"Fall Into Fall" Swap Reveal: Pumpkinhead

I love swaps and jumped on this (almost non-food) fall swap. I was matched with Kate of Green Fashionista. She sent me lots of orange and black!

My package included a candy dish, fun straws, a sparkly koozie, a luxurious candle I can't stop inhaling, and 2 fun polishes.

The straws are super cute. It's a little early but I broke it out anyways.

The straw has been particularly helpful today as I lay in bed, unable to move my head...

Wait, what?! This morning, as I was driving, I turned to get something from the back seat and felt a strain in my neck.

The left side of my neck, head, and upper shoulder area is in so much pain that I was in tears! I'm feeling a little better with slow stretching, but I'm out for the day. :(

My head is cranked forward and a bit to the right till I get back more range of motion. The worst part: it hurts to lay my head down and then I can't get back up - heads are so heavy!

Check out what I sent Kate here! I clearly had trouble not sending as much food; that's the sign of a Foodie Penpal.

(source)

Have you ever had neck pain? I also probably slept on it wrong last night...

Belated September Foodie Penpal

I'm a little late, but I wanted to share my Foodie Penpal box from September.

Lots of great things, including kettle chips, dried fruit, a giant oatmeal raisin cookie...

Soup mix and oatmeal.

I share everything with my kids, or as always, my family gobbled them up.

My favorite was a couple of fruit strips. I haven't had fruits strips in a long time, but they were a perfect compliment to my breakfast when there was no fresh fruit on hand.

Here's what I sent my Foodie Penpal:

Inside the box I sent:

• Chronic Jerky beef jerky
• Strawberry and black peppercorn jam
• Dried hibiscus flowers
• Hatch chile powder
• Spanish curry powder
• Rice paper flower
• Strawberry caramels

Want to join in? Here's the info:
-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. 
-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. 
If you’re interested in participating for September, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.
You must submit your information by October 4th as pairings will be emailed on October 5th!
*If you’re from somewhere besides the US, Canada or Europe and want to participate, send me an email and I’ll see if we get enough interest this month!

MIMM: Long, long day

Back to working out today. I had a long, long day ahead but I got in TurboKick. I haven't been to this particular class in over a month! I didn't do very well. I thought the 8.5 hours of sleep was enough, but I was either still tired or groggy.

Or maybe it's just this class - the energy is different. I used to go to this class all the time and get frustrated when I didn't get a good workout. The Monday night class suits me a little better, pushes me harder, and I've realized is harder.

Lately, I've been having trouble with mud runs. My legs need more work huh?

Anyways, I worked 3.5 hours in the morning then went to my other job for 6 hours. We had a floor set and I got home not too long ago. I need time to wind down before bed.

I'm taking a "Pretty Little Liars" break and watching "The Long, Long Trailer."

I saw it on Amanda's blog and had to watch it.

October is here. September flew by!

What is there to look forward to this month?

Apples from my apple picking trip:

With which I made a healthier version of the apple chimi cheesecake from Applebee's.

Mine is simple: 1/2-2/3 Granny Smith apple microwaved with cinnamon and Greek yogurt in a Sonoma low carb tortilla + a drizzle of protein powder frosting (protein powder + water).* Put it in a pan with non-stick spray and done-zo.

*I would add sugar free cheesecake pudding mix to the Greek yogurt next time. 

I saw these at the store. They look and smell so good, but I resisted.

I did buy protein powder as part of my $35 budget. 

It was on super sale!

I got some candy corn. Really, this is all I got.

I had a gift card for gelato tonight, but it was near closing so the guy gave it to me for free! I only ate half because gelato is so sweet!

Now I can save my gift card for pumpkin gelato later on this week!

What are your October goals? I'll post mine tomorrow!

I have tons of awesome links for you tomorrow when I have a little more time.