March 2006 DTC Secret Pal Gift Exchange

Shelton's SP Revealed

2008-12-03T16:30:00.002-05:00

And the person is..... Beth Lux. Thank you Beth and family for all the wonderful things you have given us during this SP exchange. You have been a great SP and we can't wait until Marissa is finally home to use all the things you have given to us.

This beautiful quilt that Beth sent to us came from Shamien Island in Guangzhou. It is made by people there and the money goes to help children who are not adoptable for one reason or another. What a thoughtful gift this was. Besides giving to us, she gave to someone else. And what a keepsake for Marissa! I have to say that I am a little sad that our exchange has come to an end. I enjoyed buying for mine as much as I enjoyed getting something in return. Thanks again, Beth!!!

THANK YOU KELLY AND JOE SHOOK!!!!!!

2008-11-23T22:06:00.001-05:00

Well after all these many many months of being spoiled rotten by our Secret Pals, we FINALLY know their identity.........Kelly and Joseph Shook! We got the final package of goodies yesterday and couldn't WAIT to see who they were.......
They sent us so much stuff! Kelly made me a scrapbook for Rebekah and included a travel checklist,a travel book about China, an ornament with a plane/globe, a Chinese purse, learning Mandarin CD's, a panda, Shaoey and Dot book, a notebook that has a beautiful Chinese silk cover, and pictures of the two of them. How can possibly thank two people who have become our friends over all these months? There just aren't really any words that can let them know how much their thoughtfulness has meant. Even those months when we were discouraged and felt like dropping out, they would send us anonymous letters of encouragement and support. They have truly touched our lives and now that the Secret Pal program is over, we can move on and be great friends with them as we continue to wait for our babies AND after we become parents and raise our girls! Thank you Kelly and Joe!!!!!!!!! We just had to say THANKS!!!!!!!!!! And YES, we are going to STAY friends!!!!!

Thank you Blat Family!

2008-11-06T19:23:00.002-05:00

We received our final revealer gift and wanted to say a huge thank you to the Blat Family. They stuck with us for the whole exchange and we have really appreciated all the gifts. Hopefully it won't be much longer and we will have our girls.

Thanks again.
The Totten Family

A Huge Thanks to Mark and Cathy Lam!!!

2008-11-01T19:52:00.005-04:00

We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all the wonderful gifts you have sent us! I never got a picture of the gifts by themselves because Will couldn't leave them alone. He was so excited--especially about the adorable farm truck!

He also pulled the straws out of the
Spider Man cups and wanted to start drinking from them right away! Thanks also for the Spider Man lunchbox, utensils, and plate and bowl set. We love super heroes around here.

Will loves pulling the car shade up and down. We needed that gift as we just used a free one someone had given us at a fair and it had torn up!

Everything was generous and perfect as usual. Even the Chinese card was a wonderful touch. Thank you so much from all of us for your generosity over these last few months. We wish you all the best and that you will be as blessed by others as we were by you!

God bless,
John, Tara, and Will

Thank You to the Appleton's

2008-10-18T19:37:00.001-04:00

They were wonderful Secret Pals!! Our box of goodies arrived today and here are some pics.

Thank you to my secrest pal - all the gifts for Kiana Wall

2008-10-11T18:28:00.002-04:00

Hi Megi,

Thank you for all the wonderful gifts the past few months. The gifts to my daughter coming in the mail helped make the wait easier. It was a reminder that this adoption will truly happen someday and now we are getting closer. Thank you, you picked some awesome gifts. I love all of them. Thanks for the last package full of fun books, sunglasses, a rattle and more. Its great. Thanks.

Sheryl Wall
LID 3-14-06

We're Beary Thankful for our Gifts!

2008-09-22T13:55:00.003-04:00

Please forgive the cheesy title. I just couldn't resist.

I'm posting these thank yous in the wrong order. I will post last months thank yous soon, but the pics are on our other computer.

As for this month...we were overwhelmed again by your generosity. I think we were even more excited than Will. We went to see Kung Fu Panda on our anniversary this year, and we loved it. So we were extremely excited to see the cute Kung Fu Panda stuff--especially the cars. Our boy is very serious about the cars. You can see in the picture that he's not really smiling--he's analyzing the cars very carefully. After we were done opening the package, he let me put everything back for a little while--except the cars. We recently learned that one of the words he keeps saying is the Chinese word for cars. I think it's "chixi" but it might be a z instead of an x. I forget! And we love the sticker book. I'm already starting him a little sticker book with the stickers he gets from the doctor, etc.

We also play a lot of games and read a lot of books, so we loved the Eric Carle books and games. I'd been thinking Will should have a copy of Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? But hadn't gotten it yet. And we definitely have to use board books right now. Our boys is destructive, just like his mommy! I love that the Brown Bear book also has the Chinese in it!

The Feng Shui bear is adorable, but the box it cam in is just as cute with the bright colors and the dragons on it. We are going to use it as a keepsake box.

Thank you so, so much. I know Will would be thanking you to if he could. We're working on that. ;)

I hope you are enjoying the fall. We love it!

God bless,
Tara, John, and Will

THANK YOU!! to Cathy & Mark's secret pal Tonja!!

2008-09-21T21:46:00.003-04:00

We were so excited to get a HUGE box delivered this week!! It was just chock full of all kinds of cool things for travel and other great stuff!! We received travel items, stacking cups, a very nice window shade, a travel utensil set, a baby book, just to name a few things. AND a giant jar of pink m&ms!!! This is so funny, because m&ms are my absolute favorite candy - people at work give them to me, I get them for my birthday, etc. so this was just so cool and is just perfect. And we are thrilled to announce that our secret pal was Tonja!! Thank you so much for being such a great pal, you have sent so many wonderful things. Each box of treasures was just perfect, and we really feel like we are getting prepared with the things we need. Thanks for making each month of waiting a little more bearable! :-) We just can't thank you enough for your friendship and being a terrific pal!!! We look forward to being able to celebrate together with our referrals!! Love, Cathy & Mark

The Appletons Are "Bear-y" Thankful For Their Secret Pals!

2008-09-17T18:41:00.002-04:00

We were VERY surprised to come home Monday and find a box waiting for us from our Secret Pals, but let me just say that these wonderful friends, who always do a stupendous job of surprising us each month, really had fun with this theme!!!!!
The theme was "Bears" and they sent a panda backpack and matching panda lunchbox for Rebekah to use when she goes to school one day, a bear puzzle book, a white blanket with a bear embroidered on it, several little things from Build-A-Bear along with this red-white-and-blue outfit for the Build A Bear that they gave us months ago (it was dressed in a Chinese outfit), a silk handkerchief with embroidered pandas on it, and a Kent State bottle/bib/rattle set (we are guessing they are graduates of Kent State and may be from Ohio???????) Anyhow, we were just blown away by everything and wanted to let them know how much we love it all and say THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you SP

2008-09-17T13:20:00.002-04:00

Sorry it has taken me so long to post my "thank you" to the blog. I took the picture right after I got the precious bear. But time got away from me and I am just now getting around to downloading the pictures. How cute are the little "glass slippers" on our Cinderella Bear? As always, you outdid yourself. I love the bear and I know that Marissa will also.

Megi's Secret Pal - August

2008-09-08T15:29:00.002-04:00

I was on vacation for two weeks and was pleasantly surpised by the adoreable card I recieved in the mail upon return (I was so worried a package was going to be left outside for two weeks) - so this was just perfect!

Thank you so much for the Build-A-Bear gift card! I love that place - everytime we go by it in the mall I imagine taking our little girl there...how fun (I just can not wait).

Again, thank you for all the wonderful suprises each month - you are the best and so very, very creative!

Luv,

Megi

As we travel along.....

2008-09-08T14:02:00.002-04:00

Thanks to our secret pals for another great month of gifts. We received a Baby Einstein tune player-it has such a great handle for carrying around. We also received a Lily from Leap Frog talking and learning toy and some great gummi bears-Yum! I can't wait to get to finally use all of these toys. Thanks for everything you do.

