Faye - I'm so sad for you. Losing a family member is losing a part of yourself. Thoughts, prayers, and hugs. I know your brother will be waiting to greet you someday in a very beautiful and amazing place.
Thanks for all the nice comments about my patriotic block. It was fun to make, and I hope the gal is pleased with the end result. Can't wait to see the end result.
To the new people, you can also add things that don't cost anything like your beloved and favorite recipes, or information printed from the internet. I'm planning on sending a really nice write up about something my SP uses. If she has seen it already, fine - it only cost me the paper and ink to print it. If she hasn't, it cost about 10 cents and a little time and research. If they like to applique, you can also search the internet for free patterns (or even coloring book pages) about things they like. I have a light box and am more than happy to get this type of thing. If you have duplicates of items and don't need them, that does not count as an expenditure. Sometimes I get samples of things from different places. Last month I sent a perfume sample to my SP. If she doesn't like it, well, my feelings will remain intact if it is regifted or tossed (which I will never know anyway). Pictures of the scenery where you live is nice - I often send a photo of the Pacific Ocean where I hike and write a note on the back. Just some suggestions.