Wanna Swap Again?

Interested in getting in on a swap?  My friend Laura is suggesting a Springtime Swap over at {A Dozen Eggs.}  Laura's thinking some time in April.  Go visit {her blog} (see an example of our last swap) and let her know if you are interested in participating in some swappy fun!

Linkety-Links

Home
What the flock?  From {Design*Sponge}

I can't believe it only took 3 years (*envy*).  From {Mrs. Limestone}

I would sincerely like the opportunity to get tired of this. From {House to Home UK}

I could park myself into this renovated kitchen and not change a thing. From {whatever}

I wish I could justify this purchase because it is so stinking cute.  From {etsy}

Food
Oh Joy!  From {Joy the Baker}

So much more than just a food blog.  From {use real butter}

Dried blackberries and lots more for baking and snacking (and my order arrived the next day!). From {Nuts Online}

For next year's homemade gifts. From {Paper Source}

So friggin ADORABLE. From not martha, via {EpiCute}

I'm going to make this today with nonfat condensed milk.  From {Angry Chicken}

I Could Have Just Asked My Husband

HH reads my blog religiously because sometimes we're both so tired/disgruntled after work that we go to our separate corners and don't talk.  So between my blog and facebook, it helps us know what's going on with each other.  Don't judge us.  When you talk all day, you don't want to necessarily talk at night.  At least I don't.

Anyhoo, he was just reading {my post} about my technical problems and told me the problem was "easy" to figure out.  Which is why I didn't ask him in the first place.  Why?  Let me illuminate:

1. I am stubborn.  I hate not knowing how to do shit.  I hate being told how.  I am immature.
2. HH loves knowing how to do everything.  He loves telling people how.  He is annoying.

I call his "tone" when he is "explaining" something his INSTRUCTIVE tone and he gets it from his father.  When I am really pissed I call him Elliott (--my father-in-law's name.  I said I was immature).  I feel myself wanting to claw his eyes out or at least withhold dinner.

All THAT being said, HH is a great guy.  He honestly doesn't seem to realize he's doing it since he "heard it from his parents his whole life," although since we've been together 22 years, he has about 1 more year in which he can use that excuse.  After that, he will have been with Wonderful Me more than with his parents.  And I put the work in, so I should get the reward of husbandly perfection.

Again, immature.

So he's apologetic as I point out his INSTRUCTIVENESS.  Again, good guy.  And, in the end, quite handy to have around. Plus, he's got that great hair (right, Judy?) and those twinklingly shifty eyes.  *sigh*  This is me totally sucking up.

My point for all of this is I can now post the other swap pictures!  Yay!  Thanks anyway, Laura and Dave, but I guess I really should've looked closer to home and spoken to my husband.  See?  I'm growing up.  So here are some more:

How friggin cute is that packaging?  {Jen} really took her time with it and it shows.

Here's what she included (from Jen's email):

FIKA Chocolate Covered Hazlenuts from {Greenpoint Food Market} (GFM)

(holla Brooklyn!--love, The Gregarious Homebody)

Chocolate Almond Toffee from Bean and Apple from GFM

Quinoa Bark from Keen-wah a quinoa company from GFM

Bread and Butter Chocolate Bar

Homemade Spiced Candied Pecans

Homemade Cherry Brandy Holiday Cake from GFM

("this is kind of a joke, had to send a fruit cake")

Love that!  And I would eat that entire fruit cake because I am unique in that I LOVE them as long as they don't have any disgusting {green cherries}.  That's just weird.

But here's a picture of my favorite part of her swap,

which I left out in the list above so that they didn't have to share the glory that is:

homemade molasses ginger cookies!

As my friend Jenni would say, I just want to curl up with
those cookies and go to sleep.

And how gorgeous is {Jen's} photo?  NICE.

Not surprising, though.  Be sure to check out {her photography}

(as she is a PROFESSIONAL).

Seriously, {WOW}.

*And here's the cool stuff Michele sent to {Donna}:

All dressed up...

and...

 nude!

Be sure to click on the photo--the small package almost in the center

with the royal blue label is

SNOWMAN ICE CUBES.

