Week-End: Things that made my week awesome

What a great day! Well, minus the rain. We've had such a long week we are glad to see this weekend and especially Sunday. The Mr. and I have been planning another road trip for our #snsroadtrips and we have been having a lot of fun figuring out a good place to go. Hopefully it will work out for us and I can have another place to mark off of our "bucket list." For now, here are the things that made this week awesome!

1. This camera

The Bean purchased him a new Polaroid camera and he has been having a blast with it. He likes the exposure the camera creates and has been snapping pictures of everything and everyone. 

If you're curious if Polaroid film is still made, it is. You can get it here.

2. This book

If you're curious about the September book selection for SNS, here it is. "Better than Before"

by Gretchen Rubin. It's a book about what the author learned about making and breaking habits that we create over time. It talks about sleeping more, quitting sugar (which is a hard one for me), and how to stop procrastinating. You can see the entire list of book selections at the link "Library" at the top of this blog.

3. This "prescription"

Meditate, exercise, avoid processed food, eat more organic fruit and veggies, and spend more time outdoors and less time in front of electronics. Seems like the right way to cure the coming on winter blues or just the daily slumps.

4.  Gardening tips

September: 

• Feed your lawn with fertilizer.
• Take down hanging baskets, replace with winter/spring flowering versions.
• Plant evergreen shrubs.

October:

• Prepare your pond, greenhouse, and put your tools/outdoor furniture away.
• Divide perennials that have become too large.
• Rake up fallen leaves and spread them between the perennials in the border of flower beds and gardens. 
• 
  

5. This cleaning mission

We've been taking out camping gear out and going through, downsizing, and cleaning everything. We have cast iron skillets as part of our camping gear and they were in desperate need of a scrubbing. This tip I cam across in a magazine (I forgot which one) really helped out. We have decided to go minimal with our camping equipment too, so we were in need of an overhaul on our camping box and gear. Plus, we found out, we are in need of a new tent! *sigh*

What happened this time last year?

Our Garden Currently: Garden beds and solar lights

The Mr. and I have been on a mission to bring a bit of color to the side yard of the house we live in currently. I had a vision of making a large flowerbed in the middle of the yard to break up the grassy knoll a bit. We planted mostly perennials and they have really taken off in a beauty of color. 

The side of the house needed something. When we first laid the dirt down and cleaned the area up it screamed flowers to me.  The picture above is the first week they were planted and I was afraid they might not make an appearance this year. The old saying goes, "first year they sleep, second year they creep, and third year they leap." 

Still a rough draft on the left-side of the house. This is right down, on the same side of the house, as the perennial flowers from above. Not sure what this space will become and I am almost afraid to put much more effort into it because of the winter months coming soon.

Some wild flower seeds were spilled near the fence line and we saw a few of them peaking through the cracks.

The slow-going flowerbed The Mr. and I put in place. We like how it looks so far, but things will start to show soon. I look a night shot because I liked the way it looked. (Of course, this is the first shot when we started and it looks great so far, but we shall see what it becomes before the summer is done.) -Scroll down for an updated picture of the middle flowerbed now.

Solar lights along the privacy fence. This fence will have more depth as the years go on. I am planning a big layout to bring it all together. It's still in the works, so stay tuned. Best part of the new "layout" is the fact that once it's done we can move it with us to a new location if, and when, we find that perfect home of our own. Fingers crossed that one comes along before too long.

August 21, 20126

August 22, 2016

August 24, 2016

August 26, 2016

August 27, 2016

August 29, 2016

August 30,2016

 

September 1, 2016

Sending a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to The Mr.!

Week-End: Things that made my week awesome (Extras: Converted bus and 9/11 remembered)

It's another week coming to a close. I can't believe how fast time goes by anymore. Maybe the saying is true, "Time flies when you're having fun." This summer has been a great summer and we aren't quite ready for the fall season here. We didn't have a hot summer and being from the south, I miss the heat of summer. It seems the hotter the summer it is here the more I am able to handle the hard winters here, especially the days of rain that seem to never let up. I am not ready to say goodbye to the sun just yet. We are going to be soaking up the last bits of the summer here until it's officially fall and cold. Meanwhile, here are the things that made this week awesome!

