Life at a "Swell's" pace

Did you celebrate National Backwards Day yesterday?

Here in our house we love it with National Backwards Day fever hit us. Mainly because it's an excuse to do silly things outside the norm of our routine. Here is what we did yesterday......

Parked the car backwards in the driveway and in the parking lot at the grocery store.

I got photo-bombed in one of the photos, as you can see. Ha!

Wore our shirts backwards.

And Skylar tried to put his shoes on backwards, but it wasn't working. haha!

Walked backwards to the "BACK" door.

We just had a lot of fun with it. We tried to eat our dinner sitting backwards in the chair. The sitting part worked, but the eating backwards was hard. We wrote our names backwards, and even Skylar had the idea to sleep backwards in his bed. Ha!

..........And said, "Yadsdrawkcablanoitanyppah to ya" to everyone we talked to!

What did you do to celebrate National Backwards Day?

Eco-Tip: When it comes to gardening this season look to ways to be more earth-friendly with your gardening choices. Look to biodegradable pest control and also look to ways to use biodegradable products when planting seedlings. If you need a boost on ideas, look to the gardening boards on Pinterest. For this and other tips on going green visit, The Earth and Me Go Green.

Spark of Loves this Week: Card, Cookie, Mustache, Ball, Toys, Package, Bottles, Kit, Mill, and Jelly

This Christmas Card.

Skylar made it and I didn't find it until last Monday when I was cleaning up my address book and updating information for my correspondence. I love finding stuff he has made hidden in little, random places throughout the house. :-)

This Barn Cookie.

Because it came from the Tillamook Cheese Factory, and it was so adorable I have even gone to great lengths to plan out a way to duplicate it with homemade sugar cookies. How fun, right?

This Mustache Mint Tin.

Because I have gotten into this thing about mustaches lately. So many different mustache items and ideas on Pinterest. This particular tin came from Skylar's grandma on Jeff's side of the family, and it was perfect!

This Ball.

Because it came in a bag of Purina Dog Food and PITA just loves playing with it. The little card on the right side also gives tips on how to play fetch with your pooch!

These Toys.

Because they are dated 1952 and I bought them for Skylar for Christmas. He loves them and is so delicate with them. Vintage items are really a lot of fun when you find the right ones.

This Package.

Because it came from my sister and it was packed full of all these amazing goodies below. I have the best sister!

These Empty Bottles.

Because this is just a little proof of how rough it was in our house for awhile due to everyone being sick for about a month straight. Once one would get over it, the other would get it, and then back and forth. This season has been pretty rough on us. We will be welcoming summer with open arms here!

This Mason Bee Kit.

Because in the city here we can't have honey bees, but mason bees will work just fine. Although I wish we could have honeybees, I guess I will settle for mason bees to help pollinate our garden this coming summer instead.

This Manual Food Mill.

Because I will admit, making mashed potatoes this way is really a lot of fun. I love making my Rosemary Mashed Potatoes this way and Skylar loves to help.

Random Photo of the Week:

It's a jelly train, created by the one and only Skylar-Braden!

Eco-Tip: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Repurpose when you can. For this and other tips on going green visit, The Earth and Me Go Green.

Spark of Loves this Week: Skylar, Bracket, Birds, Creed, Receipt, Crabs, Ban, Goulash, Chair, and Room

These Two Photos of Skylar.

Because they clearly show his two personalities completely. One, the comical little guy that likes to help mommy in the kitchen. Two, the sweet kid that is always game for a good photo-op for mommy.

This Bracket.

Because it says "Dottie" and it reminded me of my mom.

These Seagulls.

Because they were perched on the street lamp so delicately.

This Creed.

Because it's on display at Pioneer School and it has such great meaning behind it.

This Screen Receipt.

Because the cashier took Skylar's name over mine and it made his day.

This Hermit Crab Cage.

Because we have had such fun with these hermit crabs and they are a good educational experience for Skylar. Not to mention, it has taught him how to care for animals too.

This Sign at the Winco in Corvallis.

Because the city of Corvallis put a plastic bag ban into effect as of January 1st, 2013. And I honestly think it's a great thing!

This Menu Item.

Because Goulash was something I had growing up and it made me chuckle to see it on a menu at a restaurant here in Oregon.

This Chair.

Because it's called a Captain's Chair and I got it at an antique store. I wish they had two of them, but the one fits right in at our table and we love it!

Random Photo of the Week:

Skylar's room is a wreck. With the illnesses going through our house I haven't had time to get in and organize it. But this room will be conquered now that all of us are feeling 100% again! I will conquer the mess of "the boy's" room!

Eco-Tip: Purchase a reusable shopping tote and take it with you when you go to the grocery store or super market. It will help you cut down on plastic and paper bag waste throughout your household and it will fit more items in for less use of other bags. Be sure and wash they tote one a month though to cut down on bacterial growth. For this and other tips on going green visit, The Earth and Me Go Green.

To Honor the King of the Civil Rights Movement

Today is the day that we observe the birth of Martin Luther King Jr. He would have been 84 years old today.

Source

It was 50 years ago this August that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. closed his speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial with his rendering of a dream he had for the country’s future. The soaring final sentences were somewhat extemporaneous — he let his emotions and sense of the occasion carry him past parts of the prepared text and on to the right words, concluding with the rousing “Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty we are free at last.” It was an exultant moment for much of this country, and in the national memory it has acquired the gauzy image of a happy ending to our long struggle with racial inequality and bigotry. (source)