The daisy and the sweet pea are the month's traditional flowers

April is a month that is brimming with all sorts of special days! This month we’re going to celebrate those days. While these are not the only special days or weeks or themes that April has, I thought I’d mention a few that encompass faith, friendship, gardening and children. So, whatever your heart’s desire to include- Easter goodies, Stress relief, garden decorations, frogs and fairies (Beltaine being a time to see the fairies as well as the hand-fasting between the Lord and Lady), fun things to do rather than clean house, something to celebrate Earth or Arbor Days, something to make a friend feel special for Hug a Friend Day, or things to share our gardens with a child. All are wonderful ideas for this swap! (And I’m sure Mark and Dan will take care of several pranks for April Fool’s Day!, but you can include some in your box as well!)

THE RULES
#1 You have to be 18
#2 You are to send 5 or more seed packets (plants, cuttings, spring bulbs, etc are welcome too! Just make sure there are 5 different items), 2 goodies for your partner that speak to at least one of the special days listed, and a note to your partner telling them more about yourself!
#3 Sign up's are until the 5th at midnight (April 5 midnight ET) and then partners will be assigned the next morning after I get up and moving (April 6).
#4. The boxes are to be mailed out by April 20th This should give time to put together the box and hopefully have them all received by the end of the month. If you will be mailing late, for ANY reason, please either post here or contact your partner AND me privately by email. This way the at least the three of us are in the loop and know what's going on :)
#5. The confirmation number is to be posted or sent to your partner (people like to know when it's arriving)
#6 You have to share what you’ve received by posting your box’s contents for us all to ‘Ohhh’ and ‘Ahhh’ over!
#7 Remember to post a review for your sender in the Rate and Review Forum!
#8. This is all about fun and friendship! Have a good time with it!

I'M IN!!!

Kamil

Carrie

I've been lurking for quite a while now. I love to Make New Friends (and I'm all for No Housework Day - will have to mark that on the calendar!)

~ Tracy

As far as everyone else, you're more than welcome and I will start compiling a list. Only had a moment to drop in and wanted to use that to clear up any question about Kamil being able to join.

All newbies are welcome! The others will make you feel at home while I go take care of some things. Please, tell us about yourself so we can all get to know you!

Kathy

I have actually been a member of Gardenweb for many years but never did much exploring. I did not realize there were areas where we did exchanges and where I could get to know fellow gardening friends.

Thanks.

Deb

I would love to join! Since april is also my birthday, now I have even more excuses to celebrate all month long, specially the no housework day :)

Also welcome to cindy, fairyoak and smitties!.."passing around cups of tea and brownies"...

~Iris

Mary

Glad Kamil could join as he has a ton of great stuff to offer;-)

Dan you behave yourself on this one- especially if there are a lot of newbies we don't want them getting the wrong idea - hehehe BTW - hows your halloween garden coming along...

HAPPY Birthday - prayrock and mommyto2.

No house work day.... that don't sound right...... I think it should be no house work month. :-) Of course I wouldn't want to see the house after that month LOL

Tammy;-)

And, before I go, just let me say "WELCOME!" to all the new folks! We're always happy to see new blood in the group! Have a brownie, get some punch from Linda, sit down, and tell us all about yourselves! We "oldtimers" will do the same...

Dan

Alright, so here's the official list, so far!

Melissa (hazelnutbunny)
Mary (prayerrock)
Dan (dan_the_mailman)
Kamil (kamiljablo)
Linda (lindaruzicka)
Carrie (barefoot_contessa)
Tracy (joy_unspeakable)
Denise (antiqueorchid)
treegirl48
Cindy (cjcjmass)
fairyoak
smitties
Deb (debbya)
mommyto2
Iris (rane_grow)
Carol (veeja11)

For those of you that I don't have a first name for, please sign it on your posts, it makes it much easier for me to keep track of everyone- especially with some of the medications they have me on! :oP

I've noticed that a couple of our newbies do NOT have a trade or wants list up yet. It would be a good idea to at least list several wants. That way your partner knows what kinds of things you're interested in! I know that some of the things I never, ever thought I would get are growing in my beds right now because one of my swap partners saw it on my wants list. So even if it's things you don't really expect to receive- I use mine as a dream and drool list!- put it on there! You never know who might have it and not mind sharing a few seeds or a cutting!

Newbies, I'll be emailing you in the next couple of days with some info about participating in a round robin for you as well as requesting some information such as your name, mailing address and zone. I will make sure that your partner, after they are assigned, receive this compiled info.

Alright, official business taken care of for the moment, someone pass those brownies and is there any brandy to go with regular tea? It's BRRRRRRRR here and we're expecting 1-6 inches of snow tomorrow and Saturday, if you can believe! I'm telling you, Oklahoma weather is nuts! I'm really glad that I haven't put out anything but my cole crops.. they'll probably either freeze or bolt when it warms up after the thaw, but I have extra seedlings for my broccoli and everything else is quickly regrown from seed. I don't put much into the ground as far as spring stuff until the week after Easter anyway- we always have a freeze that weekend.

