Tired of being tired?

Five simple things

Hello.

What a slow and unproductive week we had. We literally did nothing worth talking about. I feel like I had more to share when we were sick for a week and a half than I do now. Only thing I can think of is the fact that I had such a blast this week driving the little Smart Car around. I filled up the gas tank for the first time since we bought it and it cost me $20.55. I am still jetting around on that same tank as of today. The Bean and I were headed to Corvallis on Wednesday morning and we pulled up along side a man in a smaller truck. The Bean had his window cracked a bit and the man leaned out of his window and said, "I think your car is cool, I really like it." The Bean nodded back and we both laughed about it. We love seeing people laughing as we drive by, or pull up somewhere. Who would have thought a tiny Smart Car could make people so happy. It really makes us feel good that we made a few people smile. On a different note, The Mr. got off work early today-before noon-so we are headed out to the golf course to pretend we know what we're doing and smack a few balls around the greens. Let's hope there isn't too much rain, or mud.

So here are five simple things that made my week.

1. This leaf print.

I always love beautiful mistakes. Makes you wonder if it was a mistake at all.

2. "Keep Portland Weird."

We are weirdos, so we help keep it weird.

3. Redwood tree sapling.

We purchased this Redwood tree sapling on our last trip to the Trees of Mystery. I recently learned that both of the tree saplings my brother and sister-in-law bought and traveled back down south with didn't survive. One was for them to grow and the other was for my dad. I am not sure if it was the heat of the summer there, or something else. Our tiny tree lives in our bathroom, but we are going to pick up two more and take them with us on our next visit. Hopefully, we can give some pointers on what we did to keep ours going strong. You can get one of these tree saplings for yourself here.

4. These duck eggs from Happy Duck.

All of these eggs have come from our one duck, Happy. She's been laying since November and doing a fine job at it. We don't plan on eating the first year of eggs from her, so all of these wonderful eggs are bound for the compost pile and the garden in spring.

5. This old truck.

The Bean will be driving in less than two years. I don't know if I am excited, anxious, or just plain not ready for this. He has been wanting an old truck, similar to the one pictured above. We have seen this one a few times around town here, but this was the first time we saw it parked somewhere. The Bean was thrilled to get a look at it up close and he has plans of finding one to customize to his likes. The Mr. and I are glad that he is looking into older cars, but we are also glad that we still have some time to swallow the fact that our little boy will be a driving boy soon enough.

A few more things:






Have a nice weekend!

Five simple things

Hello.

Good week, I hope. It's been a messy week here with the hard rains, cold, and wind that comes and goes. There is 45-inches of snow up on the Cascades right now and the snow is still falling. We are extremely jealous of that and wish the powder would grace us with its presence. My dad told me that even Arkansas has snow on the ground. Last year, at this time, we had snow already and it stuck around awhile, but years before it has come around December, so we are still holding out hope that it will come sooner than later. Other than that, we have had such a fun week. We purchased a Smart Fortwo on Saturday and have had a lot of fun zipping around in it this week. It's a fun, little car and I am loving it! I have wanted one for a few years now and this one is perfect for a starter to the Smart cars. It's a lot bigger than people think it is, but it has the look of a smaller car. I've added a picture of it below as part of the five things that made my week because it truly made our week a lot of fun. Here are the rest of the things that made this week.

1. Door knob.

I've always swooned over glass door knobs and in this old house it seems to fit in perfectly. I picked this up at the local antique store here and just felt it calling my name.

2. Copper rods.

We've replaced all of our curtain rods in the house to these copper hardware rods. We needed something more sturdy and less of an eye-sore. Regular curtain rods are so loud and busy that these worked out perfectly. Each copper rod is made up of a copper tube (cut to size), a copper strap, and a copper cap. We have plans to replace the screws with copper screws, but for now, they look wonderful.

3. Bank "W."

There is a great story behind this weathered copper "W" and I am so thrilled to share it. Our local bank here, Willamette Community Bank, remodeled their building and removed the lettering from the side of the bank. The remodel happened a few years ago and the metal letters have been laying in the elements on the side of the bank ever since. I always remarked that it would be neat to have the "W" because of our last name-Wilkerson. It took me a couple of years, but while I was at the drive-up window a few weeks ago I asked about it. The teller said she would ask and get back to me. The Mr. went to make a deposit this week and the branch manager said she meant to get back to us sooner, but she got permission and we could have it. The Mr. brought it home to surprise me and I was overjoyed. I think it means more than just a simple "W" sitting in our house, it now also has an old history and now it will have new history.

4. Grove Collaborative.

I took advantage of the Grove Collaborative introduction and received everything above for $20. Not sure if we will continue it, but for now this was a good haul. You can get it here.

5. Smart car.


Again, we are loving it! I enjoy being able to hop in, jot to the store, library, or lunch, and know that I'm not burning a lot of gas. The practicality of it is just a great thing for us. Check out the inside.
Side note: We've never purchased a car from Carmax before and I have to say, we will definitely give them another shot in the future. Carmax of Portland(Clackamas) is a great group of people and we had a blast purchasing a car from them!

A few more things:

Vintage wire food cover.

Buying milk in bulk? (but the waste)

Sustainable clothing companies.

Grow a Redwood tree in your living room.

Stock your spice cabinet.

Have a good weekend!