We've taken up the trend of growing avocado trees from seed. We have been saving our avocado seeds throughout the year and trying our best to get them to root. We've has a bit of success and therefore we've planted them in small pots and then combined them into a large pot all together. They've struggled a bit, but they are growing. We haven't read about how long it takes for them to grow larger, but for now we are happy with what we've created. The plants currently share a pot with some ginger found in the back of our refrigerator a few months ago. Waiting to see what happens with that, as well.
There's different way to get them to root, but I've always found that the toothpick balanced on the top of a glass has worked best for us.
I like to wait until there's a good group of roots showing and a small sprout coming from the seed before transferring them to soil.
These are the plants that the seeds above created. This is about a year's worth of growing. There is ginger in the pot with these, but overall there's definite success with the seeds. It's kind of satisfying to know that you can eat the avocados and with a little patience allow it to continue on with life. Everything in this world has a purpose, and I feel that sometimes giving other living things a chance to continue on living, is a great way to appreciate life on a different scale.
Sugar cookies are one of the first things I learned to bake once I was out on my own. But having to ice them and decorate them, is mostly something for holidays and special occasions, unless you have the time and patience. Just having a simple sugar cookie on any day of the year, or even just a quick cookie to take somewhere, or to eat on throughout the week, is something a lot of us enjoy. Sugar cookies, just baked and left by themselves, is such a simple cookie to mix together. The key to these easy sugar cookies is to roll them in sugar before baking, without the hassle of cookie cutters, or icing. Here is my version of "Easy Sugar Cookies" that you can make any time of the year. And the best part, they're soft.
Here's how to make these easy, soft sugar cookies:
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking power
3/4 tsp. sea salt
2 sticks butter, softened
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
Mix dry ingredients together and set aside. Using a stand mixer, mix wet ingredients together starting with the butter. Combine butter and sugar, and add the eggs. Combine dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix well. Form into balls, about two tablespoons for each ball. Roll in granulated sugar, or colored sprinkles, flatten just slightly and lay on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for about 30-45 minutes, or freeze at this point to bake later.
Bake for 12-16 minutes at 350 degrees.
I would add to allow them to cool before eating, but nothing is better than a warm sugar cookie straight from the oven, so enjoy!
We haven't been to this golf course before, but passing it almost daily we decided to check it out. Jeff has been here before, but it was a first for Skylar and me. It's located in Corvallis, and called Golf City Par-3 and there are only nine holes and with the trees and mounds it was a test of skills, for sure. We had a great day, even though it was wet. It started raining when we reached the ninth hole, but we finished before it started coming down hard. We may revisit this course in the drier months, but definitely more of a challenge when it's wet ground and raining. Side note: If you're afraid of squirrels this place is not for you.☺
These have saved us on many occasions and they got a workout this week. We have been spending a lot more time outside and keeping the flying bugs away has previously been a challenge. These bug repelling fans came in clutch all week. By the way, having breakfast outside in the morning is something I highly recommend. We found these two at Costco, but I also ordered these this week, so that we will have four total.
4. This setup.
I purchased a new laptop this week. I went with the 17 inch HP touchscreen. My other one, after seven years, finally gave out. I normally keep things for a long time before I replace them. We live in such a throw-away society that replacing electronics seems silly to me. If more people stopped keeping up with trends and just used what they had, there would be less waste in the world, and the price of things would come down. Manufacturers are only keeping up with demand. Making the demand less, causes a lot more good in the long run than people realize. I look forward to learning how this new laptop works and transferring all of my information over. It's a learning process for me, because it has been seven years.
5. This machine.
Every time we shop at Costco we always get water bottles from the machine. We love getting cold water before leaving the store and the Kirkland's brand isn't bad water. But mostly, we enjoy watching the machine dispense the bottles. When the door opens, Skylar likes to pretend he has Jedi powers. Plus, the water machine is one place that there aren't any people at most of the time, too. ☺
One last thing:
This Brass Dragonfly desk ornament and these Brass Dice, which are a set of two, are now in the shop. Both are made of solid brass and make a great addition to a desk or bookshelf display. The dice have the same configuration of numbers as regular dice and can actually be used to place games that require rolling of dice. The brass dragonfly has legs that it can sit on, or even hang if needed to display. Both of these items are under $15 in the shop right now and make great officer gifts for coworkers, or for yourself. You can check out the rest of the Five Simple Things shop here.
Positive affirmations this week:
Sometimes, adults forget their role in treating others with respect and kindness. Mean girls appear to turn into mean women. It took me many years to realize that the way others treated me had nothing to do with me. I sincerely feel sorry for them. I removed myself from these situations to avoid subjecting myself to their self-sabotage, yet I still wonder if they are happy, or if they are still treating someone else the same way. Unfortunately, many of these people never change. They go through life feeling sad, pathetic, and jealous, and often on the brink of failure. If you are experiencing behavior from people that fall into this category, you are not alone. Kindness within these people is a choice, but so is meanness. They are making a poor choice by treating people unkindly because they do not even have kindness for themselves. This treatment isn't your fault; it's all theirs. Keep reminding yourself of these things each and every time they cause you to second-guess yourself or wonder why they are acting that way. Being a mean girl after high school is a deplorable trait. Let's hope that one day they see how self-destructive it really is to themselves.
Life at a "Swell's" pace is a lifestyle and travel blog chronicling the life and travels while living in Oregon's beautiful Willamette Valley. It is mostly written by Shelly HW. Click the image to learn more»
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