Sprinkles

If you haven’t already been able to deduce from the blog name I’m kind of into sweets, cupcakes, cookies,cakes whatever really. Luckily my metabolism hasn’t come to a screeching holt just yet so I’ve been able to indulge in the occasional treat from time to time or like everyday who is keeping track?

Not only do I love eating sweets but I love baking a which might also be obvious by looking through my Instagram feed. Recently I haven’t been able to do as much baking as I’d like, its so time consuming and although the results of making homemade treats are delicious and full- filling ( get it) some times the pie isn’t worth the time. I will usually bake something for a birthday or special event but I want to get into the habit of baking for fun without a special occasion like I used to before I had adult obligations ( insert crying emoji) .

I do enjoy baking for events and special occasions, I was at one point even thinking about professionally doing some baking for special events like a catering kind of thing. That like many of my idea has not gotten off the landing strip but I am optimistic! I’m also hoping to try some new recipes and new and adventourous treats! Leave your favorite treats to make below!

 Recently I went to Sprinkles  cupcake, my namesake right in D.C. So I’m usually a Georgetown cupcake gal through and through but how could I not make a visit to sprinkles bakery it’d be like blasphemy I mean. I enjoyed a seasonal raspberry cupcake for women’s history month and a traditional Vanilla with sprinkles, both were what dreams are made of! If your in the D.C area and your wanting a major sugar fix with some Sprinkles on top, Sprinkles in Georgetown is a must!

Welcome to the real world she said to me

Be an adult they said, it’ll be fun they said, well actually I’m not quite sure if anyone said it’d be fun at all but I want to say they totally hyped it up!

Recently I did a photo shoot for some head-shots for my profile on a counseling website to get some potential leads for clients ( look at me sounding all professional ayyy). But it really clicked for me like I’m an adult with an almost career and almost 30 cue dramatic music and aggressive closeup shot.

I finished Graduate school last year, during my last semester of graduate school I moved back in with my mom because I wasn’t sure where I’d be after graduating and didn’t want to commit to a lease I also wanted to save hundreds of dollars a month not paying rent, so like win win right? Moving back in with parents can be kind of a catch 22. on the one hand its freaking fantastic, to reiterate saving hundreds to thousands of dollars, on the other hand there is this inevitable stripping of independence, whether its intentional or not moving in with parents you lose your independence. Looking forward I’m moving out of my mother’s and retaking the reins of my independence in the next month! **Cue dramatic motivational music

So at this point I’m still kind of a fake adult but also a real adult, but also kind of a 70 year old who likes to coupon and watch Golden girls trapped in a 28 year old’s body. Although sometimes I feel like I have the body and joints of about a 65 year old with pronounced osteoporosis ad aggressive Acid reflux, but that’s nether here nor there!

Some things I do to feel more adulty ( if that is a word) and like I have a handle on life:

Budgeting, planning, and organizing: So even though it seems like these things might stress you out I find that when I budget my money, plan my days and weeks out and organize my time I feel like I have my life together, even if its a facade of stickers in my Happy planner I feel way more put together and in control. I recently just purchased a Simplified life by Emily Ley linked here and am also actively doing the 30 day decluttering challenge. This is another tool I plan to use to refocus and reorganize areas of my life! Will def keep yall posted on how it goes!

Take Care of my metal health: Being an adult or event semi adult is hard shit excuse the language. You have got to take care of yourself, Surround yourself with people and environments that feed your soul instead of draining it! Engage in self care regularly, making time for yourself as a priority, If you can afford or have any interest, get a therapist! Having an impartial unbiased individual you can talk to your issues about is amazing!

Drink Wine: In my old age I have enjoyed drinking wine more and trying a bunch of different varietals. Living across from a total wine as well as in the state of Virginia known for it’s great vineyards I have embraced the the old adult past time of enjoying a nice glass of wine, especially after a stressful day. PSA I am in no way condoning drinking in excess as an answer for your problems!!!

What are some of your adulting tricks of the trade? How do you adult? I’d love to hear in the comments below!!

Totally Tasting Wine

So if you couldn’t deduce form the blog name I enjoy a nice glass of wine! One of my favorite activities to do when the weather is nice is go soak up some sun at a winery and try some different varietals! Last summer I went to my favorite winery a few times. I also visited a few new wineries in Virginia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. One of my goals this year is to travel more and while traveling I’m planning on checking out some new wineries for sure!

