Life at a "Swell's" pace

Five Simple Things (March 15)

Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This cleaner.

This Mighty Nest Mighty Fix was a new one for me. I've seen toilet cleaner that are sheets of cleaner in a concentrated form, but I've never used them. Tru Earth is such a great brand, too. I am pleasantly surprised at how well this worked. I will definitely be purchasing more from Mighty Nest in the near future.

2. This chocolate.

Dr. Bronner's always has a great message to spread on all of their products. And FYI, this chocolate is amazing!

3. This kid.

He takes his test today to graduate with his GED and we couldn't be prouder of him. After this he will begin his first year of college. Things are moving in his favor and we are here to support him every step of the way!♥

4. This food.

Tacos and waffles. The best breakfast and dinner always.

5. These powders.

A new delivery this week to supplement my supply. Your Super has some of the best super greens and health powders. I highly recommend them all, but the Magic Mushroom powder is amazing!

One last thing:

This waffle maker is always a big hit around Valentine's Day, but we love to break it out on random occasions and make heart-shaped anything. Waffles, eggs, hash browns, even cookie dough, and brownie mix works great in it. We love it!

DASH Mini Waffle Maker Machine

Positive affirmations this week:

Practice not keeping generational trauma and abuse a cycle with your own children. Letting your own children tell you when you are hurting them with your physical, verbal, or emotional abuse is a step in the right direction. Talking things out before they get to a point where you can't "fix" the damage is something that helps heal family issues. There are a lot of adults that feel they will never be able to heal their past abuse and trauma because they family member that caused it is no longer around. Don't let you cycle of abuse continue without first making an effort to repair it. Love you children more than your ego and pride.

You can do this!🌈

Have a nice day.

Five Simple Things (March 8)

Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This plant.

Keeping it contained to a flowerbed was the best decision. This is a Prunus laurocerasus ‘Novita’ and when kept trimmed back it makes a great shrub for blocking, but it left to grow, it will take over. It would work great as a privacy shrub to block a neighbor, or bordering a shared fence.

2. This weather.

We have been having some interesting weather here in the Willamette Valley.

3. This city.

Portland, we love you.

4. This kitty.

Silly little kitty, but a nice distraction while getting our taxes in order.

5. This strain.

I currently take CBD once a day and I found these this week from the same brand. With THC products being legal in the state of Oregon, it's nice to have options that pack a stronger punch for anxiety and PTSD. Each gummy is 10mg and the flavor isn't too medicinal either. They are a good option for helping relax the mind, especially at night when my mind is rampant.

One last thing:

This is one of the best brands to give you whiter teeth without tearing up your enamel. The entire brand line is great. I highly recommend it. The kit above is the Lumineux Kit includes Whitening Strips, Whitening Pen, Mouthwash, Toothpaste and Toothbrush.

Positive affirmations this week:

Have a nice weekend.

End of February 2024 (1 Second Every Day)

Five Simple Things (March 1)

Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This moon.

The view from this window gives us a feeling of being whole with the phases of the moon. It shines through in such a way that makes us forget the hurt, and negativity of the world. It's a positive mental flush, in a way. It reminds us of how small we all are in this universe and there isn't anything that is out of our control that we need to get upset about, or lose sleep over. We are all going to be okay.

2. These papers.

It's the time of year again.

3. This kid.

He loves trains. Ever since the first time I bought him a wooden Thomas the Train and wooden track he has loved them. I am so happy I gave him that love of trains to get him started. He can tell you about trains from the west coast to the east coast and it's information about them from the front to the back. It's incredibly impressive.

4. This water.

We fill out water bottles every two weeks, and sometimes once a month. We fill them at our local food co-op through a filtered machine inside their building. We have about 10 bottles, three and five gallon. We also have a filtered water machine at home that the bottles fit on. Our water task hopefully is helping us filter out microplastics. I would love if all of our bottles were glass, but we do what we can right now. I recently found out that Mountain Valley Water from my hometown of Hot Springs, Arkansas, also delivers. Possibly a future option for us. Be sure to always chose glass over plastic when we can. The world is full of enough plastics, as it is.

5. This stick.

My go-to right now for dryness on my face and chest in this colder, less humid weather. It is great for under and around the eye moisturizing, too, especially on the go.

cocokind MyMatcha All-over moisturizer stick

*Get 20% off*

One last thing:

Citrus is in season. Stock up now!

Positive affirmations this week:

Try to work on cutting ties with people that don't serve you, or your mental health. It is okay to let go and grow for yourself. If anyone makes you feel like you are less, that's a good sign that they aren't for you. Remember the old saying, if they aren't there to support you in your growth, they shouldn't be the ones there when you succeed and reach your goals.

You can do this!🌈

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (February 23)

Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This place.

A night out is always in order. Dinner at Bo & Vine and ended up at the Beer Place after. A great night.♥

2. This sticker.

Supporting a small business.

3. These spaces.

It's that time of year again where we do a massive downsizing. A lot of things we've parted with we don't miss. We are minimalizing down our house little by little and it feels good. Our garage is about to see an entire redo and the small closet in the hall is going to see a new facelift. More soon...

4. This fill-up.

Yikes... Things are getting a bit expensive lately. Hopefully, this November we get a better leader that can actually relate to the American people. Someone that actually knows what it's like to pump gas, buy groceries, sit down and pay bills, and actually know what it's like to live day to day at a real job.

5. These favorites.

A few of my favorite things I am loving lately.

1. Dermora 24K Gold Under Eye Patches

2. PURE'AM Amino Acid Facial Cleanser

3. Everist Concentrated Shampoo/Conditioner/Body Wash

One last thing:

Still loving my vacuum. I have to say that Miele is the best vacuum cleaner I have ever owned. It's a canister vacuum and the bags and filters definitely make a difference in our home with animals. I am allergic to almost everything; dust, pet danger; molds; pollen, you name it and this vacuum gets it all. You can read more about our Miele Compact Vacuum here, and the AirClean Miele 3D Bags here.

Positive affirmations this week:

Don't forget to take note of the little things in your life. Make it a habit to notice at least one little thing that brings you joy every day.

You can do this!🌈

Have a nice day.

Five Simple Things (February 16)

Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This tree.

I'm still sad over my Paper Birch tree breaking under the ice. I hope the other side stays strong. It was the twin trunks I loved the most. Trees are special to me, so ones that I helped from seed hit me hard. This one I grew from seed, so it's important to me.

2. These clips.

I found this clips this week and I think they are perfect for my papers and the project I'm currently working on. Look under the "shop" tab at the top of the blog soon. Something fun is in the works.

3. This service.

I love this company name and logo.

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,

Nothing is going to get better. It's not.”

― Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

4. This building.

Skylar's time at this college is limited, but I have enjoyed sharing this time for him.

5. This lunch.

We tried In N Out Burger this week. We had tried it once before in Medford, Oregon, and it didn't taste that great to us. A location opened up in Salem, Oregon, and we gave it another try. This time it wasn't that bad, but we aren't big fast food eaters, so this was definitely food we wouldn't normally eat. It always gets me when fast food restaurants give extra salt to an already salty meal. Of course, salt isn't the enemy in the American diet, it's the sugar combined with the salt. Take note of that for future reference. ☺

One last thing: