Defeat the Winter Doldrums

Edited to Add:  This post was found in my drafts folder, I apologize for not noticing before that it hadn't been published. 


I was just going out to pick up the kids from school, and the mail lady knocked on my door. Look what she brought...



I was so excited! I told her it must be from my secret pal, so she told me to open it upside down if I don't want to read the label and find out what's inside (customs form has to declare contents).
Then my husband looks at the box and says, "It's from..."
"DON"T tell me!", I shouted back. "I have to go pick up the kids still, and I want it to be a surprise! I'll open it when I get back!"
When I came back, I got out the camera, and wouldn't you know it? Murphy's law kicked into play - my batteries were fully drained. OH NO! I wanted to take photos, so I had to recharge my batteries.
Talk about a build up of suspense!!! Finally, the batteries were charged, and the kids and I could hardly wait to see what was inside the largest box I have ever gotten in the mail!





The gift bag inside was so cute! Little fuzzy animals everywhere! I wondered what was inside, and by now my little 4 year old was exploding with excitement.
What's in it?





Look at this! A lovely gift basket! Full of goodies! Who was it from???
Not the yarn fairy... (though if there was one, this would be her)
My secret pal for Defeat the Winter Doldrums is....

Brenda W.!!!!
A.K.A.
Mamere knits too much

I finally know her identity!
The funny thing is, I've been checking out various blogs from the Winter Doldrums swap and I had no idea it was her!
I read her blog a few times and she never gave herself away!
What a great secret pal!
Ok, I know you all want to see what's inside that huge goodie bag, so I'll show you:


Three beautifully wrapped dishcloths, a very nice card Brenda thoughtfully wrote for me, and a whole pile of goodies!
The funny thing is, I opened it upside down (so I wouldn't spoil the surprise by looking at the shipping label)
and all the goodies were still in the basket! I guess that bag came in real handy!




The first lovely item to come out of the basket was this fine handcrafted cucumber & aloe soap, made by Arcadia Aromatics.





Next were the delicately wrapped dishcloths.
Wow! Now I see why some people don't want to actually wash dishes with hand knitted dish cloths; they are so nice to look at!
The first one is an angel; I was actually admiring this one when I saw this one on a website once. Now I have my very own!





The next one is an adorable beetle or lady bug (my friend and I were debating on it, but I like either prospect).





And look at this! Isn't it amazing? I'm so spoiled! I'm not going to wash dishes with this one! It's going to have a place of honor on the counter, just underneath my coffee mug!
What a wonderful way to start my mornings, with a hot cup of coffee/tea so beautifully displayed!
It's too bad you can only look at this picture; you can't touch it and feel how wonderfully soft the cotton is!
The detaling is so lovely! Brenda, please forgive me if I took this the wrong way (upside down?). It looks so pretty from either side.





Then there was this; a pair of Clover Bamboo knitting needles just for me!!! I KNOW Brenda was reading my blog!
I can't tell you how much I've been wanting to try out a pair of these! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

So by now, I'm jumping up and down and giggling with glee, and my kids are wondering if it's my birthday. It might as well be!
Underneath is the cute card she got me, letting me know her true identity! When I found out it was "mamere knits too much" I had to go and tell my husband!
I have a wonderful friend, who is also an honorable "mamere" to my youngest, as she was so kind to step in and be my birthing coach when my husband fell ill with food poisoning (That is a whole other story by itself, LOL).
So to my child, she has earned the endearing title of "mamere". It was an intriguing coincidence that my secret pal should have the same nickname.



I can't wait to use these gorgeous needles!





Talk about having your cake and eating it, too! What a dream!
My secret pal really went to town!
I have not been able to find this cotton anywhere yet, and keep reading everyone's blogs about how fabulous this cotton is.
Now I see why! It's so delectable!
Not only was I overly spoiled with many skiens of Sugar 'n Cream cotton, in all these yummy colors, but Brenda was so sweet to send them in this delightful basket to store my new stash in!
I am so spoiled! I'm going to so enjoy perusing my new stash to decide on what one to use first! I've got my new yarn basket proudly boasting in the living room, for all to see!

Here's a closer shot, so you can see all the different flavors of Sugar 'n Cream that I was spoiled with!



I don't know why, but I am quite taken with this one in particular:
I'm sorry the picture just doesn't do it justice. It makes me feel calm and serene just holding it... something I likely need.
I'm going to love knitting with it! On the label it says it's called "Soft Ecru", and it's slightly lighter than the cream color.



So, altogether for a group shot of all my new goodies? Here it is!





What a great experience this has been! I've had such a great time spoiling my secret pal, Alaina,
and being spoiled myself by Brenda W. She's left me a few clues here and there in my emails, but I never did figure it was her.
I will keep an eye out for the next round!
Now I'm off to write a thank you note to Brenda, who has outdone herself!