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The Chronicles of Nani On Video

I am overcoming my inability to type with my ability to talk (and talk and talk and talk) I'll be posting a video every week on my YouTube channel. I'll be posting those videos here too along with an occasional regular blog in the mix. (As long as my hands are up to doing the extra typing.)

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Thursday, December 13, 2012

Spoiled: Thank You Secret Santa!

I’m sorry if the drama was mean, leaving essentially a cliff hanger.

When last I blogged, our hero, Secret Santa, had sent a large box that was precariously clinging to the bottom step of Nani’s side door…


Back to our story...

David got home after work and a grocery stop and brought the box in around 9. I am not the “wait until Christmas” type at all with gifts. When I give a gift, please open it. If I’m there I want to see you open it because that’s part of the joy of giving. The same with that phone call or email when I can’t be there when you open it. It’s not that I need to hear a thank you; I just need to know you got it and enjoyed it. And the needing to know the “thinking of you” got the intended smile goes with receiving too. I am 46 years old and I still get excited and want to know what’s in a package for me. I’ve said before and it’s my gift creed; “Receiving makes you feel loved. Giving makes you feel worth loving.” It’s true, a whole package. It doesn’t ever have to be give and receive from the same person, but in the greater world I guess I need both.

Now that box!


It was a box that seemed to never empty! All kinds of packages, each tied with a polka dot ribbon. My Santa knows about my thing with polka dots! Those ribbons will, among other uses, definitely be used as Smash book accents!

It started with a Peppermint Mocha. :) I mean it started with Boyd’s Bear bearing an Arch Card that will definitely buy a couple of Peppermint Mochas!


I smiled as the "loot" reminded me of the stockings Mom made with all kinds of gifts, fun and sweet, useful and spoiling. But Mom didn’t knit and I didn’t open hand-made items!


Isn’t it beautiful? I’ve been more and more attracted to the orange and pink combinations lately and of course purple has long been a color that I love alongside other colors.  I have a set of Pandora-style beads that I wear on my bracelet that goes with it and it’s a perfect pairing for my pink winter coat! It’s soft and warm; I know this because I immediately put it on after I opened it. And did I say it’s beautiful? Oh, guess I did, but it deserves to be said again; it’s beautiful!

After David saw all the packages on the table in front of my computer he took it on to make dinner, since I was acting like a kid on Christmas morning. About half-way through opening, he suggested a break so I could eat.


Some of the other wonderful things from my box included a set of mini pitchers, perfect for cream, gravies, sauces, and they match the dream kitchen that is in boxes right now, but will come to life in the next kitchen!


I also got a bag of Godiva Gems Milk Chocolate. YUM! We have bags of candies that we bought for the Christmas party that we won’t open because we are both better disciplined if they are put away in the buffet unopened until next week. David is the other gender’s equivalent of me when it comes to chocoholics, which means he is a chocovore but can eat key lime pie without feeling like he’s cheating on chocolate; me, notsomuch. But if we’re sharing dessert it always chocolate! So when I opened the Gems after dinner while I finished opening gifts and offered him one the answer was a happy “yes, please!”


The next packages were some paper things. There is a magnetic-backed pad with a green bow with various kitchen gadgets in green and gray on the background. For a kitchen gadget nut with a green dream kitchen, well, awesome! There’s also a set of fifty-two 2013 calendar pages with the whole year calendar on the left and the days of the week and space for notes or appointments on the right. That might be something for the woman cave.


These things I can definitely use for my new Smash book obsession. It’s not a full addiction yet, but I catch myself wishing I could do a Smash page in between cookies or grumbling about cleaning when I could be playing with the Smash book. We’ll see how crazy I get in January when I have more free time. (I’ll be counting points instead of baking calories again!) There are a dozen packs of tags, borders and flat and dimensional stickers.  (Can't wait to play!)


The frame is on an easel, a very classy look. I think it’s begging for a nice photo of David and me. The couple already there is cute, but we're cuter.


If you’ve read any of the Monday Mug Shots you know that I collect mugs and every mug has a story. This one tells me to dream big. Every day, Secret Santa, every day. Now this mug will have the always hopeful thoughts that naturally go with it, most notably I have a “try and stop me” attitude about continuing to do my holiday baking every year and this package came in while I was doing said baking. But the main story about this mug is the generosity of my awesome Secret Santa 2012!


There was also a pair of bag clips, which we used a ton, in green, shampoo, shower gel and bubble bath in Peppermint Bark scent and a cupcake-shaped key-cover with lots of frosting polka dotted with sprinkles. It’s very cute and will be great for my backpack when I need my house key but not all the other things on my key ring when I take transit for appointments.


The last gift I opened made me happy-squeal. I got socks! What I lack in usually woman-common shoe-love I make up for in socks-love. 2 pairs representing my favorite colors. There are the blue ones with the purple circle-dots and the cream-colored ones with a beautiful flourish design at the top in green. David was especially interested in seeing the socks since he never considered socks a decent gift and it makes me happy as a house elf* when someone gives me socks!

From the gorgeous scarf that I’d still be wearing right now if I wasn’t blogging between trays in the oven to the totally Nani socks and every gift in between, I am totally spoiled by my sweet, sweet Secret Santa! Here’s a big {{{thank you hug}}} from me!

I know my Santee enjoyed her gifts from me; she already posted that they arrived. It was a great Soiree for me on both the giving and receiving ends!  Now off to read some more blogs and see if I can figure out who my Santa is so I can thank her on her blog! The box came from Texas, but then again the box I sent didn’t come from Ohio and Suzanne said there were a few gifts sent from other than the Santa’s place of origin. If you’re here looking for possible clues, read back a few posts; I’ve been to a few states over the past week or so. Hehehe…


*It’s always a good time for a Harry Potter reference  House Elf

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

wow, what a great package!

LV said...

In Texas, people do everything in a big way. Your SSS followed the tradition.

Jacque T said...

You got an awesome scarf and I got a wonderful hat!!! We should make a snowman together next time it shows in Ohio!! LOL. My son just returned this early morning from Ohio as he goes to College there!! Semester break now!! Ashland University in Ashland. He loves it!! He even stopped and had lunch in Toledo with a friend of his yesterday on his drive back!! I couldn't take my hat off either until I went to bed! Don't you just love the homemade/personal touch of it? Great package you got!

Hootin Anni said...

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh, what a terrific Secret Santa you have!!! Each and every ONE of your treasures are just that...treasure them. I know you will.

Edna B said...

What a fabulous Santa box!! I'm not having much luck figuring out who my Secret Santa was either. I know some boxes are not being mailed from Santa's home state, so that makes it a bit harder to figure things out. So far, I haven't found someone from PA, but I do know of someone who travelled through that area not too long ago. Hmmmmmm. Well, I'll keep looking.

It's 5:30 a.m. and I have to start getting ready for work. You have a wonderful day, hugs, Edna B.

Caroline said...

Wow! You had an awesome Secret Santa! Homemade touches are the sweetest.

atxgirl said...

everything is bigger in Texas.. ;-) he he he

Serenity said...

I tried so hard to figure out my secret santa, to no avail... Now that I know it was you, I want to thank you so very much for the thought you put into each gift that was sent. While the butterfingers may be long gone LOL, I cherish each thing, especially the bracelet made of Crosses... Thank you again! Many blessings to you and your family!