I just got a truck load from Carmen (Garden Craze)! I love it all.. thank you so much.

Flower seeds
Copper Plant markers - love these!
Handmade plant markers - these are so cool
Pot hanger
Broach pin
Mini calendar - this is going in my cubicle
Magnet picture holder - also going in my cubicle
Tea
Candies
Little garden statue
Crystal Soil - can't wait to add water to this
Manicure stuff
Bookmark (handmade) - already in my book!
Garden Hand scrub - saving this for summer when I have all that dirt under my nails

Thank you so much for making my first swap so fun!

Jenny & Darrin, please send me an e-mail and let me know if you've sent out your boxes yet. Thanks!

-Dan

Dan, Jenny has sent her box and heidi has already received it.
I think you'd better put that bottle down now. Hello,Dan wake up, come now the coffee is brewing, no bailey's for you tonight LOL (just kidding)

Hugs Carmen

Оh no! Dan - didn't mean to get you in trouble :-P

***********Helloooooooooooooooooo***********
Any body here????????????????
I think there is another thread started,with only a few postings,now what?
Please, put the bottle away,somebody make some strong coffee,quick.teehee
cAROL

Oh, I should have added, i posted the last posting on thread # 1 (please read, it was a very nice box )
Thread # 2 has been posted, so maybe we should all go there,before going to # 3.
Just a thought,:0)
cAROL

Carol, I posted this one because you and I finished up thread 2. Maybe we should all put the bottle down, and Linda shouldn't serve any more Bailey's for awhile? LOL! I've now (re)heard from everyone, so all the boxes are either in the air, or have landed.
And, would you believe this? I just checked the status of the box Alicia sent me, and it says it was delivered yesterday. You can bet I'll be asking some questions when I get to work, because it certainly was not delivered. ((chuckle)) Go figure, mis-delivering something for a mailman!

Everyone have a great day and report in when you get your box...

Peace.
-Dan

Dan, That is so funny about your box having been delivered.
NOT!! LOL

Jenny, I'm so glad you liked what I sent :o) It's amazing how much you can get into those little boxes.

Everybody have a wonderful day

Hugs'Carmen

Morning All!!
My (VERY STUFFED) box from Linda arrived!!!Just found it when I checked the mail box.Great way to start the day. Wanna know what's in it?

~Hershey Kisses(they go great with my morning coffee!!)
~TONS of seeds
~ Very cute Flower magnets
~Mini Candle in mini terra cotta pot
~Butterfly Windchime
~Bumble Bee pot sitter
~Cuticle Cream(mmm lemon butter scented!)
~Seed Envies
AND>>>
~Jiffy Peat Pellets(just in time for seed sowing!!!)
Thanks Linda!!

later...April

P.S.
I'll host Feb's swap if no one has applied for the job yet!

April, what great box from Linda

I can't wait, I can't wait!!!!! ((jumping up and down))

Maybe today!!!!!

Carmen

April, what great box from Linda

I can't wait, I can't wait!!!!! ((jumping up and down))

Maybe today!!!!!

Carmen

hi everyone! no box for me yet. i am taking my phlebotomy certification exam today at 1245, so if everyone will pray for me to pass i'd appreciate it!! i'm going to need all the help i can get. and hopefully today will go better than yesterday, i hit a deer with my dad's new car last night. the deer is fine, she didnt even fall, just ran away...hmm...maybe i'll have a box waiting for me when i get back from *passing* my exam. that would make my day perfect!!!

Good Luck!!

I am the guilty party!(hiding my face) I was so anxious to answer cAROL that I didn't pay any attention to the protocal for a new thread, SORRY!!!!!!