So, most of my seedlings are still tucked up safe in the house and not even due to begin hardening until after next week. I'm hoping the tulips, daffs, crocus, and everything else that's peeking up will be alright!

Off to get ready to go to my Orthopedic appointment. I'll check again for more sign-ups when I get back :)

Kathy

Happy birthday prayerrock (Mary) and antiqueorchid!!

Thanks tammy for the happy birthday!!

I have to get all of my wants list together. I have so many of them and they're all over the house. It's how I keep my sanity intact, by putting together wish lists :)

Monica

I am particularly fond of the NO HOUSEWORK day as well, especially so as it's the day before my bday. (FINALLY I HAVE AN EXCUSE!! LOL)

I was gonna lay low in April.. But I simply cannot resist! :P

Count me in Kathy!! :)

Hugs everyone!
~Wendy

Melissa (hazelnutbunny)
Mary (prayerrock)
Dan (dan_the_mailman)
Kamil (kamiljablo)
Linda (lindaruzicka)
Carrie (barefoot_contessa)
Tracy (joy_unspeakable)
Denise (antiqueorchid)
treegirl48
Cindy (cjcjmass)
fairyoak
smitties
Deb (debbya)
Monica (mommyto2)
Iris (rane_grow)
Carol (veeja11)
Tonya(tootsiepop254)

Lurking and waiting to decide:
Tammy (greenthumbgrow)

Sooo... back from the Orthopedist... I was offered two choices.. we could do the final 'less invasive' method to give me some relief with my back- spinal injections of cortisone steroids- which could be given in once per month, a month or so apart 3-4 times in a year and each would make me feel better for a little while...

Or, I could go ahead and have them set up an appointment with the Orthopedic Surgeon to get the surgery set up.

This was a really difficult decision for me, as some of you that are close to me know. But, it came down to that the injections are placed directly into my back, between the vertebra with the aid of an imaging machine, is very painful, takes a lot of time laying flat on my stomach (something very difficult and painful for me right now), the shots give relief, yes, for about a month and then the pain crashes back down hard... and did I mention this is a NEEDLE going DIRECTLY into my SPINE? So, a sneeze without warning and my fears really could be a direct reality- I could be paralyzed.

It still wasn't easy, even knowing the above about the injections. But, the surgery has come a long way, there is a greater chance of me being able to get back to a normal life after 24 years, and do so without pain or minimal pain that can probably be managed without medications. And the Orthopedist felt that in about a month's time after the spinal fusion surgery I would be feeling much better and well on my way back to resuming all of my normal activities as well as perhaps being able to do things I've not been able to do for years.

But, to be honest, the deciding factor was that he told us that I would eventually have to have this surgery and that the longer I wait, the worse the damage to the rest of my spine, the worse problems I will have and the worse problems that will be spawned form this core issue. Right now I'm young, only 39. I have a good chance of this healing very strong and much less issues in the future as well as the diminished recovery time after the surgery. The longer I wait, the lower the chance of success, the more problems with this area, and the greater the spawn problems and more recovery time for just healing, much less resuming life.

So, they're setting up the appointments. And I have an appointment on the other, related issue, as well, for those who know about the addendum to the need for the spinal fusion surgery that both of my doctors and my physical therapist all strongly agree is medically necessary. That appointment is on April 10th, so I should know something on that pretty soon after that date.

So, that's the short version of the update. If anyone's interested in the rest, just drop me an email. And I would like to request lots of prayers during this time. The thought of having the spinal fusion surgery scares me to pieces, so added peace and strength would be wonderful :)

Kathy

Mary

I am so sorry you must go though that. I will definately add you to my pray list. I had a spinal tap 17 years ago when I was 11 years old. I have two kids and I can honestly say childbirth was easy compared to that. It was the most painful experience of my life so I do understand the "needles in the back scared to death part of you" My back still swells up slightly when it rains because of the spinal tapp.

Tammy

Jaime

Kathy my son had a spinal fusion so if you want some info from my perspective on seeing him deal w/ all that, send me an email, ok? I'll be happy to gab about it thru there. **HUGS**

~Wendy

Kathy,
Dan says you're scared right now, so I thought I'd send you a hug and sing to you. Are you ready? Here we go...

Sometimes in our lives we all have pain
We all have sorrow
But if we are wise
We know that there's always tomorrow

Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on

Please swallow your pride
If I have things you need to borrow
For no one can fill those of your needs
That you don't let show

Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on

If there is a load you have to bear
That you can't carry
I'm right up the road
I'll share your load
If you just call me

So just call on me brother, when you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem that you'd understand
We all need somebody to lean on

Lean on me when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
Till I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on

Lean on me...

Remember, we love you...
-Bump

Sign me up.

