Our packages to Genave and Lauryn will be going out tomorrow. When I get back from the PO will post the conf. #'s.
Heather

David and Garrett,

We sent your packages today.
David's DC # 0306 0320 0000 9974 1534
Garrett's DC# 0306 0320 0000 9974 1527

Our packages have been sent out.
Lauryn's DC#-0305 0830 0003 9540 5690
Genave's DC#-0305 0830 0003 9540 5706
Hope you girls like everything. My kids had a really good time picking things out. We wrapped them also. My kids said it was more fun that way. Happy Gardening~

Our packages went out today also to:
Amy # 0305 2710 0001 1577 0290
Scoutt# 0305 2710 0001 1577 0283

Hope you both enjoy what the boys picked for you. They were very excited to send them out. Take Care

The weather is warming up and the snow has melted.
Peyton, we plan to have your package sent out on Friday :) and will post conformation so that you can keep track of its journey.

I can't wait to hear about all the wonderful new additions to everyones garden.

Marie

Hello All;
Rhiannon's package was sent today - #03041560000247541066. Somehow the seeds escaped the box so they are mailed in a separate envelope. Enjoy!! Amy
Megin's package was sent today -
#03041560000247541073. This was fun!! Enjoy. Elizabeth (Libby)

Emma,
Thank you so much for Garrett's package. He was so excited to get it. He is already playing with the playdough. He loves his little garden turtle and is going to put it in his garden along with his honey bear sunflowers, snapdragons and wildflowers. He loves his little garden tools and mini greenhouse too. He is very happy with everything. We are going to plant his plant but not sure whether it needs sun or shade. What kind of plant is it? Thank you so much. Garrett

Hi Garrett,

Sorry, I thought mom stuck a marker in there. It is larkspur, actually a bunch of larkspur seedlings in one pot (Hunk-o-seedling). In your zone it should probably get morning sun if possible.

Emma

Scoutt-

WOW, what a package! My mom couldn't believe it and said it was very generous. I love it all and I had more than enough to share with my sister. Stepping stones, pinwheels, a rain gauge, garden gloves, garden trowels and forks (so cute), 2 garden gnomes and a fairy, a beautiful planter and forget-me-nots growing kit, wind chimes, fairy bouqet mix snapdragon seeds, a fairy tale mix columbine plant, cute little animals, a ring pop, grow sponges and a fairy diary. Thank you SOOOO much.

Lauryn

THANK YOU EMMA. THOSE ARE AWESOME PLANTS. GARRETT

scouttiegirl's I will be giving genave's box this week. Thank you for this VERY FULL box of goodies.

mkruby7

tastefullyjulie's David can't wait to start planting. Thank you, mkruby7

Hello Bryan;
Amy is having a blast with her stuff, she is carrying her spray bottle with her everywhere on her hip while drinking out of her rabbit sippy cup!! The weather in Erie is a bit colder than your part of the world so she is not sure she will be planting any time soon but she will let you know when she gets the plant in the ground. Oh my, here she goes again with that butterfly & worm finger puppet, that is too much fun. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Amy

mkruby,
according to the list Genave sends to Emma unless I am confused.

Amy,

Rhiannon loves her presents. We already hung up the wind spinners and sun cather. The gloves fit perfectly:) There was also candy,stamps cards, cannas ,clematis, fairy garden things. Lots of goodies:)

Stacie

Peyton and Rhiannon's packages might go out a little late, We are an hour from any shopping and Mommy hasn't gotten out and about.But packages will go out this week.

Hi Garrett, I wanted to let you know I got my package. I love everything. I have been spraying things all day long with my spray bottle. I love my new stuffed animals. I am so happy about the plant you sent. My Mom has been trying to grow lion's tail for a long time now, but hasn't been able to. I wanted it for my garden and the seeds we tried didn't sprout this year. Thank you very much. I can't wait to try my columbine seeds. I have a great dragonfly decoration that I can put with them in my garden. My little brother stole the bank you gave me, but my Mom said it was nice of me to share it with him. I put my money that I got from the tooth fairy last night in it. I lost my first tooth yesterday. I shared my hairclips with my cat JiJi. He likes to play dress up with me. I also made chocolate milk to go in my new cup. I think it is very cool that you live all the way down south from me. My Momma's Aunt lives in Alabama. Thank you again for all my gifts. I loved getting my package in the mail to open. It was really fun. Scoutt

Peyton,
Your package is on its way. I hope you like all the stuff I picked for you , this has been lots of fun! Mom told me I could only fill one box but I picked a big one!!

