Cara Box

I have been such a blog slacker, and I must apologize, because sweet Kendra showered me with the cutest goodies (most of which were for baby girl - so thoughtful!) during this month's Cara Box exchange!  I had never done Cara Box before, and I'm glad I did because I got to know a wonderful new blog friend, Kendra!

The wine back there is mine (patiently waiting to reunite with me in January), no one sends wine to a pregnant chick!

How adorable is her handmade card!

{Wifessionals}

Spring Sweets Swap REVEAL Link-up!

<div align="center"> <a href="http://stresscasey.blogspot.com/2013/03/announcement-spring-sweets-swap.html" title="Spring Sweets Swap" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1182.photobucket.com/albums/x449/stresscasey/2246fc06-a42a-45c3-b26b-c44ae240de0e_zpsde65e9b8.jpg" alt="Spring Sweets Swap" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

It's that time, ladies!!

Join us, 
link-up, 
and share what your new blog friend sent you for the Spring Sweets Swap!

I was paired up with Annabelle from The Carolina Country Girl, and it turned out we had similar tastes in sweets!  We both love Cadbury eggs, mint chocolate, and chocolate in general!

I was delighted to receive her package, check out all the goodies she sent me:

I died over this dreamy pastel yellow color!  You can expect to be seeing a Nail Files post in the very near future with this gorg color!

And I love a good tumblr!  I have quite the little collection of these guys gathering, and I am so happy to add this cheery pink one to it!

To see what I sent Annabelle, head over to The Carolina Country Girl, STAT!

Link-up your goodies below, ladies!

ANNOUNCEMENT: Spring Sweets SWAP!

Last year, Tutor Girl and I hosted a super fun Spring Sweets Blog Swap with over 30 fabulous bloggy ladies signed up for!  This year, can we hit 40?!

 

A swap is a great way to meet fellow bloggers. You can get to know everyone through the link-
up and really get to know your partner.  This year, we pushed it backso those of you in colder climates could really get into the Spring spirit for this swap.

 

If you've never pariticpated in a swap, or if you're a swap expert, please join us to celebrate the turn of the season (or what we imagine it to be like at least, it's always Spring in Southern California)!

Here's the 411

 

 

How does it work?

Link up with the linky form at the bottom of this page (you'll have two weeks to do so!), and once the sign-ups are over, we will assign you a swap partner by April 4th. 

 

What next?

You can go check out your partner's blog and reach out to them to exchange contact information! Get to know them and what sweets and fun spring goodies you might want to send their way. You two weekends to shop, and then ship their package to them by Tuesday, April 16th.

 

 

And then?

Check your mailbox like a crazy person, eagerly awaiting your fun Spring Sweets!

 

 

Then link-up with here or at Heartfelt Happenings on Friday, April 26th to show off your Spring Sweets Swap goodies!

 

 

Anything else I should know?

The price limit on spending is a whopping $10 - just enough for a few sweets, but not too much to make your friends and family worry about the amount of money you're spending on...strangers (they don't get the blog world, do they?).

 

You can see my swap reveal post from last year HERE.

 



<div align="center"> <a href="http://stresscasey.blogspot.com/2013/03/announcement-spring-sweets-swap.html" title="Spring Sweets Swap" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1182.photobucket.com/albums/x449/stresscasey/2246fc06-a42a-45c3-b26b-c44ae240de0e_zpsde65e9b8.jpg" alt="Spring Sweets Swap" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Sign up below!!

Spring Sweets Swap Reveal Link-Up!

Happy First Day of Spring!

And more importantly,

Happy Spring Sweets Swap Reveal Link-Up Day!

<center><a href=" www.stresscasey.blogspot.com " target="_blank"><img alt=" Spring Sweets Swap " src=" http://i1182.photobucket.com/albums/x449/stresscasey/springsweetsbutton1.jpg" /></a></center>

I hope everyone was blessed with some wonderful goodies from their swap partner!

I ended up with two fabulous partners, and I got the sweetest little Spring Sweets from them both!

Funny story - they were both named Heather!

Heather from Blonde...Undercover Blonde graced with me these goodies:

And Heather from Gurlee Girrl sent me this adorable package:

Thank you, Heathers!

My tastebuds are grateful.

My waistband however?  A little bitter.

Now it's your turn to show off the Spring Sweets that you got!

Link up below!

Things Thursday: Things That are Fun About Swaps!

Being that tomorrow is the last day to sign up for our Springs Sweets Swap (have you signed up yet?), I thought I would give you 10 great reasons to sign up if you haven't quite gotten around to it yet!


 
1. Who doesn't love getting things in the mail?

2. An excuse to use the girly stationary your husband doesn't want you using on anything that's from the both of you.

3. It's a great way to make new bloggy friends!

4. There is a link-up at the end - easy and fun blog post to write!

5. Sweets...enough said.

6. Shopping in the dollar section in Target, Walmart, and Michaels for someone other than yourself...makes a girl feel good about herself.

7. Getting your blog out there not just to anyone, but to fellow friendly bloggers who like to meet and make nice with other ladies who blog!

8. Did I mention sweets?!

9. Getting to decorate the outside of a little package with all those cute little stickers and stamps who just had to have but haven't used since you bought them.

10. I will be a big fan of yours if you sign up for our swap!

So, what are you waiting for?