Mark Case

(I know I said I was going to bed 3 and 1/2 hours ago, no I can not sleep! Uncle Arthur is playing tennis in my knee, or playing something he is having fun I on the other hand am not!
I will be going to bed shortly when I think I can actually sleep!)

Please put me on the thinking about it list Kathy...thanks!

:) Fran

Lurking and waiting to decide:
Tammy (greenthumbgrow)
Fran (ncgardengirl)

If I've missed anyone, please let me know!! We already have 22 people signed up for this swap, plus our two 'wait and see's'! How exciting!!!!

Thank you all so much for the prayers and good wishes. The power of prayer and positive energy is awesome and very appreciated! I am rather frightened, mainly because for so many years having surgery would not give me a good chance at a better quality of life. In my view, it was better to live with the pain than it was to take the (then) very real chance of returning to a wheelchair permanently. At least with the pain, I was still mobile and could still do some of the things I wanted to do. Though I know there are many things that can be done from a wheelchair, including gardening, I wanted to be on my own two feet for as long as possible. I don't think it's being ugly to say that many who are in a wheelchair did not choose to be there, and that's what I would have been doing back then, consciously choosing to be in a wheelchair.

So, though I still am dealing with that old fear, I am committed to this course of action and am working on the positives possible. I feel in my heart that the time has come for me to do this, it's just the head that's still having some problems :) So all the prayers and positive thoughts are very helpful.

Bump, thank you for the song and it's really wonderful to know I have so many friends here I can lean on :) Fran, I do know that I can contact any of my Garden Buddies and have a shoulder, and that is an amazing thing!

Wendy, I will take you up on that offer! It will be good to have someone else, besides just the surgeon, to tell me what I can expect. I've been talking with a few other people who have had this done, but having many impressions of the surgery and recovery is very valuable, it will give me a realistic picture of what I can expect and plan for.

Nikki, somehow I knew you would turn up! LOL, didn't I host in April last year too? That would make you a year old as a RR swapper! And a year old with MNF as well!

Welcome to all our newbies! I'm going to wait another day or two before I send a note to all our newbies with some info about RR swaps. That way I can do a large mailing at one time. Then everyone will have the same info.

Mary, I cannot promise that you will get a high dollar box, though I'm sure you will get one packed with thought and effort. We try to keep costs low on these boxes, because not everyone can afford, especially in these economic times, to send a high dollar box. I will not try to make that promise, nor will I require someone to spend more than they feel they can afford to craft a high dollar box for someone. Now, that said, I would consider that the boxes I've received through this group in the past year to have been wonderfully thoughtful, innovative, filled with creativity, thoughtfulness, and consideration. I have yet to receive anything I would consider as inferior or not worth the box that I sent out, regardless of how much or little I spent. If this is going to be a problem, then you might want to reconsider. Please let me know, or you are welcome to contact me privately via email.

And finally, Happy Birthday and Anniversary to all our April birthdays and wedding anniversaries as well as the membership anniversaries and MNF anniversaries!!

Kathy

I found Gardenweb almost 8 years ago and did my first trade. Since then, I have traded with people from all but 2 states as well as Puerto Rico. I am a long time member of another gardening site too.

Kathy, I am sorry to hear what you have been going through. I had spells of backpain many years ago and I remember well how awful it was. Fortunately, I was fixed up by a chiropractor and not everyone can find that to be a fix. I know that the prospect of surgery seems frightening but concentrate on the positive sides of the issue. Medicine and surgery has come a long way and with the internet, I bet you could find a site where you can get some support from others who have faced the same challenges. My prayers are with you through this.

I have done many, many package exchanges through my other group and I can tell you, I have never been disappointed. I know not everyone has the money to run out and buy big ticket items, (the cost of shipping has gone up so much, it is a big chunk of the cost of the fun), but I know they would like to have fun just as much as I do. Knowing someone you have never met has gone out with you in mind and found something for my garden or house, always makes me feel good about the exchange. Some of the homemade things have been awesome as well.

Thanks for including me and since I have discovered that there is so much more than just seed exchanges here, I have been having fun getting to know members.

I am off for the weekend to my son and future daughter in laws wedding shower. It is turning into a "girls" weekend so plan on having a good time. I take whatever butter bars are left. LOL

*off to take umm... let me count... 6 kids to the movies! (pray for me??) lol

Hugs everyone!
~Wendy

AMATEUR!!!

LOL!

I'm Tracy and I live in the piedmont of North Carolina. I have two wild children, ages 7 and 3, and my husband and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage in May. Before I had kids I was a full time Paramedic and an EMS instructor. Now technically I'm a stay-at-home Mom, but I teach emergency medical classes in the evening and Anatomy & Physiology at a local community college.

I grew up on a farm, so I have been around gardening all of my life. I remember my grandmother working in her gardens (plural) and flower beds from sun up to sun down, only going inside to cook meals. One year, when I was around 12, my grandfather and I grew a 4-H garden. It was huge! I remember we had eight LONG rows of green beans. That garden won a blue ribbon, but I swore I would never have my own garden. Now I live in the house that my grandparents built and work the same piece of land. Oh if I could only have a garden half as good as that 4-H garden!

