Life at a "Swell's" pace

It's Valentine's Day weekend and it's more than just a day filled with hearts for us, it's also our 13-year anniversary. We are here at Pacific City, Oregon at Cape Kiwanda. Unfortunately, leave it to Oregon weather to bring on some love-rain. It's supposed to be 100% chance the entire time we are here, but fortunately for us, it has only rained during the time we have been sleeping. That's okay though, sort of getting used to all of the rain here lately. I have my fingers crossed for a thunderstorm though. I will have lots of pictures to share on the blog soon. So with that said, here are the things that made this week pretty groovy.

1. This Sweater.

This sweater used to be worn by my dad back in the late 70s and early 80s. I remember my dad "maybe" wearing it to a Christmas party once, or twice. Some how it ended up in my clothing-I think I swiped it to wear to school one day-when I moved out and then made its way all the way into the Bean's closet here in Oregon. The Bean loves it and I even sent a picture to my dad asking if he recognized it, and HE DID! Love how it's made a full circle.

2. This Bathing Robin.

She returned again in the pouring rain. I feel maybe it's the only time she feel safe to take a bath? Or maybe it's the fact that it's a bird that just loves the rain.

3. This Adventurers Kit.

This kit idea is from The Merrythought. It's such a great idea on ways to encourage kids to get out of the house and explore more. The Bean and I have been looking into ways to create our own and this one is just what we are looking for.

4. This Homemade Butter.

The Bean and I have been playing around with making our own butter lately. We've been experimenting with different herbs and flavorings with it too. To make it, just purchase some Heavy Whipping Cream and pour into an airtight container and shake for about 10-20 minutes. You can add marbles to the container to speed up the process. We have created a Rosemary Butter that tastes amazing on potatoes.

5. This Cleansing.

I've really been enjoying burning my sage smudge-stick lately. I tend to lean more toward burning them on Sundays when it's more of a relaxed atmosphere. I start the burn during breakfast and let it go until its burned itself out. It seems to help clean the air and I really do think it's helped us get over being ill the last few weeks. Added benefit, it helps start the week off with a clean, positive aura to take on the next week's tasks.

Extras:

This chair.
"Forever readjusting, some of us catching, some of us launching........"
Modern Love: Cliché-free Valentine's Day ideas.
College Football Fight Songs. GO HOGS! GO DUCKS!
Alice in Wonderland, never gets old.
A camping life is the life for me. Hmmm.....Which one?
These T-shirts put the Mr. and me into laughing tears. And these.
I've been on a hunt for some shirts to run in. These are fun.
This interesting highchair lift.
Kirtsy.

What happened this time last year?

1. This Moment....

Actually this didn't make the week awesome, it made the week miserable. We don't think it was the flu, but it put us down for at least six days. I was able to get a lot of work done on my laptop, so there's a positive. PITA is a snuggle-er, so he and Baz took turns keeping company with everyone laid up until this morning. We are all finally feeling better, but wow, what a miserable week.

2. This Rain.

These images are from last week, but we still haven't had a break in the rain here. I like the rain, but days of it is getting a bit exhausting. Hopefully we will have a change-up soon....possibly some snow?

3. These Tickets/Shirts/and Z-Scale Trains.

Can you see the hikers?

I went to my first train show with the Mr. and the Bean. This train show was pretty interesting with all of the different setups and scales of train sizes. My favorite was the Z-Scale size. How delicate that pieces were and how detailed the landscapes are. The boys are at a train show today too, but I decided to stay home for this one. I can't wait until they return and tell me all about what they saw.

4. This Robin.

Even though it's been raining a ton here the birds are clearly enjoying it. This little Robin has been splashing about in the birdbath every morning without fail. I placed some birdseed in the bath to encourage her to return. She seemed to have loved the treat and I enjoyed watching her play.

5. This Moment with The Mr.

The Mr. enjoyed a year with his Fantasy Football Trophy for 2014, but this year he wasn't so lucky and lost it to another team. He got his name engraved on the trophy though, so that was a pretty cool recognition for him. (Even if it was all in "fantasy")