Five Simple Things (June 28)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This chocolate.

Dr. Bronner's chocolate bars are my new obsession lately, especially the Cool Peppermint Cream. I've been breaking off pieces of this one through the week for a sweet treat when I'm craving chocolate. The dark chocolate and peppermint combination is perfect.

2. These boxes.

This week Kiwi Eco Box and Misfit's Market came. My favorite thing in the Kiwi Eco Box is the Lavender Body Bar. With the Misfit's Market haul this week we were able to snag some great organic products. The red potatoes and the steaks were definitely a score and we saved so much by going through Misfit's. You can get 10% off your first order here.

3. This THC.

I picked up a some THC indica products at the dispensary this week. I always get a big purchase to supplement me through the month. A few tried and true favorites and some new ones to try. Hopefully, I won't need them much, but just in case, it's nice to have a few options on hand. Anxiety sometimes causes the brain to go into a mode of shutdown, so these always help to get that back on track for sleep, or calming the mind. Indica is always helpful in helping calm and ease anxiety and helping with sleep.

(I am not a health physician and this post is not to encourage THC use. If you have similar issues with anxiety and sleep, please speak with your primary care doctor, if you are concerned about those issues, or the affects of THC on your body.)

4. This dessert.

It is my go-to right now. The older I get the less my body can handle dairy. Finding this ice cream has been a great replacement for dairy ice cream. The best part, you can't even tell it is non-dairy.

5. These hangers.

Everything we bring into our space now has to earn its place, but I've been on a hunt for these hangers for months, maybe even years, honestly. I took a trip this week to Goodwill and there they were. Three of them and for the price of $3 each. I love how these help conserve space in our closets. They were all three in great shape, so I was happy bringing this new purchase into the house.

One last thing:

These three items are such a cool gift to give young teens, or even some adults. The Bigfoot flags, and the Bigfoot dress-up clings are perfect for people fascinated with the Bigfoot tall tells. And, anyone that is a Stranger Things fan will love this Mad Libs. We are fans of both, so I can vouch that these would be perfect gifts. You can pick one, or all of them up at the links below.

      Bigfoot Research Kit        Bigfoot Vinyl Dress-up Kit       Netflix Stranger Things Mad Libs

Positive affirmations this week:

The better we take care of ourselves the longer and happier life we can live. Below is some tips to add to your life that could help you live just a bit longer.

•Eating more nuts.

•Staying physically active.

•Avoiding stress.

•Eating plenty of plant foods.

•Refrain from smoking.

•Having a healthy social circle.

You can do this! 🌈

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (June 21)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This popsicle.

Because we are collecting the sticks for prizes from Jonny Pops, and we are almost there. If you're looking for organic options in frozen treats, these are our absolute favorite.

2. These boxes.

This week Might Nest, Kiwi Eco Box, and Misfits Market came all in one day. I love this Caldrea spray a lot. I've used Caldrea before, but I've never used the room spray. My favorite product from Kiwi Eco Box is the Dish Block. We have been getting better at cutting our plastic use and this definitely helps with that mission. Misfits Market haul this week was a hit. We ordered random things, nothing too needed, but with their 10% off, we couldn't pass up the order. You can get 10% off with your first order, too. Check them out here.

3. This suncatcher.

Skylar and me got two of these glass drip suncatchers the last time we were at the coast. There's a lot of glass works shops alone the coastline and all of them are unique. We also picked up some small fishing floats to put on our bookshelves. But these suncatchers were our favorites. I got a clear one and Skylar picked up a red one. I couldn't decide which angle I liked the best when posting on the blog. I think all angles are beautiful.

4. This kitty.

She is always such a pretty kitty. I love how much she loves us.

5. This day.

Father's Day we celebrated Jeff and all of the great things he does for our family. He works so hard to provide of good, safe, and loving environment for all three of us. He told us the day before Father's Day that he has never felt so loved in his whole life. That he can be himself, without judgement, and he will always do what he can to give that back to Skylar and me. It meant a lot to hear that, especially with everything we have been through in our 24 years of knowing each other. Jeff asked for noise-canceling headphones, so we got him the same ones that I have been using for years. They are from Raycon and they are the best ones we have found to help with noise overstimulation. I always found these Fourth of July shirts for the boys and got them matching ones. I think they both look handsome. Happy Father's Day, Jeff!

One last thing:

Hardy is always watching out for me. He has gotten more protective of me since my surgery in 2020. I love how loving and loyal he is. He loves all of us and we love him so much.

