Life at a "Swell's" pace

Five Simple Things (December 11)

Hello.

We put out a podcast this week, but other than that, we did nothing. Well, we did clean up some of the backyard more and placed more things out curbside. We are getting to the point where we are happy with the downsizing we've done do far in the yard and the garage. There is still more to go, but we are definitely able to let go easier than we thought. We got rid of an air compressor, a smoker, a gazebo structure, lawn chairs, weed eater, garden structures and decorations, garden tools, an outdoor rug, and a few other things. Oddly enough, the moment we set all of it out on the curb with free on it, it was gone in less than an hour. We hope it comes in handy for people to use and helps someone out during this time. It's not much, but who knows, everyone can use something, sometimes. Here are five things this week.

1. This Picture.

My "Aunt" Paula sent me this picture this week and I think it's fantastic! It's a picture of my cousins and me at some random relatives get-together; probably Easter. The dresses we have on were Easter dresses, but I could be wrong. My aunt said it was one she found going through things. She's always good about sending surprise pictures to me and making me smile and remember things as a child. I hope I get all of her pictures, at least the ones that I'm in, when she is gone. She has some good ones. I'm the one on the right-hand side. The only girl smiling and facing "a" camera. (My sister is the one rolling her eyes; Typical)

2. This Kitty.

With the little bit of sunshine this week this little kitty took advantage and so did I. I wish we had snow, but I will take the sun, too.

3. This Sky.

Definitely liking seeing the blue skies over what happened this year. It's nice to see the sun coming out and bright and warm over orange, red, and blocked by smoke.

4. This Snack.

I've been getting my appetite back slowly from my surgery and this has become my go-to snack since then. It's either apple and peanut butter or graham crackers and peanut butter. And, I always love a nice glass of cold milk.

5. This Coloring.

Skylar gave it to me on one of my really bad mental health days. It hangs next to my bed and I look at it and I'm reminded that it will get better. I love him so much!

Our recent episode of our podcast is out. This episode is on Delphine LaLaurie and the Cajun south of Louisiana. You can check it out here, or click on the Podcast link at the top of my blog.

One last thing: I received a test product from Influenster this week. It's the Pond's Rejuveness Skin Tightening Serum. I've been using it for a few days now and I do see some subtle results, especially around the neck and chest area. I do like how it feels on the skin, though. Influenster sent me this free for testing purposes and you can sign up to become and Influenster, too, here. You can also purchase this serum here and test it our for yourself.

Positive affirmations this week:

Always lead in your own direction. Don't wait to be told what to do with what's best for your life.

Have a nice weekend.

Day trip to Camp Sherman/Metolius River

Skylar and I took another day trip to Camp Sherman. We stopped along the way to take a few pictures around the area. It was such a nice day, even with some areas having snow on the ground. Camp Sherman is an area hidden within the Cascade Mountain Range and the Metolius River runs down the middle. It's an unincorporated area and there's plenty of camping, a store, RV park, and even a resort and other lodging. It's a beautiful area and even more beautiful after it has snowed.

Five Simple Things (December 4)

Hello.

We were hoping for snow this week, but no dice. Hopefully we get some, but doesn't look like it. I've lived here over 15 years now and the snow used to come closer to Christmas and the New Year, then it slowly started coming closer to February, and now the past few years it doesn't come at all. With the intense wildfires this past summer, people that claim global warming isn't real I just want to look at them and ask, "where the hell do you live that you can't see the change?" Maybe that's too blunt, but how dumb can you really be? Humans are causing it with our destruction on the planet and the not caring about what they are doing. I switched many years age, about 10, to cloth menstrual pads and when I was on Facebook I posted the change proudly. It shocked me how many people stated that it was gross and that they don't mind certain things going to the landfill. My own sister even. I was saddened by their responses. If one person doesn't mind non-compostable items going to the landfill times that by 1 million people. That's a lot of destruction on the planet by just one single item. I blame their thoughts on mostly habit and complacency. Not caring enough to change is a huge issue with a lot of things, really. Hopefully over time people's thoughts will change. With my sister, her thoughts will change when most of the people she is around do it because she's a follower. Then she'll come back and say she thought of it first. Well, whatever floats your boat and gets you to be more environmentally friendly, say whatever you want. We can't make change without some sort of change anyway. I do hope she comes around and makes some positive changes with her lifestyle. Here are five things this week.

1. This Set.

Our longtime used spatula finally took a dive and broke. We've had it for at least 10 years and it was a real bummer that it broke, but we did find some proper replacements. These are Hibachi spatulas and are made to take a beating. They are Leonyo griddle spatulas and can be used on cast iron, too. You can snag the set here.

2. This Kitty.

With the wildfire smoke gone there's still lasting affects with our pets. Poor Eleven has been coughing, but she's getting better with her breathing. Hopefully, she's able to clear it out completely soon and won't require a trip to the veterinarian.

3. This Print.

We took a trip to IKEA to get a few things and on the way to the checkout line we saw this deer print. Since Skylar was about seven years old he started wanting to be called The Deer. We took a trip to Sun River and there were deer all over. Even in the front lawn of the house we stayed in. Ever since that trip, Skylar has been nicknamed Deer. This print caught our eye and we loved how clean and simple it was.

4. These Bracelets.

Our wildfire support bracelets came a few weeks ago and we are super pleased with the fact that our purchase goes to help with the wildfire efforts this year.

5. This Ride.

I have not felt like riding my bike lately, but Jeff and Skylar have been going, but this past week I decided to join them. With learning to surf and other health reason, I've lost interest in bike riding lately. I'm not sure if that feeling will come back where I ride on a regular basis, but I will join them at random times when I feel like a surge of energy. I prefer the feeling of water under my feet more than pedals.

