Tired of being tired?

Five simple things

It's 5:30 a.m. here and I am currently waiting on the boys to finish their last-minute things around the house before we catch our flight. We are due at the airport soon and our flight to Arkansas leaves Portland, Oregon, at 7:45 a.m. My sister still doesn't know we are headed her way and I can't wait until she sees us for her fortieth birthday. It's so weird to think my sister is turning 40 and I will be 39 this year, in August. I still feel like I'm stuck between 23 and 30 somewhere-And I still look it, I might add. Ha!  I will have a lot of pictures to share of our trip on the blog soon, too! So here are the things that made this past week awesome!

1. This Random "Hi"

Walking around town you come across some interesting things.

2.  These Trees


The crab apple trees around here are in full bloom and showering the streets, sidewalks, and parking lots with pink "snow."

3. This Little Free Library


Since National Library Week two weeks ago The Bean and I have been visiting Little Free Libraries around the Willamette Valley area. We have read and moved around a lot of books through these Little Libraries. Find one in your area on their website here. They are a lot of fun!

4. This Mill

We learned of the fire at Butte Creek Mill while on a road trip. We have really enjoyed learning about the mill in the previous years and were saddened by the fire. The investigation is pointing toward arson and it really breaks our hearts to learn that someone would want to destroy a piece of history like this. They claim they will rebuild and we can't wait to see what they have in store for the reconstruction of the place. 

5. These Critters


  
We will leave them for a week with my neighbor checking on them twice a day. I will miss their wet nose kisses and snuggles, but they are in good hands. Can't wait to see them when we get back!

Packing airplane snacks is always fun for me. I always pack a lot (probably more than I should) of fruits and veggies. I tend to lean toward organic grapes, bananas, baby carrots, broccoli, grapefruit slices, and orange slices. We also take a few other items that are some favorites: Fruit leathers, lentil chips, and can't forget the homemade granola bars. I have the boys pick two from these recipes and we take them with us on trips. They are so delicious and putting little twists on the recipes is always a plus. Twists such as, adding dried blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, or adding in some chocolate chips is always a hit, too. I'll share my recipes soon.

Extras: 
  1. These bars.
  2. These tables are amazing!
  3. QVC's first broadcast in 1986.
  4. Letterboxing.
  5. Do you brush your skin daily?
  6. Manor House is my new addiction.
  7. Might be a new road trip.
  8. The secret to eternal youth by Maia.
  9. Bozo the Clown. The "famous" Arkansas THV Clown in the 80s. (My sister and I were actually on the show, too!)
  10. Build a printable neighborhood from Vivint. Here's ours.



Time to fly!
Have a great weekend!


Five simple things

Yay! It's the weekend! I am so looking forward to being able to step outside and enjoy the yard here at the Hiatt House. I can't wait to share what we've been up to lately and how we've been coming along with the yard and gardens. I hope you'll be just as pleased with it as we are. Pictures soon! So with that said, here are the things that made this week awesome!

1. This Quote


Source
As the steps to becoming more minimal happen here with us, I've decided to post something about being more minimal and letting go of clutter become an every Monday post on my Twitter. If you don't follow me on Twitter, be sure to start now, so you can see all of the great posts on minimal living, especially on Mondays.

2.  This Book Selection for May

Don't forget to check back at the beginning of each month to see what the new selection is. The selection for May is "the first forty days:  The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother" by Heng Ou.

3.  This Church Lighting

The First United Methodist Church was all light up one evening when we drove through. I couldn't resist stopping and taking a picture of the stained glass on the front.

4.  This Turkey

The wild turkeys around Lebanon are quite famous. 

5.  This Seating Area

Build Lebanon Trails has put in this seating area near the Mark Slough Trail near our home. It's a nice break when we ride our bikes for several miles at a time around the trails. It makes for a good lunch/snack spot when we go for walks, too.


Extras:
  1. Do you save you book's dust jackets?
  2. The great Mary Oliver.
  3. Photography is amazing!
  4. Looking into a new mattress? We are and this one at Reading my Tea Leaves looks nice.
  5. What a great concept!
  6. Interesting.
  7. Porch love.
  8. Wish these came in glass instead of plastic.
  9. Tree Pod camping.
  10. Homemade Snicker's Bar. That could be dangerous. 

Five simple things

Hey! Thanks for reading South North South every week. I appreciate it a lot! So this week we had a bit of a hiccup with the working in the yard and got a nice thunder storm, with real thunder, roll through the Valley. It was a nice way to fall asleep. A lot of people in the Valley freak out over thunderstorms. With being from the south, I've been in some pretty crazy thunder and lightning storms and what the Willamette Valley gets is like a tea party compared to those. Anyway, the thunder and lightning show took us out of the house to eat dinner. We grabbed a quick bite and headed to the top of Washburn Heights near Brownsville, Oregon to watch the light show and it was beautiful! With The Mr. working all weekend The Bean and I have some time on our hands to get some much needed things done. I've been following some new boards on Pinterest about living more minimal and have some great plans for us today, tomorrow, and the rest of the week to get things down to a minimum here at the Hiatt House. I would really like to have everything settled before we move from here. I can't wait to share our changes. Onward with the home searches, but meanwhile, here are the things that made this week great!


1. This Little Fairy

I had completely forgotten I had placed this fairies in my front flowerbed until I started pulling out weeds and there she was. I am not into fairies, but I really like this one because she's standing on a mushroom. My mother-in-law got this for me one Christmas. I think she fits perfectly with the other decor around the yard.

2.  These Surprise Boxes

  



With my mom being busy getting her cafe up and running in Crystal Springs, Arkansas, she hasn't had the time to get things together to mail to us for Christmas, Valentine's, and Easter. I secretly like that she lingers with sending a care package, especially for the holidays, because it makes the holidays last a long time for us. These boxes came unexpectedly and we loved it! The best part, we got t-shirts from my dad's business (Mike's Heating and Air Conditioning), and now my mom's (Crystal Springs Mercantile and Cafe)!

3. This Flowers

  
The first tree reminds me of the movie Alice in Wonderland where the army men are painting the roses red on the trees. The second is a plant called Bleeding Heart and I think it is one of the most interesting ornamental plants to ever grow.

4.  This House

We pass by this house on our bike rides and there's just something about it that makes my mind wonder about its complete history. I have had a thought on maybe bringing in some history of towns into the blog. Maybe soon.

5.  This View

It isn't a poster, it's a view of Crater Lake this past weekend. More on this road trip soon.


Extras:
  1. Popsicle crafts galore!
  2. Time for a new umbrella. A good umbrella.
  3. Women voting.
  4. Let the sunlight work for you to create art.
  5. Do it Yourself Green Cleaning Kits. And a giveaway!
  6. Natural Sand Pit for your backyard.
  7. A new way to carry your lunch.
  8. Homemade sour cream.
  9. Oregon Palm Trees.
  10. Wanna Get Away soon?  

Road Trip: Hiking at Silver Creek Falls

We decided to jump in the car and take off again. This time to Silver Creek Falls in Silverton, Oregon. The day was perfect and with just a $5 parking fee, beautiful day, and hiking through a beautiful area, we couldn't resist.

The trail down to the falls.

The South Falls is a waterfall that allows visitors to walk behind the falls. It's such a great experience.


Behind the falls gives you a different view of the land.
The Bean loved the small caves and rocks carved out by the water.
The wild raspberry bushes along the creek were blooming brilliantly this time of year.
It was a wonderful hike and a beautiful day to do it. You can check out more about Silver Creek Falls here and take advantage of the area anytime from now until October to see it on full display.