Garden Update (2023)

 

Five Simple Things (June 23)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This flower.

This yellow flower was in our yard this week before we mowed and I wondered what it was and where it came from. At first, I thought it was a cute flower and enjoyed seeing it, but after some research I realized that it is not a good thing to see, especially in our yard. This is called shortpod mustard (Hirschfeldia incana). It is considered and invasive species and thrives in Oregon, California, and Nevada. It's a perennial and mostly grows in fields/pastures, roadsides, and sometimes in vineyards. The seeds are accidentally picked up by birds, or others wildlife and carried to different locations. It's native to Mediterranean climates and sometimes called summer mustard. I was glad to see only one of these in our yard, but hopefully it sticks to the field behind our house and doesn't come "wondering" into our yard often.

2. This screw.

We finished pulling up all of the screws we had along the flooring of the bus this week. The last screw we are wanting to keep to remind us of how much work we've done and how far we have come on our renovation. We are always doing something on the bus to get further along with our progress and you can always see where we are on our bus page on the blog here, or Instagram and Twitter pages.

3. This pottery.

I picked up this terra cotta kitty ornament at our local co-op this week and the best part about it is that essential oils can be used on the surface. A few drops on the porous surface releases the scent for several hours. I was going to use it in my car, but I have decided to hang it from the light switch on my bedroom lamp to diffuse the scent while I am sleeping. Plus, it's a kitty shape and I just love it so much. I can't find a link to this particular one, but here are some similar.

4. This house.

We were on our way home from spending a day in Portland and stopped to eat lunch at the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Gordon House. The Gordon House was the only design built in Oregon and was built for Ed and Evelyn Gordon . The Gordon House was designed to help people better understand Frank Lloyd Wright's designs and educate the public on architecture. It was a beautifully crafted home and eating lunch on the lawn was such a nice way to close out our day out and about. We didn't take the tour, but walking around the outside of the house we got a feel for how wonderfully designed the entire home is. You can read about the history of The Gordon House here.

“Organic architecture seeks a unique sense of use and a finer sense of comfort, expressed in organic simplicity.” – Frank Lloyd Wright

5. These strawberries.

We saw a great showing of our strawberries this year and they produced the cutest little fruits. We moved them from a wine barrel they had been in for the last three years and since moving them, they seem happier. The container is a terra cotta planter with side holes all around for plants to thrive through the entire pot, not just the top.

One more thing:

This week I tried my hand at making caramels and instead of made something similar to a Sugar Daddy. It was caramel-y, but to was way too hard to be an actual soft caramel. We enjoyed what I made, but hopefully I can keep trying and get better at knowing the right time to cook the sugars and know when to pull them off at just the right time. I am going to try again, but for now, I am going to definitely take note of this recipe and recreate it again, because honestly, it wasn't that bad.

Positive affirmations this week:

Spending time alone with your thoughts sometimes has to happen to get a good focus on what you need to work on. This week I was working on spending more alone time and meditating. It has helped me realize there are a lot of mental thoughts that I carry around that I need to let go of. One being past interactions with people that have done, or said mean things to me that I couldn't shake. I am able to remember the moment, feel how it makes me feel, acknowledge that my feelings about the interactions are valid, and then let it go. It's a hard process to fully put myself back in those moments and relive the feelings over again, but it has helped me a lot with making closure with what I could have done differently, forgiving the person for their own issues, or insecurities, and close it out to be able to move on. You can forgive someone in silence and never speak to them again, or have anything to do with them. It's hard, but in order to create healthy boundaries, it's important to make these changes with yourself. You can do this! 🌈

Have a nice weekend.

Sometimes Wants (Summer '23)

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

1. 2.

3. 4.

5. 6.

7. 8.

9. 10.

