A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Banter Hall 2008 Fall Gift Swap---The FUN has BEGUN!!! Pt 3

The kids and I walked to the post office today and guess what Jane had for me!



It's time for Maddie to eat lunch and take a nap, so I'll open the boxes and post pictures as soon as she hits the mattress!!


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Goody--Goody--"The Fun Has Begun"

Yeah, feed Maddie and get her down for her nap fast Jenn!

Yay, the first one has arrived!

Maddie, are you asleep yet?? Shhhh.....

If she is I know Jenn is having fun right now!!!

Oh I can't wait to see what you got Jenn!

OK, I'm uploading all of the pictures right now and putting them into photobucket so I can post them.

Thanks soo much Tina!! Everything is GREAT and now I've got some good reading for over the winter!!! Maddie is SOO going to love watching the fish lamp!

Tell Photobucket to hurry up!

Oh this is going to be so cool!!!!

Ok...resizing pictures is a pain with PB!!

So, this is a fleece scarf....it is super dooper soft!!!


Here are 3 gnomes....I'm going to have to name them...hmmm....


A notepad(how did you know I'm all about putting notes EVERYWHERE!?), noise whackers, a portable light, and a banana slicer (I didn't even know there was such a thing!!!)

digital pic frame keychain


a tea towel, hot mit, small chives growing kit, a gnome stake (I'm going to put this in my peace lily...maybe it will perk up), and two bandannas that keep you cool in hot weather

An aquarium lamp


A book on perennials (which I was JUST looking at one similar to this yesterday!!)


This is a throw in a bag...here is the bag...


here is the throw and the bag...


And these are Peeps bubbles!!! I LOVE Peeps!! I have a "pack" of peeps stuffies also!

Wow!!! You got fabulous gifts Jenn!!

I had that same little aquarium for Tristen when he was little and he slept with that on every night as his night lite. He loved it!!!

Wow, that stuff is awesome! The digital keychain is really cool! I have one myself and it's nice to put the kids pics on so you don't have to carry a zillion in your purse!

And you got gnomes!

And all kinds of cool stuff! That throw is really cute!

Tina did a really great job!

Hot pads and an egg white separator...which is cool b/c I do that alot when baking


3 more books and a rain gauge...a nice big one that won't end up breaking like my last one did!


Close-up of the egg white separator


And here is everything all together...

Wow Jenn! It's like Christmas! No wonder she needed 3 boxes!

I love that egg white separator! I wouldn't have much use for it really, but it's cute how it works! Nice books and rain gauge too!

Oops! Didn't realize there was more! Lots more wonderful stuff!

That keychain does look really neat. I will have to look for one of them!!

I'm soo excited that I have gnomes!! They are my first!

Loz, I was going to say that too!!....no wonder she had to use three boxes!!!

That is a lot of really nice and fun things!!

Awesome gifts. Great job Tina. Tons of goodies!!

Tell us Jenn, did it feel like Christmas to you?

It sure looks like Christmas!

You did great Tina!!!

Yes! and it was fun because Stephen has left for work and Maddie and Luke were both sleeping! So no interruptions other than needing to put a load of laundry in!

When I came home from the PO with 3 boxes, Stephen was just getting ready to leave for work and said "my goodness! are they all from the same person!?" "yup!", I said. "Boy did she set the bar high!", he said! :LOL:

That is true....she did!!

Wow Jenn. such wonderful Gifts. Yep Tina, you did soo good!!!

I agree this is just like Christmas, only better--because we get this all to ourselves.
(usually I am so concerned that my family like their gifts, or with the meal, that I ignore me.)

Then I'm glad I had to withdraw, cause I could never have met
that 'bar'!!

Very good job Tina!

