Life at a "Swell's" pace

Five simple things

Hello.

Spring, sprang, sprung here in the Valley. ...Or at least we "think" it has. The tulips and the daffodils are slowly making an appearance and the Japanese cherry trees on our street are pretty in pink. We had hoped that there would be another sprinkling of snow before the season was over, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen. We are ready for day-long sunshine and to start planning out our garden for the year, so maybe not getting another snowfall is a good thing. March is definitely the month that puts "whether" in the weather prediction. We are stuck in the month that isn't spring yet, but not winter either. There is one thing for this month that is a definite though, and that's St. Patrick's Day. We have already made shamrocks for the front window and are preparing Irish grilled cheese sandwiches, potato soup, and of course some Irish Soda Bread for tomorrow. Looking forward to a great weekend here. For now, here are five simple things for the week.

1. The sheep of the valley.

Most of the sheep in the Valley are getting their seasonal haircuts. In some fields there's hairless sheep running and lambs running around, but in this field, near Brownsville, Oregon, they haven't seen the clippers yet.

2. Forest adventures and schooling without walls.

We are on our fourth year homeschooling The Bean and the forest school approach to homeschooling is priceless. We are also starting a new class in April that's going to incorporate and focus on food foraging.

3. This view at the top.

Between The Cascade Mountain Range and the Coastal Mountain Range is an area in the Valley that has it's own "rolling hills." This happens to be one of those particular places. This area is called Washburn Heights.

4. Samples from Seed Phytonutrient.

A fresh new company on a mission to create better quality products. They are launching in April 2018, Their products are made with all natural ingredients and their packaging is better for the environment. They believe that beauty can, and should be, sustainable. Find out more here and here.

5. Mightynest for March.

Last, but definitely not least, is the Mightynest for the month of March. The All-Purpose Spaghetti Scrub on the left was the Mightyfix for the month and the items on the right are my addons. Sage essential oil, Let It Go essential oil blend, Clean Well hand wipes, and can you believe it-USDA Organic toothpaste! Wonderful group of items for this month and we can not wait to use the spaghetti scrub on our cast irons. You can sign up for Mightfix here. (Or Mighty Body here.)

A few more things:

• Support female farmers here. And here.

• Did you know that Macy's has a subscription box?

• "Twister," the movie was the first movie on DVD and the last movie on HD DVD.

• Comestible Journal subscriptions for 2018 are here.

• Events on 9/11 still taking lives. Douglas Greenwood's famous Bleecker Street Pizza.

• Doomsday clock moving slowly toward midnight. DDC explained.

• Plants are Magic.

• Astrophysics as explained by Professor Stephen Hawking.

• Surfing took a blow this week with the loss of Nokie Edwards.

• Legacy of Syd Barrett won't be forgotten by true fans. Long live the "real" Pink Floyd!

Have a nice weekend and a wonderful St. Patrick's Day!

Road Trip: Adair Village in Corvallis, Oregon

History of Camp Adair Village in Corvallis, Oregon.

Five simple things

Hello.

We've had quite a two weeks here thus far and Friday for this week is welcomed with open arms. Sort of a good thing, really. I ended up finishing up our taxes and did a few friend's taxes throughout the last two weeks and now I am ready for a break in the numbers game. Friday last week was a hustle to try and get everything done before the day ended so I could sit down and type out a quick "five simple things," but I rushed in vain. It seemed every night I was crashing into bed and asleep within five minutes. Needless to say, it was a long two weeks here. So here we are with five simple things that made my week.

1. These bands.

The Mr. and I privately renewed our vows on February 14, 2018, which happens to be our wedding anniversary too. We met on August 18, 2000, got married on February 14, 2003, and became parents on September 30, 2003. If you do the math here, we have been together 18 years-married for 15. When we got married in 2003, we purchased a wedding set for both and paid $100 for all three rings. Interesting enough, while moving to Oregon, my wedding ring came up missing. We looked high and low to no avail. In that amount of time, 15 years, we both never wore our bands. Now, after 15 years of marriage and 18 years of life together, we wanted to celebrate the highs, the lows, and the in between. We started looking for 15-year bands back in January and found these two a few weeks ago. We got them sized/fitted, ordered, and finally picked up this week. These bands serve as a reminder that no matter what happens, love is really all you need.

