Not Just A Finished Object Friday: Getting Lucky

Today, is my 200th post, and although you may be used to a slight (heehee) undertone of negativity on this blog, we will have none of that today! Because yuh know what? I am freaking lucky. (No, I did NOT read that in some cheezo affirmation book, in case you were wondering.) I just am actually really lucky. The first thing I am lucky for?

How did you guess? This little girl is just about the best that one could hope for. She's sweet, loving, smart, creative, healthy, and so much more and I am truly lucky to have a daughter like her. Her grammy is also the lucky recipient of this gift. It's a knitted frame from Handknit Holidays by Melanie Fallick. Question for you knitters...I'm thinking that I should put a black paper behind the lace, what do you think?

You're lucky too because you get to see yet another picture of these:

Those convertible mits never get old, do they? I've started making the fingers a different color, basically to mildly entertain myself. Just one more pair to go and while you may not think you are that lucky to have seen those gloves, just think, I could've, instead, showed you the picture that Little A's dad took of the placenta when she was born. See, you ARE lucky!

What's that you say? You'd like more evidence of luck? Ok then. About a month ago, I signed up for the Knitter's Coffee Swap. It's wasn't meant to be a secret swap and so the pairs knew each other. I was lucky enough to get paired with Heide, who, after no more than 5 minutes on her blog, I knew was a kindred spirit. We had a few weeks to get to know each other while we put together our packages of elixir of life coffee and knitting goodies. Yesterday, I mailed Heide's package at about 2:30, ran home to find the mailman walking up the driveway with my package from her. I cannot even tell you how wonderful the package was (though I will show you in a minute). Every item was so thoughtful, so clearly picked out with insight and care that I was completely touched. I stood in my kitchen pulling out the items, uttering "oh my god" as each beautiful item emerged from the big box, until the upstairs neighbors clearly must've thought I was having a seriously religious experience. Thank you so much Heide!!

Here's how it all started:

Magical. And inside were words so kind I nearly started blubbering on our kitty.

Next, I spied:
The provisions! And damn fine provisions they be. The coffee smelled heavenly and I can't wait to wake up to that smell tomorrow morning, on my first non-early day of the entire fall. The cup is perfect. Always running here and there, I've found that I never have a travel mug ready to go with me. And this one is really nice...it makes me feel "together", and I'm sure you didn't think that was possible! And Organic Espresso Chocolate????? Need I say more? Oh my god! (It's starting again...watch out...I may have to replace this title with "Orgasmic Swap".)

Next, I caught of glimmer of beauty, dug deep in the box and found:



That's 2 balls of knitpicks essentials....yes, essential to the sock knitter! In the color of at least 50% of my wardrobe. Those socks may be for me! And that's THREE hanks of Manos there. And I hope that you can see how beautiful the colors are. I couldn't have chosen a more perfect colorway if I had picked it out myself. It sat next to me all night, as I patted it and admired it and used all my willpower to not throw the Christmas knitting in the bin and cast on something...anything with the beautiful Manos! (And if you wondering, since I had to use all my willpower for that....I had very little leftover for the chocolate. It's a good thing I took that picture soon after the package arrived!)

And as if that wasn't enough, there were more goodies to be had:



These are cranberry votives that smell so good they made my eyes roll back in my head (you know that kind of good smell, right?) and the cutest sheepy ornament. He went right on the wall above where I usually knit, but will have to be relocated as that location made kitty a little too curious about the new sheepy arrival.

And the thing that really was the cherry on the top of this incredible package? In only a few short weeks of getting to know each other, I realized that Heide knows me. For without any request or any prodding, she knew that this would totally make the whole package completely perfect:Yup, she included a gift for my sweet Little A. And Little A loved it and says "Thank you!" after about three million "Wow! Cool!"-s. Thank you sooooooo* much again Heide! You totally have out done yourself! And I hope you love the package coming your way, but there's no way it will quite measure up to what you put together!

And one more lucky thing? I will be damn lucky if blogger actually lets me upload all of these pictures!

*I had a friend in Junior High who would write me notes of a very emphatic nature and her o's on her soooooo's would literally take up pages upon pages. I'm tempted to send Heide such a letter, but I don't think my feeble typing-not-writing hand can, any longer, handle such rigor. But its deserved, I tell you! Reeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaallly! ;)