Five Simple Things (January 17)

 Hello.

It's been raining almost constant this past week and we are so over it. The worst part of living in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, is the rain for days and sometimes weeks. There's no sun, no color in the sky, just gray and rain. It's quite depressing at time. I used to love the rain, but not so much this kind of rain. I enjoy thunderstorms more than just a downpour of water and grayness. With one sun break for about 30 minutes one day, the rest was wet, gray, and blah. Hopefully, before the winter season comes to an end, we might get some snow. Our fingers are crossed.

1. This Shadow.

The one day we had some sunshine and that was it. I had to document a bit of the sun, just so I can appreciate it later. I certain do appreciate it sitting here writing up this blog post. I'm a sun worshipper, so I say, bring on more sunshine!

2. My Car.

I'll never get tired of seeing how my car looks with surfboards on top of it. It just think it screams beach lover and almost looks like a postcard. We are looking forward to more days of surfing soon, if the rain will ever give us a break.

3. Avoiding Plastics.

We've been doing our part to eliminate plastics in our own home. We have switched from using plastic wrap and plastic containers, and switched to Bees Wrap and glass containers. If you want to make this switch, click here and take advantage of a Might Nest start. It's a great way to help you eliminate environmental waste in your own home and offers an item(s) each month to help you switch to more environmentally friendly options. 

4. New Running Pants.

 

 

I've been running a lot more lately and have almost dropped 60 pounds from it. (My current goal is being able to run five miles.) In the process of losing weight and getting more fit, new clothes are important. I've been slowly getting more pants and tighter shirts that actually fit me over ones that are a size or two too big. I am loving these running pants from Summer Salt. They have other colors, but the black ones are my favorite, at the moment. You can pick up a pair for yourself here.

5. THC/CBD For Anxiety and Pain.

With weed becoming legal on a state level here, I've been looking into using more THC and CBD products to help with my anxiety issues, chest pain, and panic attacks. I'm not really sure exactly what will work, as of yet, but with such a low tolerance to things, I am starting at the very bottom and working my way up. Here is the first selection of what I am going to try. I really hope I can find something suitable, because my medication is causing my body a lot of unnecessary harm overall. More on this later.

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (January 10)

 Hello.

The year is picking up quickly and getting back on track in the right direction, I think. Hopefully, it stays that way. I maybe having some surgery planned coming soon and I'm a bit worried about that. It's a surgery I've been wanting to have for awhile, and have just been too afraid. I'll speak more on this at a later time when I'm more comfortable, maybe. But, as far as for now, we are getting things cleaned out and figured out for the new year. One thing we've been doing a lot more of is simplifying things. What does that mean? Well, we are making everything in our house earn its place. If I can't find reason in keeping it, it gets the boot. If you're looking for ways to start your own process in minimizing down, there's a link at the top of my blog to help you, it's labeled Minimalism. I'll slowly be adding things over this year to that link in order to help others. Hope you find it useful. In the meantime, here are five simple things from this week.

1. This Cabinet.

We've been slowly, but surly downsizing more and more, and this filing cabinet didn't make the cut. Lucky, it went to an accountant that lives in Newport, Oregon. I was glad to see it go to a good place and be used for a good reason. Not sure what a bad reason would be, but all the same. It was a great piece from our homeschool classroom all these years, but with Skylar being in high school now, we've cut back a lot of homeschool paperwork. That was a chore, let me tell you.

2. This Kitty.

I realized today that I take a lot of pictures of Eleven and not a lot of Hardy. It's mainly because Hardy is so high strung he can't sit for longer than five seconds without having a "squirrel" moment.

3. This Daybreak Glow.

I am definitely not a morning person, but I do appreciate the light glow of my nightlight in the mornings when I get up for the day. Yes, I sleep with a nightlight because, even though I love horror, I don't like being alone in the darkness. Living in a city, it changes you a lot. The sounds you hear are not pleasant sometimes, and having just a small beam of light when those sounds wake me up, is nice.

4. In-N-Out Burger.

A new In-N-Out Burger location went in in Salem, Oregon, and we decided to give them a try. We've had In-N-Out before in Medford, Oregon, but we didn't really like it then, so we thought we'd give them another chance. And, nope, we are not fans. One thing, is sitting in the drive through for over 30 minutes, and the food has zero taste to it. Sure, it's a basic menu of items and would otherwise go fast, but the taste of the food was extremely bland.

5. Air Museum.

Skylar and I took a drive down Highway 101 and ended up in Tillamook. We stopped at the air museum to shoot this picture and then headed back home. We really enjoy taking off on a day trip just to explore. This was one of those times.

Have a nice weekend.

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.