Five Simple Things (May 26)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This pottery.

Skylar brought these home from his class at LBCC and I just love them. Pottery is such a fun thing and if I had my own kiln I would be making it every day.

2. These fortunes.

The best part of Chinese take out is the fortunes, right?

3. This day.

It was a good day.

4. This coop.

This duck coop has been such a great addition to us having ducks, but the time has come to replace it with something new. We loved this duck house from the moment we set it up, but unfortunately these types of coops don't last long in the elements. The sides are made from a thin wood and aren't setup to last for long periods of time. Even if this coop was out of the elements, the overall construction isn't great. We have had to fix, repair, and even reconstruct a lot of the coop over the years and every time we cleaned out one part of the coop, it seems another part would need to be repaired. We are currently looking at getting a small shed, but right now we are limping the coop by until we decide.

5. This garden.

Our garden is coming along nicely and we see plants breaking through the soil. We are anxious to see what all is successful this year and what we are going to have for a harvest. This will be the last year that our garden is in this location. We already have plans on where to move it and start with fresh new beds. We can't wait, but for now, we are expecting a good harvest from this year's garden.

One last thing:

I've been working with a dietitian on foods to help me stay at a certain weight, but also help me stay on track. I've been working with her ever since my car accident happened where I lost a lot of weight and the hospital was worried that I would go back on old habits of an eating disorder. I have to eat a weekly determined number of calories every day and sometimes I have a hard time meeting those goals. I hate cooking, so Jeff and Skylar have been keeping me with those calories so that I can meet my calorie goals. I will be honest, sometimes it's really hard, but we can all do hard things. Especially things that help us stay health. Below is a couple of food options that were on the list of calories. Rice with one tablespoon of butter, and two tablespoons of nutritional yeast. The other option was four strips of bacon cooked in the oven and four protein pancakes with one tablespoon butter, one tablespoon jelly/jam, syrup, or honey. This day's calories were hard to get through. I don't like bacon that much, so I wasn't able to eat the entire plate, but I did the best I could and that's all that matters. If you too are struggling with having a good relationship with food, it is going to be tough some days, but overall it's so rewarding to reach a goal, even if it's small. 

Positive affirmations this week:

I have started leaving my phone in the kitchen to charge on the charging strip each night and I have gotten Skylar to do the same. We noticed one important thing when we started doing this, we get so much better sleep at night. I mentioned it to Jeff to do, too, but he uses his for his alarm in the morning, so that's a no-go for him... or is it? Using you phone for your alarm clock is one of the biggest issues with people sleeping with their phones next to their heads while they sleep. But breaking that happen only takes you removing the cell phone from the room. No one says you have to use your phone for that, you are choosing to do that. There are so many different alarm clocks on the market that can help you wake up just as efficiently. The best step would be to try it out on a day that you don't have to be at work, or any appointments. Give yourself some learning curve days, too. It's hard to break a habit, but that first step is all it takes. Your sleep will be so much better.

You can do this! 🌈

Have a nice weekend.

Our First Cold Plunge Experience

 My therapist recommended giving cold plunging a try, so I got Skylar and Jeff to do it with me. It was quite an experience, but I will say, all three of us felt amazing afterward and for a few days following. We have started with a galvanized metal stock tank that is large enough for us to sit with our legs completely submerged in the water. We are going to get into a routine of cold plunging at least twice a week and also incorporate cold showers into our daily routine, so we get into a pattern of where our bodies benefit from both.  We are being consistent with it, because my knee pain is almost nonexistent and I experience less headaches, backaches, and my mental health issues seem to be less intense when I do have a panic attack. Jeff said his arthritic shoulder and injured wrist feels about 80% better, and Skylar said he experiences better mental health and helps with his endurance when running. We will see how long this setup works for our needs and we will be upgrading to one that has a regulated chilling system, so we don't have to keep using ice. There is nothing wrong with this setup, if it's something you've been wanting to try, but our feedback on this setup is the constant using of bagged ice, or frozen ice blocks you can make yourself. 

Five Simple Things (May 19)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This pie.

These pies are made here locally and are some of the best ones we have ever tasted. They are available through our local food co-op and I grab one once a month and surprise everyone with it. This one was marionberry and it was incredible!

2. This surfing.

We randomly took off this week for a surfing day and it was much needed. The stress of the week seems to fade away once we are in the water and we are so grateful to live this close to the coast to be able to take off whenever we want or need and spend the day on the waves.

3. This box.

Kinder Beauty introduced some new brands and products in this month's box. My favorite product in this shipment is the Lavido Thera Intensive Body Cream. It has a nice lavender and tea tree scent, but also works well for really dry areas, like feet. 

4. This game.

This game is also featured in my Shop page, but this week we played it and it's a lot of fun. These little games are available through Lowe's and offer kids the ability to learn how to build something, give them confidence in seeing what they can do, and also create something that they can actually use. These little DIY construction kits help keep kids and adults off their phones for a short time and create a family time that can create memories that last a lifetime.

