Thank you (((Sue))). Looking forward to this month. What a way to start out the New Year. I plan to journal everything this month to always keep the memories :-).

Thank you all in advance.
Happy New Year
Hug's,
Tina

way to be on top of things, sue!

tina, looking forward to putting together your box. i have been picking up a few things along the way. what is the actual date of your birthday?

can you believe we have been at this for almost a year? this was a great idea for a swap sue. are you going to continue for another year?

be well all,
earthly

I received my first box today! It's a WONDERFUL! box.

Short Story:
My kitchen is red and cream with little accents of black. I collect roosters, so that is what I drew my inspiration on. Everywhere you look, red/cream/black, except by my coffee pot where there is a BLUE creamer and sugar set. Yes, this has bugged me for quite some time! Do you think I can find a creamer and sugar set to match everything else? NO!
Well, guess what came in the mail today? Go on....guess. You got it!!!! A creamer and sugar set that matches my kitchen EXACTLY!. Andddddddddddd, LoL, it is a ROOSTER SET!!!! I am exstatic!!! I absolutely LOVE these, and they came with tea!
OK, now that I have exploded over my awesome roosters, I will list all of the other wonderful item's I received.
Of course first to list is a terra cotta rooster planter, how cool!
Healing Garden lavender sachets (2),
a package of plant labels w/ a pencil,
a set of notepads that is personalized " A note from Tina" (very pretty! I love them!)
Miracle-Grow plant food spikes
Chocolate Hazelnut coffee! (a girl after my own heart :-)))
and last but not least, the prettiest Birthday card I have ever seen. It has hummingbirds and fuchias. It almost looks like stained glass nd it is entitled "God is in the Details".
It is absolutely beautiful.
There was allot of thought, and extra care put into this package. It really touches my heart. My love and appreciation goes to Sue for putting so much time and effort into making this a very special month for me.
(((Sue)))
Thank you for hosting such a wonderful RR. You put so much time and care into so many of us. You are a wonderful ladie, in so many ways.

Earthly, you asked when the actual date of my birthday was.
My actual birthday is Sept.11th. However, there was an opening for this robin, and Sue allowed me to take Jan. since Sept. wasn't available.

Well, I am off to try my chocolate coffee now, yummy.
Thank you again Sue, for such a lovely package.

Hug's,
Tina

Tina tina tina
what a girl glad the rooster 's will brighten your kitchen :)) never can have to many hens in the hen house
may this month bring you lots of surprises

susie

tina,

wow, nice box. i wanted to be the first but sue is so on the ball! guess i'll have to pull my rooster creamer and sugar set out of my box! LOL

mine is all packed and ready to go - will be headed to the post office in the morning.

be well all, stay warm.

earthly

LoL, earthly, one can never have too many creamer and sugar sets, giggle.
It's COLD ladies. My feetsies are freezing. It's suppose to be in the 40's tomorrow,so that will be nice. Tho' I'm not for sure how well my WS containers will fair (my first year newbie nervousness).
I look forward to receiving your box earthly, doing a happy dance, :-).

Good night,
Tina

Hi Tina, My experiences with WS have been that Cold is better than Warm. Up north here things wait for warm up to germinate and then do well through cold snaps. In MD last winter the stuff germinated durring some unusually warm spells in Feb and then promptly croaked when it went back down to 18.
I really did buy you a present and I truly WANT to send it to you but... It won't fit into any box I have tried. So. I'll keep looking for a different box but meanwhile I'll also look for a different present. I have not forgotten you dear friens and I still have te seeds for jigsaw peppers too that will come along in whatever box/present I finally mail.
Hugs, Beth

And here I thought that everyone had forgotten about me...Oh you sweet thing Beth. I really appreciate that you let me knwo you was thinking about me. I send you big warm hug's (((Beth))) my sweet friend.

Tina

Yours went out today. I will post confirmation when I get the numberr. (downstairs)

Thank you Doris :-)
I will post as soon as it arrives to let you know it made it ok, and of course to thank you.
Enjoy the day
Tina

I received a wonderful box from Doris!
She sent me a great book on flower arrangement, coffee mug w/ blueberry tea and a little blook "Chicken Soup for the heart", Old Farmers Almanac gardening calender!, a sewing gift set, a sewing tin filled with delicious cookies, pair of warm gloves and a beautiful card with a picture of a lily on the front.
The tea is yummy, and taste great with the cookies :-).
I love everything Doris. Thank you so much for such a wonderful gift box. Everything was packed so nicely.
I will kick back tonight and read my new book while sipping on some blueberry tea and snacking on those wonderful cookies.

Tina

tina

i finally finished replacing everything and your box was mailed out. look for it sometime early next week. sorry for the delay, but i know someone is enjoying the box i originally sent on the 7th. my fault.

be on the lookout now that i have the correct address.

regards,
maryanne/earthly

Greetings Tina
Just wanted to let you know I am sending your box out next week.

I received such a beautiful giftbox from earthly. Everything in it has really touched my heart.
She sent me a "themed" package revolved around God, gardening and hummingbirds.
She sent me a 16 month calender with scriptures in it entitled "Psalms", a healing booklet along with a CD of music for healing (very soothing), notecards with a scripture on the front, 2 different types of Celestial tea, DOUBLE CHOCOLATE! coffee, a spiritual card which I will carry with me always, hummingbird tissue box, hummingbird plant stake, box of CHOCOLATE covered cherries!, color flame candles (very cool!) and two miniature roses! I have the roses sitting on top of my piano and they look so beautful. Oh, and some stickers with different phrases and scriptures on them.
Maryanne, I absolutely love everything you so carefully chose for me. You really touched my heart. It is amazing that you chose things that my mom would have chosen, I mean to a tee. I send you a hug for everyday of the rest of your life. Thank you so much for being such a caring and loving person. I will cherish everything...in my old age, I will look over at the tissue box and think "Maryanne".

Thank you my dear friend in the garden and otherwise.
Much Love to you.

Posted by: hummingbirddaisy 5a (My Page) on Tue, Jan 24, 06 at 15:27

....It is amazing that you chose things that my mom would have chosen, I mean to a tee. ---- God works in mysterious ways now, doesn't He?
I send you a hug for everyday of the rest of your life. ---That brought tears to my eyes, Tina. thank you my friend.

I am so very happy that you enjoy the things i sent. they really spoke to me, for you.

happy birthday!

maryanne/earthly

Tina if I may I would like to do a post and I know this is your special month.
I have a special request for thoughts and prayers.
Clyde was laid to rest 1/24/06
www.clocktimelesspets.com/detail.asp?ID=119
or www.clocktimelesspets.com and click on guest book
Thanks for allowing me to post Tina.
Also note I haven't forgotten your package I am just slow getting things done right now. I know you well enough to know you understand and also will love your package and think it was worth the wait.
In advance I thank all of you for the special thoughts and prayers.
Back to Ms. Tina

You are in my thoughts and prayers sweetheart. I know how your heart must be hurting. You do not worry about sending out a package.
With friendship and love to you Jan,
Tina

Jan, I'm so sorry to hear about your dear Clyde. What a wonderful companion he must have been to you and I'm sure the loss is immense. Look at him in his glory below and remember the good times. He was such a handsome dog! And surely lucky to have you as an owner. Do take care of yourself; I know it hasn't been an easy year for you. (((Jan)))

And Tina, do you know what this means? It means ole Poochy got off her duff, went to the PO and waved goodbye to your box finally on its way to Iowa priority mail!

POOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCCCCCCHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

long time no see. how the heck are ya?

*LoL* Well thank ya kindly poochy :-).
I will post as soon as it arrives.
Doing a happy dance cuz I got somethin' to look forward to :-) (giggle).

Isn't Clyde just beautiful in that picture. He is at the rainbow bridge right now playing with our loved fur-babies.

Enjoy the weekend!
Tina

HI everybody, guess i can't drag my feet any longer. I have the perfect box for Tina's packageand the pepper seeds are in there too. I have been hibermating. At -50 degrees it is difficult to talk myself into going outside if it is not necessary. So, to the PO I will go. It does not open until noon today so maybe it will be warm by then about-40 or so. LOL I still say I don't mind cold as much as heat it is easier to dress for the cold and nobody looks at you funny. All the lumps and rolls are covered up and everyone else looks lumpy too. I love it.
Pooch thanks for posting that great photo of Clyde. He was such a beauty.

thanks for all the thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. I appreciate everyone more than words can say.

Jan, I just love that photo of Clyde above- his tail action and his muzzle in "Let's Get Going" form. He was clearly a happy pooch. I miss him for you, believe me.

Earthlyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! Thank you for your boisterous greeting! How's that new pupster working out? I've been soggy LOL and working more than I care to. Would love to get more things done in the yard but it's been so wet. 26 inches of rain since the New Year began. There's 2.5 inches more in Beth's Secret Pal raingauge gift, and more due all week. What a workout that device is getting!

((((Beth my extraordinary pal!)))) Now -50 is cold, way too cold! Reminds me of days of yore in Minnesota. You have to go stand by your volcano and warm up. Along with Hummingbird's box, the postman will soon be delivering a little something to your doorstep as well. If he doesn't freeze! Stay warm.

Here's my pooch in July in her watering hole cooling off.

And the same spot exactly 6 months later after really heavy rains. No dogs allowed at this stage.

Yesterday was my lucky day! I received two packages!!!

Beth, thank you for the outdoor thermometer. It is beautiful! I love the burner covers for my stove as well.
The kid's thought the munchie clip was awesome, and I love the card and little sheep! The postcard me chills go up and down my spine. You must be an eskimo (sp?) LoL Thank you for including it. I think it's really neat how different we all live. Dumb question, do you live there part of the year there is no darkness for weeks?
Thank you so much for a great package! Big Hug's to you!

