The Grande Dame of Good Mail

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a certain girl in blogland is the Queen of Good Mail. (how'd you like my butchering of Jane Austen?) If that is so, my mom is the Grande Dame. For years, I have received letters and cards with thoughtful pieces of this-&-that enclosed. She has randomly sent packages, which never fail to pop out of my mailbox as a complete surprise, to me and--even better--to my kids.

Thanks, mom, for that unfailingly consistent demonstration of love throughout the years; beginning, I remember quite clearly, with a box of cookies my freshman year of college as a tangible reminder that I was loved. I'm not sure you realize how appreciated each mailbox surprise is when I greedily snatch it out.

Here are my latest packets: A cute valentine with photos of moments from 2007.


And a Valentine package for my kids containing BOOKS! They ripped open the box and grabbed their books with gusto. Each of the kids loved your choices. And look! The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E.! Max will love it. ("Night At the Museum" was a rip-off of this book, I swear.)

Jammies for Lima Bean. Fuzzy jammies. Delightful!
And then today I was surprised by a cute little bundle of goodies for Lima Bean; superhotmama (private blogger, dangit!) sent (gasp!) handmade goodies: a one-of-a-kind little beanie elephant and a Taggy Blankie. And. Do you SEE the ward cookbook??? Do you see it? This is the best ward cookbook I've ever laid eyes upon--no kidding. Thank you so much, Janie. I can't wait to see Little Lima Bean with Taggy. My kids are all very tactile and love to twirl their hair, slink their blankie corners under their fingernail (a certain fingernail, at that), and snuggle up to fuzzy animals. It is a foregone conclusion that Lima Bean will have his own little tactile trait, and he is certain to love this colorful Taggy and elephant.
Earlier last week, a valentine arrived from Carlo--a.k.a. Carolynn--and it made my day.

Going even further back, in early February I got a thoughtful little note and welcome dose of DARK chocolate (my fav) from Laurie. This was for no reason in particular--just to say Get Well. I think dark chocolate is the only flavor that is strong enough to penetrate Flu Tastebuds. Thank you, Laurie! You're a sweet friend.

Here is a little packet that I tore into. Literally. I saw that it was from Anne and clawed my way into it in order to get to those cd's. FOUR of them! Now here, ladies and gents, are some tunes that will get even a 5½ month pregnant lady exercising.

And now. I want you to look very closely. Among the various goodies in Michelle's envelope was nestled a tiny silver box in the shape of a star, which I plan to fashion into a pendant of some sort. It is an enchanting little item and I love it. Thank you so much, Michelle, for braving the bone-chilling cold of Canada to forge your way to the post office!


So, Mom. It seems your tenacious and creative usage of the USPS has caught on! Good Mail circulates the globe, and you have always been The Grande Dame of it.