Life at a "Swell's" pace

Five Simple Things (August 13)

Hello.

The smoke this week from the Middle Fork Complex Fire in Oakridge, Oregon, has been causing a bit of a smoke screen here in the parts of the Valley where we are. It started by lightning and the smoke has been heavy at times this week. We do get a bit of breeze to blow it away some, but overall I'm just thinking summers here are now just going to have some wildfire smoke during the season. I just hope no fires get close to us like they did last year. Along with the dry heat here we've been running our water sprinkler nonstop, it seems. Not just this week, but several weeks now. We are seeing less "crunchy" grass in the front of the house, especially. We have also been watering the sunflowers and pumpkin plants during the watering time in the evenings. We only planted sunflowers and pumpkins this year, because last year we last every single plant we had in the garden due to the wildfire smoke and ash. We also lost our crabapple tree in the process, too. So, this year we kept it simple just in case. Our air conditioner has been going nonstop, too, and I hate that we've had to depend on it so much this week. We are thinking of investing in some more eco-friendly air conditioner options for next year and we've been looking at this one, and this one. I like how minimal they look and seem to "blend in" with your décor and walls. Right now, we have this one. But, it worked overtime this year and having something less awkward, that could do the job for less work, would be great. Here are five things this week.

1. This Lunch.

Being part of the IKEA Family we always get a discount and lunch for our birthday. We needed a few things, so it seemed like a great time to go and enjoy lunch, pick up what we needed, and enjoy the day. We love eating lunch at IKEA and the view is always great!

2. This Appreciation.

I opened up on an Instagram post of Komuso Design and they ended up sharing it openly with their followers. My Shift necklace I received as a Mother's Day gift and I've been using it regularly since that day. I am beyond flattered that my story got shared with their followers and I hope it helps someone else, too.

3. This Doggie.

Hardy is such a wonderful dog. The older he gets the more he makes us laugh. We moved the duck house this week to another part of the yard and the ducks aren't quite adapted to the change yet, but Hardy helps gather them up and put them in at night. He is getting good at corralling them when we need help. Min Pins are great dogs to teach responsibilities too and they actually thrive better at having tasks. Smart dogs and they know when and where to help when needed.

4. This Wool.

I ordered these wool dryer balls from Exactly Zero. I received a stick of their laundry stick in a past Kiwi Eco Box and loved it. Although we have white dryer balls already, I loved these gray ones. If you haven't tried anything from Exactly Zero, give them a go. The St. Louis, Missouri-based company was started by Michael and Charlotte Fritzius because of a cancer scare with Michael in 2012. Since that time they have been creating products that don't have health consequences after long-term use. Although their wool dryer balls are sold out, they have a lot of great, eco-friendly items that are just as awesome.

5. This Devil.

Dirt devils here in Oregon are one of my most favorite things to see. I've seen so many of them since moving here. This one was one of the bigger, longer-lasting ones that we've seen in awhile.

Did you catch the moon near Venus this week (10), or Perseids Meteor Shower (12)?

Positive affirmations this week:

No matter what you do for a living, a hobby, your opinions on topics, how you wear your hair, or live your life, you're going to have people that hate something, or all aspects of that. It can drag you down if you let it. For years I've had these feelings drag me down and destroy the small amounts of confidence that I have. But, the best thing I did for myself was know that, no matter how many people there may be that want to reflect hate onto you for your life, there are so many more that will support and tell you positive things. Focus on these positives over the negatives and hate. These are going to be your most loyal supporters and are the ones you can lean on when things get hard. Most of the time people that show hate towards you, or negatives, are projections of their own insecurities and fear of doing what you're doing. Thinking of these negatives and hate in a way that isn't about you, but about them helps navigate through them. Don't let these people ever take the wind out of your sails and listen to those loyal supporters that just want to see you succeed.

Have a great weekend and happy Friday the 13th.

