Lars, I love how you write. You can tell how much you really appreciate your gift from Loves2cook.

The cutting board is lovely as is the butter bell. My son, is a big fan of different vinegars and I'm sure that he would love that dark chocolate vinegar and the Tangerine.

Loves2cook, Looks like you had fun shopping for Lars.

Ann

What a great bunch of loot! Everything is gorgeous. The board and the butter bell. Wow. I'd love those vinegars too and they certainly seem right up your alley. Look forward to seeing the quote up. That apron is very cute. Love it. Very good job Loves2. Brava!! Clap..clap.

[My wife Christy is a early Pisces, the 21st]

Lars, you are a lucky man....but then you know that!
Love 2 cook is a genius to choose so well for you!!

WOW!!!!

L2C46 really put together an over the top assortment. Well done.

Lars, your sure are going to enjoy everything! I love the apron...perfect! The cutting board is unique.

Nancy

VERY nice selection of items for Lars! Perfect summer items. That is one of the nicest boards I've seen and it does match his furniture.

Looks like someone isn't going to be entered in Ann's contest, LOL.

L2C46, you did one great job on that package!

Lars, I think those salad servers suit you perfectly and I immediately thought of that picture of you in the zebra hat! The cutting board is beautiful and so is the butter bell, and the dark chocolate vinegar is very intriguing, I'll be watching to see what you make with that.

Yes, that's one outstanding package. Oh, and happy birthday to both of you!

Annie

Holy Moley, that is a great swap package. Every single gift is special. I love the butter keeper especially. Good for L2C4S.

LOL @ Jessy. Yup.

Wow, stunning package. I love that board, and butter keeper, and the vinegars. I'm totally intrigued by dark chocolate balsamic vinegar. Clever packaging, too. Way to go, L2C4S. Lars, I'm sure you'll enjoy her presents for a long time.

Sally

Great package, Loves2cook!

I love EVERYTHING in that swap package! You are a lucky man, Lars! How cool is that? I can see why you had a difficult time keeping it to "3", L2! But since the vinegars "go with" the tongs, and the apron is a birthday present... :-)
I love the colors in the butter keeper. And the cutting board is gorgeous!

Fabulous package! L2C46, you are incredible. What beautiful gifts. Enjoy, Lars!

Oh! What an awesome gift. You are indeed very lucky, Lars.
Each item appears so special and somehow suits my impressions of you.

Very nice package.

Deanna

Whoa! I love everthing in that package and I'm a Scorpio! The salad servers reminds me of Lars. Perfect!

It really goes to show all of us how much we know each other virtually!

L2C46, you did WELL! I know Lars will enjoy all of his goodies!

Lars, You will love the lovely butterbells that L2C46 sent you. Nothing like smooth creamy butter on toast in the morning. Enjoy your fab package!

Hmmmmm....very interesting! And so eclectic - just like Lars!

I enjoy my butterbell also.

Nice selection, loves2cook4six!
Teresa

Lars, L2C46, What a great package!, though I definitely put it in the cheating category :). That cutting board is a beautiful work of art. And I'm looking forward to reading how you use the vinegars.

Ann

Lars, I am so happy, thrilled and not-so-secretly relieved that you like all the items I sent. A lot of thought went into each item and I read TONS of posts you've written in the past so you were fairly easy to buy for.

LOL, yes I cheated but I thought it was all perfect for what I knew of Lars and I wanted him to have everything. I guess I misread the rules and by the time I was set right, I already had most of the items I wanted to send in hand and the others were on "order". I just had to wait for my sister to get back to send the package :)

BTW Lars, that board that was made by a local artist... Did you catch in the letter that it was an artist whom I know intimately? Yes, the wording was deliberate. My HUSBAND made that board especially for you!!! It is end-grain wood, the lighter color is Ash and the accents are Cherry and Walnut. I didn't want to give it away so avoided posting on the cutting board thread that was on the front page at the time.

End grain boards are the BEST boards you can own. They do not dull your knives and they are very, very hard to mark with your knives.

They do require some care though and I realized I left the care instructions out of the package so here they are:

Using and Caring for your end Grain Bar/Cutting Board

Use your end grain cutting board for all of your slicing, dicing and chopping needs in the kitchen. To sanitize the board after use wash it with mild soapy water. Never submerge in water or place it in the dishwasher. If you're concerned about bacteria especially after cutting meats use a mister to spray the surface of the board with white vinegar and wipe dry with a paper towel. Proper surface treatment is important to guard against germs and/or mold growth.

Cutting boards should be finished regularly (once a month is optimal) with a mineral oil to maintain their beauty and keep the wood from warping and cracking.

Never use any vegetable or cooking oils to treat or finish the cutting board, as in time the wood will reek of a rancid spoiled oil odor. Wipe the mineral oil on with a clean cloth, let stand for 10 minutes or so and thoroughly wipe dry with a fresh clean dry cloth or paper towels. To further protect and beautify the finish apply a bees wax top coat. Apply the beeswax in much the same manner as the mineral oil. Rub the wax on with a clean soft cloth, allow to dry. Then buff to a lustrous shine using a fresh dry clean cloth.

I hope you have many years of enjoyment from all the items.

This is tremendous! You are going to love using the butter bell - and everything - love the apron too! -maria

L2C46, the chopping board is one of my favorite things ever! Thanks for the care info - I do use mineral oil on most of my wood items, and I have found that I can use sex wax (sold at surf shops for waxing surfboards) in place of beeswax for a wax finish. Sex wax is generally carauba wax, which is harder than beeswax and is also edible. Ash is one of my favorite woods, and a lot of my furniture is made with ash veneer, although now we are adding more walnut veneer as well.

I did suspect that your DH had made the board, although from your wording, I thought it might have been another relative! I was very intrigued by the mystery of it all. I very much appreciate everything that is hand made, and I used to do a lot more of that myself, before I moved into this house. I hope to get back to it soon, and Kevin is already starting to paint more again. He's also a Pisces, but much later - March 16. You can be sure that I will treasure what you sent me for years to come and think of you often. I do hope we get to meet in person some time soon. I'm gradually building up vacation (losing it when I get sick), but Kevin is almost maxed out and has to take days off or lose them. I wish I could get to that point!

Lars

Ditto on what everyone else said! That is one of the best suited Swap packages I have ever seen, especially the apron... lol

Loves2cook, absolutely beautiful presentation! Wish I had seen it before I sent mine out.

Hugs,
Rita

My jaw dropped when I saw all that great stuff. I figured it would be spectacular cause I know LTC46 and know her very generous spirit. She is a treasue, and it looks like she made some wonderful choices for you. It was all great, but I really, really LOVED the zebra tongs. Awesome package, Lars.
Sherry

Everything is special and beautiful. L2C46, your choices are so perfect it's hard to believe you haven't met Lars repeatedly and known him for years.

Lars, you are a lucky man to have a new home and these great things to use in it.

Lee

Great package! Love it all, but the apron is especially special.