Sunny South Florida Surprise

19 years ago

I arrived home from picking up Aleksi at pre-school and guess what was on my front porch. A box from Sunny South Florida! It was from Shaun. I don't know who was more excited me or Aleksi! I had to laugh that it was actually from Shaun as I saw a post Shaun had made where she stated she had mailed her swap package NORTH. I was so very close to responding that "well, it couldn't be me that Shaun was sending to if it was headed North" since I am so very far south; but, I got interrupted for the night and never got back to posting that.

I received a beautiful fall basket that Shaun MADE!!! She made the basket and it is lovely. It can be hung; the fall decorations are lovely. How crafty she is! How did she know that I love baskets and lost most of mine in "the move", actually not "lost", "crushed" would be the word. I will treasure the hand-made basket, Shaun.

Then there were two delicious looking jars of homemade jam: Blackberry and Strawberry. I can see Saturday morning breakfast right here! Yummmeeee! Although not shown, the tops of each jar were covered with really pretty dish cloths.

Next is a great cookbook,"Favorite Brand NameSimple 1-2-3 One Dish." From a quick preview it has alot of new southwest type dishes, which we will enjoy as we like -- can you say Tex-Mex! I love the way it is put together with the spirals, lays flat and stays open!

Shaun, thank you so much for a really awesome swap package. You did a terrific job with the basket, jams and cookbook!

Brenda

P.S. If there are any really stupid typos on this, please forgive me, Shaun, as I am on some nasty pain meds now, but I wanted to get thisposted as soon as possible and let you know it got here and I love it!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (44)

ziporion
19 years ago
What a nice fall basket with beautiful colours. And that homemade jam looks like a real treat, especially the blueberry! And Brenda, it sounds like the cookbook is right up your alley with the Tex-mex contents.

Nice job Shaun, especially on your crafting of the basket! Hope you enjoy it all Brenda!

Catherine
lynnalexandra
19 years ago
Shaun - that basket is beautiful. I was just at a craft fair last weekend and yours looks as good as anything I saw there. You're very talented.

The jams look yummy and I wish I were having those for breakfast tomorrow.

So Brenda, are you north of Shaun or was she deceiving us? There are a lot of sly, crafty folks on this forum. Good job.