I got my box today and I got the BEST of all, Beth sent me a full, packed to the rim goodie box, and wonderful letter. I really enjoyed that it came to me from Arizona. I have a new handcream to try as well as a new lip balm/sunscreen. Lots of candy, a wonderful southwestern cookbook, which will be great because Nels and I love the cuisine of the area. Beth also sent me an Angel Pig, to keep me safe!! Also notecards, Hot cocoa and lots of different seeds to try. Thanx so much
Dawn

My box has arrived!!! Thank you so much shannon!!!!! ok, here's what i got:
leather work gloves (which i will have to hide from my dad, he will steal them)
some sticker labels
a little hand-made recipe book with adorable drawings in it
a worry doll (which is so cute!!!!)
goodies (i'll have to hide them too!)
seeds that make me wish even more that is was springtime
and a wonderful note

thanks so much! my dog wouldnt let me open it at first, she wanted to inspect it and then she saw the goodies and wanted those lol.
oh, and i passed my exam =))

What??? Did I hear some one say they want to see more baby pictures??? My sister visited with Jacob yesterday. This was the first time we saw him.

Oh Hidie,What cute children, is the little boy yours?
I love babies,even at 62, there are time when i wish i could still have one (then i slap myself in the face,and say,WAKE UP!!):0)
All kidding aside,the best times in my life,were when i was raising my children,even now, as adults,they are a delight to be around.
Thanks for sharing such sweetness with us.
cAROL

The two older boys are mine...John is 3 and Jace is 1. The little baby is my nephew Jacob. I was surprised that Jace was so into the baby. He was trying to share his toys and babling to him. John was like "ok it's a baby...now what?". We had a great afternoon and I was glad to see my sister. She is my best friend and we talk on the phone all the time, but don't get to hang out often.

Thanks for letting me share
Heidi

Dan, you mean my box didn't get there??!!!!! UGH! Now what? :( Please update me. Last time I checked it was in Grand Rapids, which was on Tuesday, I think. So I thought for sure you would have had it Wednesday for sure. :(

Carmen (and there was someone else that asked) - My business is a home-based business, and I prepare court transcripts for court reporters. It's not transcription, though. It's a lot different because I'm required to read the steno that reporters write during the trials, depos, hearings, etc., and I also have to have special software to be compatible with the reporter. I can't type in Word like transcriptionists do. So there are some big differences. I'm a paralegal also, but I prefer the other work, which is scoping. I also do some proofreading. The thing is, the market has become so flooded with scopists because everyone wants to work from home, so the amount of work just isn't there as much as it used to be years ago. The good thing is (or I guess it's not really a good thing), but so many new scopists stink at it because they jumped into it and don't really know what they're doing, so those reporters end up looking for people with more experience. It just can be a bad thing, though, because once the reporter gets a bad taste in his/her mouth, they sometimes don't want to try anyone else for fear of having the same thing happen. I've been doing this since '96 and I really enjoy it. I have more time to spend in my garden this way. I work a little, go out in the garden a little for a break, spend time with the kids, clean a little, then back to work. So it's nice.

Well, I'm happy to report that I GOT MY BOX!!!!!! I was so excited. I ran to the door before my mailman could get off the porch. He probably thinks I'm nuts now (he's my new mailman). Dee is my new friend and she sent such great things!

She made me these ornamental mushrooms that look so real. I love them. I'm actually going to put them in my houseplants. And there's also a little fairy, which I'm going to sit on my garden window.

She also sent me the cutest little red wagon and a birdhouse ornament. At least that's what I think they are, so I'll have them to hang on my Christmas tree for next year! You know, I just realized that I have nothing on my tree that's related to gardening. And our tree isn't a "theme" tree. There's not one ornament that's alike on our tree, and we add new things each year. So these will be perfect.

And I got a bunch of seeds:
Oxeye Daisy
Siberian Wallflower
Coreopsis
Black-eyed Susan
Blue Flax
Scarlet Sage Salvia
Blue Sage
Baby Snapdragons
Cornflower (multicolors)
Cosmos 'Picotee'

They were all labeled so nicely too. I enjoyed the picture you sent of your garden and house, Dee. I love the domehome. Did you build that or buy it like that? How neat. Now I need to know how you make those mushrooms. They're so original! Thank you for the great box of goodies, Dee. I love everything!

Alicia

I love reading about everyone's boxes! Wish I had my own report to make, but there was no box waiting for me today.

