Blind Date with a Book: A Holiday Book Exchange with Kim & Nicole

Get ready, it's time for the next Blogger Book Exchange and this time we're filled with the holiday spirit!  Nicole and I are teaming up to present a fun-filled, relaxed book exchange over Instagram and other social media.  

Yup, Instagram!  

This book exchange will be different than past ones due to its format.  Participants will be purchasing two books for their partner.  One book will be from a list provided by their partner and the other book is the giver's choice.  Just like a blind date, you won't know what book you'll receive and that's what makes it so much fun! Imagine the gift-wrapping possibilities! 

Throughout the process, there will be two Instagram link-ups using #knblinddatewithabook.  You'll have the opportunity to share fun holiday pictures and get to know other avid readers via their Instagram photos.  At the end of the swap, Nicole and I will be gathering all of the photos together in one big, holiday-lovin' blog post.  Sound fun?  We certainly hope so!

Sign-ups start on Monday and will last for about three weeks.  If you sign-up, take a screenshot of our button (down below) and share it on Instagram and Twitter.  We would love to get a large turnout but we also want to make sure everyone is having a great time.

Once you've signed up, you'll receive your partners anywhere from November 10th-12th.  From there, get to know your partner through their Instagram and through e-mail.  Share some of your favorite titles and get to know your partner's interests because it will help the book selection process be that much easier.  From the 25th-26th of November, you will mail out your books and soon receive yours!



Throughout the process you'll have a few days of Instagram link-up opportunities using #knblinddatewithabook and these fun topics:


Instagram:
- something that you love about your life
- your favorite holiday story
- a fun fact about yourself
- your favorite holiday tradition
- what inspires your love for books
- a book you would like to receive for the holidays

You can follow us at kimberlyersk1ne and nicolelovescoffee.

Don't worry if you forget, Nicole and I will remind you via our blogs, Twitter, and Instagram.  Also, you'll only receive a few e-mails with pertinent information for the holiday book exchange, so we promise, no spamming!

We are so excited about this opportunity and can't wait to have you on board for this festive time during the holiday season!

Sign-ups start Monday!

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If you liked this post, share it with others! If you feel particularly moved by it, leave a comment because I love feedback and discussion. Social media links are provided below and thanks for reading!

20 Things About Myself at 23 (Part II)

6. I love to read and I'm sure many people know this from the two blogger books swaps that I've hosted in the past.  I have loved to read every since I was a little kid.  At a time when there were probably few opportunities for my parents to go out and buy things or pay for activities, the library was free entertainment.  I don't think I ever realized that as a kid, but I did know that I loved the adventures that I read in books and getting completely soaked into a story and its characters.  That love continued on as I grew older and went to student competitions, like Battle of the Books and the English Writing Festival.  Although it was slightly dampened by required reading, some of those high school and college classes introduced me to new favorite books.  I'm sure that my fellow book lovers would also like to know that our next blogger book swap will be in November with one of my great friends, Nicole :)

7. I firmly believe that developing a relationship with Christ is a journey and one that people need to go on at their own time and rate.  Although I post spiritual pictures/text on my blog and Instagram, that doesn't mean that I don't respect your needs and concerns.  For me, sometimes it's hard to identify as a Christian, in fact I still don't.  There are still so many negative connotations that go along with being a Christian, none of which I support.  I'm a follower of Christ but there are a ton of Christians that I don't necessarily like (ahem, Fox News).  I like Jesus and what he stood for and I'm doing my best to follow in his name and to be a better person.  As a follower of Christ, I think there are things that he lived for and taught that still help the world today.

8. One day when I'm a mom, I totally think I'm going to be a hipster mom.  I can totally picture myself with a pumpkin spice latte in one hand, Etsy shop diaper bag, and a little baby boy who could be a mini GQ model. I'm excited to plan birthday parties, trips to Disney World, and take a stab at sewing clothes (not that I don't do these things already). I'm excited for the opportunity and privilege to hopefully become a mom one day. I talk about it enough on my blog but I'm really excited to have kids with Ryan.

9. My dream job would be to be paid to craft and design. I would love to scrapbook, design birthday parties, or create DIY tutorials as my main source of income. I swoon at the thought of a crafting chain, like Michael's or Hobby Lobby, sending me free product to create a tutorial for them. If I could blog all day about crafting and DIY or really get my blog going, that would be amazing.

10. I think it's incredibly important to pay attention to your audience. This is kind of a broad idea, but I believe it's important to understand your privileges and what you bring to the table. My perspective and life experiences will most likely be different than the people I talk to through my blog. I try to respect that and understand that people might get it and sometimes they might not. When I first wrote about the difficulties of a young marriage, I got some backlash. But then I realized that the audience I was talking to is very diverse. One comment I received was that marriage for her was easy. All I kept thinking of was that's awesome, but my experience has been otherwise. In looking more closely at the situation, we have two very different lives. Not to get into too much detail, but at 23 (and Ryan being 22) we are very different financially than let's say a couple in their 30's who have been in their careers for some time. Whereas some people would be done with college at Ryan's age, he's just starting and that's because of his service to the military. I would also say that our experiences in the military have also fashioned a different outlook on live than other people may have. Our experiences help fashion our outlook and it's important to keep that in mind.