It was all as much fun to put together as it was to unpack, I am sure. Things I should have put in a note:
The books were at a rummage sale last Saturday. (you have so many questions so I figured there would be some answers for you)
gnomes and eFrame keychain were your main gifts (the keychain can be purchased in walmart electronics section near cameras)
I am glad you like the gnomes.
And I hope your tots like the fish lamp/night light. Blow up those noise maker things and show Maddie how to raise the roof. Hey, it could have been a drum set!
Everything else was just 'fluff and stuffing' and fun things.
And I think these would have been actually less expensive to mail in a single bigger box. But I had these boxes on hand and it was a blast getting it together.
I am so glad I got your name in the draw because it was so wonderful choosing things for you and your kidlets. And I am so glad they got there!

Tina, I'm surprised you didn't get her a Webkinz to try to get Jenn into them! We could've had another one hooked. :wink: Although I know she doesn't have much time to play on Webkinz...... I love the stuff you chose.....Very nice things!

Thank you, I thought about a webkinz. But I remember well having two baby/toddlers and knew the time was not right for Jenn. Now in a year or two when she is looking for something to occupy Maddie's growing mind and fingers........

LOL! You two are funny. I actually get pretty much online time...Maddie is pretty good with playing by herself and with Luke and I have all of the house hold "chores" and whatnot separated by days. I spend alot of time in the evenings on the computer making things on GIMP....i'm working on a poster right now for the youth pastor at our church. she is having some events and it is actually cheaper for me to make the posters and have them printed up at Sam's Club than it is to order them somewhere else.

I blew up a noise maker.....Maddie thinks Luke's head is a pretty cool noise.

That is funny. I hope Luke doesn't mind.
You had scrapping online on your questionnaire and I had to look it up. I didn't see where I could get anything to help you along with that. So I went with plan B.

Wow lots of really useful things Jenn, I like the egg separator I've never seen one like that it's very unique! and the key chain photo carrier cool!!!! Good Job Tina,

Luke doesn't seem to care. :)
Yeah, I got alot of the elements from freebie blogs and stuff. When we have more money, then I'll be able to go onto different websites and buy kits. :) You did a super job!

I found some time today to shop for my person...got quite a bit and had some things here already. This weekend is the fall festival and I am going to be keeping my eye out for something nifty from the craft venders. Then I think I'll be all done and will send the box out.

i knew some of what was in it, and suspected more, but wow, that's an awesome swap tina, you've set the bar awfully high!

Should I take it back? I just couldn't quit. It was too much fun. (<--very selfish)

I think you did fine Tina. You did what you wanted to do. I don't think that anybody needs to feel like they have to do the same. We all do our own thing. I want to post this for the newer people who are joining in this swap because I don't want anybody to think that they have to go overboard or anything...we all do what we are comfortable with and everybody enjoys it just the same.

Yes, thank you, Jessica. That is an excellent point. I could have honed it all down to one box but I used a lot of bubble wrap for the breakables. And only had the smaller boxes on hand. Most of the rest of the stuff were things I had on hand. I am forever picking up little goodies on sale when I can (like Loz)and tucking them away for those last minute birthday parties my kids get invited too. The fish lamp was one of those. That cute egg separator was one of those school fund raiser catalog items that you get guilt-ed into. But too cute.

Ladies, I too buy things all thru the year, for gift needs that pop up.
Then there is the point that when I want to find something I can't, therefore shopping ahead works well for me.

So, I buy a lot of my gifts along the way and then when A gift need comes up, I look to see if I have an appropriate item among my "Goodies".
Then there is all the "sales" I hit.--When you shop year round you have the time to find all the real bargains.
.---((But I am nothing compared to Loz)).
Anyways, while my "packages" may look like I spend a lot, often times, when you actually count up what I have spent, it is not much at all. Besides, I love to make people smile. :wink:


I think Tina did aa excellent job.--and she too found bargins.

tina, i wouldn't begrudge you one single bubble of that fun. i just hope my person likes her box as well as jenn did! :wink:

I too pick things up throughout the year to throw in different gifts here and there. We are just great bargain shoppers...that is why we can send so much!