~ ~ ~ * * * ~ * ~* ~ * ***~~~ * * * * *~~~~~ * ~* ~*~*~*~* H A P P Y ~~~~~~~~~ B I R T H D A Y ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ L U V S ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Happy Birthday to YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God Bless SusieSunShine

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.

Happy Birthday Ilana! Hope you had a really wonderful day. Sounds like good plans. Today was my wife's birthday too, and my brothers, and my cousin Karen's. Smiles.

Thank you to each and every one of you for the lovely wishes. I was queen of the day yesterday. My family was wonderful and wouldn't let me do a thing all day and best of all, I got to celebrate with my brother and his family for dinner. I wish you all as fabulous a birthday as I had!!