Ho, ho, ho! It is the last day of July and time for our TBB Christmas in July gift reveal. Those of us who were interested in celebrating an extra Christmas this year, joined up through Elfster. Elfster is the Web’s top-rated online Secret Santa generator or holiday gift exchange organizer. To learn more, click here.
When it comes to gifts, and maybe only to gifts, I am a good girl. I never tried to peek at the Christmas gifts tucked at the top of my parents’ closet when I was a little girl. I don’t even try to loosen the wrapping paper a bit on the gifts under the Christmas tree nowdays. So when my box arrived, I didn’t immediately open it. Although I did look at the return address label to see who it was from. My heart smiled when I saw the name Katie Mitchell.
I thanked Katie for the box and told her I hadn’t opened it yet. She encouraged me to do so. I still waited a few days but then one morning last week, I couldn’t wait any longer. I knew we weren’t waiting to open our gifts on a certain date. That we had to write this blog post to go live on August 1. So with all of that rationale for doing so, I finally opened my package.
Katie has sent me packages before…she is so sweet to me. There are always little notes or messages on everything. It is fun to see her handwriting and some of her personality shining through the notes and stickies.
As I have shared before, I love the book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. All of these little notes remind me of that story.
Katie’s prayers in the bright orange note above were answered. Everything arrived safely and in one beautiful piece.
Look at that beautiful frame! I can’t wait to go through my photos and find just the right picture for it. So, so pretty! I cannot wait to read Giddy Up, Eunice: Because Women Need Each Other. Which I accidentally typed here first as Giddy Up, Eunuch – no doubt a whole different story there. There are so many behind the scenes, heart-to-heart reasons why Katie selected this book for me. Katie, Katie, Katie, you know me so well. I love these gifts so much, most of all because they were from YOU.
Here is a little bit about the author of Giddy Up, Sophie Hudson.
Katie has been such a support and encouragement to me. She is one of my very favorite blogger friends and someone I felt close to immediately when we met through the Get Your Pretty On Challenges.
Best of all, was the handwritten card that I was directed to open last. And like the good girl I am (where gifts are concerned) I did.
Not sure how Katie can be so young and yet so wise. But she is. And loving. Generous. Energetic. Fun. And a librarian!
Thank you, dear, sweet Katie for this thoughtful package and touching message.
And see those colorful stickers in the foreground? That is bling for my Erin Condren planner. You might recall that I wrote about planners of assorted shapes and sizes in a spring post, here. Katie had shared how much she loved her EC planner and so I bought one on her good review. So glad I did. I am loving it and am remembering all kinds of events and appointments I might otherwise have forgotten.
Thank you for everything, Katie. Merry Christmas (in July) to YOU!
And now, would love to invite you to run by to see what this Santa’s helper sent to Deena at Shoes to Shiraz. Just click here and you will be magically whisked away to her blog or click below to be transported to the blogs of all of the other gals who celebrated 1/2 Christmas with me.
Grumbling Grace | Puppies & Pretties | Living on Cloud Nine | Mishaps & Mayhem of Solitary Life | Two Teens and Their Mama | Once Upon a Time | Nick & Nik | Foxy’s Domestic Side | Simply Shaunacey | Whitney à la mode | Shoes to Shiraz
Merry Christmas (in July) to each of you. Have a blessed week, my friends.
Hugs and kisses,
Yay!! Katie did soooo good! She knows you well and you both have hearts of gold!!
Thank you , Andrea. Katie can shop for me anytime!!
Oh that book looks so much fun! I am finally getting settled and I miss READING! Have to get back on it!
I can only imagine how hectic life has been for you lately. Glad you are settled in. Now maybe you can find your “normal” again. I hope to start the book tonight. Can’t wait!
I’m excited to read that book. Katie did great!
What a pretty frame! And you can never go wrong with a good book.
Love the frame. I think I will try to take just the right B&W pic to put in it.
I seriously love these kinds of posts and I would have loved your package. I just read a review on that book today on Mix and Match Mama and after reading that you received it, I just added it to my Goodreads list!!! Also, you can never go wrong with EC stickers!!!!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Thank you, Carrie! I hope to get started on the book tonight. If Shea loved it, I bet I will, too.
Katie does give the best gifts and the best well written thought out cards 🙂 Love everything she got, and I did the same, waited a few days before opening, not sure why!
I think sometimes half the fun of gift-giving and receiving is the suspense. So I savor that a few days first. Katie is a jewel.
Oh that frame is GORGEOUS!!! So nice
Thank you, Nicole. It is about the classiest thing I have in the house!
Christmas in July is such a fun idea! I love seeing what everyone got! 🙂
And it’s so nice to see that Katie got you gifts that you love – she knows you well! And how nice is that card!
Katie is such a jewel, Andrea. The card was the best part of all!
I’m really just LOVING everyone’s thoughtfulness! What a beautiful and personal gift!
We are so fortunate to have this great group of gals holding us up and supporting us!
I LOVE this and how much Katie nailed it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She’s such a sweet soul, you both are so I’m not surprised how well you two get along!!
Thank you, Shaunacey. We are all blessed to have one another!
I love seeing what everyone got in your gift exchange! What a sweet gift! That frame is beautiful and that book sounds like a great read! I love my EC planner and need to get some bling for it!
Jill
Doused In Pink
Come on, Jill, get on the bling band wagon. It makes planning and keeping up with everything more fun. I am a scrapbooker anyway, so
adding bling to an agenda just makes sense to me. Katie did send the sweetest things. She is the best.