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!

Have a nice weekend.

Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This Animals.

Hardy is getting older, but still that spunky, little fun dog he has always been. I like when he cuddles, though. He is such a great little doggy. And, Eleven is turning five in nine days, but she's still in kitten mode and sprints around the house and up and down the stairs at all hours of the day. Yet, she sleeps about 12 of those hours, so it all equals out.☺

2. This Game.

This game is a lot of fun and very similar to Dungeons & Dragons. We have now been playing it for about a week and it will continue for a few more weeks, at least. Definitely an adventurous game and we are enjoying it a lot, because it reminds us of so many places we have been here in Oregon. One being Haystack Rock below. It's cook to play a game and know exactly where they are referencing. You can get this game for yourself here.

3. These Grapes.

Not sure how the red grape got into the bunch, but it was sweetest of the whole group.

4. This Grinch.

Lots of Christmas decorations are going up and this one caught my eye this week. I added a dangling ornament to his hand when I posted it on my Instagram story. We have plans to create a fun Christmas display in our yard this year, I look forward to sharing that on here soon.

Here's another one that is clever. When you don't know what to do with your Halloween decorations, throw a Christmas hat on it. Ha!

5. This Sign.

Burger King has had this message on their sign for awhile now and it's always nice to see. Positive messages on fast food signs should be the norm, in my opinion.

One more thing:

Goodbyes are always hard. He has been around me all of his life, and we are very close, so saying goodbye is never easy for either one of us.

One last thing:

Recently found these cookie cutters and rolling pin at Target and I can't wait to use them soon.

Positive affirmations this week:

Since we are coming off the week of Thanksgiving, what is one thing that you are truly grateful for today that you didn't have a year ago, or even something you are grateful for that you didn't have even a month ago. Showing and having gratitude weekly, daily, or even yearly, shows us how much we really have that we don't see change on a daily basis. Being grateful makes you a better person in seeing the good over the bad. Practice it yourself, or make the change to find something to be grateful for each day in the coming year. You can do this!