A Few IKEA Favorites

 Recently we've done a few shopping trips at IKEA for things for the bus, and while we are there we happen to come across some items on sale. These items were also part of our IKEA master list we keep, so we promptly grabbed them up. Here are a few of those items lately. 

(And of course, Skylar loves putting them all together!)

Five Simple Things (March 17)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This Kitty.

Enjoying the sunshine that we've had a few days this week.

2. These Ducks.

The ducks even enjoyed the sun this week. It's nice to be able to sit outside and watch the sucks running around and just hang out with Skylar and soak in the warmth. Daily sunshine is good for mental health issues, so every little bit helps.

3. This Chocolate.

The absolute best chocolate in the world, in our opinion. If you like Snicker's, but hate the awful ingredients, try the Fran's Park Bar. If you like dark chocolate with a mix of Snicker's and Mr. Goodbar then try the Fran's Almond Gold Bar.

4. This Purchase.

Skylar and I took a quick trip up to IKEA this week to get a few things for the bus. We are slowly bringing things together on the bus. IKEA items and ideas have really helped us a great deal with making it more into an RV. It's been a lot of fun, too. Skylar and I always grab a bite to eat while we're at IKEA and this day they were serving strawberry cheesecake. And of course we had to try it.

5. This Package.

Always have enjoyed the cheerfulness of our Amazon drivers. Some of them really make my day brighter. This particular package made it that much better. Always be kind to the people that offer a service to you. That goes for delivery drivers, mail carriers, waiters/waitresses, fast food workers, checkers, etc. Kindness is free, don't be a dick.

One last thing:

Again, another moment of enjoying this week's sunny days.

Positive affirmations this week:

And, you should be proud of you, too. You can do this! 🌈

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (March 10)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This Weather.

The above pictures all happened on March 8. We got a large amount of sleet early in the morning and it sleeted off and on until around noon, to which a rainbow appeared shortly after and the sun stayed out for another few hours. It was unusual, but it seems to be the norm in this area now. After the March 8 weather, on March 10, which is below, we had a little bit of snow in the morning and then the rest of the day we got a large amount of snow that fell in a short bursts throughout the day. 

 

 

Skylar and I love to always see the snow coming down. We are like the delightful little kids running out to play without a care in the world when the snow starts to fall. It was not only a beautiful sight, it was also neat to see it falling at random times throughout the night.

2. This Moment.

 

My humidifier created some ambiance against my vintage lamp one night this week and I just loved how it looked. I love old history, and this moment sort of made me feel like I had gone back in time for a brief moment.

3. This Kitty.

She's always up to something that makes us laugh. If it's not her laying on the television area, to sleeping, to exploring her grass/water station, she's always doing something to make us smile. We just love her so much. With having Meia gone, we are glad to have another great cat helping fill that void from time to time. Meia's absence, as well as Milo's, is always felt, but Eleven makes that hole just a bit less painful with her personality.

4. This Box.

Another great hit from Kiwi Eco Box this month. Love these colored pencils, candle, and Eco Hero Handbook. Looking forward to utilizing everything in this month's box! You can sign up for the April box here and get $5 off.

5. These Washes.

Loving these Necessaire body washes. Skylar and I absolutely love the eucalyptus scent, and the bergamot is a close second, for sure. Definitely recommend these products. Necessaire also sells body lotions with the same scents, and unscented, and they are top notch! You can try the Eucalyptus here and the Bergamot here. You'll love them!

One last thing:

Lately we have not been feeling 100%, so this week a made a homemade immunity shot and we drank one ounce of it a day all this week and we are feeling a lot better. This is something I am going to start making each Sunday, so we have a shot every day for a week, especially when the weather turns colder and more people seem to be getting sick. This season, knock on wood, we haven't had any sickness pass through us, but it's always better to be prepared. Here's how it's made.

Turmeric Immunity Shot:

• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons ginger (chopped)
• 1 orange (chopped)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 lemons (chopped)
• 1 tablespoon turmeric

Pulse everything for 20-30 seconds in a food processor, or blender. I use a blender with a metal drive and it works great to grind everything up. Strain through cheese cloth and pour into individual two ounce bottles.(I use these) Store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. Drink an ounce to two ounces a day, which is about a shot glass size. If you don't use the one ounce containers you can store all of it in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and just pour a shot glass size every day instead. 

