Saturday: my brother and his two younger daughters came for dinner at my mom’s. My husband and son picked up takeout from Himalayan Kitchen. (If you ever go to Salt Lake City, I highly recommend. Turns out it’s a good half hour’s drive for my brother but that’s still one of their favorite places, too.)

As we were all sitting and talking afterwards, I pulled out the zipped tote bag and told him, Merry Christmas a little early.

He opened the tote. He saw the extra-large ziplock inside stuffed to explode like a gender reveal party, and cautiously opened it up. The blanket came and came and came and came out of there.

He exclaimed over it; his daughters were deep in conversation with their cousin. They looked up–and went oh wow just like their father had.

Mom said something about me being the only person she knows who wants landscape pictures to knit.

And a great time was had by all.