Let's See Those Letters

The third month's package of stickers from Pipsticks arrived.

I find myself looking in the mailbox around the 15th of every month, wondering if my package has come.

July's theme was, of course, summer.

And the obligatory postcard meant I had to think of who would get it.

I enjoy this so much. I think the sparkly stickers, of which the pineapples at the lower left represent, are my current favorites. There are monthly "boxes" for every type of interest. This truly is a gift I enjoy.

Beverage:  Hot spiced cider

Deb

Contributing to My Addiction

I got a package last week from my friend, Doo Yi. Packages from friends, particularly when they are unexpected, are the best. Inside I found these things.

Ohboyohboyohboy! Look at the stickers! With the Pipsticks monthly subscription Carole and Larry gave me, and the addition of these, I'm set for a bit, although, maybe not. I sent out a couple of small packages this week and those used quite a few stickers. I have a reputation to maintain, you know.

There is a pair of compression gloves which I have already used this week. They made a great difference in my achy finger joints.

I had to laugh. I went to the Itasca post office to mail a couple of flats of inspection reports. The client does not use UPS. We've asked for a UPS address and they say, "Just mail it." So, although they had 12 reports, I couldn't package them up and ship UPS. Whatever, I guess. They shipping cost is built into the cost of doing business.

But the clerks at the post office know me now. We've been at our Itasca location for 18 months and we really like it here. One of the reasons is how friendly the PO clerks are. I walked in with these two parcels and Tim says to me, "I can't accept these for mailing. There are no stickers on them." After I stopped laughing, I explained these were for work, not personal, and I didn't think my boss would like me sticking shark stickers on customer flats. "Well, okay, then. I'll take them for mailing."

I asked about the dog he was thinking of adopting. He did adopt the pit bull who had been rescued from the streets of Chicago. The poor thing had to have hip surgery and had an ear infection and was covered in fleas. A rescue group nursed him to where he could be adopted. I got to see photos. This is service, when you can stand around and talk rescuing animals and share photos of your four-legged friends.

The package arrived on a day when I was feeling achy and tired. Talk about a day brightener. I owe a bunch of people letters. I better get writing. I don't have the excuse that I don't have stickers for the envelopes.

Beverage:  Klarbrunn Black Cherry Seltzer

Deb

Perfect Gifts

Santa Baby,
Just stick some stickers under the tree
For me.
Been an awful good girl.
Santa Baby,
Hurry down the chimney tonight.

(I hope you know that song, but if you don't, here's a link to Eartha Kitt's version.)

As I age, I realize the gifts which make me deliriously happy are simple. One of them is stickers. All boxes and mailers and letters leave my house with stickers attached; unless they are mailers from Target. Those things require me to glue my stickers on. Not going to do that.

Christmas was a magical time. Carole sent me a whole bunch of stickers. I think she went to Hobby Lobby several times to accumulate this mass.

My friend, Liz, and my sister also got in on the act.

Liz's were all from Disney, thanks to her trip to Disneyland in November, and Sharyn's were all 50 cents or less.

I vowed, this year I would be better about writing people. I was gifted with some lovely note cards which don't take hours to draft a note. Thanks to this and a vow to be better about sending cards, I've used up 80% of this stash. I had to buy more stickers in March because I was running low. I put together Easter baskets for my great-nieces and nephews and bought stickers to put in those, which gave me a few more. But I realized I'd need to, probably in June, set aside some cash and hit up Hallmark. They have neat stickers, even though they are a bit pricey.

Enter Mother's Day.

The last three years, Carole has sent flowers. While very appreciated, 1-800-Flowers was not sending me good blooms. She would get a credit because the flowers would arrive with brown edges or would fail to open. After last year, she said, "I'm never ordering from them again, mom." There are a lot of things which would be great if she wanted to send me something, but she didn't ask so I didn't volunteer. When the Mother's Day card came, she said I have been gifted with a 6 month membership to Pipsticks. Huh?

