Pampering me

It is a good day when the postal service delivers a package that is full of lovely goodies! Just as my swap package was out for delivery in Canada, I was tearing into a box full of pampering goodness.

My friend Noelle drew my name in the Pampering Mom swap and that was my lucky day:


First and foremost, can you see the knitted socks? They are the first pair of knitted socks I have ever had and Noelle knit them out of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn in - wait for it - The Ohio State University colorway! She said in her note that when she saw the colorway, she had to get it and make socks for me. How kind and thoughtful was that?

She also included two skeins of Superfine Alpaca Yarn, 189 yards of reclaimed Peruvian alpaca yarn, two patterns for fingerless mitts, a cool rainbow wine bottle stopper, salmon pate, truffles (that have been hidden away for my personal consumption only), a paperback mystery and copies of the local satirical newspaper.

Now if I can just get rid of the guys in my house for an evening, I will put up my feet in my Go Bucks socks, read my book, sip some wine and eat pate and chocolates. Ah, bliss!

A happy ending and beginning

Tomorrow is going to be a very special Mother's Day for my friend Susan. I met Susan 10+ years ago when we both worked at Glaxo, and then worked together again at SciQuest. Susan was a great coworker; a talented writer and project manager, she was someone on whom I could always depend to do her portion of the work and to make us laugh at the same time. I soon learned that Susan is also one of the kindest, more caring people I have ever met.

Susan and her husband, Lason, wanted to be parents and I can't think of many couples better suited to be great parents. After much trying and praying, little Gayle was born in October of 2004; she was, unfortunately, born with a host of medical issues and died just ten days after her birth. Susan and Lason were devastated and we all grieved with and for them. Few things in life seemed as unfair as the sorrow that had been inflicted on them.

Fast forward to this past March, when we heard the happy news that Susan and Lason had been matched with a birth mother for the adoption of her baby boy. They met the birth mother, who wisely realized that her baby boy would have the best of parents in Susan and Lason. Little Jack was born on 8 April and after a week with a respite family, arrived at his new home on 16 April. Were hearts ever more full of joy that day?

If you would like to see Jack, go on over to the blog that Susan is keeping for him, Jack's Life. You will see photos of the adorable baby boy and his proud parents, and read how they are all settling in together. Every time I pop over to read how Jack is doing, I am reminded of just how talented a writer Susan is!

Sometimes stories have a happy ending. But this ending is just the beginning...