Be sure to look out for Part III!

If you liked this post, share it with others! If you feel particularly moved by it, leave a comment because I love feedback and discussion. Social media links are provided below and thanks for reading!

Saturday Morning Post

 

 

   

1// This past weekend was Memorial Day weekend. It's a day to reflect and honor those who have lost their lives in the line of duty.  It was also a time that many of my friends were promoted and it was very symbolic to see new generations stepping up to the plate as leaders.

2// My photogenic kids :) Blu turns 5-months today!  He's now probably over 50 lbs and could rival Holly's size.

3// Tuesday we all linked up for Preview to Summer: A Blogger Book Swap.  I was so excited to share Maria's care package.  You can check out her blog, I Believe in Story, to learn more about her love for books and the publishing world.

4// Wednesday I was officially initiated into my squadron.

5// Downloaded Wheat Belly, finally! Inspired by an old school friend who is wonderfully fit, I plan on reading that as well as 80/10/10.  If you've visited my Pinterest page, you've probably seen my numerous attempts at filling my life with healthy goodness.  My friend Becky is an avid runner and is highly encouraging me to try to train for at least a half marathon.  It's been on my bucket list but I really loathe running.  We'll see how this goes.  I really want to try hot yoga but I'm thinking this area of Montana doesn't really have that.

6 & 7// I was so excited to have found this present for my commander and myself.  I found these dinosaur necklaces and dino boxes at a party supply store.  They totally remind me of my 90s childhood and I love it!  You can see more of the post here.

8// Blu with his interpretive dancing.

9// Coming back from alert and a velociraptor was in our car...go figure.

10 & 11// I absolutely love when bloggers expand into areas like eBooks, classes, etc. I especially love Jessi Connelly and her blog, Naptime Diaries.  She is a co-founder of the Influence Network which is a space to take classes on specific topics and find forums that cater to women.  I was so intrigued when I realized that the bloggers from Naptime Diaries and The Tiny Twig were creating a new eBook.  Refresh: An Experimental eBook drew me in right away as I realized how exhausted I've become in my life.  Seeking refreshment? Yes, that's exactly what I need in my life.  This weekend is a great deal where if you purchase the $4.99 eBook, you're also granted the other two eBooks, as shown above.  I just bought it and I'm excited to be a part of this and to receive the other two eBooks.  I don't know about y'all, but I need this type of refreshment in my life.

12// That moment where you finally feel nice and clean after working.  It amazes me what a shower, straightener and some make-up will do, even if you're running off of a few hours of sleep.

13// The Broke and the Bookish, known for Top Ten Tuesdays, is hosting a book club!  I think I'm part of a zillion of them but their first book selection totally got me.  If you're a fan of Gilmore Girls, you may have known that actress Lauren Graham wrote a book, Someday, Someday Maybe.  It's a fictional book that is loosely based on Graham's experience starting off as a new actress in NYC.  I feel like a lot of wonderful memories will be shared in this book and you can create a post and link-up with the blog for part of the discussion. 

14// As if three book clubs aren't already enough, The Marvelous Flight of Cara is hosting a summer book club but in a little bit of a different fashion.  Each week participants will tackle of a chapter of Captivating by John and Staci Eldredge.   Each week, they will answer questions and blog post a review of what God's challenging us in and bringing to fruition in our lives!  I just downloaded it onto my Kindle so I can participate starting June 3rd!  

15// Project Life digital editions are a cool way to expand into scrapbooking.  I love Becky Higgins' company and with all of my social media interactions and dedication to this blog, I've come to realize that I need to record more of my life.  I need to take more pictures and talk about our daily lives.  I wish I would have documented more of my life in college because so many beautiful memories wer made there. Becky's blog shares some tips on how to create these digital scrapbooks and have them printed.  I just bought the AC Digitals Midnight Edition (one of my favorite editions thus far!) and I would like to start working with it, however, I still have the tangible Clementine edition.  I just need to buckled own and get my pictures printed.  

Preview to Summer Book Swap! Link-up Here =]

Today's the day! We're all linking up for Preview to Summer: A Blogger Book Swap!

Thanks for coming on this journey with Me, Maria, Serena, Martie, Nina and Nicole.

We have loved having you as participants and we hope that you enjoyed your time blogging about books, your love for reading, and meeting other bloggers who love to read.

My swap partner was my fellow co-host, Maria, and I could not tell you how excited I was to have her as a swap partner.  All the link-up graphics and the banners that you saw throughout the entire process were created by her and she did a phenomenal job as a co-host.  Maria blogs over at I Believe in Story and has her own shop with really adorable prints.  Apart from being an awesome blogger and shop owner, Maria is a genuinely kind-hearted person who has fielded numerous e-mails from me throughout this process.  She is always there to offer a kind word and gentle encouragement.

So of course I wasn't surprised to receive a care package that is just as sweet as she is and when I opened it, the first thing I saw was this adorable card filled with mixed media ice cream cones.  Maria wrote out such a thoughtful note and although she is already one of my favorite bloggers long before I started book swaps, it only further cemented my admiration for her.

