Foodie Pen Pal Swap & Some Confessions

This month I participated in a swap called Foodie Penpals which is hosted by the Lean Green Bean, have you heard of it?  It's a fun swap where you are matched up with a partner (not always a blogger) and you each send the other a box of foodie goods.  

I was matched up with Jessica (who's not a blogger so I can't link to her) and she sent me a really fun package with these goodies in it.  Lightly salted dried veggies (which I'm totally addicted to now), Odwalla Superfood bar (it was a great breakfast), Zatarains Red Beans and Rice, Mint Tea, White Bar-B-Q Sauce (so curious about this one!), cajun seasoning, and cornbread mix.  It was such a fun box! I of course sent her some fry sauce (it's a Utah thing), rootbeer extract, and a few other goodies I really dig. :) 

In other news...

I confess that I'm going to drop about $900 on a DSLR and accessories today.  I want it to come tomorrow so I'll be home and with my Prime membership Saturday delivery is only $12.  Still... It's painful paying that much money all in one go... But I want it so bad! Especially before my Oregon trip.  But still... I'm kind of panicking over the money.  lol

I confess that I also started this morning out looking for a good DSLR camera bag that also could double as a purse since I get two carry-ons and one will be my suitcase so the other needs to hold my camera plus a book, my 3DS, wallet, keys, phone, etc.  But then I came across this awesome tutorial on how to Turn a Purse into a Padded DSLR Bag from Make It & Love It and now I'm thinking I'll put my sewing machine to good use... It just collects dust these days anyway!

I confess that I'm feeling really fat, and totally bummed that I haven't really made any real effort to lose weight before my trip.  UGH.  Not looking forward to squeezing my butt into those airplane seats and to feeling like a hefer when I buckle up.  Damn.  I guess I have a week, it's not much but even if I can just lose a few pounds I'll feel better.  Maybe I'll go full-on juicing next week.  Also my downstairs neighbors are moving out this weekend so I should start a workout routine while no one is in there! 

I confess that I'm toying with the idea of getting rid of Health NOT to Health NUT.  I hardly every blog over there anymore-but I started it with the hopes that it would force me to write about my weight loss journey-and I just keep failing so it gets no love.  I just don't know.  

I confess that there are a lot of giveaways happening right now (check out the giveaway section of the sidebar to your right! However there is one on Instagram that's not getting a lot of love-it closes Monday and has about 7 entries so you have a high chance of winning if you're an Instagram user in the US!  Check it out! 

How are you?  What's up this weekend?

We Don't Have to Be Friends on Facebook

Oh Facebook-the simultaneously magical place where I can keep up with everyone I could ever want to and place where a good amount of stress is generated.  Stress?  Well yes, it's stressful to always be sucked into the drama that people create. Some people thrive on causing a stir and getting into internet arguments, and then there are those of us over here that are just like "Oh hey, look at this cute cat!"

It's stressful to constantly be berated with political and religious images. some are fine, but we always have at least one friend who is constantly posting "I hate the president" or "Your religion is wrong for this reason."  It doesn't matter which side of the fence they are on or what god they pray to-it's a constant stream of negativity and a lot of looking for someone to argue with.

Let's not forget about the people who hate everything.  They complain about the snow when it's snowing, then the heat when it's warm... They complain about the rain and the drought.  They complain about their family and friends, then they complain when no one wants to spend time with them.  It's a never ending cycle of hatred-and reading that is just inviting yourself to feel negative also.

But this person is your friend... You see this person every day at work, or every Friday night when you get together for dinner and drinks... Or this person is family.  It's your cousin, your aunt, your sister-so you have to put up with their posting insanity or sending you twelve invites for every single one of the two-hundred-and-fifty-three games they play right?  That's what you do for family.

There are only so many posts that feel so stupid you want to tear your hair out, or so many posts that enrage you and leave you feeling angry before you have to do something about it-and you're not about to start an internet rage-fest or argue with someone who won't listen to logic.

Let's be honest.  There is only so long you can deal with seeing all of this before you just snap.

So what are you to do? You want to be able to go on Facebook and still keep up with people and see the good things. You can try hiding their posts-but inevitably they're going to realize that you're not seeing their things and carry on their drama on your end this time. They'll leave comments on your posts/pictures hoping to incite some kind of "debate" (but we all know that debate to these kind of people really means one-sided argument-because they are incapable of logically discussing things and rather they just want to rant at you) and you'll start feeling the sadness and frustration that you were previously dealing with again. There's just no winning. Eventually you're going to start to hate this person in real life.

This is the point when you need to take a long hard look at that delete button and remind yourself that you don't have to be friends on Facebook. It's not the end of the world. You can still see and love someone in real life without the frustrations of Facebook. It will be okay-in fact it will be more than ok-it will be a lot better.

So go ahead and free yourself. That way you can get back to Facebooking and all of it's glory without the constant worry that logging in is going to ruin your whole day. The world will be a much better place for you-promise.

*Update* Check out my awesome reader's comments below-they have more funny stories and other great tips for when unfriending just doesn't feel right!  Hiding & unfollowing work really well too!*

February Group Giveaway

Hey loves!  My fantastic February sponsors have teamed up for a really great group giveaway for you, and I'm SO excited to be sharing it with you!  Are you ready?  Most of these are USA only, though there are some gift cards and ad space open worldwide! 

Prize Details | Website | Facebook

Prize Details | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Blog

Winner's Choice | Website | Facebook | Blog | Twitter

Prize Details | Shop | Facebook | Twitter | Blog

Life According to Steph | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Thoughts, Rants, and Art | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

Amber Nicole | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Utah Queen of Chaos | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Year of Firsts

SmallnHot | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Now enter the giveaway!

One winner per prize/bundle details of which bundle is open to which country is listed on the graphic.

Entering the giveaway through the Rafflecopter agrees to the Terms and Conditions within.

Giveaway runs from 12AM 2/27/14 - 12AM 3/6/14. 6 Winners!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Etsy & Starbucks Gift Cards: bcteagirl
Fish Poster: Tahlia B
Nail Polish: Sabrina A
Eye Shadow: Mckenzie S
Scarf Ring: Rachel K
Ad Space: Kaylee B