Jewelry Swap Reveal!

I love blog swaps! I've done a kitchen apron swap, a summer and fall swap.  This was the first time I got to swap jewelry--and we're not talking brand new jewelry either.  We're talking tasteful jewelry you already have that you could bear to part with and thought that your swap partner would enjoy.  What a great idea.  I mean, I've been hoarding jewelry for years and hardly wear ANY of it.  Really...it's so sad. This one was hosted by Melissa at The Life of a Not so Ordinary Wife.  We were supposed to blog about this and link up at Melissa's blog yesterday, but I honestly just got my package in the mail today.  It just takes a little longer for stuff to get to Europe!

 

Melissa paired me up with Sydney from the Southern Newlywed blog.  I just became a follower on her blog, but like what I see so far.  I plan on staying in touch!  But check out what she sent me!

 

 

 She sent me something I would have bought for myself!  I love long necklaces and the stones are in some of my favorite colors.  It'll go with pretty much anything in my wardrobe!  Thanks so much Sydney!

What a great swap!  Thanks to Melissa for hosting!

I sent a piece of jewelry to someone else and I haven't seen her post yet.  I hope my package gets to her soon!

Oh...we returned from our trip to Barcelona on Sunday.  It'll be a while before I post about it since I have tons of pictures to sort through!

~Spring Swap~

I promised to share what I received during the Spring Swap hosted by Nicole at Flip Flops and Combat Boots (she always does these great link-ups!) and man, am I excited to do it!

I was partnered with Jackie of In the Life of the Lefevres--a coach's wife and mother of two adorable kiddos.  Jackie is from Jacksboro, Texas, which is (and she can correct me if I'm wrong) in northeast Texas and I'm guessing it's a zillion miles away from where I used to live before I moved here to Germany (El Paso).  Anyway, I went to pick up the package earlier this week while I was at work.  The consolidated mail room is near our office building, so I usually go to check our box in the afternoons when things die down at the office.  Well, I brought the package back to work and our secretary (and my friend), Zinda, sees the package.   I tell her it's from my swap partner in Jacksboro, TX, and she says, "I know where that is!!!"  And that's because she's a Texan--of the Houston-type, I believe.

Anyway, I start taking stuff out of the box, with her help, and as I start to unwrap an item, she says something about Dublin Dr. Peppers.  I guess it's big in that part of Texas (or maybe Texas in general; I never knew).
So take a look at this...

She got me a whole bunch of Dublin Dr. Pepper stuff.  Okay, so Dublin, Texas is about 90 miles away from where Jackie lives, but it's home to the oldest Dr. Pepper bottling company and the only one that stays true to the original Dr. Pepper formula (which originated in Waco, Texas) that features Imperial Pure Cane Sugar (which means it's hella sweet).  It's so much fun to read about the history of the Dublin Dr. Pepper.  You can read it too by clicking here. 

And what's also cool is that Zinda's brother currently lives in Dublin, Texas.  What a small world!

Anyway, I got a couple bottles of Dublin Dr. Pepper to use in the Dublin Dr. Pepper cake mix I also got.  Of course with Dublin Dr. Pepper cake, you must have Dublin Dr. Pepper chocolate frosting!  Jackie must have known that I LOVE chocolate and cake!  She also gave me two cans of Big Red Cream Soda, which I've read is the unofficial soda of Texas (also originating from Waco) and I LOVE cream soda.   I also got a silicone Texas-shaped ice cube tray as well as a kitchen towel for Easter. 

I am beyond thrilled.  And when I make that cake, I'll definitely post about it.

Thanks so much Jackie for being an awesome swap partner, for making this fun and for sending me such a unique gift. I hope we can keep in touch in the long term!

Oh, and if you're curious as to what I sent to Jackie, you can check out this post on her blog!

I told you, blog swaps are (as my sister-in-law would say) sooooo the business!  I can't wait for the next one!

Wordful Wednesday: Summer Essentials Swap

So yesterday, I got my package from Allie of My Marine and Me, my Summer Essentials Swap partner!  The swap was hosted by Nicole at Flip Flops and Combat Boots.

I just LOVE getting packages in the mail.  What a treat!  Allie totally hooked me up for the summer.  Check it out!

I got a great book to add to my summer reading stack, some ICEE chapstick (which is funny, because I can't go to the movies these days without having a large ICEE!), a necklace and flower clips for my hair, some bubbles (the dogs love those) and great summer recipes from a magazine (which I am definitely going to try!).  The last few swaps that I've done, the girls always remember Baby V...and Allie got her an adorable little bib!

