Every Christmas, my Tapestry of Grace yahoo group does a Secret Sister ornament exchange.  This is so much fun and meaningful.  This gives us an opportunity to secretly pray for a sister in Christ, and then reveal ourselves when we mail our ornaments!  In October, we submit our applications with information about ourselves and prayer requests.  We are assigned at the beginning of November and then we have a month to pray and shop and learn about our secret sister!  Each year I have been blessed as all the other ladies are.  In the meantime we have lots of fun posting hints!  This year I got to pray and bless a lady who lives in Florida who lives very close to my SIL!  That was fun!  Meanwhile, I've been putting together hints on who my SS could possibly be!  I didn't keep a master list, but there was one lady in particular who gave clues which matched me, unlike the other hints flying around.  This afternoon I received my box!!!  Yes, I had guessed correctly!  Did someone call me...tenacious???? =) 

Delightedly I opened it and read her sweet, sweet words in the card.   I was in tears. 

Then I pulled out a chocolate ball, like an orange.  Do you know those candies?  I can't show a picture of that because my children have already eaten part of it! =) 

Then I slowly opened a square box and unwrapped and unwrapped and unwrapped and unwrapped this...

Doesn't this fit my blog well?  DH said I should incorporate a picture of it into my blog design, so I will be working on that! =)  She had said in my note that she had been a secret reader of my blog.  =)  This is equisite and could have easily made my blog of my favorite things the other day!!!!  I also love mosaics out of china on top of items like this.  I love, love, love this!!!!  

Then I opened a flat box, she had said it was to thank us for our years in the Air Force.  I was flabbergasted as I unwrapped the box.  It is the 2007 White House Ornament! 

We have talked about starting a collection of these for sometime. We love to watch The White House Christmas every year on hgtv, where they always show the latest ornament.  In fact, the kids were recently asking when this year's show will be on....Sun night!  My son, who wants to be president gets caught up in the decorating of the White House and tells how he would decorate.  I always tell him that his wife will do the decorating and he will be running the country.  Then he tells us that if his plans come true, we're all invited to "his house".  lol 

This ornament commemorates the first presidential White House wedding. In fact, this is the only wedding in the White House of a president...Grover Cleveland!  His bride's dress and veil had orange blossoms...which is the silver filigree part of the ornament frame...and my children had orange candy!  What a connection!  My dd, who thinks fruit is the best food in the world and loves strawberries, always asks me what my favorite fruit is.  I enjoy many fruits, but I have a way of always choosing orange flavor!  I can't imagine what real orange blossoms are like!  I could have posted a picture of this in my favorite things as well!  I'm looking forward to reading this booklet more thoroughly!  =)

Thank you SS for praying for me and blessing me with these sweet gifts!  The neat thing is that now I know who she is, I can pray for her!  =)