Life at a "Swell's" pace

Hello.

What a great week of weather here in the Valley. We had a small bout of rain on Wednesday and after that it's been sunny and in the 70s the rest of the week. Before Wednesday we had some warmer temperatures, but overall it's been a good week. We attended a wonderful celebration of life on Tuesday at Willamette National Cemetery for a woman that has been a great aspect in our lives and countless others. Our friend in Washington said goodbye to her mother along side her dad, brother, and many other family members and friends. We love them so much and we were glad of the chance to say goodbye to Laura Leggett and tell her how much she changed our lives and The Bean's life. She will be put to rest at one of the state's most beautiful places. Our friend, MacKenzie, had a gathering at Fort Vancouver in the Red Cross building to celebrate her mom's legacy and how much she changed everyone just by her presence. She was a wonderful person and the world has lost one of the good ones. She will be extremely missed by us and many other people that had the luck of meeting such an incredible woman. We were the lucky ones! (You can make a donation to the "Memorial and Honor Giving" through the American Cancer Society in her honor here, or anyone else's honor that has lost their battle to cancer.)

Here are five simple things that made my week.

1. This stainless steel mug...

In our shift to move away from plastics we have given these stainless steel mugs a shot and they are perfect for what we use them for. A small coffee, or a hot tea, they are perfect.

2. This soap...

Again, not too crazy about the plastic packaging, but this coconut derived soap has been a game-changer for us here.

3. This impromptu State Capital view...

Driving through Salem last week we drove right in front of the State Capital building. Always a lovely sight.

4. These canning jars...

Looking forward to canning up some of our summer harvest and these will be just perfect for that endeavor.

5. This Might Nest Fix for June...

Perfect timing because we actually broke our longtime-used silicone spatula a few days prior. Haven't tried Might Nest yet? What are you waiting for, sign up here.

Have a nice weekend!

Hello.

This week as been a week, that's for sure. All week we've been selling off a lot of our belongings to downsize and get rid of things we don't use. It's amazing how many things we purchased thinking that we need these things. So much money spent on things that weren't even worth the purchase in the end. Good news is, that we are able to get some of the money back on a lot of it, but not what we paid for them, which is unfortunate. We've spent close to $12,000 on these items and so far have made about $400 on them. At least we can say that we have changed the way we spend now.

Along with selling a lot of items this week we also spent last weekend and this week looking at four different school buses for our conversion. We looked first at a flat nose shorty in Eugene. The man selling it had done some modifications to the inside with a wood stove, two beds, and a sink. The man took us for a test drive and it was great! Unfortunately, this shorty wasn't large enough for all three of us. The man selling the bus gave us a lot of useful information, too. We moved on from Eugene and headed up to Clackmas and checked out another flat nose Blue Bird that was perfect, but needed a few dents removed and a few other flaws here and there. We all loved the flat nose Blue Bird, but there was a few red flags that did concern us in the end-personal preferences-nothing major. There was also a dog nose in Roseburg that we were interested in and another dog nose in Spray, Oregon. All in all what we came to the conclusion that we haven't found "the one" yet. So our search continues, but after taking this time to look at these buses it gave us a definite starting place and what we actually want and don't want, so that's a plus! With that here are "Five simple things" that made this week good.

1. These dental floss...

It's silk dental floss and comes in a reusable glass container. We've been looking for a more sustainable floss and one that helps with our goal of going more zero waste.

2. This golf moment...

Last Sunday on Father's Day we headed out with The Mr. to the golf course to smack a few golf balls around. Needless to say, The Mr. and The Bean got pretty competitive and were really giving it their all. The Mr. had a great time and he said it was a Father's Day well spent!

3. This last box...

I tried out the Fab Fit Fun box for a year and this box was the last of my year subscription. I have to say, if we weren't on the uphill climb to being more minimal this is definitely a subscription box worth keeping. All of their products are amazing!

4. These lip scrubs...

Not too crazy about the plastic packaging, but these lip scrubs are amazing and make my lips feel great each time I use them. Best part is, they are certified organic from the Oregon Tilth and Fair Trade, which makes them even better! They are from Eco Lips and you can view all of their products here.

5. This compost bin...

We were in need of something more practical for keeping our compost in check in the kitchen. The paper bag filled and stuffed into our freezer wasn't working, mainly because we have a small refrigerator with limited freezer space. This compost bin is metal and the lid seals on top to keep everything secure inside without leaking any juice or smell out before we can dispose of it in our compost bin outside. The wooden handle makes it easy to carry in and out of the house, too. We keep it near our sink and it reminds us to toss in compostable items before tossing them in the trash. The one here is sold out, but here is one similar.