~CA

I found my box this morning YAYYYY The key to the parcel locker with my box in it was put in another mailbox yesterday, and when I checked the opened lockers this morning, there was my box from Alicia. And let me tell you, she's upped the WOW factor tenfold
Alicia e-mailed me a few times while putting her box together to make sure she was doing the right thing, and when she eventually told me how many seed packets she was putting into her box, I told her that she only needed to put in a few, not many, just a few. Then, when she drew my name, she decided to put in even more things so I'd have myself some surprises along with the rest of you. She had told me she was putting in a cookbook along with the seeds, and I was thinking that'd be about all she could fit into a small box, and that would be just perfect. After all, I was shooting for simplicity with this swap.
Well, Alicia had other ideas.
She did break the rules on the box-size and sent a larger one, but then, who amongst us doesn't break the rules from to time? ***looking innocently at my halo***
Alicia sent...
Wooden AND Plastic Plant Markers
Black Marker for writing on those Plant Markers
Vanilla Seed Packets (for storing seeds)
Labels for those SPs (she's gonna get me organized )
Peat Pots
The 100th Issue of American Patchwork & Quilting (cool )
A Cookbook with over 500 Recipes (is this from your church Alicia?)
And seeds, seeds, and more seeds, all packaged by Alicia. Want to know what they are? Well, you'd best sit down, this is gonna take a while...Sweet Annie, Siberian Wallflower, Nasturtium Jewel Mix, Scarlet Sage Salvia, Black Magic Hollyhocks, Red Columbine, Purple Coneflower, Dark Purple Bearded Iris, Gloriosa Daisy, Red 4 O'Clocks, Northern Lights Baby Snapdragon, Scarlet Starlet Marigold, Moonflower, Candytuft, Tagetes Sunfire Marigold, Fuschia Hollyhocks (2), Royal Family Mix Sweet Peas, Hummingbird Vine, Blue Pincushion, Cleome, Blue Rose of Sharon, Heucherra, Lavender Morning Glory, Pink Rose of Sharon, White Bee Balm, Dark Purple Columbine, Black Hollyhocks, Dazzler Cosmos, Orange Cosmos, Cherry Rose Sunflowers, Fivespot, Pink Columbine, Mallow Hollyhocks, Fuschia-n-Pink 4 O'Clocks, Burgundy Hollyhocks, Mt. Bluet Centaurea Montana, Black-Eyed Susan Vine, Creeping Thyme, Chinese Houses, Impatiens, Dames Rocket, Light Purple Lupine, Pincushion, Black-Eyed Susans, Purple Datura, Black Jack Sedum, Shasta Daisy, Magenta Clematis, Money Plant, Mixed Columbine, Blanket Flower, Parsley, Dahlia California Zinnia, Malva Zebrina, White Trumpet Lily, Morning Glory, Giant Salvia, Blue Flax, Dark Purple Clematis, Orange Trumpet Vine, Mixed Phlox, Chives, Easter Egg Plant, Magellan Mix Zinnia, African Daisy, Black Columbine, Red Phlox, and finally, Mexican Hats...68 Packs of Seeds in Total WHEW I do believe I can throw out all my seed catalogs now, don't you???

Alicia, to say you did a superb job on my box would be putting it mildly. THANK YOU...THANK YOU...THANK YOU

Peace.
-Dan

Wow Dan,
Alicia sure did send you a great box,all those seeds,yes, i agree, there can't be much more that you want, you will be busy,busy,busy,for sure, have you even started your WSing yet?
These boxes have been so much fun to read about, what great imaginary gardeners we are eh?
cAROL

Good grief Dan, that's a box full of seeds! Where will you plant them all? Way to go Alicia on surprising our host with an amazing assortment.
~L

YAYYYYYY, I GOT MY BOX TODAY!!!!!! Jumping up and down

Talk about the WOW factor cAROL you just outdid yourself!!
Remember when we told our Christmas stories???
Well Miss cAROL had a surprise for me. Actually she made me cry.:o(

I received the biggest little box ever!!! WoW
cAROL sent
seeds,chocolate sreamer sweet pea,dolce pepers,hibiscus pink,violets,hibiscus white and pink,sensitive plant,celosia mix,chocolate cherry tomatoe,nigella. can't wait to see these in bloom.
Trident layers gum
Paint marker
plant stakes
the cutest little note pad
Hand lotion bar, love it, love it (never heard of that)
home made soap(made by her doughter)love it
plant twist ties
beutiful note cards
lots of incence, they smell awesome

BUT the thing that made me cry was the thought that she put into sending that porcelain doll that I spoke about in my Christmas story.
she sent the most precious little porcelain doll.

cAROL you are awesome THANK YOU THANK YOU

Remember I got your name in another swap not too long ago??? that is funny that you got mine this time.

