Life at a "Swell's" pace

Hello.

I do hope your week as shaped up nicely. It's about 11:00 p.m. here and we are slowly winding down our evening. Our week was a little adventurous, to say the least. This past weekend we went to find two wonderful trees. One for the front sitting room and one for The Bean's room. We used to deck the whole house out in Christmas decorations, but over the years we just seemed to get rid of things slowly. I would prefer a zero-waste Christmas, but some things are too good to get rid of. We have about six ornaments to hang on our main tree and The Bean hangs about 10 on his. We wrapped them and lights and enjoyed them throughout the week. Monday was a normal day, but Tuesday, however, was a complete turnaround. The Bean and I took off toward the fire department to meet The Mr. coming home from a fire. We got about two blocks from our house and I took a rather large tumble after tripping on a large broken area in the sidewalk. I ended up flat on my face and pretty banged up. The Bean called The Mr. and I realized I had hurt myself pretty bad, so The Bean called 911. I literally couldn't move and was lifted off the ground by paramedics. My injuries and embarrassment were enough to cause anyone to burst into tears, which I did, and a lot of it. Needless to say, a quick visit to the emergency room proved no broken bones, but plenty of sprains, strains, bruises, cuts, and scrapes. I have been bed-bound since Tuesday night and The Mr. took off Wednesday and Thursday to help. Today I was able to get up from my semi recumbent position with the help of a cane. So lesson learned here, don't rely on city street lights to always light your way and take a flashlight to brighten your step.

Here are five simple things that made this week great!

1. Our tree.

We got the best Charlie Brown trees on the lot. I always love the way our red car looks with a green tree on top. It's one of my favorite things to see at Christmas time.

I love this picture of The Mr. and me, but The Bean jumped in at right at the perfect time to photo-bomb us. I still think it's a fun picture.

2. This moment.

The ducks love Hardy. They walk the yard with him and even nap with him in the sun.

3. This house.

The Mr. and I have gotten more into the historic homes around the Willamette Valley. This house is located in Stayton, Oregon, and is known as the Brown House. We toured the house this past weekend and we loved how the Santiam Heritage Foundation has tried to keep the original items in the house in tacked. Such a lovely home that deserves to be preserved. You can find out more about the Brown House here.

4. These boxes.

Always have to give a shout out to Yogi Surprise when the new box comes for the month. These boxes for December went above and beyond. USDA Organic chocolate and the most beautiful tassel necklace in the jewelry box and the candle and Badger Sleep Balm in the Lifestyle Box. Wonderful items. You can grab one for yourself here and start off 2018 with a fresh perspective. Plus, get a $10 credit towards your first Lifestyle or Jewelry Box at Yogi Surprise! Use coupon: REFIDBCCX8VAM

5. Christmas cards.

I'm truly loving our Christmas cards this year. Such a fun photo shoot at the William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge. Check out our Christmas Card Photo Shoot here.

A few more things:

• "FEMINIST" Coffee Mug
• Own a piece of historic Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas.
• Organic Clothes That Are Truly Organic
• Need a new nighty? Try this one.

Have a great weekend!

Hello.

It's already December 1. 24 days until Christmas-jeez. I can't even get over how quickly some holidays come and go, but I wouldn't say that time flies. It comes at the same pace as it came when I was younger. It just seems like it comes faster, I think, because we have a lot more on our plate to get done before that holiday approaches. I had most of my Christmas shopping done in October-I like to stay ahead-and I mailed a few of the boxes on Thursday. There's still three more boxes left to mail to family and friends in Arkansas, but I always approach the holidays with a game plan. Since moving to Oregon, away from everyone I normally buy gifts for each year, you have to have a plan. Otherwise, you get behind and you stay behind until the first of the year. One of my pet peeves is people that always use the word "busy" as an excuse and that excuse always follows with, "I got behind." The best way to not be person that wears "busy" as a badge of honor is to always be prepared, even for the unexpected. I ordered our Christmas cards on Monday and we are currently waiting on their arrival. I can't wait to share pictures from our Christmas card photo shoot at the William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge. We took at least 300-500 pictures and The Mr. and I sat down and went through them all to pick out our favorites. So stay tuned for that blog post coming soon. I love when December rolls around and you get other's Christmas cards with photos to see how much everyone has grown, changed, and had a wonderful year to share. Can't wait to see how many people start their Christmas letter with, "It's been a busy year for us..." ha!

Here are five little things that made this week great!

1. This picture.

This time of year I like to go through pictures we've taken throughout the year and find the best ones to frame, or pass along to family and friends. This pictures was one of the keepers. It was from Veteran's Day this year and I think The Bean fits in the picture well. I almost used this one for our Christmas cards, but our photo shoot gave us a lot of great ones to pick from. This picture will definitely find it's way into a frame soon.

2. School memories.

Going through papers and getting rid of things throughout the year I found a gem of a picture. My class of 1995 senior picture. Such fun memories from this day. We took a serious picture and then this one. Hilarious! The Mr. found me right away-knowing how goofy I was/am. Kudos to you if you can too.

3. This box.

This is the FabFitFun winter box. It was full of some great items. The Ahava lotion and the FabFitFun TV exercise ball are awesome! This is a seasonal box and you can get one here.

4. Burlap print.

This print is hand painted by me and is selling out quick in my shop. If you'd like to have one before Christmas, you can place your order here and I will get it out to you as soon as possible. They are almost gone, so grab one fast. The shop is right this way.

5. Sneak peek.