Merry Christmas

Blu.

I'm so excited to introduce the newest kitten to our family, sweet little Blu. He arrived Tuesday after a trip to Ohio (he comes from Michigan) and is a Ragdoll. His coloring is traditional blue colorpoint, which actually is the original color I fell in love with when I first discovered this laid-back breed.

Lavish Earth

With fall and Halloween just around the corner, I figured this would be a good post for the almost upcoming season. I follow a few Instagram accounts that are really big on the health benefits of essential oils and crystals. Both being holistic, natural and earthy -- my interest piqued. I love essential oils and if I'm being honest, mainly for smell (vanilla, rosemary and lemon being my favorite combo). I haven't used them daily or frequently enough to determine if there are actual health benefits to them, but.. I do believe the many people I've spoken with that say they've helped during the sick season along with the alleviation of stress and anxiety among other things. I've had a diffuser for quite some time but am somewhat limited in the oils I can use because of our pets. Any oils that contain phenols are toxic to cats so I won't diffuse those in our home.

Family: Simmon's Farm

Myrtle Beach

This was our first family vacation as four to the beach and we had so much fun. Experiences are very important to me and I want Brody and Harlow to grow up with tons of memories of adventure and a bit of wanderlust. We enjoy sharing our love of travel with them (and love for the ocean) and hope they grow up continuing to love it too.

Myrtle Beach Photoshoot

Maternity: Simmon's Farm

Mila

Brody's Jurassic 6th Birthday Party

This year Brody decided to have a Jurassic themed birthday. We tossed the idea back and forth with having a big party inviting all his friends and Kindergarten class (which Brody REALLY wanted) but, unfortunately with summer birthdays there are quite a few family vacations and plans which make for difficult attendance plus some home issues (our central air was on the fritz) -- that ultimately decided on us keeping the party intimate (like little Low's) just having our closest friends families over.  These six kids have been around each other since birth and it's incredibly sweet to watch their friendships develop and grow especially since all of us parents were initially friends first.

Creek-Side Photography

Harlow's 3rd Birthday

Cottonwood Shanty + Spring

With spring being only a few days away (yay for warmer weather, open windows, fresh flowers and sunshine) - I love that I can change the largest focal point in our sunroom, the shanty scroll, to match a season. I have two scrolls from Cottonwood Shanty (O' Holy Night and Break Bread) so when she mentioned a small collab on the Fresh Flower Market one I had been eyeing up - I got crazy excited and obviously, the inspiration for our room.

Hygge

I've been seeing a lot of stuff popping up lately showing that the Danish are considered some of the happiest people because of a little secret called hygge. It's probably my new favorite word and has no direct translation. It means coziness, intimacy, warmth and a feeling of contentment or well-being. Hygge is the art of building a sanctuary and haven in your home, connecting and spending time with loved ones and to create a constant feeling of warmth and happiness. I've been adding hygge to my daily life (sometimes unknowingly) and I must say, although spring and summertime will forever be my favorite the homebody that I have become is gradually allowing me to enjoy the slowness of this season. Here are 10 ways I added hygee into my daily life, that you can try too.

Crohn's Disease

I'm officially two weeks in from being diagnosed with Crohn's after a bowel obstruction landed me in the ED. I'm still considered in a flare but fortunately my Prednisone was lowered and I'm to start weaning. Keeping my fingers crossed that my pain and inflammation doesn't return. Currently my meds are 40mg of Pred and (4) Apriso/Mesalamine pills per day. I follow up with the gastroenterologist next Wednesday so I will have a much better idea of what path lies ahead. I hate the idea of ingesting medication for the rest of my life so I have been spending a lot of time researching ways to heal the gut through food, vitamins and supplements. I am in no way against treatment but if I can place myself in remission and eventually eliminate these - I would be one happy lady.

(current med status. fun, right?)

So what is Crohn's? Because honestly, I had no idea what the hell it was before 2018. Apparently, in a normal individual your immune system is activated only when the body is exposed to harmful invaders. In individuals with Crohn's, the immune system is abnormally and chronically activated in the absence of any known invader. This continued abnormal activation results in chronic inflammation and ulceration to the large and small intestine. It's an autoimmune disease. Due to the chronic inflammation and ulceration it can lead to a life long struggle in prevention of colon cancer, vitamin and mineral deficiency's, osteoporosis, kidney stones and avoiding the possibility of a colostomy bag, ileostomy procedure or colon resection (which loads of people affected from Crohn's already have). Not to mention the other "milder" side-effects that just tend to happen when you eat something your body doesn't agree with (abdominal pain, nausea, lack of appetite, bathroom issues, bloating, vomiting, fatigue or fever). This susceptibility to abnormal activation of the immune system is genetically inherited too- so sadly, I will have to keep a close eye on Brody and Harlow. People with this mutation in genes are more likely to develop Crohn's Disease if they have a parent who was diagnosed.