Pipsticks. This is one of those subscription crate services which are popping up all over. I get a package every month. The clear mailer holds a pouch which contains stickers;

oodles and oodles of stickers;

all sorts.

I don't know if you can see them. On the left side of the keyboard are translucent colored raindrops. I'm not sure about the big rainbow piece at the bottom. It might be a place to stick stickers onto. I haven't tried to see if it's one huge sticker itself which would be awesome on the back of a mailer or flat or on the side of a box. I have a method for stickering packages and I just haven't gotten to that piece, yet.

Also included is a picture to color, a pre-stamped postcard and a newsletter, which is the heart covered paper. I sent the postcard to a friend and added the coloring page to a color book I got last year.

I am thrilled. I have not used these up. I've been really busy and haven't written a lot of letters. I sent out some parcels right before and right after Memorial Day and it was so wonderful to adorn them with stickers. It was hilarious because I sent a flat to someone who had never received a letter from me. His reaction was priceless. On the guild Facebook page he typed, "OMG! You guys! Letters from Gimm come covered in stickers!" A large number of people responded, "Yes, yes they do." The postcard is blank on the other side so you can use your stickers to create a scene. I just covered the side with anything which would fit.

My subscription runs through October. This might become my birthday and Mother's Day gift, I was told, assuming each pack stays as great as this one. In October, I'll have the rest of these to use up.

I bought these to use in achievement books when my guild goes to Disney World in October. (See below.)  I have two boxes full of stickers. We won't use all of them and the boxes are small enough to carry in my purse for stickering on the go.

This makes me so happy. I'm trying to get my life in order so I can sit down and write some notes. If I have to take boxes to the post office, I go to the one near the office. The clerks there get a big kick out of what I mail.

Beverage:  Klarbrunn Black Cherry Seltzer

Deb

Everything In Its Place Then,

My friend, Meredith, gave me this folder last year.

Since it's minion-themed, it was cute but, at the time, I had no idea what I'd use it for. Then, as I prepared to get Christmas cards out the door, it hit me. My stickers. It's perfect. I keep the sticker sheets I'm currently using on one side and the extra sets, address labels and stamps on the other side. I was just using a file folder but, being carried about in a messenger bag had left the folder quite beat up. I kept telling myself I needed something else to hold my stickers because the folder didn't have edges to contain the small sheets that Meredith will sent me. And, it had been opened so often, it was slowly falling apart on the fold. This folder is heavy duty cardstock. It has fallen off the table onto the floor several times without showing wear.

It's funny how you look at something and it's cute, but that's it, but when you look at it again, it's incredibly useful.

Beverage:  Water

Deb

Stickers and Friends

I have to admit to feeling very low after the whole "sticker-gate" of the early month. It bothered me, but perhaps these people had a point. Maybe most folks didn't want a sticker festooned envelope in their mailbox. Maybe most folks were embarrassed by that or by the thought that their mail person considered the sender more than a little weird. So, I just stopped. I set all the stickers aside and unless someone said they wanted stickers, I didn't put any on anything, no envelopes, no packages, no boxes. It felt weird taking all of this unadorned mail to the post office, but, as much as I felt sad, I knew I would get over it. Then the comments started coming.

I am exceedingly grateful for the positive comments on the post. Positioning stickers on envelopes and parcels has become part of who I am and I'm grateful that many of you recognized it. I'm nothing if not adaptable but I'm feeling much better about this with all the kind words about not having to adapt.

My friend, Meredith drove this point home by sending me a late birthday present. Arriving within 3 days of the column, was a small padded envelope covered in stickers.

It made me laugh. I had just opened Amber's "create a garden gnome" gift so I instantly thought, "Oh boy! She sent Smurf seeds!" I opened the package and here are the contents.