I enjoy gardening. We live on six acres and have a little less than an acre plowed for planting this year - which might be a little ambitious. I found the Harvest forum last year, which helped me to start canning - then I discovered the seed exchange, and I'm going to need an acre or two to try all these new seeds. I'm mainly a veggie gardener. I haven't tried my hand at a true flower bed, I think I'm afraid I'll enjoy it too much!

Other that gardening and canning, I enjoy spending time with my family and my church. And I like to scrapbook when I can find the time (which is not often).

I look forward to this swap and to 'meeting' all of you. After all of that typing I think I'll have a brownie - I hear they're pretty 'relaxing' - and I'll have a gooey bar too!

Thanks for letting me join the fun.

~ Tracy

I really want to do the swap but I am still in waiting only because I have sooo much going on. I am hoping some of it slows down enough that I feel up to it.

Hugs everyone

-Tammy

I'm still debating on this one.

~CA

Linda, first you were beating people, and now you're going to use ropes on them? Hmmm, I didn't know this was that kind of site! But, if it is, I'm in! hehehe Get out of those bushes girl!

***smacking my lips as I eye that extra thick gooey chocolate icing on the brownies***

I'm CA (I have long name, so everyone just uses my initials). One of my earliest memories is of sitting in the garden eating peas.... At a young age, my parents taught me how to pick pea pods and get the peas out. Then they would sit me in the pea patch to stuff myself while they worked in the yard. I still love peas, but I've not had much luck growing them here in Virginia - spring and fall are too short! I'm trying again, but I started late, so I saw my first sprouts yesterday!

I moved to this house a couple of years ago. The yard was very overgrown, so I've slowly been clearing it out an reviving the old garden beds. The first year, I found a brick patio that had been hiding under lots of ivy. It needs to be reworked, but that is low on my priority list. Ivy removal is an ongoing effort...at my current rate of progress, I've got another 6 years of it.

Neighbors and passers-by stop to chat while I'm out working. They all tell me how nice the gardens were back in the day. No pressure there!

I have one vegetable bed - increasing to two this year. Cucumbers, zucchini, tomoatoes, peppers. Expanding to string beans, cantelope, and some others this year.

Last year I started a native garden bed. Mostly asters (so pretty in autumn), butterfly weed (I love orange!), goldenrod, coreopsis. Some Baptisia, Aquilegia, Boltonia, and Sedum. Unfortunately, I didn't get all of the Star of Bethlehem removed, so right now the area is covered in that. It is so dense I can't tell what of my plantings has survived the winter!

I'm starting a small herb garden. There was one before, but it was overrun with mint. Dug all that out last year and transplanted daylilies there. Have a new spot for the herb garden near the kitchen door (where an herb garden should be). So far just rosemary (was there already), oregano, and thyme. The rosemary is old and big - big enough that in the winter I don't even have to go outside - just open the window and snip what I need!

I want berries, and I've found a spot on the other side of the yard where I think I can put them. I have dreams of taking down some of the as-yet-unidentified trees over there and replacing with fruit trees - a small orchard! But that won't happen anytime soon, I'm sure.

My front yard is sad-looking. I have no interest in lawn care, and it shows. I need to revitalize the foundation plantings (right now there's nandina, shrubby evergreens, and a rose, and a lot of bare space), but I'm less excited by that. The one time my front yard looks good is RIGHT NOW, because I have hundreds of daffodils blooming.

So much I want to do, and so little free time! In good weather I'm torn between two loves: digging in the dirt and paddling my kayak.

OK, that's probably more than you wanted. I'm not normally this wordy, I promise. I'm looking forward to my first swap!

~CA

PR

PR

Linda, how many bottles of Bailey's do you go through a week? I'll bet you buy it by the case(s) just like I buy wine..........I am currently enjoying a very smooth Merlot...Delicious!! How is the weather in PA?? Shorts and a tattered tank today for me in Southern California....devine!!

Have a great weekend!

Annie

I'm glad you're feeling more comfortable, PR..c'mon over and sit down on the porch swing..the veranda is freshly cleaned off..."shaking out rug and wiping off table"..

Really, Annie....bragging about your "shorts" weather, while SOME of us are shivering our fluffy tails off, wearing 3 layers PLUS a Mr. Rogers sweater! (it's a white one today), while gulping steaming hot cocoa.
Gosh.

The nerve. :P

Hey Annie, this one's for you!!! LOL!!!

Time to go play in the garden....

Happy Sunday!!

Annie

meanwhile, I've got the whole town to hook up enough fans to blow all this bad weather towards Pennsylvania...

...tomorrow morning is supposed to be 39 and chilly ... go figure... Annie, could you send some of that warm California sunshine this way ?
hope everyone is enjoying their sunday ;-)

~Iris

LOL!

You can keep your warm weather for awhile. I am enjoying my Spring.

We had the rain for the last 3 days and now it is supposed to warm back up to the 60's again. I am sure I will have more babies spring up. I need to check my containers and make sure they are not drowning but we go back to school today (springbreak).

Have a wonderful day.
Nichol

Signed up:
Melissa (hazelnutbunny)
Mary (prayerrock)
Dan (dan_the_mailman)
Kamil (kamiljablo)
Linda (lindaruzicka)
Carrie (barefoot_contessa)
Tracy (joy_unspeakable)
Denise (antiqueorchid)
treegirl48
Cindy (cjcjmass)
fairyoak
Margo (smitties)
Deb (debbya)
Monica (mommyto2)
Iris (rane_grow)
Carol (veeja11)
Tonya(tootsiepop254)
Joan (ejmoore)
Jamie (ashcraftbunch)
Nikki (nikkineel)
Mark (markcase1964)
Mary (maryataylor_2008)
Kim (hillbillygal)
CA (sakura_komichi)
Annie (canyonwind)
Joseph(jdkind)

Lurking and waiting to decide:
Tammy (greenthumbgrow)
Fran (ncgardengirl)

Opting out:
Marie (wynative)

If I missed anyone, please let me know!

Sorry I was pretty much MIA this weekend!

It's been a rough weekend here. We didn't get the amount of snow they forecast, but we certainly got the miserable cold and wet weather! We needed the rain, the cold could have given us a pass, though. I feel like someone has stretched me on the rack- all my joints are swollen and feel like they want to jump out of socket. I ache from head to toe, on top of everything else. But it's suppose to be a lot nicer this week, so that should help. I'm just hoping that some of the barely peeking up shoots I have are alright. Cliff and the kids covered just about everything, but there were a few that were barely a half inch out of the ground that they didn't cover. We'll see.

26 signed up so far, and a large number of newbies! How cool! I'm going to share some info with the newbies about round robin swaps, but will wait a few more days before emailing to try to email everyone at once. So keep a watch here and please have email enabled on your trade page.

Another good idea would be to update your trade lists, even if you just list wants! You never know what kind of surprises you'll get!

Hope everyone has a great day! I'm gonna try to get caught up on a few things today, then go snuggle back up with my heating pads :P

Kathy

So please, to our newer swappers (at least to MNF!), please make sure that email is enabled on your page. You can set it to be visible to GW members only, if you like. But having a way to contact you is a must in a swap like this. If you need help getting it on your member page, just email me and I'll be happy to help.

And for the more experienced MNF members, if you can let me know who you swapped with, say, in the last 4 swaps you participated in- whether it was a MNF swap or not, I'll try to pair you with different people this time!

And WELCOME to all of the new members and sign ups!!!

Kathy~really off to do her catch up stuff, now!

Nichol

Hi friend
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MSN : shp-china@hotmail.com
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They are apparently offering inexpensive electronic equipment but I would be very cautious as they were not reliable in the swaps.
diene

Sent you an email via GW. If you do not receive, let me know!

Thanks!

Annie

I sent you an e-mail Saturday. I don't know if you received it. Please let me know.

Thanks,
Amelia

Joan

Hugs,
Wendy
*grinnin'...

Kathy, btw, I sent you an email!

Everyone be careful of that virus that's supposed to hit tomorrow. Do your backups and keep your virus stuff updated.. JUST in case!!

Amelia, I did not receive the email. You're welcome to email me directly at kathyl.walker@yahoo.com

Kathy

Now, about that whole Linda and Dan dancing naked in the corn thing, I was most definitely NOT naked! I was wearing my sandals!!! And, if I'm not mistaken, I believe Linda was wearing her tube socks at the time.

Now, did you all know that Miss Bunny has been taking fertility drugs, and is having triplets this time? Way to go Bunny!

Signed up:
Melissa (hazelnutbunny)
Mary (prayerrock)
Dan (dan_the_mailman)
Kamil (kamiljablo)
Linda (lindaruzicka)
Carrie (barefoot_contessa)
Tracy (joy_unspeakable)
Denise (antiqueorchid)
treegirl48
Cindy (cjcjmass)
fairyoak
Margo (smitties)
Deb (debbya)
Monica (mommyto2)
Iris (rane_grow)
Carol (veeja11)
Tonya(tootsiepop254)
Joan (ejmoore)
Jamie (ashcraftbunch)
Nikki (nikkineel)
Mark (markcase1964)
Mary (maryataylor_2008)
Kim (hillbillygal)
CA (sakura_komichi)
Annie (canyonwind)
Joseph(jdkind)
Nichol(gardenmom2)
Amelia (amelia_pepper_lady)

Lurking and waiting to decide:
Tammy (greenthumbgrow)
Fran (ncgardengirl)

Opting out:
Marie (wynative)

Got you that time, Nichol! Amelia, I responded to your email and Annie, I received your email, thank you!!

