Last day for Pumpkin Swap sign-ups!

Just popping in to remind you that today is the last day to sign up for the Great Pumpkin Swap!

Here is a link to all things pumpkin-swap past if you want to see what it's all about. And who knows how blog search features *really* work...these are in no particular order...Pumpkin Swaps of the last 5 years. 

It's a 3-day weekend for me, but I've got three days worth of driving, unpacking, grading, cleaning, and so on to do. 

Partners for the swap will be emailed out on Monday!

Pumpkin Swap Sign-ups!

First things first.  The Scarf Swap with Allie at A Day in a Joyful Life.

My Scarf Swap partner was Kristen from A Few of My Favorite Things.  I should have known that someone who (more or less) shares my name would find the perfect scarf for me.

She managed to get paisley and stripes in the same scarf.  Awesomesauce, indeed.

I love it.  Thanks, Kristen!

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Now.  What you've all been waiting for.  The Great Pumpkin Swap.

Brought to you by the aforementioned Allie and...me.

What:  A fun fall swap sharing all of YOUR favorite fall things with a blog partner.  You sign up, we give you a partner, you do some shopping, and ship out the package.  And then, the best part, is that you'll get a fun package in return!  (Who doesn't like getting packages in the mail??? I'm currently expecting 3 and I check the mailbox rather obsessively.)

Cost should be $15-20 without the shipping.

When: Sign-ups will run from today to Monday, October 15th.  We'll send you your partner's email address by Friday, October 19th so y'all can swap contact info.  Packages need to be mailed out by Friday, November 2nd.  We'll link up our reveals on Friday, November 9th!

How:  

Fill out this form!

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Here's your daily dose of positivity.  From me, to you.

Source: Uploaded by user via Kristin on Pinterest

Sharing at Mingle Monday
 

Pumpkin Butterfinger Cookies and Great Pumpkin Swap Reveal

Today's the day to link on up, Great Pumpkin Swappers!

Scroll to the bottom to do so!

But first.  A cookie.

Jessica, my swap partner, inspired me to make these cookies because she told me her favorite Halloween candy was Butterfingers.

So I sent her some Butterfingers.  While I was at the store getting the Butterfingers, I knew I had to do something creative with them.

Maybe it was whatever-dormant-part-of-my-brain-that-used-to-think-as-a-food-blogger that was speaking to me.

So I took my Pumpkin Cookie recipe and threw in some chopped up Butterfingers.  Then, I sent Jessica some Butterfingers and a few cookies.  The rest?  I took to work.  They were gone before lunchtime.  It's at moments like those in which I am truly thankful for a job.

I cannot be trusted with 3-4 dozen cookies.  If you are someone who CAN be trusted with 3-4 dozen cookies, I probably wouldn't like you anyway.

The best kind of people are the ones can't be trusted with cookies.

Pumpkin Butterfinger Cookies
makes 3-4 dozen, depending on size

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 t. vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour
3 t. baking POWDER
1 t. salt
1 1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 t. ginger

8 fun size Butterfingers, chopped (or 2-3 regular bars)

Cream the butter and sugar together.  Add in the pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla.  Mix well.

Mix all of the dry ingredients, minus the Butterfingers, together in a bowl (sifting is suggested, but I usually don't).  Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture in three batches while mixing at a low speed and scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Fold in the Butterfinger pieces.

Dollop onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 10-14 minutes.  They should be just starting to brown when you pull them out.

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So.

Here's a sneak peek at what I sent Jessica. 

Is that mug not the most adorable thing you've ever seen?

Here's the part where I would share what Jessica sent me.

But I haven't gotten it yet.

{{EDIT}}

I got my box from Jessica in the mail!

Here's the cute goodies she sent me:

Those gloves?  Just what I need.  I'm quite excited to not have my fingers freeze off when I try to use my phone out of doors.

Thanks Jessica! And thank you to everyone who took part in our swap!  

THE 4TH ANNUAL GREAT PUMPKIN SWAP

I had to count on my fingers to figure out how long I've been doing this Great Pumpkin Swap.

FOUR YEARS!