Abeego Food Wrap

Surely, by now, you've heard of the different forms of beeswax wraps for your food and other items. But, have you heard of Abeego? They have such cute designs and varieties and for a limited time they are offering a sample of their beeswax warps for free. It's a small size that will handle an avocado, half a lemon slice, or even a stack of crackers. I like to take the beeswax wrap and cut them into smaller squares and use them to wrap around our toothbrush heads, or cut them into strips and use them to coral pencils together, or silverware for a picnic. The possibilities are really endless with these beeswax wraps. The best part about them, when they have reached their end of use lifecycle, you can add them to your compost, or use them as a makeshift lighting tool for a campfire or fire pit during a get together. You can use code (EVERYDAYECOABEEGO) to try the small size and then give feedback here on the blog, or on their site about what you think of their beeswax wraps. I guarantee you'll be wanting more. I have every size and shape of beeswax wraps and because of them we have completely cut out cling wrap, or any type of plastic wrap for over two years now. They really do work great and keep food fresh and safe just the same as plastic. We use them for our road trips and while traveling, too, and we just love them. Give them a try! And, right now they are offering free shipping on all US orders. Check out their giant Abeego for bagging breads and other large items.

TAKE THE AVOCADO CHALLENGE WITH YOUR NEW WRAP:

1. Slice your avocado in half and wrap in Abeego with the pit still in place.
2. Place in the fridge, pit side up.
3. Wait three days, then unwrap. How does it look? Taste? Smell? Feel? How is it different than other halved avocados you've pulled out of the fridge? If you're keen to push the boundaries, wrap it back up and keep going.
4. Show off your avocado. Share your avocado results online and take @abeego and #BetterWithAbeego

AFTER 10 DAYS (with pit in):

Five Simple Things (August 6)

Hello.

This week was a slow week. We ended up trying a new dog shampoo on Hardy and so far so good. I will link more information about it below as part of the five this week. It's less abrasive and the best part is, Hardy seems to enjoy baths more now and he even jumps into the bathtub on his own when we say, "Come on." With his past trauma, this is a huge step for him, so we praised him a lot. We also took this week to study a lot in science and do a few experiments in the RVRS homeschool classroom. I love science and I try my best to make it fun to learn for Skylar. He enjoyed the experiments we did and even Jeff was impressed with them. You can check them out here on our homeschool classroom blog.

1. This Company.

While shopping at Whole Foods this week I saw this produce box and couldn't help but love it. It's a mix between the future and the past. Next time you're in Whole Foods look under the produce tables and check out all of the different and cool produce boxes they have on display. There's so many and I am sure one of them will delight you just like this one did for me.

2. This Lunch.

I've literally been eating organic pot stickers and organic Brew Dr. Love kombucha all week for lunch. I love these two things a lot and the Love flavor is the Pride Edition. I got the organic pot stickers in a large bag at Costco and my "soy sauce" is Liquid Aminos. Great lunch options, if you're looking for new lunch ideas.

3. This Meal.

Baked tofu and vegan cheese was a dinner option this week. Breaded and baked tofu is a snap to make and this vegan cheese is amazing! It's from Whole Flower Farms and it's local.

4. This Bath.

During the summer months Hardy likes to roll and lay in the dirt, so he seems to get more baths during this time than in the autumn or winter season. We've tried a lot of different dog and cat shampoos and we've finally found a favorite. This Pet Magic Shampoo smells great and actually works. It's a natural way of cleaning Hardy's coat that won't make him sick, or be an overwhelming smell that affects our sinuses for days afterwards.

5. These Maps.

Since the first of the year I've been using Lysol Germ-Cast App to track progression of the Coronavirus outbreak and have been using it since the variants have made an appearance. I've also been watching the county where my immediate relatives live, too. It's incredible watching the numbers rise every day. We still wear masks and will continue to wear them. As an introvert and someone with social and generalized anxiety I wouldn't mind wearing a mask for the rest of my life. But, that aside, this app is great at seeing exactly where the rise in numbers are and also with the flu. With the Autumn season coming, it makes it nice to be able to check out if your area is high in number of flu cases. It even lets you check areas where you plan on traveling, and gives tips on how to clean and get rid of germs in your everyday life, too. It's available on Apple and Google Play.

Did you catch the view of Saturn this week (2), or the Perseids Meteor Shower (6)?