This month I participated for the first time in something really fun–a foodie penpal exchange! I sent a package full of fun goodies to another blogger and in exchange got a box of fun goodies from another blogger! It was like Christmas coming early. 🙂 I was matched up to send a box to Mattie over at Comfy and Confident, and Annie from Running Los Annegeles sent a box to me! She did SUCH an amazing job picking out great things and putting it all in adorable packaging. Let me show you what I got!

I am totally obsessed with these miniature clothespin things that were in Christmas shapes–this gingerbread man is too adorable.

Every single item in the box came with a little description and I really felt like she put so much thought into everything. So sweet! I was really excited to see this hot chocolate mix…

…but was then even MORE excited when I saw the gingerbread marshmallows that went along with it. That’s right, gingerbread marshmallows. Yes, they are as awesome as they sound. Go and find yourself some ASAP.

There was also this insanely delicious chocolate covered popcorn…which is now completely history by the way. 😛

And there was a bunch of homemade reindeer sugar cookies–Annie said she got the idea from Pinterest! Too cute, right??

And then there was another box full of goodies! I’m tellin’ you…it’s like this girl knows me. These are totally things I would pick out for myself.

The Iced Gingerbread Clif Bar was my road trip snack on our way to New Jersey…I wish my store had this flavor, it’s so good!

Thank you so much Annie for the wonderful box!!!

Here’s a little info about the Foodie Penpal fun from my friend Lindsay who organizes the awesomeness.

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In case you’re a new reader, here’s a reminder of what the program is all about:

-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. *US Residents only please at this time- hopefully we can expand soon!*

If you’re interested in participating for January, please send  an email to Lindsay at theleangreenbean@gmail.com and include the following information:
-Your full name
-Your email address
-Your blog name/address
-Your twitter handle (if applicable)

I will need to hear from you by January 4th as pairings will be emailed on January 5th!

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I would definitely recommend it to anyone thinking about joining! It was a lot of fun and I’m doing it again for this coming month. Check out Lindsay’s blog to see other penpal reveals from December!

Thanks for reading!

-Lauren