Well, today I made my hopefully "last" trip to the Post Office for a while. At least with having my new digital scale at home, I can just go to the drive up and put all my packages in the mailboxes and won't have to go inside and wait in line!!! Yippie!!!
I dropped off 22 of the 25 packages outside before going in. Three of the packages had to have postage added to them. I bought sheets of stamps for various amounts ( $0.01 $0.02 $0.03 $0.05 $0.10 and some $0.24 b/c that is the difference in bewtween ounces.) From here on out when it comes tiem to do the swaps and an envelope needs some more postage I will be well stocked at home to can do it myself!
Speaking of the noodles - this year we started the month of January off BIG TIME! On average last year I had 12-15 swappers at most each month. But for January we had lots of new people joining us and had a total of 25 swappers!!! 25 Noodleheads can you believe it??? We swap in sets of 6 so in all - I had 738 noodles to swap!!!!! I always state in my guidelines that I give myself 10 days to get the swapping done and never before has it taken me this long to get them all swapped out!
Mostly b/c there were lots of new people, and it being their first time, there was some confusion on how to prepare the noodles for swapping - and I spent over THREE HOURS just refolding noodles to how the directions said to so that they would be ready for swapping. All day Thrusday, Saturday and Sunday I spent working on these noodles! :P but at last they are done, done! and in the mail back to all the noodleheads.
I had to use my dining room table this time - b/c Dad and Clara took my tall guest bed to KY. My back was hurting me by the 2nd day... but I got thru it. Here is a look at everything laid out on the table before the swapping began. As you can see the color/theme for January was red/white. There were several more noodles in the windows and on the buffet server on the side of the room - but I didn't think to take a photo of that. Notice the red Kool-Aid in the cup too! :)
Another thing that made it more challenging for me was that there were lots of Fabric Repeats! At least 8 fabrics - if not more - were repeated by one or more of the swappers this time. One fabric was so popular that everyone in the swap got 2 or 3 noodles of it back :( I try so hard for no one to get their own back much less a repeat but this time it was impossible. Back last month when Joann's had their 50% off sale - everyone had the same taste.I am SO HOPING that for Feb we won't have so many repeats of fabrics to work with. It's gonna be just as big - there are already swappers so far participating.... I know I complain, but deep down - well actually not so deep - I really, REALLY LOVE hosting this swap! :) I know it sounds silly, but I love getting so many packages in the mail all around the same time - and then the bonus is I get to see it all first!!! :c)
Ocassionally, swappers will throw in a little something for me or even a gift for Nora. She collects postcards and most everyone at one time or another has included one in their package or mailed her one. She has also received sidewalk chalk, color crayons and coloring book, and stickers! Quilters are "sew" thoughtful! :c) As for me, I get excited when swappers throw in an extra noodle or two -I love noodle left overs! :c)
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