Dan this was a sooo fun swap, thank so much for hosting.

Hugs Carmen

Woo hoo -- my box is here!

I can't believe how much Cryptid - aka Darrin - stuffed into that little box! Little goodies and useful items along with a whole bunch of seeds. But the best of all had to be his really nice note and the beautiful crocheted butterfly pin his wife Elly had made. He says that she's a crochet newbie, but that little butterfly looks like it was made by a pro! I crochet as well, and my attempts (LOL) at something as intricate as Elly did never look this good. Good job, girl! You have inspired me to try harder the next time.

Now for the box:

Two packets of Aspen Mulling spices great to spice up hot or cold drinks - can be mixed with apple cider, red wine, tea or brandy. mmmmmm!

A sharpie - yea! These things sprout legs and/or wings in our house, because you can never find one when you need one. I'm hiding this one in with my seed swap stuff - no one ever thinks to look in there. Thanks!

Two huge black ants! No, not real ones, it think they are made out of some kind of metal. They really are cute!

Small laser flashlights on key rings - three of them. I have one on my car keys, but not like these. They have a little slide switch that will keep them ON. My other one doesn't have that. Now that's a really useful item, and very bright, too, for something so small! Yea!

A spool of twisty wire with a cutter! Now you know that will come in handy when the vegies need staking or attaching the bird netting.

Small seed envies. One can never have too many of these!

Now for the gibocious amount of seed packets!! Sweet Italian basil - yea! Helichrysum tall double mixed colors, marigold - petite yellow and crackerjack mixed, gypsophila - Covent Garden, Pink double hollyhocks, Canterbury bells, Columbine, Pink single hollyhock, Malva s. Zebrina - French hollyhock, Garlick chives, red Texas Star Hibiscus, Yellow snapdragons, pink and lavender morning glory, yellow cone flower, trumpet lily, giant green onion, White Swan Coneflower, White Bee Balm, Royal Burgundy Bush beans, liatris, heirloom tomato - Cherokee Purple, white double hollyhock, Rudbeckia - Cherry Brandy, Sweet onion - walla walla, and tomatillo.

Whew! What a generous guy you are, Darrin, Thanks a whole bunch! I hope those pequin seeds grow for you. If they don't let me know and I'll send you some more or maybe even the plants themselves. We should have tons of them sprouting this spring, just like always. The mother plants seem to live through freeze and drought, and we've had both this year.

Many thanks also to Dan for hosting this fun swap. LOL - can't believe the PO misplaced your box! That was too funny.

Heidi, your boys and nephew are just adorable! Thanks for sharing the photos.

And one more big THANK YOU to Darrin and Elly for the wonderful box. I feel so blessed to have found this fabulous group of new friends!

~Kathy

I got my box! There are sooo many seeds - near 30 different kinds! My flower garden is going to be just spectacular this year. Some of these I've never even heard of, this is going to be fun. She also sent a "Patio Garden" DVD, a "Green Tea is Groovy" mug, plant markers, homemade seed packets, plastic seed packets, pomegranite tea, and these neat bubble wrap CD holders.

Alana - Thanks so much, you have inspired me to clean my flower garden and prepare it for Spring. It was a little pitiful last year but with all these seeds it will be something to behold.

Alicia - Glad you liked your box. The mushrooms are just made from Sculpty (or fimo)clay (You bake it in the oven). They are fun and easy to make, I usually make them in two pieces and then superglue the mushroom caps on.

I'm truly amazed at how many gracious and thoughtful people there are. I was so lucky to be a part of this swap. It's so great that everyone's boxes have brought such happiness.

