Easter 2020

We spent a quiet Easter at home, as the same as everyone this year. We wanted to make it a bit less boring and decided to sit and write out a scavenger hunt for Skylar to do, in order for him to "hunt" for this Easter basket. It took him about an hour to go through all of the clues and a few of them were in unusual places like, Hardy's dog collar, while he wore it. A few other places were around the duck's necks with bandanas, and hanging from strings in random places. Each clue before it gave the location of the next. He had a lot of fun searching and wondering where his next clue was. He had a total of 35 clues. We also dyed eggs in a new way. With my surgery being only a month before, and the pandemic, we used some food coloring instead of a more natural way of dying the eggs. This year, we tried the shaving cream and food coloring trick. It made for some pretty pastel-colored eggs.

 

 

 

The ideas for our scavenger hunt came from random accounts on Instagram. It seems we aren't the only ones to have the scavenger hunt idea this year.

 

 

 

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Five Simple Things (April 10)

 Hello.

Tax week here. Not fun, but I'm finally able to sit up in the bed and get a bit of work done. Every day Jeff and Skylar come in at the end of the day and let me know what's going on around us. I haven't been able to get out of bed much, except to go to the bathroom. I'm actually glad I can sit up and and eat, and brush my teeth. It's weird brushing my teeth in bed, but it's better than not. I've heard so many weird things from them this past week, masks being worn now, people distancing at six feet, first person in the state of Oregon dying (a 70 year old man), and how people's attitude is during this time. Our county of Linn, is the worst in the state right now, they tell me, and that's heartbreaking. On a positive, I guess I picked a good time to recover from a surgery. I've spent part of this gray day preparing for our tax filing coming up in five more days. Our taxes are pretty easy to file, but I'm glad we only do them once a year. Skylar bought me a new candle, so he's been lighting that in the evenings when everyone is in my room, and we're talking about things. It smells less like a hospital room in here, and everything is better by candlelight. 

1. This Frosty Window.

Even in early April we had some frozen days. With living in a house that's pretty old and needs updated windows, the benefit is that you get some cool ice formations on the glass.

2. This Hawk.

We aren't quite sure why it was only running and not flying, but we ended up leaving and turning around to coming back and it was gone. So, maybe we interrupted it during a "stalking" moment. Seeing a hawk run down the road, though, was amusing. We love birds of prey, so any moment we can get to be up close and personal, we enjoy it.

3. This Dinner.

Before the Coronavirus pandemic hit, we went to eat at P.F. Chang's. Little did we know, that would be the last time we ate at a sit-down restaurant for awhile.

4. This Rainbow.

Life at a Swells pace.

5. Kitty Tricks.

Eleven is such a cool cat. I taught her how to roll over and also how to sit up on her back legs. She's been laying with me a lot and following me around to make sure I'm okay. Some mornings she will come up to my face and meow at me, just to make sure I'm doing okay. She's such a loving cat and she's been looking after me well. 

Positive affirmations this week: "Which three words describe you best?"

•Empathic 

•Patient

•Logical

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (April 3)

 Hello.

Well, here we are in the thick of things with the Coronavirus pandemic and hearing and reading stories from across the nation and across the world, is very sad. So many people dying, yet there's people that still claim it isn't really, or true. I am actually glad I am confined to this bed and this room, for now. My surgery checkup is coming up next week, to see how my stitches are healing and see if anything needs attention. I am still taking pain medication, but have now only been taking one at night, so I can sleep soundly without waking up too much from pain. Keeping a body pillow on either side of my body with my arms on top of the body pillows as helped a great deal with taking pressure off my sides. Again, I will elaborate more on the surgery at a later time. Jeff has been telling me about the "outside" world, a bit. He went to get groceries after work, this week, and he said he watched a woman at the grocery store making a huge scene about wearing a mask. It hasn't been mandatory yet, just advised, but he said she was yelling about everyone being sheep and living in fear. Ridiculous. I did read that Governor Kate Brown, here in Oregon, issued a statewide mandate, banning public gatherings of 25 or more, and restricting restaurants to take-out or delivery. Essential businesses like, grocery stores, pharmacies, and workplaces, weren't part of that. I jokingly asked Jeff and Skylar if it was like the apoloypse in public and they told me how bare the streets were and the stores hardly had anyone in them. Which, to me, that's a good thing. Less people, less spread. Here are five things for this week.

