Giveaway!

Earlier this week, I mentioned that I would have a giveaway, so here we go!

It came to happen that I have one too many copies of the following book:

Yes, the Cake Pops book by the famous Bakerella. I remember first learning about cake pops and being totally enthralled with the whole idea. Cut to me making them a few times and two friends gifting me the book, and here we are.

I have yet to really venture into the more complicated designs shown in this book - I just haven't found an occasion yet - but it includes the basic 'recipe' of creating these cute pops. Maybe in the spirit of giving this book away, I'll try my hand at one of the Christmas varieties and post about it!

Anyway, since I'm not up-to-date on all the fancy schmancy giveaway plugins, we're keeping it simple. You get one entry for commenting on this post and one entry for tweeting about it - just include my Twitter handle (@princesscait) and post the link here, preferably in a separate comment. That's it! I'll pick and post a winner next Wednesday, so all entries should be in by 11:59EST on Tuesday, December 10.

I was not compensated in any way for this post/giveaway, I honestly just had an extra copy and felt like giving you guys a special treat for the holiday season.

grace in small things & a winner!

I usually reserve Grace in Small Things for Friday posts, but I forgot last week and feel like posting some, so let's do this.

• Listening non-stop to the new Britney Spears song.
  
• Talking to Lyndsay about our shared anxiety problems and feeling a little less alone.
• Snuggling with E while watching TV.
• Having a perfect, perfect date night with two of my best friends - sitting on the floor eating Chinese food and watching wedding shows, swapping gifts, catching up, talking about weddings, just like how it used to be at school.
• Being asked to be a bridesmaid in Danielle's wedding(!!!).
• Random texts from E that make me smile.
• Getting my dress from the lovely Miss Ev`Yan.
• Quality time with my brother over quesadillas at 3am.
  
• The Jets winning against the Patriots!
• Watching the Golden Globes and being so, so happy for Chris Colfer, Jane Lynch, and Glee for winning awards.

My post-birthday week was so wonderful in ways I never expected. Reconnecting with my closest friends recharged me just when my post-holiday-and-birthday-blues were setting in. Thank goodness.

Also! As promised, today I'm announcing the winner of my giveaway. I used random.org and the winner is... Stephany! Congratulations! Look for an e-mail from me later today. Thank you to everyone who commented - I'm hopefully going to respond to all of your comments later tonight, but it was so fun to read all the interesting things about my lovely readers.

three years old.

Three years ago today, I started this blog with a post about resolutions. It was the start of 2008 and the end of my silly crush on a friend. It was the middle of one of the best years of my life to date, when I roomed with three of my best friends and things were wonderful. It was before my first relationship, before my stress about my career, before I started dealing with health and anxiety issues.

Since then, my life has changed pretty drastically. I still feel like the same person, really - I mean, I still love all things dance and Tinkerbell, am obsessed with the color pink, love with all my heart, and laugh way too much. But a lot has happened. I graduated college, moved back home, stopped dancing, struggled with unemployment and not knowing what I want to do with my life, started and ended my first relationship, started my second relationship, and dealt with changing friendships. I watched my friends grow up, going to and finishing graduate school, getting jobs, figuring out their dreams, and getting engaged.

I chose the name Finding My Balance mostly because of my affinity for using dance references in relation to real life. Balance is an important thing to have as a dancer, but finding balance in life is also crucial. I tend to have an all-or-nothing attitude, so I'm constantly striving to find that balance.

My little corner of the web has been mostly quiet for these three years. I haven't gained too much popularity (like I kind of expected - and wanted - to happen) but I have acquired a lovely little group of friends. It's an unspoken resolution of mine to be in closer contact with both my followers and the people I follow, so be prepared for that.

In honor of my third blogoversary, as a thank you to all of my loyal readers (and also because it makes me feel Special and Important), I'm having my first-ever giveaway!

If you win, you'll receive a nice little package filled with the following goodies, pictured above:

• cupcake-shaped post-its
• a cute notepad
• a sleep mask
• mango lip butter from The Body Shop
  
• a Kit-Kat bar (my favorite candy!)
• one of my Christmas goody bags
  
• a set of four magnets
  

The whole thing is very Cait-esque - basically, this is exactly the type of stuff I'd love to receive in my mailbox. (Also, I may be adding another item or two since I'm due for a trip to Target today and I never know what will catch my eye while I'm there.)

To enter, just leave a comment on this post. I encourage everyone - newbies, lurkers, and loyal readers alike - to come out of the woodwork and tell me a little something about yourself. Maybe a fun fact, or what your favorite pizza topping is, or anything you feel like sharing, really. The winner will be chosen on Sunday night and will be announced here on Monday.