okay. so i think my secret pal is crazy (in a good way, of course).

i came home yesterday, to find a big 'ol heavy box on my front doorstep. i open it, and this is what i find:


yarn. and more yarn!

i would've been happy with this. but nooooo... this is what else i found in the box:


helps-you-not-lose-your-scissors

and i *so* totally would've been happy with the yarn and the scissors. (what's hanging from the scissors, by the way, is the cutest little beaded string/bracelet thing with the most charming daisy at the end, which helps me 'not lose my scissors'.)

but of course, nooo...that's not good enough. apparently, i was supposed to do something with the yarn, so, some ideas were sent along:


a load 'o patterns

a plethora of patterns. (i think there are more patterns here than what i purchased last year.) scarves and shawls *galore*, and ideas for what kind of shawl i could create from the scarf pattern. just make it really big, right?

so i have yarn. i have scissors. and i have ideas. but no. *still* not good enough. sensing the stress & frustration i have in my life:


sweet relaxation

i got these. (again, more bath & body products here than what i purchased in total last year. i could open a day spa with all the stuff i received.) there are bath petals, there are bath crystals, there is a bath gel. there is soap, there is a scrub, and *also* a bath bomb. better yet, they're all coordinating, and smell *awesome*, like oranges. just remind me to *not* use them when there's a swarm of bees gathering outside my bathroom window...

so i thought that was it. but, by this point, i knew better:


sugar high

chocolates. more chocolates. and that "choxie" kind of chocolate, which i kept on seeing, but never bought because i couldn't justify buying 'better' chocolate. umm, let me tell you...totally justified.

so, not only is my secret pal crazy-in-a-good-way, they've also managed to spoil me *way* rotten. so, thank you, thank you, thank you! i still can't believe all the presents!

(p.s. secret pal - i *totally* have to admit that, i didn't even know about the bar of soap and scissor bracelet until you had mentioned the bracelet in the e-mail reply you sent me this morning. when i opened your package, i saw packing peanuts, so, i just carefully added them to this existing box of packing peanuts that i have in my living room - and, with all the stuff i found in the box at that time, i was so totally overwhelmed. but to find two more pieces hidden amongst the packing peanuts, that fell out, but i didn't even know? geesh. *beyond* overwhelmed! thanks again! :) )

grr.

okay. i am thoroughly peeved right now. so - i purchased this filofax organizer off of ebay at the end of january, and, it was listed as being a "store demo with no noticeable imperfections". okay. that being said, i fully understand that: a.) the item is not perfect, it's been handled, and b.) it's a store demo. store demos get messed up a bit. but what did i receive? i received this totally used, totally beat up organizer, that, if i didn't realize that it was used when i saw it, had writing on the inside pages to confirm the fact. so what do i do? i e-mail the seller, three times before they even decide to respond (of course, this response is *after* i had mentioned that, if they didn't respond, that i would file a claim both with ebay and paypal as well) - and now, after several days of non-cooperation and taking responsibility that they *blatantly* misrepresented the item, they're basically like, 'this is a waste of time'. [sarcastically] what a great attitude to have! no wonder why someone had 'commented' on this seller:

"Gift Item incomplete. Inflammatory words here reflective of seller's character."

nice.

oh well. on that note, though, i did have a very good perspective presented to me, though, today: it all started because of this one, horrible, selfish person. this is what was said to me:

"don't sweat it. you need to understand that, these people were not brought up with the same morals and the same sense of respect that you did. it doesn't matter what you do, because he's the one who's going to be a prick for the rest of his life."

he (not the prick) also continued to say, "think about it - human beings, at the very core, are animals. if you were to put a baby in the jungle, what would they grow up to be? they'd grow up to be tarzan, just grunting - not speaking. they would be completely barbaric. at their best, human beings are just animals. it's just a matter of grooming."

okay. so, it's a bit depressing. but on the other hand, it's true, you know? call me out on it, disagree with me, but, i think he has a point. it is just a matter of grooming.

now i just need to learn how to let go.

i am flippin' insane.


eylet baby blanket

so, i've decided that i'm going to knit up this 'eyelet baby blanket' for one of dan's good friends who is expecting this coming april/may, out of theirblue sky alpacas organic dyed cotton, in the 'shell' color, this absolutely gorgeous light pink color (which, incidentally, i was considering knitting a scarf out of).

i think i am insane.

not only do i *still* have my 'french girl' to finish, i *still* have to do some *major* work on dan's valentine's day scarf & hat (appx. 10% completed as of this second), and probably at least five other projects that i can't think of this minute - i'm going to add this to the list? let me remind you - i started another one of blue sky alpaca's baby blankets last year, and was only able to complete maybe 25% of it - the baby is now about 10 months old...

oh well. but i do have hope, though. this one is knitted on #11 needles. that sounds very promising! i'll keep you updated...

i am in love.


sheep!

i have to have this. it's morehouse farm's sheep scarf kit!
now, if i could just decide on a color combination...

okay...enough procrastinating...it's time to get back to the laundry...