Matthew and Lenora

BLOGS

2008-09-07T23:17:00.004-04:00

Since it looks like we will have referrals in the next few months I thought it might be nice to sned out a post requesting blog/website addresses. This way we can put them in our favorites and follow along!!!
To follow ours click here
Debbie

2008-09-04T19:17:00.002-04:00

I just love the Eric Carle books and didn't have this one, and the bear to go with it, how awesome is that, thank you. And the classic pooh handprint kit, how fun. Thank you so much. I always enjoy getting a surprise in the mail for our precious daughter.

Sheryl Wall

SU2C

2008-08-24T20:14:00.001-04:00

Thanks go out to Cathy's pal!

2008-08-24T09:32:00.003-04:00

Huge beary thanks once again to our wonderful secret pal! We received some adorable bear-themed gifts, including a light-up bear that changes to several different colors, a sweet pink bear dress, a little security blankie with a bear AND a ladybug (super cute!!), and as a bonus some bottles and a bowl with lid and spoon. (Those are great because I have absolutely no bottles or dishes so far!!) Thank you so much for these great gifts, they are fantastic as usual! I really feel like I am actually getting prepared, with all of the things we've received over the last months. Thanks again and hope you are enjoying the last bit of summer! Love, Cathy & Mark

Thank you to the Wall Secret Pal

2008-08-13T19:53:00.003-04:00

Thank you for all the wonderful gifts this summer. The games look like a lot of fun for our daughter. And the outfits are adorable. Cute books too. Our daughter will have quite a collection of books when she finally comes home. Thank you for everything and for making this wait a little bit easier. Getting a package in the mail for Kiana helps me remember that this adoption will actually happen someday.

Sheryl

Totten Secret Pal

2008-08-13T15:17:00.002-04:00

Thank you to our secret pals for our treats this month. We received a cuddly pink blanket with a ladybug on it and a stuffed panda from Kung Fu Panda. We also each received a cinnamon cake.Yum. They have certainly found the way to our hearts.
Thanks again.
Lenora

To the Shelton's SP - "Thanks"

2008-08-10T16:32:00.002-04:00

WOW! That is all I can say!! We got so much stuff from our SP this month. Marissa's first birthday is going to be so much fun. We got 2 leis, a flashing princess crown and a flashing wand to match. There are 2 sets of plates and napkins, as well as a package of party horns and a pin the tail on the donkey game. There is the cutest rubber ducky set that will be perfect for Marissa to play in the tub with when we have to bathe her after she rubs all her birthday cake in her hair. HA!

As if all the party stuff wasn't enough, our SP sent the cutest outfit for Marissa. It has little ladybugs on it and it is so adorable. I can't tell you how excited I am about seeing her wear this outfit.

Prior to receiving this month's gifts of birthday surprises, I received a box in the mail that had 3 books about the Chinese New Year. I am sorry, SP, that I didn't post sooner and thank you for these books. Caitlin and I left soon after we got them to travel to Utah to spend time with my best friend out there.

So, SP, you are the best. Thank you so much for all the things you sent this month. Can't wait to see what next month holds in store for us.

Megi's Secret Pal - August

2008-08-06T20:26:00.003-04:00

Once again - what a wonderful surpise!

Thank you for the adorable note cards and cute little Birthday t-shirt!!! Also, I love the little cake necklace (I am going to wear it on my Birthday - August 29th, ha)...she will never know, ha! Maybe it will bring some good luck, ha!

Thanks again for all of your very thoughtful gifts.

Megi

Happy Birthday Thank You.

2008-07-27T16:39:00.002-04:00

Thank you to our Secret Pals for the Happy Birthday Gifts. We are always so excited for our gift to arrive. We received Happy Birthday plates and napkins, several miniature candles in tins-which I love for traveling, a huge box of baby girl scrapbooking ribbon, and my favorite candy-KitKat and hubby's favorite-Special Dark. Thanks again for thinking of us.

Lenora

PIcs to go with our blog entry below...

2008-07-27T08:23:00.001-04:00

Hats Off to the Wohlfords' Secret Pal!

2008-07-26T13:53:00.003-04:00

Dear Secret Pal,

I am extremely sorry again for being so late with my thank yous. We were crazy trying to get everything done before we left for China and there were more than a few things that we just finally had to let go and know that we couldn't get them done before we left--including our thank yous to you, part of Will's room, research for the trip, and more! But now we are almost in a sort of normal groove with things, and we want to send you a big thank you. On a brighter note, since it took so long, we could take some pictures of Will with his gifts. Unfortunately, he's had a cold, so it was impossible to get him to smile like he usually does.

Thank you first of all for the ADORABLE hats and matching socks and jacket. They really were the cutest I have ever seen. I especially loved the little hoodie with a tassel! I was so excited to get them and picture Will in them. (And he does look cute in them, I might add!) The jacket will grow with him for quite a while. Your gift provided a little "relief from packing" break which I desperately needed. I've never had so much trouble packing for anything in my life. The 44 pound, one suitcase limit for your in-China flights made it more than a little difficult!

We had our Waiting Game package here for us waiting when we got home from China. It was a wonderful way for us to celebrate our waiting game finally being over. John was trying to child-proof, so we were locked in the bathroom in our jammies opening your gift. It was the first "official" present Will has ever opened with us. He of course, went straight for the puzzles because of all the little things with wheels. He is playing with one of the pieces as I write. He hasn't quite figured putting them in the right places on his own yet, but he loves to pretend to drive them. Cars, trucks, etc. are his favorite things in the world right now. The puzzles were so cute and we only had 1 wooden puzzle until you sent these. Thank you so much. We have put the card games and Chute and Ladders in our game closet until he's a little older. We love games and cant wait to play them all!

We have so many wonderful things that people have asked us about. We have been able to say, "One of our secret pals gave us that!" You and our other secret pal have been such blessings to us. We really appreciate your generosity and thoughtfulness. Your gifts are being put to good use now!

Love,
John, Tara, and Will

P.S. I'm having trouble getting the pictures to upload, so I'll keep trying back.

Thank You Secret Pal

2008-07-26T09:30:00.003-04:00

Wow - sorry that I was so slow to post this. I received an awesome box full of goodies. I loved the tutu and sparkly shoes, how fun! The stacking toys, games and puzzles are great, I love how they are wooden. The birthday candle holder and cupcake kit are going to be used every year. The book was very sweet and is sitting in her library. The wall decals are also cool, I hadn't seen those before. I think I may save them and put them in her playroom. Thanks again!

Leilani is ready for her first birthday!

2008-07-23T21:59:00.004-04:00

We are thankful for our new secret pal who knows me very well! We received a box today which lifted my spirits and made me think about the many birthdays we will celebrate! The gifts were packed into a beautiful handmade gift bag (an extra nice touch) and included a really cute baby girl hanging album craft kit (something to keep me busy during the wait) and a small pink striped scrapbook with flower and birthday stickers for embellishment. The birthday party items include a tiara for the princess to wear at her party, birthday candles and Happy Birthday cake decoration, a little pink parasol, a little sparkler t-shirt with a cupcake and matching pink flip-flops, and finally little party take-home bags and trainer chopsticks to help her learn to use chopsticks! Thanks again for the great gifts! The McMillin's

Thanks from Dan & Suz!

