Sauvie Island Adventures

We went on an adventure yesterday not far from home. It felt far from home because the island is so alive! Sauvie Island is only 10 miles from Downtown Portland. It is the largest river island in the United States. The land area is 20,959 acres which is larger than Manhattan! We pet some animals, bought some organic veggies at Bella Organic, then went on a muddy 8 mile hike to Warrior Rock Lighthouse. The lighthouse is only one of two lighthouses still operating that is not on the Pacific Ocean. I can't say I was happy about this hike beacause we did it barefoot, and I have an issue with mud and creatures being close to my bare feet. Call me weird.. The lighthouse, and beach were beautiful though. I'd love to canoe next time. We did see multiple red-tailed hawks, ospreys, turkey vultures, common sandpipers, a frog, snake, and bald eagle.

And Now for Waynes collection(You can tell we have different styles of photography):

Today's Inspiration is Elephantine's Apple Gelette Recipe

Once again here is another yummy recipe for you from Rachel at Elephantine. This is her Apple Gelette.  I couldn't love her videos more. She calls it a "freeform rustic tart." It is "perfectly imperfect".

YUM!

the apple galette from rachelchew on Vimeo.



Coast Cabin's Manzanita Adventure Back In May

I mentioned a Manzanita, Oregon trip we had made back in May, but I didn't have a blog back then! I am finally posting our trip we made! It was a quick one nighter we did for my mom's Mother's Day/Birthday trip. I unfortunately did not get the days off I requested so I had to plan something last second, and this is what I came up with. My mom loves carrot cake, so naturally I bought the best one in town from Papa Haydn. If you live in the Portland area... You know. I then made the cake banner(Which she reuses! I love that). We (me, Wayne, mom & brother) went to Coast Cabins condo #7 The Laneda. It has two bedrooms, two baths, and two blocks from the beach. The condo is 1100 sq ft. The living room has 14 foot ceilings and fireplace is open to the kitchen. A sectional sofa and reclining chair, Chilean oak floors, with radiant in-floor heat throughout. Luxury amenities, Restoration towels and spa robes! This place was a dream. The perfect getaway, and I can say we will be back. My mom got to soak in the tub and relax, while me and Wayne watched the sunset.  It was probably one of the prettiest sunsets I have ever seen.

This is our Adventure!

Our Vacation Adventures

We have just one more day left in our vacation. As you can guess it has gone by just way too fast.. We planned to go camping for three nights, and ended up just staying two because of the weather. Funny kids. We wanted sun! It's hard to enjoy the beach when it is really cold, windy, and misty. We got to explore some of the spots we drove past on our first trip from Florence to Newport. It really is beautiful. Cape Perpetua is something else.. I'd like to go back and do some hiking (when the sun is shining). As I said before we only brought dry food, and powdered milk for coffee. Check out the concoction Wayne made for our drip coffee. I love it. I had to take photos.

This is our Beachside State Park adventure.

We drove to where the sun was the day after we got back from camping. All we knew is Hwy 84 was clear. We had lunch in Hood River, then continued on to where it was 100 degrees! From 55 degrees at the beach to 100 the next day is.... quite much. Turnes out we end up in Pendleton during the opening night of Pendleton Round-Up! What are the chances?! What a culture shock! The welcoming sign says, "Welcome to the Real West". Pendleton is no joke. I loved it. The town has so much pride. You can tell just by driving through! There is a "Welcome to Pendleton" sign every 30 feet it seemed. It took so long to get there and back that we spent less than 2 hours there. I want to plan to go back next year, and bring quite a bit of cash. Wayne bought the Pendleton wool blanket he has always wanted (Glacier National Park). There is so much jewelry, and beautiful handmade goods. May I add I had fry bread(some history on fry bread) for the 3rd time in my life. : ) Yum.

This is adventure number two of our vacation.

This last one is from Wayne's collection. More to follow soon.

