Life at a "Swell's" pace

Five simple things

Hello.

-I am a day tardy with this, but with reason. We have had some productive last two-ish days. Thanksgiving on Thursday, Blue Friday on yesterday, and Small Business Saturday today. They were productive, yet fun. Hope you are recovering from food comas, over-sharing of Thanksgiving pictures, too much extended family time, and the liquor/beer to cope with it all. Ha. We had a wonderful time this Thanksgiving remembering what it is to be thankful and letting go of all of the stress that leads up to the holiday season. This is the first Thanksgiving without our sweet Baz, but we are extremely grateful for the Thanksgivings we had with him. We spent the day yesterday with good friends and hosted the holiday at our small home. I got a call from my parents in Arkansas, while on their way to a friends house for the holiday meal too. It was nice to hear both of my parent's voices on a day of being thankful. I am thankful they are both healthy and well, and that they called to say how thankful they are of the three of us. Family and friends are always important during the holidays and I feel it's important to spend this time with the ones that love you unconditionally. We are so thankful that we have a small network of those people that call, or come by, just to say hello from time to time. The Mr. and I like to call these people "our tribe." It's the ones that just show respect to you no matter what the occasion is. "Our Tribe" is small, but it's strong. I do hope that your Thanksgiving was just as love-filled with the ones that are in your tribe.

-Yesterday was Blue Friday and Opt Outside with REI, but it's often the day that most people think of "Black Friday" deals and the over-excess of consumerism. Ugh! The day I like to think of as the day that separates two kinds of people: The people that haven't figured out that they have/are being tricked into buying things they don't need, and those that have. I hear every week how someone "got a great deal" on something they bought and I just smile and say, "oh..." It's unfortunate how so many people don't realize they are the ones controlling the economy with their over-spending and over-buying of crap. One of my favorite sayings is by Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist, "Never underestimate the importance of abandoning crap you don't need." This saying holds so true for Black Friday. So here is the remedy. Blue Friday with United by Blue. Yesterday we headed out to the Lebanon Santiam Canal area near Ralston Park here in Lebanon, Oregon. We cleaned up about 60 pounds of trash-probably more-and we enjoyed cleaning instead of spending. It's a great way to give back to the community without spending money on unnecessaries that we all don't need anyway. There is nothing The Mr., The Bean, or I need right now so why not give back to the community in some small way and we are also getting outside for #Optoutside too. I've participated in Black Friday twice in my life. Both times one of us came home with some type of injury from someone else. We decided that Black Friday isn't our thing and the spending habits we have now wouldn't justify it anyway. So we are Opting Outside and now doing Blue Friday instead. Here is the listing to our clean-up group here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. If you want to get involved with Blue Friday next year and avoid Black Friday, check out the map of clean-up groups here. We'll be adding ours to the list next year too!

Here are five little things that made this week great!

1. These leaves.

Fall is in full effect here in the Willamette Valley and the leaves are falling like snow.

2. This canvas.

How wonderful is this? Baz is forever memorialized on a canvas print. He hangs in our sitting room and is with us. I can't wait to put up our Christmas tree underneath his picture.

3. Blue Friday.

As mentioned above, we participated in Blue Friday with United by Blue. Their Blue Movement is about removing trash and other items that contaminate our waterways throughout the nation. You can read more about our cleanup here.

4. Thanksgiving day.

We hosted a small group at our house this year and had a wonderful time. And The Bean came up with a clever way to keep the drinks cold through dinner and the rest of the evening. Smart kid!

5. Ducks again.

These funny fowl have made the list for the second week because we just can't get enough of them. Rosey and Happy are their names and they are the most fun!

A few more things:

• Making PAP-Porridge

• The Thanksgiving lie

• Indigenous Peoples Day

• Using Food to Change the Thanksgiving Narrative

• Rethink gift-giving

-One last thing. Today is Small Business Saturday. Although you should support small businesses year round it's nice to have a day to focus just on small businesses in and around your area, or online. A lot of small businesses that begin at home are based online only and that holds true for my shop. I have hand painted burlap prints posted and would love to have you check them out. They are made to be unique and are perfect for that out of the ordinary gift. Check out my shop here and thank you for supporting a small business.

Have a great holiday weekend!

PAP-Porridge

Honestly, you've probably never heard of PAP, but I will assure you, it's a quick and a really historic dish. My grandmother, Edna-Mae, was Cherokee Indian and also grew up during the Great Depression. Somewhere along the way there's a book that talks about family on her side walking the Trail of Tears. If you recall, my family is in Arkansas and we also have family in Oklahoma, where my grandparents, on my mom's side, live. My uncle/aunt, cousins, second cousin, extended family, etc. still live in Oklahoma. Right on the edge of the Oklahoma/Arkansas state line is a town called Fort Smith, Arkansas. Fort Smith is the end of the Trail of Tears. My grandmother had it rough at times and the stories family tells about her is amazing. Her family, my great grandmother/father didn't have a lot and my grandmother would dig for used notebook paper and erase what was on the page so she could use it again for herself in school. I don't look at that as poor, but as resourceful and honestly, she was recycling before recycling was cool.

