Hi Victoria, WOW! You did such an EXCELLENT job of preparing the perfect package! Items for... brightening my garden, pampering my senses, and things to record seasonal changes, plans, thoughts for next year in my garden. I personally think she should win ~Best Gift Robin 2006~ Here is a pic of all what was sent... and I'll describe all the goodies in the box after the picture. In the box was a gorgeous clay (ceramic) Garden Angel, and a journal, cute Geddes cat pen. I plan on using the journal and pen to make notes/thoughts on the garden this year, and plans for next years garden! Also, gardening gloves/seeds were included. Italian parsley, Astilbe, Sweet Basil, Culvers Root Alba, Coriander, Nepta Subsessilis, Window box sweet peas, Monarda, Gloriosa Daisy, Dill. A few packages of Sweet Ginger peach tea --YUM! (I can't wait to try this tomorrow) and write in my new journal about all the new plans I have for several new window boxes my Husband promised to make me. Along with revamping a few flower beds! Some bulbs were included-- a bag of Crocosmia, and a flash light. Does she think of everything, or what? LOL! Jobes plant spikes..to insure some good healthly houseplants! And stuff to pamper myself with! Sugar Pear shower gel, Sugar Pear Lotion, Sugar Pear Body Butter, Sugar Pear Body Mist. I love the light scent! It smells sooooo good! Just when you thought the box couldn't carry anymore, LOL! A grooming kit, plus 2 cucumber melon candles! And the box was a gorgeous cheeta animal print along with a cheeta print hand towel! Also, a clay thermometer, potpourri, and a CD she personally 'mixed/burned' all the songs for. Its such relaxing music, I love it! I hope I didn't forget anything! I'm sooo happy with the box, you really out did yourself, Victoria! Thank you soooo much! Hugs,

Thank you so much Mtn. I'll pass your tips along to my DDIL who fell in love with my mini loaf pan and 'borrowed' it. She thought it was so clever that each loaf had a different design on top. She's on the board of a local animal rescue and volunteered to host the next meeting. I think it might be prudent to purchase another pan for myself. lol She is a very creative and enthusiastic individual and immediately said she was going to use 2 colors of icing, white for a base and then she would add a light yellow tint to highlight the lemons on top. Interesting that your icing hid the relief. I went back to look at the post where you linked the W.S. pans and the lemons show fairly well. It appears they used a really thin icing on the lemons and then a thicker one around them and to drizzle over the side. I wouldn't dream of making them without icing! Ah clever Mtn! - you found white and yellow striped ribbon! Perfect

My son surprised me with tickets to see Aladdin on Broadway yesterday. :) Never mind he's almost 28 years old. He figured we loved the movie when he was a kid, so would enjoy the show and he was right! We did. Afterwards we headed back to the island for dinner in a local restaurant. All in all a perfect day. The only thing missing was my Mom who passed away almost two years ago. I miss her every single day. :) Oh and my memory was jogged about a peach tree we bought the first year we moved into our house when my kids were 2 and 6 years old. Every year we took a picture of the kids in front of the tree until our marriage fell apart. Worst memory? In I should have known at the time? LOL. My son was about 20 months and had quite a vocabulary already. My ex didn't get me anything for mothers day. Not a card with my son's name on it, nothing. I was so mad I confronted him and suggested that the least he could have done was tell our son to say Happy Mother's day to me. He insisted that would be too hard to teach our son. I turned to my son and said, J, please say "Happy Mother's Day." J then said, "Happu Muddah's Day Mommy." For father's day that year, I taught my Son to say, "Happy Father's Day" and found a picture of our son and I snuggling, put it in a cheap frame, wrapped it up, gave it to our son and had our son give it to his father and say, "Happy Father's Day." Needless to say, his father never forgot mother's day again. Too bad it took me another 14 years to see the writing on the wall.

Because of the large percentage of men attending, went w/ the following Swiss Army knife - the gift went to a girl in her 20's. Interestingly, of the 30+ gifts, 4 were throw blankets. The most popular "stolen" gift was a set of 2 Wusthof kitchen knives. I ended up with a foot massager. Thank you everyone for the great ideas; some I used for other gifts for friends & family.