2008-07-19T23:23:00.002-04:00

We love our secret pal! Your gifts always come on the perfect days, and yesterday was no exception! I love how you had the box all lined with colorful tissue paper, you are awesome! I have to confess we already tried out the play dough, but the squeaky blocks, battery-powered keys, bubbles, and book will be waiting for our other package (: BTW I am so excited about the Who Loves Baby book, several of my friends have those and they are a huge hit with their kids. It will probably be with us on the trip to China so Caroline can learn her family members on the long flight! Thanks for your thoughtfulness each month, you are the best!!!

luv,

Suz and Dan

Thanks to Paulette

2008-07-19T10:36:00.003-04:00

Sorry this message is so late. Life has been hectic this summer. We want to thank Paulette for being our Secret Pal for many months. Jensen loved all the gifts you've sent him. He loved tearing into each box every month. I wish you could have seen the excitement in his eyes and face each time. Thanks again. If we're ever out in the Chicago area, we'd love to meet up with you!!!!

Megi's Secret Pal - June

2008-07-16T13:53:00.002-04:00

Secret Pal:

A special thanks to my pal for the very special package. I love the farm (match) game in the egg tray - very, very cute! Also, thank you for the magazine - I actually saw this in the store and was scared to buy it (I am not very creative) - but now I am eager to start making some of the adorable little snacks and crafts - thank you so much!

I thank you dearly for all the wonderful suprises - hope you are enduring the wait as best you can (next summer will be so much fun with our little ones)!

Best,

Megi

PS I do not have a clue who you are - can't wait to find out!!!!

March DTC Group Having Tech Difficulties

2008-07-16T10:47:00.003-04:00

Hi Everyone~
Valeri emailed me today to say that the March DTC group is not taking posts right now. Maybe we've been waiting so long we filled it up! No, just kidding. Cathy is working on it, and I'm sure it will be back soon.
Pass it on~
:+D
Di

Two Secret Pal Boxes For The Appletons Today!!!

2008-07-15T16:34:00.001-04:00

Our ever-faithful secret pals sent us TWO boxes of goodies today! One box contained things related to the "birthday theme" including a birthday shirt, the book, Every Year On YOur Birthday, an autographed copy of the beautiful book Made In China, and a cute little memory book to keep track of each birthday. Oh we loved loved loved all of the stuff they picked out for us! The shirt is sooooooooooooooooooooooo adorable and I love the autographed book! Thank you for having it autographed "To Rebekah"! That is so thoughtful of you!!!!!!!!
The second box went with the theme, "Games To Play." and Pooh Memory, a little backpack with card games such as Go Fish, Doggie Match, etc., a Toys R-Us Travel pack with little games and activities, and the book, Pat-A-Cake And Other Games. You guys are just plain awesome! We are always surprised by what you pick out for us each month and the love you put in to each month's goody box! Thank you so very very very very much!!! We also loved the card and we offer our support during your "trying" time!

Two Secret Pal Boxes For The Appletons Today!!!

2008-07-15T16:34:00.000-04:00

Hey Firecracker!

2008-06-30T10:21:00.005-04:00

Dave and Di's Secret Pals have sen us such lovely games and gifts for June, including an outfit for our future little firecracker to wear next 4th of July!

(Pssst.... And, okay fellow Pandas, I think we can finally safely say we will all have kiddies at home with us next 4th of July. that is my prediction and I'm sticking with it! Don't tell China!)
I don't know how these pals of ours do it, but they always know my taste perfectly. They sent a little ladybug bikini-skirt bathing suit that I have been ogling for months now and telling myself "No! Save your money!" because, yes pals, you are right, we are trying to buy a house. We went into escrow last Friday, so, if everything works out with the home inspection, scheduled for this week, we will be moving in... in July!

It is a mystery to me how you knew just exactly the bathing suit I have been wanting. You are sooo cool!
I know I've played Hi Ho Cherry-O before too. What a good set of games/toys!

Also, we always like the notes you send, but this month's was especially cute, and the sentiments are very sweet. We glued it to the adorable polka dot envelope, and are going to frame it and hang it in Sophie's "new" room, which we're still going to keep in a red color scheme.

Big love and smooches to you guys!
xx~
D&D

PS. The dog and cat treats you sent do not appear in the photos because they have already vanished! Those cat treats must be the equivalent of kitty chocolate, because they disappeared in like seconds! Both treats were very much appreciated!

The Shelton's say "Thank you, SP"

2008-06-29T20:13:00.005-04:00

I have been out of town for a week - actually out of state - visiting friends in NJ. While I was up there, Robby told me that I had a package but he refrained from opening it up until Caitlin and I got home. It is always so much fun seeing what our SP has sent this month.

Two of the games are classics - Chutes and Ladders and Candy Land. We had these games when Caitlin was little but got rid of them when we moved as she had outgrown them. She was so excited to see these two games. She said she remembers how fun they used to be. Hopefully she will play them with her little sister someday.

The other two games are new. I've never seen them before, but we can't wait to try them out. I am sure Caitlin will be taking the plastic wrap off of them to see how they work. They are really cool as they are based off the books by Eric Carle.

As always, SP, we thank you so much for the great gifts. You always do such a great job.

Thank you from Mark & Cathy's pal!

2008-06-29T16:17:00.004-04:00

A special thank you to our Secret Pal! Lots of fun things arrived in a big box, including a panda backpack, some fun Dora games, a classic Go Fish game, and a (thankfully) mess-free paint kit! We can't wait to see our little girl enjoy all the wonderful gifts our Secret Pals have given us. This set will be especially fun while on the road - let's Go! Love, the Lams

PS: Just in case you're wondering, this is Mark ghost writing for Cathy, thought I'd jump in for a change to say thanks, and that we really do appreciate everything - thanks!

The McMillin's new pal rocks!

2008-06-28T20:48:00.001-04:00

Due to circumstances beyond our control, our old pal had to drop out of the swaps and I am lucky enough to have gotten a new secret pal! I received my first gift today packed into a handmade gift bag! It included a beautiful rosy cheeked, very soft doll (with removable diaper and shirt), an adorable tug boat for the bathtub with little boats that change color when the water is the right temperature, a fun book "look what's from China" with a ton of fun facts I didn't know that will certainly be fun to read with Leilani and an adorable little pink hat for her to wear. My new pal also remembered my birthday with gorgeous silver hammered earrings I put on immediately and some chocolate to help with the wait (I can't save that for Leilani). Thanks again, new wonderful, special secret pal! Blessings, Jan

Megi's Secret Pal -Thank You!!!

2008-06-16T10:21:00.002-04:00

A very special thank you to my secret pal - you are the best - always so creative!

All these fun little clothes and hats - I can not wait to put them on my little girl. I love the all-American shirt/onesie - I have laid it out on my bed with little red shorts and then a pair of blue jeans (this is what I do to occupy myself during the wait - also a first time mom anxiety thing, I think, ha!).

Also, thank you for the beautiful little coinpurse - I love it. Very thoughtful of you to include a little something for me - thanks again and hope you are having a wonderful summer!!!!

Luv,

Megi

I Love MICKEY!

2008-06-14T19:52:00.002-04:00

Thank you so much Secret Pal! I love Mickey Mouse, so the sun hat and matching sandals are perfect! They are Caroline's first pair of shoes, I can't wait til there are little feet to go in them! Thank you from Dan & Suz!!!

Hats for the Shelton's

2008-06-11T13:51:00.002-04:00

Secret Pal, you have done it again. I am sorry it has taken me a little bit to get this posted for everyone to see. Trying to get used to having my dd at home for summer break. Amazing how much I get done when she is not here and she's 11. HA! Anyway, look at all the hats I got. There is one for just about every occassion. Beautiful straw hats, a safari hat, floppy hats, winter hats, even a fun parrot hat. I just can't wait until she can start wearing them. In addition to the hats, we got a couple of pair of sunglasses and lots of pretty hairbows and 2 purses. I'm sorry I didn't get all the hair bows and the extra pair of sunglasses in the picture. The little straw purse was full of small hair accessories and another pair of sunglasses. We are just so overwhelmed. Caitlin tried a few of the hats on and she really looked cute. Unfortunately, she is at an age where it isn't cool to have your picture made acting silly. Thank you SP from the bottom of our hearts. You truly are the best.

"Hat Goodies" From The Appleton's Secret Pals!!!