I also received the December Yogi Surprise this week. It was a great collection of items and products to enhance my yoga practice and all around well being.

Positive affirmations this week: "How do you handle anger and frustration?"

Crying and talking it out. Honestly, I don't get angered a lot anymore and just try to approach the setback, or emotion from a logical angle. The only thing that seems to push me to the point where I end up getting frustrated is other people and their judgement, or shitty behavior. I feel that selfishness is a huge issue with a lot of people anymore. And, I'm not talking about selfcare type of selfishness, I am talking about the can't be bothered with your life selfishness. There's a bold line between focusing on yourself and treating others like crap. Unfortunately, I share blood with some of these people and that only is frustrating and at times confuses me a great deal. I do not let people anger me, though. They do not get that power or control over me. I end up getting upset, trying to figure out how I can respond differently to their comments or actions, and in the end I talk it out with those that love me and I learn better ways of handling it. On a side note: Even if you are related to the "problem" people, you have a choice in distancing yourself from them and their behavior. No matter what they try to tell you in a manipulative/gaslighting way, you ALWAYS have a choice.

Have a nice weekend.

End of November (1 Second Every Day)

Five Simple Things (November 27)

Hello.

It's the day after Thanksgiving and I am extremely thankful to make it this far in this year. This year was rough. Not just rough, but extremely difficult. Putting words on a screen on a blog post doesn't even depict the right way to show how emotionally draining, and physically hard this past year has been. From a major surgery, to storms, to wildfires, to the pandemic, to mental health issues crashing in on me, I am honestly looking forward to a new year and a do over. 2020 will be the year going forward to never repeat. A lot of people are saying this year hasn't been hard on them, and that is great to hear. We struggled, in more ways than one, so it's nice to know that not everyone has had those struggles. We enjoyed a quiet Thanksgiving this year and this past week I've had some issues with my anxiety, so this weekend will definitely be very low key. Here are five things this week.

1. This Picture.

They are best friends.

2. This Dinner.

I've been a little under the weather this week a bit and Jeff has been amazing making dinners for us. I was actually excited about this meal because we grew the zucchini this year through all the wildfire smoke and ash.

3. This Kitty.

She's such a goofball.

4. This Look.

I've been watching The Office lately when falling asleep. It's either The Office or the Hunger Games, just because I am familiar with them and can relax without any stimulation from not knowing what's going to happen. I've read that people that have high anxiety do this as a form of comfort. Guess that makes sense. Well, this image made me laugh when I woke up the next morning. Some time in the night I paused it and woke up to Michael Scott's judgement eyes on me. It was as if they were saying, "how dare you pause The Office and sleep." ☺

5. This Art.

Incredible! You can check out his work here and here.

Positive affirmations this week: "On a scale of 1-10, how happy are you with your life right now?"

About a 6. I feel like everyone is a work in progress, so the six is coming from a state of that thought. Once I'm able to be in a location where I feel less surrounded by stressors I feel that number will jump to a seven, or an eight. I think a lot of people assume that those with mental health issues are always floating at a two or three because they "assume" depression and anxiety make the person sad, or come across miserable all the time. That's just not the case. You can be successful, happy, and always bubbly around the right people and still suffer from a mental health issue. That stigma needs to end. Everyone on this planet, no matter who they are, struggle with some form of a mental issue at least once in their life. The judgement that just because you aren't suffering, so someone else shouldn't be struggling is also very obtuse. Hopefully, in my lifetime that stigma and judgement will end.

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (November 20)

Hello.

We are finally and completely out of the wildfire threats in Oregon. The ones that were close to us are now contained and a lot of the smaller ones have been completely contained. It's sad to hear that more people perished in the fires and the way Talent, Oregon, looks is devastating. I feel so much empathy for the people in Talent that not only lost their house, but also their place of work. During this pandemic it's just heartbreaking to hear the stories of some of these families. Here on our side we are slowly cleaning ash up in random places. Of course, our pool was a casualty of the ash, but we've had to clean out some of our gutters, along parts of the roof, and also along our fence line. It's weird seeing so much ash here. A lot of our plants look dead right now and I hope we didn't lose any of them during this time. We replanted our crabapple before the wildfires happened and we are worried it might not make it because of the smoke blocking the sun. Fingers crossed it pulls through. Here are five things this week.

1. This Memorial.

We still love the fact that we honored Baz in such a public way. He really was a great dog and it's nice to be able to know he is part of us still and we get to see him every time we leave the house and look at the Free Little Library. We have plans to put a lower hook and honor Meia with a "cat hook." And, an even lower one maybe eventually for the ducks.

2. This Spatula.

This wooden spatula is actually a rice spatula, but we have been using it for everything lately. It's USDA organic and made from sustainable bamboo. I picked this one up at Might Nest here.

3. This Rainbow.

It's nice to see glimpses of a rainbow right now, especially after this past summer. There isn't hardly any smoke in the air here in the valley, but the sky has looked different lately until this rainbow came out.

4. This Sticker.

Love it.

5. These Edibles.

I'm starting to like the Drops watermelon jellies. They take the edge off of my anxiety issues and actually help me sleep. These contain 50mg THC and when cut into the appropriate serving size offers a 5mg THC hit. It's a nice replacement to my anxiety medication so far.

I also received the November Kiwi Eco Box this week, too. Since Yogi Surprise came to an end, I found Kiwi Eco Box and so far, I love it! Everything is environmentally friendly, minimal, and simple. You can sign up here!