Woo Hoo! I got my box from Suzi today! She sent: Watering can (I needed one. Mine seems to have disappeared - probably behind some plant) A cool linen calendar (2009) A decorative turtle (so cute) Hand rake Gloves (always love a new pair) A personal "N" note pad A hanging butterfly whose legs are like little bells that make a sweet twinkling sound when they bounce) A twirly thingy An iron girl with a welcome sign (all my colors:) A tulip bookmark A sweet card with a seed from her garden Gardening hand shears and elephant ear bulbs I had the best time going through everything. One more thing - a GRIT magazine all about gardening. I haven't seen one before and I can't wait to read it! THANK YOU for everything - I love it! I will post a positive on your rate and review later tonight. Nik

We participated in a kitchen tour just after ours was completed - it was a fundraiser for the NICU in a local hospital (where I sometimes work), which is the only reason I agreed to do it! We were told NOT to be home during the tour, but I trusted the volunteer staff to keep an eye on things. They were stationed at the front door, and posted in several places inside, directing traffic to the correct place. Visitors either took off their shoes at the door, or put on disposable booties, so dirt was not an issue. The flow of traffic from room to room was clearly marked, and the adjacent rooms were roped off. A local upscale housewares company set my dining room table with stunning crystal and china (no, I didn't get to keep it!) My house never looked so good! It was fairly stressful, because I changed my dining room light fixture at the last minute (something I had been meaning to do for quite some time), and thoroughly cleaned up the whole place, inside and out, ahead of time. I removed all pictures of family and identifying information from view, so it felt more anonymous. Yes, I still felt a little vulnerable letting strangers into my home, but it was a trust thing. I was very flattered to be asked. Tickets were pricey enough that only people really interested in houses/kitchens came through - not the casual/curious tag sale crowd. It was not judged, but we got really nice compliments and feedback (reported to us by the volunteers who were stationed at my house). Most people just looked and didn't touch, but some opened cabinets/closets, etc. like they were buying a house, so I suggest you clean the inside of your cabinets, too!

Ohhhh, I usually never win anything! Thank you and the kitties do too....two were feral cats that we found out in the yard. The calico had to be trapped in order to get near her....now she is a sweetie! The gray and white one that has big patches is probably her sister. All of them are either spayed or neutered and never go outside. Here is a picture of them taken this morning...Erin is luring them with a bag of catnip! (3 little girls and 2 big boys)

Lar - I don't fertilize the micro or 2" soil blocks at all. I don't fertilize until I have planted the 2" block into a larger container - then I fertilize weekly from that point on - with a liquid (mixed from a powder) 9-58-8 root and blooming fertilizer with iron. Do you fertilize the soil blocks? If so - what do you use? Nice looking Brandy Boys Socalgal! Yours look great also Antmary! We water from the bottom - the 3/4" soil blocks are set on a capillary mat in a tray - they don't break apart on us when we water them this way. We water the mat around the perimeter being careful to not pour water directly on the blocks. The 2" soil blocks are placed in a rack that is made to sit inside a Perma-Tray - We lift the rack with the 2" soil blocks out - place water in the perma-tray - then put the rack back in. The Blocks do not fall apart but we are careful to only put about a 1/2" water in the perm-tray so the blocks are not over watered. We move the 2" blocks to pots when the plants are ready.