It's been a while

Life has been full and busy for me. So many times the thought crossed my mind: "I should blog about this." I just haven't had the leisure time. I have been spending much less time on the computer. In fact, I made a decision not to turn the computer on until the late afternoon on weekdays. I seem to get so much more accomplished. I get my e-mail on my phone now, so that helps to eliminate the compulsivity of needing my computer on all day!

I have been Samming it up (that means Sam's Club shopping) for most items in my pantry, and going to the store much less frequently in a commitment to spend less. It works! It takes a bit more time to plan, but I easily recoup that time by not going to the store as much. If you are a Sam's Club member, did you know that they have something called Click n' Pull available on their website? It's a free service. You can shop online, fill your cart online by 5 p.m. and pick up your order at your local Sam's the next day. The prices remain the same as if you'd walked into Sam's and pulled it off the shelf yourself. The product selection seems to be about the same as well. I like this because it eliminates the compulsivity of buying those cool items at Sam's that I really hadn't planned to.

I have started my vegetable garden seeds indoors with my Ott Light. We will prepare our raised beds outdoors the first week in April, and move the little plants out there when the danger of frost has past (somewhere around the third week in April). I'm sure that this will save us money in wholesome food in the long run...but this year was expensive due to the materials needed for the raised bed. Usually, I do container gardening. This year, in light of the rising cost of food, we decided to go big. Unfortunately, we live on the side of a mountain with very sloping, steep land and mostly shade in the back yard. Some creativity was involved in this year's garden plans. I'll take pictures when it's time! Do you kow how much dirt costs? Would you believe $25 per tractor bucket (roughly 3/4 yard)? We need ten of those tractor bucketfuls! Oh the things I took for granted...

I also wanted to catch you up on some product reviews, which are always whirling through my mind, both good and bad:

Dove Daily Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner (32 fluid ounces, salon pump bottle) $5. I have thick, curly hair which tends to frizz. This smells great and leaves my hair so smooth and shiny!

CeraVe Lotion, as recommended by my new dermatologist. I have rosacea and occasional acne flareups, along with gently aging skin. This is miracle stuff, and very reaonably priced, especially when you can get it BOGO from time to time.

Signature Minerals, mineral foundation and natural facial products. I can't say enough about what this has done for my skin.

That's it for my glowing product reviews. I have to go play Battleship with my teen, on this very rare occasion in which he actually asked me to play a game with him. More later!