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 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:

Stuff and Things 10/2

In honor of The Walking Dead's return next weekend:

As always Rick, thanks for the inspiration.  

Mail your boxes by tomorrow if you're Pumpkin-swapping!

Since we've made some major home purchases at Home Depot in the last few months, I get electronic receipts sent to my email.  Because we lose things.  So now, when Scott goes to Home Depot, I get to see what he bought/where he was before he even gets home.  It's fascinating.

I have no idea how Angi knew I had a fall surprise package ready to mail to her, but when I got this fun and sweet gift from her in the mail on Tuesday, it made my day.

Candy corn!  And pumpkins!

She sent a bag of real candy corn too and it's already gone (obviously).  

No Starbucks September ended well!  I haven't been to Starbucks since some time around the end of August and I've only been to Panera twice.  I'm making it an October goal to hold it to one coffee out per week, Starbucks or not.  I've been drinking a crazy amount of jasmine tea and it keeps me occupied on the way to work, when I'd normally be itching for a drive-thru window latte.  

Stuff and Things (I'm Loving…)

Since it's the day of love and all that, these are some stuff and things I'm loving…

…Listening to books while driving.  I'm going through a phase where I hate music.  It happens a few times a year, and I haven't listened to the radio or anything in over a month.  Audiobooks make any time I spend driving completely productive and worthwhile.

Currently, I'm listening to Dead and Gone.  Charlaine Harris is a wonderful storyteller.

…the upcoming weather.

…in a few short hours, my classroom party will be over.  

…that Scott contacted a realtor in Colorado Springs.  We are DIY type people.  Actually, Scott is.  I can hardly think of one task he has not done himself instead of hiring it out.  I'm just along for the ride.  I knew it'd be a tight fit: me wrapping up a school year, us packing up (still haven't decided if we're going to let the army do it or if we'll do it all), and then trying to buy a house.  I was already starting to feel the pressure, but I heard him on the phone the other night talking to a realtor who is now doing the leg work for us.  Scott told me not to worry about it.  He's taking care of it.  Since you got a picture the other day of what a lot of my days look like for the next few months, I'm grateful that this is one less thing off my plate.

..#28daysofpilates!  I'm still loving it!  This is surprising, even to me.  Usually I lose interest in a fitness related challenge after day 3.  I credit the fact that Robin is a seriously good and down-to-earth instructor.  She reminds me of the ladies I took Pilates from in Alaska.  I find myself really looking forward to the 15 minutes of toning and stretching each night and sometimes I do more than one of the workouts, just to get a little extra bang for my buck.  I mean, if I'm already into it, what's an extra 8 minutes?

…The Following.  Love it.  I mean, my jaw hangs open.  I love that they're not afraid to kill people off the show, so it plays out more like a movie.  I watch it at night before I go to bed and I do realize this is the dumbest idea ever.  That first night I didn't sleep very well.  I've since become desensitized.  Must be an effect of all those seasons of Dexter I've watched.

…avocado and BBQ Chicken Salads.

…that Scott made me dinner the other night.


[no picture.  i was busy eating.]


…Looking at everyone's Sweetheart Swap gifts!  Thanks to all who linked up yesterday!

Though, I made Scott promise me that he would slap sense into me if I ever said I was going to do another swap.  I hate the post office THAT much.  Sorry all.

Sweetheart Swap Link-Up

Welcome!

And Happy Early Valentine's Day!

Scott asked me what I wanted to do and I said I didn't care.  I asked where my present was and he asked if I really wanted something.  I said no.  We'll probably make pizza.  We go all out for fake holidays.

Actually, Scott said, "Well, it's Valentine's Day, you know."

Yes.  I know.  I have a classroom party I've been dreading for weeks now.  Trust me, I could not forget Valentine's Day.  Schools, unlike us, really celebrate those fake holidays.  (Don't get me started on how much I detest Dr. Seuss' birthday…)

Anyway.

For the Sweetheart Swap, I ended up with TWO partners.  Twice the goodies?  Absolutely. I'll take it.

S from WyldyChylde sent me this box of goodies.  

Then, I got this package from Rachel.

She even included a toy for Scout..he loves that squeaky heart!

Too action-packed to get a proper picture…

Thanks guys!  Rest assured, the candy was enjoyed.

