Five Simple Things (April 14)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This Rainbow.

Rainbows mean so much to us now. It's our Life at a Swell's Pace.

2. This Salt.

 

Only Salt is the only salt we use in our house now, with the exception of Jacobson flake salt for baking. Only Salt makes sure that the plastics that are in our oceans stay out of our salts. The wooden container that came with my last purchase of salt is also a great vessel to hold the salt, especially when we are setting the dinner table. This exact one is sold out, but here is one similar.

3. This Guy.

Sporting this month's Hunt a Killer accessories. Act fast because they sell out quick.

4. These Seeds.

 

Giving our seed starts this year a different approach.

5. This Kitty.

Always curious, but always cute.

One last thing:

If you're searching for a flavored beer with no alcohol, yet still has the beer taste, highly recommend the Sparkle Hops from Pelican Brewing. Made right here in Oregon and my favorite is Willamette with cherry, but all of them are great!

Positive affirmations this week:

Yoga has been a positive impact on my mental health and flexibility. Stretching and strength training is a plus in my life and I do them more than anything else. As we get older we have to keep our bodies flexible. Be sure to incorporate some basic yoga into your daily routine. It will not only help your body, but also help your mental state and knowing that you are strong all the way around. Below are some beginning yoga moves that are great to help get you started.

You can do this! 🌈

Have a nice weekend.

Easter 2023

 Our Easter this year was very lowkey. We dyed eggs and gave Skylar a basket of things he has asked for over the past few months. We had a very slow holiday to ourselves. We are around so many people during the week and all three of us just wanted to stay home and watch movies and eat candy, so that's just what we did. It was perfect!🐰

 

Five Simple Things (April 7)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This Kid.

Starting his first day at college. Paint me proud, but also paint me sad. Having only one child makes it hard to see him growing up. He is going to do amazing things and I am right here cheering him on as his biggest fan. You are awesome, Skylar! ♥

2. These Donations.

We adopted Hardy from Safe Haven Humane Society almost twelve years ago. He has been such a wonderful, little doggy, so we try to donate to them whenever we can. It's our way of saying thank you and also giving back to them.

3. This Subscription.

Kinder Beauty has introduced me to so many great beauty and selfcare brands that I get excited each time the boxes come in the mail. My favorite product from this month's box is the Purfect Liquid Face Mask. I'm a sucker for any kind of face mask, and this one is perfect for Sunday Selfcare.

4. These Cameras.

And they all face our neighbor's house. Things are a bit weird over there lately, so we have at least a few "eyes" on them while we are gone during the day. The brand is Premier Smart and they come with hardwired and wireless. There is an app for them and you can also save videos and pictures, if needed.

5. These Ducks.

 

Skylar and I had lunch along the Willamette River this week while he was in between classes. We didn't expect it to start raining, but we also didn't expect to see a team of ducks surround us when we were leaving, either. They wanted to come home with us. ☺

One last thing:

The view of No Rain the bus outside of our house is still so awesome. You can always see what we are up to with the bus under the page "No Rain" the Bus at the top of the blog.

Positive affirmations this week:

Part of mental health issues with people is thinking that they always have to have everything. The big house, nice cars, the top job, the top pay, the best kids, the best looking spouse, the best body, the most of everything - but what people don't realize is, the only thing we need is what we already have and be grateful for that. The mentality that has been hammered into our heads as we get older is affecting people on a bigger level than what people realize. People will always think that their life isn't enough unless we change the way you have been taught. We have been conditioned to think we need more, and when we get more, we need more than that. Life isn't a race and it definitely isn't a competition between each other. The only person you should be in competition with is yourself. Every day be a better person than you were the day before. Happiness can't be bought and you most assuredly won't find happiness in people that make you feel like you and your life aren't enough.

You can do this!🌈

Have a nice weekend.

End of March 2023 (1 Second Every Day)

 

Five Simple Things (March 31)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This Plant.

It is thriving in its new location.

2. These Cupcakes.

These chocolate/coffee cupcakes were just the right treat this week. 

3. These "Eyes."

 

Skylar found some awesome LED push lights (IKEA KAPPLAKE LED lights) that would great for his Star Wars display.

4. This Kitty.

Eleven has three modes - Sleep, Eat, and Chaos.

5. This Sentence.

I've been learning French for 450 days now on Duolingo, and I can now introduce myself, talk about the weather, and tell you I like to surf.

One last thing:

I wasn't sure how this picture would turn out, but I love how my car looks against the darkness. Almost seems mysterious.

Positive affirmations this week:

Having positive affirmations around your home is a great way to keep yourself on track for helping with negative self talk. I have ones on my bathroom mirror, my office, my shower, my refrigerator, and the mirror by my front door. I have thought about adding one to every room of my house and moving them around once a week to keep the energy going. These below came from Dae as part of their 12-month mantra kit, but you can easily write them, or your own down on a sticky note or small piece of paper and stick them wherever you need that added reminder.

You can do this!

Don't forget to observe Earth Hour tomorrow.

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (March 24)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This Hat.

Today we reorganized Skylar's room and put his Fog Hat hat inside a glass hat protection case to help keep the dust off of it. I was a bit nervous purchasing this glass case through Amazon, but it came just as described. You can get one here.

2. This Day.

 

 

We spend the day at IKEA creating crafts and enjoying their spring celebration. We made birdseed disks to hang in our garden, and paper flowers. There were a few other fun activities that really helped bring in the spring season. If you're part of IKEA Family you can sign up for different store events here and get involved with IKEA's fun environment.

3. This Tea.

I am the type that enjoys sun tea even when the sun isn't shining bright. This is hibiscus tea is so good, especially when combined with a blueberry tea and when I don't feel like tea I like to mix up some of my Your Super powders, depending on what I feel like having. Cold tea is kind of a southern thing, but in the south a lot of people add sugar, but I love it as is. 

4. These Boxes.

Of course, once a month I have to include my two favorite subscription box items. On the left is Kiwi Eco Box and on the right is Might Nest. Mighty Nest hit it again with this month's "fix" being face-gel sunblock. Ever since receiving this I've been using it nonstop every day. I apply it after washing my face and before makeup. And a lot of great things in the Kiwi Eco Box that we can use on the bus. Never disappointed with these two boxes. 

5. This Bandit.

This little bandit set our car alarms off three times throughout the night this week. We first thought someone was trying to break into our cars and we were getting frustrated, but once we found the culprit we couldn't get mad. He was chilling in the tree and every time he tried to come down, he had to step on one of our cars, so it caused the alarm to go off. The alarm scared him right back up in the tree again. We ended up moving our cars up a bit so he could come down without being "alarmed" every time.

One last thing:

Quappy and the other ducks don't seem to mesh well, so we have had to allow Quappy to run around in the yard for a bit and then put him in a pen so the other ducks can have a chance to stretch their legs and wings. We aren't sure if it's a pecking order type of thing, or if they just don't like being around each other. Hopefully, in time, that will get better, but for now we are on rotating duck shifts. ☺

Positive affirmations this week:

Writing down positive goals each week and writing down negatives that I want to work on has helped a great deal with staying focused on what's important and what I need to release from my brain. I have a hard time some weeks staying focused on what's important for me to stay on track with my mental health issues and these little reminders help a great deal. These sticky notes I found at Target, and they are sold out, but here are some that are similar.

Have a nice weekend.