A Christmas Mug {Swap}: Link-Up!!

Hooray! Today's the day!! 

By now, most of you should have received a little something special from your swap partner in the mail. I got word that my partner finally received hers just a few days ago! Woohoo! Even after the little snafoo, I was glad it got there in time for the link-up. =)

Unfortunately I have not received mine yet, but that's okay! I was happy to see her reaction to receiving her package. And I know I'll have mine eventually! These things happen. =) And in the event that something similar has happened to you and your partner, I'll be keeping the link-up active for a week.

I'm looking forward to reading about how the swap went for each of you! And if you want, feel free to post about the swap on Instagram. You can tag me (@gijoeswife) and use #ChristmasMugSwap to make it easier to keep up with all the posts! {Just FYI, my profile/pics are private on IG. Keepin' it stalker-free and all that. ;-)}

Merry Christmas, and happy coffee-drinking!

A Christmas Mug {Swap}: Check-in!!

Once upon a time, in a land called The South, there was a woman named Sarah. Sometimes, this woman forgot things - important things, like events she was hosting. This is part of that woman's story.

So, I initially set the deadline for swappers to receive/send gifts for December 10. The reason is/was because I wanted to do the link up on Monday, December 16th. I thought it'd be nice to for everyone to have received their mugs by then. And then I let my husband my partner's gift... So, hopefully she'll get it sometime before Christmas. *sigh* Silly husband....

Anyway! 

So, swappers, have you sent your mugs? Received them? Do tell!

And don't forget, I will have a link-up ready for the 16th so that you can share your goodies (not those goodies *wink wink*). Are you ready?! =)

Christmas Mug Swappers, Swap Away!

So, this post is basically just for the lovely ladies who are doing the mug swap with me this year. Sorry to all the rest of you!! (But if you're looking for a recent post to read, you can check out yesterday's thankful post. It's a bit sappy, but worth a read, IMO. ;-)) This was supposed to go up earlier in the week, but we had a power outage and then a super busy couple of days and, well.... It didn't happen. That's life, right?

Anyway! On to business. :)

• After the sign-up deadline (and a minor snafoo or two), names have been drawn!

• Although it doesn't show up this way on the website, the person you drew in the swap also drew your name. I've checked and re-checked that, so don't worry!

• Now's the time to get a wish/recommendation list to your swapper! You can do that by creating one on the Elfster site, making a board on pinterest and sending that to your partner, OR simply by sending them a message. Easy peasy.

• Make sure you also get your mailing address to your partner. That's kind of important. ;-)

• Don't forget, your partner needs to receive their gift by December 10th!

Now, go forth...shop, and swap! :)

A Christmas Mug {Swap}: Sign-up Day!

Last week, I came to ya'll with a rather fantastic idea. ;-) And since a fair amount of you agreed with me, it is now official:

Oh, yes. This. Is. Happening!

I've never hosted a swap before, so my apologies in advance for any snafoos that may occur. Other than that possibility, I'm pretty excited about this! I hope ya'll are too. :) It's been a while since I even participated in a swap, so I'm really looking forward to it. 

Now, for the details:

• Sign-ups start today and end on November 10th. All you have to do is leave me a comment with your email address.

• There is a spending limit of $15. This is to keep it fun and affordable for all of us. Please stick to it!

• You must be willing to ship to APO/FPO addresses. A good portion of my readers are military, who often live overseas. It won't cost you more to ship, but you will have to fill out a form, and send your package earlier.

• Your partner needs to receive your gift by December 10th. {This is mostly for my benefit, because little miss Millie is due December 28th and I'd like to be as prepared as possible for an early baby!}

• Try to have a wish list so your swap partner will have ideas for your mug.

• Most importantly.... Have fun!

If you have any questions after you receive your invite to the swap (before, too, I guess :)), please feel free to email me or just leave a comment. 

Happy swapping!

A Christmas Mug {Swap}

I was sitting at the table the other day, sipping coffee from my favorite mug and reading blogs when I had a fantastic idea. This idea came to me via said mug. This mug, in fact, is one I received in a Valentine's Day swap when Joe was deployed. I really never expected to get a mug in that swap, or that I would love it so much. Truthfully, there's not much special about it. It's smaller than some of my other ones. It says "I Love You!" on it, and is covered in red hearts. But for some unknown reason, it is my favorite. It was given to me by a complete stranger, fellow milspouse (if I remember correctly), and came to me during a lonely time. So maybe that's why I treasure it?

As I was sitting there, I decided that it would be fun to host a mug swap this Christmas season. It seems like so many of the bloggers I follow enjoy a good cup of coffee or tea. Admittedly, most of them are mamas. ;-) Tired mamas definitely need caffeine. Right?! Anyway, fall and winter are the perfect times to enjoy a good mug-full of your favorite hot beverage. And why not do a mug swap with my all my favorite bloggers and readers?!

So, if there's enough interest, I would love to do this. Here are some of my thoughts about it:

• Sign-ups would start on November 1st, and end on the 10th.

• The spending limit (because it needs to be affordable) would be $15.

• Swappers would be required to ship to APO/FPO addresses, because a large amount of my readers are military. (For you non-military folks, it doesn't cost extra to do this, but it does take longer to arrive and you do have to fill out a little bit of paperwork. But it's super easy.)

• All swap gifts would need to be in your partner's mailbox by December 10th. (The reason it's so early is because my due date is December 28th, and I don't want anything to be messed up if this little miss decides to come early!)

• There won't be any sort of restriction on what type of mug to send, but I am suggesting that each person entering the swap list their likes/dislikes, so their partner has a good idea of what to get. And if you're not very particular, just tell them to make it a surprise!

• Entering the swap will be super easy - all you'll need to do is leave me your email address and I'll send you a little form to fill out. 

Now that that's out of the way, who's interested?! Please leave me a comment to let me know you're interested and to share thoughts and/or suggestions. I think it'll be fun! 

P.S. It's not too early to start talking Christmas...is it? :)