Life at a "Swell's" pace

Cutting the perfect Christmas tree-2015

One of our traditions in getting a Christmas tree is to visit a different tree farm each year. This year we just happened to see a sign outside of town for Trantham's Tree Farm. We saw it when we were on our way to the Oregon Garden to do some ice skating. This tree farm wasn't big, but it was very quaint and had a lot of firs to choose from. We went with a noble fir this year because we like to mix it up a bit from year to year with our choice.

They gave us colored cups to place on top of the trees we liked and then narrow down our choice as we walked around. Our choice this year was to get a narrow, smaller tree, so that it didn't take up a lot of space. I will say, from the past I've always gone with a fuller tree and this year we decided to go skinnier. It was a good choice for the amount of space we have here at the Hiatt House. We narrowed it down to the two trees above and took about 30 minutes deciding which one we liked best. The Mr. wanted the smaller tree, but I wanted to go tall.

We ended up with the smaller tree because of its shape. I really liked how skinny it was, but the height wasn't quite what I wanted. It looks pretty good though, given the ornaments and star bring it taller a bit.

The wetness of the ground made it a bit tough to get a good stable position to cut it. The Mr. wasn't having too much fun with that. What's a Christmas tree cutting without someone getting dirty, right? Just glad it was him and not me. Ha!

I think we snagged a pretty good tree. The Mr. is about six-foot tall, so a six-foot tree isn't all that bad. I will push for a taller one next year, though. :)

The Mr. looking very "Lumber-sexual" carrying our precious tree to the shaker.

Our tree got a good shaking and then was ready to load up on top of the car.

Trantham Christmas Tree Farm is about 10 miles northeast of where we live. It was a cut, yet small Christmas Tree Farm and they seem to have just what we needed. If you're in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, give them a go next year. They also carry pretty snazzy handmade wreaths, as well.

I think she looks wonderful!

Check out our Christmases before:

Christmas 2014

Christmas 2013; And here.

Christmas 2012; And here.

What happened this time last year?

Ice skating at the Oregon Garden #citg

It's Christmas at the Oregon Garden and with that we loaded in the car and took off toward the twinkling lights. This year they provided the public with a taste of ice skating. Although no one ice skating looked like a professional hockey player, or a competitive figure skater, it was loads of fun. Even with the few bumps and bruises later.

The Mr. and The Bean can be see behind all of the blur.

The Bean used the seal to help him stay on two feet. He wasn't ashamed to say he needed some help on the ice.

Once he got his footing he took off!

He fell a few times, but the Mr. never fell once. Must be his Oregon blood that kept him upright on the ice.

The mini-Zamboni came out and shaved the ice and resurfaced it. There was a lot of people ice skating and the cuts and grooves in the ice were getting pretty deep.

Both of them were exhausted when I took this picture. They were ready for a break.

We walked around the gardens and looked at all of the Christmas lights. The display was great this year!

We grabbed some hot chocolate and they gave it to us in a collectors' mug that read, "Christmas-In the Garden."

We loved the "Elf" reference with the narwhal.

We ate at Creekside Grill in Silverton, afterward. We love their sweet potato fries so much! If you haven't heard of this place, you're really missing out on a great atmosphere and food.

We had a fun day at the Oregon Garden. We all ended up crashing hard when we got home that evening. Christmas in the Garden goes until January 3, 2016. If you live in or around the Willamette Valley of Oregon, check it out! If you bring a new, unwrapped toy your entrance fee is waved.

What happened this time last year?

Five simple things

I've had quite a busy week last week and on Saturday and Sunday I just couldn't find the time to sit and post. But with Christmas being a week away I feel it is crunch time here. This year has gone so fast…

Here are the things that made my week awesome last week.

1. These Printables.

Looking for some fun Christmas prints to frame, or just use for the holidays? These printables from Education.com are amazing! Snag them all here!

2. This.

Find out what this is here,

3. This Statement.

Gosh, isn't that the truth.

4. These Tips.

These tips come from Daily Challenge. If you aren't on there, it's a great daily tip site that you can customize to meet your expectations for the month. You can sign up here.

5. This Wreath.

I have been experimenting with different lavender wreaths to see which works best to sell in the shop. This one in our vestibule of our front porch and smells amazing, but isn't quite what I want to sell. I am hoping to find a happy medium before spring hits, so I can sell them. Look for those soon at The Peppermint Bee Farm.

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