It's Friday the thirteenth today. I don't have paraskavedekatriaphobia, but I am going to stay curled up in bed all day, and probably most of the three day weekend, to watch "The Office" and relax. The SNS household is still nursing our bout of the flu and as of right now we are on the uphill climb out of it. I feel like we've been sick for weeks. And we have, but that aside, we are getting better. We have been diffusing tea tree oils and eucalyptus to help keep the air clean. Here's to positive, healing thoughts. Unfortunately, all of the snow is gone as of today and we here in the SNS house are pretty bummed. Up toward Washington they got over a foot and a half and we are extremely jealous! But then again, we are wanting to see more of the sun too, so I guess we need to pick a side. Anyway, here are the things that made this week great.
1. The snow
Of course, I have to share the snow that we did get.
2. Snow ice cream
With all of the snow we had we thought, why not.
Here's how it's made:
• 8 cups packed snow (make sure this is not the first fallen snow of the year. Wait until the third or fourth fall of the year, it's cleaner.)
• 3 cups whole milk
• 4 tbs. pure vanilla extract
• 1 cups of sugar (more if you have a sweet tooth)
• Blend together in a blender and freeze for 20 minutes.
Enjoy!
3. Slow-cooker stew
I threw together a quick "stew" earlier in the week and we ate on it a few days while we were under the weather. It consisted of stew meat (could use chicken, or noodles in place of the beef), baby carrots, peas, corn, vegetable stock (32 ounces), and a handful of small red potatoes. Cook in the slow cooker for about three to four hours on high. Salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
4. Chickadees
The Bean threw some birdseed in the front yard after the snowfall and the chickadees had a party.
5. Minimal thought
The minimal journey is still going strong here. We have really been cleaning out and downsizing a lot and it feels great!
Good evening. Hope you've had a wonderful day. Here at the SNS household we've been nursing some dry noses, dry skin, and even some dry coughs. I've been on the hunt for a good humidifier and I think I found the perfect one for our troubles. Looking forward to it arriving soon. Other than that, The Mr. and I have still been downsizing our crap stuff. We tackled the kitchen on #MinimalMonday and it is looking sharp. The funny thing about it is the fact that we downsized so much that we don't even use the bottom section of cabinets now. We have gotten rid of a lot of duplicates, unnecessary items, and even a random assortment of utensils we didn't even use. It's crazy though, we have gotten rid of so much stuff and we still feel like we are drowning in stuff. We may even purge more than we have right now.
Once the kitchen has been finished with the downsizing we will move onto another room. We are going to complete a room every Monday for our #MinimalMonday challenge we've set for ourselves. 2017 is going to be the year we start to live more simply and I do hope you join us on this journey and minimize with us. More on this real soon...
Here are the things that made this week great!
1. The snow
We got another round of snow and it is still hanging around. The Bean and I were hoping for more, a blizzard or something, but it didn't happen. Darn. I guess a few inches will have to do. Seriously though, more than a few inches would be welcomed by the people in this house.
I just love our school bell with snow on it. The mailman had no idea he was going to star in a random snow picture either.
2. New Year's
In all honesty, I had plans of taking more pictures, but this is all you get. We all were having a blast and no one thought to take any pictures. We had a small gathering, two other couples and their kids, but it was a lot of fun. We played Cards Against Humanity, The Mr. and the other two guys barbecued some ribs and shish kabobs, and we had tons of food! We drank wine and caught up with each other and just enjoyed bringing in the new year with good friends.
New Year's day we met up and enjoyed some good Chinese food to bring in 2017. We said our goodbyes and all headed to our homes to take a much deserved nap.
3. The Mr.'s trim
The Mr. got a beard trim and trusted me with scissors.
A video posted by Shelly HW ॐ (@southnorthsouth) on
Sad to see it go, but it was time-as he says.
Along with his trim, he also shaved up a little and he was the first to try my homemade shaving cream. I've been playing around with different ways that we can make our own products and this shaving cream was definitely a success.
4. Yogi Surprise
Got a great start to 2017 with Yogi Surprise. Lots of amazing, natural, sustainable, or otherwise earth-friendly products. Seriously, if you haven't given them a chance, please consider it. You can sign up here, or on the right-hand side of the blog. The box above is the Lifestyle Box and the one below is the Jewelry Box. January's box came with some chocolates made right here in Portland, Oregon.
5. These crayons
The Bean and I took broken crayons and created more with the pieces this week. We had some down time this week due to him not feeling all that great, and this was the perfect distraction.
Life at a "Swell's" pace is a lifestyle and travel blog chronicling the life and travels while living in Oregon's beautiful Willamette Valley. It is mostly written by Shelly HW. Click the image to learn more»
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