Positive affirmations this week:

Keep this in mind when you first wake up. A good habit to get into is to use an actual alarm clock and not your phone, and keep your phone in another room to charge at night. It is hard at first, because you built a habit around your phone daily, but over time it gets easier. Make a point not to look at your phone for the first hour when you wake up. If emergencies are an issue, have the volume for calls up on your phone at night, so you can hear it, but mute everything else.

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (June 14)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This project.

I bought this at the Grand Canyon gift shop when we were on our road trip in April. I still haven't painted it. I think I am holding onto it for the memories of our trip. I will paint it eventually, but for right now I like that I still have it unpainted.

2. This book.

Sunshine and a book makes for a good day.

3. This food.

I made kraut and kielbasa, as well as something my family calls, "Elizabeth Salad." It's named after my great great grandmother and it's a family secret. It's delicious! Interestingly enough, a tiny heart appeared on my spoon as I was eating it. (A little tip: A grapefruit spoon works best in breaking through the frozen surface.)

4. These goggles.

I'm not sure what I am going to do with them long term, but I thought they were cute. I will keep them in my surf bag for now.

5. These cards.

And old, but small collection from the 90s. I still don't know what I want to do with them, but for now I will keep them.

One last thing:

My neighbor gave me these to try. I had mentioned to her that I wish I could find a lemon flavored tea similar to Theraflu, but without the medicine in it. These for close, but they are still missing something. I will figure it out eventually, even if I have to create my own blend.

Positive affirmations this week:

Get better at saying, "It's fine."

You can do this!🌈

Have a nice weekend.

Skylar's Graduation from LBCC

 Being a homeschooled student Skylar was able to graduated with his Education Degree from Linn Benton Community College (LBCC) this week. He had practice earlier in the day and in the evening it was the ceremony. Skylar was nervous, but he did a fantastic job and we are all so proud of him. He has been focusing on his next steps after graduating from the Rain Valley Red Snails homeschool classroom, and now graduating from LBCC he is focused on attending LBCC to further is education. He would like to attend Arizona State University, but Jeff and I are hoping he will stay more at home and possibly attend University of Oregon, or Oregon State University. That decision will come later, but for right now we are proud of how far he has come. He is focused on a Paleontology or Oceanography degree. Whatever path he takes, Jeff and I are so proud of him and we are his biggest fans no matter what he chooses.

About two weeks before his Linn Benton Community College graduation, I placed graduation signs in the yard to display how proud we are of Skylar and his accomplishments. We can not express how proud we are with just yard signs, but at least everyone driving/walking by knows how much we are.

His transcript and diploma came a few days before his cap and gown came. The excitement he felt was incredible! I was so happy to see him happy.

We went to the graduation practice earlier in the day of June 13, and Skylar was able to wear his graduation hat while he learned where he needed to go and where he was going to sit.

After practice we went home and he changed into his dress clothes and gown. We took a few pictures in front of the house next to the school bell. He was starting to get a little nervous as we got closer to the time.

We got back on the campus about an hour before the ceremony. One this Jeff and I wanted to do was find a good seat so we could take a lot of pictures.

Skylar was right in the front, so we were able to see him almost immediately when the procession started.

He had a smile on his face the whole walk through to his chair.

We are so proud of you, Skylar!

Skylar's friend Mar that he met in one of his classes. She is a wonderful person and we love her.

We had a great time, and we are so proud of every single person that got a degree or diploma the same time Skylar did, even the dog go his own degree.

We were also thrilled that we were able to get his 2024 tassel charms from the same place we got his 2022 tassel charms from. It always makes me feel good to support small businesses, and to keep being returning customers. They did a wonderful job on his 2022 tassel charms, so we were pleased with the 2024 ones, as well.

Skylar got a lot of LBCC swag, too. It was fun sorting through all of it with him. He gave a lot of it away, but we kept a few things for ourselves.

I sorted through the picture proofs from the professional photographer that took pictures the day of the graduation. They were up on the website today and I ordered all of them, as well as a few wallets, and larger prints for my parents. I can't help but tear up a little looking at them. I am just beaming with pride at his success.

Skylar asked for a weight bench for his graduation gift. We got him a small one to see how he likes them. Of course, he loved it and has been using every day for a week since it came in. Looks like we will have to invest in a better one now. For now, this one isn't bad at all. We ordered it from Amazon and it's actually easy to assemble and even easier to use.

One of my favorite pictures from the day.❤