Life at a "Swell's" pace

After recovering from all the green beans we snapped, and other "events" that took place on Saturday, we celebrated Jeff's 40th birthday on Sunday. We had a fun time and I think I got too involved on rubbing in the fact that Jeff is 5 years older than me, especially this year. Because I have five more years before I hit the hill going 40! Ha!

Skylar, Scottie, Jeff, and Shane.

Cucumbers from our own garden!

My '40' glasses. I was a bit disappointed to find very little ideas for a 40-year birthday party online. So I had to come up with clever ways to bring some life to ordinary pieces. I think these jars were a great addition. These are just simple Ball® jars with Elmers poster paint on them.

Poster board with the same paint pen used.

Same here with the black poster board and the white paint pen. These tombstones are made of drywall, cut with a jig-saw into the shape of a headstone. They are from my Halloween stash.

I decided there was enough black and white for the party, so I brought some color to the cake. Jeff loved it!

He was only given what all "old men" need after 40. Ha!

Skylar and I got Jeff a metal-detector for his birthday. We feel that every old man should have one. Ha!

A bag full of everything of 40 count. 40 straws, 40 Jelly Beans, 40 Swedish Fish, 40 Goldfish Crackers, 40 Life Savers Mints, 40 Andes Mints, 40 Lemon Heads, 40 Stickers, and 40 Smiley Faces.

40 Sucks!

(Pinterest Credit: Vicki Bramer via spottedcanary.com)

We had a great time and Jeff brought in his 40 years with a laugh and a smile. Happy Birthday Boodie Tuesday! Thanks for letting us be a part of your special day! :-)

Eco-Tip: Make the switch to energy savings by changing out at least one light bulb in your home. An energy saving light bulb with the Energy Star label can save you about $20-$60 over the course of its burning life. For this and other tips on going green visit, The Earth and Me Go Green.

We had quite a weekend this past two days. We spent Saturday gathering green beans together and picking about 2,000 beans (no joke), and then celebrated Jeff's birthday on Sunday (he turned 40). Let me tell ya, today is a day of rest for me for sure. Skylar decided he wanted to stay home from school and you know what, I let him. I didn't feel like getting up and around, packing a lunch, or even moving from my warm bed when the alarm went off at 6:30 this morning. One day off isn't all that bad, so here's a recap, in pictures, of what we did.

We started off Saturday by replanting a few plants for the fall, and then picking all the green beans we could possibly pick.

(The above pictures were taken right before I took a major tumble down the back steps. I hit my head and slipped my shoulder out of place. :-( It was/is a bummer).

Our crop of green beans has taken off so fast. I was actually shocked at how quickly the vines took over the east end of the raised beds.

It almost ended up being a jumbled mess at times, but we trimmed and cut back as we could. Honestly, I feel like we just couldn't stay ahead of the climb.

TONS OF GREEN BEANS!

PITA wanted to try one after we brought the buckets in. As you can see below, he quickly changed his mind.

After picking, stringing, snapping, and bagging, we realized we have enough green beans to tide us over for several months. This is a good thing though!

Green Beans anyone?

Eco-Tip: Decline the use of a plastic bag whenever possible. Every year 100 billion plastic bags go into landfills and it takes up to 500 years for one bag to decay while laying there on the earth. Use a reusable shopping bag for every trip, every time, every purchase. For this and other green tips visit, The Earth and Me Go Green.