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Five Simple Things (June 10)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. These Cupcakes.

Because sometimes, it's just that kind of week.

2. This Parade.
This week was the setup to the Strawberry Festival held here every year in honor of strawberries. Although it was a bit rainy, we sat and watched the parade for a bit. With Skylar working across from where we were sitting, he was able to walk across the street and hang out with us for a bit on his break. 


And, with everything being centered around strawberries, we can't help but go all in by finding anything and everything strawberry.



3. This Alert.


A bit alarming, but thankfully nothing came from it. With all of the alerts for earthquakes near/close/distant from us, it's a bit unnerving. We always take note of any alert that is close to us, or even out in the Pacific Ocean.

4. This Grilling.


Taking full advantage of the warmer weather here lately. It's been nice to be cook outside again without worrying about fires, or intense smoke. Hopefully, we can get by with another summer of no threats again. 2020 is not year we think of fondly, but we are grateful that we are all safe and that we learned a lot that year on what's important and what's not.

5. These Caramels.


Finally tried making homemade caramels. Not really my thing and they didn't come out quite as planned, but it was definitely an interesting task. I might try it again, but I'm not sure right now. For now, we are going to enjoy these, because it did take all of us to make these tasty. 

Positive affirmations this week:

There's lots of resources, apps, and journals out there that can help keep you on a path for routine each day. Mostly all you need is a piece of paper and a plan for the following day, or even for the week. I like to set myself up for small tasks for each day, but also include larger tasks to complete for the week and even the month. It helps a great deal with keeping me on track, so that when (not if, but when) bad mental health days hit, I don't add to my feelings with thinking I'm not getting anything done. On my tasks each day, week, and month, I make absolutely sure that have plenty of days for self-care and down time. If I deprive myself of those days and times, it will definitely show up later that I neglected that important part that I need to be successful in my life. Below are some examples that I have used as templates before. They are great tools from Habio, Elevate, and Fabulous.

 

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (June 3)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. These Trees.

The Hawthorne trees are always so lovely this time of year.

2. These Items.

Mighty Nest this month was a linen towel with a calming design. Get on next month's list here.
KiwiEcoBox this month was some great items, from a rice paddle, tomato spread, toothpaste/toothbrush, etc. Grab this monthly box here.

Kinder Beauty Box this month was a hit for me. The hair mask, shower gel, and lip gloss were great!
And, since I missed on posting the Kinder Beauty Box for last month, it was great, too! You can sign up for this box here and each month you'll great some great, cruelty-free, natural/organic beauty care items.

3. This Sprout.

This sweet, little plant is either a seed sprouting, or a weed, but either way I decided to leave it since it gave me some love I so desperately needed this week. Sometimes little things mean a great deal.

4. These Bars.

Some of my favorite things right now. Absolutely love these grain and seed bars from LivBar. They are made right here in Oregon and taste amazing! We are all loving them currently. My favorite is the Blueberry Vanilla. You can grab a box of these here.

5. This Meal.

Homemade enchiladas are some of my favorite things. The "cheese" on top is vegan cheese from Whole Flower Farms and is the absolute best vegan cheese I've ever tasted. It's spiced just perfectly for Mexican dishes.

Positive affirmations this week:

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (May 27)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. These Moments.

We actually got to surf twice this week, which is rare. We normally are only able to get out once a week, but having the opportunity to go twice was a blast. I enjoy each time we go out, because all anyone ever does when surfing is practicing to get better.

2. This Ladybug.

Sweet ladybug hanging out on the lavender waiting for warmer days like the rest of us.

3. This Doggy.

He is either down sleeping, or up with full energy. Hardy is such a great doggy and I love his weird, quirky personality so much!

4. This Ladder.

After the wildfires in 2020 and all of the ash destroying our pool pump we ended up posting our pool on Craigslist for free, but decided to hold onto the ladder for awhile just in case we planned to get another pool, or could use it for something else. This week we made the decision to post the ladder for sale online, after not finding a way to use it again. It was tough to say goodbye to it, but it went to someone that has a pool waiting for it. The affects of the wildfires here are still hitting a lot of people and in different ways. 2020 had such an impact on our little family alone, but the whole state, and even the entire west coast is still feeling its pain.

5. This Teaser.

We are huge "Stranger Things" fan in our house and we are anxiously waiting for the new season.

One more thing:
Yesterday we picked up our red noses at Walgreens for Red Nose Day. It's a day once a year to bring in donations through the sell of red noses and to be silly like a child. If you didn't get a chance to pick up your red nose, you can still donate here.

