i purchased a few at Lowes, and then made a complaint to headquarters for the labelling, there were many with specific variety, but in my haste I chose one with a more generic label, "Rabbiteye Blueberry" and there was a list on the back of 8 varieties to pollinate with. The complaint went to the local store manager, who tracked down the nursery (the nursery decides whats available, not the store..) and found my plant is one of the 8.. They did send this to purchasing & promised to demand proper labelling from the vendors. btw - it's growing well.

Well, I did enter that fair (last of the year) and got 2 blue ribbons (for collection of jams - Triple Berry, Carrot Cake, and Tomato Pineapple - and Red Raspberry Jam). Have to find out what was "wrong" with my other items - think it was that the jars didn't all match (mix of embossed and quilted Balls, Melly's Peach Preserves were 2 GH jars and 1 Ball). But I submitted matching jars of Raspberry White Wine Vinegar, was the only vinegar entry, and no ribbons awarded? Lots of competition (esp. in Peach Jam), so I should be happy with 2 blues my first time there, just wondering what to do differently for next year. The handbook didn't say anything about all jars in a collection having to match, but I think that might be a big thing (I just use whatever I have empty at the time, 5 jellies were obviously made over the course of the year so ended up in 2 different design jars, I was selecting what we had left of different flavors, with eye to bubbles, headspace, etc. and not jars). Oh, Linda Lou - I found that when people *did* buy at this one small-town market, they weren't buying in bulk. I don't know if canning has really made a comeback in this area yet. Now, the towns where the granges in this last fair are located are more rural, so maybe more history of preserving, older families (not newcomers to the area). I was chatting with 2 other entrants, 1 a woman about my age who said that she used inversion, I told her that wasn't allowed by the rules, she asked how they could tell, I said "headspace not clean" and told her she was risking a lid popping (esp. since it was over 80 degrees yesterday!). The other was a young woman in her 20's, I was glad to see some "young blood" canning, she BWBs but like me had submitted in a mix of jars (not mentioned in the Handbook, but makes sense that a "collection" should be uniform). I'll post an update after I pick them up if the judge wrote any notes on the tags.

Top 5 wants: Verbascum (the really tall, no water types like bombyciferum, epixanthemum, olympicum, pyramidatum or undulatum) Nicotiana (knightiana or 'Hot Chocolate) Hardy Geraniums Hollyhocks (dark pink or purple) Hellebore (dark shades) On request: Sweet Autumn Clematis - Robin Tatarian Aster - CA Rose campion - CA Hardy pink Geranium - Denise I have to offer: Stachys 'Primrose Heron' - 3 offers 1) Tammy 2) 3) Iris - dark pink/peach/sunset colored and white/yellow, the bulbs are mixed up, so you will get 3 per offer - but it's a gamble which color you will get. 3 offers 1) Robin 2) Robin 3) Nichol *4) Vina *5) CA Echiveria (glauca?) 3 offers 1) Robin 2) Nichol 3) Denise *4) CA Salvia chiapensis - 3 offers 1) Nichol 2) Denise 3) Tammy *4) CA Teucrium hyrcanicum 'Purple Tails' - 2 offers 1) Kamil 2) Teucrium fruticans - 3 offers 1) Tammy 2) Kamil 3) Peonies 3 offers OUT 1) Tammy 2) Denise 3) Nichol NEW Cerinthe major purpurescens "Blue Honeywort" - 4 offers These are just sprouting all over my garden so will be young seedlings, each offer will include 6 seedlings. (I realize it is very late for annual seedlings, but if you could grow these on long enough to set seeds you would have a nice supply for starting in spring.) 1) 2) 3) 4) NEW Hellebore seedlings 4 offers of 4 plants each These are 1 year old seedlings from my white Hellebores, one parent plant is considerably shorter than the other, the seedlings are under the taller plant, and there is a forest of them! (more are available if there is interest) 1)Toni (from want list) 2) 3) 4) * These are tentative if I have enough. I will also throw in a surprise variety pack for Heather :)

