Five Simple Things (September 24)

Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. These Meals.

We've been cooking a lot more meals at home lately and have been experimenting with different ingredients. We have found a lot of organic options in the frozen food section and have been trying them out. The one on the left is frozen pot stickers from Costco, and the one on the right is organic enchiladas from our local food co-op. Definitely both worth trying. We thought they were delicious.

2. 

Fab Fit Fun and Kiwi Eco Box came this week. Love everything in both boxes this month. Fab Fit Fun is a seasonal box and you can sign up here to get the next winter box. And, Kiwi Eco Box is a monthly box that is amazing if you're trying to be more eco-friendly and zero waste. You can sign up here to get the next month's box. The items that came in the Fab Fit Fun box can be seen here, and the items that came in the Kiwi Eco Box are lipstick from Elate Cosmetics, natural body brush, handmade storage box made from natural jute, two Swedish dish cloths, bamboo pot scrubber, and a bamboo toothbrush.  

3. This Box.

We have been on a desperate hunt to find a meal/grocery delivery service that provides a lot of organic options and we hit the nail on the head with the Misfits Market. Their fruit, vegetables, meats, and even their sweets options are organic, non-gmo, or sustainable options. We got our first box this week and as you can see above the selection was spot on for us. You can get your first box for $10 off and free shipping with my code by clicking here. It's not only convenient, but also their selection will blow you away! Give them a try!

4. This Rain.

With rain sometimes there's rainbows and I love how bright and colorful they are here. It is amazing how many rainbows I've seen since living in Oregon. 

5. These Colors.

We've been looking into painting our duck's coop and we've been slowly narrowing down paint colors. We still haven't come to a definitely decision, but we are hoping to figure out a new color and to do some revamping of the coop soon.

Did you catch the Harvest Moon this week (20), and the Autumn Equinox?

Positive affirmations this week:

Have a nice weekend.

Sometimes Wants (Autumn)

These are the autumn time "Sometimes Wants" that have caught my eye lately.

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9.  10. 

1. Apple Cider Vinegar Finishing Rinse

2. Mad Hippie Cheek & Lip Tint

3. Polywood Long Island Adirondack Chair

4. Moon Valley Organics, Liquid Hand Soap

5. by Humankind Kindfill Hand Sanitizer in 8 oz. aluminum bottles. 

6. Organic linen napkins set

7. Zero Waste Lunch Kit With Tumbler

8. Natural Loofah Exfoliating Bath Sponge by Spa Destinations

9. Bee Yourself Large Zipper Pouch

10. Luxury Natural Throw Blankets-Organic Cotton

During the summer months the sun and salt water really beat up my hair and as the autumn season rolls around I like to give it a bit of a boost. This apple cider hair rinse really comes through. It is not only a better-made product and nonchemical, it really gives my hair a good recovery from all the product, sun damage, salt water, and anything else I tend to beat my hair up with over the summer. You can pair it with the Avalon Organics Shampoo and Conditioner, but any shampoo and conditioner combination works great. As the seasons change, I try to mix up the colors I use. I love this lip and cheek coloring by Mad Hippie. There's fig, poppy, and plum color, but I love the plum color for the seasonal change. And, their eco-friendly packaging is a plus. This product comes in a glass tub with a bamboo lid. We've been looking for more eco-friendly outdoor furniture that can put up with all the rain Oregon gets throughout the year. And, I think we hit it with the Polywood collection. Made from recycled plastics and can definitely withstand the weather changes here on the Pacific Northwest. With the change of seasons comes germs and colds, and I like to use this time to switch out our hand soaps throughout the house. I love the organic lemon rosemary scent from Moon Valley Organics. And, even though our guard is a bit lowered now that the pandemic is getting controlled we still haven't let our guard down with hand washing with soap and water, and using hand sanitizers. We've also found some great lunch items that are more sustainable, and also switched to using natural loofahs in the shower over plastic loofahs. I also have been taking a liking to small bags to use for lunch, day trips, change for filling our water jugs, and even small snacks. And, with the change in seasons, a new throw blanket was definitely in order. Our old blankets always get handed down to Hardy, Eleven, or even in our duck house to help with insulation. Hopefully these items peek your interest, as well, and help you make some seasonal changes for the better. Happy Autumnal Equinox!

Happy Birthday, Jeff

Since Jeff had to work on his birthday, which was the sixteenth, we celebrated with him on September 20. He has been working hard and doing a lot of things for himself lately that he has been putting off, so Skylar and I baked him a cake and enjoyed the weekend with him. He has been such a great help to both Skylar and me since our car accident, and even though I'm not the greatest cook, or baker, I do my best to make birthdays special to the people around me that love me and are part of my team. Happy forty-ninth birthday, Jeff.

Five Simple Things (September 17)

Hello. 

Here are five things this week...