5. These items.

A few more items headed to be donated. Hopefully, these items will become someone else's treasures through the humane society here.

One last thing:

This week we went to eat at Café Yum on the Oregon State University campus. While we were eating there was a race car parked across the street. We waited to see the driver, but he never showed up. We enjoyed making up stories while we ate. Skylar made up that he was the driver of the car and was driving across the country to leave his city job for the green pastures of New Hampshire. Ha!

Positive affirmations this week:

I've been using the guided meditation through Op e  n for about three months now and the takeaway has been so rewarding. Meditation is a great way to help with mental health issues, especially anxiety. I have PTSD induced anxiety, and at times it brings about panic attacks so bad that I feel like I am going to die. Meditation has helped a great deal with panic issues from anxiety attacks and also helped me relax my brain at night when I can't seem to slow down from a day of anxiety issues. There's a lot that Op e  n offers and below is a diagram that can get you started. Even if you don't use Op e  n, I highly recommend starting a mediation practice of your own.

You can do this! 🌈

Have a nice weekend.

Nuts and Seeds Banana Bread

• 1/2 cup melted salted butter
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, or more to taste
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground or grated nutmeg
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract (not imitation)
• 4 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 cup, or more of seeds and nuts (peanuts, pumpkin, flax, sunflower, almond, cashew, chia)

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), and butter a loaf pan.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the ripe bananas and melted butter. Mix in the baking soda and salt. Then add in sugars, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix in the flour last.

Pour the batter into greased loaf pan and sprinkle 1/2 of the nuts on top. Halfway through baking, sprinkle the remaining nuts on top and finish baking.

Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before slicing.

This recipe is customizable in so many ways. Instead of bananas, try canned pumpkin, zucchini, even watermelon. Instead of nuts, add raisins, cranberries, currants, blueberries, or even strawberries. The possibilities are endless. We have tried all different ways to incorporate foods into this recipe. It should be called, "Everything in the Cabinet Bread."☺ I hope you enjoy it, because it's a huge favorite in our house! If you give it a try, let me know by tagging me on social media. I would love to know what you think of it, or if you added something fun.

Five Simple Things (May 12)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. These rowers.

 

The women's rowing team for Oregon State University was out on the Willamette River this week. It's cool to watch when they are all in sync with each other.

2. These sparrows.

 

The sparrows love our backyard, especially after we've mowed the grass.

3. This day.

We took a day trip over to the coast in hopes of locating one of the hidden glass floats that have been placed around different areas of the coastline. We stopped and had lunch and spent several hours hunting, but only found a forgotten Easter egg that was left over from Easter. Darn...maybe next year.

4. This delivery.

I waited patiently for this Amazon delivery. I have been wanted some faux olive trees for awhile now and I was so excited when these went on sale. The Amazon delivery driver was such a nice man, he even posed for a picture. These particular faux olive trees are six feet tall and come in their own little pot (black), and have olives in green and black along the branches. They look so real, people have mistaken them for the real thing multiple times. These are some of the best ones that I have found where the branches and the trunk look like they have real bark on them. They come in a set of two and you can purchase them here, or check out my "Shop" page at the top of the blog.

5. These ladybugs.

 

Skylar and I always try to "rescue" ladybugs, praying mantis, earth worms, and crickets from their ill fates, especially earth worms and crickets. We like to grab a couple of the containers whenever we can. This week we saw two containers of ladybugs that didn't look too well, so we grabbed them up and freed them into our garden and roses. A few of them were already dead and a few more died over the next few days, but overall a lot of them were able to recover and they are now living their best life in our garden and flower beds.

One last thing:

I have been on a mission to limit my sugar intake this year and one of my New Year's resolutions was to cut back on sweets. I make sure to stay within a calorie deficit when I do indulge in sugary treats and by doing this I have convinced my brain that a little is enough to satisfy my sweet tooth at that moment. My dentist is happy to see less tooth decay and my waistline is finally getting to the place that I am happy with. There are so abs there, I can see them faintly. Hopefully, by staying on this course I will be able to see a lot more as time goes on. My favorite sweets are Cocomels Sea Salt Caramels, SunRidge Farms fruit slices and sunny bears, and their rainbow drops.

Positive affirmations this week:

Healing takes a lot of ups and downs, but even after a minor bit of healing, you can and will see the difference. I have felt like I was 100% healed only to have a setback that takes me back a bit to where I feel like I am starting from the beginning again. I had an encounter with someone from my past that brought back a lot of bad memories from my past. It set me back to where I had to revisit those moments once again and heal in a different way, so that I could move past it enough to be able to mentally heal again. And that's okay. There's a lot of times that you are going to have a setback, or two, but you have to remind yourself that you will get through it and you will be okay.

You can do this! 🌈

Have a nice weekend.