2008-06-09T23:57:00.000-04:00

For the month of May, the theme for the Secret Pals Exchange was "Hats Off To Baby" and we were to send hats and stuff related to that. We got our little box of goodies today and had a ball seeing the hats that our secret pals picked out for Rebekah to wear one day. There was a purple/white ball cap, a pink crocheted hat, a lilac woven hat, a winter black/white hat with mittens, and the cutest little pink floppy hat! Then they had extended the "hat theme" by purchasing two children's books about hats.....one being The Cat In The Hat! hahahahahahahaha How cute!!!!!! Mr. and Mrs. Secret Pal KNOW how much we love children's books! Rebekah is going to have the BEST collection of books to love and enjoy!!!!Thank you so much Mr. and Mrs. Secret Pal! You guys are the best!!!! I can't believe that we have had the same pals since we first started this Secret Pal exchange and they know EXACTLY what to send!!!!!!! You guys are awesome and we love you so much!!! I have decided to start on a special project just for Mr. and Mrs. Secret Pal so that in the end, we will have something from our hearts to give back to them just to let them know how much we love them and appreciate all that they have done for us through all these months of waiting and enduring. Their friendship has meant a LOT to us!!!

Happy June!

2008-06-04T18:38:00.002-04:00

Thank you to our secret pals for our games this month. Some day(hopefully soon) we will be playing Mic*key Mouse Memory and Cooties. I can't wait! Thank you so much for thinking of us.

Lenora

We have the BEST secret pal! Hats off to you!

2008-05-26T23:51:00.003-04:00

I wanted to thank you so much for the secret pal gifts. We got a HUGE variety of hats, summer and winter ones, a backpack for little Leilani to carry all her treasures with a matching hat, an adorable bandana bib, two sweet knit caps, a ladybug belt and headband, a pink bow cap, a pink fishy cap, a little bandana scarf for gardening, and my favorite, a knit cap that looks like a strawberry and rhinestone embedded sunglasses! My secret pals even remembered my birthday with a little red heart to put on a necklace and a beautiful travel cosmetic bag for our trip. She included a very encouraging note to lift my spirits. I had a terrible bout of food poisoning today, so the gift came exactly at the right time! Thanks for everything! Jan McMillin

another wonderful secret pal!

2008-05-24T18:34:00.003-04:00

Dear Secret Pal,

We were already blessed with one great secret pal during the gift exchanges, and now we have a second great pal! Your April gift was so thoughtful. Thank you for taking the time time to buy some special things for our "new" little guy! It's amazing to think that he will be putting your gifts to good use soon. But my hubby said that he was going to fight him for the PlayDoh! I don't know which of us the most excited to have toys in the house! Thanks again!

Love,
The Wohlfords

we have been doubly blessed by our secret pals--Thanks Molly Pina!!!

2008-05-24T18:23:00.003-04:00

We have had the fortune of having had an extremely wonderful secret pal the past 2 years. We want to thank Molly Pina so much for putting up with my ever-late thank yous!!! We also want you to know that some of the wonderful gifts you have sent are being boxed up right now to go to our little Will in China. He is going to appreciate your kindness so much! And our future little girl will as well. The girly things have been tucked away with care until we have a little girl to give them to one day. I know that we will, asap! So Molly, your kindness has not only touched the lives of one of our children, but at least 2! (And others as they may come and play with the hand-me-downs of their older siblings!) Thank you so much for your last wonderful gift.

Huge thank-you to Cathy's pal!

2008-05-19T09:56:00.002-04:00

Huge thanks once again to my wonderful secret pal! We received two adorable sun bonnets, as well as three "hat" books - love them! That is a great idea!! The Sandra Boynton board book is just adorable. We will definitely have to get more of her books. Thank you too for the encouraging note, and thoughts & prayers. I keep all of my secret pal notes & cards next to my computer at home, for encouragement when I need it! We are hanging in there during this wait, but it is not easy! Some months are easier than others, that's for sure. But I do believe that our time is coming soon!! Thank you again for the great gifts and for being a great pal. :-) Love, Cathy

Roberts' Secret Pal Strikes again!

2008-05-18T21:34:00.002-04:00

I came home on Friday to find a big box of wonderful things from our secret pal. There were LOTS of stickers, 2 books, a Little Mermaid umbrella, pink crocs, 2 floppy hats and a beautiful spring/summer dress. THANK YOU so much for the wonderful goodies.

Happy Mother's Day 2ME!

2008-05-17T22:50:00.003-04:00

Well, we just love getting the gifts each month from our secret pals. Not only do they have great taste, but it's so nice to have a boost to our spirits each month, and we really appreciate it.

This month our gift came a few days before Mother's Day. The theme for April was stickers, and for May it was hats, and our pals lavished us with plenty of both! :+)I don't know if you can see, but there are two great hats here, the green one pictured at the top of the post, and the pink seersucker newsboy hat! They are both so cute! Sophie will be stylin'!
And SPs included the cutest little denmin dress with very pretty embroidery on it:

And a lot of stickers/play books for Sophie too. I am a huge fan of books for presents, and these are great! (I love the ladybug stickers too; those might be gone before Sophie gets here!)

Then, the Saturday before Mother's Day, a card from our SPs came in the mail.
It was the tiniest, cutes little Mother's Day card I have ever seen. And, may I add, it was the only one I received. It is for a mom2B, and I was really touched. I think it was my favorite gift of all. I was so surprised and pleased :+)

You are so thoughtful SPs. We cannot thank you enough!
xx~

Gracias From Dan & Suz

2008-05-13T00:24:00.003-04:00

Thank you so much to our new secret pal! What a surprise! Not only did we get cool Thomas and girly sticker sets, but a ladybug basket, notepad, and a panda webkins I had just admired in the store right before I came home and found our box! Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness and timing. It was great to have a box to open on Mother's Day weekend. (Hopefully next year I will get to celebrate my first Mother's Day as a mom!)

The Davis family Secret Pal April & May

2008-05-08T23:51:00.003-04:00

I just want to say Thank you for our April & May gifts. Things have
been extremely busy but I wanted to be sure you knew that we received
the box of gifts.

Have a GREAT day!
Connie

Stick-ons for the Lindbergs

2008-05-06T04:41:00.003-04:00

This month's (April) theme was stickers and our wonderful Secret Pals surprised us with something I understand is an American toy classic: Colorforms. We got two sets: one classic and one modern. I have never seen this before and I think it looks great! Such a creative game! Our child (and we) will love to play with this! We also got a soft toy frog with a little bell in it, some nice candy (Reese's Peanut Butter Cups - my new favourite!), grass seed for the cats and a nice card. Thank you so much!

Emma in Sweden

DH Dan

Hats Off to our Secret Pal!

2008-05-05T17:15:00.002-04:00

Thank you so much to the Totten Family Secret Pal. We received such adorable hats this month. The first one is a polka dot terrycloth beach hat. I wish they made it in my size it is soo cute. The next one is more dressy-a white cotton hat with pastel ribbons of color on the mid section. The last one is a purple bunny beanie hat. Again, thank you soo much for thinking of us-We enjoy the presents very much.

Lenora

The McMillin’s are stuck on our Secret Pal!

2008-05-03T00:36:00.001-04:00

Our secret pal has such great timing each month! Soon after our gift arrives, the referrals arrive. Our secret pal gift is better than a ladybug sighting! This month, our secret pal sent a wide variety of stickers, a sticker book, some “mother” incense and a little doll to remind me of our precious Leilani. Thanks again for your wonderful gifts, I cherish each month’s arrival!

Stickers, Stickers EVERYWHERE

2008-05-01T11:03:00.005-04:00

The Shelton's SP has outdone herself this month. Look at all the stickers and sticker books that she sent to us. Caitlin loved the stickers that were teddy bears with "googly eyes". She might use those for herself. It is so sweet when my 11 year old who thinks she is 16 sometimes still enjoys stickers and other things like when she was smaller. Thank you so much for all of this stuff. We were gone to Arkansas for my Dad's 80th birthday this weekend. So it was so fun to see this package waiting for me when I got home.