Stickers. Lots and lots of glorious stickers! Oh and a Dunkin' Donuts gift certificate which I have used 3 times already. Their holiday star donut is really good. It's gooey and vanilla creme filled and covered with star sprinkles on green icing. The red velvet donut is just 'meh'. It seems like red velvet is the Christmas equivalent of October's pumpkin flavor. I'll pass on the red velvet candies. It's almost time for the chocolate cherry M&Ms that are out for Valentine's Day. Must stock up on those.

Anyway, I digress. So Meredith is tangibly encouraging me to set aside the comments of a few detractors and cover my cards and letters with stickers, just as I have always done. I looked through the sheets of stickers I've accumulated and it felt so wrong to just chuck them into the recycling bin. A comment from Nancy reminded me that I have earned the right to have some eccentricities in life and if the stickers gummed up the postal sorting machine, I'd have heard about it a long time ago. My friend Pam, reminded me that those telling me it was unbecoming really don't know me very well. So many of you felt a sadness when the Christmas card or box arrived and there was nary a sticker in sight. "I didn't know it was from you until I opened it."

So, the stickers will be back with the Christmas 'thank yous'. I giggled. I laughed. I had great, great fun looking through all the pages of all these books of stickers Meredith sent. It sounds extremely egotistical to say, "This is what I enjoy. It doesn't affect your life. Deal with it. You can always just chuck my envelope into the trash." That sounds kind of harsh.

For the record, one of the detractors was freed of ever having contact with me again. The other two, well, I just don't know. I'm thinking, gradually, our exchanges will become few and far between and the friendships will have run their course. It happens. I'm going to resume this little thing that gives me so much joy. Isn't that what life is about, really? Finding joy in small things, like stickers on envelopes.

Beverage:  Water

Deb

Done

I don't know when it started, my putting stickers on envelopes. I remember a friend who has a teenage daughter telling me that her daughter, when she was much younger, loved to find letters from me in their mail box. She would spend hours carefully peeling the stickers off the envelope or cutting around them and gluing them into a sticker album. Over the years, friends have said they always knew when I wrote or sent a card just by looking at the envelope.

But, today, I had three people, people who do not know each other, tell me affixing stickers to envelopes is "childish", "dumb" and "stupid". One went so far as to say I shouldn't send them anything anymore if I was going to put stickers on it, because they were embarrassed by what their mailman thought when he stuck the envelope in their mailbox.

It was just something fun to do, something to let someone know it was a card or a letter from me. So much of what arrives in the mail is junk or worse. I thought, perhaps, in a very small way, I was providing a bit of cheer. It seems I grossly over estimated cheer or what passes as cheer. I never intended to embarrass someone under any circumstances.

So, I'll be discontinuing this practice immediately. Some of you have festooned envelopes with Christmas cards winging their way to you as we speak. I dumped a bunch in the mailbox after work. I'm sorry if you've never liked this and just didn't know how to tell me to knock it off and a Christmas card arrives in a couple days with hearts and flowers or Smurfs or glitter bugs on it. I can assure you, it won't happen again.

Why should I care what people think about their cards? Hasn't it given me a lot of happiness over the years to slap stars or holiday stickers on envelopes? I have enjoyed it. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have continued it all these many years. But three people, independent of each other; people who don't know each other and who are united only by being my friend have said they find sticker festooned envelopes stupid and childish and it makes me look bad. One admonished, "For a woman your age, to be covering an envelope with stickers is extremely tacky. You're better than this." I assume that for the three who spoke up, there are more who never felt they could. You don't have to now. I will not send more cards with stickers on them.

My friend, Meredith, has been a huge source of stickers over the past 2 years that I've had the wonderful pleasure of counting her a friend. These didn't cost me anything. If there is the thought that this cost me a lot of money, it hasn't. I also never bought stickers when they weren't on sale. That has always been a rule.

Again I apologize if you were embarrassed by or for me. The practice has ended and won't be resumed. Thank you for being honest.

Beverage:  Berry flavored seltzer

Deb

Enough?