I could die from such cuteness.

Michele  went all out.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

So now that I know what the eff I'm doing, I can post the rest of the photos

without losing any hair or brain matter.  Keep sending them in! 

You can also go to {Laura's blog} to see what {Sarah sent her} 

all unwrapped and see the mastery of Laura's packaging

(I have a serious thing for {brown kraft}) of Sarah's packages.

*edited because apparently in addition to being a technotard, my reading skills suck too.  Sorry Michele and Donna!!

But Wait: There's More!

Several of our swappers received their packages already and were THRILLED with their haul.

This is some of what {Bev} sent Jenni. 

Jenni's first baby "girl" is her dog Whitney,

so those {dog biscuits} were greatly appreciated.

And here's some more from {Bev's} state, Washington. 

I think it's always great to get stuff that's from your swapees area. 

I'd really really REALLY like to show more  of the awesome stuff from the photos the rest of you emailed me but much to my fucking frustration (there has been much inward and outward swearing around the Gregarious household computer), I haven't been able to save the pictures in order to blog them.  I have a serious love/hate relationship with Picasa.  {Laura}, my darling, and her fantastic husband {Dave} are attempting to help me with this problem.  Despite having a blog, I am a well-documented technotard.  I apologize to the other swappers and hope to get the pictures up soon!

::Michele:  I have not received your emailed pictures,

so can you send them again?::

If Anyone Wants to Buy Me a Gift...

I would love one of {these}.  And I don't even really drink.

available {here}

  

Nice Booty!

Today's the day that all the swapees should have gotten their booty in the mail so I don't feel too bad showing 2 of them (SPOILER ALERT FOR JENNI'S SWAP PARTNER).  Hopefully, y'all will be sending me your pics of the stuff you got/sent this week so I can keep posting them!

I said it before, but I had so much fun putting together or making all my swap stuff!  I really hope everyone else did too.  Just like during the gift-giving holidays, I often forgot that I would be getting something in the mail too.  The choosing and the sending were that fun.

So here's the stuff I sent to my swap partner, {Mamacita}, all wrapped up
(click the picture to see all the goodies close-up):

I love all the snowflake stuff out right now and cool blue is so pretty, I think. 

(Here's a "secret" about me: If you {packaged poop} in a pretty way, I'd be impressed.  Ask my husband:  I can often be heard saying, "but I love the packaging!" about the stupidest crap.

Who cares what's inside?  Well...not crap, but.....)

So, after shopping ({Crate and Barrel sale}--holla!) and baking (granola, cookies) and making (homemade chocolate marshmallows, hot chocolate on a stick) , I packaged everything up all pretty.  I also thought it would be cool to include a touch of where I live.The card in front has a recipe for {Moravian Sugar Cake} (which I did not make for the swap because it gets stale fairly quickly) because {Bethlehem, PA} was settled by Moravians eons ago and I added a Moravian star origami thingy to hang somewhere in Mamacita's home.  

While the Moravians were NOT known for {Origami}, (shocking, I know) they were known for these {stars} that are {mucho dinero} and made, usually, of glass.  

I love {Mamacita} but not that much (ch-ching!).

Anyway, I hope she enjoyed her goodies!   If I get her for another swap, I'll be sure to send {alcohol}.

Here's a picture of Jenni's swap, ready to be packaged up:

Jenni is known around our office as The Go-To Woman for anything crafty.  She knits, she crochets, she sews amazing {Mad Men-esque dresses} and today she tormented me and our office with delicious-looking {Buckeyes} she made (blast this weight watchers regimen!!).

Jenni's swap included some of those great crafts.  She managed to whip up some eco-friendly produce bags from some groovy retro fabric, make some washable washcloths and bake some treats.  All this while preparing for her very first baby to arrive (a girl!  YAY!).   

Baby Julianna is going to be one lucky little girl with all the outfits, {amigurumi} and other amazing handmade things she gets from her mommy.

Stay tuned for more swappy goodness!

I Know This Makes Me a Little Nuts, but I Love It

{Custom-colored Sprinkles} you can make