Daily Gifts

Our first Easter Lily in years!

Gentle sunrise colors

A new-to-me orchid that I acquired rather than see it thrown out last May and nursed to new life: Once I saw this huge blossom, I named it Kaleidoscope!

Life and memories are finding their way back into our "new" basement. Game night, anyone?!

March Mood-Booster

Do you, like me, struggle to find ways just to Have Fun? With Mood Boosting touted as a helpful daily method of brain rewiring, I need to work on this! Hence, taking time to build my snowman-of-the-year with the gift of snow on March 22nd after a winter of drought!

Why bother to look for ways to boost your mood throughout the day? 

This boosts healing neurotransmitters in your brain, such as dopamine, serotonin and endorphins, which in turn lowers the chronic stress response and promotes healing all over your body!

Don't feel up to doing any fun activity today? Try these lower energy ideas:

- Read a book that makes you smile.

- Watch a cute or funny video (only if it is clean.)

- Listen to a cosy audiobook

- Text or call a good friend.

- Brew a cup of tea or coffee and drink it while looking out a window or sitting outdoors. 

- Give a hug.

- Sit outdoors and mindfully use all your senses.

What are your best mood-boosters? I can use more ideas!!

~ Hannah

This snowman quickly tipped but "hung out"

for days... snow or shine!

Meanwhile, Maren's Littles enjoyed many more inches of snow than us and soaked up the snow-play time they had missed most of the winter. Their wool mittens must be getting wonderfully felted and warmer every time!

Reading with a Pencil

One small sentence opened up a whole paragraph for me this morning. And all because I read my Bible with a pencil handy. 

Do you have a Journaling Bible or keep a notebook nearby when reading? I find it so helpful to jot down or underline something each day. That simple action can help wake up my brain when feeling dull.

▪︎ If it sparks more connections, that is exciting! 

▪︎ If it simply gives me an extra minute of focus on the truth and something to look back on through the day, it is a blessing. 

▪︎ And for the years when chronic illness took away most reading comprehension, simply listening to an audio Bible would wash my weary heart with truth.

How do you read and study the Bible in your current season of life? 

~ Hannah

A Simple Way to Encourage through Happy Mail

I love sending and receiving real mail! How about you?! Snail mail may be out of fashion, but it is still so meaningful that I find it worth the extra effort.

And I love tucking a little gift into cards or letters... something that can continue to encourage long after the letter is read and set aside.

My go-to gift for years now has been a scripture art-sticker. So I encouraged my sister to turn some of her beautiful, loose floral watercolors into stickers I could send to friends for daily encouragement on their water bottle, phone case, computer, or anywhere. 

She did it!

Her newest design features Isaiah 33:6, which is so timely in this unstable world. I also love sending her other two designs and look forward to more in the future!

Who could you encourage with a bit of beauty and truth in an envelope?

Find Elsa's art on Instagram @handmaiden.elsa and on Etsy: Here

Shifting Perspective from "I Have To"

Do you find yourself slogging through your days with the "I Have To..." perspective? 

#1: The first step out is to bring awareness to the negative thought pattern. 

#2: Next, purposely replace that thought with a smile and the words "I Get To!" Even if it feels forced at first, your brain will eventually start to believe your new words.

#3: Look for little joys in each task! 

I also like to recite this verse while working:

"And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God in all that you undertake."

• Deuteronomy 12:18 

Enjoy this in a brief video format here: Perspective Shift: I Get To

February Happenings 2024

Unseasonable warmth continued to give a marked contrast to last year's deep snow. So, I did my mending on the deck, without even a jacket!

I hadn't been getting to any art for a while, but card-making from old photos was an enjoyable and useful creative outlet.

A live read-aloud was long overdue, so on World Read Aloud Day I shared a bit from my current devotional book by Joni E. Tada. Watch the replay in this short video: Here

The basement rebuild is coming along! But some old doorframes that wouldn't hold new paint set us back several weeks. The process also raised inflammation levels again - despite protective gear for those doing the sanding. 

The final touches on woodwork continue as strength allows.

Elsa launched a new sticker in her beautiful and giftable line of watercolor florals! https://www.etsy.com/shop/handmaidenMarket

A couple snows soon melted.

Dad and Mom brought home Valentine roses for Elsa and me!

A double birthday party gave us some family-time...

...and introduced us to this brilliant, new smile!

January Highlights 2024

• January 2024 •

We had a little bit of snow in a winter of drought and unseasonable warmth.

Elsa and I got away from inflammatory basement reconstruction dust for a few days of Sister and Auntie time.

We spent several evenings on the annual Train-Dominoes Tournament. 

Sunny afternoons warmed up the rebuilt and insulated porch for even some wintertime use.

Our homegrown tree set a new family record for staying up until February 10th. It began growing indoors and was such a warm, bright spot that we just kept enjoying it week after week!

Long, dark evenings helped us slow down with handwork and family audiobooks.