Positive affirmations this week:

Always take advantage and never miss an opportunity to tell the people you care about that you love them. No matter what kind of day you're having, letting someone else know how much you care has a greater impact than you realize. Your words could save someone's life that day, or even walk them off the edge. Words have power and do powerful things, so use them in a way that will always make people feel wanted, loved, and enough.

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (May 20)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This View.

Love how it looks right now. When we are inside our home, or sitting in our backyard, for a moment we forget we live in the middle of a city.

2. This Moon.

This past Sunday was a full moon named Blood Moon -Super Flower/Full Milk. We had a decent view of it from our backyard, but through the telescope, the view can't be beat. Lunar Eclipse was also able to be seen on Sunday, but we here on the west coast didn't get a good view. Holding out for 2024 for the total solar eclipse that will happen once again, but a full lunar eclipse would be awesome to see. (On May 18, we also got a view on the Spring Triangle. It's a grouping of stars in the sky that literally form a long triangle. It's stars of Spica-Virgo, Arcturus-Bootes, and Regulus-Leo.

3. These Spots.
 
Anxiety affects everyone suffering with it a bit differently and sometimes it can affect the person with a completely different symptom. When I hear that anxiety is all in your head these are the moments that people don't see. I call these spots my cheetah spots. They pop out in high anxiety situations, but when and where those situations happen varies. It could be just going into a store, a classroom, work, or an appointment. It could be sitting in traffic, feeling overwhelmed with stress, or even lack of confidence to a particular situations, or person. Sometimes certain comments made towards me also have an affect. I used to avoid being social when these cheetah spots would appear. It upset people, especially "family" that we would not show up at a planned event. They took it personally, but what they didn't see was what was happened behind closed doors. These spots eventually fade after about an hour, but the physical response of high levels of anxiety aren't all in your head. It's a genuine condition that shouldn't be taken lightly by anyone. There are coping mechanisms like the necklace around my neck in this picture, but overall, it will always be present. And, the fact that I can control it even just a small bit, gives me comfort. Don't tell people their emotions, responses, or even mental health issues are all in their head. It does more long-term damage to that person than you realize. And, be kind. Not everything people are going through is about you.

4. This Kitten.

Skylar and I visited the local animal shelter to donate a few things and walk through to see all of the animals up for adoption. I try to donate dog food around Baz's birthday and cat food around Meia's birthday. It's my way of giving back in such a way that makes me keep their memory alive and makes me feel good about helping out other animals. Meia's cat food donation has always been in the form of her favorite food, but Baz's donation has been random things he loved; soft foods and soft treats. These little kitties in this room were so playful and fun to watch. When I walk through the shelter at times I see small glimpses of Baz and Meia. I always tear up, but it's more of happy to see these small glimpses than tears of sadness. I miss them so terribly bad, but I do believe in spirits and I know they are watching me, love me, and are proud of me.

5. This Sleet.
 
 
Random bout of hail fell this week. We had been sitting outside and had just walked inside and we heard loud picking sounds hitting the windows. Weather lately is so confusing. Never know exactly what's going to happen here. Definitely didn't expect hail to fall during a 70 degree day.

Positive affirmations this week:

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (May 13)

Hello. 

Happy Friday the Thirteenth.
Here are five things this week.

1. This Cake.

Last Sunday was Mother's Day and every year I just enjoy spending time with Skylar. We sometimes take a road trip, or go shopping, but this year we decided to stay home and enjoy our backyard, while enjoying this small cake we bought the day before. After the last few mental health struggles, it was such a nice day to sit back, relax, and not put a lot of thought into having to be anywhere, go anywhere, or stress about anything. It was a good day!

2. This Display.

We went this week to IKEA to check out their new surfing display and items as part of their partnership with the World Surf League. We loved all of the great items and picked out a few for us that suited our lifestyle. We purchased the picnic basket, balance board, and handboards

3. This Book.

This book definitely caught my eye, especially after Betty White passed away. I've been watching all seasons of The Golden Girls and pretending like they are all still alive.

4. This Salad.

We've been digging deep into some random salads and experimenting with what works well with certain salad items and what doesn't. It's been an interesting and delicious experience.

5. This Flat.

Had a day planned to work on our bus all day and was hindered by a flat on the Compass. Not exactly sure how it happened, but this city doesn't quite clean/sweep their streets as well as they should. Thank goodness this tire was under warranty, but it would be nice to be able to trust the city streets here, debris, metal, and even pot holes have caused us a lot of car damage.

Positive affirmations this week:
Have a nice weekend and a great Thirteenth.