I'm ready to guess who sent mygenerous spa basket:Sheldon?
Cuz u live in AZ and my stuff was from AZ.
Am I right? Am I?
If that aint it, I got nothin', outta ideas.

BTW if you look closely, one of the soaps is called "Tombstone Gunslinger Body Soap" I LOL'd when I saw that. It all seems like nice soap. I'll be testing the "Chocolate Mint" bars and "Dead Sea Scrub", the other soaps I'll have to resist though. I have bad reactions to certain "fragrances" they add to soaps, even within the same brand, weird I know. There were some other cool things in the basket non-soap that'll I have no fears about utilizing though!

Sorry I'm so late about giving a descriptive post, wasn't sure what to say. I didn't want to lie, but at the same time I feel rotten that I can't use some of it.

SG: I'm kinda sad to inform you I didn't go to Mexico for your gourd. Actually, never been to Mexico at all. Always been to poor for vacations that are not family visits. No family south of the border.
I did go to a super-neat antique store downtown. Best shopping around if you ask me. I have a obsession with boxes, hide-holes, ect, I had a hard time parting with that find!
I'm glad you like the doily, I thought most people would find them weird. I knew you were cool and should like them tho!
I'm starting to think you're a British version of me.

Here are my nifty ornaments:

OK, here's my pics.

Pre opening

Attachment 21040

And here they are revealed. A nutcracker ornament, a packet of lollies and the very best of all, a pie lifter with glass beaded handle. It's beautiful and I love it. I only have a couple of shoddy old ones around here, so that was a gift I could really use. I'd kiss you if you were standing next to me Case! You did very well. :)

Attachment 21041

Here's a closer view of the handle. It's so pretty!

Attachment 21042

Oh, and there were little notes with each gift too, but since the good camera hasn't arrived yet, i couldn't get a clear enough shot to show you those too.

I am glad I went with my instinct on the pie server, then. I found it at a local holiday art sale. They didn't want to sell it to me, for some reason...I think they were just advertising the art center in town. When I waved cash in front of them, they said "Oh, okay."

The other two gifts were impulse buys at the store...I just thought there was a chance that your grocery stores probably had different stuff than ours. Those were items that I liked, so hoped that you would, too.

I am so glad you like them! I figured you were really into baking and cooking (like me) and would like a special utensil.

I refuse to answer that question as it may tend to incriminate me. :-)

And that's why I sent a bunch of different types of soaps. Just in case of allergies. And I have no problems if you want to re-gift them to some of your friends or family. :-) I hope you like them.
And don't forget to play with the duckie. Hehehe


On another note. SS hasn't come for me yet. Must be because I'm Jewish. lol!!!

Well, Chanukah isn't over until sundown next Monday, so they have time to catch up.

You made brilliant choices. :) I'll be smiling and thinking of you every time I use the pie lifter. Good stuff!

Oh my, my, my! What a Merry Christmas Eve it is indeed!

A box has arrived at the WolfApt!

It's waiting under the tree!

http://blackstormhawk.com/cellar/san...190_resize.jpg

Sometimes a reused box will yield a clue ... who is this fellow? Is he my Secret Santa? And what, pray tell, is a "Comb Bind"? Is that the stuff he's using to secure that unconvincing comb-over?

http://blackstormhawk.com/cellar/san...192_resize.JPG

Ah ... I see. Comb Binding is the plastic thing that puts together the booklet that he's clutching to his chest like it's a personally autographed copy of Brianna's New Hot Autobiography titled "Autoerotography." Maybe he's so happy because she's coming over to personally reinact some of the spicier bits!

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Curiouser and Curiouser ... so, let me think. Who is it that admits to working in marketing?

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Moving on, there's an envelope with some little stars drawn on the front ... Just stars there, no clue, just an acknowledgement of my personal greatness.

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I had trouble getting a good picture, so as I was moving the envelope to get a better look ...

http://blackstormhawk.com/cellar/san...199_resize.JPG

Oooh! HelloKitty Goodness!!

Ah, the wolf is excited.



Christmas Accomplished!

The comb bind guy looks like Gary Sinise--maybe wolf's present is a Hello Kitty CSI kit? You know there's gotta be one.

So, I unwrapped my Secret Santa gift last night, and got very excited when I saw the velvety jewelry box...and indeed, good things do come in small packages, as they say. Beautiful and elegant things!

I will have to leave it at that for now, until I can post proper photo documentation...I must model some of them.

Hurray! my gift got here! *smiles* The postie decided to leave it underneath the upturned bottle-recycling tub outside my house...it may have been there for a few days lol. I found it accidentally when I was clearing up and decided to put some bottles out.

I haven't got my camera working again yet, so a description will have to do for now. The parcel contained a lovely paperbag and inside was a gorgeous teacage which has a little chain coming off it with a tiny British teapot design o the end.

Along with the tea cage were two packets of the most amazingly aromatic fruit tea. One of them (Caramel Apple) had unfortunately burst and was doing a damn fine impression of packaging, with just a hint of pot pourri lol. But there's still half left in the packet and the other one (Cherry Chocolate) is completely intact.

Either I am ridiculously easy to buy for, or my secret santa's pyschic lol. Thankyou Binky!

And so, the strip tease continues ...

Two delightful Hello Kitty Candies! They are labeled in Japanese, so I have no idea what kind of candy they are. They are wrapped like we would wrap gum, which, given those wily Japanese, means that these are likely some kind of squid jelly, bound with rice.

http://blackstormhawk.com/cellar/san...200_resize.JPG

What else may be here??

A card picturing Matryoshka Santas, and not really giving any clues, at least not ones that I'm picking up on. Handwriting essentially nondescript. Is it block printed to avoid a feminine hand, or one that I might recognize?

http://blackstormhawk.com/cellar/san...201_resize.JPG
http://blackstormhawk.com/cellar/san...205_resize.JPG

More Asian stuff ... is it tea? Or something from one of the more mysterious aisles of the Asian Grocer ... Review of the reverse indicates something more mysterious. It's a powdered tomato base of some sort, meant to be used to enhance coloration.

http://blackstormhawk.com/cellar/san...209_resize.JPG

And some mysterious gold-wrapped bundles ... what have we here?

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A very cool shaker dispenser, that will henceforth be known as the "Hello Kitty Dalek." It says "Hello Kitty in the Kitchen" on the front.

http://blackstormhawk.com/cellar/san...211_resize.JPG

These Bonito Flavored Seasoning Packets have been Satisfaction almost as long as I've been alive. Hmmm ... Hello Kitty in the Kitchen, Asian Natural Coloring Agent and Bonito Flavoring ... Is this a theme emerging?

http://blackstormhawk.com/cellar/san...212_resize.JPG

This last one's a bit heavy ... and it's Whoo hoo! More Hello Kitty Kitchen Accessory!! A great pasta holder!

http://blackstormhawk.com/cellar/san...213_resize.jpg

And there's something inside ...

Noodles!

http://blackstormhawk.com/cellar/san...214_resize.JPG

Looks like I've got some very nifty meal fixin's here, and some great Hello Kitty Doodads!

Everything Proudly Displayed

http://blackstormhawk.com/cellar/san...215_resize.jpg

I love it all! Thanks so much!!

Now to figure out who it came from ... the origin ZIP, if accurate, indicates Center City, within walking distance of Chinatown and Independence Hall.

Of course, my Santa could be the clever sort, and using this ZIP as misdirection (which leads me to suspect RichLevy).

My other guesses are classicman and bluecuracao.

My official guess is for ... blue. Is it you?

You're welcome!! I am so glad it came in time.