Life at a "Swell's" pace: September 2023

With the end of the summer season coming to a close, it's about the time of year where I figure out how to use the remaining tomatoes and cucumbers from the garden. One of the quick and easy recipes I've come up with the last two years is a tomato and cucumber salad. It's a delicious and healthy way to incorporate a few vegetables, especially if you're needing to use several at once that could possibly go bad before using them for individual dishes. The best part of having a garden in your own backyard is being able to walk outside and get whatever you need for a certain dish.

This year's garden we grew tomatoes (cherry, Roma, and beefsteak), cucumbers, nasturtium, pumpkins, zucchini, yellow squash, onion (red and yellow), watermelon, butter lettuce, cabbage, and peas. We had good results from a few crops, but others not-so-much. We have come to the conclusion that they aren't getting enough sun each summer. So, we are going to move some things around next growing season.

Our tomatoes and cucumbers did well and with that overabundance, I created this summery dish. Here's how it's made.

Four to five medium to large tomatoes (any kind), diced into bite-sized pieces
Four to five small to medium cucumbers, sliced and then cut in half
Black olives, whole, cut in half
Three to four pickles, diced small
Four to five tablespoons olive oil
Splash of vinegar, to taste
Two tablespoons Italian seasoning
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Add everything to a large dish and toss. Refrigerate for up to 30 minutes before serving. Eat right away, or store for up to three days in an air-tight container. It's delicious the following day, too!

Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This kiwi.

We bought several kiwi fruit this week and have enjoyed eating them as a treat instead of something with large amounts of sugar, like candy. We picked up regular kiwi and golden kiwi.

2. These subscriptions.

Kind Beauty and Mighty Nest came this week and my favorite thing in the Kinder Beauty box is the La Rose Francaise Facial Cleansing Bar. The smell is amazing! I used it all over and not just my face. And the Mighty Nest Fix this month is perfect for our bus. We needed a spray cleaner on the bus for our trips and I can't wait to use this when we go next on a camping trip, or even an extended trip. The "Fix" came with a metal spray bottle and two grapefruit scented cleaning concentrates.

3. This birthday.

I had a great birthday on August 28. Bringing in 46 years around the sun was sure fun with the people that love me. I have a good life and I am grateful for how far I've come in my mental health struggles. Every birthday reminds me of how far I've come. I am looking forward to another year!♥

4. This moon.

The Blue Moon this month was shining bright. I love that the moon's texture and coloring can be seen from Earth during this time. Our universe is so fascinating. When people get so wrapped up in small things that don't matter in the long run, they seem to forget we are all just specs hanging in space just like the moon.

5. This sticker.

Skylar absolutely loves Jurassic Park and he loves dinosaurs even more. He said he wants his focus in college to be paleontology and Jeff and I are not surprised one bit that he picked that degree focus. With that love of Jurassic Park he recently found a Mr. DNA sticker online and of course, had to have it. It is actually a cool sticker, though. He chose to put it on his laptop that he uses at school. He said he hopes people recognize that it's from Jurassic Park.

One last thing:

I finally broke out my holiday gift from Skylar. These car chains are something I have wanted for awhile for my car and he knew that. He was working at AutoZone for over a year and understood the assignment. He got me this for a gift at Christmas and gave Jeff and me a joint give to go snow skiing. He is such a thoughtful kid and we love him so much.♥

Positive affirmations this week:

Do you have a self-care checklist? There are a lot of times that mental health dips because we get off our routine. It's important, if you have a mental health issue(s), to keep with a routine daily, monthly, and/or yearly. It's extremely important to keep with these routines from day to day, and if your mental health peaks you can always fall back on a routine to help limp you through until the mental state lets up. I won't deny that it is so hard to get up and do a routine when all you feel like doing is melting away and disappearing. And some days, I literally say f**k it and don't leave my bed. And that's okay. It really is. We have been conditioned to think that we are being lazy, or not pulling our weight, but overall, it's really okay if the only thing you do on your bad mental health days is breathe, so be it. Take that time to heal. On a good mental health day, create a self-care checklist that you can refer to each day and make it out for stuff you do on a daily basis. It will help you stay on track on good days, and be a quiet guide on the bad days. You can do this!🌈