Five Simple Things (May 30)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. These items.

Kiwi Eco Box came this week and it was packed with good things, as always. The Triloka incense cones with the glass burner was a nice surprise. I also love the canvas and mesh bags. Kiwi Eco Box is owned by Ukrainian sisters, and each month I love that I can support them, and Ukraine.

2. This sticker.

This sensory sticker was part of Skylar's swag bag from Spring Fest at Linn Benton Community College. I love how simple, yet beneficial it is. Skylar let me have it and I have is stuck near my laptop keyboard to remind me to breathe and relax from time to time. Having anxiety in many forms, breathing helps in tough situations. Here are similar ones here.

3. This kid.

More days of seeing Skylar off to class. I just love these days!♥

4. This pizza.

We tried the Costco pizza this week. It was decent. We had to season ours with some Italian Seasoning, but overall, it is alright, especially for the price.

5. This swag.

This swag was from Spring Fest at Linn Benton Community College that Skylar went to this week. Spring Fest at LBCC is an event, sort of like a welcome event, but they hold it in spring to welcome new students to the campus. Skylar being part of the Commuter Magazine for the college, he attended to promote the Commuter. He stood at the Commuter table and passed out information on students wanting to get involved with the Commuter. This was all of his swag he picked up that day. One of the items being the sensory sticker I mentioned above.

One last thing:

I love Starbuck's Cheese Danishes, but I wanted to see if I could duplicate that same taste quickly at home. Starbuck's is a wonderful place to go from time to time, but it does add up in price. My go-to is the Vanilla Chai Latte and the warmed Cheese Danish, but let's make it healthier. I experimented a little bit before getting it right. We did still eat the mistakes, but this the the recipe that works for us. You can tweak it a bit to suit your taste, however.

Quick Cheese Danish

8 oz. cream cheese, softened [I used Organic Valley]

1/2 cup sugar [I used organic granulated sugar]

2 teaspoon lemon juice [I used organic Santa Cruz]

3/4 teaspoons vanilla paste [I used Simply Organic]

2 cans crescent rolls [I used Immaculate]

Preheat your oven to the temperature that the crescent roll container states. If you are using the Immaculate brand, it is 375 degrees. Pop your crescent rolls, and lay them flat. Attach two triangles to make a square. Smash them together, but not too flat. Use a rolling pin if needed. Lay them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and set aside. In a stand mixer mix cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, and paste together until smooth. Taste to make sure it suits your taste. I always use a bit more lemon juice, almost two tablespoons, but start with two teaspoons and work up to make sure you don't get it too sour for your taste. The mixture will lose a bit of the sour taste as it bakes, so play around with what works for you and your pallet. 

Spread the mixture over the crescent rolls and leave a bit of space on the edges. I like to fold up the edges just a bit to hold the mixture in the middle, but you don't have to do that part. I also do not make a glaze to go on top, but that is a personal choice, as well. Spread evenly across the crescent roll top. Bake for 11 to 14 minutes, or until the edges of the Danishes turn a golden brown. Allow to cool a bit before serving. They are delicious hot.

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Positive affirmations this week:
Maybe you need this reminder, maybe not, but life isn't a race. You aren't too old, you aren't running out of time, and you aren't in a race. The only person you should be competing with every day is yourself. A lot of people lost sight on what's important and appreciating where you are in life's journey is the most important thing in life. Even if you want to be somewhere else in your path, give it time and get there with a smile, rather than a frown. You are exactly where you are supposed to be. Let it come to you in time. You are going to change the world!
You can do this!🌈

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (May 23)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. These tulips.

Tulips always lift my mood and they never let me down.

2. This box.

Birchbox came this week and I cannot wait to use the Palmer's Coconut Oil Deep Conditioner and the Acure Under Eye Hydrogels. This entire box was a hit for me.

3. These fans.

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.

You can do this!🌈

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (May 16)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. These products.

We ordered the new Cherry Blossom Dr. Bronner's seasonal castile soap scent this week. We also added a few others favorites into the cart. Dr. Bronner's will never stop being a go-to for us when it comes to health and beauty products. I love all of these products and the soaps are perfect when we are camping or traveling on the bus. The Cherry Blossom scent is light and reminds me of Mr. Bubble that I grew up with as a kid.

2. This kid.

My favorite part of the day each week.

3. These miles.

A little more distance every time.

4. This moment.

I rode in the backseat and stayed there while Skylar was in class this week. I wanted to finish reading a book I've been lost in for a few days. I was in the car for almost two hours, so I was able to finish it. It will soon be added to the Read with Me page on my blog. It was a rainy day, so it wasn't too hot sitting back there, but I did look across the parking lot and see another Veloster. It wasn't a Turbo like ours, but it was still cool seeing one the same color not far from ours.

5. This milestone.

Jeff has been with Selmet for 25 years, as of this week. They honored him with a card and a bonus. The company has seen a lot of change since he started 25 years ago. The original owner left and passed away, the company swapped hands with some investors, and went through a few more people back and forth. Jeff has seen all of those changes, and with the new owners now, it's changed so much. We used to be able to go to holiday parties and when large prizes, family day that would give tours of the facilities, and many other aspects. Now, they give employees a pie and a small bonus. We miss the old Selmet and the fun we used to have with the company. After 25 years, Jeff is considering retirement. Right now, we will celebrate his 25 year commitment to a company that really doesn't know what they have in him.

One last thing:

 

These Miniature Telescope Keychain and this Wanderer's Compass are now in the shop. The Miniature Telescope Keychain really works and will help you see from the top of a mountain, or even your own backyard. It's made of solid brass and comes with a carabiner to attach to a hiking pouch or backpack. The Wander's Compass should be part of your backpacking necessities no matter what. It's made of brass and comes in the leather pouch to help keep it secure. Both of these items are under $30 right now, and both would be a great addition to your walking, hiking, or exploring needs. You can check out the rest of the Five Simple Things shop here.

Positive affirmations this week:

Hurting others will not heal your pain. Be kind to those that have been through the fire and came out kind on the other end. They deserve a lot more than this life and others give them. If you are one of those kind souls, never let the world change you. You are what keeps the rest of the world on track.

You can do this!🌈

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (May 9)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This asparagus.

The first year we had success with growing it. Hopefully, we will get to harvest another batch again soon.

2. This bird.

These Black Birds are always so curious.

3. This bar.

I'm still a bit skeptical of the Wonder Bar, but I will keep using it and see if it works, or it's hype.

4. These moments.

I have been adding a lot of Skylar pictures from dropping him off at class each week. These are the moments that mean a lot to me, though. Sending a child through college in this economy is the hardest thing, but we are doing everything we can to make it happen for him. I am so proud of him every day.

5. This purse.

I bought this purse this week and Skylar helped me take some pictures of it to show my mom. It's a spacious handbag, and I love how I can carry other larger items in it, too. It's definitely going to be my spring bag I carry into summer this year.

One last thing:

We did our weekly family outing again and this week we played indoor mini golf and laser tag at Putters Entertainment Center in Eugene. Skylar picked the place and it was a blast. We loved the laser tag a lot. This is definitely a place we will be visiting again soon.

Positive affirmations this week:

An inflated ego destroys your life in more ways than people realize. It blinds you to your own self-worth and constantly puts you on a hamster wheel of looking for validation. It puts you in a constant need to protect your own image, but in a pattern of self-sabotage. It also forces you to pick up unhealthy patterns of always needing to be right. This need causes you to damage relationships with people, even family members, because your ego won't let you back down. You always have to be right, always win; you blame others, you compare, and constantly measure your worth against others. In this loop, you are easily jealous of others when they succeed. In this same loop, you also say sabotaging things to those to whom good things happen. A non-ego-driven person would celebrate the success that others have and not try to destroy it, no matter how small the win is for them. The sad thing about an inflated ego is that the people who have this can't even read this without feeling attacked or judged. It's the ego loop that they keep themselves in and don't take a step back to think, "What can I do to improve?" I know many people like this. It's a constant moment of wondering what is wrong with them. I have ended relationships, even with family members, in order to save myself from their ego. With an inflated ego, they will tell a different story, however. Overall, their ego is ruining their life one interaction at a time. If this describes you, there is a way out. Retrain your brain to see a situation differently and even reach out to someone you feel you didn't see correctly. Reaching out is hard, but it's the best way to help change your mentality from having your ego lead and control your life. When you reach out, don't let the fear of failure take over and tell you that you can't learn from your mistakes.

You can do this!🌈

Have a nice weekend.