<3

Twig and Thistle DIY Project

Today's inspiration is a DIY project from Twig & Thistle Blog. She created a picnic blanket out of a poly-coated canvas drop cloth. It is brilliant because the bottom has a layer of plastic coating. She created a consistant zig zag using a foam core/foam board cut out. Once completely drawn, she then used painters tape to seal off the paintable areas. And then the easy part- Use a small paint roller, and let it dry over night. How simple!  Wouldn't this be perfect for that kids picnic I was just writing about in my last post? I Love the color too. Wouldn't this be fun for a wedding? Cloths for people to grab and lay in the grass with custom couples monograms painted on them. Here are some monogram ideas from The Wedding Chicks. (Kristy.. This is a really cute idea. There could be a basket of cloths just for kids- they could have games painted on them. Think: Personalised Twister Board!)

You can purchase a 5'x5' Poly-coated Canvas Drop Cloth at Home Depot for $7.98.

Simple, Free, and Memorable Gift Idea

While on a run with Wayne along the Willamette River, we decided to go down to the water off of the running path. Once there we noticed shells, and started to collect some. Then I noticed every rock was the perfect skipping stone! I was like "WAYNE, Do you see any garbage I can put rocks in to?! (Of course there was). I had no idea what I would do with all of these rocks. But I knew it would be a gift of some sort. I started thinking... I have this faint memory of skipping stones with cousins, and my brother, and my grandpa showing us up. He could skip so far! It's possible it was a dream.. But who doesn't enjoy taking a nice walk down to a river, or lake. Simple joys in life. I figure he can take the great-grand kids rock skipping for an afternoon? Plan a picnic? That sounds amazing..
It is his birthday on Sunday. The extended family is all coming together on Saturday. It is also the kick off to our vacation. I will take LOTS of photos! <3

Here is another idea for the kids picnic. Distribute rocks evenly among the kids with these berry carriers.

Child photo is by Amanda Pratt



We Are Going Camping!

We are going camping in a few days! This will be our first time as a couple to sleep outdoors. Haha. It should be interesting. Wayne wants to use his manly outdoor skills, and I want to lather in "natural" mosquito spray. He says "mosquitos aren't at the beach.." and I say "Oh...." We are only cooking over the fire, only using powdered milk, no cooler- so only dry goods. This is very different from anything I have ever experienced. It'll be good for us to use some outdoor skills. A spike in prices are on their way, also for energy.. American's are so dependant. Our perfectly brewed coffee, perfectly cooled and heated homes, the convenience of running to the market instead of growing or making anything ourselves. Survival skills, and camping supplies will only help us through tough times.. Win win. Plus it is so fun. I plan to soak that sun up hard.

All photos are from Wandawega Lake.

Roost Blog Healthy Lavender & Honey Raw "Cheese" Cake Recipe

Today's inspiration is something that will melt in your mouth. A healthy raw cake recipe from RoostBlog. Isn't it too beautiful to eat? See her yummy healthy recipe here! Enjoy!

 Lavender & Honey Raw "Cheese" Cake



Burgon & Ball- Cute Graphic Labeled Jars

Today's Inspiration is Burgon & Ball's Cute Graphic Printed Labels on Herb and Oil Storage Jars.
Some day when we get our veggie, and herb garden, and fruit trees  : )  Making jam, and pickling are going to be top on the list(With the help of Waynes mom-Hi Patti). Preserving and canning food, making organic treats, drying, and gifting! Anything homemade has so much more love in it. These labeled jars make gifting cute, and easy. They would also be adorable for a wedding(Kristy)... Think: Local RAW Honey, and Mactarnahan's Oregon Honey Beer. Honey is a good theme for a wedding, It is all about you and your honey.. right? (tehehehe)

Check out the links here: Home Infused Olive Oil Bottle, Delicious Jam Jar, Home-Grown Herbs Storage Jar, Perfectly Pickled Jar, Cracking Chutney Jar, Marvellous Marmalade Jar