1. This book

I am loving Comestible Journal. It is packed full of great things for each season and I have been wearing out my summer copy already. Check out how to get on the mailing list here.

2. This sunflower

It is a behemoth and I love it. I only planted one sunflower seed in our middle flowerbed and boy did it take off. Can't wait to save the seeds from the head when it's finished growing.

3. This kid

Seventh grade here we come! I can't believe it! 

4. This bear

In an effort to downsize our belongings The Bean's Build a Bear got the cut. He was sad to see it go, but understood why. We took some photos to enjoy if he ever starts missing it terribly. 

5. This mirror

In an effort to ride our bikes more I wanted to get a rear view mirror to be able to take a peek behind me if needed. It works great and I love how I can keep an eye out behind us, as well. If you're curious where to pick one up. Mirrycle MTB Bar End Mountain Bicycle Mirror

Extras:

1. Get ready for Novem"beard" with Boston General Store.
2. Addressing envelopes the right way.
3. Tiny home love.
4. Oh, to take that leap!
5. Stockings.
6. Possible land investment?
7. Rental in the Hampton's.
8. 10 Ways to be Selfish.
9. Travelers' Notebooks.
10. Intro to Ballet. Mix up your routine.

#NeverForget (15 years later I will never forget crying so hard for people I didn't even know.)

Here's to hoping next week is just as great!

What happened this time last year?

Week-End: Things that made my week awesome (end of summer)

Since summer is coming quickly to a close. Although I love fall, I can't seem to look forward to winter hitting and winter always follows fall. This season has been a great season and a lot of things to be grateful for in this chapter in our family. I hope that we have just as better fall season and go into winter with an open heart. Finding ways to beat the winter blues is always a hard one for me, but reading always seems to help forget that it's raining, or cold outside. Here's some more suggestions from The Honest Company that I think are great, too. The Honest Company has been a great sponsor of this space. They offer incentives to pass along to my readers and they share my same values and cares for the environment and my family. I am so thankful of our relationship. If you are looking to change your daily routine with health products and cleaning, give them a chance. There is an ad for them on the right-hand side of this blog. Thank you for the chance to pass that information along. Here are the things that made my week great!

1. This herb

Nasturtium is a great herb. It can spread, but is easy to control. I planted them in my herb garden this year and they took off! This herb is a great way to bring color to your garden and the best part about it is the fact that the leaves and the flowers can be used in place of pepper. Drying the leaves and grinding them up is a good way to use them, or add them directly to salads to give them a bit of a kick.

2. This visitor

This cicada has been a visitor here in our yard for the past few years. This year he decided to plop himself right on the trunk of our Blue Colorado Spruce.

In the south, we always knew it was summer by the loud buzzing of the cicadas. There were times we would go swimming at the local swimming hole, or the lake, and the cicadas would serenade us the entire time. Here in the pacific northwest, the cicadas are smaller, but still put out that familiar buzz. I enjoy seeing them every year. They give me a great reminder of my southern home.

3. These geocache finds

The first one was found under a bench and was pretty easy to find. The second one however, was a bit more tricky and took us a few attempts to locate it. Some geocaches are tricky, tricky. We enjoy looking for them when we are traveling and it's always fun to read some of the logs. We've seen people sign the logs in Spanish, Chinese, and even German. Those are the ones we enjoy the most.

The geocache pictured above is one called a bison tube. It's just large enough to hold a rolled up signing log and a small pencil.

4. These products

As I've stated above, The Honest Company offers some great products to help people live a better life with good, quality products. We use the Gel Cleanser and the Powder Cleanser in our house. Having a teenager (The Bean) going through puberty and having break outs, the Powder Cleanser helps his skin take control of those breakouts. The Gel Cleanser is a great product for The Mr. and me to clean our mature skin without drying it out and causing additional breakouts.

5. This quote

As our summer comes slowly to a close here on the pacific coast we can't help but think it was a good summer here. Although others are suffering from lose, fire, floods, we here in the Valley slipped through the cracks for devastation on that front. We did have the lose of a dear friend's daughter, but her celebration of life was enjoyed by us. We can't help to think she would have loved how many people came out to her life celebration. She would have just loved it! 