Welcome to all the new sign ups!

Diene, thanks so much for the info! I would be very wary for dealing any further with them!

Say, I don't suppose anyone here with farm animals plants timothy hay for them and might have a couple tablespoons that I can trade for? I'm trying to find some, but just need a little bit and everywhere I have found online to purchase it I'd have to buy at least 2oz of this really teeny seed.... that's a LOT more hay than I'm looking for! Just thought I'd toss it out and ask!

Kathy~ wondering what the pranksters will come up with today...

LINDA, I LIVE NORTH OF THE HOME OF THE SUPERBOWL CHAMPS! PITTSBURGH STEELERS! And hopefully stanly cup! Champs! Keeping fingers crossed. GO! PENS!
Cranberry Township PA

Happy April 1 EVERYONE ( SPRING IS HERE )

I am currently swapping with Kamil now in the newbei swap. Which is my first on GW.

Congrads to miss Bunny. AT a Girl!

Hay Dan my owner says she wouldn't mind hooken up with bump! ( MEOW )

Later all !
Joseph

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!APRIL FOOLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (i'm in)

:O)

Dan~ I brought the cupcakes. Hope you like them, I couldn't find my food processor....had to leave the oregano leaves whole.
Doggone it.

here's a picture of Mark taken this last weekend...

Oh, and Kathy has a wooden leg.

HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY...I see you all had 'mush' fun with this!

KATHY?!!! I'M IN!!!!

:) Fran

Linda, before we went dancing in the corn...

Hi Fran. You are the bestest neatest lady out there I think. I loved your surprise you sent me. They are planted and happy. Thanks sooo much.

OK. Now for the good stuff. Who is pregnant????? Is it real or april fools??? I wanted to say congrats but it is APRIL 1st. SOOOOOOO LOL Help a newby out......

Nichol
Who is stll laughing

You left me out there behind the bushes! I got lost getting back here!

Where's that rabbit to check and make sure about the rumors! LOL!

Mark

Hey Nichol, you are very welcome. If any of them do not make it you let me know!

I think with all this going on in the bushes I will take a glass of tea and a cupcake and take a midnight stroll.
I will cover my eyes as I pass the bushes and I will put in my earplugs so I can't hear it either hehe.

:) Fran (who is humming to herself ignoring the sounds outback in the bushes)

We did have an exciting April Fool's day here, though.
Ya'll know we're cleaning up from that darn ice storm we had back in January. (UGH!) It's amazing the sheer number of branches and twigs that are still on the ground. And when you've got 2 acres to clean.....OY.....
ANYWAY. When the limbs & trees snapped from the 3" of ice on them, they were so heavy that when they hit the ground, many branches got pushed into the ground several inches ( I was pulling some out yesterday that were as deep as 12"!)

So basically, what you have is a yard full of booby traps. Nice little spikes sticking up out of the ground anywhere from 4" tall to a few FEET tall. And the little ones are HARD to see.

So what happened is Adora was walking outside BAREFOOT (which I did NOT know!) and she happened to step on one of the 4" high ones. A nice, jagged one. Luckily, it only took a big chunk off the side of her foot, and didn't go through.

THEN, as I was loading the back of the truck up with branches (that poor, poor truck...it looks like it's been through a war after all this!) a big limb knocked me upside the head (like I needed that, I'm nuts ENOUGH as it is!). So I've got a 1.5" long cut & knot on my forehead. But if it was an inch lower, I'd have a black eye...so THAT'S good.

AND THEN!!!! Hubby was up on our hill, doing cleaning up there, and he walks into the house a bit later, and says.."I'VE BEEN STABBED". I'm thinkingl...."ha ha, april fools...ha. ha."
He's like..."No, REALLY, honey....I've been stabbed!"
And he pulls up his shirt, and SURE ENOUGH....right in the gut!
OY OY OY.
Seems one of those broken off staubs got him as he was coming down off the hill. He jumped the last few feet of a ledge, and came down on the staub. UGH!

Yes, so our day was ever-so exciting.
I'm glad it's over.

I'm not doing yard work for at least another week.
:P

Lurking and waiting to decide:
Tammy (greenthumbgrow)

Opting out:
Marie (wynative)

See, that wooden leg is why I'm hobbling lately! I thought I was gonna be able to keep it a secret! :P

Welcome to Fran and Diene!! They bring our number to 30!!!

Nichol, hon, I could not find your questions after reading through the entire thread. If you'd like to email me, I'd be happy to answer them for you.

I am going to be emailing all the newbies this weekend, probably tomorrow. I would appreciate it if all the newbies signed up would make sure their email option is available on their member page and be watching for this email and to please respond to it quickly so that I can set up the partner's list that I'm posting Monday. If the option to email you from your member page isn't available, I will not be able to contact you with information you'll need. If you do not respond to the email I am sending by Sunday morning or I cannot email you because there is no option to do so on your member page, I will consider it as dropping out of this swap and will not assign you a partner.