If you participated in the swap, now's the time to link up with Meg and me.  Thank you all so much for taking part.  We hope you had a great swap experience!

Birthday Goals

The beauty of having a birthday in January is that I can set goals that will double as "resolutions".  You and I both know that resolutions don't stick…so just take these for what they're worth.

1.  Start a healthy and productive workout routine.
I'm looking at fitness in a whole new way this year.  In a nutshell, I'm going to stop feeling guilty for NOT working out.  I'm going to shoot for cardio once a week and strength training once a week.  It may seem like that's not much, but I've more or less been in a "I'm not going and you can't make me" phase.  We'll see what this year brings, I guess.  I told Scott we could move back to Alaska…so I could go to my old gym again.  I miss the positive motivation and all-around good attitude there.

2.  No clothes, no toys, no coffee splurges, no trail mix runs for the month of January.
(Yes.  I do make special trips to Wal-Mart for bags of trail mix.  I love the stuff.)
Essentially, no buying extra stuff/treats and I'm joining in with Steph and the January Spending Freeze. I already ruined it by having to go buy ANOTHER phone charger.  That's right:  I've had the phone since November and I'm on my 3rd charger.  I lost the first one.  The 2nd one stopped working. I shelled out $27 for a new one last week.
In addition, I'm allowed to buy highlights for my hair ($10), and I got a Stitchfix dress that I'm calling a birthday present.  It was only $28, and then I canceled Stitchfix altogether.  Enough is enough with that nonsense.
Other things I'm "allowed" to buy include goodies for the Sweetheart Swap. (< did you sign up?)

I'll also be sure to think up a new challenge for the month of February.  I like challenges.  It's really the only way I ever get things done.  The dishes, for instance, only get done when I set a timer.

3.  Stop wasting time online.  If I'm online, I need to be using my time productively: to read worthwhile things, to write, to research.  A lot of blogs are ones I read (or yes, even hate-read) but never comment on and I'm going to stop wasting time this way.

4.  Read!  I took a trip to the library this week and I'm keeping a list of every book I read this year.  So far, we're at….one.  But I'm on book #2.  I'm doing audiobooks too, so I'm really double-dipping in intellectualism (I WILL finish that Sookie Stackhouse series this year.)

5.  Remember to send thank-you cards.  I'm usually pretty good about this.  However, sometimes I slip up and dismiss the idea, thinking of it as a lost art.  It is a lost art.  Which is why it's important that I remember to do it, right?  I started by writing them to the kiddos who gave me Christmas gifts.

Speaking of "thank you", THANK YOU for sticking with me another year.  It's been a different kinda year.  Changes all around it seems with a new state, new dog, new cars…new job, new house…lots of things were new!  In fact, I'm completely different from the person who wrote this post a year ago (pay attention to #8).  Although, the quirks definitely remain the same.  I'm getting better at 'left' and 'right', though.  Promise.

Since today is my birthday, as is the tradition here, I'm giving a $10 Starbucks card away to a reader.  Good luck!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Valentine's Day Blog Swap!

It's only the beginning of January, but the stores are already stocked for Valentine's Day…

<center> <a href="http://myborrowedheaven.blogspot.com/search/label/Sweetheart%20Swap" target="_blank"><img alt="Sweetheart Swap" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl3pOTcqOgEP0cNiRgY7NEekgQ3un0N_PC67nxaOJAY-VvYGGRB3cWs9SKA5P-niMzwEA9kVoyHgIXSdID0QWV4aI1FqjdWhuqWW1JHEmPQejERCVHIjByyvTUeWw5R5ZmIlpEYPKSDFs/w325-h300-no/swap.jpg"/></a></center>

Valentine's Day seems to come at that perfect time during the winter lull after the holidays, when you're tired of your New Year's resolution and could just really use a piece of candy.  This year, Meg and I thought it would be fun to help some of our online friends find blogger valentines, so…this is the Sweetheart Swap!

Here are the basics:

- Sign up between today and Monday, January 13 with the form below.

- You'll receive your blogger sweetheart by Thursday, January 16th and you can email her back and forth/stalk her social media to learn about her [likes, dislikes, favorite candy?]

- Go shopping!!! Spend about $20 [before shipping] to buy your sweetheart a package full of her favorite goodies.