A friend has a birthday tomorrow. He jokingly said his Halloween card didn't have enough sitckers on it. I mentioned his upcoming birthday and that I would rectify the problem. I'm not sure if this is enough. I used at least one sticker from every different kind I have and, in some cases, more because there were stickers that fit a certain spot. Maybe I need more different stickers? I can't wait to get his reaction to this. 

Beverage:  Yorkshire Gold tea

Deb

A Small Box of Awesome

Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy! The postman has jammed a box in the mailbox. I'm not expecting something so what could it be. Ah, it's from Meredith.

Despicable Me 2 bandages! Oh my. I almost want to make a paper cut just to see what they look like. Almost. Paper cuts are almost worse than broken bones. It doesn't take much to make them throb like the dickens. I moved the bandages to the bathroom next to my "Crime Scene" bandages.

Why on earth would she be sending me Duck Tape? Oh look. This is why.

It's got images of bacon on it. Bacon is kind of a recurring theme in chat in my World of Warcraft guild. Our Facebook page has all sorts of puns and images and recipes of and about bacon. I don't have anything that needs to be duck taped, at the moment, but when I do, I shall eschew the gray stuff for the more stylish bacon emblazoned kind.

Below those two items were stickers, lots of stickers.

That is a lot of stickers. I image her going through the store just grabbing whatever looked interesting off the rack. My friend, Patt, had sent me another pad of stickers.

Look at that. Three hundred and two stickers. Between the two of them, I am probably set into the new year.

I have been just making a pile and stuffing the stickers into my messenger bag. But, they were getting bent and lost so I had to do something else. Viola. There's a reason some stuff gets saved.

The stickers I'm currently using and which are on 8.5 x 11 sheets are in the blue folder. All the small sheets and the new ones from Patt and Meredith are in the tan folder. As I use up the blue, I can supplement with the tan. Plus, they aren't scattered all over my messenger bag to the point of wondering where they all are. I even put stamps and return address labels in the blue folder. I know. I know. That's getting organized. Something must be wrong with me.

The last thing in Meredith's box was this movie.

I have seen small bits and pieces of this but not the whole thing. I missed it in the theatre. I'm really not that big of a fan of Will Ferrell. Meredith said she's not either but she loves this movie. "I think you'll love it and I'm going to send it to you."

"But, I don't want to take your movie," I said.

"I have two copies," she replied. "Someone thought we didn't have it so I'm sending you the extra."

Now, I have not had time to watch it. As fall approaches and I make time on evenings and weekends to finish up the scarves I'm giving for Christmas gifts, this will be the perfect thing to pop into the DvD, sit back, grab Pilchard and crochet away.

I'm so grateful for Patt and Meredith. They made me so happy.

Beverage:  Dr Pepper

Deb

A Merry Box of Stickers and Stuffs

The start of our abnormal rainfall on Wednesday was also the date I received a box from Meredith. These are always boxes of fun, as I'm starting to call them. I sort of know what's inside but am not completely sure. There are always surprises. This was no different. Meredith is psychic because the box was not very big so it fit perfectly between the front door and the storm door. This is a good thing. I think, had the postman wrapped it in plastic it would have been washed off the front steps. It was a hair too big to fit in the mail box, even the big farm box that I have.

Inside were wonderful things. It's mainly stickers, which she got at Hobby Lobby. They have a huge sticker department and when those are on sale, if you use stickers in any capacity, they are a good deal.

See the "boss" stickers at the lower left. I laughed so hard. Guild members have, thanks to Daniel, started calling me "boss". I don't feel like a boss, more like a guide, but it always gives me a chortle when someone types, "Hiya boss" when I log into the game.

And Meredith has been taking some classes in, I think, Medical Records Administration. She'll talk to me about her homework. "I'm really tired. I'll finish this in the morning," she'll say. The next day, I'll find out she went shopping. "Wait. Is your homework done?" "Um...no, but there was this sale..." "No dessert until you finish your homework." "Um...yes boss." Or I find out she gave some of her supper to Scooter, her black pit bull. "No dessert tonight. You gave your supper to the dog. It's not good for him to have people food." "Um...yes boss." I'm so effective that I can discipline her in San Antonio while I'm in Wheaton. It makes for some really funny conversations.

