My Secret Pal is SUPER!!!
I got a beautiful address book. It is illustrated whth so many beautiful drawings. I shall enjoy it for years and years.
My old one is strictly utilitarian and at least 20 years old. I can't even remember who some of the people are (were).
This one is so pretty it will be a pleasure to spend a couple hours transfering the information.
Make new friends and keep the old!. Can't wait to meet my new friend and secret pal.
Beth B

My face is red here. I was so carried away talking about my new treasure I forgot to say THANK YOU.
(Thank you in big red capital letters. Can't you see them?)

OK....My Bad.....the misunderstanding for the "Lost" January package I held the meeting about was my fault, that person got prior approaval to be late and I forgot. My public apologies go out. I guess I'm the "dud" after all :)

YaYa

Hello, Ladies.
Well... it seems I'm the trouble maker. Didn't post in January because I was waiting... Finally emailed yaya about not getting anything... got my hands slapped for reporting in late... then it seems everything worked itself out. I can't wait for my February package.

See what happens when you let a guy into your sacred circle :-). I'm just glad my pal is enjoying her things I've been sending.

Thank you all and hope everyone has a great weekend. Paul

Don't worry Paul, it isn't a conspiracy against you.....We LOVE you....guess what.....since you are the only guy, I guess you get to be all 28 of us girl's garden valentine!!!!! How does that sound? I guess I need to do a little kiss up anyway to make up for my mix up. So here it is........

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO PAUL!!!.... OUR GARDEN CIRCLE EXCHANGE RING VALENTINE SWEETHEART! WOOOHOOOO!!!!

(Picture yourself on a float in the garden web parade, surrounded by 28 women throwing rose petals on you)

Good, now all is SWELL.

YaYa

Happy Valentine's Day to our man "PAUL"!

Well now, I wish I had a wonderful little icon to display THAT: 28 gorgeous gardeners showering petals on the Alpha Male of the group. Enjoy the thought and of course none of us has calloused hands, tattered knees, or dirt under our nails!

Yaya you are so far removed from a 'dud' it isn't even funny. I nominate you to ride on the float as the Alpha Female and receive showers of petals as well. At least accept the group's accolades for being right on top of things. It is much appreciated!

Oh look: the parade route!
{{gwi:2103365}}

Okay leaky sorry It was not me who sent conversation hearts, wish I had, sorry not me
carol

Carol, you're kidding me! I'm going to dust for fingerprints!!! If it's really truly not you, I have another suspect in mind.. I have to look into this further

Poochella

I have a question - has anyone looked through the list of Garden Circle Exchange members and put together a list of when the birthdays are? I got in belated wishes for YaYa, but feel there must be some more birthdays coming up - or maybe that we missed. Anyway, if there is a way to share that information, I think it would be nice. This group is so thoughtful, I'll bet there would be lots of happy birthday messages here if we know when the birthdays are. (And if there is someone we forgot, hope it was a happy day for you and have a very happy year ahead!!!)
Sandlapper Rose

I have these Birthdays recorded for this group for the month of Febuary.
ya ya - Febuary 4th
ilsonshine-Febuary 9th
Daisy_Me - Febuary 26th

Here's March
number_1_angel - March 8th
ggsnail - March 10th
poochella - March 19th
sandlapper Rose - March 29th

April
Mellen - April 17th

I will post the rest later, got to get ready and take my Sunday School Class on an outing today. They are so sweet.

Shirley

Good idea Sandlapper Rose and thanks to Shirley for being so organized. We missed Ilsonshine's big day!

Happy Belated Ilsonshine! Hope it was a great birthday and that this year brings many good things your way.

For your belated Birthday greetings:

OK I made it home alive. No really the kids were great, very well behaved. We went to the fun factory. It is definetely a great place to take children to entertain them. It has bumper cars, laser tag, bowling, electric swings, giant slide, karoke, and tons of other stuff all indoors. We topped it off with all you can eat pizza.