And Dan, yes, I did cheat on the box. I started out with that small one, and once I got your name, I remembered you mentioned about doing quilting and I had that magazine here. So I REALLY wanted to include that and didn't want to smash it in that little box. Plus, that cookbook was not fitting in there either, which I wanted to include. So yes, I cheated, but you were so good to host this swap and needed pampered accordingly. As for the seeds, it's a little of everything I have in my seed boxes, so whatever you can't or don't want, feel free to pass it on. If you plant them all, good for you, and I hope they grow and bring you lots of joy. Just throw all of the seeds in the little garden bag and get digging in the spring. I wanted to get to the store and buy little tools to go in it, but I never made it out with all the snow. :(

Oh, and yes, the cookbook is from my church. I bought a whole box of them to help the church out. They ordered too many, so I bought them and give them as small gifts to people. Heck, if you get one recipe out of it, it's worth it. Nice and simple recipes that people from our church put into it.

I'm really enjoying reading what's in everyone's boxes. Gives me ideas for future swaps. I'll be watching for the next one. Who's gonna host it this time? Anyone? Anyone?

Alicia
P.S. Check out my seed boxes I made out of shoe boxes and old magazines. I love to recycle. (I guess you'll have to scroll through the other things. It's all in one album. I do T2T also, so that's why there are other pics mixed in there. Although, some of the T2T I haven't finished yet. LOL Need more time!!!)

Here is a link that might be useful: My homemade seed boxes

I'm glad you liked your box April! It was a fun one to do. Everyone is getting such wonderful boxes and it's been exciting to read what's in each one. What a bunch of original gardeners we have! I'm hoping my box shows up tomorrow.."S"

By the way, I found out that I'm going to be a grandmother. I'm a little overwhelmed at the moment since it's not something I was expecting to be quite yet. Guess I'll be looking up some quilt patterns and such.

I'll host Feb's swap!!I've heard that Cupid likes Bingo....Is there a 2010 MNF schedule? Ya'll let me know!

Linda~ Congrats Granny!! Ya need something stronger than Bailey's tonight?

Lovin all the boxes!!!

later....April

Hi guys*** just stopping in before going up to bed, i wanted to see if you received your box yet Carman,:0)
I am so happy you are pleased with it,and that you liked your little doll,i loved putting it together for you,when i found out i had you, i was soooooooooo happy,(Dan, did you do this on purpose?)I had to reopen the box, and put in a few more things, i know,we were not suppose to do that,but it seems we are a bunch of rule breakers here,but only in a good way, to make someone else happy,it's a good thing eh.
This has been a fun,fun,swap,and getting to know each other has been the frosting on the cake.
I hope you will think of me Carman when you look at your little doll,and know we beat those 3 wise men,ha ha(and your brothers)sticking out my tongue,nana,nana,nu nu!(I just wish it could have been a baby doll.)
When i go t bed at night, i think of each and every one of you,and send silent prayers to those of you who need it,which is pretty much all,who can say they do not need it.

Tomorrow is another day,lets see who else postes about their box,
April your gonna do the next one,cool!
What will it be,hummmmmmmmmm,i wonder,you did say Bingo, right? Fun.
cAROL

Linda a huge CONGRATS!!! Babies are so much fun...when they are not yours :o) I always teased my DH about leasing out our kids when they were babies and getting them back at the toddler stage when they were fun :o)

You all put together some awesome boxes!! I have enjoyed reading about them. Can't wait till next month!!

Heidi

My box arrived today!

Robin sent some tea packets, valentine chocolates, a glass paperwheight (which I'm sorry to report cracked in shipping :( ), a "wind twister," and four packs of seeds: orange bell pepper (I''d been wanting this one!), lemon basil, romaine lettuce, and a mystery pea vine. Can't wait to sse what color that turns out to be!

Thanks for my box.

~CA

I received my box today!!..YIPPEE!!! It was from April! I thought it was funny that we got each others box. Now I have to go and see what flower I was. Anyways:

April sent a delightful box:
matching pad and magnet (I'm always running out of these), hersey's extra dark chocolate (munching on one now), premium hot cocoa packs (saving those for my next daytime fire), assorted herbal teas (you can NEVER have enough tea!), wintergreen mints (I like these), a black sharpie (hidden in my desk drawer), a very nice note and 23 packs of seeds including succulents! I have never grown succulents from seeds, so this is exciting. ALso all the seeds she sent were exactly what I would use in my butterfly gardens and veggie garden. How cool is that???