I'll come back to the above photo. Here's a second layer of stickers.

The dinosaur ones had me laughing. In the world that Blizzard has created in their game, they have added an island populated by dinosaurs. Because the game is what I do in the evenings after I've done my chores, Flat Stanley had to watch me play. Kids love dinosaurs too so what could be better than a photo of Stanley with the dinosaurs.

Yes, dinosaur stickers are most appropriate.

Here's the last layer.

That's 22 packages of stickers, all with multiple pages. I'm thinking I now have enough to cover anything I send between now and at least Labor Day, possibly beyond. Memo to self: when Meredith asks how your sticker stash is doing, define "getting low". On the other hand, I know she stood there and said, "One of these and one of these and OH! I HAVE to get her one of these and look! Those are awesome!" I just hope her squeals of delight in the sticker aisle didn't attract too much attention.

Now, go back to the top photo and look at the upper left. There is a tube of chocolate fish from her trip to Nantucket back in mid-March. Milk chocolate in fish shapes. Oh...my. They are gone. I ate the whole tube over the course of a couple evenings................................or maybe it was one evening. They were so good and such a mood elevator when all I could hear on Wednesday was the sound of heavy, heavy rain and trying to calm a frightened cat when the thunder shook the house.

The other item is, to use a 1960's term, way cool. It's a tote bag that is contained in a small zippered pouch. I've never seen something like this before. You unzip all the way around the pouch and the bag is folded inside.

You pull the bag out and it sits on what was the outside, if that makes sense.

I should have put something next to it for you to get a relative size, but this will hold two 2 liters of soda to give you an idea of how big it is. It's a nylon composite fabric that will pop into the washing machine with ease and is somewhat water resistant on the outside. When I'm done using it, it folds just like a road map meaning, I wound up making up how to fold it and then stuffing it back inside the pouch.

I am thrilled with this. The tag said it was $3.99 but I'm not sure where she got it or if that's what she paid for it. She might have found it on sale, knowing her ability to sniff out sales. I tossed this in the center well of the Jeep. I can't tell you how many times I'm at the office and I think, "I need x. I'll just run over to Dominicks after work and get it" and then ruing that I don't have one of my reusable bags with me. This is nice and small and will be perfect for those impromptu grocery runs. The hard part is going to be remembering to stick it back in the car when I've used it.

So, Wednesday went from cold and wet and windy to warm and funny. I guess I'd better get busy writing letters, hadn't I? I have stickers to use up.

Beverage:  Dr Pepper

Deb

Hauling it Around

Part of the long winter days has been cleaning my office. I need to take another load of recyclables home with me tonight so I have a recycling bin at the office clear for another wave of cleaning.

In February of 2007, I went to the annual convention of the International Society of Explosives Engineers which was held in Nashville, Tennessee that year. The company for whom I work is a consultant to the quarry industry so we have a grand booth and it's helpful to have the chance to experience this convention. You meet people from other offices. You connect with clients. You have the potential to make new clients. It was a lot of fun.

We got some goodies, too, for being a vendor to the industry. One of these goodies, I found as I was cleaning.

The lighting in the office doesn't do this justice. It's a gray canvas bag. There is a zippered front pocket. It's a very sturdy bag and wipes clean. I probably could also toss it in the wash if it gets too dirty. Inside this bag, were pamphlets and brochures and notes and comment cards and magazines and flyers collected from my trip to the convention. I meant to clean it out when I returned, but I stuffed it on a shelf and then put stuff in front of it and, the old adage, out of sight, out of mind came true. Everything inside went into the recycling bin.

