Maryanne - Wow nice story. Count me in sounds like fun.

Shirley

Welcome Shirley....looking forward to hearing your story!!!

I have to admit, I worked on that like a madwoman. it was either that or work....this won out!!!!

Maryanne

Sounds like fun! Sorry, I'm going to have to pass this month...way behind. :)

Have a great time!
vina

hello
Im in for this swap
Im not a good writer though so this will be very short.

Lazy Lilly didnt feel well, she was very sad about it and wanted someone to help her or she was not going to bloom.
But what was bothering her? was it aphids, was it beetles or is it mold?

so Lillies gardener flips the pages to find just the right thing to do. with the problem found, and fixed miss Lilly bloomed wonderfully.

well that is my story can you quess the book?

thanks michelle

I am back after 2 weeks spent in California helping with the triplets and visiting my daughter and son-in-law! I haven't even walked around outside my house to check my gardens yet, but what I can see through the window does not look promising. It has continued to be very hot and dry here and my husband watered a few times but has a lot to do when I am gone so I don't know what will survive and even the "survivors" likely look way too bad to send to anyone.
For now put me done was a "no." Sorry to miss out on this swap. Cute idea.
It will still be awhile, but I am now looking forward to some cooler fall weather. I know there has to be some out there somewhere...
I'll post a triplet picture when I get a bit more organized. I flew home using overnight flights so I didn't sleep and am trying to recover. I think it was something like 112 degrees at 9 p.m. when I landed in Phoenix. It sounds like they are having a very bad summer. Texas, too, I know.
The temperatures at my daughter and SIL's house were fantastic and what beautiful gardens! I wish I could have sent something from there!
Jeanne

Good morning

Players:
Maryanne
Shirley
Michelle

Sitting out:
Vina
Jeanne

Michelle, can't guess the book, but I take it your box will be filled with lillies!!!!!!

Jeanne, looking forward to seeing update pix. And that heat...not something I can live in/with. I'm not good in the hot, my garden beds look terrible if we don't have a decent temperature day to work in. and the mosquitos are horrendous this year. too many dead bats in this state to keep the bug population under control.

Maryanne

I will have to pass this month.
Y'all have fun! :)

As much as it pains me to do so- I think I am going to sit this one out. Have fun:)

Good morning
Players:
Maryanne
Shirley
Michelle

Sitting out:
Vina
Jeanne
Melissa
Jennifer

Everyone in the path of Irene, please stay safe. It's so calm out right now....not sure what tomorrow will bring, but they are already evacuating areas.

Maryanne

It's only 89 degrees out there this afternoon and we have a breeze so Irene is being good to us. I hope to get outside to work in the gardens for a little while later in the day.

Now you know I won't ignore a request for a picture of the triplets. Here is one I took while I was there. The boys are almost 6 months old.

{{gwi:1292865}}

They love to have stories read to them and afer you read the page, you turn it so they can see the pictures and they know to expect that. You show the picture three times since each one needs to see it up close and personal. I had lots of fun with them. For some reason they thought I was really funny and when I played with them, they would just laugh and laugh.

Stay safe as Irene makes its way through. I haven't listened to the news yet today so I will have to see what the forecast is now that the storm is closer. What a summer we have had! I walked around the gardens a few times and so much has died - rose bushes, azaleas that we planted when we first moved here, etc. I will definitely be pulling up lots of dead plants once the weather cools off and redoing some of the beds.

Well, I haven't done any sewing in over 2 weeks now, so I think I will log off and work on some quilting projects that are waiting for me to get back to them.

Jeanne

Maryanne,
Great Story!
I'm sorry to say I won't be playing. I'm too darn busy. Everything I put off because of the tomato party has t obe done now, and the Niagara Falls Blues Festival is in two weeks. My father runs that and I feed the bands, so it will be crazy for awhile.

Jeanne,
Great pic! They are adorable.
Remy

Remy, I totally understand. TP looked great...one of these days and the blues festival - well, how do you say no? :-)

Jeanne, those boys are just adorable. i think the one on the right looks like you!!!!! triple the cuteness.

hope everyone survived the storm. please check in. Wondering if this is even a good time to have a swap given the disposition of mother nature!!!!

in one week. rain, sunhine, earthquake, hurricane and tornado. doing a real happy dance that i do not live anywhere near a volcano!!!!! everyone stay safe.