Thanks so much April! ((HUG))

PS> THanks for all the congrats..still getting used to the idea..what do ya think? Grammy? Gram? Gran? Nana? any suggestions?.."L"

I was a cosmos..how about that, one of my favorite flowers!

Ok I was the spiderwort. what's up with that???

Linda go with Gram or Grammie. My MIL wanted my kids to call her Ma'ma'(prounced maa maa). Well that sure looks like MAMA to me. I didn't like it but went along with it. John, my oldest, has a speech articulation problem. She was constantly trying to get him to say Ma'Ma. He looked at her one day and said "that's my mama" pointing at me. She has been Grammie ever since. In the end they are going to call you what they want.

Heidi

Linda~ Glad you liked the box.The only flower I like better than cosmos are zinnias,& both are LOVED by the butterflies!!
My mom goes by Grams or Grammy & hubby's mom is Granny.My Gandmothers are called Grandmother, Maw-Maw & Mommytwo. Yeah I have 3 Grandmothers hence the 3 names!

Later...April

P.S.
Feb's swap is up.

Congratulation Linda,you will LOVE being a grandmother.
Let the baby call you what comes to mind,when my Maddie was about 5,she called me one day, and asked if she could call me G. Willow,(no way near my name,)she had been watching Pocahontas,and her G.was Willow,she loved the woman, so, from then on, I became G.Willow, by the other grandchildren in her family as well, but i am HER, G.Willow.

My best friend is Nana,love that as well.
My youngest son calls me Mamacita,ha ha, half the time,if i am called my real name, i don't answer.
Oh.,another friend calls me Lady Carol
My youngest sister calls me Lynn.
Hubby,sometimes calls me Babe.

I was the flower Milkweed-
Carman-what were you?
cAROL

Yes, congrats, Linda. I wrote last night and my computer crashed. I was too tired to write it again last night, but I just wanted to say congratulations.

I had a "Ghee." Pronounced like the word "go" only with the long E sound. :) That was because my oldest cousin couldn't say "Grandma" and would say "Ghee." So that's what she was by the time I came along! No matter what you get, enjoy that new little one.

Any due date yet??

Alicia

Man, oh man, are y'all getting some wonderful boxes! Who knew we could pack so much in those little things??? April has the February swap up and running, so if you liked this swap, go on over and jump in on that one too! It seems to me that April was the host for either my first or second swap, almost two years ago! And yep, I've been hooked ever since!

Now it's time for a roll call. Who has NOT received their box yet?

Peace and love everybody, peace and love.
-Dan

p.s. Can't you just see Linda as Granny from the Beverly Hillbillies throwing her hands on her hips and asking "What did I do to deserve this?" LOL!!! NO apologies Linda, I had to do it!!! And everyone else at least chuckled! hehehe

I got my box last night. YIPPEE!

I never imagined there would be so much in that little box. Kathy (catrionaa) sent my a box of fun. I got some new gloves a garden themed kitchen towel A danglie thing, burts bees bug bit releif (love burts!!) 2 kinds of magnets, a few lovely plant markers and seeds oh and more seeds. LOL I plan on sowing the lettuces and carrots this weekend. How did you know I needed carrots? Love it Kathy thank you.

Cheryl I am so sorry the paperweight didn't fair well. I had hoped the bubble wrap and other gifts would cushion it. I feel like I let you down. I will send some more.

Robin,

Don't worry about the paperweight. These things happen. Hope you enjoyed your first mnf swap!

~CA

Alana - Just wanted to thank you again for the great box. I'm afraid you are one of the cheaters, sending me such a huge box of goodies. I have been researching all the seeds the last two hours and deciding where they are all going to go. Out of 30 I didn't even have one. So I'm pretty jazzed about planting them all. You even managed to pick one, the castor bean plant, that I have wanting to put in for awhile now. All of them will work quite nicely in my yard.
Linda - Congrats! My first granddaughter is 1 1/2 now and she is such a joy. I get to babysit for a few hours a week and we have such a good time, she's all giggles and smiles. Check out the photo.
Dan - thanks for hosting you did a great job!