Here's the rest of B-Days
May
Ronda M - May 5th
abcgirltx - May 19th
Earthly Delights - May 22nd
euphoria 526 - May 26th

June
PlantladyJan - June 17th
Aprils_Garden - June 23rd

July
Sckoochmagooch - July 8th
veeja11 - July 15th
lilylouise - July 26th

August
Theresa24 - August 24th

September
beth_b_kodiak's - Sept 3rd
ZZTOPSOIL - Sept 26th

October
pastvast - Oct 3rd

November
pchanggeo - Nov. 17th
oldseed - Nov. 21st
Twinkle - Nov. 22nd

December
jaceysgranny - Dec. 20th
Brittneysgran - Dec. 24th

There were some who signed on with us that did not have their Birthdays on their page.
They were
DustyDigger
Teresa_Ohio
mamabear4
thegardenangel
If they will let us know their Birthdays we will have them all. That is if none have dropped out and no new ones have joined.
Shirley

Well I just found Teresa_Ohio's Birthday on her page.
Either I missed it or she has added it.
It's May 15th

A Happy Belated Birthday from me, too, Ilsonshine!

...and thanks to Brittneysgran for being so organized and letting us know when the birthdays are. (Now to print them out so I don't lose track)

Sandlapper Rose

Okay LL, i would bet on sneaky Beth, she did the same thing to me, she is quite the sneaky one.

What a great Valentines Gift I got in todays mail from my Secret Pal! She sent me a beautiful card(SP.. hope the kids are over the flu.. I am working on a bout of pnenomia myself.. not fun, I've battled it before!) My pal also sent me a package of Chocolate & Carmel Cocoa! Mmmmm Can't wait to try it! Some Flower stickers and best of all a small 16 month calendar with each month showing beautiful roses! This will be perfect for my soon to open Florist Shop! So fitting! Thank you so much secret pal!! Hope the kids are better and you get out of the house soon!
Happy Valentines Day everyone!

~Dusty~

Oh! I was so excited about the calendar, I forgot to post about the beautiful notepad for the refrigerator!
Thanks again SP!

~Dusty~

Dusty,
We would love to have your Birth date if you would share it with us. I could not find it on your page.

We also need
Teresa_Ohio
mamabear4
thegardenangel

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO EVERYONE

Shirley

I received a wonderful package from my Secret Pal today. Thanks so much! I received a copy of Backyard Living magazine, a Mary Kay gift set, chocolates, conversation heart candies and a Precious Moments activity and coloring book for DD. I really appreciate that you included something for DD! She loves to help me open my mail and she was very excited to find something for herself in the box. Thanks again!

Jenell

I would also like to wish everyone a......

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hi, everyone. Hope y'all are having a great Valentine's.

I received a wonderful card from my valentine...err...I mean my exchange pal. I was so happy to get it. But there was more. A priority box all decked out with heart stickers, and all kinds of goodies inside. As soon as I opened the box, I could smell the candy... and so did my kids :-). After they got through claiming all the lollypops, sweethears, bubble gums, chocolate, etc. etc. etc., I was left with candles, a frog statue (my kids were laughing at the frog's little butt), and some bath salts inside a beautifully decorated envelope.

Thank you soooooo much for the wonderful Valentine's box. Nice timing too.
Paul

wow !! I have a wonderful sp thankyou for the great gifts, lillies, stationary, beautifull plant stake, stationary, pretty flower pot, memo pad. thankyou pal I loved it.
thankyou carol

Sounds like everyone has scored in a big way here! I'm having so much fun with this and am amazed at how smoothly everything is going.

Dusty, I hope you feel better really soon. Sorry to hear that you're sick. Maybe that chocolate and caramel cocoa will help to put you on the mend.

Hope everyone had a very happy, love filled day with their loved ones.

