I love surprises, but don't like having to wait for the mail to come, so I tried VERY hard to be patient for this package to arrive.

Karla (barnbum) decided she needed to send me some fall since it's been a REALLY long time since I have actually experienced that season. Ok, plus, she just really likes me,,,,I think. hehe

So anyway...I'm headed up to take a shower, was being a couch potato earlier and all of a sudden I hear a beeping at my front door. MAILMAN? Is the Mailman delivering something? Gotta go see!! I'm still in my wretched, really old shorty night shirt, but I don't care. I run outside and meet the mail truck. To my wonderful surprise....there's a package!! Oh my....Yippee!! Is it from Karla? What is it? What's in it? I look at the return address and YES!! IT'S FROM KARLA!!! I run back in the house and head straight for the kitchen. Knife...I need a knife! Gotta open the box!! Where's my box cutting knife! OH NO!! Whew! There it is...Ok, package open.....
Now, I run to the 2d floor....gotta see what's inside. Oh my! What a wonderful smell coming from the box! My head is spinning! I remember this smell! Fresh raked leaves........ahhhh....smells SOOOO good! Wish I could miniaturize (is that a word?) myself so I can jump in those leaves that are in there.

Package just opened...
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I took out the top paper and the wonderful smell just permiated my senses....The card (handmade) is just too cute!
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Out comes the card to reveal these wondeful leaves. Oh my! Doesn't it smell soooo good?
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So, let's start taking things out and see what we find. There is a bag of candy, but the bag split...that's ok...I don't mind, those little pumpkins were just having fun sitting in all those leaves....
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Ok, what else do I pull out? Oh my! A cute little bag! I wonder what could be in it??
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Ahhhh....more signs of the season! Mark has done really well growing those gourds!!! They are just beautiful! Will be really pretty on my table with my table mat I made and the great smelling pumpkin candle I have. :)
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What else can we find? Oh my! Something to go with the gourds! Are they the cutest little ears of corn?
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I'm still pulling out the leaves...YES, I am smelling them. Love that smell! Isn't this one beautiful?
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I gather my goodies...yes, I should have taken individual pics as they came out, but in my excitement, I forgot... See the little Rosie? I thought for sure, Rosie would be in there and there she is!! She might not be the REAL thing, but close enough for now. :) You can see the bag of pumpkins. Those will be yummy. Some cute napkins and some plates. See the little scarecrow? Her name is now Karla :) :)
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Oh...It's not done! Look at this!! She didn't forget the yummy fabric! Isn't it too cute? I love it! Yes, I petted and snorted on it. It smells soo good! Oh yes...gotta snort new fabric! And home made blueberry preserves! That is going to taste sooo good! Should I share with the rest of the family? Hmmm......I might. And a cute little bottle of maple syrup. Will be just right for dinner tonight. I'm making pancakes! :) :)
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After everything was out of the box, Monique had to check it out.
"Mom! You said there were treats! I don't see any treats! What are those smelly flat things in there! They crinkle when I touch them! I don't think I like that! Where are the treats?
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"Well, no treats, so I guess I'll go check out my food dish."
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Karla....THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!! EVERYTHING IN THE BOX IS WONDERFUL!! I'LL BE SNORTING ON THAT SMELL FOR AS LONG AS I CAN!!

I also have to thank Patti (Sandpat) who was in cahoots with Karla on this package. Thanks girl!!

Thanks again sooo very much!!
TONS OF HUGS!!!!

Oh how fun ! Just like having your own personal fall without all the cold :mrgreen:

Hey, I've got 90 zillion sweet gum balls in my yard I could send if you need more fall. Kick off your shoes and stomp on a couple of those and you will quickly get over the nostalgia for fall.

Sharon, I would love to have the cool weather to go with it! :)

Lisa,,,,no thank you, but thanks for the offer. Those things would hurt my feet!!!

Lordy, Lisa, used to have one of those. OUCH! :lol:

TERRI, that is so special...so wonderful!!! :D
I love it! :mrgreen:
We never know what we will miss.
I come on here and everyone all over the country talks about their leaves changing colors and such. Here in Florida, you have two kinds of leaves: live or dead.
Your either blowing your nose, or raking up leaves and...blowing your nose, lol!
Terri, I shall wave my mousie needle-wand and like Alice you shall be small enough for a wild and crazy jump in the leaves time!
bibbidy bobbidy boo! :wink:

That was so nice of her. I love fall too.

Aw, thanks Mousie! It worked!!
I had fun tossing the leaves! :) :):)

Now, can you wave that wand so all these projects I need to finish by Friday night are done????

Awwww Autumn in Guam has never looked so good!!! :D :D :D

Well I must be getting old and sentimental because I'm tearing up here. What a beautiful thing for Karla and Patti to do! Aww, shucks, warm fuzzies happening here. :D :D :D

I just think it was over the top of what she did!
Well, she could have put Rosie in there, but I'll take the pictures on the card and the little stuffed Rosie. Oh, you push on it and it gallops and whinnys! Too cute!

Ok, this is what happens when you leave a naughty little furry girl, corn and gourds alone together.

It posted twice, so I got rid of one....