Sign up!

A Very Sweet Announcement: The Spring Sweets Swap!

I hinted about it last week, and now it's time for details!

Brought to you by the same (fabulous) ladies who brought you this giveaway:

Heartfelt Happenings & Stress Case are BACK with our first ever Swap - The Spring Sweets Swap!

<center><a href=" www.stresscasey.blogspot.com " target="_blank"><img alt=" Spring Sweets Swap " src=" http://i1182.photobucket.com/albums/x449/stresscasey/springsweetsbutton1.jpg" /></a></center>

If you've never pariticpated in a swap, or if you're a swap expert, please join us to celebrate the turn of the season (or what we imagine it to be like at least, it's always Spring in Southern California)!

Here's the 411

How does it work?

Link up with the linky form at the bottom of this page (you'll have two weeks to do so!), and once the sign-ups are over, we will assign you a swap partner by Monday, March 5th. 

What next?

You can go check out your partner's blog and reach out to them to exchange contact information!  Get to know them and what sweets and fun spring goodies you might want to send their way.  You get a week to shop, and then ship their package to them by Monday, March 12th.

And then?

Check your mailbox like a crazy person, eagerly awaiting your fun Spring Sweets!

Then link-up with here or at Heartfelt Happenings on Tuesday, March 20th aka The First Day of Spring to show off your Spring Sweets Swap goodies!

Anything else I should know?

The price limit on spending is a whopping $10 - just enough for a few sweets, but not too much to make your friends and family worry about the amount of money you're spending on...strangers (they don't get the blog world, do they?).

Oh!  And?  If you sign up you'd be making me smile really really big.

Like, this big:

And to get me to smile that big without the Bud Light next to me?  Would be quite the accomplishment.

Sign up below!

Blog Swap! A Day in the Life of a Young Mama

Today is a fun day in blog land, because I am participating in my very first blog swap ever!  Nicole invited me to swap with her, and I couldn't say no to this sweet, fun, young mama (also an MVHS alumni - go Diablos!). 

Enjoy reading about a day in her life, and come check a day in my life right over HERE!

-----------------------------------------------

Hey there, all! My name is Nicole, and I blog over HERE, so come on by and say hello to us Cisneros’s! I’m a mama to a precious nineteen-month-old munchkin, and have another on the way {finally, the nausea has passed. Thanks for asking!}. Besides my mama duties and wifely charm, I work as a fitness instructor two days per week at a wonderfully kick-ass place called Purebarre…y’all should check it out sometime, just a suggestion.

Anyway, that’s where I’m going to start with my “Day in the Life” post, in the bright early morning, sometime around 6:30am…..

I peal myself out of bed Wednesday mornings, groggy as all groggy, but I tell myself, “Hey, Nicole, this isn’t so bad. It’s only one day per week, so buck up.” It doesn’t help much, but hey? What can I say? The mornings and I don’t like each other.

{Work: 7:15 – 10:30}

Now, usually Chad is home on Wednesday’s, but this particular Wednesday he had to ski-daddle into work, so it was just me and the little man.

{Usually it’s just Carter and I until around 6:30 every night,  when I breathe a massive sigh of relief when that glorious man walks through the door}

Now it’s time for the grocery store, or should I say where mother’s-of-toddlers-go-to-die.

Yeah, the store and I don’t like each other either since Carter turned 18-months-old. As in, we actually hate each other. Let’s just say that each.and.every.time we’ve taken the plunge the last few weeks, I would have rather set my hair on fire than meander through the produce for one more second. This week, Carter decided that he has a new favorite place to hang out.

{Store outing: 11:00 - 12:00}

Aww…But doesn’t he look so cute?

Next stop after the insanity that is the store, McDonald’s for my McCafe! I don’t think anything else on this earth defines me as much as a small Caramel Frappe from Mickey D’s does….Well, except of course wife-hood…oh, and maybe mother-hood… and my faith…..Okay, I guess that was a bit rash. Anyway, coffee and I are great amigos, and that’s the way I like it.

Now it’s 12:30 and bottle time, followed by a two hour nap. {Woohoo!}. These two hours are golden. They’re when I breathe. They’re when I relax. They’re when I peruse the computer. They’re when I do whatever needs to be done to keep our household functioning. They’re wonderful. Usually I’m spending way too much time on the computer instead of folding these,

Cleaning this,

Or picking up these….

Because I almost always resort to this….

Ahh, the joys of alone time.

Not too much alone time, though. I miss Carter. Wake up, little man, mommy wants to see you!

What’s that I hear? 

Ahh, nice to see you too, baby! 

Let’s have some lunch.

It’s now 3:30, and that unfolded laundry is calling our names.

Carter? Will you help mommy?

Thanks, baby, you are the best.

As a reward, it’s playtime for the rest of the day! This always involves ball-throwin’, horse-back-ridin’, bear-hug-givin’ cuteness. 

Happy, happy, happy.

Then Daddy comes home, and we are SUPER happy, happy, happy.

Now for dinner, a bottle, {maybe a little bit of “Cars” watching}, and bedtime.

8:30 and beyond: mommy and daddy time, baby!

Thank you so much for reading a slice out of our lives!

Come on by, and stay for awhile, why don'tchya?

I'd love to meet you!