Life at a "Swell's" pace

Thanksgiving 2015

Since we celebrated Halloween in Arkansas, we never got a chance to hit a pumpkin patch here, or there. We meant to fit a pumpkin patch trip in while we were in Arkansas, but we just ran out of time. Running around and doing so much with family, time got away from us. So when we came back, we decided to wait until Thanksgiving to cut our own home-grown pumpkins and enjoy them for Thanksgiving. We grew quite a few medium-sized ones this year and they worked perfectly for our harvest-type decorations. Skylar chose not to carve one, so we placed them on our front porch and are still enjoying them.

Can't believe October is already over and the end of the year is approaching. It reminds us how precious our time is. My bird feeder seems to be growing its own lawn.

After the rain has stopped we are planning on cleaning up the garden area. We have such great plans for it next year. A few more garden boxes and a whole new layout. Can't wait to share!

So many great pumpkins.

The last harvest of the dill for the year. Lots of plans for this herb for next season too.

A lone purple flower holding on tight before the winter bite and freeze hits.

Skylar loved that he was able to pick pumpkins that he helped grow.

He picked out his favorite and so did the Mr.

What a great selection of organically-grown pumpkins.

Our once-a-year-Thanksgiving table setup all decorated for the Thanksgiving dinner. The Mr. carved up his famous turkey he cooks. We actually use an electric cooker and he seasons it with the best seasonings. This year we went with an all-natural, organic turkey. We tasted the difference, for sure! For those curious, this is the roaster we use.Works great for chicken and fish too.

We also played a bit of UNO on Thanksgiving night. We are slowly forming traditions by accident. This is the third year that we've played board games on Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving 2014

Thanksgiving 2013

Thanksgiving 2012

What happened this time last year?

Five simple things

We've been cleaning out our garage and I was hoping to have enough of it done to share a photo, but to be quite honest, it's still a bit in shambles. Next week I shall share away. For now, here are the things that made my week awesome.

1. Our Tree.

It's up and decorated. We went with a 6-foot Noble Fir this year. We visited Trantham Christmas Tree Farm here local (photos soon) and had a wonderful time in their Christmas tree "forest." I've been on a mad wrapping frenzy the last few days too.

A lot of my shopping happened online, so as they come in, I wrap them up. My tape dispenser has been working overtime lately. 'Tis the season!

2. This Game.

Last week we were a bit under the weather. First it hit the Mr., then it hit the boy, then it hit me. No fun, but we did find ways to pass the time "productively."

3. These Patches.

These have been a back saver lately.

4. This Seltzer.

Alka-seltzer has been our friend this week and last.

5. This Month's Book.

Have you joined in on the SNS Reading List? Every month a new book is posted and you are more than welcome to join in. I welcome comments on the selection on the page too. You can suggest selections as well. Just email me at mcwilkerson1977@yahoo.com. Be sure to check the link to the page at the top of the blog each month.

Extras:

• New Items in the Shop:

Lots of items in the shop are marked down to almost 50%. Grab a last minute Christmas gift. I promise delivery by Christmas if your order is placed before December 15. So hurry! Check out all of the sale items here.

• New use for bricks.

We have this quite large pile of bricks in our backyard and have been trying to find ways to re-purpose them. We helped a neighbor tear down his fireplace and we got to keep the bricks. Which at the time, seemed like a great idea, but now we are stumped on ways to use them. Some random ideas I've found, but still not sure.

What happened this time last year?

Friday things

1. This Street Organ.

More about street organs here.

2. This Post From Embracing Homemaking.

It's a post that's been floating around Pinterest and other blogs for awhile and it's a great start in getting more minimal. I love the little things Ashley has added. Give the first 10 items a try and then work your way down the list. It feels good getting rid of things in my house and we are almost to 150 items from this list, so far. Check out the full list here.

3. This Travel Kit.

I can't begin to express how great this travel kit is from Murchison Hume. It comes with four different, necessary, items you would need for traveling. The surface spray and the everything soap is the best. You can get this travel kit, with bag, on their site here, for under $40.

