Celebrate. For life is short but sweet for certain.

 

Copyright 2013, Renee Heitmann

I tried writing this post last night but something felt off.  I knew that if I felt it, it would come through in my writing because you guys get me unfiltered, lucky you.  I decided to wait until this morning, which is my usual writing time.  I realized I have a ritual about writing these posts now, I suppose after 12 weeks I would.  I like to sit on the couch in my pjs and robe with a cup of coffee and turn off all distractions, phone, internet, music, etc and just write.  The idea of writing at night after a crazy day just felt wrong, like having an after dinner cappucino before the appetizers.  I realized that I need my sleep to reset my clock and my brain so I can wake up and start the next day fresh and refreshed and not be bogged down by all the crazy.  Everything’s all over the place, nothing makes sense, but in the morning, you’ve been ‘set’ and ready to go about your day.  It’s a little bit like forging metal, it only gets shaped when it’s hot and malleable, in the fire, if you will.  But when it cools, it’s strong, unshakable and ready.

This week’s drop was at Engine 312 on 35th Street between 23rd and Ditmars.  Now, this drop, more than others, got people excited and talking.  I had numerous people come out of the woodwork and tell me how they had family, friends, neighbors who are firefighters and how they really deserve this; I even had one woman warn me about their egos and ways with women, because her brother is one 🙂 I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but figure it’s nothing this Single Girl couldn’t handle.  What I found was a group of hardworking men that love what they do and are there because they want to help.

I came on Thursday before my regular evening rehearsal to drop them off but it turns out most everyone was out getting dinner.  I guess I should’ve come at 8am like the officers had suggested, but if you know me, you know that was never going to happen.  I had to share all my enthusiasm and excitement over what I was bringing them to one poor gentleman who seemed to say “yep” and “uh huh” after every sentence I said because I think he was waiting for the part of my spiel where I ask for money.  Why this extra excitement, you ask?  Well, in addition to the regular batch of chocolate chip cookies, I thought it would be fun to make a firehouse themed cookie.  I had some luck the previous night with freeform cutouts so I thought I’d try my hand at a fire hydrant.  What I got was a giant, somewhat childish looking decorated cookie, but I think it was awesome.

        

At the very least, it made me laugh.

I told them I’d be by Sunday to pick up my plates if that worked for them and was told Sunday was great and I’d get to meet all the guys.  Well!  I surely did.

Sunday was quite a lovely day, a bit chilly but still sunny and nice.  I thought it was the perfect day to take my gorgeous bike for it’s maiden voyage.  You all remember my bike, right?

Well,  thought Sunday was the perfect day to take it out for two reasons: 1.  The firehouse was a bit far for me to want to walk there and carry back plates (this has a basket) and 2.  The driver side rear brake on my car literally exploded on Friday (while on the LIE mind you) so the ol’ girl is in the shop and out of commission.  Reason number 3, this thing is just so pretty and I’ve been dying to take it out.

I pedaled up there and was greeted by three charming guys, Joey, Jimmy and Kevin.

They gave me back my plate, thanked me, and we chatted a bit about what Single Girl Cookies is all about and where they would send me next.  These guys don’t actually live in the neighborhood, so their official choice was Engine 263 on Astoria Blvd South.  I hear there are three firehouses in Astoria, this may be Single Girl Cookie Service month!  One week at the precinct, three weeks at firehouses, although you never know where people will send you.  The next firehouse may send me to Pita Pan for all I know.

Conversation was winding down and I was asking them for a favor when they got a call.  They told me they’d love to help me out and to come back.  I suddenly had some time to kill up on Ditmars on a beautiful Sunday afternoon…what to do, what to do?

Of course I went to Singlecut!  Duh.  Spending a few hours with my girl Amanda, and my man Sam and a new friend, Keith English Pale Ale was the perfect way to fill my afternoon.

When I went back, most of the guys were out on another call, but I met Bobby and got to have a great conversation with Joey, whom I had met before.  His shift was finished and he was headed out to watch his 7 yr old son play his very first pitched baseball game.  The most resonating thing about my 312 experience was Joey’s story.  I asked him how he became a fireman and this is what he said:

“I shouldn’t even be here, really.  Growing up, I wanted to be one or two things.  A baseball player or a fireman.  I was going to take the exam, but was in a terrible accident before it.  I was being discharged from the hospital the day of the exam, which only comes around every 7 years.  I couldn’t take it then so I had to figure out, ‘Ok, what do I do with my life?’  I went back to school, got my Masters and became a special ed teacher.  I taught grades 7-9, where these kids function on a second grade level, they don’t remember anything from day to day.  It was tough.  Then when the test came back around, I was worried I would age out or not pass it, but I took it and here I am.”

