Good it's my turn! I'll pick inradaareggjrgnunoaciry2007 from Janine. It will be a surprise for me too!

Thanks! - Lisa

Moving right along! Robin, you are up next!
Here's where we stand:

Choosing order:
Robin
Alana
Michelle
Myself

Magazines left to choose from:
weofoknrodt - from Kelly
rdisb nad olboms - from Michelle
nracebangraymadkidgy - from Suzanne, and
mjsbvlirblodos&y11 - from Robin

Talk to ya all later!
Shirley!

I am back home and thought I better check in.........Things are moving along!

Vina, I need to get to work on you. You have two swaps coming from me. I will post when I send!

I agree....I love the surprise of not knowing what the magazine is!

Happy Wednesday to all!

Annie

MY TURN!! I CHOOSE nracebangraymadkidgy - from Suzanne.I LOVE SURPRISES AND I STINK AT UNSCRAMBLING!!

I think that makes it my turn. I will take Robin's magazine without attempting to unscramble it-another surprise.
I mailed Janines's package today. I was called out very early and put it in the car in case I had time to mail it and off it went-priority mail, without DC. We'll see how that works.
Alana

Wow, this moved along very well!
Michelle, the only two choices left were Kelly's and yours, so that means you get Kelly's, and I get yours!
Strange how that worked out!

Here's what we've got:
Wendy sending to Jeanne;
Annie sending to Vina;
Kelly sending to Michelle;
Suzanne sending to Robin;
Margo sending to Kelly;
Jeanne sending to Lisa;
Vina sending to Wendy;
Lisa sending to Margo;
Robin sending to Alana;
Alana sent to Janine;
Michelle sending to Shirley; and,
I am sending to Annie

Any questions, concerns?
Let me know!
Shirley!

hello
sounds good to me
send me your address shirley
I will try to get these on the way ASAP
thanks
michelle

Suzanne, I will be mailing your swap package later today. Somehow I looked at the list above and saw Lisa so my morning got off on the wrong foot. LOL I taped over the address and it has a new one attached for Suzanne - I am recycling. LOL Hope you like what I am sending, Suzanne!

Shirley, thanks for being the first hostess for FOTESS and getting us off to such a good start. (...but you did wake me up really well with who do I send too I'll be back to post a November Swap, but not unitl after Halloween.
Jeanne

Hi Everyone!
Jeanne, there seems to be a lot of "that" going around lately!
Everybody, please remember to post here when you mail and when you receive!
The deadline for mailing packages is Oct. 26th.
Have a great day!
Shirley!

Okay, Ladies, I screwed up again. You may never want to trust me to do this again!
this is the way it goes: (the part I screwed up):
Jeanne sends to Suzanne;
Janine sends to Lisa
Again, my apologies.
Shirley

Evening!!

Wendy your package is going out in the mail in the morning. I am so ahead of the game with this swap its scary. I even had your addy because I signed up for the wintersowing swap, lol!

I'll post dc when I mail. :)

Thanks so much ladies for hosting such a fun swap! :)

Talk to you soon.
vina

Vina,

Your small, simple and recycled somethings are headed out Priority tomorrow....Friday afternoon. You should receive Monday...hopefully. I will post the DC# tomorrow evening.

This has been a wonderful first FOTESS swap...very fun. Thanks Shirley and all the rest of you FOTESSERS!!!

Happy Friday!

Annie

Hi Everyone~
Lisa's package is in the mail. Thanks for hosting this swap, Shirley. It was fun. Happy Weekend all.
~Janine

Hey Everyone! Hope everyone had a great Friday! Just checking in, will post more tomorrow. Have a great weekend!
Shirley!

You too! :)

Vina,

FOTESS DC # 0311 0820 0000 9057 0932....
Oh and I labeled the pkg. Fotess with an F and the Happy Halloween pkg. with HH, so you know which one is which prior to opening. They probably will arrive the same day.

To all, have a lovely and safe weekend!

Annie

Kelly's package is sealed and ready to go. I will be back to let you know when I mail it which should be no later than Sunday.

Have a good weekend everyone.

Margo

Good Morning All! The sun is out and shining here in SE MI today, that's a first for about a week!
Here's an update:
Wendy is sending to Jeanne;
Kelly is sending to Michelle;
Suzanne is sending to Robin;
Margo is sending to Kelly;
Jeanne is sending to Suzanne;
Vina is sending to Wendy;
Lisa is sending to Margo;
Robin is sending to Alana; and
I am sending to Annie - Lord, I hope I copied this right!

