Five simple things

1. This Oven/This Shower Curtain and Rod.

It's official! We finally got ourselves a new oven and I am more than tickled with the one we got. It's a Whirlpool Oven with an electric range (where we live doesn't have a gas option, unfortunately). I personally prefer gas ranges, myself. Mainly for these reasons: 1. I grew up in the country and when the power goes out, guess what, your oven is out. With gas, even if your power goes, you can still cook something. Where we lived in Arkansas the power was out at least twice a week. We had a gas range then and were always able to cook dinner still. We had a baby too, so it was nice. 2. Gas ranges seem to cook food more evenly. It's just a personal preference thing really, and has nothing to do with anyone's cooking. I prefer cooking on gas, but electric has taken some time getting used to while where we live now. But all of that aside, this oven is great! I can't wait to break it in with a new batch of scones/cookies/breads/chicken dishes. I will have the inside in need of a clean soon-and it's a self-cleaning oven! *Squee* (Cleaning a non-self cleaning oven)

We were definitely in need of an upgrade. Our old oven was a Whirlpool too, but with the new one I am glad to be done with the coiled heating elements.

And the shower curtain.........

FINALLY we are on the right track with upgrades in the Hiatt House. Most of these things will be left behind when we move, but while we are here, might as well make it amazing. Right? We finally made the shift from a straight curtain rod to a curved one. We have such a small bathroom that it gives the illusion of a bigger shower. The Mr. loved it-more room to shave. And that shower curtain....I just can't get enough of it. The Mr. was in Search and Rescue for many years, so he loved it. It's from Izola and in the pattern of Scout. I got this one through Birchbox and used some points to get a discount. You can get it here. (If you're curious, this is the curtain rod)

If you can see the older rod here.

2. This Examiner Article by me.

A few tips on reducing your carbon footprint on the planet. No matter who you are, you can't help but leave some sort of print on the earth while you're here and even when you're gone, but you can reduce that print in more ways than you might think. You can check out the article here.

3. This Geocache.

It has been one of my favorites so far. We are loving Geocaching, but since we were already treasure hunters, it's no wonder. Can you see this Geocache? It's right before your eyes....hint hint. If you're into Geocaching check out our new Willamette Valley Geocachers page on Facebook.

4. This Oregon Signs.

When we stayed in Sunriver toward the end of summer in 2013, we loved the house we were in so much. It was almost like a cabin in the woods and deer came right up to the front porch. I couldn't get enough of Sunriver too. The entire area is flanked with forest and the homes blend into the scenery. We were really bummed to leave and have looked into trips there again. These Oregon signs hung throughout the home and I just loved how they highlighted the best places in Oregon. If you are looking for a trip idea, check out Sunriver. It's definitely one of Oregon's greatest highlights.

5. This Influenster Vox Box.

If you've noticed the little blue Influenster tag on the right-hand side of my page (at the bottom of the sidebar) then you have known I've been part of Influenster for awhile now. Well, last month I was one of the few that got chosen to be part of the Slimfast #Itsyourthing Campaign. I received some snacks, a shake, and some promo flyers on the new Slimfast shakes and 100 calorie snacks. I was a worried that the snacks and the shakes would taste bland, but I was pleasantly surprised. The ones in the picture above are my favorite grab-and-go snack of choice. They taste amazing! They are the perfect light snack to grab when I am craving something sweet and with only 100 calories, it's totally a cheat meal. You can join Influenster here, and take advantage of the Slimfast #Itsyourthingcampaign here.

Extras:

• This Cleansing Moment.

I've been clearing the negative out of our space since the first of the year by burning white sage. It's such a nice, woodsy scent and I feel that the space is a bit more clear after a burn.