Here is a link that might be useful:

YEAH!!! "Houston,...the box has landed!" Ummm,...yesterday, actually. - Profuse apologies to all, particularly Sakura and Dan! Meant to get this posted at least by yesterday evening, but,...I fell asleep again. Been waaayyy busy, today, as well, but this is gettin' posted no matter what!

Therefore,...

What a *wonderful* thing, when most of the rest of our mail otherwise basically sucked-scissors (bills and junk)!

From the fabulous Sakura_Komichi (aka Cheryl) I/we received a totally jam-packed box full of wonderful goodies galore! I Told Elly "Geez, it feels like there's a brick in here! If it *is*, I hope it's gold!" While there was no *brick*, of course, it was still *gold* all the same! :)

Sakura,...Way big *WOW*! - Thanks so much for the deliciously scented "Dewberry Dreams" candle-in-a-tin! Scented candles are always wonderful and can even go a long way toward making a moderate power outage less stressful. The only scented candles Elly and I have purchased within the last year or so were given as gifts, making this one that you sent the only one of its kind in our home!

The large and smaller size peat pellets will *absolutely* come in handy for Winter Sowing! The smaller ones we've always called "dirt cookies" LOL! Used to use `em all the time years ago, but then, I dunno why, we just sorta stopped. Perhaps, at the time, it was simply cheaper t'go with potting soil and good ol' yard dirt.

The mini-blind plant-label stakes (bundled together with a *gold* twist tie) are sheer *genius*!! What a brilliant usage!! Beats the mahoogies out of popscicle sticks every which-a-way! Thanks majorly, also, for the blue paint-pen marker with which to label them puppies!

Then, there's that big ol' stack o' *gummed*, manilla seed envelopes;...kewl-kewl-kewl! No glue stick required! :)

And what a great, frameable card you scribed your communication into, with that water-color-wash beach scene! Super nice! Boy do we ever love the coast! September we *finally* made it back to the beach after not being able to do so for six frustrating years. First time there with our digital camera and you bet I took loads of pictures!

Now,...for the seeds:

-Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate' - "OOOooo! Pretty!"
-Cypress Vine - Pretty as heck! Trellis time!
-Japanese Morning Glory - Mt Fuji 'Pink' - Japanese Morning Glories always rock! Thanks loads!
-Aster - novae-anglae - Alma Potschke' - *Really* pretty!
-Conoclinum coelestinum - Mist Flower; hardy Ageratum - Again, *Really* pretty!
-Asclepias tuberosa - Orange Butterfly Weed - Why is this called a "weed"? Lotsa purdy flowers!
-Orange Cosmos - Never knew there were so many fab color variations of this!
-Purple Coneflower - Allow its prettiness to grow for 2 years and ta-daa, the roots are a medicinal! Thank *you*!
-Blackberry Lily - Been wanting this! Never had the temerity to actually suggest a trade for same.
-Spaghetti Squash - Called "Silly Squash" by my MIL. Love it, particularly since I'm diabetic! Non-pasta *pasta*!
-Swamp Milkweed - Quite pretty, with a pleasing scent. This has its own beetle species?
-Shasta Daisy - Ahhh yes! The lovely backdrop!
-Echinacea 'White Swan' - Wrongly never thought I would ever be fortunate enough to receive any of this in a trade, round robin or newbie offer, so, I caved and bought a packet of seeds at a local nursery. Forgive me for having so little faith! Be it known, however, what I purchased is what I *share*, whereas what I have been gifted with or otherwise received in trade is what I will actually sow. Same for "Rudbeckia - 'Cherry Brandy'!
-Swamp Milkweed - Pretty and butterfly attractive!
-Jackson Wonder Butter Bean - Wonderful, glorious Foooooood! Yeah!!
-Rose of Sharon 'Purple' - Fantabulous! Really wanted! Thank you so much! :)

Overall I just can't say "Thank you!" enough! This is a way kewl package/gift exchange that Elly & I totally appreciate and have had fun with every step of the way! - Rippin' rox! Definitely gotta do this again! :) - Thanks again, Cheryl, Dan and everyone else!