1. Skylar's Permit.

Before the Coronavirus pandemic hit us here in the United States, Skylar took the driving permit test, before it came to the point he wouldn't be able to. He passed and is now an official "permitted" driver. He is wanting a motorcycle, so that will be something that comes much later. Baby steps for now. It's weird to even mentally process that he can drive a car that isn't made of plastic and has pedals.

2. Brake Pads.

Because of my surgery, Jeff has put off replacing the brake pads on his car. But, this past week, since I'm feeling a bit better, he decided to take the time and do it. He normally does car repairs himself, so he had to find the time to do it. With the stress of everything this year, so far, it's one of those things that kind of gets pushed aside. He was shocked to find they were a lot worse than he had expected. But, he replaced them and it's good to go now. Take away here: Be sure to get your brake pads replaced the moment you hear them grinding. The grinding you hear is metal on metal and it can actually get so bad, it will affect the rotors. Once that happens, it's an expensive fix.

3. These Clouds.

Skylar and Jeff know how much I love clouds and weather, especially when the clouds are unusual. While there were out picking up a few supplies I needed, they stopped and shot this picture for me. This is one of the best displays of cirrus cloud streaks, I've seen in a long time. It really was thoughtful of them to take that for me, and it made me better seeing a bit of sunshine, too. 

4. Anxiety Support.

Anxiety is a very real and manageable mental health issue, but when it's paired with PTSD and other trauma, it can sometimes become extremely debilitating. I've suffered with this all of my life, but up until about three years ago, I had no idea what it was. Even when I was young, I used to refer to it as, the "trouble feeling." I would ask other people if they ever got the feeling in their chest, like they are about to get into trouble. Most people knew what I was talking about, but no really knew what it was. The best way to describe it is, the feeling you get before you go over the top of a rollercoaster. That scared, excited, heart racing feeling, that can last moments, hours, and sometimes even days. It's kind of a relief, in a way, to have a definition for what I've felt all my life. Supporting someone with these symptoms, is not only important, but could save someone's life. Most, if not all, people that suffer from some form of mental health issue, don't do it for attention. Anxiety is a physical pain. It could be compared to feeling like you're having a heart attack. Don't assume someone is wanting attention by coming to you for help. Help them and be supportive of their issues. (Photo source)

5. This Flyer.

I have been seeing a lot of posts online about "how to properly wash your hands." It's kind of comical a lot of the ones I've seen and it's even more comical reading people's comments about handwashing. As if handwashing is something that's new and mysterious. This flyer is the most accurate I've seen, as well as the one from the CDC. I read a Tweet where they woman took a plane from JFK and there were two women in front of her discussing hand washing. She said the women were all in a huff about the hand washing stating things like, "I am not going to wash my hands every single time I eat." All I could think, while reading that was, gross. 

The flyer above, you can print your own, here.

Positive affirmations this week: "How do you know what you're doing and how do you navigate through the pressure to have it all figured out?"

Well, I don't. No one has it all figured out, and I don't let other people's opinions dictate my choices, and/or decisions, that are right for me. People are always going to push their views and opinions on you, but ignore them. Take away the positives and the encouragements and ignore the others. You will waste a lot of your life, time, and shine, waiting for validation from others. I've been there. You are worth so much more than people that can't seem to figure out how to build people up, over tearing them down. Feel sorry for these people because these are their issues, not yours. 

I would love to just travel and feel alive. Id love to create community and thrive. Slowly, but surely, I will have that chance in my life. I look forward to it. 

Have a nice weekend. 

Five Simple Things (March 27)

 Hello.