Janine has sent to Lisa;
Annie has sent to Vina;
Alana has sent to Janine; AND!!!
Michelle sent to me and I just got home to find the package waiting on the porch!!
Michelle-what a great package!
She sent:
3 issues of Birds and Blooms-B&B is great for Photography ideas!
And she sent a recycled cloth Halloween bag with:
a cloth card-have never seen a cloth card-this one was made out of Halloween material - great idea! Also a cloth bookmark, and snacks for both me and my plants-popcorn and miracle grow singles!
Michelle also sent Autumn Glow Sunflower seeds, and seeds for Goat's Beard, which I think is a butterfly host or nectar plant!
Michelle, thank you for the great package-it was a good antidote to the grocery store!
Talk to ya all later-have a great Saturday!
Shirley!

I also received a great package on Friday:
Alana sent two copies of GPN magazine (which I've already read-some good stuff in there), some seeds that I'm very excited to try and two votive candles in waxed gourd holders. I'll definitely be using that idea. They're very cool.

I was sure I would have my package mailed to Kelly by today but the kiosk was down when I went to the post office. I am leaving early for work tomorrow so I can mail it on my way. I will be back tomorrow evening with the news that the package is on the way.

Margo

Hi Everyone! Just checking in. Did everyone have a nice Sunday? Mine was really good - I am FINALLY finished outside! Yep, cleared up the rest of it today. It was a beautiful weekend, cool and sunny. Would you believe I still have flowers blooming? Yeah, the cleome, tithonia, coral nymph salvia, the cherry brandy rudbeckia and the calendula! Couldn't believe it when I uncovered the CBR!
AND I resolved the clematis/passionflower vine/stinging nettle problem! Lord, what a mess!
Annie, I will have your package out on Wednesday. Bit of a printer problem! It's still at the repair shop! I'll post here when I send.
Hope everyone is ready for the week ahead!
Shirley!

Afternoon everyone!

I sent Wendy's out on Friday. Hopefully she's getting it today.

AND...

I received my bubbler from Annie this afternoon!!! :)

In my bubbler I received:
~a very nice card
~Hershey Bars and Peanut Butter Cups...she must have known I need to keep up my strength :)
~Recycled Christmas cards. Annie cut them down and turned them into gift tags. She even hole punched them and added colorful Christmas ribbons. VERY CUTE!!
~TOMATO POWDER...Let me repeat...TOMATO P O W D E R. I have never heard of this before. And Annie made it herself from her garden tomatoes. She even sent me the recipe to make my own. This is so fabulous for adding a yummy tomato flavor to soups and stews. I'm going to using this all winter :) THANK YOU!!!
~Seeds: Poppy: Flemish Antique
Poppy: Lilac Pom Pom
Tomato: Reisentraube (Cherry)
WOW! WOW! WOW! I had no idea that I even wanted these seeds till I just looked them up! Funny how that works.
~And my magazine is: Food Network's Fall Favorites...which I am off to read right now.

Annie, thank you for such an awesome bubbler. I don't even know how you got all that in there? THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

Have a great afternoon everyone!
vina

I did it. The bubble envelope is on the way to Kelly. The following is the DC 9505500026931297000021.

Hope it arrives soon.

Margo

Annie~May I have your tomato powder recipe, please??

Hi Everyone, just checking in. I, too, have never heard of tomato powder-makes me wonder how it is made!
Will be back tomorrow with an update of where we are; things seem to be going rather well-good job, ladies!
Shirley!

I received a WONDERFUL package from Vina today!

You were spot-on with your choices, I am THRILLED!!

Vina sent me:
'Recycled' Plant tags (which are absolutely PERFECT for some containers I just made up with cuttings I traded for. I mean, PERFECT!! :)

Birds & Blooms Special Hummingbird Issue which I am enjoying so much!! I had no idea it was going to feature hummingbirds but they are one of my favorite garden friends and I am really enjoying all the info and pictures!

Some REALLY cute stuffed fall decor and a miniature scarecrow. LOVE them!!!

A Halloween treat baggie with the following seeds:
Rudbeckia 'Cherokee Sunset'
Gaillardia 'Yellow Sunshine'
Gaillardia 'Tokajer'
Gaillardia 'Red Plume'
Columbine 'Winky Red'
Potentilla 'Gibson's Scarlet'
Coneflower 'Milkshake'

I am really really pleased with your seed choices!! YAY :)

**My daughter zero'ed right in on the Halloween treat baggie, snatching it off my desk and sing-songing that it's hers it's hers (it's mine it's mine) and so I said, ok, sure... go ahead. I smiled and she looked at me trying to figure out what was up.. then she peeked inside it and saw 'only' seeds.. it was pretty darn funny. So I felt bad for her and gave her a few pieces out of the trick or treater's stash..lol :)

Thank you so much Vina! I really loved my package!!!

~Wendy / sassyb.

Good Morning fellow FOTESSERS,

Vina, Re: the Christmas card gift tags...the ribbon is probably pretty smashed up/wrinkled ....just curl the ribbons with scissors.................

RE: Tomato Powder....I had never heard of this until 3 or 4 months ago. As far as making it, I dehydrate tomatoes (primarily cherry tomatoes)in the dehydrator/oven low heat until leather like. I do rotate the dehydrator/ oven shelves every couple of hours. When doing in the oven I use the convection mode at 150 degrees.
I then ground them up in my coffee mill to make powder. I then put the powder in an airtight container. I am storing in the pantry. As I told Vina, I do find that it gets hard in the container...however, I have used it and the taste was not a problem. I primarily have been using Reisentraube cherry with some Juan Flamme tomatoes but any tomato works. Reisentraube is a work horse!!! I have four of them, 6-7 feet tall, still putting out. I will definitley grow Reisentraube again.
I have also dehydrated my hot peppers, ground them up in the coffee mill with the dried tomatoes and dried onions....nice mix...nice flavor.
They say it is good for 1 year!
Apparently, you can buy Tomato powder as well...online and probably specialty/gourmet stores. I think it might be pricey...LOL!

I must run...Vina, so glad you liked your package.

Annie

Hey Margo - watch your mailbox because your package is on its way!!

DC #0310 2010 0000 7158 6712

Smiles - Lisa

Hi All! Hope everyone had a great day!
Here is an update on where we stand with the swap:

Alana sent to Jeanne;
Janine has sent to Lisa - Rec'd;
Annie has sent to Vina - Rec'd;
Michelle has sent to me - Rec'd;
Vina has sent to Wendy - Rec'd;
Margo sent to Kelly;
Lisa sent to Margo;
Wendy is sending to Jeanne;
Kelly is sending to Michelle;
Suzanne is sending to Robin;
Jeanne is sending to Suzanne;
Robin is sending to Alana; and,
I am sending to Annie-it will go out tomorrow, Annie!
Oct. 26th is supposed to be the deadline for sending the packages.
Have a great evening, everyone!
Shirley!

Hey, Heads up, Annie! Your package is on the way - should be there on Friday! Hope you enjoy it!!
DC# is 03111660000187617660.
Later!
Shirley!

Michelle, your package was sent Monday afternoon. i was in a hurry and left out your card. So when you receive the package, let me know and I'll tell you how I use the 'recycled items" I sent you. Hope you like it!!

Just got the mail!! Margo, your package arrived today!! ThANK YOU SO MUCH! wHAT A PERFECT PACKAGE! I have rcvd Garden Design (what fun!!) Our Ohio magazizne, recycled seed envelopes (score!), a cool necklace made out of beads that were created from magazines!!!! , "K" post it notes and fun flower seeds including Hot papaya coneflower, feverfew, painted daisy, blackberry lily, blue butterfly pincushionchocolate nicotina and cocunut lime coneflower all mailed in a recycled envelope!!! I love all of it. Thank you so very much!

Kelly

Suzanne, I mailed your envelope last week on Thursday. It seems to be slow getting there. If you don't receive it tomorrow or Friday I will pull out my delivery confirmation and try to see what it says about the swap whereabouts!
Jeanne

Jeanne ~ your package went out today. I forgot that it was supposed to go in an envy... I had something round that just HAD to go in a box, so in a box it comes! :)

Hope you enjoy it!
~Wendy / sassyb.

Jeanne, Received your box yesterday, I just got home from a trip to our camper and your surprise was in the mail. Am looking forward to reading Fine Gardning and the garden stakes will get alot of use and the cute bag they came in will also be handy. And seeds are always welcome here too.
Many Thanks!!! Suzanne

Hello, Everyone! Hope everyone is having a good day! It's warm and rainy here today-I'm sorting seeds!

Here is an update -
Janine sent to Lisa - Rec'd
Annie sent to Vina - Rec'd
Michelle sent to me - Rec'd
Vina sent to Wendy - Rec'd
Margo sent to Kelly - Rec'd
Jeanne sent to Suzanne - Rec'd
Alana sent to Janine
Lisa sent to Margo
Wendy sent to Jeanne
Kelly sent to Michelle
I sent to Annie
Suzanne is sending to Robin
Robin is sending to Alana

I can't believe it's almost the end of October! I can hardly wait to see what Jeanne has in store for the November FOTESS swap!
Have a great day!
Shirley!

Annie...thanks for posting your recipe for Tomato Powder. What a nice idea...I'm looking forward to making some of this!

Janine...I received your thoughtful packages and am very glad I picked your magazine! You provided a new "plant" project for me by sending me the sweet pea seeds. Looking them up, they are all lovely varieties (America, Incense Mix, Cupani's, Old Spice) and the magazine you sent me, Organic Gardening Dec.06/Jan.07 has a very nice article on sweet peas. Did you plan that (grin)! Also, I will definitely use the permanent, retractable (love this feature) markers and wooden plant markers in my garden in the spring and look forward to starting seeds in the uniquely folded Origami style paper pots. I will share here the YouTube link you gave me for making them - as this is a very creative and "green" idea for a container to start seedlings in.

It is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNBHYrv4-Gw

Thanks a million Janine - I love everything!

Thanks for coordinating this fun swap Shirley! -

Happy Fall everyone...the trees are beautiful here in Ohio!! - Lisa

Received my wonderful box from Lisa today. The contents included

Gardening how to magazine
Horticulture
Garden Gate

All three magazines look like great reading and will sit down tonight and read them cover to cover.

She also included
a cute garden stake that has a birdhouse w/bird on a spring so it sways back and forth. Very cute.
Velcro plant ties which I ran out of this year so it will definitely come in handy.
the cutest little frog sitting on a welcome rock that will be a great addition to my frog family in the garden.

Seeds-spinach mustard tendergreen, (anxious to try this for the first time)
Caledulas-solar flashback, deja vu, and antares flashback. It will be nice to add these to my same old, same old calendulas I grow already.
Sweet William Tall double mix - never tried these
Nasturtium Strawberries and cream which I really love. I grew these this year but never have luck harvesting seeds.

Thank you Lisa for the great box. I love it all.

Margo

I received a whole box from Wendy. Wendy, thanks so much! Lots of great things in here: some Halloween candy, a cute little hedgehog decoration, 2 magazines - Taste of Home and Sunset Living in the West (which Wendy says was a "bonus" - LOL), a To-Do List, a basil growing kit, some of her family's favorite recipes (which sound totally delicious), and this is the cutest thing ever - leaves made of tissue paper in various fall colors and when you tear them open, there are seed packets inside! Wendy, thanks to you and your daughter for making them. Everything is wonderful. A nice way to begin a new swap group, but I must say you went beyond "simple" - that's in a good way, not a bad way. LOL
Thanks so much!
Jeanne

Hello, Everyone! Some really nice packages going out! Thought I'd better check in and post an update:
Janine to Lisa - Rec'd;
Annie to Vina - Rec'd;
Michelle to Shirley - Rec'd;
Vina to Wendy - Rec'd;
Margo to Kelly - Rec'd;
Alana to Janine - Rec'd;
Lisa to Margo - Rec'd;
Wendy to Jeanne - Rec'd;
Jeanne to Suzanne - Rec'd;
I sent to Annie;
Kelly sent to Michelle;
Suzanne is sending to Robin;
Robin is sending to Alana.

Okay, given my track record with this swap, PLEASE, if you see something I've missed, post here!
Jeanne will be finishing the swap for me; any questions or concerns can be directed to her; Wendy will be backup. Thanks, Jeanne and Wendy!

I'll see you all in about a week!
Happy Halloween!
Shirley!

Happy Weekend!

