Candle Making with my Besties

While we’re patiently waiting for our next girls’ day (hint…it’s today), I thought I’d toss it back two years ago to May of 2020. We were just a few months into COVID (boy that seems sooooo long ago) and most of us weren’t quite sure what we could and couldn’t do. It just so happened to be my month to coordinate girls’ day and I planned candle making with my besties followed by a picnic lunch!

Candle Making

We all met at The Chandler in Grove City, Ohio where I pre-scheduled our appointments for candle pouring. Fun, right? None of us had been before and we were all pretty impressed with the modern feel of the space. A large wooden counter took up a big portion of the area and served as the ideal spot for guests to relax and get their candle pouring on. The only thing that MIGHT have made the experience better is if we’d have been able to bring our own cocktails in🍸 But, that’s me being extremely selfish, mind you 🙂 What? You know the gals and I like our cocktails – remember the Three Rivers Wine Trail? How about Friendsgiving with the Besties? Hmmm?

Directly across from the counter was a wall filled from floor to ceiling with candle containers in varying styles! The empty vessels came in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Heidi, Jules and I all went with the traditional round candle, while Teeny opted to be a little different and go with the modern looking square one.

In addition to the vessels, the wall was filled with amazing scents to tempt (and maybe slightly overload) our olfactory senses!

When we initially arrived we were all given clipboards and told to choose a vessel and mark down 5 scents that we liked. Of course, it took FOREVER to decide which scents tickled our…ummm…nose buds? 🙂

Once we made our choices, we sat at the candle bar and waited while they got the supplies ready to go. The employee at The Chandler walked us through the entire process and waited while we each added our scents and completed our candle pour.

After we finished our candles, we left them at The Chandler (you have to let them set for a few hours) and moved on to the next part of our girls day adventure – a lovely picnic in the park. Side note – we went back after the picnic to pick-up our finished candles. Easy peasy.

I definitely enjoyed candle making with my besties and would highly recommend that you grab your own group of gal pals and give it a shot. If you’re not local, take a peek around your area to see if you have a DIY candle spot, too. If not, pick up some supplies, google some instructions and give it a try at home! Remember, it’s all about enjoying the experiences TOGETHER.

Picnicking in the Park

After our candle making adventure, I planned a trip to nearby Scioto Grove Metro Park. The park wasn’t too crowded when we arrived and after driving around a bit, we found the perfect picnic spot with a large tree and nearby picnic table.

Of course, I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t force the gals into some snaps underneath that big ole’ tree 🙂 Every girls day, let me tell ya’!

I simply adore picnics, don’t you? People don’t take time to enjoy them enough, methinks! What could be better than packing up some great nosh, finding a spot in your favorite park and spending some time with your partners in crime enjoying the best nature has to offer? Seriously folks – plan yourself a picnic this year!

Anyways, back to our picnic in the park. I spent the week before girls day getting all of my picnic paraphernalia together. Since we were so early into the COVID battle, I made individual boxed lunches for the ladies, complete with pre-packaged silverware, wrapped sandwiches (I love those) and other accoutrements.

Our girls’ day picnic started with me passing out individual charcuterie platters with cheese, crackers, hummus, olives and my personal fav – fig jam! I served them on these amazing mini slate platters that I absolutely adore and use often for gatherings.

I found the recipes for my entire sandwich over on Cooking for my Soul. It consisted of a delicious turkey and arugula sandwich served on the tastiest Rosemary focaccia I’ve EVER had. These super-tasty sammys were topped with a lip-smacking sundried tomato pesto.

The sundried tomato pesto recipe has become a staple in my household. I make it often, especially in the summer when I have fresh basil growing so abundantly. It’s simply adored at my house and I can’t stress enough how much you NEED to try this! I almost always have a mason jar full of this in my fridge 🙂

My first side was a tasty Green Goddess Pasta Salad I found over at The Cookie Rookie. Not only did it look bright and springy (we eat with our eyes, you know), it tasted pretty fab too.

I finished up the main course with a lovely Watermelon Feta Salad from Curry Trail. Not a combination I would have thought worked, but it certainly did. I think it was Julie’s favorite of the entire day. In fact, I think I gave her the recipe a few days later!

To end the great meal, we had Margarita cupcakes from Budget Earth! Gotta get a little boozy with it now and then, right? You know how my best friends and I LOVE our cockytails 🙂

And speak of boozy, we had some Lemonade Prosecco Punch, courtesy of Crazy for Crust, that I made up ahead of time! Sssh, though…I don’t think we were SUPPOSED to have them in the park! We’re such rule breakers! I served them in my adorable mason jars with red and white striped straws. So on-point if I do say so myself.

After our lovely lunch, we took a walk around the park, snapped a few more selfies and really just enjoyed being out and about! Little did we know what would be coming down the horizon over the next few years!

DQ Baby

After candle making and picnicking, it was time for a DQ cone in memory of Christine’s beautiful sister, Lisa, who had passed away 9 years prior. Lisa totally delighted in her DQ, so every year Christine makes it a point to have a cone in honor of her sister 🙂 Such a simple, thoughtful and loving tribute that we’re honored to have been a part of.

Speaking of cones, I prefer chocolate ones dipped in chocolate! How about you guys? Chocolate or vanilla? Dipped or not dipped?

Yet again, the girls and I had another amazing girls’ day. From candle making with my besties to our picnic in the park to the most touching of ice cream cones, we spent a wonderful day together. Laughing, talking and making the most amazing memories.

Until next time, grab your besties and plan your own girls’ day adventure. Take pictures, document the day, but most of all, live the experience and be IN the moment. As you know, life is short and tomorrow isn’t promised.