Well, this is good new and confussing as well. I tried very hard to send some gourd seeds to a friend in the US. First I had it in a bubble wrapped envelope and told them it was gourd seeds. They would not let me send it because they said that Vegetables and any part of can NOT be sent to the USA. (Gourds are veggies now? Hummm...news to me!) So, Ok I don't give up. I then go home and put the envelope in a box with a painted egg. Go back to the post office and say this is a painted WOODEN egg for a friend. Guess what? NOPE...not allowed to send it. WHY? Because the box was ( Are sitting? ) TO SMALL! WHAT? Yes, to small. It was the right height and width but 1" to short. I just about fell over. So, off I go once again and put the envelope and small box into bigger box. Long story short, my friend said she had never seen such wonderful packaging for gourd seeds. LOL Penny

Happy Wednesday!! My package arrived from Melody late yesterday afternoon. :) I think when I opened it a CRAFTY EXPLOSION happened, lol! Melody, your package was so thoughtful and so decorated! Every little piece was perfect! In my awesome package was: ~Stickers for the kids. Mrs. Grossman's! I use these stickers all the time for scrapbooking, and the company is right around the corner from Melody! Small world! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THINKING OF THEM! :) ~An AMAZING hand made envelope. So pretty! And a letter inside explaining my contents along with a beautiful drawing of 3 of the flowers that Melody sent me seeds for. SO PRETTY! I'm going to trim it down, mat it and frame it! It's just perfect! :) ~So many seeds! All with red~white~blue seed baggies. Very cute! Amaranth: Burgundy Prairie Aster: Blue Tanaka Daisy Poppy: Mysterious Red California Poppy: White Linen Morning Glory: Heavenly Blue Guara: White Butterfly Bunny Tails Grass ~My recipe looks so yummy I think I'm going to make them this weekend. Fresh Lemony Potato Pancakes with Carrots and Rosemary.....YUM! :D ~A post card of a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge. It's celebrating its 75th anniv. this week :) ~Velcro Plant Ties (Believe it or not, I just ran out of these and was going to pick some up on Saturday! I've never used this kind before, but it seems to be softer and has more stretch than the one I normally use. THANK YOU!) ~And last but certainly not least the cutest hand made pin wheel! Melody this pin-wheel is the answer to a problem that my Girl Scout troop was having! We are having a Pincess Dance in the late fall and were trying to figure out a economical craft to make corsages with. Not only does it have to be economical, but the girls have to be able to make it. Which leaves out hot glue guns and more regular craft things. This pin-wheel with the wire can be used as a wrist corsage OR as a boutonniere for the dads...SUPER SIMPLE AND EASY!!!! The girls can decorate them any way they want! LOVE IT! HUGE THANK YOU! ~OH! and lest I forget the amazing package of Ghirardelli chocolates! I am in love with the midnight chocolate...so yummy! Melody, you went above and beyond for my box! I can't thank you enough for your thoughtfulness! :) MAY'ED' IN THE USA PARTNERS: flowergirl34 (vina) sends to sandlapper_rose (jeanne)***SENT*** REC'D*** sandlapper_rose (jeanne) sends to veeja11 (carol)***SENT***REC'D*** margaret_2007 (margaret) sends to Astroknot (melody)***SENT***REC'D*** brittneysgran (shirley) sends to canyonwind (annie) veeja11 (carol) sends to brittneysgran (shirley) ***SENT*** Astroknot (melody) sends to flowergirl34 (vina)***SENT*** REC'D*** canyonwind (annie) sends to margaret_2007 (margaret)***SENT*** Jeanne, your super prize will be going out on Friday :) I hope you likey. This month has shaped up to be so fun! I just love everyone's box ideas. All of them are so different and unique! Just perfect! Thank you everyone for making this month so super easy! Have a terrrific day! vina

Dee, you've passed the packaging test with flying colors!! Your box arrived and everything will make it just fine! I'm so happy with what you've sent: A very nice card and note Creeping Sedum - new for me Heliopsis 'Lorraine Sunshine' - Love the foliage on this!! Columbine songbird 'Cardinal' - LOVE this columbine!! Scabiosa pale yellow - I've been wanting this also :) Dianthus 'Telstar' - There is even a flower blooming! Viola - pretty colors that I don't have! Sweet William 'Heart Attack'- I love the color of this! Daylily 'David Kirschoff' Daylily Siloam 'Fairy Tale' Daylily 'Bela Lugosi' Daylily 'Nefertiti' I've googled these daylilies, and will absolutely love them blooming in my gardens!! Thank You soooo much Dee, for all of these wonderful flowers!!! I will get them planted and watered immediately! It's a nice cool day today. Last night we were in a frost advisory, and I've not been feeling well, picked up some kind of nasty cold virus, so I decided my plants were on their own. Didn't have the energy to go out and take care of them. Everything looked fine this morning. Tracy, hope your water situation was taken care of! Sassy, your granddaughter just keeps on getting cuter and cuter!! Have a good day everyone! Karen (still smiling from ear to ear)

The master gardeners are going to supply the remainder of the seed. The meadow is about 1/4 acre and we had two pounds of seed donated already - one from a Texas garden webber (THANK YOU!) and one from a local nurseryman. The master gardeners are donating the other four pounds. We did a little research and found that a piece of land that size needs around 5-6 pounds of seed for good coverage, so we're going to make sure we have plenty and spread six pounds. Plus, I have native seed I have been harvesting from my own garden and probably have about another 1/2 pound - maybe a little less. The city is also helping out by killing the Johnsongrass and tilling the soil. It should all be ready by the end of the month or the latest beginning of October to seed. I know the kids will have a lot of fun with this (especially when they see it in the spring) and we appreciate any and all assistance with this project.