2. This snow duck.

Because nothing is funnier than watching a duck in the snow. Side note: She was hatched in August last year, so this was Happy-duck's first time seeing snow.

3. This duck house.

Happy-duck has her own condo now. We haven't placed it in its permanent location, but for now we have allowed her to try it out. She seems to only like being in it if Hardy is in there with her.

4. These bags.

On our quest to go zero-waste we've been slowly shifting our habits to more sustainable options. These two bags are helping with that. The one on the left is being used in place of paper or plastic grocery bags and the one on the right is a wonderful habit shift in not using plastic bags for vegetables or fruits, or even nuts, from the produce/bulk department. We've used them already this week and the habit shift has been a great success.

5. And lastly, Influenster's new VoxBox: Clairol's Temporary Root Touch-up.

This is a powder that is similar to eye shadow and is brushed onto the roots of the hair. I really enjoyed this product for two reasons; One, it was easy to apply. Two, it wasn't permanent, chemical hair coloring. I'm not really big on coloring my hair and I am embracing my grays as I age, so this product was a wonderful test product for someone like me.

Before First Second Third

As you can clearly see from the pictures above the root touch-up really does cover grays with repeated application. The best part is I could have stopped at any number of application I wanted to. It was really up to me how much coverage I wanted. If you do plan on using, or trying this product, keep some witch hazel face pads near to wipe away any stray powder that lands on your forehead. There wasn't a lot that fell, but enough that I wanted to clean up a bit. I like to use this kind here.

I would have to say that I DO recommend this product to anyone wanting to touch-up some grays here and there. I have light grays and dark hair, so the color match was spot on. The second application almost appeared to look like I had highlights and the third appeared as darker highlights. I was pleased to be part of this Voxbox campaign with Influester. If you'd like to be part of the testing panel at Influenster, you can join here for free. (I received this product complimentary for testing. All opinions are my own.)

A "few" more things:

• What did the pioneers stockpile in hard times?

• Goodbye to Brenda Starr and her original creator.

• History of Portland, Oregon, at a glance.

• Hygge vs. Fika-Which is best for you? (More on Hygge. More on Fika.)

• Imperfect: Ugly Produce can still get the love.

• The real price of gold.

• Health benefits of strong relationships.

• Sammy David Jr.'s automobile accident in 1954.

• USDA Organic Himalayan Salt and Black Pepper.

• Dr. Seuss’s Little-Known “Adult” Book of Nudes. (the actual book)

Have a nice weekend!

Five simple things

Hello.

...from the snowy Willamette Valley. Finally we got some powder this week and The Bean and I were thrilled. The Mr. was even stoked that it came down and it was falling on him pretty heavy when we left the house on Wednesday morning. It didn't stick around long, but at least we got some ground cover and were able to enjoy it before noon when the sun came out and took it all away. And at least I can say we got some sunshine too. It's been a pretty enjoyable week here. I will be playing around with different breads over the weekend; wheat, sour dough, and possibly some kalamata. For now, here are the things that made my week.

1. These Mount Hood candles.

And the wonderful "Brie" at First Alternative Co-op for holding them for The Bean.

2. This evening walk.

Even though it was to the local Walmart, it was a cold one.

3. This infamous gold locket.

Rediscovered while donating "10 more things" for the week. This innocent, little locket has been the backdrop to years of defamation. Truth becomes a farce when assumptions are made.

4. This Share-A-Sale merchant box.

Something new I'm trying with Share-A-Sale. So far so good. More on this later.

5. These tulips.

They looked lovely even after the snow melted away.

A few more things:

• Still on the hunt. Looking to house recipes it when I find "it."

• Sourdough FAQ.

• Hello From Portland.

• This lunch set is perfect!

• It's not over for these families. "When one loses a child, is it really ever over?"

• No more discounts for NRA members.

• Walking through a school without being noticed...

Have a good weekend!

Snow day

Appreciating the world as it's covered in white is definitely a simple change.

Valley eagles

As I typed out the title for this blog post I realized it sounds more like a high school mascot than bald eagle spotting in the actual Willamette Valley. Nonetheless, there were bald eagles and they were spotted in the 'Valley'. The gather included adults, females and males, and juvenile bald eagles. We aren't quite sure why they were gathered, but they kept an eye on us while we were watching them.