To SP8 or not SP8?

Not much knitting action here....Knittybaby seems to be going through his first growth spurt and Little Man is having a hard time sharing his mommy. I've been spending a lot of time nursing my baby and trying to keep my Little Man from feeling left out. Needless to say, I could use a couple of extra arms! (And a lap) Luckily, the warm weather is helping in that we can get outside. I don't know what I'd do if it was January.

So I've been trying to decide whether or not to do Secret Pal 8. I've never done one before, but I have to say I've been coveting all those great boxes I see people get. The whole thing just seems fun, and I'm a sucker for getting anything in the mail. But here's my hang-up: every time I do a secret pal (usually a Secret Santa) I end up with the lousiest one. In 6th grade, everyone else was getting cool things like neon jelly bracelets. What did I get? A half melted, squished box of Junior Mints from some boy I didn't even know:-( Then there was the time in college when the accountant in my office was my Secret Santa, but didn't get the whole concept of it and didn't understand he was supposed to get me anything. So everytime I sign up for something I have fun buying for my pal but usually come up short on my end. As I write this I'm thinking I sound like a greedy girl! I'm really not, it's just a bummer when it seems to happen every time. I had actually given up on these until Secret Pal came along.

So what I'd love to hear is about your experiences. Have you done a Secret Pal? How was it? If not, why? Should I try it out or go snag a "Not a Secret Pal" button and go drop $60 at the Yarnery sale this weekend? Right now, I'm leaning towards trying it out. After all, these are knitters here, not 6th grade boys, right?