I love Portland.

I really really do. 

Sometimes it's the little things that make me happy...like being bummed that the gas light came on in the car only to realize I can't pump my own gas anyway so it's not so bad to pull into the station and have someone do it for me!  Driving with the windows down is fun to me since it seems like I always had them up in Vegas to keep the a/c in, or was driving on a highway and it was too windy to keep them down. 
The pedestrians and bikers FRIGHTEN (I'm afraid I'm going to clip one) but I really enjoy seeing them out and about ~ they look so natural & happy.  Mount Hood's silhouette in the distance, driving over a bridge and looking out at the water and seeing more bridges in the distance; these things make me smile both inside and out.  Flowers, grass, outdoor markets, apple trees, and pear trees on the side of the rode that you can just pull up to and pick a fruit off and eat in your car - even going to the stores seems different here.  It's laid back and carefree and seems as if everyone knows each other, or would like to.  A woman checking out in front of me today was talking about her black and white dog named "Gravy".  The clerk was surprised Gravy wasn't a brown dog and was curious how the name came about. "It just seemed right" was her reply.  Tiny moments like that make me appreciate my new home. 

Days full of doing nothing!

For doing "nothing" on my days off I sure manage to get a lot done!  But simple stuff, fun stuff.  Last weekend I stayed home all day but when the day was over I couldn't believe how quickly it passed by. "Where did the day go?" I wondered.  And then I realized that I really, truly enjoyed it.  Life is so amazing when you kick it down a notch and take it slow.  I let the chickens out first thing in the morning and instead of running back in the house just sat on the bench and watched them peck around, spread their wings, talk to each other.  It was nice.  Mosied on over and checked on the garden which continually amazes me no matter how many times a day/week I look at it.  Went back in the house and layed on the bed with the hubby and looked out the window and listened to the chickens and birds, and the trains passing by.  It's nice not always rushing around. 
I had cut and hung up a bunch of lavendar a couple weeks back, and since it was now dry I attempted a Lavender Oil recipe I found on Pinterest.  It was a crockpot method and it came out pretty good!  I put some in Epsom Salt for lavender scented bath salt, made some soap balls with dried lavender buds in them, and also made a "Calming Room Spray" for my friend Cami who just had a baby.  For the new mom I made a "Mud Scrub" of coffee grinds, turbinado sugar and a touch of oil.  I made a card from a brown paper bag, cut with pinking shears and decorated it with stickers and stamps.  It was a really cute gift and I wish I would've taken a picture of it.  I enjoy filling the days with simple projects and homemade items.  Today I'm canning tomatoes and making more soaps.  Last week we made our own cucumber and they came out delicious! I like full days of doing nothing :-)