My First Foodie Pen Pals Adventure

I am a vivacious reader so I have to say I am not 100% sure where I saw this first but thankfully someone led me to Lindsay whose has an adorable blog and is the host of  Foodie Pen Pals. Much like the pen pals you had when you were little this is with FOOD of the fun kind for fellow bloggers. Brilliant! I say! Brilliant! Not only do you get to meet talented bloggers with like minded goal you get to go shopping once a month for some fabulous food finds and be given a package in return.

The rules from the Lean Bean herself: 
 -on the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. it will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
 -you will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. on the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
 -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 February, please send an email to lindsay attheleangreenbean@gmail.com and include the following information:
 -your full name
 -your email address
 -your blog name/address (if applicable)
 -your twitter handle (if applicable)


 Lindsay needs to hear from you by February 4th as pairings will be emailed on the 5th.

Ok! My turn! I had such a blast shopping for Sarah...and she wrote the warmest thoughts about what I sent. She made my day!

I shipped hers off and stalked my mail guy every day until....finally like a little girl waiting for Christmas-my package was here!!! Emily from The Last Corral HOOKED me up. Sent me the nicest letter and the cutest stuff from Trader Joes which is my favorite!

Warm and Heartfelt Letter From Emily

Homemade Scones! My Goodness

I literally began singing when I opened this piece  of  lovliness

Yummy by themselves, but I think I may crush them and bread chicken with them...what do you think?

My boyfriend is obsessed with these as am I!!! 

It is no lie that half this bottle is gone after one sitting!

I am thankful to have made two new friends whos blogs I can peruse and CAN'T WAIT till next month. I have a great great idea and can't wait to get my Pen Pal!

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Traveling Socially

I just returned from a trip to San Diego! I love that I have all these tools at my disposal to make my trip as stress free as possible. Some of my favorites:

Tripit-I love Tripit because when you are gathering your trip information and trying to make a game plan, this really gives you a nice platform to get all your plans in one place. What is really great is that you can forward your reservation to them and they will put it all perfect for you to start your trip. When I asked people what to do while in San Diego, I just made a note in my Tripit and stored their information. You can also share your trip with your friends and your social network.

NOTHING could have prepared me for the Kansas City MO airport....BLICK.....

Southwest- This is the first time that I used my phone to check us in.  Especially with Southwest who has an interesting boarding process, was I ever lucky to have that at my fingertips exactly 24 hours prior to boarding.

Yelp Really the holy Grail to any traveler. I will be happy when this area really embraces it. We looked up anywhere we wanted to eat or drink to make our decision on the best place to go using Yelp.

Groupon  If I can offer one piece of advice, when you book your trip sign up for that cities Groupon or Living Social. How else would we have known about the whale watching tour for $18/person! Seriously!

The World's Worst Whale Picture

Until Instagram comes out for the Android (when God WHEN??) this app made for some fun pictures.

Thanks to my Ipad, I read three books and about 4 magazines. And because I am such a Foursquare nerd, I packed in a whole ton of great points checking in all over sunny California.

Oh! I almost forgot...I had a nice little rendez-vous with my favorite guilty pleasure Pinterest. I was so busy getting ready for my trip, I hadnt been on in weeks!

What am I missing? What is your must have apps for your vacation??

I guess I should make mention that THIS was the best thing I brought with me on my vacation!

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The One Woman Show

This Staples Dave Commercial, although this version not so great in quality, is brilliant. It really defines what it is like to be a small business owner. You are the receptionist, the sales person, the accountant, the planner, and the one who fixes your office equipment.

As much as I love being in business for myself it definitely comes with its own sets of obstacles. For instance, we are going on a much needed vacation next week to San Diego (any must sees?). While I am thankful I don't have to count my vacation time or be really nice to a Devil Wearing Prada so she will let me off-there is a large amount of anxiety leaving your baby for a whole week. If I can be honest, unless I leave the county with no cell phone service...I wont be able to turn it off completely.

In A Small Business, It is all you... is the Staples tagline...but, how do you do it? Pin It

Wu WOOOOOOOOOOO

Jason Wu for Target has had some pictures leak. Thank you SheFinds...I know that I have that same weak feelings in the knees I did when Missoni came out for Target...But few in dear sweet Daytona Beach doesn't know who Jason Wu is...only my friend Beauty Mommy understands how exciting this is.