Poochy! What a lovely gift box you sent.
I hope I can remember everything...
The windchime is awesome. Can never go wrong with a rooster!
I LOVE! the hand and body cream you sent me from Victoria's Secret. Such a calm and pleasing scent. The picture fram with the fewels is precious. Love the piggy soap ;-)
Oh, the paint pen! and labels, very awesome!!! I will definately use the canning jar and jelly jar labels. Those are very cool :-)I love the beautiful organizer. I have never seen one that actually has a place for home, home phone, cell phone, fax # and e-mail addy, awesome! The birthday mints are already gone, LoL. I will be sowing some of the larkspur seeds today. I love the card and thank you for being so thoughtful and generous with your plants, and the pics are beautiful. Now you really have me longing for spring :-) Everything was wrapped up individually, and nicely packaged in a beautiful gift bag.I send you big ol' hug's a well.
Thanks everyone for making this month a wonderful! way to start off the new year.
Tina

You're quite welcome Tina, glad to help you celebrate. So shall I put you down for each of the plants to be mailed when you tell me- April or May or whenever it's safe to plant in your area? LMK so I can make a note, or I'll forget, for sure.

That little rooster was the only rooster I could find in King County aside from live ones LOL. I hope you can find a place for him.

well tina time to pass the candles onto
Our FEB BIRTHDAY LADY "SUNNY SURPRISE"
AKA SHELBYRAYMOM

But I'd Like to say thank you for playing in my birthday robin & hope that you had a very nice Month of gifts & friendship .

Also like to thank all of you for being great players to each others .
Happy gardening to all

susie

pooch

i hardly ever see ya anymore. glad to see you though, if not that often. hope you had wonderful holidays and the new year is a good one so far. how's the daughter making out? better yet, how are you doing - it's been a while since she moved - are you used to it yet?

the puppy is a royal PIA, but he's so cute. nothing is sacred here. he chews everything, doesn't care what he puts in his mouth and has been digging up my garden, my plants and the plant markers. some days i'm ready to skin him - but then he just looks at me and i'm loving him all over again. he doesn't know the meaning of "you had enough to eat" or "i just want to sleep for another 10 minutes". i'm sure he'll grow out of it.

be well,
earthly/maryanne

poochella I am having problems with my e-mail, not sending all or receiving all, argh! So, I thought I would leave you a note here in case you take a peek in.
I would be honored to have the plants from you! I've already been dreaming about where to put "Jack", smiles. IT will go in my memorial garden for my parents as my dad's name Jack :-).
Thank you so much. You are so awesome!
Hug's,
Tina

Great Tina, I will duly note those plants to be sent to you when it quits raining here and thaws there for good in Spring. That is very cool about the 'Jack' memorial planting. Glad to contribute to his honor.

Earthly, The puppy is being a puppy! How could you not love him? I recommend lots of chew toys, Kongs are good stuffed with a treat or peanut butter. Maybe bitter apple spray on stuff he's not supposed to chew. LOL- don't know how it affects plants!

I'm doing fine. I am taking a hiatus from the swap scene for a bit to concentrate on work. ICK! Am I nuts, or what? DD loves school in southern Cal and just returned there after a month winter break at home. She's wonderful and we miss her, but it's very exciting to see her spread her wings and discover things of interest in and out of school. She thought this program (link) reaching out to pre-adolescent girls would be a good volunteer opportunity and was just accepted into training. She loves going to schools to teach and interact with the kids. Good for her.

We are about to get blown of the map with an incoming storm so I'm trying to do all things requiring electricity NOW! And if we miss that Superbowl because of a power outage, which are common out here in the heavily treed boonies, I will be one crazed woman!
If everyone would just root for the Seahawks for me, I'd be much obliged. They are accustomed to huge, loud fan support and this game is clearly stacked in favor of the opposition in terms of fans. Time to plug in the rechargeable radio before it's too late.... Even if you hate football, just OHMMMMMM think positively for the home team here: we've never had a team even go to the Superbowl before now. Thank you!

You all stay warm and dry, and I'll be working on Shelby Ray mom/Tammy's birthday box in the days to come, assuming I am not out giving my chainsaw a good workout to clear the house of fallen trees :(

Here is a link that might be useful: Girls, Inc.

Jan, I received a package from you today. Thank you for the beautiful rooster print. That will go in my diningroom today! I will also be sowing the seeds you sent this week as well. Thank you for the beautiful card and your kind words. You are a dear friend Jan. I am blessed to have your friendship.
Blessings, Tina

Tina, I just realised I never answered your questions about the dark/light. Here in Fairbanks the days get down to about 4 hours of daylight around Christmas but it is already staying light until about 6 PM. The days get longer fast once they start lengthening.
In the summer, the sun is high at midday then
hugs the horizon for hours and drops just below the edge for a couple hours. Not actually dark but you can tell it is 2 AM not 2 PM.
Farther north, like BArrow and Kotzebue it is totally dark or totally light for longer (days or even weeks) but not here. Only north of the Arctic circle.
Hope this is what you wanted to know. BB

Sue, I have a lot of nice gifts stached for swaps. How do you join in your RR birthday swap? Ann in Iowa