Soul Sister's Travelling Plants

07/10/2024

Good morning friends. My mother-in-law is currently without power (and AC) in Houston so hubby is going to make a trip with our generator. Does anybody have a potable AC unit we could borrow until she is back up and running?

06/21/2024

Welcome to summer SoulSister friends. I know I have been on hiatus and off the radar for quite some time but I wanted to pop in and let you all know that while my greenhouse is still on a break, I still have many garden related services I'm available for.
Personal shopping is one, but this year I'm also offering vacation care service and small scale custom growing.
Reach out and let me know if you need me to "Wet My Plants" while you are away for a stress free holiday!

05/21/2024

Y'all, can we talk about those ads that have become pervasive on your Facebook feed? A lot of them seem to be from well known legitimate companies that we all know and love and they are offering deals that seem out of this world. They mostly are.
As I've been stuck home most of the past year, I've committed training my algorithms to be more relevant to me. I've done this by meticulously adjusting all my settings and preferences and investigating everything my algorithms toss at me.
A quick lesson on FBs algorithm platform:
Part 1: FB tracks your activities, categorizes that content into topics and interests that are then assigned to your "preferences"
Part 2: FB categorizes blocks of users by those assigned preferences and makes those blocks of customers available for advertisers that fall into those categories.
Part 3: Advertisers then select and pay for access to those customers whose interests seem to be relevant to their product/service.
In a perfect world, this would be a useful tool. But in reality it's becoming a quagmire of confusion and "freedoms".
See, FB can't "discriminate" against advertisers and they have no legal standing to require advertisers to prove their legitimacy so basically, any Joe Schmo can create a store with pictures and graphics copied from legitimate businesses and then pay the ad fee to bring their fake store right to your feed.
It's so important to investigating these ads before clicking that "buy now" button for those "one of a kind" or deeply (unbelievably) discounted items/services. It's also equally important to REPORT those fraudulent ads.
The folks that make a living trying to scam us don't care that their ads get reported and taken down within hours because for ever person who takes the time to report, 5000 have hit the "buy now" button without ever leaving FB. And since FB "protects" it's buyer's purchases, most never report the fraudulent activity to their CC so even if the fraudster only collects a small portion of those sales, they've still profited off that small one time ad fee and they've already got a dozen more "stores" set up and ready to replace the removed ones. They depend on "buyers" that aren't tech savvy and/or have poor impulse control.
So how do you determine if an ad you see is legitimate?
First, always go to that menu at the top right and open the page in a browser. This will let you see the actual web address for that advertiser. If it's a well known company, it should include their NAME. Many of these sites use a third party platform to create their store which is always a red flag. You should also be able to find company and contact info somewhere on their menu, if not, RUN. If you do find that info, USE IT. Send a test email and/or call the number. I usually have a simple question on hand in case I actually get a response such as "what's the typical shipping time to where I live", but that almost never occurs.
Next, open a 2nd browser and Google the name of the company and open their OFFICIAL site. Are the advertised claims reflected at the actual company? Usually, no.
Today, a Costa Farms ad was the culprit.

04/18/2024

Meals on Wheels Leander needs community support! A saint, Janice Stokes is accepting Amazon deliveries to her home until 5/1, because Meals on Wheels can only accept donations specific days of the week!

Her Address is:
Janice Stokes | CO MOW
519 Victoria Dr.
Cedar Park, TX 78613
Spring magnets on garage, to make it easy to find. In person drop-off is OK.

She wrote: “Meals on Wheels updates and urgent needs
I spoke with Dona the site manager for the MOW site in Leander and found out some sad news all the Non-Profit from Head Start to Meals on Wheels have had their budgets cut by the 20%-30%. This comes at a time when they are serving more Seniors than in the past. Currently they serve 250 clients.
Due to the cuts they do not have funds to stock the panty with extra staple foods. They do not have any funds in the regular budget for pet food or bladder control items. Sometimes they can get Grants to help fund but currently they do not have any.
Your help will make sure the people and pets have food and other needed items”

Items needed:
Here are the items they need
Shelf stable food that can be heated in a microwave.
2500 items (10 per client)
600 lbs of dry dog food (40 dogs and 2 are large dogs) No wet food.
30 cats 400 lbs of dry cat food. NO wet food
35 packages of mens pull-up underwear (no tabs they can't fasten them) in size Medium and Large.
NO XL
Here are some examples of food items and how we count number of items
EXAMPLE a box of 52 instant oatmeal would count as 52 items
Cans of low sodium beans
Bars
Soup
Fruit cups low sugar if possible
Cereal
Tuna
Chicken
microwave Mac and Cheese and other meal items If you have some other suggestion please share

Attached is the original post … she said to please let her know when you plan to drop off so she can get the items in the house immediately.