Megi's Secret Pal - April

2008-05-01T10:35:00.005-04:00

Yeah, thank you!

A special thank you to my pal for the funfilled stickers - a very creative assortment! I always wanted to start a scrapbook / lifebook, but kept thinking it was too late to start - now we have nothing but time...

I had to laugh at the cowboy stickers, because I just bought a little sweater with horse on back with little blue jeans with fringe on the legs (from Gymboree) - I was joking with husband - this might be a sign our daughter will want a horse... ha!

Anyway, thanks again - what a nice surprise - Megi

Thank You To The Appleton's Secret Pals

2008-04-23T17:36:00.000-04:00

Well, once again our Secret Pals have sent us a box of goodies and it arrived on a day when I needed a "pick-me-up." This month's theme was "Stickers and Sticky Things" and our pals were so creative and generous! First of all they gave us a TON of stickers to use in Rebekah's scrapbook which I absolutely LOVED LOVED LOVED. I'm one of those people who goes in the scrapbook aisle and pours over every kind of sticker there for hours! I just love creative stuff like that! Then, they sent a GIANT sticker book with a CD for Rebekah to play with one day and learn basic words. They also sent sticky Post It notes which we go through like crazy here in our home! Thanks! The cute idea they had was a cookbook they bought us that has all kinds of sticky, ooohy, goooey, recipes! What a creative approach to the theme! Oh, and they also remembered our "girls" with cat toys which they went crazy with! The purple catnip mouse is VERY popular in our house at the moment! The little fuzzy, jingly balls are a hit too! Thank you soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much Mr. and Mrs. Secret Pal! You guys are AWESOME and we love every thing you give us! We hope you are doing great and please know that you mean a lot to us! Gosh, you've been our Secret Pals this WHOLE TIME and you never fail to surprise and delight us with your sweet gifts! Hang in there and we will too and EVENTUALLY we'll have our baby girls!

Thank You to the Blat's New Secret Pal

2008-04-15T07:10:00.002-04:00

A big thank you to our new secret pal. We loved all of the fun sticker and coloring books. It was so fun to come home and have a heavy box waiting for me. Thanks again!

!Ole'!

2008-04-11T10:12:00.003-04:00

My brother Paul flew in last night to see my Mom (and us, too!) I am very happy that he is here. I wasn't as happy about his flight being delayed over three hours last night but I picked him up around 1:15 and all is good. Just glad that he arrived, and arrived safely. We agreed it was better to be late than to be on a plane in bad weather!

He worked for many years at Camp Forest Springs in Wisconsin but is now living in Texas with his family learning Spanish for the next adventure in their lives. They are on their way to Mexico to be missionaries. Here is Paul and his wife, Roxanne, are at the farewell party we had last summer. (For you blogging newbies, click on Mexico to be linked to the Wilson family website.)

Stick it to us!

2008-04-07T22:20:00.001-04:00

Thank you to my secret pals for this months stickers. We received some adorable rubber duckies, sparkly alphabet, baby clothing/accessories, and cute embossed baby sayings. I can't wait to scrapbook with these.

Thanks again.

Lenora

Thank you McMillin Family!

2008-04-06T18:15:00.004-04:00

First of all, I want to thank the McMillin family for being such awesome secret pals! We have enjoyed opening your gifts every month and look forward to the day we can share them with our sweet baby from China! This month, as always, you completely out did yourselves! Most of all, we treasure the top gift which had our sweet Julianna's name stitched on it. We also loved the two adorable hats, the jackets (which will definitely help out on cold or rainy days!), the cute bib, the Leap frog Lily (we love leap frog), the sweet ladybug pajamas, the precious Winnie the Pooh outfit, the cute terry bath puppet, the beautiful frame, and the adorable stuffed musical bear. Mike, Jan, and Leilani, you are all wonderful secret pals and we will always treasure your gifts! Hugs, Ed & LeeAnne Jernigan & Julianna

March gift

2008-04-01T10:05:00.002-04:00

Thank you so much to our secret pal for this month's gift. For the raindrop theme we received-an adorable raincoat/hat with ladybugs, a cute purple/white stripe short set, bib/burpcloth with ladybugs, bunny angel bib which can be wiped off(such a good idea),a photo album and some dark chocolate which I think my hubby has already devoured.
As always, thank you so much for thinking of us especially as we all celebrate our 2 year anniversary.
Lenora

Thanks Secret Pals..........From The Appleton Family!

2008-03-31T18:52:00.001-04:00

What a perfect day to get our "Rainy Days" themed box of goodies from Mr. and Mrs. Secret Pal!!!! It was POURING rain all day here in Danville, VA with cool temperatures and then I came home to find a box from them! I was a good girl and didn't open it until Doug got home from work. What cute things they sent us!
1. A ladybug raincoat
2. Ladybug rainboots
3. Ladybug backpack
4. A spring romper that has a ladybug on it! HOW CUTE!
5. A ladybug little cloth book.....PRECIOUS!
6. Two collectable teddy statues (one with an umbrella and one with a fisherman/lobsters which Doug said was his since his favorite tv show is The Deadliest Catch!)
7. A really sweet card that I TOTALLY loved reading. THANK YOU!
Needless to say, we loved EVERYTHING and we love our pals who month after month continue to surprise us and treat us so kindly. You guys are totally awesome!!!!! Thank you for everything!!!!!!!!! God bless!

Come rain or shine - the Lindbergs will be prepared!

2008-03-28T08:52:00.003-04:00

Our fabulous Secret Pal has sent us February and March gifts in one huge box:

For February we got a cute and practical cooking kit with an apron, a chef's cap, an oven mitt and pot-holders. There were also a pink whisk and a pink rolling pin, a children's cook book and two hilarious picture books on sushi and dim sum, which happens to be two of our favourites! Let's hope our child will like these dishes, too! I can't wait to start cooking with my child!

For March there were all these adorable things: a Hello Kitty umbrella, a pink rain jacket on a hanger, sun glasses, bunny ears, a California shirt and an incredibly soft and cute doll. So we are now prepared for rain, shine and fancy-dress parties!

In the box there were also several classical children's books, that our Secret Pal has selected for us. There were also some jasmine tea for us and toys for the cats.

We love everything! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Emma in Sweden

with DH Dan

Thank You Kainz Family!

2008-03-27T22:31:00.003-04:00

Today, on our 2 Year LID Anniversary, we got our last present from our northern secret pals! It was perfect timing and we are in love with the boots and hat! We could not have asked for better pals for our first time in the swap! Your gifts were all so full of love and thoughtfulness, thank you so much for giving us something to look forward to each month!! Please keep in touch, and thank you again for everything!

Love,

Dan & Suz Hanson

The McMillin's are very grateful!

2008-03-24T23:40:00.002-04:00

We just got our March secret pal gift. Our secret pal is so terrific and creative. I love receiving her well-thought out gifts! This month was the raining theme. She included a note that said "everyone knows it never rains in California" so she added a beachy Hawaiian theme. There was a slicker raincoat (because it pours here too...) a tweety bird swimsuit and absolutely adorable flip-flop sandals, care bear socks, an identifier band bracelet to put on Leilani when we go out (thoughtful safety gift) a couple of cute rattles and a string of flower lights (complete with an adapter for use in the USA). Thanks again for making this wait much more fun, I actually look forward to this time every month thanks to you!

