Life at a "Swell's" pace

A Walk Through Downtown Corvallis

With Jeff having Mondays off now we like to spend a day doing something together. We walked through downtown Corvallis, visited Sky High Brewing, and ate shrimp at The Depot in Albany, Oregon. Mondays are both of our days off, and running errands takes up a lot of the day, but I am glad we had a chance to just hang out and spend time in our own area this week.

Easter (2025)

Easter is always a pleasure in our house. I do my best to still bring the magic, even as Skylar gets older. I like to create the "illusion" that a rabbit was in our house and left footprints and small containers of jelly beans as it hopped through the house. I think I did pretty well, if I don't say so myself. Skylar told me a couple of years ago that his best memory of Easter is when I put jelly beans all through the house leading to his Easter basket. It warmed my heart that I did something that he loved and still remembers to this day. I tried my best to recreate it and I hope he enjoyed it just as much as the first time.

I also made chocolate chip cookies and created rabbits from chocolate buttons (similar to M&Ms, but without all the junk). They turned out well and were the perfect treat for Easter.

We enjoyed an Easter dinner, that I did not get pictures of, because I was enjoying the moment. We finished the meal out with some Key Lime Pie. It was a good day!🐇

Five Simple Things (April 11)

Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This order.

Misfits Market came this week/ We grabbed a few candy options, but tried this week to fill in some missing items from our meal planning for the week. We love how easy it is to place and order with them and how quick it gets delivered in one of their pink vans. It's always a pleasure shopping online. I hate grocery shopping, so it's definitely convenient for me.

2. This puzzle.

We finished it! We had a lot of fund with this puzzle. Now to find another one just as cool. Maybe we will stay on theme with Alice in Wonderland.

3. This look.

The judgement is real.

4. This walk.

Jeff and I spent our Monday this week taking a walk through the Talking Gardens in Albany, Oregon. There wasn't many people, and I loved that the most. We saw a Mallard female with her four ducklings, turtles, frogs, and a lot of great views and plants. It was a nice way to spend the afternoon.

5. This face.

My boy has turned into a handsome man. I just love him!♥

One last thing:

Skylar had his ears pierced a few months ago and has been looking for some nice clear diamond studs since. We went into a jewelry store looking at what our options were and he found these two that he liked over the others. He can't decide if he wants the smaller ones, or the larger ones. I think either one of them would look great in his ears. He decided to the take the weekend to think it over. More on this soon.

Positive affirmations this week:

Remember, it is your responsibility to heal from what happened to you in your past. It is absolutely NOT your fault that it happened to you, but it is yours time to heal from it. You deserve to live a good life. Don't punish yourself more. You are worth it, and you are brave.

You can do this!🌈

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (April 4)

Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This library.

We always love a trip to IKEA. I love even more that they fly the Pride Flag and let shoppers know that everyone is welcome. IKEA has always been one of my favorite places to go, even for special events and random shopping trips. They recently added this Little Free Library, too. It's a great place, and I can't wait until my next shopping trip, or store event brings us back.

2. This haircut.

My handsome boy.

3. This popsicle.

Jonny Pops are our favorite go-to snack now. They are organic, Non-GMO, and only 45 calories per popsicle. And, they are delicious. We are also madly saving our wooden sticks for their rewards program. We will see what we can get once we have enough to turn back in.

4. This drink.

Sticking for food and drink still this week I rediscovered Clearly Canadian again. I used to drink these when I was younger and they were my go-to for a cold drink when we would stop at the store. I am so glad I found them and love that the taste brings back a lot of good childhood memories for me. I love that they have plain sparkling water, as well.

5. This bite.

Well, then... There's always room for cheesecake, apparently.

One last thing:

This week was the last time I could order from MightyNest. After over 15 years of their wonderful services, and their Might Fix each month I am incredibly sad. The tariffs and rise in prices had a lot to do with it. I placed a huge order with them as a way of saying thank you. MightyNest changed my life so much. Burt's Bees was my first taste of changing up my beauty, baby, and overall healthcare needs to a more environmentally, and body-friendly way. MightyNest was my first taste of changing up those habits all the way around. They taught me a lot of the last 15 years and I will always be grateful for them helping me discover how truly earth-friendly and environmentally sound I could live. I will miss them dearly, especially when I need to find information on how to live better. I wish them the best, always!

The picture above was my last order with them. Three boxes of stuff, and my last Might Fix. Just looking at these pictures as I post this makes me so sad. I ordered a lot of great things, though. A compost bucket for the freezer, food additions for Hardy and Eleven, tea, doggie poop bags, dish rags, pot covers, carpet powder, dog treats, lip stick, cleaning tablets, razor container, feminine wipes, safety razor, dish soaps. The Mighty Fix was a dish brush that reads, "MightyNest." I will treasure it for a long time. Thank you MightyNest. You can look back at all the years of my MightyNest orders here.

Positive affirmations this week:

A lot of people don't know how to love others because they haven't figured out how to love themselves. Self love is the best way to help love other people, too. A lot of negativity and hate in the world stem from people that can't, or won't love themselves enough. Finding that self love is the most important thing anyone can do. A lot of people ask, "What is the meaning of life?" The main meaning of life is to love yourself and love others before your time is done. You can start to find that self love by finding one things every day that made you feel important about yourself. Journaling or writing down what that was, is a form of self love. It could be things like, made my bed for myself. Washing my face and took a shower. Took a walk during lunch. Self love comes in all forms. If you are seeking that self love, start looking for ways to give that to yourself each day. And, write it down!

You can do this!🌈