Life at a "Swell's" pace: Friday things

Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This Santa.

Never too old to see Santa.

2. These Items.

Mighty Nest and Kinder Beauty Box came this week. I've been using it all and I'm loving everything, too. The True Moringa face oil is absolutely amazing! It hydrates my winter dry skin, but doesn't feel or even look like I'm wearing anything on my face. It is also great for sensitive skin, too, which I have! Highly recommend.

3. These Geese.

I've never seen this many Canadian Geese in one area before. I was quite fascinated with them. We had been having such a rough week, it was a nice moment to pause and reflect. Gratitude helps reprogram the brain to see the positives instead of the negatives, especially the negatives of a bad week. If you're having a bad day, or even a bad week, hopefully this moment helps you, too.

4. This Sock.

We recently got board socks for our surfboards and Skylar decided to try his out. Ho, Stevie! is such a great brand and we absolutely love their board socks. As you can see, it fit like a glove...or sock, rather. ☺ You can snag one of these board socks for your own board here.

5. This Finger.

Skylar hurt his finger this week on the job and we had to go to Urgent Care to get it looked at. He was putting a metal shelf up and it slipped and hit his finger. It wasn't stitched, but it was glued and cleaned up. It's a bit sore, but he is doing fine. We were afraid it was deeper than it was, but it should heal completely in a few weeks. Workmen's Compensation was frustrating, but eventually we got it all figured out. Wish things were easier for workplace injuries, especially young adults just entering the work force. Hopefully, things change sooner than later.

One more thing:

We enjoyed my homemade apple pie from Thanksgiving so much, I made another one, as well as some sugar cookies for Christmas. Both came out perfect and it was just another great addition to our holidays.

Positive affirmations this week:

Always remember, getting away from narcissists in your family is a step in the right direction in healing. Narcissists don't care about how you feel, or how they make you feel, so the best choice for you is to put distance between you and them. I have experienced narcissistic family members my entire life, getting away from them, never updating them on my life, and sharing few details of anything about me has helped in my healing so much. Over the years I have realized that the control of these narcissistic family members was petty and didn't serve any purpose other than for them. Breaking that control and keeping them behind a wall really does help you heal. If you are dealing with the same issue, just know, it takes some time to get your mind right from this form of abuse. Give yourself some time and patience and know that you are not what they do to you. You are worthy of love, respect, and kindness. You can do this!

Have a nice weekend.

Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. These Trees.

We were on the fence about getting a real tree this year, so we put up our smaller fake tree and created one in the side yard. The side yard tree was a bit more costly than we had expected, but we love how it turned out. We took an 8 1/2 foot tall PVC piping in black, and drilled some eye hooks into the top. We then "estimated" how many string lights we would need, with a few runs to the store to grab more, twice. We ended up using 10 12-foot, 25 light strands and pieced them together. As we came to the top of the pole, we used small zip ties to hold them in place. At the bottom, where the strands met the ground, we used metal tent stakes to hold them against the ground. To hold the PVC pipe, we hammered a four-foot tall rebar into the ground, along side a four-foot tall metal fence post, and slide the PVC pipe over the top. We had some windy nights and it held fine. If you want to make this and want a more detailed instruction list, just send me a message on here at the email in my about section and I will break it down a lot more clear.

2. This Kitty.

She is a a cool kitty.

3. This Kid.

He is growing up and I'm so proud of who he is becoming. He is such a great friend and son all in one.

4. This Fog.

It's been so foggy here this week and at times it rolls in and you can't see a thing. A few drives in the morning definitely had us on a toes while driving.

5. This Advent.

(This post is updated daily in December as the days progress to list the tea for that day)

This is the first year that I've done and advent calendar for myself. I chose a daily tea advent for 24 days and I will tell you, no regrets. Below is a list of what teas come in this advent calendar and below each one, I left a review of what I thought. You can grab this advent here, until supplies run out.

• Day One: Aged Earl Grey: Smooth taste, clean, and definitely a pick me up (7/10)

• Day Two: Immune Boost: Loved this one. Nice flavor, perfect for this time of year. (10/10)

• Day Three: Turmeric Amber Sun: Definite turmeric taste, warming, comforting (8/10)

• Day Four: Gunpowder Green: Distinct green tea taste. Energy and alertness for 4-6 hours. (6/10)

•Day Five: Honeybush: Tastes similar to chamomile tea and felt relaxing after drinking. (7/10)

•Day Six: Chinese Breakfast: Interesting taste. Tastes better at room temperature. (6/10)

•Day Seven: Congest Away: Sharp taste and peppery. Broke up some congestion. (8/10)

•Day Eight: Rooibos Chai: Sharp taste, warming with a nice taste. It felt comforting drinking it. (8/10)

• Day Nine: White Rose: Floral, definite rose taste. Not my favorite flavor in tea. (4/10)

• Day Ten: Chocolate Rooibos: Nice taste, definite taste of chocolate. Really liked. (10/10)

• Day Eleven: Moroccan Mint: Love mint tea in any form. This one was a treat. (10/10)

• Day Twelve: Golden Chai: Smells and taste great. Hint of cinnamon. Enjoyed. (10/10)

• Day Thirteen: Rooibos: Nice taste, clean taste, smells amazing and tasted better with milk. (9/10)

• Day Fourteen: Jasmine Green: Delicious and gave about three hours energy/alertness. (7/10)

• Day Fifteen: Chocolate Pu-Erh: Light chocolate taste, smooth, and great with cream, energy. (7/10)

• Day Sixteen: Orange Spice: Great from start to finish, left a little anxious. (6/10)

• Day Seventeen: Day Desert Lime: First taste okay, leaves an unappealing aftertaste. (4/10)

• Day Eighteen: Ginger Lemon: Nice taste, definitely could taste the ginger. (8/10)

• Day Nineteen: Dandelion Detox: Definite dandelion taste, felt mentally sound later in the day. (7/10)

• Day Twenty: Matcha Toasted Rice: Liked the matcha, but not the toasted rice smell or taste. (1/10)

• Day Twenty-one: Breakfast Blend: Great flavor, added French vanilla creamer and it was great. (9/10)

• Day Twenty-two: Hibiscus: Great taste and very warming and calming in taste. (9/10)

• Day Twenty-three: Chamomile Lemon: Very relaxing with a hint of lemon, but subtle. (9/10)

• Day Twenty-four: Sweet Slumber: Great start to finish and did help with falling asleep. (10/10)

One more thing:

I've been on a hunt for a quality butter dish and can't find one that I completely love, yet. For now, this simple, nothing special butter dish has been our choice. Hopefully, I can locate one that suits our needs soon. Lots of great options on Etsy.

Positive affirmations this week:

You can do this!