Catch up post------

2008-03-24T08:41:00.002-04:00

Finally I am making this verrrry late post. I work in a hospital where the flu/pneumonia season has been the worst we have seen in about five years and then we were also moving our hospital to a brand new location. This is all behind us now after the last week so hopefully no more late posts. To catch up for 3 months (I know that is truly terrible of me)---
For December we received 2 Christmas plates, 1 cookies for Santa plate, snowman sippy cup, Teddy Bear with Santa hat, and a polar bear hat/mitten set.
For January-we received a Mickey Mouse stuffed toy and the movie Ratatouille. We love this movie so a big thanks for it.
For February--we received a ton of cooking items. This included plastic bowls,spatula set, wooden spoons, cookie cutters, mickey straws, pooh cutlery, and an adorable kids chef hat and apron set. We both love to cook so we especially can't wait to try out these items.
I hope you stay with the exchange because you do such a good job with the theme.
Lenora

A Tardy Thank You!

2008-03-23T15:28:00.003-04:00

I know I thanked you on the yahoo group and I meant to post the picture right away, but somehow I got distracted. There really is no good excuse for how late this is, I'm sorry. Thank you for the beautiful dress and wonderful books surrounding the Year of the Rat theme. As a fellow "Rat" everything had extra meaning. I'm sorry to hear that you are dropping out of the secret pal swap. Please know that everything you sent is very much appreciated.

Jenni Blat

Rainy Day thank-you to Cathy's pal!

2008-03-22T13:53:00.002-04:00

Thank you once again to my wonderful Secret Pal! We received an adorable "lotus flower" rain coat, umbrella and hanger! I saw this in the store and resisted buying it for myself!! I'm so glad you chose these! I can't wait until Leah can use them. The wings on the bee on the umbrella stick out - it is just too cute! Thank you so much for this generous gift. And thanks for being a great pal, I look forward to the gifts so much each month. :-) Happy spring to you and thanks again! Love, Cathy

The Appletons Say Thanks For The "Cooking Fun" Goodies!!!!

2008-03-19T20:10:00.000-04:00

Well, today we got a FUN box from our dear secret pals who have been by our side month after month through this LONG wait. The theme for this month was "Cooking Fun" and our pals were just as creative as they always are. Our box contained:
1. A Cookbook "From Books To Cooks"
2. "The Toddler Cookbook" (wonderful pictures!)
3. A Precious Moments Chef Bear
4. A Kid's Pizza Set (Rebekah can make her own little pizzas!)
5. Favorite Family Recipes Scrapbook
6. A Kid's Baking Set (complete with pan, rolling pan, whisk, wooden spoon!)
7. A Kid's Deluxe Chef Set (with the oven mitt, chef's hat, apron, wooden spoon!)
8. 5 Metal Cookie Cutters
9. An Easter treats box (yummy candy)
10. Cupcake Baking Cups
11. Sprinkles to decorate the cupcakes

WOW! What a wonderful collection of fun stuff to share with Baby Rebekah when she gets old enough to help Mommy in the kitchen! I have always dreamed of cooking little things with a daughter and just sharing the joy of cooking with her one day. I can't wait to have her using all her little "cooking" stuff one day!!!!!! Thank you so much Mr. and Mrs. Secret Pal! You guys, as usual, really treated us so kindly with all of this wonderful stuff! You know we love you guys and we DEFINITELY appreciate all of the thought and care you put into surprising us each month! God bless!

Ladybug sighting

2008-03-12T14:14:00.005-04:00

What a surprise I had when I happened to go to my front door this morning. I had 2 boxes full of stuff. I can't believe what a wonderful SP we have. We received the ladybug raincoat, boots, and umbrella. Aren't they adorable??? I love ladybugs and I cannot wait to have my own "ladybug" home to wear this. Thank you so much SP. You are the best!

Secret Pal December gift

2008-03-11T01:46:00.002-04:00

Well it's time to catch up on my Secret Pal items. As you can see in this picture this ornament is soo beautiful. I really love snowmen. I just don't like snow anymore. We have had enough snow for many many years to come.
Thanks Secret Pal

Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head

2008-03-10T13:39:00.003-04:00

Our Secret Pals sent us another great big box of love for March. March's theme was rainy days, but our SPs rightly figured that we don't get too much rain!
However, they did give us the cutest rain outfit!

Once again they came up with a great idea, and gave us rainy-day items and tub-time items... splish-splash for taking a bath!
Jammies, shampoo visor, washcloths...

and adorable tubbie toys among other things. :)
Thank you Pals; we are always overwhelmed by your generosity!
xx~
D&D

Our Clever Secret Pals!!

2008-03-09T23:39:00.003-04:00

Oh, My Pals you really brightened our day! In the middle of yet another week of bad colds and icky viruses, our package arrives! So, first we have to wait until Daddy gets home, and that's really hard to do, but we manage. And what do we find? The coolest cookbooks ever!! My kids were screaming from excitement just from hearing me read the titles, I'm not kidding! There are so many neat, creepy, weird, and just plain gross things to make--we'll never run out of fun.

I've mentioned before that my Pals are accomplished poets and once again penned a sweet poem for us. Ending with a clue, of course!! I've decided that you are both unsung Poet Laureates (or is it Poets Laureate? hmm...) Thank you, thank you!

Dawn and The Gang

24 months

2008-03-08T11:06:00.001-05:00

Thank You Hanson Pals!

2008-03-04T22:27:00.003-05:00

As usual, our pals sent a perfect gift. We had just had Chinese take-out when Dan went to get the mail, complaining about the lack of fortune cookies in our bag - then poof! We opened our box to find a hidden treasure in Caroline's new bowl! I love the bowl and trainer chopsticks! I am very excited to use the new cookbook when we entertain, maybe I will make kid food kids like! (The last time I cooked dinner for some friends with kids, they brought their own Happy Meals! I have some learning to do!) I am also hoping Caroline will be able to learn to cook from her mom. My mom taught me how to throw a great themed party and make reservations for dinner and all holidays, but cooking...not so much!

Thank you all for your thoughtfulness!!

Dave and Di's Pals are so clever!

2008-03-04T16:20:00.007-05:00

I am continually amazed at how my Pals take the month's theme and come up with such a clever twist.

February's themes was Kids Can Cook, and as Dave and I pulled the presents (there are always many; our pals are super generous) out of the box I was surprised to see PJs. But then I read the note from our pals. They suggest that we can cook in our jammies. Well, it's like you know us like old friends, because that is exactly something we'd do. We're real homebodies, and we love to spend the weekends in our jammies all day if we can. These are so cute; they're Tinkerbell PJs.

Check out the beautiful apron too, and a huggy-toy, and cooking tools, and a book for Mommy (which I already read! I couldn't help myself I raced through it last night! Excellent story!).

What a cute gift you put together pals. We love it, and we love you. Hope you're continuing in the swap!

xx~

D&D
PS. You're on our blog too: www.sophieonmymind.blogspot.com

Oops.

2008-03-01T00:32:00.002-05:00

Thank you to the Totten family secret pal-I know I'm behind in the posts. We are really appreciating the gifts. It has been a long cold/flu season with much work. I hope to catch up soon.

Lenora

Leilani McMillin can cook!

2008-02-28T22:27:00.003-05:00

We received this month’s gift from our secret pal, a box full of cooking goodies. We both love to cook and I really enjoy baking, so the little baking trays and spatula are going to be put to good use when Leilani can help in the kitchen. We also got a beautiful apron and matching little hot pad to look stylish in the kitchen. There’s a tiny little porcelain tea set decorated with roses for Leilani to play tea time. My favorite gifts this month were the fry pan to make heart shaped pancakes and eggs and the book about multicultural celebrations and crafts to make together. Thanks again to our wonderful secret pal, we are blessed to have someone so thoughtful.

more wonderful gifts!

2008-02-27T11:21:00.002-05:00

Dearest Secret Pal,

Thank you so much for the recent gifts. We were pleasantly surprised again! As you probably remember by now, I'm a big fan of celebrating holidays. The Valentine's sweater was so cute. And I've been wanting to get some Chinese dishes.

