Astute comment readers will have noticed I had a birthday last week (thanks for all the wonderful birthday wishes!). My family is notorious for late birthday gifts but this year they were all eerily early so it seemed more like a birthday week to me. My sister Leslie sent these lovely leaf tea cups just as I’ve had a resurgence in tea drinking and sister Heather sent this lovely tealight candle holder from Yankee Candle.

Rose never fails to send something wonderful and this year she shared some of Pia’s fabulous fleece dyed special just for me. The colorway is lagoon and these balls of fluff are the softest things. If the wheel wasn’t currently otherwise occupied these might be on it already. I received a few monetary gifts as well which I’m using to cover costs for some classes at the New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival with the exception of one designated to help pay for Tarragon’s fleece this year. Tarragon was my first fleece purchase and the more I wear the gloves I made from her fleece the more I love it.

My current cell phone is kind of a lemon. It doesn’t get the best reception, frequently drops calls and is forever taking pictures of the inside of my pocket. We’re not ready just yet to get a new plan so Jason found a stripped down replacement that’ll tide me over until later in the year. I’ll miss my "Sweet Home Alabama" ringtone but I’ll miss little else about that old clunker. Jason also found the one missing year of my 50 State Quarters proof set. That gap was really bugging me! Last but not least he got me a gift certificate to the local LYS. That’ll be burning a hole in my pocket!

I think this is the nicest gift Daniel’s made for me in art metals class yet. This is his third year taking the class and you can really see how much he’s learned. I keep meaning to ask him how he got the ring such a perfect fit. The kitties are earring but they aren’t yet on earwires in the photo. This gorgeous yarn and pattern came from Christine and Crystal at knitting Friday night. The colors remind me of summer fruit (which in fact we ate Friday night, it’s summer somewhere!) and I can’t wait to knit these. I’m thinking the variegated might work well for the next Sock Madness pattern, should know in a day or two.

I grew up in south Louisiana were Easter time is also time for the amarylis to bloom like crazy along the borders of houses and encircling trees. I was so accustomed to thinking of them as a garden plant that it never occurred to me I could have them here too, they just need to be in pots. MIL sent these along and they arrived Saturday. I’ll definitely enjoy seeing their cheery faces again.