Whenever I Call You Friend

Do you remember that song?
I heard it on the radio the other day at a local pizza place.
We went there to sit down and eat our pizza.
It's not often that we do that - we usually get pizza and wings for takeaway, and then eat it at home.
Often the freshness of a pizza is diminished by this.
Does that make sense?
There's really nothing like sitting down to hot pizza fresh from the oven and with cheese so melted that you need a knife and fork to eat it or you'll burn your mouth.
I wish, however, that they had grape soda - instead I got orange - but there's something about sitting in a pizzeria and eating pizza and drinking grape soda that takes me back to when I was younger.
That's always nice.
This post, however, is not one about food.
Although it could be.
It's just that this Kenny Loggins song was playing in the pizzeria (along with some other great 70's songs - I'm so stuck in that era - one in which our pizzeria had grape soda).
So you don't remember it?
Here's a video (words only, sorry, no awesome Stevie Nicks singing along with Kenny):



I bring this up because last weekend I received an awesome present from my friend, Jennifer.
Now I sent her some yarn around Christmas time, and she knows that it was a RAOK, and she was in no way obligated to send me something back. I just wanted to do something nice for someone who is always helping others. They deserve special treats, don't you agree?
So I was totally surprised to find these pressents in my mail.
Love, love LOVE this project bag - aren't these sheep remarkable?

And chocolate - it's almost as if Jennifer knows that sustenance is needed if one is going to survive while knitting.

She's so thoughtful.
Then I decided to pay it forward.
My co-worker, Dave, bought pizza for five of us (it was a quiet work day), I thought that it would be nice if I provided the dessert after the pizza and wings.
(By the way, don't judge me for having pizza and wings twice within five days. Do. Not. Judge.)
Here are Dave and Andrea enjoying the dark chocolate bar.

I think they look happy with the chocolate, don't you?

You don't have to steal it, Dave, I told you I'd share!
We all thank you, Jennifer!!

End of Year Prezzies

This was a very low-key Christmas.
I think I told you this, right?
Hubby and Baby Girl spent over two weeks in Ecuador (where hubby is from) over Christmas and New Year's.
It was a great experience for them, but since the Baby Boy and I were the only two here, and he was working a good bit of the time, I barely even got any decorations out, and decided to forego the usual Christmas/holiday hoopla.
Well, I'm pretty damn lazy too, so not having to do all this wasn't that much of a stretch for me either.
Best intentions, I have, but not necessarily great on the follow through.
I did receive, however, two very nice and unexpected gifts.
My friend, Mel, you know, she of the wonderful Stranded in Oz, sent me a copy of Yarn magazine.
(these are her socks on the cover, and that's her cardigan on the cover of issue 28 if you click on the link.)
One thing I discovered when I was in the UK quite a few years ago, and obviously the Aussies do it too, is that they are very good about attaching little gifts to the front of their magazines. Cross stitch mags regularly have needles, and knitting mags have, of course, needles!
Wasn't this so sweet?
She's a champ, I have to tell you, and her Glinda sock yarns are to dye for. Tee hee.

Check out her website.
Really gorgeous stuff, and the shipping is not exorbitantly expensive.
Next up - My cousin, Mary Lou, went on a trip to Iceland over the summer. She's always traveling, and having great adventures. On this latest trip she brought me back a skein of yarn! We don't see each other that often, although we do live relatively close, so I didn't get this until Christmas time which I think was the best time of year to get it!
It's Lett Lopi yarn in a deep heather blue - lovely, lovely color, don't you think?

That was really so very nice of her to do this - and so completely unexpected that I was gobsmacked.

I still need to tell her thank you.

D'oh.

Okay, I know, the iPad pictures don't come out all that well, but hey, at least you have something somewhat colorful to look at instead of reading my weird words throughout the entire post.

Sometimes the smallest, most unexpected RAOKs are really the very, very best.

Thanks to Mel and Mary Lou (sounds like a singing duo) for these wonderful gifts.

Nice way to start the year.