Diene, thanks for the offer to help! I really appreciate it.

Alright, an update on me. I got a call yesterday saying that the Orthopedic surgeon could see me today at 2 PM. So, after Cliff takes our now 16 year old daughter to get her Learner's Permit, we're going to go pick up my MRI films. Not sure what time we'll be finished at the appointment. This should be mainly the surgeon's evaluation and I'm doubtful that he will want any further 'less invasive' procedures attempted, since we've already pretty well covered all of them and they were unsuccessful. He may order some other tests to see if I'm fit for surgery- like bloodwork to check my cholesterol levels (since I was borderline high in my last set of bloodwork and am taking pills to help lower it) and probably some lung capacity and volume tests since I am now officially a former smoker! We have been taking Chantrix to help us quit and for anyone who smokes and is considering quitting, I would suggest talking with your Doctor about this medication. It is amazing! We were able to step down, but the really neat part is that even with doing the step down, we weren't receiving any nicotine- the medication blocks the receptors for nicotine in the brain- so really you get nothing out of smoking. Anyone interested in our experience with it can email me :) However, last night was our last light up. We gave the ash trays and lighters a nice burial in the large trash cans outside, the trash pickup was this morning about 7 am. So, they are all gone. Today we are completely airing the house out and will be spraying several cans of the order eliminating stuff all through the house and next week we have people coming out to completely deodorize the house and heating/AC vents.

So, that said, I'm betting the surgeon will want lung capacity and volume tests run to see if we can schedule the surgery soon or if we'll need to wait. Some surgeons require only that you have good results on the capacity and volume tests, others require that you not have been a smoker for at least 6 months. The main reason, aside from the obvious, is that a spinal fusion is more successful with the more oxygen the lungs can provide. So, we'll see what he wants to do as far as that.

So, I'm off to get a few things done, then go be poked and prodded for heaven only knows how long. Taking my pain meds with me because I know I'm going to get a work out from the evaluation and will be really hurting afterwards.

Everyone have a wonderful day!! I'll try to check in later :)

Kathy~ professional Guinea Pig lately, it seems :P

Kathy, CONGRATS on the stopping smoking!! You are going to be amazed how much you think cigs will stink in a bout a month or so! :) And your lungs will thank you for this! I hope the tests go well for you!!

Fran, how's the unpacking comin' along?? :)

**innocently puttin' away my camera and turnin' on the leaf blower FULL blast to help out Dan, Mark, Linda.. goodness who else was it that's been out there rollin' in the hay & leaves?? p.s. I have GREAT blackmail material now...... hehehehee

Hugs everyone!
Wendy

And Linda? Sweetie, you forgot one of your socks...

I have several emails regarding the swap and will respond to them tomorrow. I do know that Mary (prayerrock) has decided that she will hold back from this swap so she doesn't become overwhelmed. Mary, I hope you will still join us on the thread and get to know everyone! This is a great group to make new garden buddies in!

Short update on me- met with the surgeon this afternoon. The surgery is definite. I should know either tomorrow or the early part of next week what date, but for the moment we're looking at late May, early June. The prognosis is really good. In a month after the surgery I should be doing markedly better as far as pain. About 3 months later I should be able to resume basic, non stressful household chores. 6-9 months after I should be able to do all of the things I'm use to doing, without bearing a lot of weight. After a year, I should be back to doing everything I was doing before this happened. One of the primary benefits will be the drastic reduction of pain. I know that sounds silly... but to be honest, I don't know what it's like to live without pain. After 24 years, to me this is 'normal'. So, it will be interesting to see what living without it will be like.

I'm exhausted, though. So anyone who wants to know more is welcome to email me.

I'll answer all emails, both about the swap and the surgery tomorrow.

Kathy

blessings,
Mary

:) Fran

I am glad to hear that relief is on its way. After living with the pain all those years, you'll feel like a new person. That is great!

These postings are a hoot. Thanks for the entertainment everyone.

I also sent the same email to a few more experienced GW members. I did this so that they not only had the same info that I sent the newbies for this swap, but so that it's available for any host to use in future swaps. So, experienced members, if you received it, it was for that purpose. If you have any suggestions, I'd be happy to incorporate them!

I sent that email keeping everyone's emails private except mine, that way if you did not want your email widely available, that was respected. :)

There was one member that I had to mail to through GW, so Tonya (tootsiepop 254) if you do not receive it, please let me know!

There were two sign ups that there was no email listed for and whom have not emailed me to give me an email address for them. I need them to do so by tomorrow at noon if they are still interested in joining this swap. If I do not hear from them by that time, I will drop them from the list.

They are : treegirl48 and fairyoak

Newbies, I need to have a response from you letting me know that you understand the commitment you are making to this swap and whether you are still interested in participating or not by Sunday morning, April 5th. If I do not have a response from you by that time, I will not assign you a partner for this swap. This is to give me time to pair everyone up, taking into consideration who has had recent swaps or trades with other members that are signed up.