...I digress, with the family of my late grandmother being part of the Indian-forced movement and also being in the middle of the Great Depression hoarding of food, and trying to extend the use of food happened. And of course, more thought was given to the children and babies than the older children, or adults. So PAP was created as a makeshift type of baby food, since actual baby food was expensive and babies are finicky when it comes to eating. PAP could still be used as a baby food nowadays, but with the options and healthier varieties, it might not be the first choice. Many a night has my grandmother, and many others, during the Great Depression gone to bed hungry. Porridge has been used for centuries, different forms of it, but used nonetheless for a quick, cheap food option to feed many. Makes you appreciate the way the world has become and how it's easy for us to go and find food when needed. We make PAP at least once or twice a year and I think it's best on Christmas morning with pancakes, and reminds us that family history is amazing and we should be grateful for what we have now thanks to their sacrifices.

Here's how it's made-which is incredibly simple.

PAP

What you'll need:

5 cups organic whole milk (We prefer Organic Valley brand)
2 cups organic sugar (more to taste, if you like)
1/2 cup organic white flour (or more for desired thickness)
Ground cinnamon (We use Simply Organic brand)

What to do:

Add all five cups of milk to a double boiler. If you don't have a double boiler you can use a saucepan full of water and a large bowl over the sauce pan. the point of the double boiler is to keep the mix from burning, which is easy to do. While making this recipe do not leave the stove, or mix unattended. It's a slow process, so be patient. Bring the milk to a small boil over medium-high heat. Don't allow milk to boil rapidly because it will boil over. Once the milk is at a small boil add the sugar and turn the heat down to medium. Stir with a whisk until the sugar is dissolved, about five minutes.

Once the sugar is dissolved add the flour at one tablespoon at a time, whisking the entire time. It will begin to thicken over time, so go slow and add the flour slowly one spoonful at a time. You can either have runnier PAP, or thicker PAP. We enjoy the thicker PAP in our home and growing up my mom's mix was a thick mix as well. Keep stirring in the flour with the whisk until your desired thickness is reached. Removed from heat and allow to sit for five minutes. Serve up on a flat plate one ladle at a time until you have a good amount of the plate. Sprinkle the middle of the PAP with ground cinnamon and serve. You eat the PAP by stirring the middle cinnamon area to combine while leaving the sides white. It's wonderful and I hope it becomes a tradition in your home like it was in my grandmother's, my mom's, and now mine.

Serve it while it's hot and enjoy!

Other forms of PAP:

-Version One
-Version Two
-Version Three
-My post from 2012

(As with any recipe, be sure to use quality, non-gmo, organic ingredients)

Five simple things (November 17)

Hello.

Today is a beautiful day in Oregon and the sun is out, but it's still 48 degrees. When I woke up this morning it was about 39 degrees and a little foggy. We are anxiously waiting for winter to hit here in the valley and dump buckets of snow on us. We got a good snowfall last year and we are hoping it happens again this year too. Fingers are crossed in our house. As far as the rest of the week we have been having lots of rain and wind. The wind happened to topple over our gazebo and actually break one of the support bars. We were pretty bummed, but we are able to return it to the store we bought, so it's not a huge loss. We always take it down before the weather change, but the weather change came a bit sooner than expected this year. At least we are able to return it and get a new one. We have cleaned up our garden for the winter season and while putting a layer of straw over our strawberry plants we got a nice "end of the year" strawberry waiting for us.

The Bean was the one that got to eat the late season surprise and he said it was pretty juicy. We are getting ready for the Thanksgiving holiday and have a lot planned for our menu, Thanksgiving Day fun, and togetherness with some good friends. But for now, here are the things that made this week great.

1. Veteran's Day.

We took the day last Saturday and traveled to Albany, Oregon, to watch the Veteran's Day parade. We watched the Northwest Civil War Council walk through with their large number of members and their rebel flag flying the way it's supposed to be represented. We also saw some older men and women that were part of World War II. The older history-type displays are always our favorite.

2. These socks.

I'm not one to show off my bare legs, but I can't help but brag about these socks. They have been wonderful with the colder nights and mornings we are in right now. The socks pictured here aren't sold anymore, but these are similar.

3. Little library.

After months of contemplating it we decided to go for it and get our own Little Free Library. It's brought about a lot of kids and adults looking for free books to read and share.