Lynn.
Related Discussions
Sunny South Florida? More Like Shady South Florida
Q
Comments (1)
If your going to have a swing set and foot traffic, St Aug is out. Bermuda needs lots and lots of sun, so thats out. Empire Zoysia does well in part shade and handles foot traffic very well. I have some growing well on the side of my house where it only gets about an hour of sun a day. You can sod the entire back yard with one pallet. Depending on who you by from and if you can pick it up your self or not, it will run $80 (direct from the sod farm, you pick it up) to $250 (delivered and installed). You will need to water this grass once a week during the dry season. Where did you say you live? Im in Lee county.
...See More
Surprise from sunny Florida...
Q
Comments (20)
LOL, Donna, I do have a t-shirt that says "If it's tourist season, why can't we shoot them?" Maybe I should find it and send it to Bobby! Sol, I'm only about 40 miles inland from The Lake. We get that stuff called....lemme see.....oh yeah, Lake Effect. (grin) I'm just on the south side of the snow belt, so I get lots of it. It's funny, you're only about 2 hours away, and Elery is about 3 hours away, and neither of you have any snow at all. It isn't really COLD, just below freezing, hovering about 30F, just enough for snow instead of rain. Then again, you could come and help me build the perfect snowman. I didn't get Nancy's 7 inches of snow, I got about 3, but it IS perfect snowman snow. I'll give you oranges afterward to keep up your strength... Annie
...See More
CAN SOUTH FLORIDA GARDENS GROW GIANT SUNFLOWERS ??
Q
Comments (23)
Hi, I’m in Palm Beach Gardens (Zone 10B) There are three varietals in this bed, the two taller ones are Mammoths. The one on the right is 10ft. This is my first try at Mammoths but, I’ll share what I did and what I think worked well. Planting Time: Direct sow in February, thin out slow growers to prevent crowding. Two seeds every 30”. Soil Prep: Dug a 2ft deep trench, 1ft wide. I have sand as well so I amended the soil with a compost/top soil mix from HD and granulated fertilizer for shrubs. Next go around I‘m going to add bone meal earlier, probably around thinning. Watering: Water in the morning daily until they get about 1ft tall, then I typically water every other day if there’s no rain. Important to make sure soil dries a bit between waterings and very important to give them a slow deep soak to encourage good root growth. These just survived a severe storm with 40mph+ gusts and hail. I think the care to the root system helped them. Feeding: Liquid fish fertilizer heavy nitrogen every 14 days. Added an inch of manure on the surface when they got about 2ft tall and dug out a 3” deep moat, 1ft radius around the stalks. This really helped to direct the fert and water to the roots. Added bone meal to the surface around the stocks in mid April, I’m going to do this earlier next time. Although it seemed to really help with producing new buds on the Autumn Sun varietal. I applied neem oil at night a couple times early on, soak the leaves on top and bottom as well as spray the soil surface. Also I had to apply copper fungicide early on to fight leaf rot. Got a little lazy and the Jerusalem Golds suffered. These get great morning light, slight shade in midday from a palm. The shed in the background blocks a significant portion of direct afternoon light and there’s a row of Autumn Suns on that side as well. I think they’d be taller with more light but, that’s a guess. I also, didn’t apply liquid fertilizer as regular as I could/should have. I think they could’ve benefited from a couple more feedings. Next go around, I’ll experiment with the feedings. I hope this helps.
...See More
South Florida Driveway - Concrete Pavers
Q
Comments (5)
This sounds like a project where you are expecting the installer to do the design -- create the layout, grade and details -- and then you just pick the color and end up with a fantastic driveway. If that's the case, I would absolutely be worrying about the layout, grade and details first, as any of those things are capable of bringing as much or more remorse than the wrong color paver. Hopefully, you are improving the layout over the existing one. I would consider heat absorption to be of relatively minor consequence in the big scheme of things. People will probably not walk on the driveway in their bare feet. But what will affect you every day, especially in summer is glare. If the color is too light, you may be barely able to stand it. If I were you, I'd pick a bright, sunny day and walk onto a large area of fresh "white" concrete, without sunglasses, and see what you think. Then find some dark paving and make a comparison. I find paving that is light to be quite annoying, such that I can't wait to get into the shade. (I'm in the Tampa area.) Other than that, I find colors that lean orange, beige, yellow, etc. to be less likable than those leaning red or grey. But there are so many degrees of color that one must choose based on actual details and characteristics, not verbal descriptions. How are you viewing samples? Hopefully, you are laying them out and viewing from a distance with the house in the background so all can be appraised as a single scene. You could even photograph this so we could see it and offer an opinion. If you are looking at samples independent of the house or in artificial light, that is worthless. Keep in mind that there may be several nice colors .... no just one perfect color.
...See More
sally2_gw
19 years ago
What a nice collection of gifts. That home made basket is very nice, such talent! The jam and the cookbook look great. I bet you'll get lots of enjoyment out of everything! Good job, Shaun.

Sally
kent4489
19 years ago
Brenda, What a fun package. Enjoy!
Shaun, hey, girl...I didn't know you were crafty. Nice!

Jayne
goldgirl
19 years ago
Shaun - you are awesome, and oh so crafty. I feel so un-Martha Stewart like! You did a wonderful job. Brenda, enjoy all your goodies :)
craftyrn
19 years ago
Shaun-- you have talent you've been hiding from us ! That basket weaving is very nice ! And it certainly says "Fall " with that arrangement .

Jams sound yummy -- bet you'll enjoy those Brenda-- & the cookbook sounds like alot fun .

Diane
homesforsale
19 years ago
You..MADE ..the basket?

Oh.. kudos!!!I wonder if I would have the patience.It is beautiful..particularly teh way you decorated it also..It just makes it shine for the season!

Great exchange!

Hope you got to your 12.15 parent meeting.!:)
robinkateb
19 years ago
Great job on the package, I am so impressed that you made the basket. I have a kit for a Nantucket Lightship basket but I still have not made it. Brenda, that is funny that you thought for sure Shaun was not your partner. Enjoy!!

-Robin
shaun
19 years ago
:: ahem :: I didnt make the basket!! hahaha! I'm not *that* crafty!

I bought the basket and then decorated it with Fall Flowers and a scarecrow!!

Martha Stewart I ain't!