4. This Body Oil.

Honest Organic Body Oil . This light, soothing blend includes sustainablely grown and certified organic jojoba, tamanu, olive, avocado, and sunflower oils to leave skin silky and nourished. It's great for skin of all ages.

5. This Headboard.

The Mr. and I have been on a lookout for a new bedroom suite. We've been searching for one that would fit a small bedroom seeing as the house we live in now is limited on space. This one has made the top of the list for two reasons. One, it's just a headboard and we can play around with the rest of it anyway we want. Two, because its name is Claudette, 'my middle name.' I like the bird accent on top that's removable too. This headboard is from Ballard Designs.

Extras:

• This New Affiliate.

100% Pure is a company geared around natural products. They use only the very best ingredients in what they make and are now part of the South North South family. Their ad will can be found on the right-hand side of the page, along with the other great company's that help support this blog. Give them some love. Right now, you can get all of their Holiday Gift Sets 20%.

• Don't F-up Craft Beer.

• Dominating 'Guess Who'.

• Viiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigooooooooo!

• Wil Freeborn's Sketchbooks.

• Cleaning out your ears the RIGHT way.

• Longboard Dancing. Yes?

What happened this time last year?

Five simple things

We've had kind of a crazy week. Crazy in the fact that we've still been adjusting to the time change from being in Arkansas. Once the sun goes down we get completely confused on what time it is. We even think the clock is lying to us. We've decided to embrace it and turn one of our clocks to Arkansas time and just go with it. We go to bed early and get up early, so what's the harm, right? It's been sort of better for us anyway. I think I might go buy another clock, similar to the one we have in our living room, and make a board underneath that reads: Oregon Time and one that reads: Arkansas Time. We'll see though. Anyway, here are the things that made my week awesome!

1. This 3D Image:

We've been experimenting a lot lately with different techniques and this one was a blast. You can see updates on this on the classroom blog soon. Check out our classroom blog here!

2. This Garden Shed.

In case you didn't know, we've been on a hunt to buy a new home. We have been looking in the Valley and even over the Cascades in Eastern Oregon. We haven't found anything that suits our fancy yet, but when we do, we will be building a small garden shed to accompany my gardening passions (Check out my Pin Board here of ideas). This little shed was over in Brownsville, Oregon and I loved how it looked. The French doors on the front are such a great addition.

3. These Cherry Tomatoes.

We still have a ton of cherry tomatoes. I am on a frantic hunt on Pinterest to find some great recipes to use them for. I am also looking to Santa to bring me a good pressure cooker so we can start canning some of these babies next year and add to our doomsday prep items.

Pressure cooker on my list:

*Affiliate link. (Thank you for supporting products/companies that help support this blog and our family.)

4. These Canadian Geese.

We see them all the time this time of year. I love how massive flocks of them fly over our house. We have a field behind our townhouse here and they land in the field all the time too. Such a gear thing to see in the fall.

5. This Crow.

He was hanging out on the very top of this tree in the parking lot of the airport when we came back from our Arkansas trip. In the rain even.

Extras:

• This Inspiration Board.

I've been following this IKEA inspiration board on Flickr for a few years now. It gives great ideas on how to decorate your home. I don't buy a lot of things from IKEA, but when I do get an idea, I always try to DIY it, or hunt online for something similar at a cheaper price. Check it out here! I warn you though, it's addicting!

• This New Shop Item:

Downton Abbey-inspired pendant necklace. I'm a huge Downton Abbey fan and I am starting to create pieces that are inspired by the drama series. This pendant necklace is listed for $35 in my shop and soon there will be a section just for Downton Abbey-inspired items.

• This Flag.

With the recent attacks on Paris, it's nice to see the Seattle Space Needle showing support for France. It's so heartbreaking that there are people that actually want to cause harm on others. We as a human race need to fix ourselves before trying to fix others. Too many people care more about hate than they do about love. Life is too short to live a life of anger and resentment. I hope everyone affected by this horrible tragedy finds some sort of peace. Too much violence in the world lately.