Day 2

This isn't actually day 2 of the challenge, but day 2 of going shopping with the actual intent of purchasing something. Today I am in search of silk or plastic artificial flowers to create a flower arrangement for a friend's baby shower. The shower itself isn't for a couple weeks but I feel the urge to get it done today. This gift also requires several baby items like socks, bibs, etc. I had purchased a few items in November, but still wanted a few pairs of socks to round out the gift. Hereafter is the tale of my adventure...

I started at Younkers, looking at every baby item in the store. Not one (and I mean NOT ONE) was made in America. Everything is from China. I went next door to JC Penny, hoping for better luck. I gravitated to a small rack of socks, onesies and the like and was again disappointed to see everything made in China and Indonesia. But did I give up? NO! I walked around to the other side of the rack to find SOCKS THAT ARE MADE IN AMERICA! I actually gasped out loud when I saw that, and received an odd look from the woman on the other side of the rack. I was so excited that after making my purchase I called my sister, just to celebrate. She was supportive, but didn't seem to grasp the enormity of what had just occurred.

Next, on to Hobby Lobby to buy the flowers. I looked at every label, and I mean EVERY label, on every single style of every single type of fake flower in the store and without exception, they were all made in China. I am not kidding you when I stood in the aisle at Hobby Lobby with my arms crossed, tapping my foot for five minutes, trying to decide what to do! I couldn't fail only five days into my challenge! But I really needed these flowers! Finally, in a stroke of genius, I came up with a solution.

I decided that I would keep track of the money I spent on "essential" things that I purchased this month from countries other than ours. At the end of this month, I will send a check to a 100% American charity for whatever that total amount is. I believe I'm going to send the money to the National Parks Service, but I haven't decided yet. Once I came to a solution for this terrible conundrum, I happily purchased my fake flowers and was able to assemble my gift.

The best part is, my friend loved it! Here's a picture: it's socks, bibs and mittens rolled to look like flowers, then added into a bouquet with fake flowers and placed in a pot (which I found at Goodwill, and the label had been removed so I don't know what country it was made in).