Megin

PS
Peyton the conformation #0305-0830-0004-0712-7701. Sorry I didn't get this out Saturday but we had to take Grandma to lunch and us old people like to talk :) So the Post Office was closed when we finished.
Enjoy you gifts, Marie aka Megin's Mom

Sounds like everyone is having lots of fun with their gifts, that is GREAT!

Still to send are:
Genave (Mkruby) sends to Emma
David (Mkruby) sends to Elizabeth
Peyton (Gardeningwithbaby) sends to Bryan
Rhiannon (Gardeningwithbaby) sends to Sebastian

Happy Spring day everyone!
Marie

Hello Marie;
Megin's package was attempted to be delivered at 8:10 am on April 30th (never knew the Post Office attempted Sunday delivery but that is what they are saying. Did you get a notice today when you were at the Post Office? If not, you may want to check as there were some live plants in it. They came from stores so they were packed well enough to travel I think but it has been a few days. Hope she enjoys it. Thanks. diene (Elizabeth's aunt)

I have most everything ready to go, just need to pick up a couple of things. I will get out in the mail on Wednesday, I have a Dentist appt. and then I can do some shopping. We live an hour one way from the closest Walmart, and haven't gotten there yet. I plan on digging plants and then sending out package when I go on Wednesday.

Stacie
(Peyton and Rhiannon's Mom)

Elizabeth & Libby,

Thank you so much for the wonderful box of goodies! This is what I got.

Gloves & garden shovel - Mom said I needed these to help her weed
2 stamp sponges
2 glass Angels - these are great
whole pack of plant marker's - this way I wont forget what stuff is called.
A 'Fairy Princess' necklace
Tea's - Mom & I drink tea everyday :)
Zinna seeds
Wind twister thingy - I love this! Mom hung it in the middle of the entrance arch way, it looks great.
Pink Clematis - Mom & I planted this on my trellis
4 Ambassador Clematis - Mom said we will plant these along one side of my garden but now they are in pots cause it is still to cold at night for them.
Thank you!! Megin

Elizabeth ~ thanks for being such a good garden pal :)) Megin loved everything, she was so excited about the wind twister and HAD to wear her necklace today. The clematis was the perfect plant, she saw a picture of one like our new one and said that was what she wanted for her trellis.
Marie

Hello Megin;
I will respond for Libby (Elizabeth), her mother wanted her to be called Elizabeth but "Libby" has a mind of her own. We are thrilled you liked your stuff, we enjoyed buying it. The Canna's can take a frost so you are probably safe to plant them on the next nice day. They do not go deep. We love Canna's cause they are so tall but it is sad that they need to be dug up every year. I have not had luck these past two years keeping them viable through the winter so I have had to resort to buying new ones. The great thing about the Clematis is that just gets better every year, just remember to keep it's feet in the shade. Enjoy. Libby & diene

Hi,
I don't officially belong to this exchange, but I'd like to ask some advice. The local garden centers don't stock fairies except for large, costly, heavy sculpted ones. Where can I purchase some smaller, lighter fairies online? Such as the kind that are on thin metal garden stakes? Responses by email appreciated. :)

Thanks,
grovespirit

grovespirit-

I've seen many of those on ebay.

Megin,

Peyton got her package this morning before we left home:) I love everything , especially the toad house, it is really neat. It was packed full of fun stuff. My mom finally got to get out of the house and her packages will be sent out tomorrow.

Stacie ( speaking for Peyton)

Bryan and Sebastian,

Just wanted to let you know that Peyton and Rhiannon have their boxes going out in the morning. I am sending them UPS so moms watch out for the cute man in Brown:)

Stacie
(Peyton and Rhiannon's mommy)

Just 2 more to go:

Genave sends to Emma
David sends to Elizabeth

MKruby - Please let us know when you sent your packages out.

Thanks,
Marie

Sebastian and Bryan,

I forgot to have my dad get a tracking number on the packages. Please let us know when they get there, we had fun putting together the boxes, sorry a bit late, but something to look foreward to:)

Stacie]

Peyton and Rhiannons momma

Hi Marie,
Will ya'll be doing this every month? I was wondering because it sounds like a great way to encourage my 5 year old Grand baby Kyra to play in the dirt with me. She's such a girly girl, wears nothing but pink and "must" have her hair perfect at all times. She loves picking my flowers (grrrr) but who can be mad when she brings them to you as a present (ahhhh).
Anywho,
Please keep me in mind if you do this again. I think it's a wonderful idea!

Thanks,
Kelly

Ok,
I couldn't resist.
This is my Kyra (pardon the pizza on her face)
We have had her for 5 years, she's not mine by blood but I couldn't adore her any more than I already do, she's my EVERYTHING! We became her surrogate grandparents when she was 8 months old.

{{gwi:1261699}}

Kelly ~ thanks for sharing Krya with us. She is adorable!
As for doing another childrens robin - I wont be in the near future but keep checking back. Someone else may plan one (hint, hint to all of you that are soooo good at hosting, GRIN) I am pretty busy this time of year but this one has been fun.

MKRuby - I still have not heard from you - I hope everything is okay??? Please post here.

Thanks,
Marie

Bryan hasn't received the box yet but will post when we do. He is waiting anxiously. Amy

Well one of the three boxes I sent out got delivered today, so Bryan and Sebastian should get a box in the next day or so if they haven't gotten one yet:)

Stacie
Rhiannon and Peyton's mommy

Bryan's box came today and he was just about jumping up and down saying my box, my box, Peyton he loves everything and is busy now playing with everything and sharing with his brother Garrett. He loves the spiderman ball and is whirling it around as we speak. Garrett grabbed the bug kit and is waiting for me to take him outside and look for bugs. Bryan also loves the bubbles, lollypops, sand and garden toys, watercan, pony and numbers book, stickers, wind sock, bath fizzy, windchime, watercolors, garden calender, lots and lots of seeds and a nice butterfly bush plant. You made Bryan one happy little boy. Thanks so much for all the wonderful gifts that you and your mommy got for him. Amy

I am glad that Bryan likes everything. My uncle works at Ace and gave my mom a bunch of calendars, I thought I would stick one in, they have nice picks and also some monthly coupons. I am glad that he enjoys everything. I know that boys don't necessarily like bath stuff, but those fizzy things are neat. I had fun doing this and would love to do it again.

Now I just hope Sebastian gets his box soon.

Stacie

Stacie, Bryan and Garrett loved the fizz and both took a bath in it tonight. It was torquise blue and they were pretending to be dolphins. Thanks again, Amy

Hi Stacie, Just wanted to drop in real quick to say Sebastian received his box. We have had a very long day today and didn't get a chance to jump on till now. I will get on in the morning to post more info, but just wanted to say it did arrive.~Heather

LOL, Amy. That's so funny.

Sorry I forgot to post last night. I sent both boxes with D.C. But I can't remember where I put them.

mkruby7

Amy,

Glad the boys liked the bath fizz. I can see them making a mess as dolphins. I know that when my 2 girls take a bath together more water ends up on the floor than in the tub;)

Here is a recipe to make your own fizzy bath stuff.

Sleepy-time Fizzy Bath Salts
(Like they will sleep after a bath fight LOL)
Ingredients

1 cup Epsom salts
1 cups Sea Salt
1 cup Baking Soda
½ cup Citric Acid
food coloring: 10 drops blue
8 drops Lavender Essential Oil
8 drops Sandalwood Essential Oil
8 drops Sweet Orange Essential Oil

( Or you could substitute any essential oil or just keep it out for unscented)

In a large bowl mix salts first, then add baking soda, food coloring and oils. ADD THE CITRIC ACID LAST!! MIX VERY WELL!

Here is one for soap crayons

Soap Crayons

From Barbara Whiting,
Your Guide to Stay-at-Home Parents.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
Forum Recipes
Ingredients:
1 c Soap flakes

Food colouring

2 tb Hot water
Have one large bowl and several small bowls, one for each color. You will also need an ice cube tray with different sections, or containers to act as small molds.

Put soap flakes in a large bowl and drop the hot water into the soap flakes, stirring constantly. The mixture will be extremely thick and hard to stir.

Spoon some of the soap into each of the small bowls and color each separately, adding the color by drops until the soap has the consistency of a very thick paste.

Press spoonfuls of the soap into your molds and set the crayons in a dry place to harden. They should take a few days to a week to dry completely.

When dry, remove from the molds and allow to dry for a few more days before using

Stacie
Who is glad that all the boxes made it to their destinations

Hello Stacie;
I think most of us copied those recipes and plan on using them at some time. Thanks for sharing. Mkruby, I already sent my niece a box when we did not hear from you. The good news is she will be twice as happy. Thanks. diene

I also sent Emma a box and signed the note Genave. Not sure who I'll tell her the 2nd box is from if it comes.

Stacie, Thank you for the recipes the boys would love for me to make them. Are soap flakes just grated soap or do they have them at the store? Also where do you find the citric acid? Thanks you, Amy

Stacie ~ thanks for the recipes. My daughter will have a blast making and using them!

Everyone now has their box, right? Glad everything worked out and all enjoyed themselves.

Marie

Hi Stacie, Sebastian wants to give Rhiannon a great big thanks! He loves everything she sent. What a very generous box. We have already played pirate with the little boxes. We filled them up with the stickers sent and have been hiding them all day. We then painted a picture for his Nana with his new paints. Very happy about those as we just tossed the old one and needed new one. We also went outside and hung up his new windsock and chimes and added them to his sensory garden. Then we blew bubbles. Took full advantage of the rain holding off as it is going to rain for the next week. He also received a very cool secret message bean plant. We opened it right away and can't wait for it to grow. Also a very nice assortment of books. His older sister loves reading them to him as she is a huge animal and nature person and they were perfect. I am going to try and teach the kids some things out of the origami book. Perfect for these coming rainy days. He also got a cute fish stuffed animal, nemo frisbees-loves nemo!,lots of seeds, spiderman pens,a calendar,a handheld game-his sister kind of ran off with that one,and 2 plants. Wowie Zowie is what he said when opening this amazing box. You have made one kid very happy! Thank you so much for being his garden buddie. ~Heather-Sebastian's Momma

PS-mkruby7-Sebastian would like to know if Genave liked the box he sent her~Thanks

Heather,

I am so glad that Sebastian enjoyed the box. I had fun putting it together with Rhiannon,even though she kept taking things out and saying Mine, Mine.

I enjoyed doing this and so did the girls. We should do this again sometime.

Stacie

Here is what I found out about the soap flakes:

Making Soap Flakes for Craft Recipes
Crafts Tip

From Stephanie Brown,
Your Guide to Parenting: Babies & Toddlers.
Have an Idea? Pitch a Story
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
Many craft recipes call for Ivory Soap Flakes. Unfortunately, the company stopped making this product in 1993.

Soap, in general, helps keep paint from staining hands, clothes and other surfaces and it also helps paint made with gritty, powdered tempera go on paper more smoothly. Those testing and developing the recipes found that flakes were preferable to liquid soap because it kept the paints from becoming too runny. In addition, some recipes need the "fluffy" consistency of the flakes versus powdered soaps like Dreft.

You can make your own soap flakes by using any pure vegetable soap and grating it with a cheese grater. Ivory soap is about the cheapest pure soap, but you can experiment with different types to get different smells and even colors. Be careful if using soaps scented with extracts like peppermint with very young children, since it seems to make them just want to eat the paint.

I find that laying the soap flat on its widest side and using the side of the grater with the long openings (2 inch slits) is more effective than using the sides with small holes.

As far as the citric acid goes, I found mine at the pharmacy, I think even Walmart carries it.

Stacie, Thank you so much for all the great ideas your posting. I forgot to say my kids loved the bath fizzy. We are for sure going to have to do those recipes your posting. This swap was a ton of fun, and if anyone else is game in the future so are we.
Also Stacie, did you change your user name, and if so how did you do it. I have been trying to change mine and can't figure it out.
Hope Everyone has a wonderful Mother's Day!~Heather, Scoutt and Sebastian

scouttiegirl, Genave loved the box. Tell Sebastian she is having fun with everything.

Thank you, mkruby7

Stacie,
Thank you for the tips. We are going to try both recipes. Amy

Hello mkruby;
Libby received her box last week and she was thrilled. I am enclosing a note from my sister. Sorry for the delay in posting, her Mom has just been diagnosed with a brain tumor so she has been a bit distracted. Thanks for the presents.

. In libby's package was a trowel, some gardening
gloves, a little notepad, a door decoration (garden
inspired) and a bundle of beaded bracelets. She loved
it all - please express our thanks. She had her piano
recital today and wore the bracelets. (She did great!)
Thanks. diene

Diene ~ so sorry to hear about Libby's Mom... Prayer's are going out to you and your family.

Marie