Nancy

Hi, Garden Pal Buddies, Thanks for the Birthday and Valentine's Wishes. I had a great day for my birthday last week, and my middle DS turned 5 last Friday, so it was a fun week. Today has been a beautiful and warm day and I enjoyed having the windows open. I'd enjoy it even more if my asthma wasn't acting up and I could stop coughing : (. Hope you all had a great Valentine's Day and that the sun was shinning in your heart and on your face even if it might not have been shinning in the sky for you = ) Have a Great Week!!

Have to admit it was raining( a lot) here I but had a great day. I saw the first crocus in my yard, went to breakfast with the girls and got flowers from my sweetie. Not bad for a fat old lady. LOL
Happy valentines to Y'all

Beth! You see flowers already!!! All I see is snow, snow and more snow! Will be quite some time before I see my Snowdrops.. let alone Crocus!

Nancy, Thank you for the good wishes! Not a good time to get ill.. that's for sure! And the Cocoa was wonderful!!! Yum Yum Yummy!

Shirley, Will get back to ya with the birthdate(if you believe that you're crazier than I am! lol) But in the mean time, Lil T's birthday(Teresa_Ohio) is May 15. :) Hey Lil T.. did you get any of those chocolates or did your cute hubby chow down? (Her hubby loves chocolate!) Everyone keep your fingers crossed, if all goes well, Lil T will be here in the next few weeks to help me get my shop ready to open! Is she the bomb or what!

Want to wish everyone a happy birthday and as usual I am late!

Love reading about all the great gifts everyone is sending and recieving! Good group of folks here!

Tally Ho!

~Dusty~

Oh WOW what timing I received my treasured Valentine gifts yesterday right on Valentine's Day.
I got the most beautiful butterfly windchime. (My husband wants to join now). I never mentioned on my list how I love butterflies BUT I DO. I also got candy conversation hearts. YUM And the most darling little silver basket. Everything was decorated beautifully with valentine tissue paper and little valentine cut-outs.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for such a nice Valentine box.

Shirley

i mailed my pal's gift out yesterday, i'm sure it will be there before she gets back from her travels.

happy belated valentine's day
happy birthday to ilsonshone and daisy me

the weather is decent here the last couple of days, even though we have had some rain, the temp has been good. it's washed away a lot of the snow. today is supposed to maybe hit 60 and i see the sun peeking out. i don't have flowers yet, but i still have the green tips of all the bulbs that started blooming before we got the snow. i hope it didn't damage any of them.

well, since it's such a gorgeous day out, that's where i am going. putting on the mud boots and getting outside to clean up and dream.

enjoy what's left of february, it sure goes quickly, doesn't it?

Thanks for the early birtday wish EarthlyDelights. I'm turning 30 again this year! LOL!

And Beth isn't the only one with early flowers. I discovered several yellow Crocus blooming yesterday, only to have my better-half inform me they've been blooming for 3 days.

Dusty, what kind of shop are you opening? Are you going to have goods/goodies we can get mail order for our Garden Circle Pals?????

We've had crocuses blooming since mid January- a very mild El Nino winter until last night when it dropped down to a teeth-chattering 20º!!! Brrrr, clear and cold all week for us. Yesterday, freakish snow and hail moved through Seattle. I had 2 inch flakes falling for a few minutes- just huge. Sorry for the blurriness but those hummers were falling to earth fast.

Dusty - Yes do tell us what kind of shop you are opening. If I lived close I would also come and help.

EarthlyDelights - Yes February is almost gone. I have daffodils up and they are looking for Spring.

Annie - 20 Degrees? Whew that's cold. Liked the picture of the snow falling. We used to get lots of snow in the Winter but not anymore. It seems it misses us and hits all around us. Macon County is nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains and it just goes around us.

Shirley

Pooch! lol! I was in WV(Harpers Ferry) for 3 weeks last month! You all are funny when it comes to cold and snow! If it's 20 here we're shedding our coats! Heat wave today! It's 33! Break out the t-shirts!
I'm opening a flower (florist) shop along with a gift shop. So yes, I'll have lots of goods and goodies! Fun and exciting and scarry all at the same time!
Shirley... Daff's! Already!!! I know I must live in the wrong state! But I'd miss the snow... Sick eh!

