I received my December Foodie PenPal package the morning of our big party.  Mattie from Comfy and Confident sent me an amazing package filled with locally made granola, candles, and coffee mugs. Needless to say I was a little distracted. The box was a little beat up so I decided not to take a picture initially. I would style the yummy granola the next day. I was also thrilled because I used the mugs and the candles for the party.

Of course, a problem arose.

We loved the granola.

We gobbled the granola as we prepared for the party.

We snacked on it as we set up the candles.

We snuck it behind each other’s backs as we laid out the food.

We nibbled on it right until the first doorbell rang.

And the next day when I was supposed to take the picture?

No granola.

What is Foodie PenPals? 

On the 5th of every month, you receive your penpal pairing via email. It is your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.

You have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you post about the goodies you received from yourpenpal!
The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.

If you’re interested in participating for January, please send  an email to Lindsay at [email protected] and include the following information:
-Your full name
-Your email address
-Your blog name/address
-Your twitter handle (if applicable)

I will need to hear from you by January 4th as pairings will be emailed on January 5th!

My 7 Random Facts

Recently, my good blogging friend Molly from Hungry, Hungry Runner nominated me for award: Most Versatile Blogger. This means two things: first, I am super proud and honored because I love Molly’s blog (you need to check it out if you haven’t already!) and second, it means that I get to share with you 7 random facts about myself.

1. I can’t set an alarm to a time ending in -0 or -5. I just can’t do it. Manatee has finally gotten used to this. Our alarms are set to numbers like 6:24 or 7:11 or 6:03. I am very picky about the number combinations. I always do 7:11 and never 7:14 or 7:12. I think I could only tell you why if I was inebriated.

2. I worked at Mariah Carey’s camp during college. Did you even know Mariah Carey had a camp???!! I didn’t until I worked there. It’s called Camp Mariah and it’s in the Catskill Mountains. It’s amazing and she is amazing! She funds this camp that is geared at middle school aged kids from NYC. For two and half weeks, the kids come to the camp and learn about potential careers and take classes in subjects like photography, science, or journalism. The kids come back to the camp throughout the year for retreats and continue in the program for three years. I have so much respect for her and the program.

I was a lifeguard there. Let me tell you, I had some fun experiences getting middle school inner city kids who had never seen open water into a lake filled with snakes and fish. I taught the beginning swim class.

3. In my past life, I was en route to becoming a theatre academic. I have an MA degree from Ohio State and completed 1 1/2 years of coursework towards a PhD. In my PhD program, I took Czech classes and my dissertation was going to be about theatre at times of revolution (the Czech Velvet Revolution, the cultural revolution in China, and the Russian revolution). My MA thesis was on productions of Richard II and contemporary British politics. I even did research at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon.

I reached a point in my studies where I just knew it was not the right path for me and family was more important than advancing my career. It was a tough decision and period of time for me, but I am very happy about where it led me.

My graduate school career indirectly led me to cooking. The only breaks I took were to eat so (as you can imagine), my meals became more and more elaborate.

4. I cannot draw a straight line with a ruler. That is how incredibly un-crafty I am. I wish I could be all Martha Stewart and make stuff, but it NEVER turns out. Ever. When I was in fourth grade, I had a teacher hold up my art project and tell the class to NOT do it like Kimberly did. She then pointed out how I ruined the project. The funny thing? She really wasn’t being THAT mean about it. I messed it up.

5. I was overweight as a child. It definitely affects who I am today and who I hope to be tomorrow. Both Manatee and I are very passionate about nutrition for children and how we expose children to food at an early age. Someday we would love to have a foundation that provides nutritional counseling and fitness opportunities to school-age kids.

6. My parents had a child in three different decades: 1960s (my sister), 1970s (my brother) and me in 1980s. Manatee and I are both the youngest in our families by a lot. My brother is 8 1/2 years older and my sister is 17 years older. Manatee’s closest sibling is 11 years older and his oldest sibling is 18 years older. We LOVE that we have this in common because it presents a very unique family dynamic that we both get.

7. If you see me without a bottle or glass of water, I am probably cranky. I am addicted to water. As an undergraduate acting student, I was required to have a water bottle with me at all times. The habit stuck and I always carry water with me. I believe that proper hydration is one of the main reasons I am so happy. When I drink less, I get sick or get zits.

Okay, now I get to nominate people for this award!

Elizabeth at Adventures of Mamahood

Rebecca at Diversions of a Type A Girl

Kimberly at Sunny State of Mind

Erin at Own It

 

I would love to hear some random facts from YOU! Tell me something that I would never guess about you. 🙂


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