1. Lately I've taken to seeing a lot of spice racks change their jars out for ones that are more uniform and minimal. Although we purchase organic spices, and all of them come in glass containers anyway, it would be nice to have some that look cohesive in the cabinet. I have had my eye on these lately, because they have bamboo lids and come with labels. I am also liking these from KonMari, as well. The black bamboo lids look sharp.
2. You can never have enough good quality cotton t-shirts and these are so soft and comfortable. They come in three colors, but the company makes a lot of great cotton items to add to your wardrobe and clothing rotation. I've replaced a lot of my lesser quality cotton shirts with these and I love all three colors and sizes from XXS to 6XL. FYI: They are perfect for yoga sessions and working out, and if you size up about three sizes, they are great for sleeping in and lounging around, too.
3. This was a pricier purchase for me this season, but one that I will be making again. These are some of the best lip balms I've ever used. They are smooth, classy, and feel great on the lips. They are just under $50, and are 16 ounces each. I've been using them now for about two months and I love them a lot. The colors I have are the Clear, Translucent Garnet, and Sheer Rose, but will be purchasing the Clear, Peony, and Tomato soon. The Clear along is a great lip balm to just have on hand, too.
4. I have been using these pot brushes for everything lately. We've been cleaning up areas on the bus and these have come in handy to get into small cracks and crevices to really get the grime out of them. We recently finished placing insulation is the wall areas and these little pot brushes came in super handy to be able to clean the small areas before putting in the insulation sheets. I've also been using these around the house to clean and scrub appliances, floors, and even walls.
5. Been rethinking how I ship things lately and the amount of waste that goes into packaging items to ship through the mail. I recently found these biodegradable shipping bags. They come in a 50 count package and are perfect for smaller items being shipped. They are compostable poly mailers with eco-friendly packaging that break down over a short period of time. The company also makes other biodegradable packaging and other items that make me feel just a bit better about doing my part of the environment.
6. Looking at light puffers lately and I fell in love with this longer puffer from Everlane. It's a nice color for fall and can be worn clear into June here in the Willamette Valley. It's comfortable and does a nice job of keeping even my legs warm on road trips. Comes in black, as well and is made from 100% recycled polyester material. Easily packs up and can be worn alone or in layers, I just love it. It comes in XXS to XL and tends to run a bit larger.
7. Along with going more eco-friendly in our house, I have found better ways to help the environment, while not compromising my cleaning habits. We have been using better sponge options lately and these are great. They are all natural, biodegradable, made with hemp/sisal plant, non-scratch, chemical-free, and odor free. With a bit of elbow grease, they really get the job done. I use one for about three weeks with my regular daily cleaning routine and toss them in our compost bin. They work for household cleaning, as well as dishes, and countertops.
8. We are still loving our Daxlena Safeparty Firepit Mat and when Summer Solstice hits we always know it's time to break it out for the season. With having the school bus now when we go camping, it has definitely come in handy no matter where we end up. We loved ours so much we ordered two more to use in different locations. We use it under anything hot to save the surface of what's underneath. We also use it in the sand and on our lawn when needed, as well. It's a great addition to your camping box, or just to use every day at your own home. Check out my blog post on the Safeparty Fire Pit Mat here.
9. These notebooks were a random find while working with some Amazon affiliate companies recently and they are perfect for what I needed at the time. We are planning a big trip here soon and I'm hoping we can document the trip in our own words in a notebook. These pastel colored notebooks will be just the right thing for that. I can't wait to be able to get back and read what all of us put in our notebooks about our trip. These come in the pastel colors pictured, more bold colors, and vintage colors and are 16 to a pack.
10. We've taken to coffee scrubs lately and not to discredit the companies that make quality coffee scrubs, but some are way overpriced. We found a good recipe, after some trial and error, that works for us and have been making it now for about three months. It's a simple recipe that has ethically-sourced ground coffee in it, coconut oil, sugar, and a bit of essential oils. The essential oils we change out depending on the season and whether we want to mix it up for a more uplifting scent. We create about a pound at a time and separate it into 20 ounce containers. We keep one of the 20 ounce containers in the shower and use it at least three times a week. The coffee we use is from Ethical Bean Coffee and we love that their coffee is better for the environment and the farmers that grow and harvest it. They carry whole beans and ground. If you're a coffee drinker, this a great brand to add to your morning brew.

Happy Summer Solstice!

Five Simple Things (June 16)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This day.

Taking Skylar to and from his classes has been a real treat for me. We were going to get him his own car, but we decided that since he was going to a four year college out of state soon, that we would take the time to spend every moment together that we could. I drive him to class and then head to work, then pick him out when I am done. It has worked out well and the time we are spending together reminds me of the days that he and I would drive everywhere and take road trips together. I sure do miss those days, and I will miss this days, too. But for now, I am embracing every second.

2. This view.

Eleven is loving the new setup I have for our ginger and avocado plants in the front window. The sun comes through in the mornings and she soaks in all the rays.

3. These cupcakes.

I made strawberry cupcakes from scratch this week and I think I did a good job of it. I used fresh strawberries in the cake batter and in the icing and topped each one off with a small wedge of fresh strawberry. The cake recipe I used was from Minimalist Baker and is vegan. The icing is just a guess of mine that I kept mixing until it tasted right to me. I used butter, confectioners', a small amount of milk, and just a little vanilla paste. Once I mixed that well in a stand mixer I added the pureed strawberries (blended in a blender) slowly so that I didn't flood the mix. Once I liked the taste I went with it. I didn't measure anything, so use your best judgement and always taste as you go. These cupcakes were so good, I will be repeating it again. Next time I will make sure and take note of each measure and share it.

4. This pizza.

On another baking note, this week I also made homemade pizza for Skylar's class "party." It was more of a last day of class get together for his classmates and Skylar wanted to take homemade pizzas. I spent hours making homemade pizza dough and the rest of the process was easy. I hate cooking, or baking, but I will do anything for Skylar, so I pressed on and made four pizzas for his class and froze the other dough for us to use at home. We called around to different pizza places in the city and the only place that would let us have pizza boxes to use was Pizza Schmizza. They charged us 50 cents per box, because we insisted on paying something for their trouble. We are extremely grateful and definitely want to give them a shoutout for their generosity. And, the pizzas were a big hit and his classmates and teacher couldn't believe that I made all of them. They said the pizzas were so good and such a good idea. Some classmates even took some home. I couldn't believe people actually enjoyed something that I made. It made me feel so good and Skylar couldn't stop saying thank you to me. It was a good day!

5. These plants.

We have spent this week getting different plants that will stay on this property long after we are gone. We are trying to create a natural landscape that will beautify the property and will create some privacy. Our ducks are enjoying the coverage that some of the plant's leaves are creating, and they have been playing in the foliage. We are still trying to find a good place for these boxwoods we purchased, but we aren't quite sure where yet. It will come to us soon, we just need to "feel" the space out before deciding. Our backyard will hopefully be an escape for us in time. It's almost there, but we still need a few more different aspects before it's complete.

One more thing:

I have had my eyes on a few older camera lately and this one caught my eye right away. It's being sold by an individual that lives in Japan and I have sent him a message that I am very interested. He is selling it on eBay and I hope he takes my offer. (photo credit: bummei sasaki)

Positive affirmations this week:

Simple tips, like the one below are helpful reminders to keep going and keep on track. Definitely smile more and drink more water. You should shoot for working out at least three times a week, too. Working out and drinking more water will have great benefits to your mental health. Keep going and keep a routine. 

You can do this!🌈

Have a nice weekend.