Life at a "Swell's" pace

Five Simple Things (September 6)

Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This egg.

Mallie has been upset that she hasn't had any eggs to lay on, so I decided to get her some ceramic eggs to help her through her slump. She loved that she had something to sit on and it made me happy to see her happier.

2. This heart.

I have been seeing heart shapes in random places each day and I have decided to start capturing these moments to remember when my mental health dips and I need a pick me up. This one was found on a concrete step.

3. This canoe.

Skylar bought a canoe from one of our neighbors this week, and of course, we had to do a dry land practice.

4. This quiet.

I just found out this week that stores, like Walmart, have sensory hours for people with noise sensitivity. I've had noise sensitivity since I was a child, and any loud bangs, or background music or noise always sets off some amount of anxiety. I love that I can plan my day around going shopping during the sensory shopping hours at certain places. I hope more businesses implement these sensory experiences, too.

5. This lightning.

There was a storm that passed through the Willamette Valley this week and the show was a good one. We sat in an area just outside of the city as not to get the city lights in our shots. We weren't the only ones enjoying the lightning show, there were several others out taking a look at the sky. We've always loved weather, but getting a lightning show without rain or wind is one of our top favorite things to watch.

One last thing:

These wooden bowls are now for sale in the shop. They are solid wood and can be used for displays, a catch-all at your door for keys, or even used to make candles. Bowl measures approximately 9x6x2 and can hold 14 to 16 ounces.

Positive affirmations this week:

A sample of how you can start to plan your day and keep track of your mental health as you navigate through your daily schedule. This one is from Habio, but you can create anything that helps you get through your day and know when your mental health issues peek, and to help you build a solid routine to keep you going.

You can do this!🌈

Have a nice weekend.

A Day at the Oregon State Fair (2024)

Yesterday we decided to go to the Oregon State Fair and see how much has changed since the last time we were there several years ago. Not a lot has changed, but we had a great time this year. We didn't see any of the music performances and the last time we were at the Oregon State Fair we watched Fog Hat preform. When we watched Fog Hat we didn't walk around the state fairgrounds, but this time we decided to try to see every part of the fair that we could. It was a lot of walking, over 30,000 steps, to be exact, but it was worth it.

We first went to the area of the fairgrounds that was ran by the Oregon Forestry Commission and we visited with Smokey the Bear.

Our next stop was the Honey Bee Association of Oregon. We bought honey, and learned about how important honey bees are for our own existence. The honey bee is my favorite animal, so this area was my favorite.

Look at the Queen Mama Bee!

We then bought lift tickets to ride through the top of the whole fairgrounds. I've never ridden the chair lifts at the fair, but it was a great way to get a full view of the grounds and make out next plans on where to go.

Poor Skylar had to ride alone in his own chair, but he is always a good sport and we made it fun for all of us, including him.

We stopped in the chair lift while the sea lion show was happening, so we got a front row, high above everyone view of the show. These sea lions reminded us of Hardy a lot. They would do something and then wait for a treat. Definitely something Mr. Farts would do. I am curious what Hardy would do if he was face to face with one of the trained sea lions, though. He would probably be scared of it.☺

We got off the chair lifts and headed toward the high divers area. We watched several of them jump from the platform and at one point they all leaped from the ladder and platform at the same time. It was impressive!

We made our way to the fair entrance where the livestock was being shown. There was a lot going on in this area, because they were showing some of the animals at the same time when we were walking through the stables.

As we were walking through looking at the random show animals, a lady was telling everyone about the light up horse show in one of the horse stable areas. It was only a 20 minute show, but we loved it. The girls on the horses did a great job!

Some random fair things we saw as we walked through different areas.

Once it got dark, the neon on a lot of rides lit up. I always love the ferris wheels at night. The light show they have is always pretty against the dark sky.

As we were leaving an Oregon State Policeman was standing watching people come and go. Skylar walked up to him and was asking him some questions. He asked if he could take a picture and the officer said, "Absolutely!" He was a really nice man, and we appreciate him talk to Skylar and making him feel important.