When the weather is not so hot I like doing indoor tastings at local wineries. I’d been receiving emails for months about tastings and classes at total wine and had just never been able to make it with my work and coaching schedule. Well a few weeks ago I was finally able to make it to a class and i was not disappointed!

I went about a week before Valentine’s Day and they we’re doing a wine and chocolate tasting easily two of my favorite indulgences! They offer classes every week at different days and times which is nice!! It was super reasonably priced. $20 for a two hour class. I’m also a total wine member ( don’t judge me) which is a free membership, so I get 50 percent off 2 tickets to all classes and tastings each month so at $10 its a steal! Each month there is a different theme, a few of the upcoming classes including like California wines, Napa valley as well as wines from the old world. It was a two hour class which is a bit longer than Im used to for a tasting but it was super information and i learned a ton about wine pairings and wine origins! And there were refreshments too which is ways a plus!

This week’s recommendation!

My favorite wine of the tasting was the Mailly Brut Rose Grand Cru champagne it was amazing. So I’m usually a frugal Francine and don’t spend more than $20 for a bottle of bubbly to be honest with you especially at Total Wine where the prices are so cheap! I will splurge if I’m at a winery and there’s a wine i’m in love with or if I’m buying a nice present for someone.

But it sometimes you gotta treat yourself and this is definitely a splurge I’d make for a special occasion like a birthday or bridal shower or a Tuesday lol. It’s smooth crispy and not overly sweet and paired great with the dark chocolate vanilla Godiva chocolate

Overall I had such a fun time and gained so much insight into different pairings and stepped outside my “wine box” and tried some varieties that I don’t normally drink. That’s one of the things I like about doing wine tastings. It literally forces you to taste and try some things you might not have normally considered! Life is kind of like a glass of wine, we some times we get in a routine that might be just fine but its nice to try other options every once in a while you might discover something cool you like! Just my thoughts!

I’d like to know some of your favorite wine and chocolate or wine and whatever pairings in the comments below!

Love is in the air

Happy Monday, I hope everyone rocked this Monday and was able to shake off those Monday Blues! As the most loved filled week of the year begins I wanted to share some Valentine’s day themed inspiration and my thoughts on the Holiday!

Kinda sorta maybe unpopular opinion but as a single gal I actually I love valentines day! As we all know or have been fed, Valentine’s day was invented by the greeting card company yatta yatta. But how could I not love a holiday revolved around chocolate! oh yeah and Love! But really valentine’s day is about being unapologetic-ally in love! In love with another person, your loved ones and most importantly in love with yourself!

“Maybe our girlfriend’s are our soulmates and guys are just people to have fun with.”

— Sex in the City

True story I have been single for a lot of Valentines days but it has never stopped me from feeling the love, eating the chocolate and being just a tinsy but cliche, so why should this year be any different! Each year,even when I have been dating someone or have had a “ traditional” valentine. My mom and sister have been my valentines. They mean so much to me and I love showing them with a small token of appreciation on the day!

Along with my sister and Ma, I love hanging out with my girlfriend’s/ best guy friend and doing something special for valentine’s day! This year I’m planning on a little valentine’s girl’s night in with some of my gals single and taken alike. I selected two of my favorites bottles that will definitely be on hand for the occasion. a classic and cheap Rose and a delicious Rose Cava. I got both from total wine ( shocker right?) and they are definitely my go to’s. I’ve linked them here and here for you to shop them!

Fun fact I get like a significant amount of my materials and decorations for anything I host from the dollar tree. this is real life y’all. You do of course have to sift through some cheesy and cheap stuff but dollar tree is full of hidden gems, if you don’t know now you knoww. I picked up these glitter hearts, heart wine glasses, a vase, drink containers and the banners from the dollar tree. I picked up the ceramic candy dishes at Marshall’s which you can total use year round!

I’m super excited for valentine’s day this year single or not because I know that I have an amazing support system of amazing girlies who are there for me and love me unconditionally. Although a bit cheesy and cliche at times valentines day is not only the perfect excuse but a great reason to shower your loved ones and your self with all the love! You deserve it!