You sure were quick getting the next gift to us! The cooking stuff is sooo cute--especially that little rolling pin. The recipes in the book have the cutest names. I love that it's got sturdy pages you can wipe off. I haven't seen any little oven mitts like that before. The blue actually matches what we have in our kitchen. I can't wait to take photos of the baby in the middle of the kitchen floor "cooking." Thanks for always managing to remind us of the hope we have for what the future holds.

All the best wishes for you and your family,

John and Tara

The Shelton Family is going to have some fun!!!

2008-02-26T18:04:00.002-05:00

Look at all of this stuff? How fun is this? Other than the sweet little apron with the ladybugs on it and Marissa's name, I think our 11 year old, Caitlin, is going to enjoy this month's gift from our SP. She loves to bake and cook. You can't imagine how excited she was to see all the different sprinkles. Purple, pink, yello and so much more and the icing pens??? There is also a tub full of animal cookie cutters and 2 recipe books - one for things to make with pretzels and the other things to make with corn flakes. You even sent cookie mix. You thought of everything. I love the apron. Caitlin had a blue one with her name on it when she was little. I am so glad that Marissa will have one also. Thank you so much for ALL of this stuff. You are so wonderful.

Thank you to Cathy's pal!

2008-02-26T13:00:00.002-05:00

Hello secret pal, and thank you so much for this month's gifts!! I absolutely LOVE the personalized cook's hat and apron, how adorable. We also received a great set of kid's cooking utensils. I don't know where you guys find this great stuff! The first thing I saw upon opening the box was "Leah," which always takes my breath away. I can't wait for her to try them on and help mommy in the kitchen. :-) Thank you so much once again, you are the best! Love, Cathy

My beautiful gifts!!

2008-02-26T10:56:00.002-05:00

And here is a lovely selection of "gifts": one from my Secret Pal and one from China!!

We have the sweetest Secret Pal!!!

2008-02-26T10:27:00.004-05:00

First, my apologies for this very belated post--the New Year package was amazing!! I am trying to get the photo on this post, but no luck, so I'll do it separately! Would you look at this can--not just any old can, but beautifully decorated by my own Pal! Now I need a close-up of the can. Look at the ribbons on the handle! It was stuffed with goodies, only 2 items remain: the Ratatouille toothpicks and cupcake holders. RAT-atouille, get it?? Thank you so very much! You put so much time into every gift and we are indeed truly grateful for everything.

Warmest regards, Dawn, Mike, Hannah, Levi and Holly too!

Jernigan Secret Pal

2008-02-24T19:38:00.003-05:00

Thanks so much for the wonderful gifts this month. You are absolutely the best. We love the cookie cutters (I can't wait to bake cookies with our sweet girl!), the cute children's apron, all the sweet stuffed animals, the cute pink outfits (I just looove pink) and especially for the 100 Good Wishes! That is so, so sweet of you. I am collecting squares and these will add perfectly to my collection. We love everything you got us. Thanks also for the encouraging card. I really need that in this long wait. Thanks again! Love, LeeAnne

Ohhhhh....She Melts Me!!!

2008-01-30T14:55:00.001-05:00

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

The Lindbergs' got everything for CNY!

2008-01-30T07:43:00.000-05:00

We have received our January box and are now totally prepared to celebrate the Chinese New Year! There was everything: several kinds of beautiful red envelopes, CNY stamps, six red silk table mats with matching napkins and chop sticks and a beautiful lantern/ceiling decoration. Oh, and there was food: dried mango, sugar ginger and honey glazed walnuts. Yummy! There were also the most adorable earrings and four inredibly cute rice bowls with cats on them. I love small bowls like that - I use them for everything! As always there was a very nice card for us and for the cats there was a bag of catnip. They could smell it even before I opened the box! (See picture below.)

Signe can smell the catnip!

Beautiful ceiling decoration in our living room.

Adorable earrings.

Chinese table mats with napkins, chopsticks and rice bowls.

Red envelopes, stamps and nice card.

Snacks for us and catnip for the cats.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR AND MRS SECRET PAL!

Emma & Dan in Sweden

Appleton's Secret Pals Rock With the Year of the "Mouse" Goodies!

2008-01-29T19:57:00.000-05:00

What in the world would we do without our Secret Pals????? Today we got a package from them and they had gone above and beyond anything we expected. The theme was Chinese New Year Goodies and since 2008 is the Year of the Rat (Mouse), we wondered what they might find. We NEVER thought about MICKY MOUSE! hahahahahahahahahaha What a cool idea! So........here's the goody list:
1. A Micky Mouse dress with a crinolin slip underneath (VERY PRECIOUS!!!)
2. A Micky/Minnie Mouse red pajama with footies! (Soft and warm!)
3. A Pink Minnie MOuse pajama with footies! (Again, soft and cozy!)
4. Micky Mouse post it notes
5. Micky Mouse gel pens
6. Old fashioned Micky storybook
7. Old fashioned Micky coloring book
8. Micky Mouse traveling mug (GREAT for my hot cocoa in the morning on the way to work!)
9. A BEAUTIFUL Chinese New Year card with a personal message from our wonderfully supportive Secret Pals!
You guys ROCK! Have we told you that lately? Thanks sooooooooooooooo much! You always are so creative with our gifts and pick out the best stuff!!!!!!
Love you guys!!!!

Woo hoo! Lots of fun stuff from Cathy's pal!

2008-01-27T23:17:00.000-05:00

Once again thank you to my awesome secret pal! Take a look at this beautiful red Chinese dress. It is just gorgeous. Dh and I were talking that we may use it for a christening dress, if it fits at the right time. I want to use a red dress, since that is the color of celebration! We also received a Ratatouille stuffed rat!!! LOL! We love it! Perfect for the Year of the Rat! We also received a couple of adorable books, Baby Animals (touch & feel, which of course we went through ourselves already lol), and Mama Loves You, so sweet! And to round out a great selection of items, a box of lovely red notecards, which is perfect because I just ran out. Thank you so much for everything, we love it all. And thanks for being a great pal! Love, Cathy

The McMillin's are blessed!

2008-01-26T12:20:00.001-05:00

Thanks to our wonderful secret pals for the January gift. I opened the card first, a breathtakingly beautiful Chinese New Year card with gold embossed letters and then a heartfelt note on vellum that was encouraging in this long wait. My sweet secret pal included in the note the characteristics of those born in the year of the rat. I thought our little one would be a pig like her mommy, but she will most likely be a rat, like her grandmother. There were also a number of cute rat items and a beautiful pink pearl angel necklace and bracelet for Leilani. The jewelry helps support an orphanage, so it makes the gift even more meaningful. We truly appreciate the thought and effort that went into this month's gifts, words can not adequate express our thanks! Mike and Jan

Our Pals Rock!!!

2008-01-25T23:18:00.000-05:00

How creative are our pals? This month they focused on Longevity, represented in China by the color orange. (Also one of my favorites!!!) Everything was wrapped so cute and bright, how could you not have a good day with this in the mail!!! We are actually having grey days out here in the southwest, so this totally made my day sunny!!! You should also note that my super crafty secret pal made the tie-dye shirt! Seriously, I want to be as crafty as her!!! I also adore the Beijing Olympics shirt - that would be the one I would have picked out! Thank you so much secret pals, you are the best!!!

Roberts' say THANK YOU to their Secret Pal

2008-01-22T22:37:00.000-05:00

THANK YOU
THANK YOU
THANK YOU

Lady bug bowl, cup and silverware, "The Grouchy Ladybug" book, stuffed ladybug and a glass ladybug. Knit stuffed mouse and "Celebrating Chinese New Year" book.

Dave and Di's Secret Pals start 2008 off great!

2008-01-22T20:25:00.000-05:00

We received a present from our secret pals over the weekend. Our pals expanded on this month's theme (adding pandas and ladybugs, much nicer than rats!) and sent us the nicest gifts

for Sophie, and a toy for Chad too!

Yes, that's a "My Little Pony" in there. :) A ladybug pony too.