- Cryptid (Darrin)

Darrin, that's quite the box you received from Cheryl! Kudos to everyone for proving that nice things come in small (and sometimes not-so-small) packages! ((clapping))

Darrin, six years away from the beach? That's horrible! Here we are surrounded by beaches, and my mail route is on a peninsula between two gorgeous bays. One of our local beaches was named in the top 10 in the world last summer. There's nothing more relaxing after a workday than to go lay on the beach and simply exist. Boy, you need to go to the beach more often!

I've got the next two days off from work thanks to MLK Day, and sometime during that time I will work my way through our posts to see if everyone has posted about their box.
In the meantime, let me say that April is now taking sign-ups for the February swap... Frugal Feb is what she's calling it, and it again is filling and sending a small priority box. Some of us have already joined her swap, and everyone is welcome to join in, so I hope to see you all there.

If you haven't already done so, please go to the rate & review forum and leave a note about the person who sent you your box. It's a great thing to do for them, and very helpful when someone is considering doing a trade with them. So please, leave them some feedback today, okay?

Later! I've got mail to deliver...

Peace.
-Dan

domehome, I am glad you liked your box! I love that you will use many of the seeds. As to those padded CD envelopes, one woman's CD envelope is another woman's seed trade bubble mailer. Ha ha! When I bought those it never occured to me that anyone would use them as anything other than a trade envelope. I can be incredibly single minded.

I got a very wonderful box yesterday from Tracy (joy_unspeakable)!!!!
It was tailor made for a seed collector! There were three permanent marking pens that I have already started to use. There was a tiny little flashlight that I have already put on my keychain. A Crossword Puzzle book and journal will help me pass the time while I am watching plants grow. There was also a neat pack of labels for seed packets and an assortment of munchies including a Dove chocolate bar. Alas, that one is already gone.
Best of all for a seedaphile like me was a nice assortment of seeds, some of which were truly choice.
I couldn't be more pleased.
Thank you so much!
Alana

Heidi, I really like Spiderworts. I had several very pretty ones at my garden in MD. Sweet Kate and Blueberry Sundae are two I especially remember.
They won't grow out here but should grow fine for you. Check them out.
BB

We're waiting for Shannon to pick up her package from Jacki at her post office, and then this swap will be finished.
Everyone did a GREAT JOB and gets a gold star for making this all happen like clockwork! ((giving you all a round of applause))
We'll keep this open so Shannon can tell us all about what she received from Jacki, hopefully sometime this weekend. C'mon Jacki! LOL!

Sorry guys! The suspense must continue until Tuesday since Monday is MLK day--DH surprised me and took me out of town (with no computer), and we just got back tonight (after the post office closed of course. Murphy (the guy who invented the law) and I are related, by the way. I'll pick up the box and post as soon as I can on Tuesday.

Jacki, I'm glad you liked the box--I'm looking forward to seeing what you sent (looks like we're another pair :-).

Linda, congratulations!

Dan, thanks again for hosting this swap...it's been a blast!

Okay, whew, after much ado, I was able to pick up the box, and WOW!!

Jacki sent a great card with some Michigan snow (thanks for that, by the way, I miss the snow), a box of notes, and as many seeds as the rest of the box would fit--they just kept coming :-). She sent nasturtiums, snapdragons, kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate, poppies, 4 o'clocks, evening primrose, castor beans, Queen Anne's lace, impatiens, beuty berry, chaste tree, sweet william, red canna, cosmos, and giant zinnias just to name a fraction--I'm floored! A great box that will be put to good use. Thanks, Jacki!!

And now, Dan, if you would do the honors, I think we can close this thread.

Thanks again, everybody.

Shannon, have you ever grown queen anne's lace? It's extremely prolific, so when you plant it, make sure that's where you want it. LOL! I transplanted a couple of plants into my garden about 3 years ago, and I've spent the last 2 summers pulling it out of the ground all over my lot. It's beautiful, but it will grow/go anywhere and everywhere! It's easy to pull though, so I'd still recommend you plant yourself some, and enjoy.

And now, having said that, I hereby declare this swap CLOSED, and once again invite y'all to join us in the February swap.

GREAT BOXES EVERYONE!!!

-DAN (banging gavel)