Playing:
Maryanne
Shirley
Michelle

Sitting out:
Vina
Jeanne
Melissa
Jennifer
Remy

Oh Maryanne, I am sooo sorry, but I will be passing this month. Has nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with our first grandbaby being born. Her due date is Sept. 1, but if she is not here between now and Sept. 6, our DIL will be induced the morning of the 6th. Are we excited??? Ummmm....YES!!!!! First grandbaby and great-grandbaby for both sides of families. Once they get home with her, the kids want a week alone with her. Then, a week after they have been alone at home with her, they want me to come and stay for a week. Yippee! And, we will be going up for the birth, too. If she goes between now and the 6th, they will call us as they are heading to the hospital, and we will take off for St. Cloud(MN). Molly's parents will be doing the same. Ok, nuff of that. I know you understand. Have fun!
ME

Good morning everyone.

Mellen....how very exciting and yes indeed, i know exactly how you feel. CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am wondering if we should postpone this month too given the weather, etc. I guess I'll wait a few more days to see who pops in, if not, maybe we should hold off....decisions, decisions, decisions!

Playing:
Maryanne
Shirley
Michelle

Sitting out:
Vina
Jeanne
Melissa
Jennifer
Remy
MaryEllen

Mellen,
I am so excited for you! With our grandsons having arrived just six months ago I know all the joy you have ahead. I'll be praying that everything goes smoothly with the baby's delivery --- and please share pictures!

Remy,
Congratulations on your tomato party! I'm sure it's lots of work to prepare for it and your tomatoes up that way look so wonderful. Mine are tiny and very few, but I did grow some this year even after worrying that none of my plants might set fruit.

Maryanne,
I hope your swap picks up some more participants. I have been through my gardens since I got home and there are really no plants from it anyone would want right now. They are looking pretty bad. I am wondering whether I should start some seeds for a fall garden or whether to just give up on it for this year. I did want to redesign my beds so this definitely gives me the chance to do that!

Hello to everyone else in the group, too.

Jeanne

Good morning everyone.

Jeanne, I so feel your pain with the plants. Not sure how your seasons run, but there's so much more to do, might as well said adios for this year to the garden beds. i actually did some much needed weeding saturday morning before the big storm hit, and i have so much more to do. i know there's so much that hasn't made it, and so much more that needs to be moved, divided, donated. i'm beginning to think downsizing even the yard is a great idea!!!!!

if there is no other interest, at least after the holiday, i think we can cancel this. weather, holiday, storms, vacations, etc. maybe this is not the time to have a swap. we can always save this for another time.

if everyone can, at least pop in to say yea or nay to this month so i know what to do.

stay well all. i myself will have an extended weekend, taking off this friday and then my sweet baby starts kindergarten on wednesday. i should be a basket case!!!! time sure flies.

take care, be well!
maryanne

Finally checking in!!! Maryanne, I love the theme but have to pass.

Happy Wednesday to all. Stay safe, stay cool!

Annie

Has anyone else been gathering seeds? My plants may be pitiful, but there are lots of types of seeds out there. Last year I got seeds from my geranium plants and was excited that they grew for me this year. Today I collected petunia seeds. Lots still to go... I need to get ready for the end of the year seed swaps! (I agreed to host the annual Theme Garden Seed Swap later this year so I hope some of you will join in. I will probably post it early in November.)
Jeanne

sadly, i have to bow out this month. i'm too crazed to even creep on the forums lately!

Maryanne-Sorry everyone is so busy this month. With only three you may want to have it another month. Where is dear Carol?

I'm so excited for the 3 day week-end coming up. DH and I are making head way in cleaning up flower beds.

Mellen - Can't wait to see pictures. What a miracle those babies are and we get to help God with that miracle.

Jeanne-Goodness I can't believe the boys are that big already. They have changed so much. I have gathered a few seeds of my favorite plants. I have boxes of seeds I did not use this year. I always have great plans to start seeds in the Spring but time gets away.

Shirley

Hi all! Just had a few minutes to pop in :)

Maryanne, so sorry we are all crazed this month. But the weather this summer has been less than agreeable. Between tornadoes, droughts, floods, hurricanes, and earth quakes...we're all tuckered out. :) It really is a great idea for a swap and you should keep it tucked away for the next time you host.

ME, Congratulations on the new little one. HOW EXCITING!

Remy, Congrats on your tomato party! Wish I was just a bit closer to go.

Jeanne, those babies are just getting cuter by the day! Please keep the pic's coming. I've been a seed collecting dynamo this year too. Been out just about every day for the last couple weeks, something different every day is ready to collect. Seed season is shaping up to be great this year :)

Taylor starts 2nd grade on Tuesday...WOW! 2nd grade already! I still can't believe where the time has gone. And Billy only has 1 more year home with me before he heads to Pre-school. I really, really want this year to go s l o w l y. I don't think I'm ready to sent both my babies to school.
We went and met Taylor's teacher yesterday. She seems like a very nice lady. All the kids just love her. :)

Gotta run...talk to you later...
vina

I am glad to see this thread is filled with lots of good news instead of bad. My son started kindergarten last Thursday. He loves it. My other son will go to pre-school next year. I think that it's good for them to have time apart. They are playing together a lot more and not fighting :o) My sister is scheduled to have her baby on the 6th too. This is her second and 4th grandchild for my dad. The Dr diagnosed her with gestational diabetes 3 weeks ago. They keep saying that this baby will be big, we are praying that it will be healthy since the diagnosis was made so late in the pregnancy.