4. These boxes.

Yogi Surprise Lifestyle box and Jewelry Box for this month was pretty on point, as always. The Walball is getting worked overtime in out house lately and I'm loving the Gratitude bracelet from the Jewelry Box. You can pick up your own here and Get 25% Off Your First Box When You Use Code: YOGI25

And just a side note, Honest Beauty has a new acne treatment out now and it's working wonders for The Bean's teenage acne. Check it out here.

5. These ducks.

Our ducks, Rosey and Happy are loving all of the rain lately. They don't have a proper swimming hole, so we've set up a make-shift one in the wheelbarrow and they love it!

• A few more things:

Instead of Black Friday join us for

Blue Friday here in the Willamette Valley.

A sustainable Black Friday alternative.

Our group on the map here! -Join us!

Mystery plane over Oregon?

Forest Feast for Kids.

Emma Watson's "Our Shared Shelf."

Tillamook Cheese keeps getting back marks.

And the cows aren't even in Tillamook.

Have a great weekend!

Five simple things

Hello.

Something wicked this way comes... Halloween was a success this year, and with over 600 trick-or-treaters, it was exhausting. We spin cotton candy for the community and it's a lot cheaper than passing out loads of candy treats, and honestly, it's a lot more fun. We enjoyed seeing some repeat visitors and a lot of them reminded us of who they are and we did a proper catch-up. It was nice seeing some of the kids another year and it made us feel great that they put our house on their list for another year.

Today we have taken down the decorations and we've steered clear of the rain so far today, but I think tonight will bring more showers. The temperature has dropped a lot in the last few days and we've had to fire up the fireplace in order to stay a little more toasty than the heater can bring. I enjoy this time of year, but the rain makes it a little less enjoyable, so we are hoping if it does rain that it won't stick around for days on end. I've gone through all of the Halloween decorations as we take them down to see what we can part with and no longer store throughout the year. The Goodwill box is overflowing and we are now down to a small cardboard box with only a few things we feel set the mood for Halloween night. And the minimal journey continues. Oh, for a zero-waste household. Definitely a work in progress still. *sigh*

Here are the things that made this week great!

1. Monopoly man.

The Bean went as the Monopoly Man this year and he rocked it well.

2. Cookies.

I did a bit of baking for Halloween night and decided to give Annie's Organics a try since they are USDA Organic. I normally make a pot of chili for the night and call it good, but I think baking some of these cookies might be an addition to the tradition now.

3. Persimmons.

I contemplated on whether I should include these or not, but then I thought, my mistake might help others that are interested in the persimmon seed weather predicting. So I purchased these persimmons in the hope of cutting them open and viewing the seeds. The folklore is sort of ongoing fun in our house and this year we decided to give it a try. Well, we purchased the wrong persimmons. I guess there are a variety of different ones and the ones we picked up are the seedless variety. Ooops. Well, now I know that the ones I need to look for are called the American Persimmon. I am not sure which ones we have here, but they are seedless and do us no good. So watch out for that if you decide to give the weather prediction to persimmons a try. We will give this another go with the right persimmons and update on what we find.

4. Mightynest.

This month's Mightynest was olive wood spoons. These are great and much needed in this house. If you haven't given Mightynest a go, try it out here. They send you an item(s) that helps your home be greener and more environmentally-friendly with each shipment.

5. November books.

This month brings us "Simple Matters" by Erin Boyle. She is the creator behind the blog 'Reading my Tea Leaves' and gives such helpful ways on helping one live more simply. I've been following her advice for the past year now and it has brought a new thought process to our home. It's a great read and her blog is a necessary addition to your daily internet cruising. The other books below are suggestions for this month as well and there are new selections each month that can be found here.

Have a great weekend!

Five simple things

Hello.

We've had a pretty good week so far and with no rain today and I am hoping that it will stay away this weekend and stay clear into Halloween. We hit the pumpkin patch this week and also worked in a night where we went out to eat with some good friends. I would love to have a rain-free weekend to put out more Halloween decorations and get ready for trick-or-treaters. We reserved our yearly cotton candy machine for the night of Halloween and are raring to go. We have been giving out fresh-spun cotton candy instead of actual candy on Halloween night for the last few years now and it's just plain fun. This will be our fourth year doing cotton candy and we are anxious to see how many we get this year. We handed out about 200 cones the first year, the second year we spent in Arkansas and spun cotton candy there for a Halloween party, the third year gave us about 550 kids and adults, and this year we are prepared for more. We love the fact that the kids around town know to come to our house for some warm, hand-spun, cotton candy treats. We add a new thing to the mix each year and it's something that The Mr., The Bean, and I prepare for all year long. Can't wait to have another great Halloween night filled with laughter and some great cotton candy. With that, here are the things that made this past week great!

