We spent Easter at home, like most people this year. After 2020 I think a lot of people just want to keep things simple and calm. We haven't done much for Easter in a few years and actually are homebodies anyway, so we enjoyed just staying at home and not having any excitement. Skylar loved his Easter basket this year and that's one thing I enjoy putting together for him. He got one thing he really wanted, so we were happy to see him get so excited about it. This year Jeff and I put bills in eggs and hid them around the yard for him to find. It was $100 in total and it took Skylar about an 30 minutes to find them all. We ate and relaxed mostly and it was a good day.
This week we tried the soap berries/nuts that came in this month's Kiwi Eco Box. They were pleasantly surprising. We also went back to Gorge Performance in Portland to check out some of their surfboards. We have a few in mind that we want, but we need more practice on the foam boards for right now. I am really enjoying surfing and I have found myself wanting to go surfing during the week, even. It's very addicting. We also had a lot of spring show it's colors this week and one including the cherry tree in the backyard. It's always so pretty this time of year and loads of honeybees and other pollinators love it, too. Here are five things this week.
This place has become one of our favorite places to hang out now. They are super nice here and they seem to always have what we're looking for. We love them!
2. This Box.
In this month's Kiwi Eco Box was soap berries/nuts and we enjoyed using them. They are supposed to clean just as well as regular laundry detergent and they really did clean well. I am going to keep using them until they are used up and then compost them. Definitely an eco-friendly alternative. You can sign up for next month's Kiwi Eco Box here.
3. These Blooms.
The best thing about having a cherry tree in the backyard is when it blooms in the spring and all of the pollinators come to visit it. And, the cherries, of course.
4. This Wash.
The car wash in our city installed neon lights as you go through the wash and Skylar and I love it. Since getting my car, it's been fun driving it through. I love how my car looks all clean and shiny.
5. This Episode.
We spent this week recording our latest episode of the podcast and edited a few places to possibly work in some background sounds like car keys jingling, car horns, horses hooves, etc. We are hoping to incorporate some sounds in possibly the next season, but right now we are just experimenting. You can listen to this latest episode at the podcast link at the top of the blog, or here.
Positive affirmations this week: "What was the last thing that made you laugh?"
During a road trip with Skylar and Jeff and Skylar telling us jokes. His laugh makes me laugh. I love how genuine his laughs are and how pure his laughter is. He is such a great, funny, and awesome kid.
This week we did a few errand runs to different places in Portland that we've been putting off. We did a run to IKEA and to Gorge Performance to grab a few things we needed for surfing. We also got a strange burst of weather at the start of the week. It rained a bit and got colder, but then warmed back up and it sleeted for about 15 minutes. It was odd. Things are definitely changing here on the Pacific Coast. It's either too hot, too cold, or odd weather changes. People joke a lot about the weather here in Oregon, and other places of, if you don't like the weather just wait five minutes. That day it sleeted that statement definitely could have been applied. It was bizarre. Global warming is making itself be known here on the Pacific Coast. I've been here almost 17 years and I see the changes a lot within that time period. People that deny that something is happening, I'm not sure where they live, but it clearly isn't in areas that are seeing the effects. Here are five things this week.
1. This Rainbow.
Part of our errand runs took us to Portland to IKEA to pick up a few things for our house. We've been wanting to replace a few things that were not that great for the environment and IKEA had just what we wanted. During that time we also stopped at the golf store for Jeff and when we were leaving this beautiful rainbow made its appearance. Rainbows have become a comfort for us since the passing of Baz and we always think of him when we see him. The reason being, the day after he died we were all heartbroken and honestly devastated. The brightest rainbow we've ever seen was in the sky and it hadn't even rained. It comforted us knowing it was him letting us know he was okay and we will be okay, too. So, seeing it during our errands gave us a sense of happiness.
2. This Box.
The Fab Fit Fun summer box was loaded with great things this season. I am especially loving the Short Stories lighted growing pot. It's currently sitting on my window sill waiting for the basil seeds to sprout. I am also excited about the fitness band and ball. I've been doing more core work and this was perfect! You can sign up for the autumn box here.
3. This Ending.
I am honestly sad to see Yogi Surprise come to an end. I've been with them since the first box came out. It was one of the best subscription boxes I've ever had and they are the ones that got me started on monthly boxes. This month was the last box and it was packed full of great things. One of the main products I love from the box is the green tea face wash and the diffuser nose ring. I am really going to miss them, but I am so glad they were part of my yoga journey the whole time.
4. These Cupcakes.
We tried some vegan cupcakes from Elegant Elephant Baking Company in Eugene, Oregon. Their white icing on the chocolate cupcakes are amazing!
5. This Weather.
This sleet fell this week and it was a bit alarming. It was sunny just 30 minutes before and then it got cold and sleeted. The last year here in Oregon has been weird.
Positive affirmations this week:"Envisioning your dream life what does it look like?"
Honestly, my dream life isn't conventional. I'd love to live in a Sprinter Van, traveling, and living day by day. It's a dream I've had for awhile. One of these days I plan to make that happen. Traveling and experiencing life is one of the dreams everyone should have.
We took another road trip up to Rocky Butte in Portland, Oregon. This time we invited Jeff to come along with us and it was a beautiful view just like the last time. Rocky Butte is a neat area and it's not frequented by a lot of people, so it's a nice private viewing of Portland.
This week we took a few trips to look at land options in central Oregon, as well as did some surfing and looked at land along the coast. We haven't quite decided exactly what we're looking for, but we have made a list of things we don't want, so that's a start. It was ridiculously windy at the coast, so we did more falling and waiting on our board than anything else. It was exhausting, but we all definitely got a good workout. We traveled all the way to Millican looking at land. Millican is a peaceful area and not a lot of houses around, and it's about 25 miles east of Bend, Oregon. It's mostly land for recreational purposes than residence, but along the recreational land there is a few plots sprinkled in that are approved for building. Hopefully, we can find something soon and can play a move from the Willamette Valley. I am definitely looking forward to that day. Here are five things this week.
1. These Flowers.
A lot of people consider Wild Violet annoying, same with Dandelions, but I always like seeing these little, purple flowers, because it means spring has sprung.
2. This Kitty.
We got her a new toy from Might Nest and she loves it. It's the Boba & Vespa Snake Cat Toy with Catnip. They also have a Stingray and Hemp Dog Bone.
3. This Surfing.
The coast was windy, but we definitely had a great time and we love practicing our surfing.
4. This Tweet.
I posted this on Twitter back in December and it's still helping people. I'm so glad to read some of the replies and messages that reading that tweet made them feel better. This is how social media should be used instead of fighting over politics and other nonimportant factors.
5. This Episode.
Our latest podcast episode is out and it's a mystery. You can listen to this newest episode here.
Positive affirmations this week:"What goal is next on your list?"
To find suitable land in central Oregon and move from the Willamette Valley. Really looking forward to that. We should have done this years ago, but the timing never lined up right for us and then Coronavirus hit and set us back a bit. But, now we're on it and hopefully will find something soon and be able to move within the year. We plan on being here another summer and really pulling all of the stops out to finding something before the end of the year. We aren't putting too much pressure on ourselves, and we are just letting it come when it comes.
Life at a "Swell's" pace is a lifestyle and travel blog chronicling the life and travels while living in Oregon's beautiful Willamette Valley. It is mostly written by Shelly HW. Click the image to learn more»
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