I'll spare you the basic blogger talk about fall and boots and scarves and all that. The point is that we generally, as a blogging population, enjoy this season and we, as a population, enjoy getting pretty stuff in the mail.  If YOU are interested in participating, here's this year's timeline.

(As always, if no one wants to join in, Becky and I will send each a package and call it a day :):) This is my annual disclaimer so I won't feel bad if no one shows up to the party.)

The procedure is the same as previous years. We're just pushing it later into the season because, I don't know about your location, it's barely fall here in Colorado.

1. Fill out the form to sign up for the swap! Sign-ups end on Friday, October 9th at 11:59pm.

2. By Monday, October 12th, you will get an e-mail from one of us with your swap partner.

3. Once you know your partner, please make contact within 48 hours (by Wednesday, October 14th) to get to know a bit more about each other.

4. Spend $15-$20 (excluding shipping) to put together a fun package for your partner.

5. Mail your package on or before Tuesday, October 27th.

6. Link up with us on Friday, November 6th to share your swap goodies!

The 2nd Annual Great Pumpkin Swap

I did not have a Skirtember link-up posted yesterday because I spent the weekend in Pennsylvania so I could go to my grandmother's funeral.  I handed the last week over to Chantal, so you can go to Scattered Seashells if you're looking to link up.  I hope to share a post by the end of the week.

In the mean time...I had this swap scheduled to begin today and I hope you'll think about joining in on it!

It's REALLY weird being in the pseudo-South this time of year.  I'm so used to being bundled up and snuggled by the fireplace by the end of September.  Things just don't seem right.  There's something to be said for familiarity.  Even if I didn't like being cold in September (and I really didn't like it), at least it was familiar territory.  These days I'm just...confused.

Current forecasts...

I'll let you guess which is Missouri and which...is not.

So while Fall is a different experience this year, the staples of it stay the same.  Candy corn, pumpkin cookies, gloves, boots, scented candles...scarves.  We all love scarves, right?

Last year, I had a lot of fun hosting a Fall swap with Allie. I'd been tossing around the thought of doing another one, and when Becky approached me with the idea, I knew I had to.  (I met Becky 4-ish years ago when I was subbing at her school and she was a 1st grade teacher, in case you were interested in the very interesting background information.)

So, welcome!

What:  A fun swap of all things Fall with a blog partner.  You sign up, we give you a partner, you do some shopping, and ship out the package.  

And then,  you'll get a fun package in return! 

Cost should be $15-20 without the shipping.

When: Sign-ups will run from today to Monday, October 7th.  We'll send you your partner's email address by Friday, October 11th, so you can swap contact info (We'll have all the info on a spreadsheet, so if you have questions just let me know!)  Packages need to be mailed out by Friday, October 18th.  We'll link up our reveals on Friday, October 25th!

How:  

Fill out this form!

We hope you'll join us!  (Worst case, Becky and I will just send each other packages of goodies.  Win-win.)

Pumpkin Swapping, Year 5

These fall seasons are going by awfully quickly.

I spoke of of my deep-seeded love for all things autumn a few weeks ago (as good bloggers should), and now I'm happy to announce that Becky and I are at it again. We're hosting the 5th Annual Great Pumpkin Swap!

(This is a picture I took myself last year...I have a fear of getting in trouble for using the images of others for a link-up or swap promotion.)

I know blog swaps are a *bit* 2012, but it's FALL. We have to celebrate it, right?

In case you haven't been around, here are the stipulations:

1. Fill out the form to sign up for the swap! Sign-ups end on Friday, October 7th at 11:59 PM (EST)

2. By Monday, October 10th, you will get an e-mail from Becky or me with your swap partner.

3. Once you know your partner, please make contact within 48 hours (by Wednesday, October 12th) to get to know a bit more about each other.

4. Spend $15-$20 (excluding shipping) to put together a fun fall themed package for your partner.

5. Mail your package on or before Tuesday, October 25th.

6. Link up with us on Tuesday, November 8th to share your swap goodies!

Happy shopping, happy swapping, and let us know if you have any questions!

Fill out this Google Form to sign up:

The Great Pumpkin Swap Link-up!

Also, I must add that it's time to retire these boots.  They have a hole in the back.  

