I am setting up a small aquaponic setup and if it works well then we will build a year round green house using mostly solar energy and do it on a larger scale. We have went and looked at one setup and have watched several you tube videos. I’m blessed (or cursed depending on how you look at it) with a handyman husband who has some funky ideas at times. Pretty much if I can think it up, he can come up with a design to make it work.

We purchased a 20 gallon plastic tub and a galvanized beverage tub on legs at the dollar store. WE already have thr pump and hoses for it. River gravel isn’t hard to come by and you can buy pea gravel for setting the plants in. We will stsrt using minnows and see how it works and if we think it is feasible on a larger scale. I have an areo garden and love the fact that no dirt is involved.

I also am one who just has to see if she can get things to grow—I have a very large flowwr pot upstairs that didn’t have anyting planted in it so when peeling my potatoes that were beginning to sprout—yep you got it! upstairs and into the pot they went. I have some very nice looking potato plants now with very little effort. I keep herbs going all time and just started spinach, chives and cherry tomatoes in the areogarden. The beefsteak tomato seeds have been started.

With the price of fuel and groceries espically veggies going up and up it just seemed like a good idea. I will try to keep posting on our progess with it all.

Peace and love–have a beautiful day!

I’m a stay at home wife who has a small used book store in part of her house, my husband works in St. Louis so is gone from Monday morning until Saturday morning. I do some baking and extra cooking but the days are still really long and often very boring. I love it when my daughter comes over and we spend time cooking, surfing the web and just hanging out.

I always thought “Gee how nice it would be to have some time to myself”–Be careful you may get more than you wished for. I read a lot of frugal forums and blogs and do some selling on e-bay, throw in a little reading and T.V. and you have my day. The town I live in is small (607 people) so not a lot of customers for the book store but I’m here if someone needs a gift, something to read or some of the craft items I carry. I also get to visit when I do get a customer.

Sorry just rambling here as it is another one of those days. LOL Maybe tomorrow the sun will shine and help!!!!!

Hope everyone has a good day.

Circuit City is closing several of its stores, luckly the one near us in Springfield is going to remain open. We have lost alot of jobs from around the area and even minimum wage ones are harder to find. I can’t imagine trying to support a family on it. It seems it’s hard for a two parent household to get much help from the government even though they are basically below poveryt level. We need some people in office that will take a realistic look at our state and federal programs and see what can be done to get the help to people who are needing it.

Well so much for the ramblings—How everyone has a great day and gets out and votes.

I have been reading the frugal forums to find hints and tips to help stretch the money. The economy is unstable to say the least and saving on groceries and utility bills sure helps.

I’ve always loved to cook so doing it from scratch isn’t anything new to me. I was raised on southern food and the rare treat when I was a kid was a bologna sandwich with lettuce and tomato. My Mom cooked three meals a day and at age 87 she is still doing it. I learned about stocking up on things from my Mom and there are lots of times that a well stocked pantry and freezer got us by when money was tight.  The forums have some really great ladies and gents with a lot of good information. It is always interesting to hear from the ones from Canada and overseas as it lets me know that it’s not just  the U.S. that has problems.

I am also an avid reader and do sewing and crafts. I have opened a used book store in part of my home and enjoy it very much. Books can inform you or take you to another time and place for a small price. I’m lucky that both my daughters are readers as are my sisters and sister-in-laws. I seem to have an never ending source of books.

It is the end to a beautiful day here in the Ozarks and time to relax and enjoy a good book and a cup of coffee. God Bless and have a wonderful evening.