Debt free--my plan

Did some surfin' in the wee hours this morning--look what I found:

The most beautiful bathrobe in the whole world--look at the blue one, I am drooling over that! That print looks incredible made up into a homely old bathrobe....makes me want to get out my sewing machine and get to work!

The fabric pattern I found out is called Ava Rose by Tanya Whelan, and I guess it's carried by a lot of quilt shops, maybe even chain fabric stores.

At the one on-line shop I checked, it was out of stock...

I'd love to find some of that and make a new bathrobe! And pillowcases, and duvet covers and matching jammies, and those pink slippers from yesterday's post....So foo foo and cute!

OTOH, I have been reading Dave Ramsey's "Financial Peace." Everything he says about going into debt makes so much sense. I am cracking down on my 'gotta have it now' mentality when it comes to books, knitting, fabrics, or anything that puts me into debt farther. So no more credit card purchases, I am putting the kabosh on that. I do well for a season, then fall back into old habits of using the cards.

I am being very vocal and open about this, because that will help me stick to my plan when the urge to purchase threatens to overtake me. Dave Ramsey will help, too! I love that he gives a Christian perspective on this.

In light of this decision of mine, here is one of the cutest craft ideas I've ever seen, a jewelry project I would be delighted to wear: a bracelet made of cut-up credit cards!!! How cool is that, not to mention symbolic?! I can see all sorts of fun versions coming out of my conquering credit card debt...like a victory charm bracelet that gets added to with each pay-off; you could even make cute stitch markers!

So, it's time to re-institute shopping in my basement. There are always gonna be new patterns I want to try, new yarns that look yummy, new books I want to read. But I'm content with what I have, and very thankful.

Change of subject: yesterday I finally planted the few annuals I do each spring:

I can't believe how happy it makes the place look (though it still needs mulching), and my new hanging basket of ivy geraniums just caps it off!

My gardening season has officially begun! Now I just have to get to my overgrown patio: violets have taken over the cracks in the flagstone and become an ecosystem all their own. Between that and the ostrich ferns, my patio is turning into a temperate jungle!

I'm happy the snow-in-summer is blooming right now, in spite of our strangely cool spring :) This photo was taken today, in a drizzly rain...

We are lucky we had two sunny days in a row that were in the 70s and 80s. Today, being cool and gloomy, was all about comfort food. Here's my hot lunch:

Hot noodles with peanut sauce, green onions, cucumber and avocado and sprinkled with chopped peanuts--cheap and easy! Followed by home-made chocolate pudding hot off the stove. Yeah, baby! DH fixed mac & cheese for himself--more comfort food.

Later tonight I'm gonna make hummus, and taboulleh, in the (probably vain) assumption that warm weather eating will be back this week. It's getting difficult to plan meals with this swinging weather pattern we seem stuck in, I never know until that day whether it's gonna be warm-weather food or comfort food for the cold...

Aside from Dave Ramsey's book, I'm also reading "The Botany of Desire" which is a group of garden essays from Michael Pollan. Fascinating studies in anthropology and culture's influence on horticulture, and the philosophy behind gardening. I am thoroughly enjoying this book! It's really unlike anything I've read before--do you know how nice it is to read something fresh and original?!

Here is a free purse pattern to sew, isn't it cute?! I have seen a number of versions sewn up on different blogs, and they are always sweet! I'd love to make that in a great floral, something which my fabric stash (relegated to the basement since the onset of knitting fever 3 years ago) likely has...I'll have to check.

Freshly inspired by this blog, too. She tells of the fully thrifted bed she has put together--gotta love that!

Free and cheap--that's my new catch-phrase. I want bargains, no more free-spending. I need to get the debt under control and live more simply. That's what it's all about. (Many of you already know all this--if so, just ignore this, I am just reinforcing myself here from Simple September!)

One last comment: remember I posted about BPA-producing water bottles, and that I wanted to get some of the stainless steel water bottles that are available? Well, I promptly moved on, and never purchased the water bottles. Until now:

My local Walgreens had these on sale at 3 for $10!!! Score! Undeniably, the lids are still plastic, but it's a huge step up from fully plastic containers that leach chemicals into your body! So excited to be making this healthful change....

Happy Memorial Day, peeps!