I've spent most of the week in pain and sleeping. Not a lot has gone on with us lately. Jeff is still working full time hours, but he is worried that a furlough might happen at his job. He's been there almost 25 years, so he is hoping that his years there will save him from being laid off. He did say that a furlough is coming, but he doesn't know when. So, fingers crossed it's just workplace rumors. I'm not fully coherent on everything that Jeff and Skylar tell me, but I do take the time each day to read some in the books I bought, do a bit of anxiety breathing and calming myself, but mostly I'm just in a great amount of pain. I was put on one pain medication, but my tolerance is so low, that is was making me sick. The throwing up was hurting me so much, that my surgeon switched to a lower dose and a different kind. It's been a lot less dry-heaving and excruciating pain, so at least I can sleep. I also have been wearing the compression socks all day and all night because I just don't want to get up. It's a lot more pain than I expected, but I am strong and I can do this. Jeff has been telling me a lot about stuff going on in the state and around the town here. He said that President Trump signed a Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act today and that the governor of Oregon, Kate Brown, made mask-wearing mandatory in the state, and issues at "stay at home" order (quarantine). Jeff went to 7-11 here to grab a bag of ice, and the lady inside 7-11 told him to get out of their building wearing a mask. Jeff asked her what she was talking about and the lady told him, "No one is allowed inside 7-11 that has a mask on." Jeff told her, "Lady, the whole state is going to be wearing a mask, so you telling me to leave is not only rude, but also dumb." She told him that she didn't care what he thought and told him to either leave, or she would make him leave. Jeff and Skylar wear a mask in public right now, because of two reasons. One, I just had surgery and they don't want to take any risks with bringing anything inside the house, and two, because there's a pandemic and it's better to be safe than sorry. Our cases in the state are going up and the cases here in our county are way above where they should be. The lady at 7-11 is a good example of why our cases have gone up. I hope she changes her attitude soon and does her part, as a 7-11 employee, in keeping everyone, including herself, safe. Here are five things this week...

1. IKEA After Dark 

Before my surgery we went to the IKEA After Dark event in Portland, Oregon, on February 22. It was a promotion with IKEA to have people check out their great selection of beds, bed frames, mattresses, bedding, and other items to help make your bedroom a cozy, relaxing, and inviting place. We had a lot of fun trying out the different stations they had set up for customers and we even left with a new mattress, bedding, bedside shelving, and a few other items. It was a lot of fun and the IKEA staff always makes things enjoyable. #IKEAAfterDark

2. This Shadow.

The view from the room I am recovering in, I can see the lower part of the stairs in our house. Skylar still has a lot of little boy in him and he has a train and small town layout on the landing of our stairs. Sometimes, when I wake up and need a pain medication, or a drink, I can hear him making car, train, and people noises. It brings me a lot of happiness to hear that. Our house is a calm and safe place and those sounds just bring me a great delight overall.

3. The Office.

I've been watching a lot of The Office, as well as other shows and movies, while I'm recovering. One of the episodes of The Office, Jim invites everyone to his apartment for a barbeque and gives them a tour of his place. He finds Pam in his room looking at his random things, and one thing caught my eye. The diagram on his wall. I went scouring the internet trying to find out what it means and the closest I found was a Reddit post. I tend to agree with the commenter that it could mean:

The day / ((sex + water + love + food + alcohol - violence) over your dreams)) + wealth after bills and taxes = life

                                                                                                                                                           

4. This Quote.

I grew up in a house where the word "normal" was used quite often as almost an insult. "Why can't you be more normal." "That's not how normal people act." Or, "You just aren't normal." I've grown to hate the word normal and anytime people use that word towards someone, or something, I always look at them and wonder why kind of childhood they had, too. There is no such thing as "normal." That might come as a shock, but it's true. Your "normal" isn't the way, and someone else's "normal" isn't the way, so therefore, "normal" doesn't exist. The one thing people can do is stop trying to push the view of "normal" on the world. Telling someone they aren't normal is rude, disrespectful, harmful, and a form of abuse. It makes people think that they aren't enough. Growing up hearing that, it caused a lot of harm in how I saw and valued myself. It's taken many years to erase that damage, and I am still working on some of it. So, just don't do it. Embrace change and the differences people bring into the world and stop boxing people into the falsehood of "normal."

5. Exhale.

A little reminder for anyone that needs it.

Positive affirmations this week: "How do you get out of a funk you're in?"

Listening to favorite music, wear a cute outfit to work, or classes, or go for a hike, or walk with a friend. They don't always work immediately, but they do over time.

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (March 20)

 Hello.

Well, it's the day after my surgery and I am kind of not all here, and on pain medication, but here we are. I contemplated whether I should do a Five Simple Things post, but consistency and routine are good for me. I feel okay, overall, but hurting a lot, so I will keep this post short. We drove up to Portland the day before, and the day of my surgery we stayed the night in a hotel, and went back to my surgeon's office the following morning. He wanted to check on things before we drove back home. We live almost an hour and a half from my surgeon's office, so it would have been hard on me to get up and come all the way back just to have him check on stitching and bandages. But, we are home now, I am all set up, and all I want to do is sleep. I will share more information about my surgery, what I had done, and the progress, once I feel more comfortable and open about discussions. For now, I will lay in this bed and take care of myself.