I have other canvas bags to haul things around but a those are bags, better suited for groceries than hauling paper goods. I will bring to the office, magazines, letters, bills, other paper items on days when I don't have much work to do. I finish my work and then dive into paper sorting and this kind of bag is the perfect size for that. I have an old computer bag that I used to use but it's awkward and surprising heavy.

The only bad thing about this is that I lost the over the shoulder strap that went with it. No matter. I have another bag that I use for short trips and it has a shoulder strap I never use. "Repurposed", as it were, I stuffed all my correspondence materials into this and it's the perfect weight to haul to and from the office. Now, all my stickers, stamps and writing cards are in one place. Down time is good.

Beverage:  Yorkshire Gold tea

Deb

Terribly Late

Part of who I am is that my correspondence is usually festooned with stickers. You can always tell a letter is from me not by the return address but by the stickers on the envelopes. It's just something I do.

So, imagine my delight when I opened the Crater Lake stickers from my daughter and then the box of stickers from Meredith at Christmas. To use a rather ancient aphorism, I was happier than a pig in slop.

The problem is, these stickers have remained under the tree. I haven't written any thank yous. It's not that I don't think about doing it, I do. But I've been really weary in the evenings and it's just not something that calls to me. That's not a good thing because I know how happy I am when I receive a thank you note. I know my friends would like one, too.

I'm going to try to rectify that tonight. I received letters from friends in their Christmas cards and those letters compel me to answer them. I should write thank you notes at the same time. Then, I can get back to doing what I really like, covering the envelopes in stickers.

Beverage:  Huckleberry tea

Deb

Birthday Goodness

I turned 39...again, yesterday. My birthdays have, for some time now, been solitary affairs; me and the cats, maybe the office, a few cards, but rather quiet and almost just another day. Yes, I'll admit there was some resentment, over the years, that people didn't seem to acknowledge my birthday, but I have grown out of that. How egotistical can you be to demand that people recognize this date? It's like the price of your friendship is how much stuff they bestow on you for an arbitrary date on the calendar. I'm rather embarrassed, when I think back to some of those kinds of comments that passed my lips.

This being my 'year of gratitude', all I really wanted from anyone was the acknowledgement that we are still friends and will continue to be friends for the next year. It's kind of like a contract, renewable once a year. It's time for review. Has it been a good year? Yes? Well, then, let's renew it for another year.

I have made some friends via this game that I play who believe I deserve more than just a virtual handshake and an agreement that we'll be friends for another year. "I need a birthday/Christmas list from you," was the cry. My protestations that I didn't need anything from them fell on, essentially, deaf ears. Then, after a conversation with one of them, I realized that they want to send stuff because we're friends, not out of any duty or an attempt to buy friendship. Friends buy things for each other because they are, well, friends. They see something and think, "Deb would love this!" As much as I say, "You don't have to get me anything. You friendship is more than 'enough'", for them, and for me, too because I think the same thing, a token or tokens of that friendship is the natural expression.

The big box came on Friday along with a box from Carole. When Charly said he'd picked up "a few" things, I had visions of, at most, a handful of items. I could put both cats in this box. That design on the box is colored duct tape and Charly said he used three (!) rolls to cover it. I couldn't get into it with a pair of scissors so I resorted to a steak knife. Inside were packages wrapped in green bubble wrap and red tissue paper. Packages and packages and packages.

My first reaction was the old chestnut, "I don't deserve all of this." I think it's wise to have that feeling. If you felt that you did deserve 'all' of this, it's not a far jump to thinking you deserve 'all' of something else and then what reigns in your ego? "Oh lord it's hard to be humble when you're perfect in every way," goes the silly song. But, perhaps, on this day, I can allow myself to step into the "I am deserving" area just once.

Charly insisted I open something; he wanted me to open everything but I refused as it wasn't my birthday. So I opened two packages and then, after the tree was up, removed everything from the box. The contents were many and the girls even got a couple of things. I...I really don't deserve all of this. It must have cost a small fortune. I can't reciprocate for this kindness. All these things, and more, ran through my head.