Dress: Target (2012) // Boots: Decree (2011) // Scarf: gift

My plain brown Madden Girl boots have a detached sole too, so they're pretty much garbage.  This is what I get for buying mid-range boots.

I just ordered some gray boots (also mid-range), but they're a different brand and I haven't read reports of them falling apart.  I have read reports of Madden Girl boots falling apart = no more Madden Girl boots for me.

Oh, problems.

Today's the day to link up what you sent or received from your partner in The 2nd Annual Great Pumpkin Swap.

I love giving gifts.  I love blog swapping.  I love being able to bless others with something to brighten their day.  Even if it's just with something simple, like a package of fall treats.  

(Can you sense that there's an excuse coming?)

I'm just so incredibly bad at taking care of things like this in a timely manner.  So that's probably why my partner hasn't received her gift yet. 

 I admit that my procrastination caught up with me.  I had the gift.  Then I needed to make sure I had the right address because she was traveling. Then, my local post office keeps weird hours: 10am-2pm Monday-Friday.  So when I was in Mansfield on Friday, I managed to get into the post office and buy the supplies and seal up the gift for Karen, my partner.  As soon as I pulled out my wallet, the lady reminded me that I needed a customs form because it was going to Canada.  She was really nice though.  Sometimes those post office people aren't nice.  I don't remember having good post office experiences in Alaska, um, ever.  

 Anyway.  

Karen ran into an issue when it came to mailing out my package too.  So I'll share that as soon as I get it.   

Thank you so much for your participation in this swap!  I know we all love fall and we all love goodies.  I love sharing this time of year with you guys :)  Thanks for co-hosting, Becky!

The 5th Annual Great Pumpkin Swap Link-Up!

Welcome to the link-up!

This year, my partner was Nicole at Adventures of a Semper Fi Family. I always appreciate getting to talk to another military wife online and I've really enjoyed getting to know Nicole.

She sent me the perfect fall care package.

I could smell the pumpkin spice when I opened the lockbox to get the mail. Always a good thing!

I took a very unPinteresty picture of the mug with some hot chocolate on Friday night. I love heavy mugs that have some style to them...this one is going into my regular rotation!

Thank you, Nicole!

Thank you to everyone who joined us this year! We hope the Pumpkin Swap was a fun experience for you!

The Great Pumpkin Swap!

This year, The Great Pumpkin Swap will be exclusively on Instagram. You can follow me here and you can follow Becky here. We'll do all the heavy lifting, match you up with your partner, and send you the info you need!

Here's the details:

Sign up this week--October 1st through October 8th.
To sign up, send a Direct Message to @kedarhower and @rebeckann2 with your Name, IG handle, and email address.
Include whether or not you’re willing to ship internationally.
This will help us out with matching up partners.

We’ll match you with a partner by Saturday, October 13th and notify you with this info.

Chat with your partner through DM or email, and then shop!
Send your partner $15-$20 worth of fall goodies...candles, candy, accessories, fun decorations, etc.
(Shipping is not included in that $15-$20).

Mail your box as soon as you’d like, but try to have it done before Halloween.

As soon as you get your box, post to Instagram with a picture/caption tagging your partner,
@kedarhower, @rebeckann2, and hashtag #GreatPumpkinSwap.
You can do a story too, but make a picture post permanent so others can find it!

If you have a blog, you can post about it too and link to it in your IG post :)
Anyone is welcome to participate! Comment, message, or email with any questions!

Pumpkin Swap Link-Up!

Today is the day to link-up the goodies you shared with your Pumpkin Swap partner!

Because my partner and I are international, I haven't received my box yet, and she hasn't gotten hers. Fun fact: we were also partners back in 2013.

Regardless, I'll come back and edit this post as soon as I get it!

Please link-up your blog post, link to your Instagram, link to a tweet, etc. You can also share on social media with the hashtag #GreatPumpkinSwap!

Thanks to everyone for joining in, and thanks to Becky for co-hosting with me!

Stuff and Things 9/18

+Did you sign up for The 3rd Annual Great Pumpkin Swap?  I recommend it!

