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

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.