1. This Moment.

Trying to hold onto summer as long as we can. We sat in the car and enjoyed some watermelon in the sunshine before we headed out on the ocean and surfed for the rest of the day.

2. This Birthday.

We celebrated Jeff's birthday this week on the sixteenth. He unfortunately had to work on his birthday, so Skylar and I surprised him at his job with a cupcake.

3. This Bench.

Picked up a bench at IKEA for the area near our front door. It's perfect and just what I wanted to complete this area. This bench I purchased is the SKOGSTA and it is solid wood and perfect for filling in a small space. It measures: (Length: 47 1/4)-(Width: 13 3/8)-(Height: 17 3/4)

4. These Snails.

Skylar's snails are growing and thriving. He also have a wooly bear caterpillar in the habitat, as well.

5. This Reminder.

9/11 had a profound impact on, not only the United States, but the world. While reviewing history facts in our homeschool classroom this week, I came across former President Obama's speech after the death of Osama Bin Laden. Although, the United States was seeking a bit of relief after that news, it didn't ease anyone's mind, or pain from that day. 9/11 will always be a day that I remember as the day I cried so hard for people I didn't know. I still hurt for them even 20 years later. 

Did you catch Mercury at its highest point this week (13), or the Saturn, Moon, and Jupiter conjunction (17)?

Positive affirmations this week:

If you're still working from home, like a lot of people during this past year, you may not be keeping your body in alignment properly. With Skylar and me working on our podcast every once in awhile I feel the stress in my shoulders, neck, and even lower back if I don't sit right, keep my hands in the right alignment, and even my legs properly positioned on the floor. Here are some tips to help keep your body in check even if you're headed back to the office.

1. Keep your computer at least 18-inches from your eyes. And, make sure it's properly aligned with your eyesight. Sit up straight, roll your shoulders back, and where your eyes meet in front of your gaze, that's where your computer should be. Use a riser, or even books to bring that screen up to where it should be.

2. Make sure to look outside of a window once every 30 minutes. Positioning a computer near a window, or even placing a mirror in front of your desk that reflects a window view can help with your eyesight over time. Glancing periodically will save your sight from strain throughout the day. 

3. Your chair is important. We spend 80% of our time in a chair working a clerical, or office-type job. Your chair height should allow your hips to be a bit higher than your knees when sitting up straight. Try not to cross your legs either. Leg crossing can lead to a lot of issues that will affect you as you get older. If anything else, place your feet on a riser under your desk, if you feel the strain in your legs over time of sitting. Use a lumbar support in your lower back, and also a chair with arms can help keep your arms up to where your hands and wrist meet the keyboard properly. 

4. A standing desk, or height desk is also a good investment to make if you feel you're sitting too long and for long periods of time. Also, getting up periodically can help get blood flowing, as well. Doing walks on your lunch break, squats, lunges, side-to-side stretches, calve raises on stairs, and yoga is also a great way to get stretches in and improves brain function and flexibility over time, too.

5. Add some plants to your desk, a small fish tank, paintings, family pictures, or even pictures of plants. A small, live tree in the corner of your office space can help relieve anxiety of the work day, as well as bring in fresh oxygen to your small corner, or room. If you can the more the better.!

Have a nice weekend!

Peanut Butter Cookies

This past weekend we decided not to hit the waves, but clean out a lot of forgotten spaces in our house. One space being the pantry. We are good at rotating foods in our pantry, but every once in awhile we find out we have more of one item than we think. This weekend it was peanut butter. Six jars later we realize that we are pretty set on having enough for awhile. I tried to think of ways to use it and there is so many possibilities. After sorting through all of the options, we agreed on making peanut butter cookies and played around with some of the chocolate candies we picked up at the local food co-op here. We love these chocolate candies and they are similar to M&M's, but are made with Fair Trade chocolate and dyed with better ingredients. Since changing our eating habits to better quality, it's amazing how many things that once tasted "good" now taste off. One of the main products I've noticed the change in taste is chocolate and peanut butter. I used to love Hershey's, especially Hershey Kisses, but now, nope. I can't eat them without feeling like I'm eating chocolate-flavored wax. These chocolate rainbow drops can be purchased online here, if you wanted to use them like we did in this recipe. Here's how we made our peanut butter cookies.

Ingredients:

1 cup organic peanut butter, 1 cup organic sugar

1 large organic egg, ½ cup organic flour

Chocolate candies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the peanut butter, sugar, egg in a mixer and add flour on low speed until well combined. Don't over mix, just enough to combine everything and make a wet/oily dough base.

Roll into balls, or create your own pattern of cookie. Pressing a fork into the tops of the cookies creates the lines on the top of the cookies shown here. Add the chocolate candies anywhere on the cookies that you chose. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies start to brown a bit. 

These cookies are great when they are still slightly warm.