Hold the phone here and let's take a few steps back. For once, this is about me, in a very legitimate way. Charly wanted to do this. He had enormous fun going out and finding all these things, wrapping them and then trying to find a box of the proper size. I think he also took perverse pleasure in wrapping that box with duct tape.

One of my best friends, Patt, also sent a few things. She got to go to Paris in the summer. She brought back a bookmark, magnets, a small note pad and real Swiss chocolate. I don't know what the words are on the box. I think they are German. Carole sent Ghirardelli instant hot cocoa and the best socks. As I have had to get rid of several pair as not being fixable anymore, socks without holes were extremely welcome. Plus, they are loud.

Those are bears, but it doesn't take much to look at them and think they are Pilchards.

And there is still a box coming from Meredith. AAAAHHHH! I don't.....

It is a measure of one's life that people do things for you. In my year of gratitude, I have come to see that the grousing and complaining I did, mainly to myself, was affecting how I looked at life. It's easy to get down. Cripes, I find myself struggling with it now as my knees really, really hurt and getting around is an exercise in pain endurance. Dang, this rheumatoid arthritis sucks. Oh woe is me.

In looking at things from the point of view of gratitude, warm socks are a godsend. Oh look! More stickers, just in time for the Christmas cards. I have wonderful scented bath gels and lotion. The Sensual Amber fragrance is something I have smelled before, somewhere, a long time ago. I know that scent. It's a scent of warmth and comfort but I cannot remember where I would know it. I do know it's something from childhood. I've got a book to read and a bookmark to keep my place while I sip luxury hot cocoa. Any one of these things would have been enough. The fact that I received all of them fills my heart with joy. I realized last night, that it's been awhile since I had joy, the giggly kind.

So, to quote Joanne Woodward in The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (Really good indie movie.), "My heart is full." It was a very good birthday.

Beverage:  Edinburgh's Finest tea

Deb

A Box of Awesome

I came home from work on Monday and there was a box stuffed in between the front door and the storm door. I wasn't expecting anything. When I looked at the return address, I discovered it was from Meredith. Oh yeah. She said she was sending a bunch of stuff.

Now, we go through this every time she says she's going to make up a box for me. I love getting things just as anyone else does, but I don't want someone to use their hard-earned money on me in lieu of spending it on milk and bread for themselves. I have to admit that, secretly, I struggle with being the kind of person that people actually want to send things to. Have I really earned the right to be that kind of friend to you? I protest. I am, inside, thrilled beyond measure, but I struggle with myself and the acknowledgement that you care enough about me to do this for me. I never, ever want to be seen as "that person". You know the one, the one who just assumes you will always send them something.

Although I knew this was coming, it was still a treat to find it stuck in the door. I completely forgotten that she said she'd posted it. I'm sorry to say the girls were not interested this time. It never got a cat scan. I wonder if they have just accepted that there will be boxes coming to this house and most of them aren't going to have cat treats, scratching pads or toys in them, nor are they going to be big enough to lie down in.

Upon opening the box, this was layer #1. This is Meredith's special snack mix. Those are seasoned oyster crackers. I admit I have not tried them yet. I am saving them for this weekend's event with my guild in the game. I think they will go well with ice cold 7 Up or Ginger Ale. They smell really good.

Layer #2 was only 2 things. That's a bag of M&M's with peanuts and pajamas.

This is a tee shirt pajama. I love these. The one I currently wear is the last of a bunch. It's rather ratty and will probably be in the rag pile by the end of the year. Royal blue is my favorite color and this has a cat design. It's perfect and it fits wonderfully. No, I am not posting a photo of me wearing it. There are some things this blog will never have on it and that's one.