And that. is. completely. fine.

Long live small towns! More clothes for us! A slight fear that they may not give us a full shipment at our Target but here is hoping! My picks (thanks to Shefinds and the Times for the sneak peek! )

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Ways To Bring In The New Year Resolution(s)

I haven't made too many personal resolutions this year...some professional ones, yes but sometimes I feel like Resolutions come with way too much pressure. Am I really going to stop cursing like a sailor? Just because  it turned January 1st? I don't think that is humanely possible. Am I gonna eat healthier? I was talking to someone today and they said everyone worries about what they eat between Christmas and New Year's wouldn't it be great if they worried about what they ate between New Year's and Christmas?? (Get it??) That is a good concept to ponder. Will I go and do more yoga as my gazillion dollar unlimited yearly membership sits and laughs at me?

Here are some apps to help you with your resolutions:

Exercise

Couch to 2K...yes you can start anywhere and this is a good place to begin. Please hurry and make this app for the Android. I miss my British lady saying "you have thirty seconds before you can start walking again...and stop dying"

Eat

My Fitness Pal This is one of the best free apps and websites that you can count calories. You can choose from their expansive database of menu choices or choose your own. You can also customize meals if you eat the same thing day in and day out.

SkinnyTaste. I have been getting Gina's recipes so long, I love them. The fact that she is from my family's home town is even better. Her amazing recipes has point systems attached and can get you off to the best start for the New Year

Urban Skinny This is a easy read from women who believe that calorie counting is the way to go. The part I like the best about this website is that they tell you the good, the bad and the ugly on all foods. So when you are eating Mexican you know which are safe bets. Its a great book!

When all else fails....Pray

So maybe I haven't seen much of a church other than a wedding or a funeral in quite some time. Get back to your roots with the free app Daily Bible and every morning have a short verse for your to peruse and apply to your day.

Love

On the love list....the greatest idea EVER for a foodie like me. Think pen pal with food. I am so excited I can't wait to get started on my first month! How cool to have a new package each month of foodie goodness!

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the wonderful Kimberly Wilson and her brand new
Tranquilologie: a DIY sprinkling of everyday tranquility-this do-it-yourself guide will take you from january through december with daily doses of inspirational ideas on everything from nesting to style to creative expression with a yoga sequence that complements each month. Its a must to bring in 2012!

In all honesty, make an effort to resolve and then move on, You can wait till next year for the resolution...just eat healthy, walk every once in a while and try something new this year...and when you get in a really bad mood...check out this website and get your laugh on. Its the greatest even for the worst of days. Pin It

Resolutions on My Mind

“If you asked me for my New Year Resolution, it would be to find out who I am.” ~Cyril Cusack

Happy 2012!! It is weird how the holiday fell...there is a lot of room for free time off if you can take it! I didn't realize that most people are taking tomorrow off...I am a little conflicted as to how hard to work when everyone else is playing. 

Do you know that I hate New Year's? I cry ever year at midnight. I dont know why it makes me so emotional. I am on top of the world and yet again I wanted to go to bed on the 30th and wake up on the 1st. But, we ended up having a really fun New Year's! Actually, we have had fun week watching the Noles whoop it up on Notre Dame on Thursday and we spent time being very very lazy on Friday. It was awesome. 

For New Year's, we decided to do Surf and Turf-Check out our Larry's!

The night ended nice and quiet with the one I love. I am thankful. I do want to share my cat's  New Year's celebration. She is in love with Seth Meyers and Kermit like I am...I thought she was gonna pust through the TV...she has never did this before...and she is 13! 

Today began with a smile as my first article was published on Women of Google+ this morning. I am really looking forward to being a part of what they do in 2012. I am obsessed with Google+ as I know have a very good grasp of what it is and what it can do. I have been studying it for days, bought Chris Brogan's book on it and I am now just so excited about this platform. I feel like I am let in on a secret that is gonna go gangbusters. I can't wait to see what it can do for my clients. I imagine I drive them nuts with all the things I think they should do, but I am excited! 

2011, I bid you adieu...my first year as a business owner was pretty freaking great. Aside from that whole skimming incident. I learned a lot, stayed true to what I believed in professionally and connected with a lot of cool people along the way.

My wish for 2012? Build my business, find more and more ideas to streamline its efficiency...write my face off and work towards that world domination goal of mine. 

What is your wish? 

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