1. These Tricycles.

Getting rid of things is kind of bitter sweet. These tricycles were Skylar's and he loved them. We've tried to sell them on Craigslist a few times, and even had people come out, with their kids, to try them out. We even had an old toy collector ask for them for a lower price than we were selling them, which was $25-pretty reasonable, but we didn't budge on the price and she wasn't happy about it. We feel they are worth the full $25. But, for now, they will remain in our attic and possibly just hang onto them until a time is right to either pass them along, or try to sell them again.

2. These Peanut Butter Balls.

We tried the peanut butter balls, or could be called buckeyes, recipe. It came out well, actually. They are pretty delicious, and you can modify this recipe to suit your needs, really. You can make them into a sort of energy ball, or add oats, flax seeds, or even hemp seeds. We'll be playing around with this recipe more and making these again soon.

3. This Drawing.

I just love history and the area where we live it is full of some great back history. It's a shame that the area doesn't embrace its past as much as it should. This area was once a really popular logging area and contained a lot of mills and millwright shops. This pictures is one of those places around the early 1900s. The warehouse in the picture doesn't exist anymore, but there have been donations and other volunteers working towards creating a museum to showcase some of these places from the past. We are looking forward to seeing it all come together in the coming years. 

4. This Word Play.

With having a lot of time on my hands before my surgery, I started playing Word with Friends. I had just enough letters to play Pig Sooie, but of course, it's not a valid word, but still would have gained me quite a lot of points. ☻

5. Photography.

Before I went up to Portland to check in for my surgery, I went around the county snapping some random pictures. I enjoy a lot of the farming and open landscape here and every season it just seems to take on a whole new view of the land. I wanted to have a lot of pictures to sort through during my recovery and this barn is one of those pictures. I think it turned out wonderfully and once we move (that is still on the works), I may frame a few of them, just to have as hanging art and a few memories of the area.

Positive affirmations this week: "What’s your favorite thing about yourself?"

The fact that I feel sorry for people that are self-sabotaging to themselves. Gossip, jealousy, and overall dissatisfaction, is self-destructive and I feel terrible that these people can't see above their own pride. I like the fact that I have empathy for them and wish they could see above their own ego. If you are one of these people reading this, step back and better your thoughts and actions towards others. Your best asset is your thoughts. Make them the best thoughts you can. I wish you the best.

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (March 13)

 Hello.

Happy Friday the 13th. I am less than five days away from my surgery and I am feeling the anxiety, let me tell you. As far as right now, nothing has been canceled or postponed because of the Coronavirus pandemic, but I am a bit concerned about that. Within our state, we have had more and more cases daily, and our governor here shut down all public and private in-person schools. The ski resorts across the state are all closing down, as well, to prevent the spread. Our county of Linn is still the highest in the state for cases. The Veteran's home here has the most reported cases, this far, and hopefully they can keep it contained for now. Five days from now, I will be put under and kind of get a sort of "escape" from all of this going on. Hopefully, it doesn't get any worse.

1. This Lava Rock.

I still find this fascinating that the State of Oregon uses lava rock from past volcano activity to apply to the roads in the winter. People that have lived around this their entire life, really take this small thing for granted. It's incredible to me, really and I will always find a "hidden" gem of Oregon.

2. This Field.

Construction crews broke ground on the field behind our house this past week. This field has always been a buffer between us and the train tracks, and prying eyes, but we are kind of bitter sweet about the construction. They are building duplexes and we just hope that it brings less foot traffic through the field and prevent people from jumping our fence. We also hope that the two-story duplexes will buffer the train whistle, too. 

3. This Burger.

We went to eat at the Newport Café in Newport, Oregon, this week. Skylar decided to take on the biggest hamburger they have on their menu. He ate about half and said he couldn't finish it. He did say it was very messy and hard to keep together, but he had lunch for a couple of days.

4. This Nest.

We weren't sure if this was an osprey nest, or an eagle nest. It was pretty large, so we are leaning more towards it being an eagle nest. Either way, it was one of the cooler nests we've seen here, so far.

5. These Showerheads. 

We've been looking at replacing a lot of things in the bathroom of this house. We've been looking into starting with smaller things, sink, shower head and attachment, etc. We are liking the look of the shower options at IKEA, but can't make our minds up. More on this later.

Positive affirmations this week: "What are your core strengths?"

Empathy for others even when they don't have empathy in return. Also, keeping cool under pressure. Definitely a positive to bring to the workforce in the future.

Have a nice weekend.