Layer #3 was more food goodies and the stickers shown in the first post of today, which is below. In the box Meredith sent in February, she had included the chocolate band-aids and a box of Rooibos tea. Both were a hit with me. I still haven't found, in my regular travels, another box of Rooibos but here now, I don't have to until maybe the end of fall, since I like to drink a variety of different teas. I ate the chocolate pandas last night. They were fun but they can't hold a candle to an item she included on layer #4.

HIPPOS!

These are so incredibly good. Just take my word for it. I believe she gets these at World Market. Oh man. They were the first thing I ate. It says "crispier" on the box, but, when she sent the first batch back in February, I liked those just as much as I liked these. Silly and loaded with calories. Yes please.

Here's the rest of layer #4. I took the chocolate bars to work and have relegated myself to two sections when I feel myself sagging. That's usually around the 2 p.m. hour. I started on the strawberry and Champagne bar. I want to stretch these out as long as I can. A pick-me-up in the middle of the afternoon is a good thing and chocolate is the perfect remedy. Yes, I did only eat two squares.

So, there you have a visual tour of the box of awesome from Meredith. I am thrilled, just thrilled with all these little bits and pieces. Plus, I am even more thrilled that she did this for me. Thank you so very, very much. I am really touched.

Beverage:  Irish Breakfast tea

Deb

Three Years and Finally Done

I know it doesn't look like much, especially something to warrant its own blog post but this is something. Three years ago, my friend Patt sent me a package of stickers. It might actually be longer ago than three years but I'm going with three years because I think that's right. I don't remember where she said she found them, but it was about 15 pages of a variety of stickers. They were, for the most part, the kind teachers would put on grade school homework. I separated them and stuck them in my pile of stickers.

If you know me well enough to be in my address book, you know any correspondence has stickers on the envelope. While I always add my return address, I've been told that's really not necessary. One look at the envelope and the recipient knows exactly who the letter is from.

It started out as a novelty many, many years ago and now, it's part of who I am. I have a rule that I will try not to duplicate stickers on an envelope or box. Because this particular set had several pages of the same stickers, those were separated and the duplicates stuck to the bottom of the sticker pile. They were only added when one of their companion sheets was emptied. I know it seems silly to have a "rule" for stickers on envelopes but I like variety. When I am 95, I'm still going to be gravitating to the sticker display at the store and buying packages to festoon my letters. I am, of course, assuming there will still be a post office when I'm 95, but that's a post for another day.

Work is quite slow, at the moment. These past two weeks have plodded along. We went from manic to navel gazing in the span of a month. Next week, however, has a bunch of days where what has to be done is written sideways on the calendar because there aren't enough lines. Overtime is a probability in order to cover everything.

While I have a morning routine, that takes an hour. After that, there is just nothing to do. I'm as far ahead in work as I can be and web surfing only goes so far. I decided I should bring in my correspondence and work on that. Yesterday, 3 letters went out and, with the last letter, the last sticker on the above sheet was used. I held the sheet in my hand and thought back to all the letters, boxes, flats and packages this particular group of stickers was affixed to. Three years. That is a long time for a bunch of stickers to last. I'm pretty sure the price on the package was something like $2.00. It was an incredible value. It was kind of bittersweet to toss the now empty sheet into the recycling bin.

Lest you worry I am out of stickers, have no fear. I used to order from esticker.com but they appear to have gone out of business. Current.com always seems to have sales on some of their stickers and they are 8 x 10 size sheets which I like for ease of keeping them together. And my friend Meredith sent a grand number in a big box of awesome on Monday. Look at all those! I'm good, for right now, although I will never, ever say "No thanks" to the offering of stickers. What I will be lacking, however, is blank stationary on which to scribble. Let's see what I can find online.

Thanks Patt, for three years of sticker fun.

Beverage:  Irish Breakfast tea

Deb

Big Smile

The only piece of mail I got on Saturday was a card from my friend, Meredith. Look what was inside.

I was already positively glowing from roses, a card from Patt and then this comes. Yes, that was a happy dance the cats saw me do. Yes, they ran.

Beverage:  tea

Deb