Life at a "Swell's" pace

Five Simple Things (September 29)

Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This Moment.

Skylar and I always love doing fun, little coloring, or painting things together. Sometimes I find cute coloring pages, or activity books at the checkout lane while waiting. A lot of the ones I find are less than $10 and they are always fun to sit and do together. This one brought back some memories for me. Water color pages with the paint dots already where the color will go. We also found one recently that was a paint by number. It's fun to sit and do together and laugh, and just enjoy the moment with my boy. No matter how old he gets, we will always enjoy spending these moments together creating memories and connection.

2. This Sky.

Summer skies and sunshine always brighten the mood. I've been enjoying the amount of sun I am able to get lately. Hoping I can ride this sunny feeling into the darker days of winter soon to come.

3. This Ride.

Yes, we are those people that always have to ride the kiddie rides when going to the mall. I mean come on, who wouldn't want to ride a rocket in a circle around the middle of the mall?☺

4. These Ducks.

Sweet, little duckies. Mallie (on the right) is sitting on fake eggs, but it makes her feel like she's being a good mommy. And Quappy (on the left) loves to snuggle and hug. Not pictured is Fern. They all three have their different personalities and we love them so much. Ducks make great pets, but they are a lot of work. The work doesn't take away from the fun, though.

5. This Kitty.

There is only one or one hundred with her. Never an in-between. When she is calm and collected she is such a loving kitty, but when she's at 100...wow! It sounds like a heard of elephants running up and down the stairs. Positive is, I guess she's getting her exercise.☺

One last thing:

A panoramic view of the old mill site that used to be home to Willamette Industries. The college (Western University of Health Sciences) recently purchased the land and we are eager to see what comes of this old historic site.

Positive Affirmations This Week:

Print this off, write them down, remind yourself every day of how important you are.

You can do this!🌈

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (September 22)

Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This Apple.

I learned this week that September 15 each year is International Dot Day. It started when Terry Shay introduced his Iowa classroom to Peter H. Reynolds’ book The Dot on September 15, 2009. He started Dot Day to celebrate everyone's creativity, individuality, and art. This apple is my contribution.

In memory of Terry Shay (August 6,1964 - September 28, 2023)

[edited to add Terry Shay's date of death]

2. These Gifts.

We celebrated Jeff's birthday this week on Saturday the sixteenth. He turned 51 and we surprised him with cupcakes, gifts and cards. He had a good day.

3. This Kitty.

Always watching...♥

4. This Window.

I love waking up and seeing the sun. Lately my mental health issues have caused my depression to peak, but having the sun out and going outside to sit in the sun, helps a lot. Just sitting and soaking in some sunshine keeps my depression and PTSD at bay just a little bit, so anytime the sun is out, I try to get at least 30 minutes to an hour of sunshine on my face and body.

5. This Doggie.

He hasn't been feeling his best, but we are giving him all the loves. He turns 15 this year, so we are hoping he gets to feeling better and back to his hyper self. Hardy is a great dog and although we hate that he was abused before us, we are giving him the best life he could have.♥

One last thing:

A quick map key to where foods come from. As you can see from the map, the United States depends a lot on other countries to provide us with the fruits and vegetables we eat daily. Something to think about next November when you cast your vote.

Positive affirmations this week:

The saying stands true, "If it's something that you can't control, don't let it consume you." Things you can't control would include, how other people act, what other people do with their time, how much people make, what people think about you, what others say, etc. If any of those examples bother you, reach out and speak to someone about it. Work on not letting what other people are doing, saying, or feeling affect your day to day life. And also, it is not your job, or your requirement to get people to love you. All your job is, is to put yourself into the world and those that are meant to be for you will find you, and they will absolutely love you for you. But don't forget, to love yourself first.

You can do this! 🌈

Have a nice weekend.

Tomato Cucumber Salad

With the end of the summer season coming to a close, it's about the time of year where I figure out how to use the remaining tomatoes and cucumbers from the garden. One of the quick and easy recipes I've come up with the last two years is a tomato and cucumber salad. It's a delicious and healthy way to incorporate a few vegetables, especially if you're needing to use several at once that could possibly go bad before using them for individual dishes. The best part of having a garden in your own backyard is being able to walk outside and get whatever you need for a certain dish.

This year's garden we grew tomatoes (cherry, Roma, and beefsteak), cucumbers, nasturtium, pumpkins, zucchini, yellow squash, onion (red and yellow), watermelon, butter lettuce, cabbage, and peas. We had good results from a few crops, but others not-so-much. We have come to the conclusion that they aren't getting enough sun each summer. So, we are going to move some things around next growing season.

Our tomatoes and cucumbers did well and with that overabundance, I created this summery dish. Here's how it's made.

