Life at a "Swell's" pace: March 2016

Cherry blossoms mean spring is here

Do you see the Mourning Dove?

We are looking forward to a welcome spring here in the Willamette Valley. When the cherry blossom shows its white we know that spring is coming here. The above image with the Frank Lloyd Wright quote is available to download and spring in the clip art shop here.

What happened this time last year?

Time to prank (April Fool's Day)

Oh, how I love to prank the Mr. on April Fool's Day. You would think that after all of these years getting him, he would know to watch out for it, but no, I get him every year.

Last year it was this:

Of course, I changed all of the addresses to reflect our town and added the Mr.'s name to the violation. I had him going for about 20 minutes. I printed the envelope outside from our own printer and just stuck it in with the mail for the day. It was a great prank and you can snag this download here from Pretty Prudent.

I pulled this fun prank on The Bean in 2013. He was so tired that it took him about five minutes to realize what was happening. It was great!

This year I am going to pull another doozy from Pretty Prudent with the fake IRS audit. We did our taxes this year through TurboTax. We normally go through H & R Block and pay about $200. So this year, we saved that money and filed for free through TurboTax. I've been hinting around a few times to the Mr. that I've seen people say online that they are getting audited. Which, of course, is a complete fabrication. TurboTax is easy to use and free to file through federal and state taxes. It took us about an hour to enter in all of our information and it took about a week to get our tax return check. I highly recommend them, if you have the time to sit and do them yourself. Anyway, onto the prank......

I was wondering how to do the envelop and I think I'm going to do the same as before and just add it to the mail for the day. Of course, just like the parking ticket prank I've changed the names and locations to reflect our town. I can't wait to watch him flip out. The Bean has been searching Pinterest too for his prefect prank to pull on the Mr. I am teaching him well!

If you are in search of some quick, no painful April Fool's pranks here are some fun ones.

1. Veggies instead of donuts in a Krispy Kreme box.

2. Blood-colored body wash in a drip bag.

3. Rubber bands and other items for April Fool's gifts.

4. Donuts seeds (printable).

5. Bugs in the lunch.

6. Smashed face in a cell phone contact.

7. Spilled milk on a laptop keyboard.

8. Police visit through the peephole.

9. Scary dinosaur in a mailbox.

10. Pee hole the size of a peephole on the toilet.

11. Laser mouse covered up with a Post-it Note.

12. Silly pranks to pull on kids.

13. Car Covered in cotton balls.

14. Noise-maker on the back of a door.

15. Blue coloring in the faucet.

16. Animals lined up to use the bathroom.

A few others...........

Lava in a pothole. Fake paper roll.

Brown E's Eyeballs on Everything

Tootsie Roll prank.

This prank was tempting to do, but since we are on a sugar-free diet to kick our habit, it just wouldn't be a good thing to do right now. The Mr. loves Tootsie Rolls and I love Smarties, so the temptation was too great, but it is a good prank otherwise.

........And don't forget to print off 100 of these and place them all over your home. Don't forget cabinets and the toilet lid too!

Download it here.

Hope you have some fun with these ideas. April Fool's Day is a blast in our house and I hope some of these prove to be a blast in your home too. Happy April Fool's Day!

What happened this time last year?

Five simple things

This has been a rainy week. Of course, that's the norm that you'll hear in Oregon right now. We are stuck smack dab in the middle of the rainy season. I had a conversation with my mother-in-law yesterday about Bend and their weather over there. They had just come back from a few days stay over in Bend and she was saying how much she loved the area. The weather in Bend reminds me a lot of Arkansas, but is a bit more dry than Arkansas during the heat of summer. I feel like the rain will never stop sometimes here, but when the heat of the summer heats, we will miss the rain. Here are the things that made this week awesome.

1. This Soap

I opened this soap this week and was reminded of our trip to Pacific City. This soap is the Inn at Cape Kiwanda's guest soap, along with the Aveda line shampoo and conditioner. I used the last of our other soap and got it down to just a tiny sliver. The Bean took a bath and let the last of it dissolve in the water. It is always nice to open a fresh bar and start it's journey to becoming gone.