Thanks so much Allie!  I truly appreciate everything and will definitely keep in touch.  Thanks to Nicole for linking everyone up and for coming up with such a great idea!

Speaking of swaps, I'm in the middle of week one of Kimberly's Snail Mail Swap!  I sent my first letter out to my "pen pal" the other day.  I can't wait to hear from her!

Happy Wednesday everyone!  Be sure to head on over to Seven Clown Circus to get linked for Wordful Wednesday!

Thursday Five

I didn't know about this until today, but Mrs. Gambizzle over at Life as a Sailor's Girl took Thursday Five over from Keely at Mannland5 and I've decided to help her keep it going.  She made a new button for it and everything! How cutie is it?

So you guys know the deal...you post about 5 things about the week that have made you:

Happy

Joyful

Appreciative

Giggly

or

Excited

 

and then head on over to Mrs. Gambizzle's to get linked!  So here we go:

 

1.  I got home early today...so not only did I get to come home to see my sweet darling and our 2 furbabies (I'm counting our honorary fur-baby, Chester, since yes, he is still here--Malu just won't give him up!), but I am home with enough time to update this blog!  If I don't get up really early to post in the morning, I usually don't get to do it until late in the evening and by then, I'm just plumb tired!

 

2.  I found out that Mrs. Gambizzle gave me another blog award, which I'm hella stoked about.  Thank you so much!  I'll be posting and passing out that award and another award that I received sometime last week. Man, awards all over the place! 

 

3.  I'm not sure that I'm ecstatic that Baby V and I have officially reached our 39th week--because I was so sure she' be here by now!  But I am happy that we're healthy and well at this point in time.  Is it bad that I just want her to get here already?  I mean, I'm at the point where I'm just getting tired of being tired (from tossing and turning all night long from the discomfort--man, I can't wait to be able to sleep on my back or my stomach again!) and sore--and just being the size of a blimp!  Malu and I are ready to see our baby girl!

 

4.  The girls from work went out to lunch at the Corner Bakery yesterday.  No pictures, but it was so nice to see everyone again (everyone had been on leave for the past two weeks and I'd missed them). OMG...I had these chocolate whoopie pies that were deee-vine!  I wanna go back for more.  In any case, we decided to have a get-together at my friend, Leah's house on Saturday evening.  The theme is Italian/pasta....I wonder what I should make!

 

5.  I sent out my Summer Essentials Swap package (albeit late, I'm sorry!) to my swap partner, Allie at My Marine and Me, the other day.  I can't wait for her to get it!  I've also signed up to participate in Kimberly's Snail Mail Swap.  She's still taking participants until 9:00 tomorrow morning, so if you want to participate, head on over to her blog!

 

Wow, that's a lot of links in one blog.  But hey, if you're interested, just check 'em all out.  You never know what fabulous stuff you'll find...or cool people you'll meet! 

 

Enjoy the rest of your Thursdays everyone!

~Summer Swap Fever~

To say that I'm ga-ga over blog swapping is an understatement.  They are tons of fun.  I participated in a Flip Flop Swap back in May.  The same sweet person, Kimberly at Kimberly's Korner, hosted another blog swap--the Apron Swap.  It ended a few weeks ago, but I had a valid alibi for my delay in making this post. 

You know those communal mail boxes they have in neighborhoods these days?  Well, when you get a package, the mailman sticks a key in your mailbox, which opens one of the bigger mailboxes that holds your package. Well, I got a key, but I couldn't open the mailbox that had the package in it to save my life. I thought it was just me being weak...but Malu gave it a try and almost broke the key. 

It wasn't until almost 2 weeks later that the mailman probably got tired of waiting for us to remove the package that he squeezed it into our itty-bitty mailbox. 

I had been partnered up with Christina of Mommy Brain...and boy, was it all worth the wait!  Not only did she send me this adorable apron (yes, it says Desperate Housewife!)...

...but she sent me these fun, fancy plates!

Christina....thank you sooooo much!  I hope you enjoyed the apron that I sent you!

And the swapping is not over yet!  Nicole at Flip Flops and Combat Boots (a fab blog) is hosting a Summer Essentials Swap!

I've been partnered up with Allie at My Marine and Me and I have two weeks to put together a fun package of the coolest of summer essentials.

So....if any of you out there have some cool ideas for what I should get...by all means--bring it on!

If you haven't done a swap yet, find yourself one!  They're sooo cool!

Have a Happy Thursday tomorrow everyone!