Life at a "Swell's" pace

Road Trip: A quick trip to Portland, Oregon

Sometimes we have no rhyme or reason to just jump in the car and take off somewhere at the drop of a hat. I like to plan things, but sometimes an impromptu road trip helps break up the monotony of the week. That's exactly what we did this week. Just jumped n the car and drove up to Portland to go out to eat and just drove back. It was a lovely day too. The sky never looked so blue.

Ever wondered what the West Hills looks like in Portland, Oregon? Well, there's a quick glance before we hit the tunnel.

You know, the West Hills? From the Everclear song, "I Will Buy You A New Life."

At 1:20 he says, "I will buy you that new house, way up in the West Hills."

If you're interested in these homes and their prices, start HERE!

Sometimes road trips are well worth the time.

What happened this time last year?

Five simple things

Another weekend, another wonderful week down. I'm currently in the process of planning a Halloween party back home in Hot Springs, Arkansas and it has literally been a task. It's not so much the planning, but the effort to bring everything together and I have this weird obsession with making everything perfect. Ahhh! I have had a lot of fun getting things together for it though, and I am super excited to see a lot of people. I haven't decided if this will be a yearly thing yet, but for this year, I will be thrilled to have a reunion with some old neighborhood pals. So anyway, onto what you're really here for. Here are the things that made my past week wonderful.

1. This decor.

Because I've been on a mad dash through my house to get rid of unnecessary items. I've been following this blog: Reading my Tea Leaves to gain a grasp on living more minimal in the city here. It's a hard task, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Stay tuned for the finished home tour of our home.

2. This meal

Because it's all local. The zucchini and carrots are from our own garden and the chicken breast is from a local farm here in the valley.

3. These changes

The fall season is rolling in slowly here in the valley. The changes in the tree colors and the rain will be here before we know it. Sad to see summer go, but fall is a good time to clean up the yard and get things ready for the back-to-back holiday season.

4. This tea

Because I am a tea drinker and these brands are some of the best I've had. You can get the Coconut Chai below and the Blackbid Tea here.

5. This guy

Because he works hard and is appreciated every day! He gives so much and doesn't know how important he is to two people that love him a lot. Thanks for being who you are, Jeff. We love you so much more than words can express!

What happened this time last year?

Our garden currently: Summertime

Summertime is coming to a close here in the valley and we've had quite a display of color around the garden. Sadly, some of these won't last much longer here.

Lucifer's tongue.

My hanging baskets to brighten up the front yard. I love how full and colorful they are!

Looking forward to picking some pumpkins soon!

Our first attempt at organic strawberries.

Lots of pool time for us this summer. It was pretty warm, so a nice dip in the pool was definitely a must!

A good harvest of carrots this year. We've been enjoying them all season.

Signs of fall slowly showing.

We never have issues growing zucchini.

Our little pumpkin patch.

We moved our raised beds over to the other end of the yard, but used old bricks from a fireplace....

............to create a large pumpkin patch where the raised beds used to be.

My sweet raspberry bush made a wonderful comeback this year.

We had a bumper crop of cherry tomatoes. We didn't do so well with the romas though. Not sure where we went wrong, but we are thinking the seeds were bad from the start.