- Make your sweetheart a Valentine.  We don't have any requirements for what else you put in the swap box, but we do ask that you get creative with the card, and take it back to your old school elementary school days!

- Mail your package by Saturday, February 1st.

- Link up with us to share what you received from your Sweetheart on Thursday, February 13th.

(Again, as I say with every swap I do, worst case scenario = me and Meg sending each other a box of goodies.  Win-win.)

Just fill out the form below!

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!

Friday Five.

1.  I didn't think I'd like the show Masters of Sex.  I'm completely on the fence about Lizzy Caplan.  I didn't like her character on True Blood, and that has biased me against her.  But she IS a good actress and I got drawn into the show last week.  Good writing, interesting characters, several sub-plots:  I suppose I'll keep watching.  Have you seen it?

2.  Great Pumpkin Swap partner information has gone out!  Let me or Becky know if you need anything!  Packages should be mailed by October 18th (next Friday), and we'll link up on October 25th!

I took the picture for this graphic 2 years ago on our trip to Boston.  

I can't believe it's been 2 years...we should go back.

3.  We went to a pumpkin patch last weekend.  

This is Nadia.  We met at the gym and she's the very first friend I made at Ft. Leonard-Wood (thank goodness for her!)

This is Kayla and her dog Ruby.  I've never seen such a cuddly ball of fluff before.  Ruby and Scout have playdates while I'm at school.  

4.  My school has this penchant for orange.  Everyone always wears orange.  It's the school color.  I own little to no orange.  Wednesday was "wear orange" day.  This is truly the only orange I own (aside from my orange and black school t-shirt).  I think I need to go shopping.  (Did I say "orange" enough for you?  I see orange in my sleep.)

Dress: Stitchfix // Boots: JCP (2011) // Leggings: Old Navy // Sweater: Macy's (old)

5.  Who's excited for The Walking Dead???  I spent the week watching the series marathon on AMC.  I won't cry at sad movies, but that scene where Rick sees his family at the campsite in Season 1 gets me every time.

I don't care:  I miss this guy.

Have a good weekend!

Friday 5

1.  Look at my friend's dog. You will find yourself puppy shopping.

2.  Breaking Bad did not disappoint.  Thank you, Vince Gilligan.  You did what the writers of Dexter just couldn't seem to accomplish. (Spoilers here if you're interested.)

This show only got better as it moved along.  That rarely happens.  (We know it didn't happen with Dexter.  I'm sorry.  Still not over it.)

3.  Two last Skirtember dresses.  Thanks to everyone who participated!  And thanks to Chantal for hosting it with me!

Dress: BR outlet // Sweater: Express // Sandals: Steve Madden (they hurt! and I'm not a fan of how they make my legs look)

Dress: Ross // Sweater: old // Shoes: Nine West

4.  Have you signed up for The 2nd Annual Great Pumpkin Swap?  

5.  I'm going to do so much stuff this weekend.  Clean, clean, clean.  Grade, grade, grade.  Craft, craft, craft.  Bake, bake, bake.  And organize. 

Who wants to bet that something will come along and distract me and force me to do none of that?

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.)

Sunday stuff.

I'm tired of making lists. We had a giant to-do list that needed to be accomplished by Saturday morning, with me still working all of last week, and with us having no fridge/freezer and only one vehicle.  

Every move we've done has come down to the eleventh hour.  And I do mean, the eleventh hour and 59th minute,  The sorting, the cleaning, the packing, the "do I leave this out or don't I?" question.  Moving, to us, isn't really a  surprise.  We expect it to happen. We packed up a U-Haul with all of our belongings (including half the Lowe's tool department and a motorcycle) and drove to Alaska 3 1/2 years ago.  Then, we did the same thing 18 months later to move to a different house 30 minutes away.  Now, we've known for months that we were leaving at the end of April (with a little uncertainty thrown in for effect), and we STILL weren't on top of things.  I was not made for this.  This past week looked like; do maintenance on 2 trucks, do maintenance on snowmobiles, sell snowmobile and trailer, go to the landfill, PACK, clean the rental we're currently in, drop off mailbox keys, laundry mat, drop off cable boxes, PACK, drop off car in Anchorage to ship to St. Louis, drop off donation box, PACK.  And then clean some more.