What a wonderful surprise! Did I spy some Charlie Brown fabric in there too?? :wink:

Yes! That is Charlie Brown fabric! Too cute, huh?
I've never seen it before!
IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN!! LOL

So glad it got there and you like it! Karla did all the work...all I did was offer a few thoughts. (I'm always up for offering an opinion :lol: )...It was a great box though, wasn't it?? :lol: :lol:

Patti.....it's a WONDERFUL box!
Can't you see me grinning?
I don't think that grin will come off my face for a while. :D
It's just awesome and Karla picked out just the right things.
She also had her students helping her too. She said they picked the leaves for the box. They did very well at that job! The pretty colors on those leaves are just too much! I so miss Fall!!

How neat! Now let's see if you can get snow without the box going soggy....

Hubby did ask if anyone would try to send me a box of snow. lol
I told him that I wouldn't place a bet on that. If I did, someone would try to send it to me. lmao

I've seen "fake snow" in magazines. Thought about sending some to GS in NV. He doesn't remember snow- he was only a baby the last time he was here in winter.

I sent him a bucket of snowballs last year- little fuzzy pompoms in a bucket. And snowmen magnets for the the fridge.

Enjoy your fall- it's weird- I knew EXACTLY what you were smelling- I could "picture" it in my brain.

Hi Terri--I'm so glad the box of Fall gave you so much joy. You send so much stuff to my classes--and even an individual post card to each one from Australia--I knew it was time for you to receive something. :D

How were your pancakes?

Karla...you really didn't have to, but I"m glad you did!! :) :)
I enjoy sending the kids things. I know some of them would never or will never experience things like that, so just sending them a card, will spark a reminder when they get older. I just remember my nephews faces the first time they saw the ocean. They couldn't believe how big it was. When collecting shells and it was time to go, they dropped all of them because they didn't know they could have kept them. I was just amazed that they just didn't know something like that.....

Well, we didn't have pancakes. I'll make them tonight. Courtney wanted meatloaf.

Awww.....fresh maple syrup!.... :wink:

What a beautiful thing to do! Loved all the pictures and especially Monique! How fun!
I have some BIG Catalpa leaves here, just wish they would all hurry up and fall now so I could do the clean up already and be done with it!

Oh, I LOVE Catalpa trees! Then you get those long hanging, beany seed pods, right? :D

If I could get Needle to work like that, she sure would be busy in Mousie's home-cave, and I think she knows it :wink:
Excellent idea though :!: :D

aww, this has been a GREAT thread!
Terri that was wonderful of you, to send all of Karla's 'kids' their very own postcard from Australia. Some of them will keep them forever.
I had a shoebox as a kid and did things like that. Guess that was a sign I would be into quilts someday. You may have stirred some of that in these-uns :wink:

Patti, you always give, snort, snicker, snort,...um, great ideas! :wink:

Karla, I just think it would be mah-velous to be one of your students!

Gee, K, funny thing, I'm all misty and fuzzy too. Same condition here in Florida, that you have over there in France. Imagine that? :mrgreen:

Yeah....thats what DH says about my ideas too....kinda' makes me proud! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Patti...you did good giving Karla suggestions.
I just love the box!
I still have the leaves sitting in the box. It sits next to the slider, so when the wind blows, I get the smell of the leaves. It smells soooo yummy!

Oh, and the syrup is wonderful. Made pancakes tonight. Yes, I shared and that blueberry jam is sooo tastey! I shared just a little of that! Not much! lol

Just noticed my silly catalpa when I came home! Only one side is getting bare! The street side is still clinging to life! Attempting to attach a photo!

Ha that's funny Sharon! I guess it gets more sun or wind on one side? :lol:

And yes they have those large seed pods. We used to call them Indian Cigars or Lady Cigars way back when I was a kid. I know it is not PC.

And I am so excited that I was able to post a picture! :lol:

Yeayyy!!! For Sharon! 8) :lol: :D

I've heard Catalpa called 'Indian Bean Tree' maybe that's to do with the 'cigars'?

Since you have plenty of sun, take some of the leaves and lay them on some fabric outside and see if you can do some dying around the leaves or fabric painting.

Aww...poor tree!!
I do think it's a pretty cool tree. Don't think I've ever seen one before.

What a great thread! Karla and Patti are the greatest! Almost the leaves have hit the ground here in CT, but I saw one whole street of trees that still had bright yellow leaves today while I was doing errands. Too bad I didn't have my camera with me so I could have taken a picture for you, Terri! Next year you'll be seeing and smelling them in person again.

Terri that was so sweet of the girls to send it to you. Thanks for taking us on your journey thru that box, it was fun!

Wow ... Karla and sandpat thought of everything! How sweet of them to send you autumn in a box. What a great idea girls.

I think your kitty is enjoying that box as much as you are, teri. LOL! What a little scamp. Is she eating your gourd?

What a great idea girls!! I can just see Terri enjoying every minute of her 'fall' goodies!!

It's a great box! But, alas....I had to toss out the leaves. Naughty Monique tore them all up. She had fun in the box.
The gourds and corn are on my table nice and pretty!

Terri- All of us should send you the things that are local to us for you to create wreaths out of. You could receive pine cones, dried seed pods, more leaves etc. I bet no one would have wreaths like that to sell :) just a thought... If you need stuff like this, put the word out and be prepared to be flooded.

Aw Karla, that was the sweetest thing! A box of Autumn!! Terri, you totally deserve it, and just think, hopefully next year you'll have your Autumn in person!!

Hugs to all of you, Terri, Karla and Patti. You are all great!