+I figured out why I had so much time to work out at the gym and cook fancy desserts a couple of years ago:  I didn't clean the house.  It was the bare minimum in Alaska.  Although, to be fair, it was just me and Scott, and most of the time just me.  I vacuumed a lot.  That was about it.  Here, I feel like I'm cleaning all the time.  I think there was only one or two friends who ever visited us at our house in Alaska and they were close enough friends that they didn't care what the house looked like.  (Aren't those the best kind of friends?)
When we moved to Missouri, I decided I would step up my game and now I feel like I'm always straightening, sweeping, folding, etc.  It's an exhausting way to live.

+The No Starbucks thing is going well!  I don't even feel tempted because, like Sonja says here, Starbucks probably just doesn't do it for me in the end.  I have been to Panera twice.  I had an iced latte 2 weeks ago and a hot latte on the 45 degree day last week.  I'm feeling good about this.  Oh, and I had the world's worst caramel latte at the Air Force Academy last week.  I thought it was like caramel-flavored water and I didn't even drink half of it (so that doesn't count, right?)

+Yesterday a student was in tears and I was finally like, "What's wrong?" and she was like, "My pen is in my backpack and I needed it and I raised my hand and I had it up for a long time and you didn't call on me and I know you saw me."  All through tears.  And I was all, "It's okay, really. Get your pen!" and she's still crying and I'm like, "Hey, we all have problems.  I'm hungry, I've got kids not listening, my dog made a mess this morning and I was late for work…" and she started laughing and that was the end of it.  But I could've went on…"…and I'm living in a half-finished house and my husband's at training and I'm dog-sitting as a favor to a friend so I have THREE dogs to take care of instead of two and the coconut milk leaked so I had to empty the fridge this morning and I brought cereal for lunch today (CEREAL) because that's how well-prepared for life I am…etc, etc……etc.  

I think I made my point though.  

And that's all I've got for today.  Sorry for the sad, picture-less post.  But, for real, sign up for that pumpkin swap.

The 3rd Annual Great Pumpkin Swap

It's that time again!  I really hope you'll join Becky and me for this fun, fall tradition.  

If you'd like to sign-up, here are the specifics.

1. Fill out the form to sign up for the swap! (no exceptions after 11:59pm on Saturday, 9/20)

2. By Monday, September 22nd, you will get an e-mail with your swap partner.

3. Once you know your partner, please make contact within 48 hours (by Wednesday, September 24th) to get to know a bit more about each other!

4. Spend $15-$20 ( plus shipping) to put together a fun package for your partner.

5. Mail your package on or before Friday, October 3rd.

6. Link up with us on Friday, October 17th to share your swap goodies!

Hopefully we'll see your name on the list by Saturday…  Happy Shopping!

(And you do need to scroll in the form to get to the submit button.)

It's OK 9/13 and Thankful Thursday

It's okay that when my students thought "a lot" should be one word ("alot"), I showed them The Alot from Hyperbole and a Half.

For real.  Brought it up on the projector and read it to them.  I scrolled past the beer can part quickly.  I think only the kid in the first row noticed it.

They LOVED it.  I'm going to print that picture and we're going to color "alots" to remind us that they don't exist.  (Their idea, not mine.)

It's okay that I will wear this coat every day until November.

...probably with a scarf.

It's relatively okay, and kind of amusing frankly, that Levi Johnston's kid was born at the hospital half a mile from my house yesterday.

And that is my claim to fame.

It's okay that I won a giveaway for only the second time ever last week!

Allie from A Day in A Joyful Life sent me this fun package of her favorite things.  Thanks Allie!

It's okay that this is the perfect time to mention I will be co-hosting The Great Pumpkin Swap with Allie in October.  Who wants to sign up for a swap of fall favorites?  Hats, candy, candles, decor.  I'm excited and a bit nervous to organize a swap!  You guys have to help me by participating.  No one likes to be the new kid on the block.

Thank goodness Allie is talented enough to create a button/image.  As I am not.

It's okay that when I was 20 years old, I thought Taylor Swift was a genius.  While I think she's probably a decent person, I just cannot get behind her music anymore.

Source: someecards.com via Kristin on Pinterest

I'm thankful for my husband.  I enjoy the way he emphasizes the "seriously".  

If that's not reassuring, I don't know what is.