These chocolate/coffee cupcakes were just the right treat this week.
3. These "Eyes."
Skylar found some awesome LED push lights (IKEA KAPPLAKE LED lights)that would great for his Star Wars display.
4. This Kitty.
Eleven has three modes - Sleep, Eat, and Chaos.
5. This Sentence.
I've been learning French for 450 days now on Duolingo, and I can now introduce myself, talk about the weather, and tell you I like to surf.
One last thing:
I wasn't sure how this picture would turn out, but I love how my car looks against the darkness. Almost seems mysterious.
Positive affirmations this week:
Having positive affirmations around your home is a great way to keep yourself on track for helping with negative self talk. I have ones on my bathroom mirror, my office, my shower, my refrigerator, and the mirror by my front door. I have thought about adding one to every room of my house and moving them around once a week to keep the energy going. These below came from Dae as part of their 12-month mantra kit, but you can easily write them, or your own down on a sticky note or small piece of paper and stick them wherever you need that added reminder.
Today we reorganized Skylar's room and put his Fog Hat hat inside a glass hat protection case to help keep the dust off of it. I was a bit nervous purchasing this glass case through Amazon, but it came just as described. You can get one here.
2. This Day.
We spend the day at IKEA creating crafts and enjoying their spring celebration. We made birdseed disks to hang in our garden, and paper flowers. There were a few other fun activities that really helped bring in the spring season. If you're part of IKEA Family you can sign up for different store events here and get involved with IKEA's fun environment.
3. This Tea.
I am the type that enjoys sun tea even when the sun isn't shining bright. This is hibiscus tea is so good, especially when combined with a blueberry tea and when I don't feel like tea I like to mix up some of my Your Super powders, depending on what I feel like having. Cold tea is kind of a southern thing, but in the south a lot of people add sugar, but I love it as is.
4. These Boxes.
Of course, once a month I have to include my two favorite subscription box items. On the left is Kiwi Eco Box and on the right is Might Nest. Mighty Nest hit it again with this month's "fix" being face-gel sunblock. Ever since receiving this I've been using it nonstop every day. I apply it after washing my face and before makeup. And a lot of great things in the Kiwi Eco Box that we can use on the bus. Never disappointed with these two boxes.
5. This Bandit.
This little bandit set our car alarms off three times throughout the night this week. We first thought someone was trying to break into our cars and we were getting frustrated, but once we found the culprit we couldn't get mad. He was chilling in the tree and every time he tried to come down, he had to step on one of our cars, so it caused the alarm to go off. The alarm scared him right back up in the tree again. We ended up moving our cars up a bit so he could come down without being "alarmed" every time.
One last thing:
Quappy and the other ducks don't seem to mesh well, so we have had to allow Quappy to run around in the yard for a bit and then put him in a pen so the other ducks can have a chance to stretch their legs and wings. We aren't sure if it's a pecking order type of thing, or if they just don't like being around each other. Hopefully, in time, that will get better, but for now we are on rotating duck shifts. ☺
Positive affirmations this week:
Writing down positive goals each week and writing down negatives that I want to work on has helped a great deal with staying focused on what's important and what I need to release from my brain. I have a hard time some weeks staying focused on what's important for me to stay on track with my mental health issues and these little reminders help a great deal. These sticky notes I found at Target, and they are sold out, but here are some that are similar.
These are the spring time, "Sometimes Wants," that have caught my eye lately.
1. 2.
3. 4.
5. 6.
7. 8.
9. 10.
BunchaFarmers Stain Stick. I have been on a mission to completely overhaul my cleaning routine and this has been added to my arsenal. It's all natural and 100% biodegradable. The outer packaging is recyclable and is completely environmentally friendly. The best part, it actually works for a wide range of stains, even ones on furniture and car upholstery.
QALO/Pela Women's Rubber Silicone Ring. Such a great ring that you can feel good about wearing. It's breathable, durable, and comes in a wide range of colors. It's compostable, made from plants, sustainable, and affordable.
CBD Pain Relief Stick (Sport). This CBD stick has been my go-to for over a year now. I am actually wearing some on my right shoulder as I type this out. ☺ I absolutely can not say enough about it. The CBD helps with mild pain relief, while the cooling camphor and menthol bring much needed aid to the area asap. It's non-gmo and vegan, and works great for period cramps and migraines, as well.
MountainHares Organic Cotton Body Pouf. This pouf, as well as this shop are a self-care lovers dream. If you've been looking for some items to add to your Self-Care Sunday routine, this is it. This body pouf is a good start. It's 100% organic cotton and comes with a crocheted loop to hang dry. It feels more like a smooth pouf than an exfoliating one, but it is a nice "hug" in the shower while using.
Hugs Blanket (Minky Couture). I can't do weighted blankets, but this is a great alternative to that. It is so soft and comforting. It comes in a wide range of colors and sizes from (infant (30in x 30in) to (grande 60in x 84in).
NARS Audacious Lipstick. These lipstick colors have been a new change for me. Some days I feel upbeat enough to wear *Scarlet* and other days I want to disappear, so I wear *Pink Beige* to kind of "blend in." The texture of the lipstick is a nice smooth feel on the lips and doesn't rub off onto glass rims. It's paraben free and well worth the price. I may venture out and try other shades, too.
SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore. I've been using this lipid restore since my breast surgery in 2020 and I will say that it has definitely made a difference. It's a bit pricier than other brands, but it's well worth it. It has drastically reduced the appearance of my surgery scars and also helped in softening and the stretch marks I gained from before my surgery from the size of my breasts previous. I highly recommend it. I like it so well that I sometimes cheat and use it on other areas of my body, as well. ☺
Your Super Life: 100+ Delicious, Plant-Based Recipes Made with Nature's Most Powerful Superfoods By Michael Kuech, Kristel de Groot. I love their powders, so of course I preordered my book. Excited to see how to incorporate my mixes in everyday recipes.
Monster Away Spray. This is such a cute and relaxing way to help children with their "scaries" at night. It is made with cedarwood, chamomile, vetiver, orange, and ho wood essential oils. I already use a spray similar here, but this one I would definitely try just to see how relaxing and mind calming it is for adults. But, if you have a child with nighttime worries about monsters under the bed or in a closet, definitely give it a go.
The Self-Care Planner. For anyone that knows me, like really knows me well, will tell you I have to have a routine and I am very OCD about that routine. One missed moment in my routine and it sets me up for a lot of mental health issues later in the day, or even in the week. It seems to be something that helps keep me from falling apart, honestly and this self-care planner has helped a great deal with me staying on track and focused. Through the last several years I've even gotten better at telling people, "NO!" Just to be able to stay the course and on my routine. The best part of it all, though, is the ability to change up a few things if I wanted to do that for myself. Say I have a dentist appointment one day, I can move and shuffle my routine around that fits best for me to be able to fit that appointment into my own personal schedule. I do suggest this planner if this sounds like you, too. You'll love it!
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!)
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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