1. Pumpkin patch.

This past week we went to the pumpkin patch and loaded up on some large pumpkins to display this year. Right when we pulled into the pumpkin patch I saw the one I wanted right away. The stem of it was amazing! I love unique things and this one had my name all over it. It ended up weighing over 55 pounds. We decided not to carve them this year and "possibly" just draw a face on, but as the days are getting closer to Halloween I think we will leave them as they are.

The Bean and The Mr. got some good ones too. The Mr. went with one that was tall and skinny and The Bean went with one that was a perfect pumpkin size-short, round, and the stem being everything you imaging a "perfect" pumpkin to be.

2. Mr.'s bike.

The Mr. finally upgraded his bike options and decided to grab himself a new Raleigh. It looks pretty slick and suits him perfectly. More on this later.

3. This box.

I can not help myself when it comes to some subscription boxes and this one has been peeking my interest for a bit now. I decided to grab one in the off season and see what the hype is about. Being on a minimal journey it seems counterproductive, but I decided the things I don't want, need, or like for myself I can shift them to Christmas gifts and pass along something great for someone else. This box however, was pretty nice. I got a $10 off on it, so it was worth the try. If you haven't seen, heard, or been told about this box, give it a go here.

4. Baz's ashes.

I had mentioned last week about finally getting Baz's ashes back to us. I find myself talking about him now without bursting into tears. I am glad we finally have him home and we'll decide what to do with them in time. We have looked into a company that will turn the ashes into a tree, but we aren't sure what we want to do exactly, as of yet. I will share here once we figure it out.

5. New shop.

I've decided to give Big Cartel a try and sell some of my items again. I never liked being on Etsy, so I was discouraged about starting up another online marketplace. I've been pleased with Big Cartel so far and have listed my hand painted burlap prints on there. I like the clean layout on Big Cartel and how everything is easily accessible. Plus, one benefit over Etsy, you don't have to be a member or sign up for anything in order to purchase. You can access the South North South shop here.

Have a nice weekend!

Five simple things

Hello.

We've had a pretty slow week this week. we've been slowly getting back on a normal schedule since Baz's passing. Yesterday we got a call that his ashes were ready and I will share a picture of them next week. I feel right now that it's private for us and we want the week and the time to continue to grieve. It's still really weird to think he is gone, but we are healing and getting each other through it slowly. I was talking to a neighbor on Wednesday and I had to pause a minute before telling her what happened to Baz. I am holding back crying and "pretending" to be strong, but I'm not strong and as soon as the door closed I let the tears flow. His loss has really knocked the stuffing out of us and taken a bit of our spirit away. I am not ashamed to cry when needed and neither is The Mr., or The Bean. We miss our dog and there's no shame in that.

On a more positive note, we went on a walk last Sunday to an area in Corvallis, Oregon, known as, Willamette Park and Natural Area.

There is a space near the back of the park that has a paved walking path with disk golf and a small soccer field in the middle. The section of trail is a "leash-free zone" for dogs. PITA was able to run and be a dog while we ate lunch on a nearby bench facing the Willamette River. It was a nice moment to sit and relax. We happened to sit down just in time to see two bald eagles fly over the water looking for fish.

We couldn't help but be a bit upset that we didn't find the place before Baz passed. He loved being off of his leash and free. After lunch the three of us walked along the path while PITA ran around us smelling, greeting other dogs and people, and leaving his mark everywhere. We all talked about positive topics and mentioned what a great time Baz would have with us. There were tears, but they were happy tears. It's definitely a place we will visit again in the future. It was a great start to the week, for sure. With that, here are the other things that made this week great.

1. This sign.

Judgement-free zones should exist anyway without a sign needing to be posted. This sign was on a local bookstore in Corvallis, Oregon. It's a shame that we live in a world where such judgement exist and people from all walks of life need sanctuary cities to feel safe. The talk of terrorist crossing the border and plotting to harm us is white noise. Especially, when we have a United States-born citizen taking aim at innocent people enjoying an evening out in Las Vegas. Instead of building walls to keep people out, we need to focus on our own failures as a country that has allowed someone like that to get a hold of weapons that can kill 58 of our U.S. citizens that did nothing to deserve their untimely deaths. Maybe it's time to reevaluate the definition of "terrorism."

2. This book.

At said bookstore, this book was found. Hear! Hear! I love how people are actually creating books of resistance and cooking together. This book above and also this one here, are fantastic! Cook to resist and feed yourself so you can be fueled to get involved! "The Revolution Must Be Fed!"

3. This tip.

While we are busy here in our house trying desperately to become more waste-free I figured out how to cut toothpicks from everyday use. Instead of testing with a wooden pick whether that delicious yellow cake/bread is done in the middle, use a spaghetti stick. Works just as well as the wooden version for your teeth, but no waste. You can either break off the part you used and add the unused part back to the spaghetti jar, or throw the entire hard strand in the compost.

4. Fresh tuna.