I have treats for you.  Morning Glory Confections is some of my favorite candy, and I wanted to share it with some of you.  

Amanda.  Nicole.  Mackenzie.  It’s your lucky day.  I want to send you sweets!

Winners selected by random.org. 

Three things I love:

Bacon.

Candy.

People that make special things with special ingredients.

aaaand bonus.  You.  I think you’re awful swell.

Because I love all of these things, I thought I’d share a little something with you.

Morning Glory Confections is a Los Angeles based artisan brittle and candy company.  We’re talking handmade, small batch candy with amazing flavor combinations.  

The best part?  I want to send you some!

The Bacon, Spanish Paprika and Cashew Brittle recently roused my interest.  It’s sweet and smoky with just a lingering bit of salt and spice.  It’s absolutely delightful.

Because I couldn’t help myself, I also tried the Almond and Bacon Dragees.  Lightly candied and crunchy almonds triple coated in semi sweet chocolate, dusted in cocoa powder and tiny bacon crumbled.  Subtle.  Chocolate.  The perfect crunch.  I ate them for breakfast this morning… I wish I were kidding.  

And because I couldn’t order from Morning Glory without getting my absolute favorite treat… I also got a Fleur de Sel Peanut Brittle.  It’s perfectly salty and sweet and marvelous.  

I’m sharing with you!  Three of you darling people will win some Morning Glory.  Just leave a comment on this post from now until Saturday at midnight.  Say hi.  Tell me my hair looks nice… it’ll make me feel good.  ooOh happy day!

You are just the most lovely people ever.  I’m so glad you’re out there in the world!  

Reading through your best holiday gift comments totally put a smile on my face.  Who knew you all were so charming and touching and genuine and humble and all around rad!?  I knew… I totally knew that. 

Those of you that said that your husbands and children were your best gift ever… you’re tender and I’m going to have to punch you now.  Don’t worry.  It’s a punch in a good way.  Seriously. 

Winners.  Four of you darling people win.  Thanks for letting me regift upon you. 

Millie.  Hi!  Sweet.  You win!  Merry Christmas!

Doreen!  Holy heck!  You’re number two!

Sabby!  Hooooray!  

Romy!  You too!  And your blog is super cute too!

You four should email me at joy at joythebaker dot com.  We’ll talk.  I’ll gift.  You’ll receive.  

I’m a regifter.  

Yep.

Please reserve your judgement.  This is about to get interesting.

See… I’ve been given all sorts of gifts this year.  From two blogger conferences, I’ve amassed enough kitchen supplies to equip a small army of chefs.  

The good news is that I want to share all of this loot with you.  It’s not that I don’t love these things, it’s just that I love regifting more.  It’s like the most fun recycling… ever.  That’s where you come in. 

I’ve got silly whisks.  I’ve got gorgeous cookbooks.  I’ve got coffee and milk frothers.  I’ve got choppers and tenderizers.  Cuisinart, people.  I’ve got fancy sporks and way cool forks… all sorts of little gems.  

I’m regifting four little bundles of kitchen goodies to four of you.  Keep the goodies as a gift to yourself or regift them this holiday season.  I won’t tell a soul!

To enter this (both humble and perhaps ethically questionable) giveaway, just leave a comment in this post sharing the best holiday gift you’ve ever received.  Comments are accepted until Sunday at noon.  

I have really great news friends!  

Number One: I had chicken and waffles for dinner last night.  Hot dang!  Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles… you were great news for my belly.

Number Two:  Remember a few days ago when I was telling you how lovely the people at Minted.com are?  Turns out… I was totally spot on!  I love when that happens.  I was right about their intrinsic awesomeness, which leads right into my third bit of great news…

Number Three:  Minted.com is offering every single one  of you a 15% discount on any holiday card order you place between now and Wednesday November 11th. Coupon code is: JOYTHEBAKER  Whaaaat!?  Yea.  Awesome.  So. Super. Sweet.  

Now here’s the deal.  I totally think you should hop on over to Minted.com and make up some super cute holiday cards.  Make sure you order enough so that you can send me on.  Seriously.  I want your smiling face in my mailbox.  It’ll make my insides happy.  Order them.  Email me.  I’ll send you my address.  I want a card.  If you think I’m kidding, think again.  

Aaaaand!  One last and very exciting bit of great news for one lucky reader…

Number Four (on the list of really great news):  Melissa Anizor.  You have some seriously lucky birthday mojo because Random.org chose shining number 657.  That’s you!  You win holiday cards!  Also… Happy freakin’ Birthday!

Here we are, staring November right in the eye.  Am I the only one giving November dirty looks?  I mean seriously November… how did you sneak up on me like this?  Did you just trample over September and October to rub your impending holiday spirit in my face?

I’m not sure I’m ready to dive into the season… but you know what?  I’ve gone and pushed myself into that pool.  Ok… not really.  I had some help.  Minted.com gave me a shove… a friendly shove.. but still a shove.

See, Minted.com wanted to share something with you.  They also wanted to me look super organized in my holiday spiriting.  Thanks for that Minted. Well played.  

