It's Foodie PenPals Reveal Day!

I've mentioned in a few different posts (and definitely on Twitter) that I was participating in Foodie PenPals, an amazing idea that my pal, Lindsay, came up with over at The Lean Green Bean. I had been watching everyone blog and tweet about their amazing January packages, so I was super duper excited when Lindsay decided to do a trial run within Canada! I think it was a success, so I recommend more people taking part - you don't even have to be a food blogger, just have to like food (pfft...). All of the details are written below...

I have to tell you that nothing is quite as exciting as getting non-bills in the mail. There is something truly special about receiving a personally-addressed package, card or envelope in the mail. I just received the most adorable owl Valentine's card from one of my best friend's the other day and I almost screamed (or maybe I actually did) with excitement - so, needless, to say that I did the same with the courier rang my door bell last week.

Lauren over at What Lauren Likes picked my name this time and I got Erin's over at Running Tall. (Erin's reveal will be up today, too!) Lauren's package was absolutely perfect. I was shocked by how much stuff she crammed in and that she even considered my intolerances. I haven't had a chance to try anything (well, I've been patiently holding off until today) but cannot wait!

The theme of Lauren's Foodie Package was....ready for it...it's so cute: Her Favorite Things! Cute, eh? Here's what I received, written out exactly how Lauren had it:
1. Kashi Go Lean Honey Almond Flax
2. 100% Brown Rice Pasta
3. (New) Larabar Flavour: Cappucino 
4. TEA! There is a lot, for I love it (hope you will too!):)
5. Nu Naturals Pure White Stevia Extract (plus packages "to go" as well)
6. Savoury onion (dried) mix 
7. Dark chocolate mint bar - so good!

And here is the adorable hand written note that came along with her fave things:

Here are a few snapshots of my truly, truly exciting things: new tea flavors, a Larabar flavor I have yet to see and Nu Stevia! Sorry for all of the poor-quality photos...

Again: So excited! If you're interested, you should totally get in touch with Lindsay. I will have to miss March as the month is a bit busy - have I told you we booked a last minute all-inclusive (read: drinks, books, cards and sun) trip to Dominican Republic? I will definitely be jumping back in in April. How could I not? I have a feeling Foodie Pen Pals will have a lot more participants from Canada by then..:)

Not only was this amazing because I got an awesome package in the mail, but I also got to "meet" both Lauren and Erin, fellow Canadian food bloggers. Each time I re-sign up for Foodie PenPals, I will send to a new person and receive from another, building my database of Canadian foodies. :)
~~~
The Details:
- 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.
- 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 Penpals is open to US and 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. So, I'm going to keep two separate lists and match US w/US and Cnada w/Canada!

If you're interested in participating for March, 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)
- WHETHER YOU ARE A US RESIDENT OR CANADIAN RESIDENT - this is SUPER important so you get on the right list!
You must submit your information by March 4th as pairings will be emailed on March 5th!
**PLEASE NOTE: if you send an email, you WILL GET A RESPONSE within 48 hours. If you don't, please re-send or contact Lindsay via Twitter (@LeanGrnBeanBlog). Last month we had a few emails get lost in spam so we're trying to avoid that!
~~~

One last thing: I chopped my hair off! It's kind of a weird photo taken after a good 6 hours at a bachelorette party, but you'll get the general idea. :)

Lots of Love! ~ Allie