Five Simple Things (September 1)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This kiwi.

We bought several kiwi fruit this week and have enjoyed eating them as a treat instead of something with large amounts of sugar, like candy. We picked up regular kiwi and golden kiwi.

2. These subscriptions.

Kind Beauty and Mighty Nest came this week and my favorite thing in the Kinder Beauty box is the La Rose Francaise Facial Cleansing Bar. The smell is amazing! I used it all over and not just my face. And the Mighty Nest Fix this month is perfect for our bus. We needed a spray cleaner on the bus for our trips and I can't wait to use this when we go next on a camping trip, or even an extended trip. The "Fix" came with a metal spray bottle and two grapefruit scented cleaning concentrates.

3. This birthday.

I had a great birthday on August 28. Bringing in 46 years around the sun was sure fun with the people that love me. I have a good life and I am grateful for how far I've come in my mental health struggles. Every birthday reminds me of how far I've come. I am looking forward to another year!♥

4. This moon.

The Blue Moon this month was shining bright. I love that the moon's texture and coloring can be seen from Earth during this time. Our universe is so fascinating. When people get so wrapped up in small things that don't matter in the long run, they seem to forget we are all just specs hanging in space just like the moon.

5. This sticker.

Skylar absolutely loves Jurassic Park and he loves dinosaurs even more. He said he wants his focus in college to be paleontology and Jeff and I are not surprised one bit that he picked that degree focus. With that love of Jurassic Park he recently found a Mr. DNA sticker online and of course, had to have it. It is actually a cool sticker, though. He chose to put it on his laptop that he uses at school. He said he hopes people recognize that it's from Jurassic Park.

One last thing:

I finally broke out my holiday gift from Skylar. These car chains are something I have wanted for awhile for my car and he knew that. He was working at AutoZone for over a year and understood the assignment. He got me this for a gift at Christmas and gave Jeff and me a joint give to go snow skiing. He is such a thoughtful kid and we love him so much.♥

Positive affirmations this week:

Do you have a self-care checklist? There are a lot of times that mental health dips because we get off our routine. It's important, if you have a mental health issue(s), to keep with a routine daily, monthly, and/or yearly. It's extremely important to keep with these routines from day to day, and if your mental health peaks you can always fall back on a routine to help limp you through until the mental state lets up. I won't deny that it is so hard to get up and do a routine when all you feel like doing is melting away and disappearing. And some days, I literally say f**k it and don't leave my bed. And that's okay. It really is. We have been conditioned to think that we are being lazy, or not pulling our weight, but overall, it's really okay if the only thing you do on your bad mental health days is breathe, so be it. Take that time to heal. On a good mental health day, create a self-care checklist that you can refer to each day and make it out for stuff you do on a daily basis. It will help you stay on track on good days, and be a quiet guide on the bad days. You can do this!🌈

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (August 25)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This cupcake.

It's getting closer to my birthday. Three days to be exact, and this cupcake is my early birthday gift to myself. It was almost too pretty to eat. It was absolutely delicious. I am looking forward to to turning 46 this year. I have had quite a year and it will be nice to close that chapter and start a new one on my journey around the sun.

2. This knot.

After trimming some trees on our property, I found this tree knot that looks like a human heart. I find stuff like this so fascinating. There are plenty of people that I know that would have overlooked this and just tossed it aside. But I find that being observant to other living things, even trees, you see the world so much differently. And when you see the world differently, it leaves you little signs and gifts.

3. This shadow.

Sometimes this house speaks to us.

4. These leaves.

The rain has knocked down almost all of the Hawthorn Tree leaves this week. They scatter on the sidewalks and walkways like little pieces of confetti. The Hawthorn trees are beautiful when they bloom fully and show off their bold pinks and light pink blooms. When the leaves fall and the blooms fade, I am always sad to see them go.

5. This rainbow.

We had a little bit of rain this week at the beginning and then towards the end of the week, especially on Friday. It rained for about 10 minutes then stopped. It was a small cloud burst, from what we read. It's a shame that it didn't rain a bit longer - we could really use it.

One last thing:

I recently ordered some SuperBeauty from Moon Juice. I am excited to use it. The supplement helps reduce fine lines, promotes collagen and skin elasticity, and free radicals.

Positive affirmations this week:

Move your body, stay consistent, selfcare, self love, and listen to your body. You can do this! 🌈

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (August 18)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This soup.

I made homemade chicken noodle soup this week, but I added a little something extra to it - Turmeric. I found an old recipe in a cookbook that was given to me years ago and followed it for the chicken noodle soup. At the bottom of the recipe it gave ideas to add to the soup and one of them was turmeric. We loved the taste of the soup and honestly, we love turmeric any time we can incorporate it into things. I will be making this recipe again, but if you wanted to duplicate it, it's a simple chicken noodle soup recipe and add turmeric powder to taste.

2. This sunset.

Always love seeing a pink sky at night. We call these sunsets "Meierz Sky" for personal reasons

3. These gifts.

These seed bombs came in a box from Kiwi Eco Box and this week I planted them. I hope they survive, because I am curious to see what pollinator plants sprout.

4. This doorknob.

Our doorknob has been an eyesore and irritation ever since it was installed several years ago with the new door. We hated it, mostly because it would get stuck, and at times wouldn't let us open the door. We even had someone try to pick our locks and break in a few times, while we were away. (Our neighbors haven't been the best of neighbors and the people that visit them are worse) We finally did an upgrade and we are so pleased with how it turned out. The best part about the new doorknob and deadbolt, it has extra security features that are linked to a doorbell camera, too. It's easier to open, and harder to break into. You can get it with or without the added security features, too.


5. This path.

We created a pathway around our fence line, so we can have a trail around the area and a walking path. We are working on the surrounding fence line to make it more private, and when we don't want to walk through the city, or drive somewhere to walk outside, we can just use our own backyard. It is a work in progress, but I am excited about it, for sure. Sometimes being an introvert with social anxiety is hard, but when we have other options it makes us feel less vulnerable. 24 times around the fence line is a mile, so it's a start. I would love to create a labyrinth, but for now, this is great!♥

One last thing:

Isn't that the truth. A lot of foods that we depend on are because of pollinators like the honeybee. We should respect all living beings, but especially the ones that help us to survive.

Positive affirmations this week:

Always make time for your energy givers, even when your mental health isn't bad. The more selfcare you give to yourself daily, the better the bad days will be to get through. Always show yourself as much love and care as you can. You can do this! 🌈

Have a nice week.

Five Simple Things (August 11)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This pie.

I decided to attempt to make a blueberry pie this week. I bought a premade pie shell, mixed some blueberries with some sugar over the stove until I guessed when they were done, dumped it into the pie shell, and threw on top some crushed graham crackers. It was pretty good, if I'm honest. I really had no idea what I was doing, but we wanted a pie, so I came through. Definitely will be repeating this soon, because hot pie with vanilla ice cream can't be beat.

2. This gopher.

Little shit has been tearing up our yard lately. We setup a live trap to try and get him, but after two weeks of no trap, he stopped coming around. We aren't sure what happened to him, but he disappeared. Hopefully, he just moved on and wasn't killed. 

3. These tarts.

I am addicted to these St. Claire's Fruit Tarts. I love the sour lemon and the raspberry flavored ones, but they do come in peppermint, wintergreen, key lime, tangerine, watermelon, and peach, too. They are plant-based, gluten free and vegan. And the tins they come in can be reused for other things after the tarts are gone. I use the tins for travel sewing kits, and travel first aid kits.

4. This dashboard.

It got pretty toasty this week and my car registered 103 on an early Tuesday morning already. Global warming is taking its toll on Oregon, it seems. Whether people want to admit it or not, things are definitely changing with our planet.

5. This appointment.

 

I had my three month hair appointment this week and I always laugh at how awful I look in the salon mirror. It makes me laugh at how many people actually see themselves terrible in a hair salon mirror. You would think they would have a mirror that just blows your mind at how good you look getting your hair colored and cut. But for now, we will all just continue to look like lizards draped in clothing. ☺

One last thing:

This technique is called Progressive Muscle Relaxation and it does work. It takes a bit of practice to learn how to tense and relax each muscle, but it works great for restless legs, tense shoulders, and even tight butt cheeks, and calves after walking or running.

Positive affirmations this week:

You can do this! 🌈

Have a nice week.

Five Simple Things (August 4)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This sunset.

With all of the wildfire smoke lately the sky is lit up orange most nights. This week you could actually see the smoke plumes as the sun set. It's a pretty view, but hopefully we get some relief soon.

2. This dish.

I've been thinking of recipes to use this dish with lately. I picked this up at Goodwill and it was still in the box, but I did find the same dish at The Home Depot. I am thinking artichoke dip, a small side salad, homemade macaroni and cheese, anything really. I love this dish for two reason. One, it can go into the oven as is, because it's made of enamel. And two, the wooden trivet can be placed right on the table with the dish on top of it without damaging the table.

3. This smoke.

This week we made a trip to Whole Foods in Eugene and on the way back we were in traffic stopped for a wildfire. The firefighters from Linn County, Coburg, and even Oregon Department of Forestry were on it quickly, even air tankers from Redmond, Oregon flew over dropping fire retardant. It was incredible watching the teamwork and skill they took combating the wildfire before it reached any homes, or business. The fire, we found out later, is still under investigation. Hopefully, not a fire bug wanting to cause issues or panic to the community.

4. This moment.

We recently bought Skylar a hammock, now all three of us can lay in the backyard swinging in our hammocks and enjoying the sunshine together. This summer has been hot, but some days give us just a little bit of a break and we are able to stay outside longer without getting too overheated. Oregon's weather sure has changed since I moved here 20 years ago. It used to be mild, with maybe a little bit of heat every once in awhile in the summer, but now it's hot as blazes outside and almost unbearable some days. It's like Oregon has swapped weather with Arkansas, and instead of humidity we have wildfires. Not a fair trade, at all.

5. These pictures.

I made a huge mistake this week and left my cellphone outside in the sunshine, while the water sprinkler was going. After several hours I realized I left it outside on top of the duck coop where the water and the sun beat down on it. After awhile I finally got it to turn back on, and this was the first pictures I took to see if the camera was messed up. Hopefully, it clears up, but I think I may need to look into getting a new phone soon. Which is a real bummer because I lost a lot of things on the phone when I had to reset it.

One last thing:

Skylar and I have been watching old Charlie Brown cartoons lately and we are loving it. When they dance at the parties they have always makes us laugh. Charles Shultz really knew how to make a classic and one that I can share with my son, and still feel happy about. You can watch the same ones we've been watching, here.

Positive affirmations this week:

During my therapy sessions we learn new ways in order to give more attention to my mental health issues I am working through. Doing good things for others and connecting with people is an easy one, but only on days where I feel mentally sound. Taking care of my body, living more mindful is also an easy one, as long as I am doing it with people I trust and love. Learning new things, and having goals is something I am still working on. Learning new things is nice, and having goals is easy to do, but keeping up with it is a hard one I am working through. Bouncing back and looking for good is again, an easy task when I am not in the middle of a mental health episode. Being acceptable of my own body, mind, and soul is also a hard one to work past when I am struggling hard with mental health issues. And finding the bigger meaning is definitely something we all struggle with from time to time. Feeling out these issues that I struggle with help me figure out what I need to work on more for that week. It's important that we have a backup plan incase one of these issues triggers past trauma, or issues that I still have inside my head. The printout below can help you connect with yourself, too. Picking one thing from the list and staying focused on what you need to do to achieve that goal, or exercise is a good start. If you see a therapist, talk to them about the list and see how they can help you work through some of the harder issues on this list. You can do this! 🌈

Have a nice weekend.