2. This Tree

The house across the street is vacant and has been for about six months now. It's sad to watch it slowly go downhill each month more and more, but the tree out front would make you think otherwise. We have been told that someone has purchased it and has plans to fix it up and I hope they keep the pretty Ornamental Cherry Tree.

3. This Night Sky

The storms and rain sometimes create the most beautiful skies here in Oregon.

4. These Cherry Blossoms

This tree sits in the field behind our house and the limbs get so heavy with blooms they hang over the fence. When this tree blooms, in my mind, it's the official start of spring. When the wind blows these blooms off the tree it almost looks like snow falling.

5. This Shadow

We've moved things around in our house and the living room is now in the dining room-More on that reveal next week. When the sun sets in the west it shines through the window and creates a wonderful shadow of hidden treasures behind the curtains.

Last Saturday night was Earth Hour and we spent it playing Monopoly with the lights off for an hour. Our Monopoly game actually went on for about four days, too. I won!

Extras:

This looks like something fun to add to the classroom windows.
This mailbox is nice, but I am on a hunt for something more vintage.
I've been listening to Public Radio more. ...and here.
Loving this lamp. I think it's perfect for our new living room setup.
Could this save a trip to the local bulk store? Not sure, but maybe we'll try it once and see.
P. Allen Smith's Easter shop has me swooning everything lately.
Do you meditate?
Another trip to the store saved?
Trees of Oregon.
A disposable option for pads. I love this concept a lot.

Have a wonderful weekend.

What happened this time last year?

A year of Birchbox (Women's Box)-Review #Birchboxbrag

Okay, so I am was a subscription addict last year and seemed to want all of them for awhile. During that time I found Birchbox and LOVED it! I had the Women's Box and I even got The Mr. the Man Box. We had them both for a year and here's what great things came in the Women's Box for a year.

Women's Box for January 2015:

The theme for January 2015 was: "Let's Do This."

The samples:

1. Curl Keeper by Curly Hair Solutions-Ultimate Hold with Frizz Control

2. Sumbody Body Soaps-SumSoap in Tuscan Orange

3. Manna Kadar Lip Locked in Lucky

4. Essentiel Elements Wake Up Rosemary Body Lotion

5. Miracle Skin® Transformer Treat & Conceal Eye & Face

Favorite item:

Essentiel Elements Wake Up Rosemary Body Lotion

Women's box for February 2015:

Theme for February was "Friendship"

The samples:

1. Juicy Couture: Hollywood Royal

2. theBalm cosmetics: Read My Lips Lip Gloss-BAM!

3. Paul's Choice: Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliate

4. Gilchrist & Soames: London Collection Shower Gel

5. PARLOR by Jeff Chastain: Moisturizing Sea Spray

Favorite item:

Gilchrist & Soames: London Collection Shower Gel

I also upgraded my Birchbox for this month just to try out the upgraded items. I added on the W&P and Royal Rose Cocktail Kit-(no longer available). I mainly was interested in the shaker and I am so glad I upgraded to it. The syrups weren't all that mind blowing, but they did taste nice in lemonade. I used the Rose in the lemonade mix, the Lavender Lemon in some lavender cookies I made, and the Jasmine flavor still sits in my fridge. I haven't figured out a way to utilize it yet, but I am sure I will find a way soon.

I also purchased the Home Sweet Homespun Box-(no longer available), too. The box contained a lot of fun items and I was very pleased with the box.

The Products:

1. Momofuku Milk Bar: Cornflake-Chocolate-Chip Marshmallow Cookie Mix

2. Soak: Handmaid Luxury Hand Creme in fig scent

3. Makerskit: Hanging Photo Clips Complete Project Kit

4. Meri Meri: The Little Garden Treat Kit

5. Askinosie Chocolate: Single Origin Sipping Chocolate

6. Cowshed: Lippy Cow Natural Lip Balm

7. Richer Poorer: Socks

8. Illume: Mini Tin Soy Candle

Favorite item:

So many great products in this box, it is probably my favorite thing from Birchbox. It's a toss up between the Illume Mini Tin Soy Candle in currant scent and the Soak Handmaid Luxury Hand Creme in fig scent.