Ok- This comes from a teacher point of view as well as someone who has a degree in child development. You can take it for what it is worth: In Classrooms (like daycares and preschools and K room) kids are required to pick up at least two sometimes three times a day. The reasoning being that a. other kids play with the toys and the deserve to start fresh too b. kids can't think in clutter very well and neither can teachers. c. safety in that you can't walk without tripping etc. also is part of the reasoning here. I carry this into my house to some degree. I have three kids 5, 3, and 1+. Two boys and a girl. I let them play with what they want and they can play with how they want provided they are not taking away from each other-- playing nice. And now my home and my theory in practice--- We pick up daily - once before nap I expect everything to be picked up and once in the evening before their father gets home. If everything is picked up and if their father is not home yet, they can watch a video. This works great for my son who is a tvholic. The exceptions to picking up completely are this: 1. if they have some creation before nap- a tent house, a train world, polly pocket home whatever they can leave it out until dinner time, as long as it's out of the way. Not on their bed at nap time for example. At dinner time though, things are picked up. 2. If it is on the train table. We bought a big train table with the buckets at the end of the table. I rotate toys including what is in the train table buckets. - blocks, legos, little people, etc at any given time are in the train table buckets. IF they set up this elaborate train set or a great lego building, as long as it is on the train table, they can leave it there. The train table toys are usually building toys that typically get moved and torn down and rebuilt daily so those change pretty quickly and get put up to make room for other buildings. As for sorting out toys into the right bins daily- I don't do that. We have a big toy box in the front room where they play. Some toys are behind the couch in the plastic shoe boxes. Polly Pockets, etc - those things with small pieces. Those are the toys that they typially pull out from behind the couch, open the box and play with them in their room or on their bed- the little pieces typically get put back into the right box. But I don't worry about it. When we pick up, whatever is on the floor get thrown into the toy box. The kids help me pick up and if they want I do let them put the small pieces in the right bin, but if I'm helping I grab and toss. And because I rotate toys- once a week or every two weeks I dump everything out and the kids and put toys up, resort as needed, exchange toys. This is when the polly pocket shoe that got thrown in the toy box gets put back with it's mate in the right bin. Etc. I have also gotten rid of many toys. As I write this however I can think of train things I need to get rid of because my kids have never really played with it. Sigh. I kept it thinking one of the other kids would like it but so far- no luck. It really is that simple and really that complicated. I just make the time to rotate toys. Everything centers around that. When we rotate toys everything gets sorted out perfectly. Because we rotate toys not everything is out at once and that makes it easier to a. clean house b. pick up every day c. control how many toys are out with small pieces d. organize and make sure everything is in the right bin. As for your daughter dragging things out of the house - we take things out to the car but they stay in the car. When we go in the store- the toys stay in the car. As for all of her flat type creations- I also bought an art portfolio. IT's like a big envelope. I let my son keep all of his papers in there. He keeps every paper he touches. They all go in there. It sits at the end of his bed. When it is stuffed I go through it- sometimes alone, sometimes with him. It works for us. Big papers and small papers go in here. But only paper. We have also done some things like I sat down and whipped up some bags for toys. My two older kids love to fill things with things. A small bin may have five cars, three dinosaurs, four crayons and sixteen pieces of paper. They love to just stuff things in things. I made some bags. I whipped up bags and this makes it easy to carry things around. If my boy's snowbear needs crayons for the day (becaue my boy is like your daughter with an animal whose needs change) - then snowbear puts the crayons in the snowbear bag and off we go. I have probably 10 bags designated for things- blocks, small dolls, etc. I have maybe another 10 bags with drawstrings for anything. They just get thrown in their toybox empty at the start of two weeks and stay filled until it's time to rotate toys. So- based on my usual long winded response here are my thoughts for you: 1. Can you designate a place as a compromise- train table creations are ok, otherwise they go down? Can you set a time that they have to pick up? Daily? I do it when their dad comes home so they know exactly what their schedule is. Can you do it on a set day? Every other day everything is totally picked up? I lean to a daily pick up at a set time so it is routine. I agree that it is the process at this age - the process of making the creation is important not the creation itself. 3. Can you provide your daughter some place for her creations? This ties into question one but also for her small books for blueberry? for the small things he has to have? A bag? An oatmeal box with a string tied to it? an art portfolio? 4. Do you have to have all of their toys out all of the time? And after having said all of that- I think what you are really looking for is not the organizing help but more of the parenting help. Do you allow your children to make creations and leave them? And How do you tackle this as a mother? I'm not sure I helped at all. What I would say to you as a teacher if you came to me is Go for it- encourage the creativity. When you see them no longer playing with a toy or creation show them how to take it down and put the components up. Or if they can no longer play wiht a type of toy because all the pieces are spread apart and put in wrong places, help them sort them out. You are the mother and you know best. Ginger