Week-End: Things that made my week awesome (end of summer)

Since summer is coming quickly to a close. Although I love fall, I can't seem to look forward to winter hitting and winter always follows fall. This season has been a great season and a lot of things to be grateful for in this chapter in our family. I hope that we have just as better fall season and go into winter with an open heart. Finding ways to beat the winter blues is always a hard one for me, but reading always seems to help forget that it's raining, or cold outside. Here's some more suggestions from The Honest Company that I think are great, too. The Honest Company has been a great sponsor of this space. They offer incentives to pass along to my readers and they share my same values and cares for the environment and my family. I am so thankful of our relationship. If you are looking to change your daily routine with health products and cleaning, give them a chance. There is an ad for them on the right-hand side of this blog. Thank you for the chance to pass that information along. Here are the things that made my week great!

1. This herb

Nasturtium is a great herb. It can spread, but is easy to control. I planted them in my herb garden this year and they took off! This herb is a great way to bring color to your garden and the best part about it is the fact that the leaves and the flowers can be used in place of pepper. Drying the leaves and grinding them up is a good way to use them, or add them directly to salads to give them a bit of a kick.

2. This visitor

This cicada has been a visitor here in our yard for the past few years. This year he decided to plop himself right on the trunk of our Blue Colorado Spruce.

In the south, we always knew it was summer by the loud buzzing of the cicadas. There were times we would go swimming at the local swimming hole, or the lake, and the cicadas would serenade us the entire time. Here in the pacific northwest, the cicadas are smaller, but still put out that familiar buzz. I enjoy seeing them every year. They give me a great reminder of my southern home.

3. These geocache finds

The first one was found under a bench and was pretty easy to find. The second one however, was a bit more tricky and took us a few attempts to locate it. Some geocaches are tricky, tricky. We enjoy looking for them when we are traveling and it's always fun to read some of the logs. We've seen people sign the logs in Spanish, Chinese, and even German. Those are the ones we enjoy the most.

The geocache pictured above is one called a bison tube. It's just large enough to hold a rolled up signing log and a small pencil.

4. These products

As I've stated above, The Honest Company offers some great products to help people live a better life with good, quality products. We use the Gel Cleanser and the Powder Cleanser in our house. Having a teenager (The Bean) going through puberty and having break outs, the Powder Cleanser helps his skin take control of those breakouts. The Gel Cleanser is a great product for The Mr. and me to clean our mature skin without drying it out and causing additional breakouts.

5. This quote

As our summer comes slowly to a close here on the pacific coast we can't help but think it was a good summer here. Although others are suffering from lose, fire, floods, we here in the Valley slipped through the cracks for devastation on that front. We did have the lose of a dear friend's daughter, but her celebration of life was enjoyed by us. We can't help to think she would have loved how many people came out to her life celebration. She would have just loved it! 

And a quick HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my brother, Will!

Extras: 

1. These pants peek my interest.
2. These Christmas stockings.
3. This property has peaked our interest.
4. Rental home in the Hampton's.
5. Being more selfish and putting yourself first.
6. Letting go of the need for other's approval.
7. Laundry closet makeover.
8. Chest exercises that work!
9. Grammar mistakes that really aren't grammar mistakes.
10. Pitchfork & Crow.

What happened this time last year?

Road Trip: Hood River/Mount Hood

If you follow my blog regularly you will know that this road trip was mentioned last Sunday. This is the road trip that took a crazy turn and we ended up getting back home on Sunday morning at 4:00 a.m. The road trip wasn't a bust, but it was sure one that won't be forgotten.

The best part of the trip was that Mount Hood looked wonderful!

On our way to Hood River, Oregon, we stopped at the Pioneer Womans Grave site. This was an old grave, circa 1800s, of a pioneer woman that was making the journey from the east to the west and died along the way. This grave site is a great reminder of the troubles and heartache the pioneers faced while headed to a better life in the west.

The story states that a man and his two children had just laid to rest the woman, which was his wife, and the children's mother. She had been sick for several days and they stopped the wagon train and camped a few nights before she died. The children were both under the age of five.

After looking around the grave site and spending some time seeking a geocache (which we did not find due to everyone needing to use the bathroom) we headed toward Hood River, Oregon. As we came over the crest of the hill, there it was. Clear, beautiful, and amazing view of Mount Hood.

Once at the base of the mountain, The Bean wanted a "selfie" with the mountain. He has been taking his Kindle along on road trips now and his own Nikon camera to document things for his own blog. His blog was started by me before he was born and now he has taken it over to keep the tradition going and follow in his mom's footsteps as a blogger. Paint me proud!

After leaving the view point we headed on toward Hood River and began our endless search for a camp spot near the base. We regretted not leaving the valley sooner so we could secure a spot, but the hunt was a lot of fun. We followed some signs along the highway toward a lavender farm and boy was it a treat to see such great lavender plants. It was the lavender farm of my dreams!

For someone who loves lavender so much this farm was perfect for getting an idea of a layout in the future. The smell coming off the lavender field was so heavenly.

One side of the road was the lavender field and the other side had a wonderful view of Mount Hood.

A view of Mount Adams from the Hood River valley looking north.

This area around Hood River is such a beautiful area. As we headed more toward the town there was farm stands and field of apples, peaches, pears, and filberts with stand out front selling their products. It was endless farming and selling and a nature-lovers paradise, for sure. The Mr. and I have been on a mission to eat more clean lately and we couldn't help but long to live around an area that offered great food choices. There were so many that your taste buds would never get bored.

Once we arrived in Hood River we took advantage of the gift certificates we had from our Pirate Treasure Hunt in Depoe Bay last year. These certificates were for dinner at the Full Sail Brewery. We had dinner and purchased a growler full of Session Wheat Ale to go.