Brenda glad it got there so quickly and that you'll enjoy what I sent you.
debbie814
19 years ago
Shaun, I've made one basket in my life and love it. Brenda is going to enjoy the basket and will be jammin too! Nice swap package.
deanna1949
19 years ago
A lovely autumnal package. That is an amazing "homemade" gift! Way to go, Shaun!

Brenda, you're sure to enjoy the jams and cookbook. I foresee yummy eats ahead.
maggie2094
19 years ago
I love the basket. I was going to ask "how'd you dood that?" (as my 3 year old says). Very nice!

Enjoy, Brenda. I am sure Aleski loved the scarecrow!
Terri_PacNW
19 years ago
Nice job Shaun..
Great Idea to spiff up a basket too..Nice Handmade touch!
colo_lady
19 years ago
Cool idea Shaun! Love the jams and the cookbook is unique.

Way to throw her off course, too, you sneaky devil.

Trying to figure out how the dang thing got off course from coming to MY house! I'm thinking it was headed here...
coronabarb
19 years ago
Oh, these all look so great...yummy jams, a lovely basket and a cool cookbook...what a treat!
sheshebop
19 years ago
Shaun, that is a very lovely basket. All-together a very nice swap package! Enjoy it Brenda!
teresa_nc7
19 years ago
What a wonderful swap box! Very nice effort, Shaun! Hope you enjoy your goodies, Brenda! Jam in the mail is a good thing!
Carol Schmertzler Siegel
19 years ago
Great swap box! Nice going, Shaun! Enjoy it all, Brenda! The basket is so nice! Looking forward to seeing some 1-2-3 recipes!
stacy3
19 years ago
Shaun, what a great package you put together! Lol at you making the basket...I however knew you didn't make the actual basket...just cuz I wouldn't have either...hee hee.

The jams look yummy, yummy - and the cookbook looks great, too.

Enjoy your stuff Brenda, hope you're feeling better soon.

Stacy
shaun
19 years ago
Actually, Brenda *is* north of me! You have to go north to get out of Florida! hahahahaha!!!
weed30 St. Louis
19 years ago
Great package, even if you didn't make the actual basket ;)
The cookbook looks like something I need....my usual efforts can be best described as 'One Clean Dish Left in the Entire Kitchen'.
dedtired
19 years ago
The basket is adorable. I have a wreath with the same sort of scarecrow man on it. The cookbook would be ideal for me -- simple. That pretty much describes the way I cook!

By the way, Brenda, did you remember the Parents Mtg. at 12:15??

Pam
doucanoe
19 years ago
Yep, I thought our Shaun was holding out on us, kept thinking "Basket Weaving 101".

I love the arrangement you did in the basket, I wish I could do that. Jams look good and I love that cookbook!

Great job, Shaun. Enjoy your fun new things, Brenda!

Linda
mustangs81
19 years ago
Now Shaun, I know you didn't get those fall leaves out of your yard cause we ain't got no fall leaves here. In fact, we are going to NC next week to see the fall leaves.

Very nice swap package, you did a great job on your basket.

Cathy
Bizzo
19 years ago
What a great package! Great job, Shaun! The jams make my mouth water, and the basket is lovely. The pic Brenda took of the kielbasa recipe reminds me we haven't had any for a while and DH loves kielbasa... hmmm, may be a trip to the grocery store is in order...

and feel better Brenda!!
lakeguy35
19 years ago
Great package Shaun! Brenda, I love Tex-Mex and I can't wait to hear about the recipes from your new cookbook. Enjoy!

David
catlover
19 years ago
I prefer to think that Shaun made the basket. This all looks wonderful. I'm thinking some of that jam would be pretty good right now. Adele
Gina_W
19 years ago
Shaun you "made" that adorable basket, and that's that! I love the package!
annie1992
19 years ago
What a nice autumn decoration that basket is. Heck, I wouldn't be able to even put together the decorations, Shaun did a great job.

What's not to like about jam, and the cookbook seems perfect for Brenda.

Good job, Shaun. Brenda, I hope those pain meds are working well and that you feel better real soon.

Annie
riverrat1
19 years ago
Ooooh yummy! Strawberry and Blackberry jam! You did good Shaun!

