Picnic-Style Potato Salad

 One thing is certain in our house and that's the fact that everyone in this house loves potato salad. But not just any potato salad, it has to be made right. There's a lot of different versions out there, but this version is by far, our favorite. And it's easy to make, which is a plus. I hate cooking, baking, all of it. I can't stand being in the kitchen longer than 10 minutes making anything to eat. So, the easier the recipe, the better. You're going to love this potato salad, and the best part is, you can add anything to it that your own family loves. Here's how it's made.

Ingredients:

• 5 red potatoes (this recipe can be double, or tripled, just work in single recipe batches)
• 2 hard-boiled eggs
• 1/4 cup dill pickles
• 1 green onion
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons green onion dip mix
• 2 1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar (or less to taste)
• 3/4 cup minced parsley
• 3/4 cup mustard (or less to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper 

Boil potatoes for about 10-15 minutes. Drain and cool to at least room temperature. Chop into medium to small chunks, size depends on your preference. Chop hard-boiled eggs, pickles, and green onions. Rough chop the eggs, dice the pickles into small pieces, and chop the green onions into smaller pieces. Combine pickles, onions, mayonnaise, dip mix, vinegar, parsley, mustard, salt, and pepper together into a large bowl. If making a double batch, or triple batch, mix everything in separate bowls for each recipe. Add chopped potatoes to mixture and toss, then add eggs last. Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

Enjoy!

 

Five Simple Things (March 3)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This Snow.

The Willamette Valley got another light dusting of snowfall this week and the little feet prints across the lawn were just too cute not to share. From tiny Chickadee feet to large Quappy Duck feet, I just love it!

2. This Sandwich.

Shout-out to our local food co-op (First Alternative) for making the absolute best sandwiches. Nothing beats them!

3. This Before/After.

We recently downsized our main closet and ended up giving it a complete overhaul. This house is over 80 years old and a lot of the original built-ins and hardware still remain. We've tried our best to seek out period lighting, metals, and items that would have been put into homes back in that time. Unfortunately this house caught fire in the 80s, so we aren't sure exactly what was replaced during that time, but going back to when we "think" what would have been in the house during the 1930s has been a lot of fun. 

The first task was to remove everything from the closet and give it a good wash. Dust collects in this house quite easily, because the seals around the house need to be redone, but we do our best to keep the dust at bay by doing a weekly and thorough cleaning. It's become part of our weekly routine now. While cleaning out the closet, even though there's a lot of light in the area, Skylar put on a headlamp to really get into the dark corners of the closet.☺

Once everything was out and the closet was thoroughly cleaned, we began patching up holes and using plaster for other areas that haven't seen love in a very long time.

When we finished the patching and plastering, we then brainstormed what to do next. We decided to pull up the linoleum someone had laid at one point on the bottom of the closet and replace that area with clean plywood and sand it down to fit the bottom of the closet floor. We also scraped and sanded the back of the closet where the lower shelf meets the back of the closet wall. At one point someone had taken spray foam and sealed that area up. We scraped all of that away and replaced it with a bead of caulking, plaster, and a coat of primer.

We went with two different paint colors. For the back walls and the shelves we used Scandinavian Minimalist Line at Lowe's in the color of Morning Fog. For the trim, border, and surrounding walls we used the Industrial Refresh Line at Lowe's in the color of Greek Villa. We loved how it turned out and we have even incorporated the Morning Fog color, which I immediately fell in love with, throughout the rest of the house. We painted the open squares on the door leading to the room with the build-in closet, and are working on painting all the frames of the doorways with the same color. There is also a nook near the staircase that will get a fresh coat of Morning Fog, as well.

4. This Kitty.

When I lay down in the evenings and get situated, I can always count on Eleven to come and seek me out to lay down with me. She has become really attached to me since my surgery in 2020. It's odd how she didn't have much to do with me until she knew I was hurting and "sick." I love how she's opened up to me and shows her affection now. We really bonded over the almost six months it took me to recover. Now she follows me around and watches me to make sure I'm okay.

