I am hosting my second plant-swapping party next month and would love for any and all green-thumbers/garden lovers to attend. All those who are interested in getting rid of some overzealous plants and would like to exchange them for some new varieties to try in the yard this spring and summer, this is the opportunity to do so. So join us this spring and share your plants and gardening tips. The party is planned for Sunday, April 16th from 1-3pm and refreshments will be served. If it ends up raining, we will have a large tent to "hide" under while the plants get a good soaking. Right now, the party is scheduled to be in Cedar Park but if you would like to host the plant-swapping this time around (maybe to show off some nice landscaping you've done?), feel free to speak up when replying to this post. :) I look forward to a larger turnout this year and hope it proves lots of gardening fun for those who attend. RSVP by April 10th!

Halloween is a fun holiday for me. It's all about candy and having fun. Here in south Texas, it can be 90 degrees or 60 degrees, depending on the weather! I made tombstones last year out of styrofoam, but the dogs knocked over the stack they were in and broke them when we were moving things out of our old shed. I put out skeletons, pumpkins, black cats, bats and ghosts. None of the gory, scarey stuff, just the fun kind. I don't like the blood and gore decorations. Save that for the commercial haunted houses. Halloween was definitely much more fun when my kids were younger. They don't seem to get into it too much, except to see what the trick or treaters are dressed up as, or to see how much of the candy bag they can devour before the 31st. I usually end up having to buy more candy, not because of the trick or treaters, but because of my kids (well, okay, us adults are guilty of digging into the candy bags, too!) Pat, I love the idea of the murder mystery party. A friend of my daughter's had one a couple of years ago and it was a real blast. Our HOA hosts a Halloween party for the little kids each year. Activities are bobbing for apples, face painting, ring toss, cake walk, costume contest, etc. One of the parents got industrious and made a cardboard box haunted maze for them to crawl through. They served punch and cookies and cupcakes and gave out goodie bags. Another parent provided the flat bed trailer and hay bales so the kids could take a hay ride. (The same person does this at Christmas for the neighborhood carolling.) Fun time for all that ends about dark so the kids can head off to trick or treat or parties. As for the bad side of Halloween, our humane society and animal control services stop adopting out black cats well in advance of Oct. 31st. Sad that there are weirdos out there that still commit outrageous acts, but we have been lucky that nothing has happened locally in a few years. ~Kathy

Great pics Kristen! Just beautiful. I wanted to go out and get some pics this past weekend, but just never had the time. Micke - I'll have to go hunt down the notebook and see if those are indeed some of the daylilies I have, LoL. Maybe I should post all my "I forgot" or "tags washed off" daylilies, smiles! Deb - Thanks to you, LoL, I am now addicted to AVs. Can't get enough. Gesneriads (sp?) of all kinds actually. Thank you for the pamplet (sp?) Deb. I learned quite a bit from that. You should see my cuttings ghetto, HA! I have anything I can get my hands on rooting. Will help to make the winter go by quicker. That and WSing. Washed some jugs out this weekend. My poor kitchen looks like a greenhouse at the moment. Too much to do, and not enough time to do it in.........argh!!! Marryanne - Consider the phlox yours. I have enough from all of them to share I do believe. I want to get some more of the variegated varieties. I have seeds for Red Ridinghood that I am going to WS this year. Hope they bloom true. Well, off ot the garden to get some bulbs in before the winds decide to carry me away. Keep the pics coming!!!! Tina

cheri...I too, am so sorry to hear about your loss. I agree, with cameragirl >> Love, Love, Love, your witch with the cats. They are so unique. How big is the witch? Did you cut her from plywood and then paint her? She's so different, and I love that. I k now what you are saying about 'Poor' Thanksgiving. It seems though, with Christmas, that we are tending to s-t-r-e-t-c-h the season with All the decorations, and trying to enjoy them longer. I used to decorate the house, inside and out, by the Second week of December, but NOW, everything is in place BY Thanksgivng!! Especially my hubby w/his Christmas Village, it's so much work, and he adds to it each year, and he needs more and more time to set it up. I'm getting excited, just thinking about it! Do you post your pictures on here using a Digital Camera? Cameragirl, do you also have a digital camera? I don't, and wonder if I would be able to post my pictures, at Christmas..using conventional shots. Duh!!! Not too experienced in that department. Well...anyway, I just love how you and Cameragirl, put your 'Souls'...lol, into your decorating!! Slinkey