Brenda, I too hope you get to feeling better soon. Enjoy your goodies!!
brenda55
Original Author
19 years ago
Okay, as the pain meds subside, there are two things:

First, I really interpreted Shaun's note that she made the basket. That's my story, and I'm sticking with it....ha! Remember, drug induced confusion here.

Second, I could not figure out what in the heck the comments were about the parent meeting? I noticed the first one last night and thought it was kinda weird, then this morning, saw another mention of it. I reread my beginning thread to see what that could be about, briefly looked at the pictures (though not full screen), drove to Gruene today for swap shopping and thought about it some more. I was looking at some _________ and ___________ at Gruene and then it hit me and upon returning home, checked the pictures full screen. So, sorry about that. Again, I'll blame the drugs.

Thanks for the get well notes. I realized among other things, I am suffering from CRS, of which there is no cure -- "Can't Remember Sh!!" (saw it on a t-shirt today in Gruene).

BTW, the strawberry jam is wonderful. And yes, I am North of Shaun, I checked!
Virginia7074
19 years ago
I dunno - looks like Shaun made the basket to me, too. And she did a great job! Just makes you happy to look at it. Bet those jams are good, indeed, and cookbook looks like fun. Enjoy!
msrevise
19 years ago
What a great homemade basket, perfect for fall! Jams look yummy, and tex-mex, too--great selections, great swap box! brenda, please share a recipe from the book when you have time. Enjoy!
shaun
19 years ago
I do love crafts but I've never weaved a basket in my life! I also make wreaths, well I buy a nekkid wreath and decorate it! haha! That's what I did with the basket. I bough it and decorated it. So when I told Brenda that she got one of my famous baskets, and that I even signed it, I can see how she thought I made the whole shebang. Not her fault.....nor the drugs!!

Brenda glad you are feeling better.
User
19 years ago
Well Shaun aren't you a "crafty" little person! I love that basket. Very nice idea, of course the jams are a great touch. Neat cookbook too!

Enjoy Brenda
finally
19 years ago
Yumm! Homemade jam is the best! And Shaun's autumn basket is perfect as the fall sets in. Let us know when you find the perfect dinner for those nights when there's a Parent Meeting!

Great job Shaun!
andi_2006
19 years ago
Shaun, that fall basket is beautiful! What a very creative and unique homemade item! Wonderful cookbook and jam selections, too! Brenda, looking forward to some recipes from "1-2-3"! Enjoy!
lsr2002
19 years ago
What a lovely autumn package you sent Shaun; we don't have leaves like that either. Brenda, I'll be looking forward to the day when you feel better enough to try a new Tex-Mex recipe and post it. Enjoy everything.

Lee
traceys
19 years ago
Beautiful basket Shaun. I have zero talent for decorating things so I'm impressed. I love jams but I've never had blackberry. It sounds great. I can't wait for some new southwest recipes.
Enjoy Brenda!

Tracey
jessyf
19 years ago
Sheesh if Shaun has to make her own basket, then we canners have to blow our own glass for the jars! Yeah, blowing, I like that.

Very nice package. I've seen other views of that basket (hey I am the swap spy, remember?) and its really nice!
Lars
19 years ago
Interesting that you had to check to see if you actually were north of Shaun - are you in San Antonio, Brenda? Much of Florida is north of S.A., including the entire panhandle. I pretty much always ship to the east, more or less, although technically, I could say that Ann T is west of me, as is Granjan.

I would really like to try the blackberry jam. I recently had blackberry sorbet in Ventura, and I absolutely loved it! Strawberry is nice too, but blackberry is pretty rare, and I much prefer it to raspberry, which is also good.

Cookbooks that lie flat are especially useful - I have a couple myself.

Lars
momto4kids
19 years ago
Oooo! Homemade jams are the best!! Blackberry jam and strawberry jam! Lucky you! Great basket! A Tex-mex cookbook...love it! Enjoy Brenda!

Super job Shaun!
blueiris24
19 years ago
Nice box -- love the basket. Great job Shaun!
brenda55
Original Author
19 years ago
Yes, Lars, I am in San Antonio. I, too, was somewhat confident that most of Florida was actually north of me, so that is why I didn't consider Shaun's swap box headed here, when she said she shipped "North." Good job, Shaun!

Sunny South Florida Surprise

Comments (44)

Related Discussions

brenda55Original Author

brenda55Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

brenda55
Original Author

brenda55
Original Author