Life at a "Swell's" pace

Five Simple Things (March 1)

Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This moon.

The view from this window gives us a feeling of being whole with the phases of the moon. It shines through in such a way that makes us forget the hurt, and negativity of the world. It's a positive mental flush, in a way. It reminds us of how small we all are in this universe and there isn't anything that is out of our control that we need to get upset about, or lose sleep over. We are all going to be okay.

2. These papers.

It's the time of year again.

3. This kid.

He loves trains. Ever since the first time I bought him a wooden Thomas the Train and wooden track he has loved them. I am so happy I gave him that love of trains to get him started. He can tell you about trains from the west coast to the east coast and it's information about them from the front to the back. It's incredibly impressive.

4. This water.

We fill out water bottles every two weeks, and sometimes once a month. We fill them at our local food co-op through a filtered machine inside their building. We have about 10 bottles, three and five gallon. We also have a filtered water machine at home that the bottles fit on. Our water task hopefully is helping us filter out microplastics. I would love if all of our bottles were glass, but we do what we can right now. I recently found out that Mountain Valley Water from my hometown of Hot Springs, Arkansas, also delivers. Possibly a future option for us. Be sure to always chose glass over plastic when we can. The world is full of enough plastics, as it is.

5. This stick.

My go-to right now for dryness on my face and chest in this colder, less humid weather. It is great for under and around the eye moisturizing, too, especially on the go.

cocokind MyMatcha All-over moisturizer stick

*Get 20% off*

One last thing:

Citrus is in season. Stock up now!

Positive affirmations this week:

Try to work on cutting ties with people that don't serve you, or your mental health. It is okay to let go and grow for yourself. If anyone makes you feel like you are less, that's a good sign that they aren't for you. Remember the old saying, if they aren't there to support you in your growth, they shouldn't be the ones there when you succeed and reach your goals.

You can do this!🌈

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (February 23)

Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This place.

A night out is always in order. Dinner at Bo & Vine and ended up at the Beer Place after. A great night.♥

2. This sticker.

Supporting a small business.

3. These spaces.

It's that time of year again where we do a massive downsizing. A lot of things we've parted with we don't miss. We are minimalizing down our house little by little and it feels good. Our garage is about to see an entire redo and the small closet in the hall is going to see a new facelift. More soon...

4. This fill-up.

Yikes... Things are getting a bit expensive lately. Hopefully, this November we get a better leader that can actually relate to the American people. Someone that actually knows what it's like to pump gas, buy groceries, sit down and pay bills, and actually know what it's like to live day to day at a real job.

5. These favorites.

A few of my favorite things I am loving lately.

1. Dermora 24K Gold Under Eye Patches

2. PURE'AM Amino Acid Facial Cleanser

3. Everist Concentrated Shampoo/Conditioner/Body Wash

One last thing:

Still loving my vacuum. I have to say that Miele is the best vacuum cleaner I have ever owned. It's a canister vacuum and the bags and filters definitely make a difference in our home with animals. I am allergic to almost everything; dust, pet danger; molds; pollen, you name it and this vacuum gets it all. You can read more about our Miele Compact Vacuum here, and the AirClean Miele 3D Bags here.

Positive affirmations this week:

Don't forget to take note of the little things in your life. Make it a habit to notice at least one little thing that brings you joy every day.

You can do this!🌈

Have a nice day.

Five Simple Things (February 16)

Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This tree.

I'm still sad over my Paper Birch tree breaking under the ice. I hope the other side stays strong. It was the twin trunks I loved the most. Trees are special to me, so ones that I helped from seed hit me hard. This one I grew from seed, so it's important to me.

2. These clips.

I found this clips this week and I think they are perfect for my papers and the project I'm currently working on. Look under the "shop" tab at the top of the blog soon. Something fun is in the works.

3. This service.

I love this company name and logo.

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,

Nothing is going to get better. It's not.”

― Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

4. This building.

Skylar's time at this college is limited, but I have enjoyed sharing this time for him.

5. This lunch.

We tried In N Out Burger this week. We had tried it once before in Medford, Oregon, and it didn't taste that great to us. A location opened up in Salem, Oregon, and we gave it another try. This time it wasn't that bad, but we aren't big fast food eaters, so this was definitely food we wouldn't normally eat. It always gets me when fast food restaurants give extra salt to an already salty meal. Of course, salt isn't the enemy in the American diet, it's the sugar combined with the salt. Take note of that for future reference. ☺

One last thing:

Sometimes having lunch at the food co-op is just what is needed when having a bad day. I love how much care they put into my orders.♥

Positive affirmations this week:

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (February 9)

Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This mask.

I was never a hair mask kind of person until this moisture mask from Dae -Monsoon Moisture Mask. Now I am obsessed. It is hydrating and works so well. I use it once or twice a week, depending on how dry my hair is from week to week, and I especially like to use it once we get out of the ocean from surfing. I leave it in longer than it suggests and I have absolutely no regrets.

2. This box.

Kiwi Eco Box is one of my favorite things to see come in the mail once a month. This month's box was a hit, as always. My favorite thing in this month's box is the sugar exfoliating cubes by Latika, but I love the cork coasters, as well.

3. These signs.

These road signs from Brownsville, Oregon, we found at a local antique store this week. We have been to several antique stores looking for local vintage things and we were happy to find these. We didn't buy any of them, but we are on the right track in finding some cool things from years ago.

4. This kitty.

Eleven had slipped out into the garage the night before on Wednesday, and I didn't see that she was in there until around 5:00 a.m. the following morning when I went to work out in our home gym. She was happy to see me and I cuddled her a lot. She was dumped out on the streets as a kitten, so anything we can do to help her feel protected from her past, we do it. I hate that she had to spend the night out in the garage, but at least it's heated and she wasn't in the cold night outside.

5. These cards.

It's fun to see that Pokémon cards are still popular. I love that kids, and even adults are into Pokémon. Hopefully, it sticks around for a long time. It's a nice distraction from all of the nonsense in the real world right now.

One last thing:

I stubbled across this post this week when I was doing some research. It caught my attention because it was simple, yet seemed like an important thing to remember. To be completely honest, we tried it out and it works better on tile than carpet. Here is a paragraph from the actual post.

Whenever you travel, pack a rubber door stop and bit of bubble wrap — Nick told me he brought a chunk that was the same size as his suitcase. Both items are cheap and very light and won’t add much weight or take up much space in your luggage.

Then when you turn in for the night, put the stopper under the door, your bubble wrap on the floor in front of it, and rest a little more peacefully. Note that I said this was “foolproof” (because even a fool can do it!) and not burglar-proof. This isn’t going to stop anyone, of course, if they really want to get in; rubber wedges can be fairly effective in blocking the door, but the effectiveness depends on the kind of stopper used (some are made especially for security), the type of flooring it’s placed on (it’ll get much better traction on tile than carpet), and the strength of the intruder. But, it does add an element of surprise to someone’s entrance which may very well stop him in his tracks and even turn him away.

Positive affirmations this week:

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (February 2)

Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This ruler.

Command me, Lord! (Vigo the Carpathian hangs in our dining room to rule over the meal)

2. This view.

Sunsets here on the west coast are incredible!

3. This cup.

My new protein shake/green smoothie cup. I needed a new one other than a Ball jar. It's made from recycled plastic, so there's a little less guilt using plastic.

4. This day.

We are so happy to see the sun trying its best to peak through the clouds. I love the snow, but not when it's paired with ice. We are happy to see the blue skies coming around.

5. This city.

We spent the day in Portland running some errands around the city. On our way back we stopped at Whole Foods. We like to grab lunch there from time to time, and this is one of our favorite locations.

One last thing: