Another Day at the Coast

I feel like we've been spending a lot of time on the coast lately, but it's been such a great way to get out of the Willamette Valley. We've been looking at wet suits for ourselves and also some beginner foam boards. We've found a great company out of California, Degree 33, and their associates have been walking us through the process. Since our surf lessons, we are anxious to get back out in the water soon. We are looking into fully committing to selections after the spring of 2020.

Jalapeno Poppers

I can't cook. Anyone that's around me for longer than three months knows this. I do try, but I honestly can't stand cooking, so me sharing a recipe is a huge deal. Plus, I'm a picky eater, so the things I eat, that I've cooked are rare. Some of it is a failure, but I am getting better with knowing what I can and can't cook. Here's one of the things I actually enjoy making and cooking. And, plus side, they are easy to do.

Jalapeno Poppers

What you'll need:

1. 20-30 jalapeno/poblano/Anaheim peppers (seeded and cut lengthwise) **use gloves for this**
2. 3-4 (8oz) blocks of cream cheese (room temperature)
3. 1 tablespoon of onion powder
4. 1 teaspoon of pepper
5. 1 teaspoon of salt (to taste)
6. 1 tablespoon of jalapeno juice (this adds some additional spice to the mix)
7. 2-3 jalapeno seeds (if you want it spicier)

Mix together in a bowl and fill each jalapeno shell. Be sure to overfill to your desired amount. Bake for 20-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven, or until the tops are browned. 

*Additionally, you can add bacon bits on top, or shredded cheese in the last two minutes of baking

We Took Surf Lessons

Yep. Just as the title says, we took surfing lessons and let me tell you, you loved it! We have always wanted to take lessons just to see what it's like. We went through a surf shop in Lincoln City and our instructor was amazing. He's name was Declan and he is a world class surfer, so he knew a thing or two. He taught us the basics, how to avoid ocean currents, how to balance, popups, riding small and large waves, and pretty much everything we needed to know to begin. He stayed with us for about three hours making sure we had down the basics to surfing and then allowed us the boards and suits for the remainder of the day, which was about six hours more. We just couldn't get enough of it. Skylar got up on his board about three times and rode in some waves straight away. Jeff and I took some time getting our balance, but once you get up once, it's really a lot easier than you think. We have never had so much fun in the Pacific Ocean before and it is definitely something we will continue doing.

Five Simple Things (January 3)

 Hello.

Wow, new year, new you, right? Well, let's hope so. Making changes for the better in 2020, is where my mind is. Here's to a good, fresh start. Well, I say that every year, but as I get older it seems to ring true. I like to reflect on things I didn't get right in the year before and focus on good changes in the new year. Hope your new year went well, though. Ours was low key, as always, and we like it that way. We used to have friends over or head over to someone else's house. Sit and kind of be miserable to some degree, especially gathers we didn't want to attend. We've all been there. But, the last several years, the low key holidays have really been nice. Not stressing over food, or who's coming, or who will be pleased or unpleased. I prefer quiet anyway, because I have PTSD and noise, especially a lot of noise affects me. The quietness of the holidays and the slow of it all, has helped a great deal. Looking forward to spring, though, for sure and here are five things from this past week.

1. Car Wash.

My car is black and with the winter weather, it was covered in road grit, lava rock dust, and even random bits of mud in places. Running it through the automatic car wash here is fun. They have disco-type lights and colored foam, and even as an adult, I find enjoyment in it.

2. College Life.

Still going strong with college classes. Looking forward to a much-needed break, though. Love having a routine, and it helps keep me from having low days with my mental health issues and anxiety, so it's a win win. I'm not really that open about "selfies," but some days I'm just feeling good and want to record that day, if not for anyone, but myself. This was a good day.

3. Canadian Geese.

This time of year brings more and more Canadian geese around and they seem to only run on flocks of about 10+. A lot of people hate them and the seagulls because they are everywhere, which means they make messes everywhere. I actually like them, but I am more partial to animals than I am people, so it makes sense. This flock was seen in Eugene, when we went there to pick up a part for our bicycles. They stood perfectly still while I shot the picture, too. They wanted to be shown off, I think.

4. These Bracelets. 

I've been slowly adding to my bracelet collection. These two are the newest ones. Rose gold circlet that reminds me that I am loved by my tribe, and "Breathe" to remind me to breathe during times my anxiety is getting heavy. With a panic attack it's hard to breathe a lot of times and you end up holding your breath thinking it will help. It doesn't help, it only makes it worse, so a gently reminder on my wrist helps.

5. Eleven.

We bought a few new blankets for the cold nights here in Oregon and Eleven and Hardy have taken upon themselves to "break" them in for us. She's such a good cat, though, so I don't mind one bit.

Have a nice weekend.

After Christmas Coast Trip

Skylar and I decided to take a quick trip over the coast after the Christmas buzz wore off. The holidays are always something of a struggle for me mentally and just getting away from it all helps a lot, sometimes. The Pacific Ocean is one of my favorite places, so Skylar said, "Let's just go and dust off our brains a bit." Sounded like a great plan, so that's just what we did.

Five Simple Things (December 27)

 Hello.

Phew.. Well, the Christmas holiday is over and now onto the new year. Hopefully, 2020 will come in without any fanfare and we can get on the right track with things. We don't normally set New Years' resolutions in our house, but secretly, I think we all try to change a few things for the coming months. At least we try to stay on track, but sometimes things take a weird turn and make us rethink our plans. And, that's fine. No one should ever strive for perfection, there's no such thing. But, we should all strive to improve our situation and life every day. If you didn't already know, I am taking classes in college again to work towards a degree, once more. It's a real shame that making too much money holds you back from actually wanting to improve yourself overall. Jeff brings in too much and therefore, I can't apply for aid because of that, so paying out of pocket really is hard, at times. This semester isn't so bad, because the classes I need were available at the community college here. But, once I'm done and need to transfer to the four-year college, yikes! Student loans are in my future, for sure. On a more positive note, here are five things that made my week a little better than stressing over college money and loans. 

1. These Shadows.

Having issues with anxiety and panic attacks lately (more on this later), Skylar has been coming with me to my college campus and walking with me to my classes. I am extremely grateful to have two people in my life that understand my mental health issues and support me 100% through everything that I struggle with. For years I denied that I had any problems and now addressing them has helped me a lot in the long run. I won't sugar-coat this, but it's been so hard to overcome some of my mental obstacles that I deal with. I realized that keeping them bottled up and inside was doing a lot of damage to me overall. I'm glad I was brave enough to get help and I am even more grateful that I have support from Jeff and Skylar. It really means a lot just to hear one of them say, "you're going to be okay." 

On a side note: If you know someone struggling with a mental health issue, don't shut them out, or tell them what they're are feeling isn't valid. I can not begin to even explain to you the additional damage you are causing by saying that, or anything negative towards that person. Just don't do it.

2. This Kid.

Speaking of Skylar, he turned 16 in September. I can not even believe it. I feel like, just the other day we were talking about getting him a bike to learn to ride, and wondering what books would be better books for him to read as a teenager. I know most parents say the phrase, "They grow up so fast," but honestly Skylar is growing up at just the right speed, and we are so proud of the young man he is becoming. He's such a good kid and I am so lucky to be his mom and hear his voice calling me "Mumu." (He is stocking our food cabinet from a grocery run. We are doomsday and prepared preppers in this house and we like to have things on hand. We recently purchased this cabinet, and it's been serving as our food "stash" lately. Skylar likes to keep and inventory of what comes in and goes out, too. He likes to be organized like his mom, paint me proud.)

3. Mallie Jean.

Our sweet, little, Mallie Jean has been coming into her colors lately and she has a personality to go with it. She's spunky and still has a bit of the wild mallard in her, but overall she's becoming a cool duck to watch interact in the yard with Happy and Fern. She walks around the yard as if she's trying to talk to the other ducks and even Hardy, and she does this head bob where she tucks her head down and bobs up and down doing short quacks at the other animals. She doesn't like being held all that much, but she will come close when we throw out some cracked corn to them. She's a sweetie. we bring them into the bathtub from time to time, away from each other, so they get to be around us and not turn too wild. We mostly let them be in the yard, though, because they're ducks, they don't need constant supervision. Our snail and slug population has drastically decreased with them, as well as the fleas, so they have been a great addition. 

4. Mighty Nest.

With our efforts in being more sustainable and living more simply, one of the items we completely cut out of our life and haven't even purchased in the last three years is plastic wrap. With Oregon passing the single-use plastic bag ban here, we decided to continue on the journey and cut out other plastics from our everyday use. We replaced it with Bee's Wrap. If you haven't heard of this, you are really missing out. I love the original design of the Bee's Wrap, but they come in other patterns as well, even a National Geographic design. You can get your hands on this Bee's Wrap for free by going through Mighty Nest and signing up for the monthly Mightfix. The first one you will start with is the free one with the Bee's Wrap. 

You can use this invite code at checkout or click here to get started:

FREEFIX2-248876AE864C

5. IKEA Furniture,

Skylar has been looking for something to display his train collection and we've had our eyes on these cabinets with glass doors for awhile. Not sure if it's exactly what he's wanting, but we are getting close. Once we decide on an actual shelf system and display, I'll be sure to share it here. His collection is amazing and he is so proud of it, so hopefully we can find a good one. 

Have a nice weekend.