Shirley, I recieved my wonderful "FOTESS" package....inside was a very nice note, Organic Gardening Magazine, three differant bookmarks with "Friends of the Earth- Simple Swaps October 2011" ...Handmade and perfect! Several Packets of seeds, Balloon Flower, Common Phlox, Coral Nymoh Salvia and Hummingbird Haven Seed Mix.
What a fabulous and fun swap. Thanks so much Shirley for hosting and sending my way! You are a delight!!

Annie

Jeanne ~ I'm happy you enjoyed the box. :) I guess I have trouble doing 'simple'..lol! The leaves were a nice art project for us as I home school her and we needed some art time. :) Hope you enjoy and can use the seeds.

AND since I'm here I'll post a quick update:

Janine to Lisa - Rec'd;
Annie to Vina - Rec'd;
Michelle to Shirley - Rec'd;
Vina to Wendy - Rec'd;
Margo to Kelly - Rec'd;
Alana to Janine - Rec'd;
Lisa to Margo - Rec'd;
Wendy to Jeanne - Rec'd;
Jeanne to Suzanne - Rec'd;
Shirley to Annie - Rec'd;
Kelly sent to Michelle (mailed 10/26);
Suzanne is sending to Robin;
Robin is sending to Alana.

Have a good night everyone!
~Wendy / sassyb.

Hello
I got my box from kelly on sat
I got 2 mags family fun and food network
Some candy bags and halloween straws for the boys.
Seeds...sunflower, radish, squash, and carrots.
Some plastic cilanders recycled, I can use these for bead or seed storage.
Nice sturdy recycled tubs I will use for drying seeds.
And lastly a ghost cookie cutter.
Thanks a great box
Michelle
Ps HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Happy Halloween!

Here's where we stand:

Janine to Lisa - Rec'd;
Annie to Vina - Rec'd;
Michelle to Shirley - Rec'd;
Vina to Wendy - Rec'd;
Margo to Kelly - Rec'd;
Alana to Janine - Rec'd;
Lisa to Margo - Rec'd;
Wendy to Jeanne - Rec'd;
Jeanne to Suzanne - Rec'd;
Shirley to Annie - Rec'd;
Kelly sent to Michelle - Rec'd
Suzanne is sending to Robin;
Robin is sending to Alana.

Two more left to report on. I will post the November swap in a few days... maybe even tomorrow if the day doesn't get too crazy!

Jeanne

Sent my package to Robin Oct 31, conformation 03110820000198373268. According to tracking she received it but haven't heard from her, hope she's OK. Suzanne

i DID RECIEVE MY PACKAGE FROM SUZANNE!!WOW!!SHE SENT ME A STACK OF PERSONALIZED PRINTED SEED PACKAGES,PLANT MARKERS WITH CUTE LITTLE BUD ORNAMENTS ATTACHED TO THE TOPS,2 PKS OF SEEDS,MAGAZINE AND FOAM GARDEN ORNAMENTS ATTACHED TO WOODEN DOWELLS.THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!!!!

ALANA`S PACKAGE IS ON IT`S WAY/I DO HAVE THE TRACKING NUMBER IF NEEDED.

Thanks for letting us know that you received your package, Robin. Will watch for Alana to post and then this swap will be complete. It sounds like everyone got great packages!
Jeanne

Hi Everyone! We just got back from a week in the Smoky Mountains! It was my first visit and all I can say is: I want to live there! It was Beautiful!
I'm glad to see the swap is almost completed. I would like to say thanks to all of you for making our first FOTESS swap a really great one!
Gotta go do laundry and sort thro 1,026 pictures! It was a little frustrating-everywhere you look, there was a great shot. AND I got a reasonably decent, kinda sort of, shot of a bear cub! And got snowed out on Newfound Gap Road. Great trip!
Later,
Shirley!

I got mine today. Thanks Robin, for the four great magazines, the candy treats and the Angelique tulip bulbs. Thanks also for the reusable plastic containers that are perfect for seed saving. The "simple" box she sent me was anything but.
Thanks again,
Alana

Good Morning! Well, it looks like this swap is finished! Again, I want to thank you all for making the first FOTESS swap a success. And a special thank you to Jeanne and Wendy for covering for me last week!
See ya all in the November FOTESS swap!
Shirley!

Shirley...thanks again for hosting a super swap!

Annie