And then there's school.  I feel horrible for the sub who's walking into my disaster.  

I spent my lunch break planning our route on Google maps the other day.  I figured we should probably do that before we actually leave on a 3,000 mile journey.


1.  'member good 'ole Justin Bobby?

Whatever happened to him...?

2.  Dansko has a new shoe for summer.  They've combined the 'sko with the Croc and have developed the ugliest shoes known to man.  Way to go.  I'd like to meet the gal who pays $75.00 for a Dansko with holes in it.

As seen in Nordstrom's 

3.   You tell me.  Does this salmon-flavored drink look appealing?

4.  I'm into the idea of doing button swaps with other bloggers.  If you'd be interested in having me on your sidebar, how's a 30 day swap sound?

5.  God-willing, we'll be on our way out of Alaska today.  You know, hopefully.

Friday Things

1.  Plaid.

Shirt: Old Navy // Pants and Boots: JCP

2.  Haircut.  See above ^.  That's almost 3 inches off.

3.  Guess who secured themselves a rental in Missouri?  That's right.  It was a busy week.  But we are moving and I'm thankful we have somewhere to move into when we get there.  Granted, we're renting "sight unseen".  I suppose that's better than 10 days in army lodging desperately trying to house-hunt, right? (Just tell me it's alright, please.)

4.  Breaking Bad mugs.  Thanks Natalie!  How awesome.  Speaking of...we finished the last episode of the first half of season 5 the other day.  Yikes. 

5.  State testing week in 4th grade is over.

Guess what I did while the kids were testing?  Wrote out a brand new resume from start to finish.  That actually felt really good.  At least I can cross it off my "to-do before we move" list.

Happy weekend!  I think I'll go shopping.

Sharing at High Five for Friday

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.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

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!  

It's okay to admit that I can't do it all.

As I type..I'm trying to do the dishes, make a shopping list, read blogs, eat breakfast, and put away laundry.  All while scouring a particular food blog for a chicken recipe I KNOW that I've made before and I want to make again tonight but the chicken is still frozen and I can't marinate it so...Oh, and it's 7:30am.

Source: granvillehouse.blogspot.com via Kristin on Pinterest

It's okay to admit that I can't do it all.
I need to admit that I can't do it all.

I mean, I want to blog all every day (this includes write posts, read blogs, and respond to comments...while aimlessly trolling Pinterest).  I want to spend all day with my husband (though this isn't an option as he works too).  I want to work out everyday.  I want cook, bake, and keep the house looking good everyday.  I have apples sitting in the crisper that I want to bake with!

What must I do everyday?  Go to work.

So.  If I am not commenting on your blogs as I usually do, pleasepleaseplease do not take it personally.
It's not you.  It's me.  Promise.

I will be posting regularly (this is like my crack, people), but I might not have time to read.  Usually (for the last year), my blog-reading time has corresponded directly with my couch-sitting time.  Now, I'd prefer to spend my couch-sitting, t.v.-watching time with my husband and not my iPad.

(How do you people with spouses in your home every night keep up with it?!  Tell me your secrets.)

AND it's okay I'm looking for guest bloggers for the month of December.

If you're interested (and I know you are), I'd love to have you.  I'm looking for something holiday-ish.
A great holiday-inspired outfit, recipe, or craft.  I would say 8 or 10 guest bloggers total but, since I'm really bad at math, I haven't gotten that far yet.

Shoot me an email if you're interested (k.e.twigg@gmail.com) and we'll talk.
I need the post by November 30th, so I can schedule them.

(In case you're wondering, when it comes to mandating due dates, I'm really good at it.  And when I say November 30th, I don't mean December 8th.  Silly children.)

Linking up to It's OK Thursday.  Because everything's always all okay and stuff, right?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

OH!  Tomorrow, The Great Pumpkin Swappers unite.  

Or link up.  Or whatever.  Something like that! 

Stop back to share your goodies with me or Allie (She was the one who had it together enough to send y'all that reminder email earlier this week?  Yep, her.)

ALSO (oh, there's more), my giveaway is still happening til Monday!  At which time I will brave the Rafflecopter site again and choose a winner.  Don't miss out on some cute goodies and free Starbucks!