Gifts in the mail

I had been tipped off that I might be receiving something in the mail because my friend, Ruth Ann, of My Remodeled Nest, asked for my address :)  That's usually a good indication that something is coming my way.

Other than that, I had no idea what might be coming.

She mentioned a few months ago that she had something for me.

Because I have the memory of a gnat, I had forgotten that she had said something.

When I opened up the card this afternoon, a few things fell into my hands.

When I saw that shiny copper I got all excited!

Have  I mentioned how much I love smashed pennies?!

I love them.

Ruth Ann mentions that the first penny, from the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, was what she had gotten a few months back -- ahh yes, I remember that now :)

If you'd like to do the chicken dance, go on over to the museum site - what a hoot.  You'll see the chicken right away.  When I clicked to go into the site a bit further, there were so many other fun things to play with there, too.  Now I wish I lived closer!  What fun. 

Isn't that just a cute penny!  Love the child in front of the easel.

The next place that Ruth Ann traveled was to Assateague Island.  I had already heard of this place because of the book series by Marguerite Henry.  I loved Sea Star- Orphan of Chincoteague and Misty of Chincoteague. Oh the childhood memories it brings back thinking of those two books.  I could only assume that Assateague was nearby especially since Ruth Ann told me about the wild horses.  It had to be the same part of the world.

Looking it up on my my handy dandy Google map showed me that I was indeed correct.  Assateague Island National Seashore is up in the right hand corner.

When I was looking at the map, I have to say that I saw something that I wasn't sure was a real town.  It's down here at the bottom, left side....Assawoman.  Really??  Right there next to Temperanceville.  haha

So Ruth Ann and her family went to the seashore on Assateague Island in either Maryland or Virginia (not sure which side of the line they were - maybe both!)  Her family had a wonderful time and she took some stunning pictures.  She blogged about it over at her place, here.    The second photo, with the baby nuzzling her momma is the photo she put on my card.  Love it!

And can I just say - She has the cutest boys! 

Ruth Ann knows how to get things done.

In this case, she discovered that the penny smashing machine was in a section of the park that charged an entrance fee.  So she asked the woman at the guard gate for a pass to just go to the gift shop to smash some pennies.  The woman had no idea what Ruth Ann was talking about and from what she wrote in the card, it sounds like the guard was thinking that she was just making stuff up!

Thankfully the guard allowed them to go to the gift shop, but they were only allowed 10 minutes.

or else...

The grateful Ruth Ann dashed into the gift shop and pressed some pennies.  She even made and extra one, just in case they lost one...but as they were ready to pass through the gate, Ruth Ann decided that the woman at the guard gate needed to have a pressed penny.

What a fabulous Random Act of Kindness!!!

From what I understand she was absolutely thrilled to receive the penny.  And of course, now she'll believe that there is a penny smashing machine in the gift shop!

The last thing in the card was this shell.  It's white on the other side and that's the side I saw first, but when I turned it over I saw these layers of purple.  I immediately smiled.  I now understood why this was included in the gift - I love purple.

This is just a beautiful piece and it's so smooth.  I may keep this in my purse - sort of like a gratitude rock.  (every time you touch the rock, or shell, you think of something you're grateful for - a nice smooth surface makes a nice gratitude rock.)


Ruth Ann, thanks so much!  I loved the card, the story, the pennies and the shell.  Thank you so very much.  You made my day :)

Kristin