The box also came with a three-flip card on how to make your home cozy:

• How to take photos worthy of your mantel.

• Secrets of a stress-free hostess.

• 5 ways to warm up a frigid day.

I just love it all!

Women's box for March 2015:

Theme for March was "Creativity"

The samples:

1. amika: Bombshell Blowout Spray

2. Etat Libre d'Orange: Like This

3. Mirenesse: Glossy Kiss-Perfect Kiss

4. Paula's Choice: Resist Moisture Renewal Oil Booster

5. Whish: Three Whishes Body Butter-Lavender

Also came with a card for free Benefit Cosmetics The Porefessional Primer Deluxe Mini with the purchase of a Full-Size Benefit Purchase and a notice to preorder the new Benefit Roller Lash Super-Curling Mascara.

Favorite item:

Whish: Three Whishes Body Butter-Lavender

Women's box for April 2015:

Theme for April was "Fresh for Spring"

The samples:

1. Cynthia Rowley Beauty

2. POP Beauty: POP Portfolio Eyeshadow Palette

3. Temple Spa: Peace Be Still Calming Face & Body Balm

4. WEI: Manuka Bee Venom Mask

5. Whish: Whish Shave Crave Shaving Cream in Blueberry

Favorite item:

Whish: Whish Shave Crave Shaving Cream in blueberry

Women's box for May 2015:

Theme for May was "Elevate Everyday (as in everyday living)"

The samples:

1. English Laundry: Notting Hill Femme

2. Living Proof: Restore Instant Repair Shampoo, Conditioner, and Hair Lotion

3. Naobay: Oxygenating Cream Moisturizer

4. Smashbox Cosmetics: Photo Finish Primer Water

5. W3LL PEOPLE: The Expressionist Bio Extreme Mascara

Favorite item:

Living Proof: Restore Instant Repair Shampoo, Conditioner, and Hair Lotion

Women's box for June 2015:

Theme for June was "Adventure"

The samples:

1. Coola: SPF 50 Sport-Mango (My box was missing this sample)

2. Dr. Jart+: Ceramindin Cream

3. Marcelle: Waterproof eyeliner

4. Number 4: Super Comb Prep & Protect

5. Paula's Choice: RESIST Barrier Repair Moisturizer with Retinol

6. Pura Vida Lace Headband-In green lace

7. 75% off code for a subscription to Domino magazine. Making the subscription only $12 for a year. And a recipe for Linguini Al'Arrabiata on the back.

Also contained a card for entry into the Birchbox's grand prize for adventure. The card also contained a code that redeemed a prize code for a percentage off in the Birchbox shop. Mine was for 10% off my entire purchase.

Favorite item:

Number 4: Super Comb Prep & Protect

This month was also my anniversary with Birchbox. I received a card saying thank you for being with Birchbox all this time and a very cute key-chain.

Women's box for July:

Theme for July was "Go Bold."

The samples:

1. amika un.Done Texture Spray

2. Jouer Daily Clarifying Treatment Oil

3. Key West Aloe Save a Tan

4. stila look at me liquid lipstick trio in the color of bright red

5. Supergoop! Daily Correct CC Cream SPF 35

Also contained a card for new benefit eyeliner and mascara. With the purchase of any Benefit Cosmetics product in the Birchbox shop receive a free They're Real Mascara and They're Real Puch-Up eyeliner Deluxe Mini in Beyond Black.

Favorite item:

stila look at me liquid lipstick in bright red

Women's box for August:

Theme for August was "Soak it Up"

The samples:

1. Balance Me Congested Skin Serum

2. Oribe Aprés Beach Wave and Shine Spray

3. Shea Terra Organics Rose Hips Black Soap Deep Pore Facial Cleanser

4. St. Tropez Gradual Tan in Shower

5. theBalm cosmetics Balm Desert Bronzer/Blush

Also contained a card to get the Marcelle's Mini Waterproof Eyeliner Kit for $18 and a full-sized bottle of Marcelle Gentle Make-Up Remover with any Marcelle purchase.

Favorite item:

Shea Terra Organics Rose Hips Black Soap Deep Pore Facial Cleanser

Women's box for September 2015: