Five Simple Things (January 31)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This tea.

I received this Carpathian Mountains Tea from Kiwi Eco Box, and I decided to bag it and try it this week. The tea leaves are hand-gathered along the slopes of the Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine. I love the fact that I can support a small business and give back to Ukraine during this time. I will always stand by "NO WAR."

2. These ribbons.

This week, we said goodbye to Skip, Jeff's uncle. He had always been a nice man to me and treated me respectfully. He was a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, where he served his time as a medic. He was a hard worker, a kind, and an overall generous man. He had wounds from his time in Vietnam and carried those with him physically and mentally. He was always a gentle man to Skylar and nicknamed him "Deets" from the Westerns he used to watch. He loved our dogs and was always welcoming to us when we walked to his house to visit. I miss those times, and we will miss him. I talked to him once about how I felt about things happening within the family, and his words I have carried with me. He said, "If we don't feel wanted where we feel we should, we have to make choices to protect our peace." After he said that, I made a choice. I am so appreciative that he talked to me and made me feel less of an outcast within Jeff's family. He spoke to me a few other times about things said or done over the years. He was a good person, and I value his words. He will always be one of the good ones to me. I hope he has now found peace and can rest his mind. These flags and black ribbons are for you, Gary "Skip" McDonough. I hope you are resting in peacefully now and know how much you meant to us and everyone that knew you.

3. These cookies.

I have perfected these chocolate chip cookies over years, and they are delicious! Here are a few other recipes to try (Chocolate Chip Cookies Five Ways).

4. This rainbow.

Always a delight to see in the skies here in Oregon on a rainy day.

5. This show.

This was one of my favorite shows as a kid. We didn't have cable growing up and I replied a lot on Public Broadcasting. I learned a lot through many of the programs, and loved when Mathnet would come on. This show taught me about square roots, long division, and algebraic geometry. When I see "defund PBS" online, I always get sad at how fast people are to want to get rid of programs that helped/help so many of us. Some of the people posting actually grew up watching the same programs, and are around my age group. The logic behind that falls short for me. We have donated one car, with another to be donated soon, to Public Broadcasting here in Oregon (OPB) and we are so happy that we could help keep these shows on air for kids growing up like I did.

One last thing:

This moment was posted by Patti Smith, a writer, singer, poet, and author. She captured this moment perfectly, because it gives us a chance to relate in a way that allows us a quiet, universal realization of simply needing to pause and exist. Sometimes it's okay to sit and reflect on nothing but that moment. And thanks to the "godmother of punk" I will do just that this weekend.

Positive affirmations this week:

Resilience to tough situations is a good mindset to have, but there are times that test us to the brink of making us feel like we are losing that resilience. There is this "high road" myth that exists. There are certain times that call for that, but there are other times that setting firm boundaries needs to be done. You do not need to tolerate abuse simply to keep the peace. It is okay to say no when someone crosses those boundaries. The key is to be able to bounce back resiliently after those boundaries have been given. Having guilt afterwards is because of your own empathy, but we must learn when to have that empathy and when not to. Keep setting those boundaries and keep working on your resilience through your healing.

You can do this!🌈

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (January 24)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This kitty.

Always my morning wake up call.

2. These boxes.

Mighty Nest and Birchbox came this week. Reusable sponges are a plus in our house, so this month's item was a good one. With Birchbox I loved the Lavanila deodorant and the Aromatherapy Associates Revive Morning Bath and Shower Oil. The deodorant smells great, and the bath and shower oil smells amazing! I have been wearing it as perfume this week, because it smells so incredible. I will definitely be ordering a larger bottle of it.

3. This doggy.

 

Everyone had gone to bed already and I was still up getting things around for work the next day. Hardy normally goes upstairs with Skylar, but this night he wanted to spend time with me. He is getting older and with every animal we have had, when they get old they get more clingy to me. I let him hang out with me and I loved on him a lot that night. We adopted Hardy when he was four years old. We found him huddled in a corner at the local animal shelter when we went in to donate some items. He had a cone on his head and looked beat up. We were told that someone had thrown him and his brother from their car on Interstate 5. I asked if he was up for adoption and they told us yes, but with some previsions. We brought Baz the next day to see if they got along and they did. More than we expected. That was 2011. If you did the math, that's 19 years. He has been with us longer than any other pet that we have had. Meia was 18, and Baz was 16. It's going to be incredibly hard when his time comes. We are keeping him as healthy and loved as much as we can. The sweater he is wearing was Baz's sweater, but I used old baby diaper pins to take it in so it fit him. He loves wearing it. He loves us so much, and we love him as much right back!