 

Positive affirmations this week:

Unfortunately, when you start to get better, you're also going to get really sad. The hard truth of getting better means revisiting things we aren't comfortable with. During my therapy sessions there's many times I had to stop to reposition my mind in order to be able to talk about the hard things. One incident in particular took me almost three months to completely get my feelings, trauma, and emotional state out, because it was hard for me to get past the sadness. Overall, it's something that has to happen and it's the worst part of therapy. A positive with it is that once we get past the sadness you start to get better. It's true and it's such a wonderful feeling getting past that sadness. You can do this! You can get better! You are going to be okay! We are broken for a moment, but then repaired for a lifetime. Remember, you aren't your trauma. It happened to you, it doesn't define you and you are strong! ♥

Have a nice weekend.

Chocolate Chip Cookies Five Ways

Nothing is more comforting in our house than a warm chocolate chip cookie straight from the oven. I have about 20 different ways to make chocolate chip cookies, but these five are our most loved. 

#1 •Coconut-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies:

2/3 cup butter, room temperature

2/3 cup coconut oil, solid

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

Cream together until light in color and "fluffy"

2 eggs (add one at a time)

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix until well combined

In a separate bowl:

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups rolled oats

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

Add dry to wet

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes

(Makes three dozen)

***

#2 Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies:

1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 cubes butter

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup cocoa

2 tbs. honey

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

2 cups rolled oats

2 cups vanilla chips

Cream sugar, honey, butter, eggs, and

vanilla together until light in color.

Sift dry ingredients together until combined.

Add vanilla chips and drop by tablespoonfuls.

Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

(Makes three dozen)

***

#3 Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies:

2 cups butter

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

5 eggs

5 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 package chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.

Add vanilla and eggs. Beat well.

Add dry ingredients together and add to 

butter mixture. Add chocolate chips and mix 

to incorporate. Drop by teaspoonfuls and 

bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Of course, all of these recipes are a bit different, but give the same result of a chocolate chip cookie. Bake all of them at random times and find out which one is your favorite. The quality of ingredients are important here with these recipes. Keep in mind, when you use lesser quality ingredients you will get a lesser quality cookie. We eat only organic in our household, and your tastes are geared towards what you eat on a regular basis. If you are not completely organic, change one ingredients in your recipes at a time when you cook or bake and eventually you'll be using all organic for certain recipes. Try on of these chocolate chip cookie recipes with all organic and see how you like it.

#4 Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line two baking 

sheets with parchment paper.

Cream butter until smooth and add peanut butter,

and both sugars, beat well until combined.

Add eggs and beat well. Mix dry ingredients together.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients gradually until combined.

Stir in chocolate chips by hand. Scoop small portions onto sheet.

Bake 15 minutes until just firm around edges. Don't overbake.

(Makes two dozen)

***

#5 Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies:

3 1/2 cups flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 sticks melted and cooled butter

1 1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

1 tbsp. vanilla

2 cups chocolate disks

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat butter and sugars until fluffy.

Add eggs, and egg yolks. Combine after each addition, but do not

over mix. Add vanilla. Combine all dry ingredients until combined and 

add dry to wet mix and mix well. Add in chocolate disks by hand.

Bake about 10 minutes until edges are just golden in color.

And lastly, since we can all admit that we eat some of the cookie dough before it reaches the oven, here's a better version of cookie dough that won't have the potential to possibly make you sick.

Edible Cookie Dough:

1/2 cup melted butter, cooled

1 tsp. vanilla

2/3 cups water

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

2 1/2 cups (heat-treated flour)*

1-2 cups chocolate chips (depending on taste)

Combine melted butter, vanilla, water, and 

sugar until smooth. Add salt and flour to mix.

Mix thoroughly before adding chocolate chips.

Eat right away, or refrigerate for up to three

days. Try freezing into balls and dip in

melted chocolate.

*How to make heat-treated flour:

Heat by one cup at a time in microwave.

30 minutes at a time, stirring between,

Make sure the flour reaches 165-170 degrees

before removing. Or, place in oven at 300 degrees.

Spread evenly on a cookie sheet and bake for about

five minutes. Check the flour in several places

to make sure it has reached 165 degrees.

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!