I have started to collect some seeds. With all this rain I am afraid of mold. The best thing in my garden this year was my Mexican Sunflower. That plant stayed green through the drought and stayed up right through the wind. I will definitely be planting more of this plant next year.

I am going to sit out this swap. My plants are pretty much divided out for this year. I have purchased several new day lilies. I can't wait to swap them next year.!!

Heidi

NOTE: I WILL TUCK THIS SWAP AWAY FOR ANOTHER TIME. WE WILL CANCEL IT FOR THIS MONTH.

I am so in agreement, what with weather this entire season, it's a good idea to postpone.

I'm starting my "holiday" weekend early...hope everyone has a great one. See you in October!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maryanne

I was just going to get on and say hello to everyone! I haven't been on for months, but am finally back to work after 5 1/2 months! And it is hard, but hopefully will be a little easier in a couple weeks. I haven't been swapping this year, and hate it, but had to many other things to think about! I think I would like to just bow out of the swaps here this year, so could someone please take over my November swap for me? And hopefully come the new year, I can rejoin the obf's and have more time, more money, and more energy to join in on the fun! I know you have to do at least 6 of the swaps and I've not done any I don't think!
Jeanne, those boys are absolutely beautiful! What a special gift that is!
So glad everyone is doing ok, considering the way the year has been weather wise for most people. We burned up early here and still are somewhat! Most everything died off. Had started a ton of wintersowing which was all coming up good and beautiful when had surgery! My dgt. and friends helped plant them all for me, but even with tons of watering most didn't make it. Even shrubs and trees around have some that have died. Some I wanted so badly, so will start again this winter!
Hope to join in again next year and hope all continue to be well and have great gardens!
Melinda

I want those babies !!! sorry can't play got too much to do to get ready to leave oct 12th for vacation, hopefully november I can swap. sorry Maryanne I always love being in your swaps.hugs Carol

Have a few free minutes. I was wondering who has October? I think I volunteered for it after Sue N. couldn't do it. Does anyone have the calender?

Thanks!
vina

this is what i have in my files:

OCTOBER - April (Boo-tiful Bulbs?)
NOVEMBER - Melinda
DECEMBER - Jeanne

ooo, this is a good time to ask everyone to send in their updated questionnaires if they haven't already. If you need a copy of the questions, please message me.

sorry I haven't been on in awhile. Things have been crazy with me and the kiddos back in school, plus work extras. how is everyone? Looks like this month was put on hold?

I really should write these things down...looks like I have November for the MNF's Group :)
Thanks for the list!
vina

Does anyone know - are we going to have an October swap? Things have been pretty quiet here and I think it is too early for me to post the December swap. LOL
Jeanne

Hello all again! Please read the post about 6 messages back. I am unable to do any trading right now or hosting. I sincerely apologize for this, so someone will need to do the November swap also. Once again, I am off work and have been for 2 1/2 weeks and don't know when I will be able to go back. I explained that I hadn't done any of the swaps this year due to health and no money. I hate it, but it's the way it is. I hope to maybe get back in the swing next year but this year I wanted to be put on the back burner and maybe you all will let me back in next year. I apologize as I truly miss the swaps but just not able right now. Thanks and hugs to all, Melinda

Melinda,
Don't you worry about it a bit. If no one else steps up, I will host November and December... but I cannot do October. I will be away for two long weekends and am way behind on things that have a deadline this month.
I guess I just popped in to ask because all summer it was to hot and dry for me to do any trading and we now have some weather I can manage.
Is our group still stopping in to read messages?
Hope everyone has a good weekend.
Jeanne

April has October. Maybe she'll be posting this weekend :)

I am anxiously awaiting the october swap:)

Melinda, i totally hear you! for me, it's summer-- all the time in the world and no money at all to enjoy it.

hope everyone is well!

OCTOBER -
NOVEMBER -
DECEMBER - Jeanne (sandlapper_rose

For some reason I'm thinking April posted she could not do the October swap. Would someone take October for the group since we have missed two months straight now. Jeanne as you said if no one steps up for Nov please feel free to take it.

Sure have missed everyone.

Shirley

I'll take October...LOVE THIS MONTH ANYWAY :)
vina