Life at a "Swell's" pace

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!