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My Recent Reads – Fairy Tale Edition
I just realized its been over a year since I’ve shared my favorite recent reads with you! To narrow down my picks, I’m excited to share my favorite fairy tales I’ve read so far in 2021.
When it comes to picking books lately, I’m finding myself having trouble concentrating and feeling the weight of decision fatigue. When this happens, I gravitate toward my favorite genre: fantasy.
I keep finding myself coming back to fairy tales or books with elements of fairy tales. I think it’s been a helpful escape with so much going on in the world as well as all the challenges I’m continuing to face with my health. Fairy tale worlds feel both excitingly new and welcomingly familiar.
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Thoughts On “Sun Guilt” And How To Enjoy The Outdoors With Chronic Illness
Don’t worry, this isn’t a post pressuring you to go outside more or insisting you should get outside every day. With chronic illness and pain, sometimes this isn’t realistic. So let’s talk about ways to benefit from and enjoy being outdoors with chronic illness. For me, planning and pacing are key.
In fact, I’m giving myself permission to be outside less or not go outside at all, even on days when the weather is ideal. I’m trying to balance benefitting from nature with listening to my body.
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My Go To Natural Skin Care Products
I’m so excited to share this list of my favorite natural skin care products with you! It’s taken me many years to find lotions, soaps, shampoos, etc. that don’t flare up my health conditions. I’m really passionate about this topic because I think everyone should have the tools and information to avoid toxins and make healthier decisions in their everyday life.
I hope that all the products I’ve researched and tried will help you on your journey to better health.
What we put on our bodies matters, especially for those of us with chronic illness. These are the skincare products that don’t aggravate my asthma, fibromyalgia, and other chronic conditions.
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Why To Use Natural Skin Care Products If You Have A Chronic Illness
Why choose natural skin care products? I’m going to share a quick overview of some of the potential health impacts of chemicals that you’d think are safe—after all, they’re in everyday products like lotion, shampoo, deodorant, and soap. I hope this post is a useful resource for learning more about the ingredients in skin care products so you can choose healthier options, especially if you have a chronic illness.
If you’re already dealing with chronic illness or health issues (like I am—more on that below) it’s even more important to address irritants and triggers that could be contributing to underlying conditions—or just making overall health worse.
And even if you’re healthy, there are many reasons everyone should avoid harmful chemicals lurking in skin care products.
Here’s a quick look at chemicals to avoid, where you can find more research about those chemicals, and resources for finding healthier alternatives.
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Q&A with Carole Griffitts: “Our passion is to help people know they can thrive” with invisible disability
I’m excited to introduce you to author and blogger Carole Griffitts, who just coauthored a book about chronic illness and invisible disability with her husband Joe. Their book Sunbreaks in Unending Storms, based on their story and the stories of three other families, shares encouragement and information about living with invisible disabilities.
I so appreciate when sisters in Christ with more life experience than me are willing to share their hard-earned wisdom. Carole has lived with chronic health conditions for more than 40 years, and she and her husband have been married for (almost!) 55 years. “Connected Carole” also runs the blog Navigating the Storms for people living with invisible disability, their families, and their caregivers.
I hope you’re encouraged by this conversation with Carole on chronic illness, faith, and perseverance.
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How To Throw A Fun And Interactive Virtual Escape Room
I’m excited to share my tips for throwing a fun and interactive virtual escape room! I’ve been wanting to throw a party tied to the discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb for awhile, and an escape room seemed like the perfect fit for my birthday celebration. Getting to play archaeologist and dress like Evie from The Mummy was something I’ve been looking forward to!
Here’s how I made my 1920s-meets-ancient-Egypt party come to life—via Zoom!
These tips can be used by anyone to connect with others from a distance, whether you’re socially distancing or looking for ways to catch up with friends and family who live far away. You could use these tips for customizing in-person escape rooms too.
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Jasmine as a Mermaid – Altered Coloring Book Art #5
It’s time for new altered coloring book art! This time I’m reimaging a coloring book page based on Aladdin. I’ve been so excited to give Jasmine a new look as…a mermaid!
We’re going to keep it really chill on the blog today, because as you may have noticed, I have taken an unintentional blogging break since early February due to my health. Coloring is a fun way to share something creative with you all, and it’s a comforting activity when my chronic illness knocks me down.
This is my way of keeping the creative juices flowing in spite of my limitations. I might not have the energy to create a new work of art, but I can create something new by looking at a coloring page from a new perspective.
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Rooted and Established in Love Printables + Mini Devotional
I’m excited to share my new Rooted and Established in Love printables with you right in time for Valentine’s Day! I had a lot of fun creating these whimsical tree designs (they make me think of something Suessical) inspired by Ephesians 3.
I hope you enjoy these printables all year round too—after all, we can use the reminder that we are loved every day of the year, not just on certain holidays! These verses from Ephesians are so powerful, and my hope is these printables will help us aspire to love well and remember that the strength to do so comes directly from our mighty God!
