CLOSED: Thanksgiving & Christmas Holiday Swap 2012

Cool!

Exciting...can't wait I have been hording coupons and I am armed and dangerous...rofl....

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! Today's the day!!!! Who will it be?

Checking back in.....got my bud's name and am super excited!

Thanks for hosting, Kim.

Yeah!!! Got my "secret" partner and now I can start looking for an ornament/ornaments at work!!! See working at a Christmas store does come in handy sometimes!!!!

Just came across our Reveal thread: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1287257/

Thanks Sooz...I forgot to add that. Good Looking out! :-) he he he

Well, I believe the 'gathering of the goodies' is just about finished here.

Don't go rushing to the PO Monday since it will be closed in observance of Veteran's Day.

Thanks for that too! I didn't realize the Post Office was closed Monday...

Me either til the evening news had a segment about Veteran's Day celebrations. Time flies, seems like it was just Memorial Day. Glad in a way it isn't after the miserably hot Summer.

I have had entirely Too Much fun shopping for this swap! Now I can't wait to see who my buddy is for the "Let the Christmas Spirit Ring" Swap.

Please send me a reply to let me know you received your buddy. Those that already did disregard :-)

Thanks!

Everything's ready except my Bud's seeds. Still weeding through a lot I've harvested when I should have been concentrating only on her wants.

If anybody here wants a mix of Zinnias and / or Cosmos seeds and you haven't previously requested them for the Seed Robin, raise your hands.
I have a nearly a gallon Ziploc bag of clean mixed Cosmos 'Bright Lights' and 'Klondike' seeds, and a paper grocery bag full of mixed Zinnia heads.
Still collecting both.

These are shots of some of the Zinnias: http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/583317392ArpkYZ?start=0

The zinnias are beautiful... I especially like the all yellow and the all red ones. I have never grown a zinnia from seed.

Got my buddies name. Craft show this weekend fun fun

Then let me change that for you. Zinnias are super duper easy. Since ours border the driveway, all I did was dig a very shallow trench with the corner of a hoe, walked along sprinkling seeds in it, back-filled very lightly, watered in, and watched sprouts begin to emerge in literally three or four days. I didn't even plant ours til June. You could also fill in a patch if you wanted to instead of having a border. All colors are mixed, except the Red and did save a few of those heads separately.

I'm mailing my goodies on Saturday.... I'm so excited. Hopefully it will be delivered by Thanksgiving. I've had trouble with my post office lately. They make a lot of mistakes all of the time! Last week I mailed a package to my daughter and she lives 30 minutes away. They sent it all the way to Florida to finally get it back PA and took 7 days when she should have gotten it the next day.. Sigh

Many people put their tree up right after Thanksgiving. When I was young my mother wouldn't let us put it up until a week before Christmas. I didn't like that! LOL My little kids are excited and my grown kids ( in their 20's) make it fun for the 4 and 5 year olds :-) Yes, I'm crazy for having babies now!

Well....I decorate so much that I am starting the upstairs this weekend and the tree goes up the Sunday after Thanksgiving. We are usually eating Thanksgiving on Christmas dishes tho...rofl. It is just that my christmas dishes have all the great accessories with them that my everyday doesn't. Now how funny is that...rofl. I LOVE the holidays from Thanksgiving on to New Years....alto the ending of the year seems to make me sad. This year like all years has had it's good bad and the ugly.....but still full of memories.

LOL! Hmmmm I think I'll decorate right after Thanksgiving too...The kids would love that. Although I could use some more decorations...

We have a pre-lit tree that will go up in our family room shortly after Thanksgiving. Even pre-lit, it still takes me the better part of two days to decorate it. It's loaded but then there's the time it takes going down memory lane to reflect since I've collected ornaments as long as I can remember. Then we have two fake mini evergreens for either side of the front door, a wreath for it and one for the door to our garage, usually make a fresh evergreen swag for the mailbox, and of course the flags will be changed from Turkeys to Snowpeople. Christmas cards, if we get any...lol will be taped around our entertainment center in and out of a drape of garland. Seems cards have fallen off tremendously over the years as folks are sending e-cards, guilty myself. Music, gotta have Christmas music, jingle bells on doorknobs, and Christmas scents filling the air like cinnamon and cloves simmering in the kettle on our wood stove, and jarred candles galore. Last Spring hubs and I installed columns and railings on our front porch and am playing around with ideas how to decorate them. Don't have enough garland but do probably have enough lights which I've already started to string out, plug in and replace bulbs. I'd love to put my parents old Silver Christmas tree out there but the North wind would carry it or the branches off to the next County.

Do any of you put a wreath on your vehicle? Haven't ever done that but there's always a first time.

Somebody's goodies are on their way! Not giving any secrets away except you better like chocolates ;) I think that pretty much covers all of us...lol

Enjoy the craft show this week-end, happ. You always find the neatest things. Our big show was last month and wish now I'd gone. It's the same one SIL and I attended last year.



In case you're not already participating in our Let the Christmas Spirit Ring exchange, sign-ups end next Wednesday, Thanksgiving Eve. There's always room for more Elves:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1285685/

I love craft shows and I probably should look into where they are in my area.

Mmmm chocolates...I have a problem with it. Sometimes I eat too much LOL. I'm trying to limit myself...he he he. It has to be fattening? Sometimes I crave it!

We have a white pre-lit tree too. I put it downstairs which is the kids tree. I really like it but it's still work to put it up. We usually get a live tree for upstairs due to relatives and a gift exchange we've had at the house the last few years. This year I think we'll hop on someone elses sled...lol. No festivities, cooking, baking, and cleanups for me this year.

My Package just went to the Post Office :-)

Saturday (17th) was the mailing deadline. I hope everyone sent their package :-) Please post if you have sent.

Most importantly there is a Reveal thread....to post pictures and share what you received.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1287257/
Please post so that your buddy knows you received your package. I've been informed that a package was delivered on the 13th.

Thanks

Well, somebody was an early bird. Package didn't arrive here last week.

USPS indicates my Bud's gifts should be delivered tomorrow.

I used to collect snowglobes but not anymore I sold my collection. Now I collect crosses, anything olde english or olde irish, covered wooden boxes, by musical I collect ornaments that represent musical things like violins and trumpets etc. I have a couple of snowglobes left. , also like music boxes but only have one or two.

My late Mother collected snowglobes and musical jewelry boxes. I gave all of them to her best friend who had gifted a lot of them to my Mom over the years, except I kept one glass jewelry box that's only brought out for Christmas. When the lid is opened, a ballerina pops up, starts twirling, and the music is "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy".

Love musical-themed ornaments and have several really old brass French horns, harps, violins, trumpets and such. So old they've begun to take on a green patina and their red cords are frayed. Most are tiny, like 4" long, although one of the French horns is large enough to use with our mailbox decorations.

It's interesting learning what we all collect and the meaning behind our keepsakes. I'll have to take a pic of a Celtic knot (brass?) spoon in my collection a friend gave me years ago after a trip to visit her family in Ireland.

Oh and bells and angels too.....I like lots of things.....but haven't the room for everything I like LOL. When the show "Hoarders" comes on my husband talks to the dog and points to the TV and says "there's your Mommy!" - makes me so mad I'm not like that AT ALL and I feel sorry for those people - they have a sickness - it's not funny.

I agree and feel so sorry for people that have trash and stuff piled so high they only have a pathway through their homes, if that.