And a quick HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my brother, Will!

Extras: 

1. These pants peek my interest.
2. These Christmas stockings.
3. This property has peaked our interest.
4. Rental home in the Hampton's.
5. Being more selfish and putting yourself first.
6. Letting go of the need for other's approval.
7. Laundry closet makeover.
8. Chest exercises that work!
9. Grammar mistakes that really aren't grammar mistakes.
10. Pitchfork & Crow.

What happened this time last year?

Road Trip: Hood River/Mount Hood

If you follow my blog regularly you will know that this road trip was mentioned last Sunday. This is the road trip that took a crazy turn and we ended up getting back home on Sunday morning at 4:00 a.m. The road trip wasn't a bust, but it was sure one that won't be forgotten.

The best part of the trip was that Mount Hood looked wonderful!

On our way to Hood River, Oregon, we stopped at the Pioneer Womans Grave site. This was an old grave, circa 1800s, of a pioneer woman that was making the journey from the east to the west and died along the way. This grave site is a great reminder of the troubles and heartache the pioneers faced while headed to a better life in the west.

The story states that a man and his two children had just laid to rest the woman, which was his wife, and the children's mother. She had been sick for several days and they stopped the wagon train and camped a few nights before she died. The children were both under the age of five.

After looking around the grave site and spending some time seeking a geocache (which we did not find due to everyone needing to use the bathroom) we headed toward Hood River, Oregon. As we came over the crest of the hill, there it was. Clear, beautiful, and amazing view of Mount Hood.

Once at the base of the mountain, The Bean wanted a "selfie" with the mountain. He has been taking his Kindle along on road trips now and his own Nikon camera to document things for his own blog. His blog was started by me before he was born and now he has taken it over to keep the tradition going and follow in his mom's footsteps as a blogger. Paint me proud!

After leaving the view point we headed on toward Hood River and began our endless search for a camp spot near the base. We regretted not leaving the valley sooner so we could secure a spot, but the hunt was a lot of fun. We followed some signs along the highway toward a lavender farm and boy was it a treat to see such great lavender plants. It was the lavender farm of my dreams!

For someone who loves lavender so much this farm was perfect for getting an idea of a layout in the future. The smell coming off the lavender field was so heavenly.

One side of the road was the lavender field and the other side had a wonderful view of Mount Hood.

A view of Mount Adams from the Hood River valley looking north.

This area around Hood River is such a beautiful area. As we headed more toward the town there was farm stands and field of apples, peaches, pears, and filberts with stand out front selling their products. It was endless farming and selling and a nature-lovers paradise, for sure. The Mr. and I have been on a mission to eat more clean lately and we couldn't help but long to live around an area that offered great food choices. There were so many that your taste buds would never get bored.

Once we arrived in Hood River we took advantage of the gift certificates we had from our Pirate Treasure Hunt in Depoe Bay last year. These certificates were for dinner at the Full Sail Brewery. We had dinner and purchased a growler full of Session Wheat Ale to go.

While at the brewery, we decided to try a taste pallet of their micro brews to see which one we enjoyed the most. The Full Sail lager and the Session Wheat was definitely our favorites.

When we finally left the brewery we decided to try to find a hotel room instead, but wouldn't you know it, every single room was booked in Hood River. We even searched the towns surrounding Hood River and every one was taken. We did happen to find one hotel that had one room left, but the man we spoke with would only allow two people to occupy a room at a time. We couldn't allow The Bean to be out in the cold, so we trekked on. We pulled into a rest area and used our camping blankets and pillows to make a bed in the back of the Compass and slept a few hours before driving home. We arrived back home around 4:00 a.m., but we did determine that in a pinch, the back of the Compass is fair game for camping. We actually all slept great back there and still had room for our cooler and food. This is something we will be doing again because we all had an awesome time!

As we traveled to Hood River we passed a growler filler called Bigfoot Growlers. We decided right then and there that this is a place we need to add to our list of growler cafes to check out.

What happened this time last year?