Normally I do all of this via private email, but with the large number of newbies joining this time, I felt it would be best to set a deadline for hearing back from everyone to give me some time to work pairings :)

I'll post an updated list of those participating tomorrow. The deadline for sign ups is this Sunday, April 5th at midnight. I will post a new thread for partners on Monday, April 6th! So if you're lurking, or still considering, you still have a couple of days to sign up!

Kathy

Now....if only I had something interesting and informative to say.........

Kathy - I got your e-mail and I replied immediately.
Also, I am so happy to hear that you have found a good surgeon and that you will have a new body in a year! Isn't that amazing! Will continue to keep you in my prayers and thoughts!

Dan - There you go with your "special" oregano again. No wonder everyone is so loopy and free flowing in this group! LoL ;-)

Ok ladies and gents- keep your clothes on for a little bit longer! It's too darn cold to be running around in your skibbies out there! Well, unless you are going to be dancing around a fire, then you all better let me know about it! Can't miss out on that! I'll bring the music!

Be good! Have a wonderful weekend. We are suppose to be in a winter storm warning Sat. pm - Sunday pm :-(
Someone send me sunshine and a soft southern breeze please!

Carrie

For that matter...better keep Mama Fran away, too. She's been singin' and drinkin' tequila....that gal can never keep her clothes on when that happens.
Wouldn't want her to get something toasted, either.

Oh, wait....too late for that....
Gee whiz, Mama Fran...you're supposed to be a good role model, too...

*Linda, pass me those brownies...I'm feeling disillusioned.....

Yesterday was really beautiful here. I worked on a couple of gardens and cleaned off my patio. Sat in the sunshine and just chilled...today..well today there has been cold stinging rain with wind blowing all over the place! Spring sure is a strange season!

Just don't pull too hard on the leash, M'Kay???

Bunny, Unleashed...

I'll take a mug, though :)

I am still in having problems with comcast e-mail
this morning, i did ready the e-mail regarding the rule for the swap but can not reply back thru comcast. so just to let you know i'm still in..

Thanks

Hello sassybutterfly 2008

Still waiting to hear from a few people, then I can really start working up the partner list!

Kathy

***camping out in Kathy's living room until the list is up. anyone care to join me at the bonfire I made on the coffee table?***

you all are to much. Can I get in on some brownies and tea?

Kathy I got a min. and emailed you today/ rr rules

WHEN will this lady be finished??

*snatching Dan's brownie*

Finished? With what? *innocent expression*

Fairyoak, I still have you listed, but could you introduce yourself to us? I don't know what your first name is!

***looking for the list through the smoke***

Ahhh, nah Kathy we wouldn't hurt you, nah not really.

Ummm, Dan put the chainsaw away!

Who wants a baked potato while we PATIENTLY wait? (Tapping foot) I can wait really...

:) Fran

A VERY long time ago- about, oh, 18 years or so - I was at a slumber party with a couple of friends. We were roasting marshmallows on a bonfire, out in the front yard. And, since this was out in the sticks (and I mean...WAY out in the sticks, the closest neighbor was 5 miles away, and the closest neighbor to THEM was 5 miles away......ANYHOO....pardon, too many brownies, My mind tends to wander....)
SOOOO....this was out in the sticks, and there were chickens running around in the yard. Poor, helpless, defenseless chickens.
Lots and lots of chickens.
So there we were, using old wire coat hangers (unfolded, of course) to roast marshmallows. Then, the unthinkable, un-avoidable, and totally a waste of good marshmallow happens.
My marshmallow caught fire.
And I don't mean *fire*. I mean....FLAMING, INCINERATING, little-ball-of-DEATH type fire.
Yay.
Naturally, I'm calm and collected....while the other girls are screaming their fool heads off. "YOUR MARSHMALLOW'S ON FIRE! YOUR MARSHMALLOW'S ON FIRE!!!!"
Yeah, duh.....

So, I react in an appropriate manner, of course.
I start waving the coat hanger/marshmallow fire ball in the air, hoping to fan out the fire.
Next thing I know, the marshmallow goes flying off the end of the wire, whizzing through the air.....ZOOOOMMMM!!!!......

And smacks a poor chicken RIGHT ON THE NOGGIN.
Still flaming, with marshmallow-ey goo going everywhere, the poor chicken runs around bock-bocking all over the place.
We all run for the water hose, and put the chicken out...

But she didn't make it. :O(

Guess what we had for supper the next night?

Yep, roasted chicken!

Tell us another one, Kathy is apparently MIA! Someone needs to keep us entertained!

Oh KAHTYYYYYYYYY,,,,WHERE ARE YOU...Are you SLEEPING?????
KATHY! WAKE UP......

:) Fran

KATHY!!!!(Banging pots and pans together) OH, KATHY!!!!!
WHERE ARE YOU!!!

~ Tracy (waiting patiently) :)