What are you getting into this valentines day? Let me know in the comment’s below!

Be a goal getter! 2019 goals and bucket list

As the first month of the year ends and the shortest month of the year is here, I wanted to focus this week’s blog on some goals I have for 2019 before the year is over before I know it!

Some background info: I am really into quotes and one of my favorite quotes is from a speech by Denzel Washington that he gave at a commencement ceremony. “Dreams without goals remain dreams” This quote is like the embodiment of why setting goals is so important. For myself personally, as well as with others I have worked with as a counselor and coach, goal setting can be a great tool to really focus and narrow down on specific goals you have. I use the SMART model credited to George Doran, that basically is an outline on how to better construct your goals. SMART is an acronym standing for Specific, measurable, attainable or achieve able , realistic, and timely or time bound. It’s just one tool I use and might be helpful for you in setting your short term and long term goals!

Below are a list of goals I’m planning to tackle in the next 11 months!

Start a blog:

More specifically: Start a blog and write on blog post a week.

[Ok done] I have been talking about and thinking about starting a blog for some time now and finally decided to take the plunge. I was super nervous about it to be honest, like is anyone going to want to read my content? What if I don’t get enough followers? What about my picture quality, I don’t have a professional photographer right now! But that was fear talking and I refused to let it win! So I decided to start my blog on January 1st and am ready to keep going with it! Side note but low key kind of of applicable there is a song by social experiment and Chance the Rapper called wanna be cool it’s like my 2019 theme song! Check it out! Linked here on YouTube]

Engage in more Self care:

Schedule one day once a month for a mani/pedi and/ or hair appointment

[Self care is something that I have improved upon over the past few months. I used to be really terrible at it , and I’m still working on it to be honest. But I want to be more intentional about my self care this year. I want to have a scheduled day where I go to the nail salon each month or every two months at least! We spend so much time planning for work and chores and other deadlines in life. I think actually planning a day for myself to look forward each month will really allow me to focus on this goal I have and force myself to make time for it]

Focus more on health and fitness:

Specifically: Engage in some sort of physical activity 4 days a week [stay tuned on that]

and Meal prep lunches and snacks at least 2 weeks out of the month.

Travel more this year:

Go on 3-5 large trips this year

Go on 3-5 smaller trip or stay-cations.

So somewhere between 6-10 trips this year about every month to every two months.

[I am desperately trying to be in someone’s airplane, boat or train this year! I have fell in love with the traveling bug. And after starting a blog this year I’m hoping that it will be another excuse for me to travel a lot more and see some new places I haven’t been before]

Some places I want to get to this year!

Nashville

Ohio

Charlottesville

Martha’s Vineyard

Las Vegas

Texas

An overseas destination

Possible cruise destination

Do more Volunteer work:

Specifically: Volunteer for an organization/event once a month

Another great quote, If you have too much to receive, you have enough to give. I’m all about the quotes y’all. I want to really dedicate some time this year and every year doing some volunteer work, donating time and effort to good causes!

What are some goals you all have for the year? How do you all construct or organize your goals? Let me know in the comments below!

Happy February y’all and happy goal getting!

Self Care Series: Happy Planning :)

Self care is a term that is used so frequently right now especially in the mental health field and for good reason. Self care is so extremely extremely important, to those in the helping profession as well as basically anybody who wants to live a healthy lifestyle. You can’t pour from an empty glass right? You have to recharge those batteries and you have to refill that glass. This Self Care series will outline some of the ways I engage in Self care, describing my favorites and exploring new self care routines as well.

Lets be honest we ( I know I) don’t always take as good of care as we want or plan whether it’s our diet, sleeping schedule or even sometimes our relationships. With everything I have going on I try to make time for some self care at least once a day, yes once a day! There are 24 hours in a day, I’m thinking one hour a day to focus on yourself isn’t asking for too much. Whether its taking a long bath or shower or watching an hour of Supernatural, Self care is exactly what it says taking time to care for yourself. This week I wanted to focus on one of my favorite things to do that I didn’t even realize was self care for me.

So I am a planner, in life and on paper.! I like things to be planned out and my days to be organized, down to the hour if possible. I am working on being less rigid but its a work in progress what can I say. For some people being on a time table stresses them out but for me i have found that it relaxes me.

