The other day, I posted a picture of the gift I got for the person whose name I drew out for the family gift exchange.
Even though it was the biggest gift under the tree and had that gigantic gift tag on it, it took “Sister with the Homestead” half the day before she caught on that it was for her!
Really. After seeing it on the web, and posting that big ol’ comment about how she wanted that gift to be hers, you would think my baby sister would have run right over to that gift when she arrived for the festivities to see whose name was on that tag.
Finally, three-fourths of the way through the opening of gifts, she realized this gift was for her.
She was excited, all eyes were on her as she slowly unwrapped it..
Inside…
A brand new trug for harvesting vegetables!
Just like the one her favorite gardening sister has.
And the first “harvest” in the trug were a few gardening items…
A pair of bright orange gardening gloves, so she can’t lay them down in the grass and lose them.
A clip to close off the cuffs of the gloves when she puts them in the shed, so the big, ugly spiders that live in her backyard won’t crawl up in them. She won’t wear gloves once they’ve had spiders in them. I wouldn’t either!
A gardening angel ornament.
A gardening snowman ornament. I bought myself one just like it, so we have matching ornaments.
A bird on a stake to put in a potted plant.
A dragonfly ornament to hang from something, maybe her gazebo.
I ordered the trug way back in September, so I had it in plenty of time for Christmas. But I didn’t start looking for the “harvest” until the week before Christmas. Then I discovered that it isn’t all that easy to find gardening related items at Christmas time. Even the local garden center that I visited had cleared out all the gardening items for Christmas items.
I learned what my family and friends have said for years. It’s not easy to find gardening related items at Christmas time, so buy your gardening related gifts early. And I guess it doesn’t get any easier in January, when some gardeners have their birthdays.
Thankfully, with the Internet and some proper pre-planning, we can now buy gardening related items even in the middle of winter. Remember that!
What great gifts for your sister! Love all those treasures tucked into the trug! I don’t have a trug…another item for the ‘list’!
I love the glove clip idea because my big ugly spiders are black widows and I’m always peaking in to make sure no one is in there…this is one of those “makes so much sense/can’t believe I never thought of doing something like that” ideas!
It never occured to me that spiders could crawl up garden gloves. You’ve got me all creeped out now.
Leslie is right – black widows rule here in NorCal. The clip idea is rather ingeneous. Give yourself extra points if the clip can be adhered to a surface to close and store gloves!
I’m glad you posted what was finally in that box…
Katie at GardenPunks
I think your sister is a lucky lady to get all these wonderful garden related gifts. I especially like the orange gloves. It is too easy to lay items down in the garden and lose them.
If you are taking applications for more sisters, let me get mine in. I’m also happy to relocate spiders for you to a more spider friendly zone as needed! Love the ‘gift basket’!
Paula
I am so jealous! I really want one of those trugs, but have never bought one. That one looks like it is made of plastic, would you recommend it over the wood ones?
Thank you Carol! I LOVE the gardening trug and all the little goodies inside it. You’re a great big sister!
Hugs,
Layanee… if you have a vegetable garden, a trug is the best thing to carry the harvest. Since it is shallow, you don’t end up piling everything on top of everything else.
Leslie… I can’t take credit for coming up with the idea of the glove clip… I know I read it somewhere, just not sure where.
Wicked Gardener… But aren’t you glad we told you about spiders in gloves instead of you finding out for yourself?
Katie… the clip does have a magnet on one side because it is really a chip bag clip. But I don’t know if my sister has a metal surface to hang it on outside. We are just cold enough here in the winter that we do not have Black Widow spiders, generally, though that could change with global warming.
Lisa at Greenbow… Thanks, I think she liked everything.
Petunia’s Gardener… Three sisters is about all I can handle, so I’ll put you on a waiting list, okay? And I’ll keep in mind your spider-moving service.
Vonlafin… Yes, this trug is plastic and nearly indestructible. I’ve had mine for more than ten years. You can carry a lot in it and when it gets dirty, you can hose it down or wash it in the sink. I also have a wood trug, but it isn’t as big and I use it more for decoration.
Sister with the Homestead… You’re welcome!
Thanks all for the comments and kind words,
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
Where did you get that great trug from? I’m getting sick of using plastic bowls from the Dollar Store and the little wooden boxes Clementines come in.
Trug- What an interesting word. I allways just called the harvest baskets. I would like to get one for my garden as well.
For those interested in purchasing their own garden trug, try Walt Nicke’s Garden Talk. (Right click on the link so it opens in a new window). They don’t have direct links to their products, so once you are on the main website, click on ‘Garden Carts, Totes & Trugs’, then click on ‘Plastic Trugs’. Viola! There is the most excellent trug for bringing in the harvest from the vegetable garden or flower garden.
And while you are shopping, if you want to get me something, click on ‘Sussex Trugs’. Now, don’t scrimp, get me one of those big ones, at least a No. 6!
Happy Harvesting from May Dreams Gardens
What a cool sister you are! I finally got my sister an ergonomic shovel, hand salve, and a cast-iron frog decoration for her birthday this year. I just can’t believe it took me so long to think of this stuff, since we’ve both been gardening for years (duh!). You did a great job…just hope those spiders don’t wind up WEARING the gloves! (The one in the picture was big enough! 😉
Well, all I can say is, if I even suspected there was a present under the tree for me from Carol at May Dreams, I would have been *all over it*, first thing. 🙂
OOOOh, can you become my sister too, please? actually, my sister gave ME an awesome gift from Lee Valley; this neat design kit with colour wheel, drafting template, pad of grid paper, and an intelligently written book on garden design. In return, I gave her two enlarged framed photos I took from her garden. She was over the moon, and I was pleased about that!
I’d have been happy to get just the trug! What great garden gifts you picked out.
Lisa… if those spiders end up wearing the gloves, I’m pretty sure my sister will insist on moving!
Chuck B…. I think my sister was too distract by “Christmas” in general and was trying to play it ‘cool’.
Jodi… Sounds like you already have a great sister… a gift from Lee Valley! It sounds wonderful.
Mr. McGregor’s Daughter… Thanks, I think my sister really liked it all.
Carol, May Dreams Gardens