I remarked on how different those two professions were, special ed teacher and firefighter and his response was, “Eh, it’s not really that different.  They’re both helping people, you know?”

Indeed.

That was about the time when the rest of the guys came back from their call and I had them all at my disposal for my favor 🙂

I’m thinking since I’m going to another firehouse next week, I’ll start a collection of these: Single Girl Cookies with firemen!  Maybe I’ll get enough to make a calendar.

So, as you go about your week, think about Joey’s story.  Things may not turn out the way you hoped.  They may be challenging, frustrating, irritating or any number of things.  Then again, it may be the best week ever!  If you do have challenges, use them to shape yourself.  Nobody likes to go into the fire. It’s hot, uncomfortable and hard….but isn’t that how steel is forged?  Make each trip of yours into the fire count; let it make you stronger, more resilient and a force to be reckoned with.

 

Copyright 2013, Renee Heitmann

It is with confusion, anger and frustration that I write today, with a resounding question of “Why?”.  And not ‘why does something like this happen’, but why do we, as a human race feel this need, this impulse to do such horrible things to one another?  I cannot reconcile in my mind that someone felt such passionate hatred for a group of people without even knowing them that they want to kill and injure them?  It is because I am a decent human being that I will never understand.  Even if we have answers and knowledge, I will never understand, which is a good thing.

I can’t shake the feeling of how small I feel after something like this happens.  I think to a degree we all think of our selves as important, and we are in our own ways in our own lives.  But in the grand scheme of things, that job you wanted, your new car, that dumb guy that cut you off on traffic – none of it matters.  What matters are our reactions to those things that put out energy into the world; that still exists after we cease to be.

I’m sure you’ve all seen this around yesterday:

 

When I read this, it makes me shift my thinking and shift my perspective.  Instead of focusing on the terrible tragedy, let the good deeds shine.  It does not diminish the awfulness of the situation, but it gives less power to the negative.  Isn’t that what we all want in our lives anyhow?  Less negative, more good?  Don’t let the darkness get all that power.  Help, donate, do whatever you can do to contribute your bit of good.  And not just for the victims of the Boston Marathon, but in your own everyday lives.  It’s with renewed fervor that I go about my cookie business this week.

As many of you know, I went to the 114th Precinct this week, which is retrospectively fitting for today’s post.  Both the drop and the pick up were fairly uneventful, with the biggest challenge being trying to find a parking spot.  I was not about to go in to do something nice and end up with a ticket 🙂  Walking in, you can see the hierarchy of rank almost as if these men have floating signs above their head with their years of service.  At the desk there’s the rookie, fresh faced and looks barely 23 years old.  Slightly further back you see more middle aged men with a bit more ‘swagger’ I guess is the right word, and then toward the back of the room, there’s the chief who feels no need for swagger but carries himself with authority that makes you pay attention.

When I came back to pick up my plate on Sunday, it was much quieter.  I spoke with Officer Kober about where to go next and he asked (totally playing into my expectation) if I’d been to the fire house yet.  Apparently there are at least three in the neighborhood, because when I asked him where it was, he named two separate ladder numbers. That is how you refer to them, right?  I told him I could only go to one place and he asked me where i lived, trying to make it closer and more convenient for me.  I told him that has no bearing on your decision and that he needed to pick this without any of my input.  He then said, “I’ll send you to the best one” and told me to go to a third house, Engine 312 right up the 35th street between 23rd and Ditmars.  I did a little googling and it turns out they are called the Hell Gate Gang.  🙂  This is going to be fun.

Not knowing how a real firehouse works, most of the ones I’m familiar with are volunteer (not that they’re not real too), I asked if there were hours and when should I go.  Office Kober recommended I go at 8am when they are changing shifts so I can get as many people as possible.  Good call, officer!  So, this Thursday I will wake my sorry bum up at 7 to carry out this week’s labor of love.   That will NOT be easy for me, given how much I love sleep, but I keep reminding myself that that is the absolutely very least I can do for them, given all they do for us as a community.  I’m really excited for this, and single ladies, will come back with a full report 😉

Also hot and happening this week is SITE’s 6th Anniversary party tomorrow, April 17th at 6pm!  Mackenzi had asked me to make cookies for her Queens themed bash so I will be making crown cutout cookies and perhaps some other things.  You should all come and celebrate, have some cookies, cocktails, take pictures in the Queens themed photo booth and thank Mackenzi for having such an awesome place!  Here’s the invite with all the info:   https://www.facebook.com/events/446680075408354/

As you go about your day today, just be aware.  All actions have consequence, good and bad.  Make your ripples be positive ones and don’t wait for the darkness for your goodness to shine.