I Heart Packages from Vermont!

A few days ago I came home from work (yoga, knitting??? I can't remember!) and there was a package from my brother and his family, who live in Vermont.
It has been a busy week this week, during which many nights I arrived home between 9 & 10 pm, so I just got around to opening the box tonight - when I was not feeling so wiped out that all I wanted to do was crawl into bed. I think I am also extra energized tonight because spring has really sprung this week, with temps in the 70s! Even now, at nearly 8:30pm, we still have the windows open because the weather is so nice. Anyways, I digress.

I busted open the box, only to discover - well, I'll let you see for yourself (I mean really, what else comes from Vermont - and no, it's not cheddar or Ben & Jerry's):
Okay, okay - maybe the picture is too small to really see what it is - so here is another one, to help you out, slacker:
Yep, you guessed it - it's a quart of homemade maple syrup! This was made from sap taken from the sugar maples on my brother's property. To be honest, it wasn't a total surprise to get this - my bro told me he was sending it out last weekend when I talked to him. It was a surprise, however, to see the awesome homemade label that they put on the jars this year. That is their oldest, standing next to the pan of sap as it is boiled down into syrup!

There were some other treats in the package too, which were a total surprise. The other contents were a jar of Blackberry Honey Creme, also made locally, and a hand-made mouse.
I think the mouse may have been a stow-away, looking to get away from the Vermont chill!
Here is what happened after I finished opening the package (be warned, it is not a pretty sight):
And then things started to get really crazy - sneaky little mouse . . .
The rest is just not appropriate for posting on the blog - gotta keep things clean around here, folks. . . .

Have a great weekend!! Stay tuned for belly shots!