Life at a "Swell's" pace

These mice.

Because I found "The Three Mouse-keteers" in the bottom of an empty dog food bag in our garage. I didn't have the heart to harm them, so I set them free near the river. I know, craziness, but I felt good afterward, it was the right thing to do.

This bicycle.

Because for $29, we got a good deal on a transition bicycle for Skylar to learn to use hand brakes. He will be set to take off on long rides once he masters the concept of the hand brake. He is doing great with it too!

The back of this car.

Because it just says all the right things.

This olive oil.

Because I got it for under $8 and it's the best olive oil I've ever used. It's from a company called Nektar.

This birthday card.

Even though this card was from a few birthdays ago, it's still my favorite one. I turned 35 on August 35th and while I was packing away the cards I had received this year, this one caught my eye. It's from my brother who lives in Arkansas while I am here in Oregon. This card was the best gift that year when I was so sad that I couldn't spend it with family. Fortunately, I was able to fly to Arkansas and spend my birthday with him, and we had a blast! He is the greatest brother any sister could ever want!

Random Photo of the Week:

Eco-Tip: Using baking soda throughout your house is a great way to stay green with your cleaning routine. Baking soda mixed with water, vinegar, or even essential oils can clean just about anything with a bit of elbow grease with it. For this and other tips on going green visit, The Earth and Me Go Green.

I have always loved MetroMint and when I first started drinking it the company only put out Peppermint Water and Spearmint Water. Now there is all sorts of other flavors like, CherryMint, and LemonMint, and even GooseberryMint. But the price of each bottle soon adds up, so I went on a hunt to find out how to make my own in a pinch and here is what I discovered.

I used the peppermint herb for my water, but spearmint or even peppermint essential oil (Mentha piperita) could be used.

What I found with the essential oil though, it wouldn't dissolve. You know, because water doesn't mix with oil. But if you were in a hurry just to get the mint flavor, I could see dropping a few drops in the water and making a dash to the gym or work in the morning with it. No harm there.

Here's what I did with my mint-water: I took a few snips of leaves from my peppermint herb.

Washed them thoroughly and cut them into smaller pieces. I then boiled them for about 30 minutes over high heat.

Then strained out the leaves from the water.

I smashed them a bit with the backside of a spoon just to make sure all the oils from the leaves were extracted.

I allowed it to cool to room temperature and then placed it in my fridge.

I poured 1/2 cup of peppermint water to 32 oz. of water in my water bottle. It works best when the water is ice cold. It has a slight tint to it from the leaves, but it taste the same. You can even add this to some lemon water and get the same flavor as LemonMint. Be sure when you use any type of essential oils (especially citrus) that you store those in glass containers. The oils will eat through and break down plastic containers.

Enjoy your homemade MetroMint® water! :-)

(Metromint water is a registered trademark of Soma Beverage Company, LLC.)

Eco-Tip: Unplug your chargers once you are finished with them. Even though the phone, Kindle, or other electronic device isn't hooked up, electricity is still being used. So unplug and save power. For this and other green tips visit, The Earth and Me Go Green.