I love the ladybug stuff.

I have to say that I cannot wait to see Sophie shuffling around in her little lion slippers.We love everything dear pals. Thanks so much!

You help us pass the (endless?) months, and we really appreciate the thought you put into the gifts. I hope you will continue swapping!

xx~

D&D

Pina family gets surprise

2008-01-15T16:28:00.000-05:00

The kids were so excited to get their presents! The candy was gone in about 2 seconds flat. I love the toys for Allison and I have already raved about how much I love the door sign. Secret Pal, you are the best!!

Lindbergs' December gifts lighten up dark January

2008-01-10T08:59:00.000-05:00

This marvellous package was just what I needed to pick me up a grey day like this in mid-January, when I'm at home with a headache! The package actually arrived a week ago, but I haven't had time to go to the post office to get it until today. This is what we received:

As I had expressed a certain weekness for peanut butter cups there were lots of them! Yum-yum! There were also a nice wooden hedgehog toy (I can't wait to see my child dragging it along everywhere in the apartment!), a funny children's tray with separate spaces for different dishes and even a space for chop sticks, toys for the cats and two nice cards for us. But the most fantastic, amazing thing was this:

Mrs Secret Pal has made a Christmas shirt for our baby from a placemat with a Swedish Christmas song on it! Isn't that incredible?!?! She writes that a friend of hers found the placemat in her vintage store and that she checked with another Swedish waiting mum on the internet what the words said. I'm touched beyond words!

The words are a funny, silly Christmas song that everybody in Sweden knows and that we sing every year in my family! Our baby will look so cute wearing this beautiful shirt!

The cats Selma and Signe are checking everything out. The colourful toys were very popular!

I can't thank you enough, Mr and Mrs Secret Pal! I appreciated this package so much!

Emma with DH Dan in Sweden

Thank You to the Blat's Secret Pal

2008-01-04T07:11:00.001-05:00

Christmas Eve brought this wonderful package with a super cute fancy dress with tights, shoes and matching ribbons. This is something that I would have picked out myself for Baby Blat. Thanks again!

Merry Christmas to the Sheltons

2008-01-02T14:10:00.000-05:00

Christmas is over officially but we received a package from Secret Pal a couple of days ago. Sorry, Secret Pal, that it has taken me a few days to post my thanks. I wanted to post a picture though so everyone can see the beautiful dress that you sent to Marissa. I can already picture her in it wearing little black Mary Janes. She is going to be so precious in it. We also received 2 books that we have enjoyed looking through. The photographers of these books are amazing. Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness.

The Appletons Get Christmas Goodies From Mr. and Mrs. Secret Pal!

2007-12-31T19:22:00.000-05:00

Well, today I went out clothes shopping and found some REALLY good deals! Plus, it was fun to just be out of the house trying on clothes and not having to watch the clock. When I got home, THERE was a package from our Secret Pals from the March DTC Group. Doug got home at the same time so I didn't have to wait for him to get home (which always takes a LOT of patience on my part! hahahahahaha). I opened the box to find:
1. A stocking of red and green mice for the cats to play with (notice it's not in the photo because they are now all over the floor! hahahahaha)
2. A Hallmark photo album scrapbook ready for Christmas pictures (hopefully 2008 will be our year to get our baby girl!)
3. The Christmas Miracle: Shaoey and Dot (they ALWAYS find these for us and I LOVE THEM!) by Stephen Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman
4. Rose petals to sprinkle in the bath!
5. A $25 giftcard to OUTBACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OUR FAVORITE PLACE TO EAT IN DANVILLE!!! THANK YOU!
6. A beautiful card FULL of encouraging and supportive sentiments. Thank you so much for being our friends through this HORRIBLE wait! What would we do without you?
7. An Amy Grant Christmas CD (I actually WANTED this but never bought it over the holidays! Thank you!)
8. A beautiful handmade bracelet about the Red Thread! Oh my gosh, I CRIED when I saw this and read the message that came with it! I can't WAIT to wear it as we wait for Rebekah in 2008. This was soooooooooooooooo touching!!!!!!!
9. Red fingernail polish! What a beautiful shade!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you so much Mr. and Mrs. Secret Pal. This waiting is getting harder and harder but knowing we have friends and support like you, make it a little more bearable! We truly love you guys so much and thank you for the thoughtfulness and love you put into our goody boxes each month! May God bless you and keep you hanging in there too! Let's all think positive thoughts as we head into a new year together! 2008 WILL be our year!!!!!!!!

Belated Thanks to Dave and Di's Wonderful Secret Pals!

2007-12-27T16:13:00.000-05:00

I have to apologize for the lateness of this post. I took on 2 extra classes in November (64 hours each compressed into 8 weeks and 6 weeks....!) to try to upgrade our China fund, so I just didn't have time to post photos. I am so sorry dear pals.

Meanwhile, our pals kept the faith, and sent us to lovely packages. We really are so lucky to have the most generous pals.

For November the theme was "Dress You Up In My Love," and our pals took that idea and sent us a whole day's worth of clothes for Sophie. It was a really cute twist on the idea I thought, and very giving too.

For December the theme was "Holidays," and our pals sent us some beautiful holiday outfits.
But the giving doesn't stop there!

In addition each package had extras, toys, books, treats for our pets... Everything was a very thoughtful and welcomed addition.

Pals, you are so dear to us, and you have the best taste. We will always be proud to dress Sophie "in your love."

Thanks so much, happy new year to you, and speedy referrals to us all!

xx~
D&D

Thank You Hanson's Crafty Pals!!!

2007-12-27T11:05:00.000-05:00

What can I say but wow!!!!!!!! Thank you so much to our secret ;) pals!!! Your package arrived just as we were leaving for the homeland and I couldn't have been happier to open it when I did! Can you tell from this picture that our secret pals MADE this stocking?????? Seriously - made it!!! We love it so much!!!!

I think what is the coolest (other than I love angels in the first place) is that Caroline will be named after her own angel - my mom who passed away 10 years ago. She loved to cross-stitch and would have totally made her granddaughter something like this if she was still around. We always talk about how our little girl has her own angel taking care of her while she is still half-way around the world, so you could not have picked anything more perfect to renew our spirits this Christmas. Thank you soooooo much for your thoughtfulness! I hope you have a great (and not too cold) Christmas and New Year! Thank you again!!!!!!!!

Christmas gifts from the McMillin's SP

2007-12-22T12:05:00.000-05:00

On the way out the door to vacation, we received our Christmas package
from our SP! The gifts were beautifully wrapped and there was a musical
card with a personal note of encouragement that truly lifted our
spirits! We received lovely Christmas gifts. Two books (one published by the
MacMillan publishing company!) for Leilani to have fun while waiting
for Christmas with activities, stickers and coloring pages. We have a
nice Santa hat for her first Christmas home, a star ornament, candy, a
pine sachet and our favorite gift, a miniature nativity scene, very
tiny and incredibly detailed. We will put it up when we get home. Thank
you again for the thoughtful, wonderful gifts! We loved them all! Another surprise when we got home: Santa forgot to include a Christmas story book for Leilani, the pictures are so cute and I am sure she will enjoy reading that book while waiting for Christmas to come!

Thank you to our Secret Pal from Kiana's parents

2007-12-21T15:02:00.000-05:00

Thank you for the wonderful gifts you sent us. Such beautiful dresses and clothes, fun toys, cute pillow, great memory box and winter items and everything. I just loved opening it up and finding all the wonderful gifts for our Kiana. I am looking forward to Kiana being able to use all her wonderful things. Thanks and Happy Holidays.

Konstantaras Secret Pal

2007-12-20T09:01:00.000-05:00

I want to thank my Secret Pal. She sent us the most beautiful dress I have ever seen. I cannot wait until Mia comes so that she can wear it. My Secret Pal went way above and beyond on this gift. I hope that I get to meet her and her new child someday. Thank You again Secret Pal!!!