gift giving

there are two people in my life who give gifts to me - alot. i can not leave my father-in-law's house without him giving me something. he loves yard sales and second-hand stores, so his gifts are items that other people (including himself) don't want. mostly ornaments. i walk away (after gracefully trying to refuse the item) thinking - now what will i do with this?
and barb is the other gift-giver in my life. barb knows me and knows what i need and what i want. she travels often and brings me back wonderful socks and tights. this past week i helped her move house, and on the last day she gave me this bowl. she saw it in the globe and mail and ordered it for me because it reminded her of my yarn. it is handpainted and laminated. from thailand. yesterday i made 2 skeins influenced by the stripes of colour in the bowl. one is self-striping (solid blocks of colour). and the other i mixed up more so that the colours fuse and blend. thank-you barb.