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! 🌈