They also desperately need drivers to do the deliveries. Contact the Leander MoW office at 512-259-0288 if you’re interested!

03/07/2024

All these items are up for grabs FREE!
129 Terrace CV., Liberty Hill

Full disclosure, I do have an estate sale running but I know somebody's girls would love these fancy porcelain dolls and some of these items have never been used or have lots of life left. I've also got another box of knick knacks I'm unpacking and an entire shelf of flowerpots and garden junk up for grabs too!

02/27/2024

Save the date, it's almost that time again!

12/09/2023

Good morning friends and family! It's that time of year again when cheesecake prep takes over our kitchen!
Every year, I offer these family recipe cheesecakes to friends and family for a nominal donation. This year, Eli, who as been my primary helper and knows the recipe inside out, has asked to take the reins to raise funds for his senior trip to Costa Rica with his Spanish group.
He will be making these delicious cheesecakes custom, to be delivered within a 40 mile radius of Liberty Hill on December 22 & 23rd. The base recipe has just a hint of almond and pairs well with any fruit topping or drizzle. We can also customize the base flavor on request (citrus flavors have been popular) Eli has also decided to offer these on graham cracker crust or the standard crustless as pictured. All cheesecakes will be delivered in 9" covered disposable pie pans.
Suggested donation is $30 and can be made thru :

https://account.eftours.com/donations/ao0YJj

Please make sure to include your name and address on the form and put your flavor request and phone number in the comment section. We will then reach out for any clarification on your choice and to coordinate delivery time.

10/07/2023

Goodmorning friends and neighbors! My son Eli's fall bulb fundraiser for his senior trip is on its last 9 days before closing. Moving away from his long time friends just before Covid hit has been really hard for him and he has struggled to form peer connections or find enthusiasm about much at all. I would love it if he could see that his community supports his efforts.

Elijah is a Senior this year at Liberty Hill High School and has been given the opportunity to travel with his fellow Spanish classmates to Costa Rica next year and he is VERY excited to make it a reality. He has been a vendor at the market to raise funds and has been working hard and applying all his pay towards this trip. With only one family vehicle though, his work availability is limited to a few evenings and a weekend day a week and I hate to see him struggling with the anxiety that his first big goal in life may not become a reality.
This is not an experience that we could offer him as a low income family and we are so proud of his drive and dedication and are hopeful we can get the funds he needs raised. Thank you so much for taking the time to look at his store and considering purching your fall bulbs from him.

https://www.flowerpowerfundraising.com/index.php/marketplace/seller/profile/shop/costaricaorbust

If you aren't a Gardener but would still like to support him, contributions can also be made directly to his travel fund at:

https://account.eftours.com/donations/ao0YJj

Flower Power Fundraising helps support groups, causes and communities using an earth-friendly alternative to traditional fundraising through the sale of flowers, bulbs and perennials that can be enjoyed for years to come!

09/01/2023

Howdy friends! My shop is raising funds to help get 2 local kids back on the road so they aren't having to walk to work (one is working in Leander, 16 miles away). We've already got one in the shop being diagnosed so anything you can pitch in helps.

Hello! CrossTech Automotive is starting this fundraiser to help members of the community that need help with automotive repairs. This started because concerned community members, Michael and Makenzie, saw an individual walking down the dangerous highway 29, in this awful awful heat. They posted on o...

08/22/2023

Reported Pet Liberty Hill, TX 78642

08/20/2023

Missing from Terrace Cv at 183. 1 year old oriental shorthair named Toby. Last seen yesterday evening. He didn't come at dinner or bedtime and was still missing this morning. He is light sensitive and tender footed so will not typically emerge during hot hours. Very vocal. We have checked neighbors garages and sheds, but our cul-de-sac has become a busy turnaround spot so we are hoping he was not picked up. There are no Oriental Shorthair breeders closer than San Antonio. If you see my cat listed for sale or found, please contact me. He is my therapy animal.