Catching Up!

I can't believe how much time has passed since I last posted to this site! Time sure flies!



I have stayed close to home today since I have what seems to be a touch of a summer bug. I'm hoping it goes away by tomorrow. I think I got a bit of something while visiting my mother in Stillwater this weekend. It was either that or the lack of sleep. I have a really hard time sleeping on the couch at my mothers. I think next time it will be worth it to rent a hotel room when we go there overnight.



My goal this month is to get a water garden dug in our backyard so I can have a water garden to hang out by. I love water gardens. I took a class at Botanica here in Wichita and really learned a lot. Luckily we got some free plants while at the class at Botanica, so I have stock to start with at no charge. Free is always good!



My goal is to get my house and back yard in shape so I can make a retreat atmosphere here at home and in the backyard. I bought two dwarf bamboo plants this past week that I plan to plant this week. The last thing we are looking planning to plant is a dwarf pear tree for the backyard and some blackberry bushes for the side yard. I am hoping to get fruit going in order to supplement the food budget next season. Blackberries are a favorite, so I have to look at getting a lot of them going for fresh eating, jam and other desserts. Yum!



I have really been tempted to buy some new stuff this week, but to be truthful, the trip to Stillwater and Tulsa was a little expensive as far as gas and food, so I am fighting that urge. I may have to order some beads for stitch markers this week, but I am holding off and seeing what I can do to work from my stash. Somewhere in the garage I have a box of seed beads that I could definitely use--I need to rededicate myself to getting the garage cleaned out and the rest of the boxes unpacked. It will save money by finding stuff I need and have packed in boxes.



Technically I started the Mamas on the Compact on the first, although I do not think the sight is still active. I noticed the last person who signed on started in May, but no more new ones have joined since that time. I haven't been able to get in touch with the moderator either. I will continue to stick with the goals of the group since it does seems like a good cause. Plus I was working towards this because the price of gas is causing me to seriously reconsider consumer spending on mass produced items. I will buy from artists, craft persons and locally owned businesses (farmers, local businesses etc). Even if the price is higher, buying from a local or indie helps the small business chain. I found an awesome video on this site about the story of STUFF. Watch it, it will cause some thinking...

Have gas prices affected your buying styles? Have you made cut backs? What are you not willing to give up?