Four to five medium to large tomatoes (any kind), diced into bite-sized pieces
Four to five small to medium cucumbers, sliced and then cut in half
Black olives, whole, cut in half
Three to four pickles, diced small
Four to five tablespoons olive oil
Splash of vinegar, to taste
Two tablespoons Italian seasoning
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Add everything to a large dish and toss. Refrigerate for up to 30 minutes before serving. Eat right away, or store for up to three days in an air-tight container. It's delicious the following day, too!

Five Simple Things (September 15)

Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This Store.

Found a new antique/vintage store to swoon over. Just look at all of the great finds.

2. This Goodbye.

Another day of classes. His future looks so bright from my point of view.

3. These Items.

I received several packages in the mail this week. The first was the Scrub Daddy Halloween-themed scrub sponges. Looking forward to testing these guys out. I prefer the eco-friendly line from Scrub Daddy, but the Halloween ones are super cute. Next was the dry cat food. It's the Wellness brand and Eleven loved it. We have always used the Wellness wet food, but the dry was new to us. She knocked the bag over and started right in, so definitely going to give the dry food a chance. Mighty Nest sent their Mighty Fix for the month this week, too. The Reel toilet paper is a go in our house after this. The spray is unscented and we are using it in the bathroom on the bus now. Both are great products. The last was parfum Intense and elixir de parfum of the Guilty line from Gucci. Liked them both, but enjoyed the elixir more.

Disclaimer: (Some of these products were sent to me for free testing for my honest feedback)

4. This CBD.

I've been trying different CBD products lately and came across these CBD honey sticks. The CBD content is very low for my tolerance, but the honey was great!☺

5. This Kid.

My little deer.

One last thing:

I've been able to up my running distance more lately. Hoping to hit two miles without stopping before the end of the year.

Positive affirmations this week:

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (September 8)

Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. These surprises.

We have a cross-country trip planned for April of next year and we are eager to go. We are taking the school bus on her first long distance trip the United States and hoping to arrive by April 8, to see the Solar Eclipse. We are hoping to spend as much time as we can on the way down to sightsee and one place in particular is my birthplace, Price, Utah. We are excited to see a lot of great areas. We are going a northern route down and a southern route back, and visiting my family in Oklahoma and in Arkansas along the way. My dad sent me these posters and postcards this week and I was so excited to receive them. I am hoping to frame them and keep them as a memento in our house here in Oregon, and future homes. It was such a nice surprise.

2. This lunch.

Skylar and I spent a day outside eating lunch in our hammocks this week. We miss our Adirondack chairs a lot, but the hammocks make up for it a little. We made sandwiches and had a banana, but the best part was eating blueberries off of our own blueberry bushes. Spending time with him is something I enjoy so much. He is such a great person to sit and talk with.

3. These turkeys.

The turkeys that roam around our city gave us a visit one morning this week. They were looking for a place to roost and were scoping our the Hawthorn Trees in front of our house. I didn't know they were visiting, until I opened the door and they were right there. I think they scared me more than I scared them. They ended up moving along, but it was neat to see them.

4. These guys.

Taking Skylar to school and Jeff to work this week has been kind of somber. I watch them walk all the way out of sight before I leave. It has been an interesting week, but it has been nice taking them to their destinations and picking them up. A lot of time to talk and see what's new with both of them.

5. This dinner.

We tried an experiment this week with Panko breading and BBQ sauce. We took chicken legs and covered them with olive oil, salt and pepper, and rolled them in Panko breading. We laid them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, and drizzled on BBQ sauce. Baked them in the oven and they were fantastic! A simple, yet effective dinner.

One last thing:

We had to say goodbye to our longtime great washer and dryer this week. This "Once Last Thing" post is a bit picture heavy, but it was really hard to let it go. We have had this set since we moved from Arkansas and it has been such a great pair. It is really hard for me to let go of large appliances, especially when they have been so loyal. We ended up getting the same brand this go around, and a top-load washer, as well. I looked at so many for several days and decided I wanted to stick with top-load over front-load, because the reviews of the front-load washers were not that great, for any brand. Top-load gets the clothes cleaner, puts out more water for larger loads, doesn't have a rubber gasket that leads to mold and mildew, and best of all, it reminds me of my old one with an agitator. The washing machine and dryer we got was this set here. And of course, I used the samples that came in the washing machine. The scent beads are not my thing, because I don't do well with heavily scented things, but it was fun to use once. We washed towels and bedding with the sample and you could smell them from across the house the scent is so strong with those brands. ☺

Positive affirmations this week:

If this week wasn't your week, don't worry, you get to try again next week. Use this weekend to think of how you felt this week, write it down, and release it. The best thing about getting through a bad week is the fact that it is only temporary and it won't last long. You can do this! 🌈