4. This bread.

 

This week I made cranberry bread with the leftover cranberries from Thanksgiving. I thawed them out and tossed them in sugar. I followed a mix of this recipe and this recipe to make my own version. It was easy to bring together and it tasted wonderful. I will definitely be making this one again soon.

5. These items.

Kiwi Eco Box also came this week. It seems this was the week that all my subscription boxes arrived together. I love the Kojac facial sponge. I have extremely sensitive skin and these are great for my face when I wash it. They are really gentle and don't hurt my skin. Right now, I am dealing with some redness and dry patches. These sponges are so gentle that it doesn't make it worse. Everything that comes with this box is eco-friendly and nothing is plastic, which is a definite plus. The company is woman owned and the women are Ukrainian. I feel so good that I am giving to a good cause, and to other women, as well as doing my part to not add to the plastic waste in the environment.

One last thing:

These cute Sardine Pens are now in the shop.

They come in a box that looks like an open can of sardines. Sardines Tinned Fish Pens all have black ink and look like fish as you hold them and write with them. They are the cutest thing. They are priced at $13 and are a lot cheaper in the shop than other gift shops. They would be the perfect addition to a gift bag, or just buy them for yourself and set them on your desk. Set of 3 pens per box.

You can check out the rest of the Five Simple Things shop here.

Positive affirmations this week:

A good way to help you stay on track with your positive changes, weight loss, mental health, or even just reminding yourself that you are loved is to make a symbol that is close to you and place it around important areas around your home, or office. You can even place them in your car, or your wallet. The more you have around the better you can keep your reminders up to stay focused and on task. The image below is an example, but you can make any image that is important to you, or one that you like. With the new year just starting, and not pushing yourself to feel obligated with resolutions, this is a good way to stay on task without the pressure. Start with one, and see how it goes.

You can do this!🌈

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (January 10)

 Hello.

Here are five things things this week.

1. This park.

We took a walk through Avery Park in Corvallis, Oregon, this week. There was a small cargo train derailment near the park, so we watched some of the cleanup efforts, as well. We have always loved this old coal engine that's setup in the park for people to climb on. It was once the backdrop of our holiday cards one year when Skylar was four and we still had Baz with us. This picture with Skylar and Hardy are perfect to go with the one of him and Baz all those years ago.

2. This art.

I bought this painting from a Twitter friend. She used spray paints and was feeling down about how it turned out, so I bought it. I love the Scream movies, and this painting is so quirky that it's perfect for what I want to use it for, which is a library, or possibly a studio later. The Ghost Host on Twitter is a cool person to follow, too, if you're into horror and Scream.

3. This game.

My sister and I used to play Skee-Ball at an arcade in Hot Springs, Arkansas. My dad would take us to the Hot Springs Mall and give us about $5 and let us play games. The place was called Aladdin's Castle and to this day I have great memories of doing that. My dad tried hard to connect on our level, and I think he did a good job taking us to different places when we were growing up. I think back on that time period and my dad was younger than I am now, and had two girls. We would go to play games at Aladdin's Castle and have corndogs at Corn Dog 7. I found this mini desktop Skee-Ball game. I ended up sending it to my sister in hopes that it would bring back those old memories for her, too.

4. This day.

It was a weird morning-type of week this week. No wind, not mist, just fog and flat. We are still in the winter months here, so it's to be expected. But, with the wind not blowing even a little, it made these flags look eerie. Which, I do love.

5. These papers.

Skylar made us all, including the animals, honorary members of his railroad company, Deer Pacific. We feel special.

One last thing:

I bought this 12 Days of Beauty from Whole Foods and I waited until December 25 and kept opening until January 5. Those are the 12 days of Christmas. I loved everything in the different advent windows. I couldn't pick a favorite, because they were all great! 

Positive affirmations this week:

"Tomorrow is a new day." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

You can do this!🌈

Have a nice weekend.