-
Easy Christmas Light Alternatives: Simplify Christmas Decorating
I love decorating for the holidays, but due to chronic illness, I need some easier Christmas light alternatives. I’m sharing some creative and festive ways to simplify Christmas decorating. This way, the outside of your house can shine, but you won’t have to untangle a bunch of light cords in cold weather!
The annual tradition of decorating outdoors is such a beautiful way to brighten up the dark Pacific Northwest winters and herald the coming of Christmas. I want the outside of my house to look festive, but it’s too cold out for me to put up lights (asthma and fibromyalgia are not forgiving of the cold). And the last place I need to be is on top of a ladder with my dizziness and balance issues caused by dysautonomia, an autonomic nervous system disorder.
-
Practical Gift Ideas for Someone with Chronic Illness
I hope this list of practical gifts for chronic illness is a helpful guide, whether you’re looking for Christmas, birthday, or “just because” gift suggestions. I’m also sharing four tips for choosing practical gifts for chronic illness.
My health conditions include fibromyalgia, POTS (a form of dysautonomia), myalgic encephalomyelitis (aka chronic fatigue syndrome), and asthma. I know that it can be challenging to know what will be helpful for those of us dealing with limitations due to our health, especially those of us with a lot of allergies. I’m sharing some things I’ve found particularly helpful, things I’ve been gifted, and things on my wishlist. (You can read more about my health journey here.)
Before we dive into gift suggestions, here are helpful tips for gift giving to keep in mind when your recipient has chronic health conditions.
-
Fruits of the Spirit Printables + Mini Devotional
I’m excited to share my free Fruits of the Spirit printables with you today! This subway art based on Galatians 5:22-23 is a great tool for Bible verse memorization and meditation on God’s Word. I’m also sharing a mini devotional on spiritual growth and ways to further study this wonderful verse:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23 NASB)
I love the phrase “fruits of the Spirit” from scripture, and as someone who loves to garden, I always look forward to harvest time. As we continue into harvest season this year, there is so much rich truth in this verse to unpack! Here’s what I think this verse has to teach us.
-
How To Stay Connected From A Distance-Holiday Edition
The holiday season is coming, and I want to share some fun and creative ways to stay connected even from a distance. It can be challenging to stay connected while apart. Chronic illness can limit our ability to travel or visit, and risk due to the pandemic adds another layer of restrictions.
Thankfully, technology provides a lot of ways to keep in touch so we’re not isolated. I’m going to share ideas for virtual Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas parties.
I’ve been thankful to be able to meet up with a few friends outdoors in the last month or so for socially distanced get-togethers. Now the weather is getting colder (too cold for this asthmatic to be outdoors here in Washington). So I’m thinking about ways to make virtual get-together’s into holiday parties.
I hope these ideas inspire many fun celebrations!
-
Q&A on chronic illness: “Opening up to friends about my health problems was scary but so worth it.”
What I love most about this invisible illness interview is how it illustrates that when chronic illness takes something away from us, God can still provide new and amazing opportunities.
Cam is a 20-something with chronic pelvic pain, PCOS, Scoliosis, and other conditions. She shares how an unexpected and painful diagnosis led her and her husband to pursue a ministry they hadn’t previously considered—becoming foster parents to kids and teens.
Did you know pelvic floor disorders affect about 1 in 4 women in the US? (x) And 1 in 10 women have polycystic ovarian syndrome, aka PCOS. (x) Unfortunately it’s often considered taboo to talk about health issues that only impact women, but, as Cam points out, they’re more common than many people realize.
-
Ariel as a Pirate – Altered Coloring Book Art #4
Time for new altered coloring book art! I’m reimaging a new coloring book page. Today I’m sharing how I changed the look of the heroine of my favorite Disney movie: The Little Mermaid. (Find my other makeovers of Disney Princesses here.)
I decided this was a good week for a lighthearted post. If you’ve been following what’s going on on the West Coast, we’ve been having unprecedented wildfires. I’ve never heard of so many brushfires and wildfires so close by, and a large one in Washington is in a neighboring city. I have several friends and family who are waiting to hear if they need to evacuate. We’re praying for everyone affected and fighting the fires, and I appreciate your prayers for the West Coast as well!
We could all use some stress-relieving coloring…
-
Easy Popsicle Cards
Summer is my favorite season, and I’m quick to point out that it lasts until September 21. So there’s still plenty of time to send summery greeting cards! This design for a popsicle card is quick, easy, and so cheerful.
I love thinking up new ways to be creative in spite of my health issues and fatigue. Cards are a great craft project that doesn’t use too much energy.
-
The Helpful Chart My Doctor Recommended I Create
Do you ever discover a useful resource for your health that just makes you want to share it? That’s the way I felt when my doctor recommended I create this chart. This is a helpful way to prepare for a doctor’s visit. It led to a lot of light bulb moments as I considered the future direction of my treatment plan, especially when it comes to medication and supplements.
This chart will help you streamline appointments by having more information at your fingertips, whether you’re meeting with your doctor in person or doing televisits. (I’ve actually found televisits practical because I use up less energy and can pull up documents about my health history on my computer…or ask my mom to run into the next room to check the dosage on my supplements, LOL! What do you guys think of them?)
I feel I’ve hit a dead end with my health and haven’t been seeing improvement (so I’ve been trying to focus on the little things I can do).
That’s why I recently saw my naturopathic oncologist to get a new perspective. I hadn’t seen him in awhile—I had thyroid cancer three years ago and have other chronic health conditions including dysautonomia, fibromyalgia, an autoimmune disease, and asthma.