Writing things down on paper not only helps me to organize my day and thoughts it also calms me down and allows me not to stress over things in the distant future. Writing down my goals makes them an actual thing and motivates me to actually do it! Visualization is the key to success they say!

Throughout this last year specifically, I have found that I enjoy my time to write down my schedule in my planner. Writing down important dates, possible trips and goals for myself each week or everyday is one of my favorite self care activities.

Are you a planner or more of a fly by the seat of your pants kinda guy or gal? I’d love to know what kinds of things relax and mellow you out? Let me know in the comments below!

Happy planner has been my planner of choice recently .If you don’t know about Happy planner your whole life is about to change, maybe. Its an awesome brand, visually appealing and you have a ton of flexibility with how you want to design your planner. They have so many add on stickers if your interested in things meal planning, fitness, saving money or goal planning. I got my planner from Micheal’s but i’m sure you can get it at most craft stores.. Happy planning!

***Not sponsored just love this brand!

** My prosecco recommendation this week is this Cecilia Beretta Treviso, from trader Joes. Trader Joes is another one of my go-to’s for a great cheap bottle of wine or bubbly. It was less than $10 can I get an ok ok!

I wasn’t able to link it online but you can pick up at bottle at your local trader Joes for sure. Cheers!

Snow days and Cocktails

I just had the most amazing, much needed snow weekend which extended to a snow day on Monday and a projected two hour delay on Tuesday. Won’t he do it!

My snow days consisted of copious amounts of hot chocolate, snacks , and organizing and planning in my happy planner. There also might have been the occasional Hulu and Netflix streaming happening. My snow days are not complete without the occasional cocktail as well. Its just a little cheers from me to me for you know surviving possible impending doom!

These cocktails i’m posting I actually made this holiday season, they are great if your hosting any type of get together this winter, a girls night, or just hanging at home on a snow day. I found both recipes on Pinterest and have linked them both below.

The First is an eggnog Martini. Although eggnog drinks are viewed as mostly a Christmas drink, many stores carry eggnog throughout the winter season so no worries you can still totes make this drink after Christmas. There are also tons of recipes on how to make homemade eggnog if your really trying to be an overachiever! The nutmeg and cinnamon just give me all the winter feels and the brown sugar rim so cutee.

FYI as you can see in the photo I used disposable martini glasses so clean up was quick and easy okurrrr!

Eggnog Martini

The second drink I linked is a Christmas Sangria. Again you can make this white wine sangria throughout the winter into spring and super forreal forreal. The cranberries and green apples give it a tart and crisp taste and offset the dryness of a chardonnay or another dry white.

Christmas Sangria

How do you all stay warm on snow days? Leave a comment below!

The Last Single Gal!

So my long time friend ( the Carrie Bradshaw to my Charlotte) got engaged last month and I’m all the way here for it!

She asked me to be her maid of honor which I feel like was a job I was born to do! Fun fact: I love planning parties, and habitually doing the most! I also love finding any reason to celebrate with a bottle of champagne! I have done a number of bridal and baby showers for my girlfriends and so i’m really pumped about it!

I will be in charge of planning her bridal shower, bachelorette party and a few other details which I am super excited about. I will be of course posting all about the events and the planning along the way and sharing my inspiration and findings for anyone else currently in the position of planning some of these events for an upcoming wedding!

I gifted her this super adorable bridal journal and of course some accompanying bubbly. I got the bridal journal from Barnes and nobles linked here

I got the champagne form total wine, I linked it here also

Ok, let me tell you about this champagne y’all! It is legit my go to under $10 bottle of Champagne. its a Brut CAVA., it’s so good and perfect for any occasion. It legitimately looks like you spent and ton of money because the bottle is gorgeous!

What is your go to bottle of Champagne? Where do you go to pick your favorites? Let me know in the comments!!

Also how cute is her ring! Literally obsessed!

New Year New Blog!

Hello all and Welcome to Sprinkles and Prosecco! My name is Jennifer Forbes and I am so glad that you took the time to check out the blog. Sprinkles and Prosecco was created as a creative outlet for me to share inspo and content on event planning, travel, self care and lifestyle. As you can also imagine there will also be no shortage of content about tasty treats and bubbly. So cheers to a new year and a new Blog!