So!  Here’s the situation.  Minted.com makes awesome, cute, rad ,modern, hip, tasteful, bodacious, colorful and fun holiday cards.  Remember the long photo holiday cards your Mom would send out in 1983?  They were decorated with some sort of pixelated wreath and an unflattering picture of you and your sister  pretending to decorate a Christmas tree?  Yea… that doesn’t have to happen anymore.  Thank you Minted.com.  Thank you.  

Now… how cute is this?  You know, for when you want to show off how darling and precious your new baby is.  Awesome.  Pinch.  Cheeks.  Want.

These are also pretty rad.  Yes… everyone seems to have babies to show off.  Don’t hate.  

And.  Yes.  Minted.com has totally raised the bar on holiday cards.  How about holiday books, people!?  Holiday books!  I made a Holiday MiniBook Card and packed it full of photos, recipes and a charming, if not slightly threatening holiday message for my friends and family.

I love these books.  I love the people… actual people at Minted.com who organized the layout and gave me proofs of my little books to review before they were printed.  Actual people.  

I love that I have one set of Holiday MiniBook Cards to give to one reader.  Imagine… your holiday cards printed and paid for!  It’s a dream, I tell you.  

To win a set of 25 Holiday MiniBooks custom designed by you and Minted… plus standard shipping, just leave a comment on this post before Wedensday 9pm PST.  

Thanks Minted.com.  For reals. 

Let’s make this quick and dirty, shall we?

From a cool 1,123 comments, Random.org has selected lucky winners 555 and 836.  That means Miss Andrea Cox and Stephanie from Hawaii… Holy Heck!  You win win win!  

But… there’s goodness for all of us.  The lovely folks at Green Kitchen Tools would like to offer each and every one of you 10% off whatever fancypants products you might like to treat yourself too.  Everyone likes a sale right!?  Consider this your own personal Green Kitchen Tools sale.  Simply type: GKT10P into the coupon code and… taadaaa!  Money saving magic.  

Tomorrow?  Spiced Diced Apple Cake.  Let me just tell you… it’s a good thing I took pictures of that dang cake already because I’ve already eaten half of it…. by myself… using the “I’ll just have a sliver” method.  It’s good.  It’s really really good.

Ok… well, Baggu loves me.  I love you.  Thus… and without question, Baggu loves you.  

See how that works?

Baggu has graciously decided to make my life easier, greener and fashionably color coordinated.  Thanks Baggu!  

See, instead of wrestling with single Baggu bags at the bottom of my purse, they’re put three matching bags in one pouch.  Clever, right?  

Now, I can walk out of Trader Joe’s looking like my tree saving self, and not feel bad about graciously ignoring the Greenpeace people who heckle me about whether or not I want to save the polar bears.  Obviously I want to save the polar bears…. don’t you see my Baggu bags!?   

Baggu bags.  Three bags in two sets, for two readers.  Leave a comment .  Comments close Tuesday at noon PST.  I’ll choose two comments at random and send those two darling readers a set of Baggu bags.  Success!  Go on… leave a comment and say hey!

Well geeeez!

Remember that Mother’s Day giveaway!?  Yea?  Just barely?

Big warm hugs and a giant thank you to all of you who shared stories about your amazing mothers.  Your stories… phew!  You got me cryin’ a few times… I can’t lie.  Thanks for being so open and lovely about your moms.  I loved reading all of your entries.

The winner of the dreamy Lavender Honey?  Amy of Sing for Your Supper.  Right on Amy!  Way to go being comment 58!  Way to go Random.org for being great at picking random numbers… like 58.  Sweet!

I’ll be the first to admit that I had some pretty ugly teenage years.

Sure. I had awkward limbs, a face full of acne, and was otherwise unfortunate looking, but I’m talking about what an utter brat I was for a solid two (plus) years.

Did you go through some seriously bratty years?  Just say yes.  We’ve all been there, right?  If you try to tell me you were a perfect angel, I just won’t believe you.

I seem to remember the distinct feeling that I knew everything there was to know about the world at the ripe old age of fifteen.  I thought most everything was beyond “annoying”, and I used that word… to death.  If eye rolling were an Olympic sport… gold medal… me.

I also had this obnoxious habit of assuming that everything that belonged to my mother, somehow also belonged to me.  From her favorite stationary, to her hidden stash of chocolates and the entire contents of her jewelry box, I acted as though it was all up for grabs.  Terrible, right?  Only when I was out in the world trying to save up my pennies to buy myself a nice box of tea, or my favorite rose lotion, did I realize that my mom deserved to have her treats without my mittens all up in them.

While I can take my obnoxious teenage years back, I suppose my real penance will come when my own teenage daughter pillages my valuables.  Until that joyous time, here’s what I’m going to do:  I’m going to give one of you a jar of beautiful French Lavender Honey.

Leave me a comment in this post and tell me this:

Tell me how your mom is spectacular, despite your possible teenage indiscretions.

I know a lot of you are moms, tell me what makes it all worthwhile.

I’d really like for this lovely honey to go to a Mom… it is, after all, Mother’s Day.  Maybe that means you’re a hard working Mom and need a tea and toast break.  Maybe that means you win this honey and give it to your Mom as a “thanks for being awesome” gift.

Comments close Thursday at midnight Pacific Standard Time and the winner will be chosen by the Random Number Generator.  Happy Mother’s Day!