Life at a "Swell's" pace

Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. These rowers.

The women's rowing team for Oregon State University was out on the Willamette River this week. It's cool to watch when they are all in sync with each other.

2. These sparrows.

The sparrows love our backyard, especially after we've mowed the grass.

3. This day.

We took a day trip over to the coast in hopes of locating one of the hidden glass floats that have been placed around different areas of the coastline. We stopped and had lunch and spent several hours hunting, but only found a forgotten Easter egg that was left over from Easter. Darn...maybe next year.

4. This delivery.

I waited patiently for this Amazon delivery. I have been wanted some faux olive trees for awhile now and I was so excited when these went on sale. The Amazon delivery driver was such a nice man, he even posed for a picture. These particular faux olive trees are six feet tall and come in their own little pot (black), and have olives in green and black along the branches. They look so real, people have mistaken them for the real thing multiple times. These are some of the best ones that I have found where the branches and the trunk look like they have real bark on them. They come in a set of two and you can purchase them here, or check out my "Shop" page at the top of the blog.

5. These ladybugs.

Skylar and I always try to "rescue" ladybugs, praying mantis, earth worms, and crickets from their ill fates, especially earth worms and crickets. We like to grab a couple of the containers whenever we can. This week we saw two containers of ladybugs that didn't look too well, so we grabbed them up and freed them into our garden and roses. A few of them were already dead and a few more died over the next few days, but overall a lot of them were able to recover and they are now living their best life in our garden and flower beds.

One last thing:

I have been on a mission to limit my sugar intake this year and one of my New Year's resolutions was to cut back on sweets. I make sure to stay within a calorie deficit when I do indulge in sugary treats and by doing this I have convinced my brain that a little is enough to satisfy my sweet tooth at that moment. My dentist is happy to see less tooth decay and my waistline is finally getting to the place that I am happy with. There are so abs there, I can see them faintly. Hopefully, by staying on this course I will be able to see a lot more as time goes on. My favorite sweets are Cocomels Sea Salt Caramels, SunRidge Farms fruit slices and sunny bears, and their rainbow drops.

Positive affirmations this week:

Healing takes a lot of ups and downs, but even after a minor bit of healing, you can and will see the difference. I have felt like I was 100% healed only to have a setback that takes me back a bit to where I feel like I am starting from the beginning again. I had an encounter with someone from my past that brought back a lot of bad memories from my past. It set me back to where I had to revisit those moments once again and heal in a different way, so that I could move past it enough to be able to mentally heal again. And that's okay. There's a lot of times that you are going to have a setback, or two, but you have to remind yourself that you will get through it and you will be okay.

You can do this! 🌈

Have a nice weekend.

Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. These flowers.

Trying to always have some fresh flowers around the house now. Every Friday I try to pick up a new bouquet when I am out running errands. They bring a bit of cheeriness to the house and brighten the space up more, too.

2. This display.

Skylar's Star Wars display is amazing. I just can't get enough of how awesome it really is. He is such a cool dude.

3. This tea.

I've been trying out different teas to see which ones I enjoy the most. The cup here I have been using now for over three months. The bottom is starting to get weaker, but I feel good about reusing something over and over until it gives out completely. Better, not more. Keep that in mind when purchasing new things, or before you toss something in the garbage.

4. This area.

We are steady getting our garden area and the surrounding yard in order for the change in seasons. The winters here are extremely rough on things outside because of all of the rain and wind. We try to wait until the first part of May before we start cleaning up from the winter.

5. This moment.

One thing we are trying to grow more of this year is hops plants. The first year we had them just climbing our light poles and cord connecting the lights, but this year we are trying out some heavy twine up the side of the house to see if this helps them grow better. 🤞

One last thing:

We are huge Stranger Things fans in this house and finding this Shaka Stranger Things coin purse made my day.

Positive affirmations this week:

A few more affirmations from Dae have gone up in my bathroom. This month I am focusing more on mindful peace and not allowing other people's emotional instability to affect me on a scale that I can't control. I am also focusing heavily on not worrying about things that are definitely out of my control completely. There are a lot of people that could use this lesson. Things you can control are, your behavior, your attitude, your present situation (like job, debit, location, eating habits, exercise habits, overall habits, etc.), your overall perspective on life. There's are so many things that people think is in their control and it just isn't. Speaking up about things that you are not comfortable with is valid, but a lot of times these things we are upset about are out of our control. Before getting upset about something ask yourself, 'is this something that I can control?' If the answer is no, then let it go. Now this forethought does not apply to mental health, it applies to outside influence like, people's negative opinions of you and their opinions overall, politics, wars/conflicts, your neighbor's yard, what someone else is wearing, the grocery store being our of your brand of bread, etc. Keep in mind that a lot of life's stressful situations aren't ours to shoulder. If you are struggling to find a happy medium, please reach out for help. There's no shame in seeking guidance from a certified medical professional, or a therapist.

You can do this! 🌈