~Dusty~

Thanks Bunches to my pal.. I got a wonderful variety in todays mail: 3 types of bath gels, 2 types of herbal tea, a metal bug to hang off a planter.. (It's too cute has marbles twisted inside for the body and beads inside the wings..)A bird wind chime with wings that move, a note pad with a flower cover and a candy bar.. I will enjoy all of it especially the card with a note from you..
Hope you had a nice Valentines Day.. Thanks again RondaM

My Secret Pal is just the coolest! In addition to the box she sent me, I also received a card in the mail today with seeds and some stickers for DD. Thanks so much!

I'm jealous of everyone who has things blooming already! It'll be close to 2 more months before things start popping up here.

I love reading everyone's posts! Today was unusually warm for St. Louis. almost hit 70 degrees! Nothing is blooming yet, but the buds are swollen, and my crocus I am forcing inside started blooming yesterday. I went outside and cut back half of my privet hedge yesterday (It has been neglected by the previous owner for years so I am going to try and rejeuvenate it) and today I cut back perennials, and saw signs of life!!! It is supposed to be back to reality soon, with a low of 31 degrees tonight. But the last couple days sure make spring seem close!

It looks like I will have to start a new February thread soon, that's great. I love that everyone talks to each other.

I am already gearing up for our March pal swap....I should join more swaps, I think I have too much time or something, seems like the stuff I want to send piles up faster than the months go by to send it, he he. Pretty soon we can start sending some actual plants! I have several things started in my basement under lights, and I can't wait to share.

Later,

YaYa

DH and I had a lovely Valentine's Day. He bought me flowers and then took me out to dinner. It was 79 degrees in Little Rock today. I had to go for training and we had an hour off for lunch, grabbed a quick sandwich and then loitered on the downtown street just enjoying the sunshine. Oh, what I'd have given to get to play outside all day! Tomorrow it's back into the 40's if the weatherman is right this time. You know they usually aren't. Years ago we had a meteorologist who was pregnant and she got it right on the money every time then when she had the baby it seems like she was never right again. lol Go figure! I love the snow too and wish we had more of it but along with the snow we'd have to learn to drive in it and get more equipment to handle clearing the roads. People from the north always laugh at us for not knowing how to drive. Drive heck, we can't even walk in it half the time! Nancy

Thank you, thank you Secret Pal! I received my package right on Valentines Day! I got a beautiful card, a little stuffed bear with Best Friend on his T-shirt, a great pair of gardening gloves and a heart box of Mrs. Fields chocolates! The chocolates were wonderful (yes, I already ate them up! LOL) the gloves will be wonderful and are really making me wish for spring and I had to protect my bear from the kids. It is so exciting to get my special package every month and my family is always really excited too!

All of this talk and pictures of flowers is making me a bit jealous! We are under a winter snow advisory or some such thing right now with predictions of 3 to 9 inches of snow expected across the area overnight...guess who is in the 9 inch band?? Can't wait to see what I wake up to tomorrow!

It is great hearing all the news and chatting from everyone...this is such a supportive group!

April

Dear Secret Pal, You have touched my heart. Such luxuries you have sent to me--sweet pea bath salts, waterlily body scrub, jasmine rose with aloe vera and papaya extracts shower gel, sheer freesia body lotion, self-heating red clay mask, Dead Sea mineral mask, rich apricot warm mask, gentle cream milk scrub, cherry and iced mint tired leg gel, and the largest body pouff ball I have ever used. I love the gel mask, the heart-shaped pink candle wrapped so elegantly in netting and the contrasting silk green bow. Chocolates! Burts Bee's lip balm--I'm anxious to try. I have a sister in Texas who loves it. I hope I can express to you how deeply appreciative I am to you. I know the time you must have taken to put all of this together, and I'm guessing you had some fun, too. I know I would have had a ball doing this--I LOVE doing this sort of thing, too. Did you pick scents that you liked? If so, we have the same likes. Honestly! I would have chosen every one of these for myself. I have used freesia and sweet pea lotions--I just love their freshness with a little bit of flower scent. Dearest pal, I also want to express my apologies for my lateness in posting here. My husband and I went to Hawaii for a 10-day cruise around the islands. He ended up getting sick during the cruise. By the time we got back to Iowa we went directly to our Dr. before even coming home, and he was put in the hospital--which is where I have been. I just wanted you to know that I was not putting off my thank you to you. Again, secret pal, you are a treasure and a gift to me. You have really lifted my spirits. I hope at some point I can do the same for you. Mellen