I could not stop smiling after the first thing I saw was this tote.  I love The Great Gatsby and Maria picked out this adorable bag from the company Out of Print and I was strutting about the house with it.  I may or may not have squealed with excitement.  Yes, squealed.

Maria has some great attention to detail because a long time ago (or in blogger terms, a few weeks ago) I said that I really loved this specific print from her shop and when I opened a brown folder in the package, there it was.

someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again
There is something so sweet and innocent about that phrase.  It feels like a verbal hug :)

She also included postcards of different covers, which I love!

Maria chose this darling book with short stories about summer.  This fits perfectly for our book swap theme! I adore this cover, it's so cute!  I haven't tackled too many books with short stories in the past and so I'm really glad that she has given me an opportunity to expand on those experiences. 

She also included one of her favorite books, Of Bees and Mist.
Here's a plot synopsis:

Of Bees and Mist is an engrossing fable that chronicles three generations of women under one family tree and places them in a mythical town where spirits and spells, witchcraft and demons, and prophets and clairvoyance are an everyday reality.

Meridia grows up in a lonely home until she falls in love with Daniel at age sixteen. Soon, they marry, and Meridia can finally escape to live with her charming husband’s family—unaware that they harbor dark mysteries of their own. As Meridia struggles to embrace her life as a young bride, she discovers long-kept secrets about her own past as well as shocking truths about her new family that push her love, courage, and sanity to the brink.

Erick Setiawan’s astonishing debut is a richly atmospheric and tumultuous ride of hope and heartbreak that is altogether touching, truthful, and memorable.

I am always excited to start a book with a strong recommendation from a friend.  Seeing that this is one of her favorites, I'm hoping to love it just as much as she does.  The elements of spells and witchcraft remind me of a fairytale and everything seems to tie nicely into the themes of the care package.

Finally she included a CD of a Canadian pop/indie group called Hey Ocean!  I love when people send me music from bands that I've never heard of because I'm always down to listen to great music.

Maria did such a great job and I could not be more thrilled!  If you love that print as much as I do, make sure to check out her shop because there are tons of other great prints as well.

Make sure to link-up below!

P2S Link-up Childhood Favorites

 

This week's Preview to Summer link-up is our last one before we share our swaps tomorrow!  Remember you can link-up here at The Simplicity to share with the other bloggers.  Many thanks to Nina over at run(dance)love for hosting the link-up of Childhood Favorites.  This challenge brought up so many fond memories of story times at local libraries and being introduced to chapter books from a young age.  I thought of school projects and kindergarten crafts.  I also thought of times when my mom and dad would read me stories and the time when I moved to reading them from my chapter books.  Many of these have become "classics" with me and something that I would like to share with my future children. 

Children's Illustrated Books

 

 

 Illustrations for a child and even still as an adult, bring a story to life with whimsical characters that are so easy to love.  The Rainbow Fish's tale of sharing was easily symbolized through the giving of the beautiful, sparkly scales.  Of course, with my resounding love of glitter as an adult, I think some things have stayed the same ;) Stellaluna was linked with a unit about fruit bats and I had large beanie baby toy bat that looked very similar to her that I loved as a small child.  If You Give a Mouse a Cookie spawned other similar stories but this one remains my favorite.  The illustrations and coy humor invited children to show compassion and courtesy to others with the entertaining fancies of a little mouse. 

 

 

I adored Clifford and The Berenstain Bears!  I would check out Berenstain Bears books from the library to read as many of them as possible.  I loved their family and the illustrations so much.  I was obsessed with dogs from a young age and so I loved the idea of having a large dog like Clifford.  I also loved the name Emily Elizabeth and wondered what I had to do to earn the use of two names instead of one ;)

Beginning Chapter Books

   

 

I hadn't read many of the Babysitter's Club books until my aunt picked up a huge collection of them from one of her friends.  Her friend's daughters collected them over the years and she had over a hundred of them to sell.  My aunt got the entire collection for my cousin and I to share.  I loved reading about the characters and Kristy's idea to start the club.  It was fun to "grow up" with them and see the character development as well as relationships.  When Mary Ann dated Logan, you cheered, and eventually when they broke up, it was hard but you just understood.  They were a fun group of literary characters to have in my pre-teen years.

 

 

I don't really like anything "scary" and especially nothing gory.  My "big" move was going to the section of my elementary school's library that held a large collection of Goosebumps books by R.L. Stine.  I read one and became addicted to these fast reads with plenty of plot twists.  These were my potato chip books and I would love to start collecting these again for fun.

 

Finally, Laura Ingalls Wilder was also introduced to me at my elementary school's library.  When it was our library hour once a week, we would walk down the hall and sit on the carpeted floor while the school's librarian would share with us some of her recommended reads.  There I learned about the Ingalls and how they lived in Wisconsin and lived in log cabins.  I read all of Laura's books and enjoyed seeing how she grew up from a little girl to becoming a teacher and eventually having her own daughter, Rose.

 

What were some of your favorite childhood reads?