Well, we're finally getting the house repaired (I hope) next week, but haven't bought a vehicle yet...so Christmas shopping is not even finished. I'm going in today to get a few gifts, but my husband said...I don't supposed you'd what more roses? And, I said, THAT WOULD BE GREAT!!!!! I mean, sure honey, that would be just fine :) So, I decided to get some more old-fashioned roses, for the back of the garden. They only bloom once a year, but they're just beautiful. Here are a few pictures (none of them from my garden)...and I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas! Queen of Denmark (an alba) From Lavender's Garden Ispahan (a damask) From Lavender's Garden Celsiana (also a damask, but the flowers change from pink to white, as they get older) From Lavender's Garden

Hi everyone, Sorry claudia that it took me so long to post I haven't had much computer time lately! I did receive the box and it was wonderful!!!! I receieved a set of vanilla ginger lotion, body wash and body spray that smells wonderful(my husband even likes it!! He is very picky about the scents I wear but he loves it!) and wonderful tote bag that now holds all my current knitting/crochet projects that were in a brown paper bag in my living room! and a bunch of seeds including some very neat fern spores! Thanks so much claudia for the great box I loved everything and I think it will be so neat to grow ferns from spores!! I hope I didn't forget anything claudia if I did please forgive me! I am behind sending out my pals box for this month again but I will get it out very soon probably the first part of next week! Thanks again claudia for the awesome box! Carly

Betty according to the posts you recieved all 12 of your blocks. You recieved two from Juttz. She stepped in for Mollie who had some issues come up and contacted Juttz to let her know she just couldn't continue. Judy decided to make an extra block for the members that would not recieve one from Mollie. Instead of me having to make them. Sometimes this happens and someone just can't continue. But we always try to make sure that you recieve your 12 blocks. When we know that this happens. I am sorry you didn't sign up this year because of this. Some people didn't even get 12 blocks because so many people left the group. But there were a few of us this last year sending extra blocks to try and make sure everyone got as many as possible. Be thankful you were a Sunbonnet Susie and actually had a great group. The Rippettes last year fell apart and ended the year with only 5 or 6 members still sending. But we percevered and tried to get them as many blocks as we could anyway. I know that I make it perfectly clear from the get go that this is a year long committment. But sometimes life just happens and things can't be forseen. We all have to take this into account. Mollie told her group leader she couldn't continue and that group leader made the decision to fill in herself rather than try to find another person. I'm sorry if this may not have been relayed to you. And to make the comment that well Mollie's Birthday was in January just isn't right. She did the best she could and when she just couldn't anymore she told Judy so that a replacement could be found. Because she didn't want anyone to be shorted a block. I am truly sorry if this may offend you but I find it highly offensive to make that snide remark when you recieved 12 blocks from all those great ladies in your group and so many others didn't this last year because there group members just fell of the face of the earth. And didn't really care what happened. Your group did. Amy

Of course you don’t discipline the child and there’s nothing wrong with participating in major holidays. But I would take a step back from the household duties and party planning. Dad can do his kid’s laundry and cook dinner once in a while. Also, let him handle the party planning for the birthdays. Sorry, but you sound like a cook and maid - do you work? Don’t feel that your taking a step back means you don’t care. What Kroopy and others are trying to warn you against is doing too much. It sounds like you do A LOT and while right now you say you’re okay with that, are you still going to be okay with doing ALL the household chores while dear ole SO sits and watches TV? Think about it, if you weren’t there, he’d have to do it all by himself. What would he do then? Right now you might not see anything wrong with the way things are, but doing all the work around the house, becoming maid, cook and chaffuer for a kid that isn’t even yours is going to get old after a while. You’ll start to feel unappreciated and resentment will start to set in. Remember, if you and SO were to break up, you’d have no legal rights to this child. All this time, energy and emotion you’ve invested in this child can be taken away at any time. So many times I’ve read on forums like these of women who put their heart and soul into caring for their step children, only to have it blow up in their faces. If the two adults break up, the SM has no rights to seeing that child anymore. Or one day the child starts to hate you for the simple fact that you are not his mother even though you've been caring for him for years like a mother. You think he'd never do that, but I've read of it happening. That is what folks are trying to warn you about. I would just let SO know that you feel that you are taking over too much of the parenting duties and you’re going to “let” SO do the lion’s share of the parenting. Say that you are doing this BEFORE resentment starts to build. It’s not that you don’t love SO and care for his child, but you realize that you are doing too much and dad needs to step up and be a dad to his son. Stress that it’s about dad being a dad to his son, not that you don’t want to do anything for his son. And remind him that if you weren’t there, he’d have to do it all on his own anyway. He’d have to figure out a way to pick his son up if you weren’t in the picture. He’d have to do all the cooking, cleaning and laundry himself. Of course, you don't have to go cold turkey, but I'd definately find ways to step back a little.