While at the brewery, we decided to try a taste pallet of their micro brews to see which one we enjoyed the most. The Full Sail lager and the Session Wheat was definitely our favorites.

When we finally left the brewery we decided to try to find a hotel room instead, but wouldn't you know it, every single room was booked in Hood River. We even searched the towns surrounding Hood River and every one was taken. We did happen to find one hotel that had one room left, but the man we spoke with would only allow two people to occupy a room at a time. We couldn't allow The Bean to be out in the cold, so we trekked on. We pulled into a rest area and used our camping blankets and pillows to make a bed in the back of the Compass and slept a few hours before driving home. We arrived back home around 4:00 a.m., but we did determine that in a pinch, the back of the Compass is fair game for camping. We actually all slept great back there and still had room for our cooler and food. This is something we will be doing again because we all had an awesome time!

As we traveled to Hood River we passed a growler filler called Bigfoot Growlers. We decided right then and there that this is a place we need to add to our list of growler cafes to check out.

What happened this time last year?

Week-End: Things that made my week awesome

This week started out in good spirits and took a nose-dive. The Mr. and I have been battling some allergies that last few days and yesterday they got worse. Along with those allergies we got some heart wrenching news and the crying made our noses overflow, which is no fun. The Mr. received some terrible news on Friday that his best friend's daughter suddenly passed away. Bad news never goes through this house without taking us all down in the end. As strong as you want to be in certain times, it's never easy for us to swallow. The Mr. has only cried hard a few times in his life and seeing him break down just tears my heart out. His friend and him have been close their whole life and to know that they are hurting for the loss of their daughter hurts us deeply. We hope that we can be strong enough to be there for them when the time calls. For now, as today is my birthday, we swallow our sadness and dig deep to enjoy it a bit. Their daughter has always been a shining light of happiness. She always wore a smile and had a hello for everyone she came into contact with. Today, especially today, she wouldn't want us to be sad about her passing. She would want us to smile at the life she lived and celebrate the woman she had become. So with that, here are the things that made this week great!

1.  This stamp

We recently got a specialized stamp for our homeschool classroom. We donate a lot of books throughout the year and now we can let others know who donated them and how to find us. The little snail on top is perfect for representing our classroom. You can always see what we are up to in our classroom by clicking the "Homeschool" link at the top.

2. This card

When we went back to Arkansas in May of this year we toured the Arkansas Railroad Museum. The lady that gave us the tour was so helpful to The Bean and gave him a lot of great train things that he loves. The Cotton Belt lapel, worn by her husband, was one of The Bean's favorite items she gave him. We wanted to show her how much we appreciated her care toward us, so we sent her a personalized thank you card to let her know that she made our day!

3.  These boxes

In the effort to live more minimal we have been getting rid of unnecessary items. One unnecessary is the boxes my cameras came in. I had to make the decision on whether they were "needed" or "wanted." They are definitely a want and so I let them go this week. It was almost a scary feeling placing them into the recycle bin, but since they've been gone, they haven't been missed. Our problem with our holding onto things is the feeling that we need them, or the feeling of keeping them for a just in case moment. Letting go of stuff is not only liberating, but I feel less stressed. It's an odd feeling that comes with the letting go process. It's as if we are dragged down by all of this "stuff." Getting rid of it seems to lighten out thoughts, our stress, and our over all dependency on things. More on this soon.

4. This snail

I post a lot about snails, but the thing is, we live around a lot of snails here in the Valley. You can't go a day without seeing a snail, or 10. They are everywhere and with having a garden we see them daily. Sometimes they do things that are pretty amazing. This snail in the picture had traveled up a stem of grass and landed on this leaf stuck in the fence. As much as people think snails are gross, I think, sometimes, they are pretty interesting creatures. 

5. This skyline

Never a dull moment with the skies here in Oregon. The pink in the clouds just take my breath away sometimes.

This week's Week-End post is dedicated to Katie.

Please keep The Mr., his friend, and his friend's family in your thoughts now and into the coming week.

Your smile is already missed. Your positive outlook will never be forgotten. We love you.

What happened this time last year?

August Unboxings

August offered some great items. My Yogi Surprise box was the first to arrive and it set me on a path of living better for the month.

1. Seventh Generation (Generation Good)-Laundry Packs:

Along with being a member of the Generation Good with Seventh Generation, I received some of their laundry packs to try for a week and give feedback on what I thought about them. It's hard for us to find good, quality laundry items because of the skin sensitivity in our house. 

These laundry packs were fantastic! They smelled great and also left a light scent on our clothes after they were dry. 

We loved how easy they were to use and even The Bean could wash some clothes without making a mess. Toss a couple into large loads and one into smaller loads and it's done.

(I received these coupons to try and review products as part of the Seventh Generation group)

2. The Honest Company

This month for the Honest Company Bundle we received laundry detergent, two dish soaps, stain remover, bubble bath, and a new item to try. Gummy Vitamins (Calcium and Vitamin D3)

3. Honest Beauty

In the Honest Beauty box was the Powder Cleanser, Gel Cleanser, Buffing Brush, and some Younger Face Lotion.

The Buffing Brush's bristles are super soft and I am actually excited to use it each day. It is made high quality and works great for my loose powder from the Honest Company, too.

Never forget this!

4. Yogi Surprise

Love this box so much when it comes. Yogi Surprise has introduced me to so many great products and I can't thank them enough for adding me to their associate program. This box is always packed full of awesome things. See that Tiger Balm patch? The best thing for the tennis elbow I am nursing right now. 

Great stuff! Sign up here to give them a try next month!