Good Stuff...

...is all that comes to mind when I think of what just happened to Ruby & Me, it's so heartwarming & amazing that you'll want to grab a drink, get a tissue (just in case) and nuzzle up for a good read!

Ok, so fairly recently I received a wonderful email from a woman, named Lois.

She lives in New York & I've never met her before, but she reads Ruby's blog religiously and had emailed me to say that the blog is an inspiration to her & her family.
Her beautiful bio daughter married a handsome Chinese man & together they have one of the most adorable bio daughters, I've ever seen next to Ruby.

She happened upon my blog by way of Bert Hamblin, (remember my ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS PEPPER MILL I AM BEYOND PROUD OF & USE EVERY DAY SINCE IT'S ARRIVAL IN THIS KITCHEN?!)

Well, she wrote the sweetest letter & I was surprised and happy to receive it!
(I always love hearing from lurkers who find the courage to finally say 'hello'!)
I immediately wrote back to her thanking her for such a lovely letter, telling her how completely scrumptious her little granddaughter is, and to also share with her my love for Bert Hamblin's pepper mills. I told her that as a single mother with a single mother's paycheck, I was blessed to have been able to save up & afford the one mill that we have.
Someday I'd love to get the little six inch pepper mill for Ruby so when we cook together she can feel like a 'big girl' with her 'own' special mill...

...but that will have to wait a while.

It's ok cuz Ruby doesn't really seem to mind since she's just happy to be part of the messy fun that is cooking in my house!
Ruby simply ADORES helping Momma in the kitchen!

Ok, so that was a few days ago, fast forward to just now...

Mailman arrives,
knock on door,
have to sign for a package?
Really?
From where?
From who?
I LOVE SURPRISE PACKAGES!

After signing for the package ( thanks Mom! ) I get a good look at the box & notice the return address & OMG IT'S FROM BERT HAMBLIN!
NO FREAKIN' WAY!
I DIDN'T ORDER ANYTHING!
My mother chirps in from the back round,
"You better NOT have!"

So, I run upstairs with the package, call Ruby over & the two of us open it up together...
...one guess what was inside:


See that short little six inch er on the left?
Yep, that's right, that would be Miss Ruby Cate's
VERY OWN PEPPER MILL
courtesy of one EXTREMELY GENEROUS WOMAN with a heart potentially as big as my ass!

Lois, I am BEYOND TOUCHED at your generosity and kindness in doing this for my daughter!
She has done NOTHING but hold onto her mill for DEAR LIFE & run around the house with it saying:

"Momma! Mill-A-Mill! Ruby's Mill-A-Mill!"
I asked her, "Ruby, can you say Pepper?"
Ruby replies with, "Pepper!"
I ask her, "Ruby, can you say Mill?"
She smiles & replies with a high pitched, "Miiilllll!"

I then ask her, "Ruby, can you say, Pepper Mill?"

She giggles & says:

"MILL-A-MILL MOMMA!"

And so, the Mill-A-Mill is born & I've never seen a smile quite this big on my child's face, ever.

It currently matches the one that's sprawled across my heart as I type this.
It's moments like this in life that make me smile from the inside out...
...it's just 'Good Stuff'.

Thank you, a thousand times THANK YOU Lois for such a grand surprise for my sweet & extremely happy little girl!

I promise the first time we cook together with them I'll post not only the recipe of what we made, but pictures as well!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

XoXoXoXo

-Amy & Ruby Cate
(& one very loved, very short little six inch pepper mill made with love by Mr.Hamblin...
Bert, you ROCK!)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!