A big thank you to my SP! I received a 2005 calendar with BEAUTIFUL floral scenery that is now hanging next to my computer, a floral notepad with matching pen and magnet, a darling pressed flower keychain (I needed a new key chain!), seeds, homemade seed packets, chocolates and a valentine card along with some valentine erasers which I gave to my two boys that really liked them, and a nice note. Thanks SP! You're the greatest.
Theresa

Thank you for the sympathy card, Garden Circle Exchange Pal. That was very thoughtful. There is not a lot new here with me. We have beautiful weather today, but this is the time of the year when it changes from day to day so we will see what is ahead.

Sandlapper Rose

Dusty your new shop sounds great!! I want to join Teresa and you in setting it up!! Wow what a fun project!!! Best wishes for your new business. Remember destress and enjoy!!

Mellen, I hope your DH gets better very soon. Nancy

Woohoo!! I've got spring bulbs starting to come up!! It was 62 degrees here yesterday, but then of course last night we got ice and snow.. I've got spring fever really bad now. I'm ready to start digging in those flower beds. :)

Dusty, Andy always beats me to the candy! lol. You can't hide anything sweet from him. Yep, he's dying to come up there with me, we'll send the guys skiing while we play at the flower shop! Or we could just put them to work for us and then we get to do all the fun stuff. lol.. Jan, you can come too! You can catch a ride with us! And Shirley, you can start the caravan and we'll all meet up together and head up! lol. Wouldn't that be a blast? Trust me, I've been to Dusty's last year, we had such a great time. She's such a sweetheart! Dusty, you know I love ya!! :) Now you better hurry up and get well!!

Hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day. Mellen, I hope your husband is feeling better soon!

How many days til spring?? Teresa

I think Spring has come to East Texas.. My Daffs are blooming and my new addition Snakes head Iris bloomed already...It's so ugly it's cute.. The Purple Martins have arrived just this week..Now we are sure to have a frost and bite the heads off everything.. I have buckets on stand by..
Poochella I love the crocus.. Mine came up but did not bloom..
Ronda

I have the best secret pal ever- I got chocolate, incense matches, and a colouring book of stained glass fairies....clear plasticy paper with fairy outlines you can colour or paint or whatever and hang in a window. She always sends me all this fantastic stuff I think i'm too mature to buy but end up enjoying so much. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you again.

HEY, I just got a priority package from my Secret Garden Pal! Boy! these box flaps sure are stuck together good. Let's see... it has a nice heart box of chocolates 'For Someone Special' yum, "I'm Special,I'm Special", and a cute hardcover Gardener's Journal with designs of garden tools, gloves, watering cans, flowers/vegies, and plants in pots. Thank You Secret Pal o' mine : ) that's sweeet of you ; )

I think this is my first official Gardening Journal. Maybe all you circle pals will share your ideas with me and others of what all you put in your journals. Thanks in advance for the suggestions.

Thanks for your b-day wishes, circle pals. It's nice knowing others we don't even know are thinking of us.

Dusty, Good Luck/God's Blessings with opening the flower/gift shop. My brother has had one for 32+ years and sometimes it sure seems like it runs him instead of the other way around. But it is nice to see all the pretty flowers. Are you also a designer, will ya have arrangements? What a challenge and maybe a dream coming true??