5. These Shipments.

These two shipments came this week and I always love getting mail, even as an adult. First was the Might Fix for this month. This little Fruit Buddy goes over fruits to help protect them from moisture and to help them last longer. It's the cutest thing over an avocado in the refrigerator. You can try Mighty Nest for free here. It's a great addition each month to help you switch your home to be more sustainable. 

The next box that came was our shipment from Misfits Market. We love this grocery subscription. When we are pressed for time and can't fit in a trip to the grocery store for pantry staples, it's a great way to help us out in a pinch. This month as be hectic and this week alone has been extremely busy, so this shipment has really come in handy. They have organic options that we love since going completely organic in our home. As you can see from the picture above, this haul was a good one! You can sign up here and get 10% off your first order from us.

One last thing:

With all the snow falling lately it's important to know how to make the perfect snowball, right? Per the instructions below, and the help of Elf, it's good information to have on hand. It's also the time of year where snow skiing picks up and ski etiquette is a good lesson to learn, as well. Both of these illustrations are from the ever so informative site The Art of Manliness. It's not just for men anymore. 

Positive affirmations this week:

Just a reminder, it's always better to check on someone than not. This is your reminder to give someone a call, or text that needs to be check up on. Always reach out to those that can't reach out for themselves. If you yourself are struggling, please reach out for help. My email address is in the "About" section on my blog. I am here, too. Let's keep each other afloat.♥

Have a nice weekend.

End of February 2023 (1 Second Every Day)

 

Our Cancer Scare

 A few years ago Skylar had a lump suddenly appear on his chest, like right in the middle between his rib bones. It was such an odd lump that we initially thought he might have been hit in the chest somehow and it was a scar. He has played baseball and been hit in the chest, as well as karate and there's been many times where he was hit in the chest by random pop flies, or Bahng Mahng Ee during combat with Taekwondo. Skip ahead several years to now. He started complaining of the spot around Christmas last year, saying how it was hurting him sometimes when he was in the shower, or barely bumping it putting his clothes on. I told him to let us know immediately if it started hurting worse and last week it did. It was hurting him so much so that he would tear up at the pain. Jeff made at appointment at a dermatologist right away and this week they were able to get him in for an evaluation. 

During his evaluation we learned that the lump was actually a cyst that needed to be removed. Of course that was the easy part to understand, the hard part was that the tissue needed to be tested to make sure it wasn't cancerous. His evaluation took place the day before Valentine's Day, so the office iguana was all dressed for the holiday and it was a nice thing to see during our stressful time there.

His next appointment to remove the cyst took place 15 days later and Skylar was nervous and so were we. I hate to see my baby in any sort of pain and the anxiety we all had was pretty high. We knew this was a routine biopsy, but this was our first time going through something like this. Skylar brought the stuffed "Swells" dog that we all take to serious operations or procedures for comfort. It does help when something familiar is near you, or in your arms. I used the same thing during my breast surgery in 2020.

The dermatologist numbed the area and cut open the area and removed the mass in a matter of 10 minutes. He cauterized the area and sewed it up and quickly as he removed it. The mass was a lot larger than we all expected and I couldn't help but cry watching Skylar go through all of that. It still is a bit emotional for us. Next we wait on the results to see if there's any cancer cells. Our hearts are still heavy.

We are just glad the first part is done and we can focus on positive thoughts until the results come in. We decided that we are not going to react until we get the results. We have high hopes that it will be negative, so we are focusing on good things right now. The iguana in the office was all dressed for Saint Patrick's Day coming up, too. So again, that was a nice distraction for us again.

When we got home I had made Skylar's favorite apple pie and it was waiting on him to enjoy. Jeff and I also got him all his favorite foods and drinks and he will be taken care of 100%. He said his chest is sore and burns a little, but overall he is tired. He has been sleeping a lot and we make sure he is comfortable while he heals.