Pooch, your pictures are nice. Thanks for sharing. We have some tulips up but not blooming yet. I hope the sporadic weather won't hurt them (heat up, chill off, back and forth... it's literally making us sick with allergies/colds/asthma acting up).

Thegardenangel-mamabear4-DustyDigger-Teresa_Ohio, what's the deal of withholding your B-Day Date?? They never asked for the year, just the month and date. Aaaawww, come on, won't you share your special day with us, your pals?

Ronda, maybe your crocus will bloom yet, don't give up on them. It seems like one day you see green leaves, then a slight swelling, then a bud creeps out overnight!

I should have taken another photo of those crocuses- they looks so frosty and cold (even though Dusty would be out weeding in her "it's 30º, it's a heatwave" T shirt! LOL) later on the sun came out and those babies popped right open, a lovely little sea of purple/lavender.

Dusty, I spent 23 years in the confines of Minnesota. I know cold. The coldest temp I ever saw, not windchill, was -38º maybe lower and I'm just blocking it out-- and the windchill then was -75º. I went skiing once at -22, really tough to keep your nose and eyeballs thawed out. You have to be tough (aka stupid) to do that!

My teenage car was about a 16 ton Pontiac Bonneville. One morning I went out to "warm it up" in really true bone- chilling cold well below zero. No cloth seats then: we had bubble plastic seat covers, colder than heck on the back side! I didn't realize quite how cold it was until I drove off some minutes later: the car tires had frozen flat where the weight of the car flattened out the tires parked overnight. So when I drove, it was thumpety thump, thumpety thump down the ice cold streets until the friction warmed them into round tires again!

Ilsonshine- I have never kept a garden journal but one thing I tried "tried-" (meaning I remembered to do it for about a week) last year was log in bloom times of various perennials in various beds, ostensibly to plan better placement and remind myself of what I can count on to bloom, when. If I had a dime for every notebook or stray piece of paper with garden notes on it around this house I'd be retired and organized if I ever got them all in one place. I'm thinking my Circle Pal's file box might come in real handy to get garden notes organized too. Yippee: I picked up file dividers and note cards to fit that box the other day!

Five weeks to Spring! Five weeks to Spring! Spread the word. Better get some of my 'winter' stuff done soon.
(or it will wait til next winter)
Poochella

lol!! Pooch! I love your below zero story! I've never heard of that happeing before! I don't like the weather when it gets below zero! But come this time of the year, I do shed some layers when we hit 30. Weird how our bodies adjust to the cold so fast! If it were Novemeber, I'd have been adding layers. It's 12 here so I'll have to sport my flannel today! It's a 3 layer day!

Ilsonshine, I do like Pooch and keep notes on when certain plants bloom, which perennials do better where.. I have several different large gardens in different places around the house... and some plants do better than others in certain locations.
Yes, I am a self taught designer also.. so I'll have arrangements and the works...I have a good name already established... folks like my work, so it gives me a small jump on things. I did it for years for someone else.... thinking the whole time, I'm making him a lot of cash.. I should be doing this for me! Well, in 2003 my youngest son's best friend, since they were 4, passed away after an eight year battle with cancer(he was 5 the first time he got it) and well to say the least my son was very depressed.. So I left my job in late May this year to be home with him during the summer, hoping he'd get over his depression..(he did) and spent the time thinking hard about my own shop. Went on my last vacation and took a long one at that, came home, bought a place for my shop and here we go! Just waiting to sign the closing papers now. I'm very excited about it!
I didn't give my birthdate because I'm uncomfortable with folks making a big deal out of my birthday. Always have been.

Lil T, I didn't think you got any of that candy! lol If Andy comes with you, I'll be sure to feed his sweet tooth! Won't have time to bake so I'll just get a bunch of candy bars! lol

Everyone's getting some great stuff! Love hearing of all the goodies traveling across the states!

Hope you all have a great day!

~Dusty~

I'm starting a new February Thread

YaYa