Fredagshygge

"Fredagshygge, or Friday family nights, is one intentional way the Danes have learned to build familial bonds with others and to quiet the chaos and noise of cultural distractions. During Fredagshygge, Danes forgo elaborate plans and choose instead to enjoy simple pleasures like playing a board game or watching a movie together. In saying yes to hygge they grant themselves permission to say no to work, worries, and mental stress." ~Jamie Erickson, "Holy Hygge"

Even before we knew we would have several inches of snow, we had invited our next door neighbors over for chili and games. My thoughtful husband shoveled a path from their back door to ours. Our neighbors brought Blank Slate, this easy game was a good way to get to know them a little bit better, and it provided lots of laughter after we licked our chili bowls clean.

 I feel like I'm just waking up from the chaos that cancer and the treatments caused in my body, but one of the things I'm looking forward to doing more is offering hospitality. Opening our home or providing meals or just being available to help. The last couple of weeks have given us several opportunities to do those things, and I'm so grateful.

Local Goodness

Most Fridays, you can find me making the rounds to all my local farmers to pick up their goodness. Central Arkansas holds an abundance of people who do the sustainable, hard work of raising food on small farms. These families take stewardship of the earth seriously, and I take joy in supporting them and in enjoying their products.

My first stop is a pickup from Shaky K Farms. Always eggs, sometimes meat, and in the summer always beautiful veggies. Billianne is a dear and knows the personalities of each of her pigs :)

My next stop is usually Berkley Farm. This time of year, I can count on them for fresh leafy greens. Lauren even cut some kale for me when I asked if she had any available. Great service!

Then I keep going north for a stop at Richardson Farms to pick up delicious raw milk. Lydia provides milk that stays good a long time with a thick layer of cream on top. It's fun to watch the color of the cream change throughout the year as the grass grows again.

While I'm in Rosebud, I grab coffee beans at Rozark Hills Coffee Roasterie. They have a great selection of decaf and regular beans, single-origin beans, and blends. 

Then I turn south towards my last stop, Flying C Ranch. Leanna has stocked lots of delicious and beautiful local products, but I'm there for the special blend ground beef.

So much goodness in our area!

Epiphany

Only one new book, "The Last Slice" made it into our basket with the old Epiphany favorites.

This year we continued with hiding Baby Jesus in a high-protein cheesecake (which is now a family favorite) and invited friends over to watch Amahl and eat soup.

We played peek-a-boo and read books and the littlest one called Aaron "Papa" all night long. The three-year-old delightedly found the ceramic baby Jesus in her dessert.

After our friends got home, Lauren texted me with a quote from her little girl. "Hey guess what? I'm just like the Wise Men. I found Baby Jesus!"

Port Removal

The long awaited day finally arrived. My port was coming out.

The CARTI team continues to serve with great medical skill and personal care. Every single interaction I've had, whether with a nurse or a chaplain or a greeter or somebody doing intake before surgery, has been encouraging and helpful and informative.

Sarah gave me this book for Christmas, "The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine", because she said I've been walking in sunshine during my cancer journey. I cried. The port has been a mixed blessing. I'm so grateful for the ease of drawing blood and receiving chemo infusions and becoming radioactive for my many scans. The veins in my arms aren't amazing, and the amount of times my port has been accessed would have definitely caused strain on my veins.

My big girls sent me a thumbs up picture just before the nurse came in 45 minutes before I was expecting her and told me to find my bookmark because it was TIME!

At the same time, the catheter that traveled up from the port to just underneath my collar bone before it dove in between my muscles, well...let's just say it was irritating every single day. When the nurse handed me the hair net, I cheered, because the last time I was in this facility for surgery, I didn't have any hair. The whole nurses station laughed at me, but I didn't care.

I wasn't allowed to keep my port, but I was allowed a picture. This little thing is a brilliant invention, and I'm so grateful for it. The nurse in post-op was an absolute hoot. He kept me laughing as I shook off the groggy aftereffects of general anesthesia. And before I knew it, Aaron was back with me, handing me the iced coffee with protein powder I prepared before we left the house.

The doors opened with a wave instead of pushing a button, and the very kind nurse who pushed me out in the wheelchair allowed me to open the last door :)

If I have to go through something as hard and gross as cancer, I'm so grateful for the community at CARTI and for the people around me who have been my gym buddies and sent cards and shaved their heads to encourage me.

We were home by midday, and I finally enjoyed the breakfast I wasn't allowed to eat before surgery. I had my little bell to ring in case I needed anything and the sunlight pouring in the southern windows made me smile.

The ice pack will likely be my friend again, and I'll use this opportunity to slow down and catch up on reading while my body heals.

 

Charm and Beauty

 "Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised" 

Proverbs 31: 30

Even after Christmas, we continued with a few tags. One of the new tags for this year revealed Proverbs 31:30, one of those cheap holiday gift sets of eye shadow (one of Katherine's loves), and two boxes of tiny nail polish colors. Hannah and Benjamin were still here, so Hannah picked the palette she liked best and I got the other one. 

One of the reasons I was so delighted by painting my nails? They are finally growing back after releasing during chemo. No longer do I have to protect my fingertips and tender nail beds from bumping into things! So it's extra fun to sport some spunky colors, and soon I will enjoy completely healthy nails again. What a fun way to extend Christmas all the way to Epiphany, but also to remind us of where our true worth is found.

Sweet Sabbath

"Hurry kills everthing from compassion to creativity. And when you're in a hurry, you don't have time to get out of your routine, do you? No room for Spirit-led spontaneity....Here is the great irony: the priest and the Levite were probably on their way to the temple. They were so busy loving God that they didn't have time to love their neighbor. And that is when our routines become counterproductive." 

~Mark Batterson, "Wild Goose Chase"

 The snow this weekend gave us the perfect opportunity to slow down, to step outside of our routines, to embrace "Spirit-led spontaneity". (Everybody who knows me is aware of my need for patterns and predictability!)

Happy New Year, 2024!

"In a world largely defined by rush, hygge welcomes rest. It invites you to enjoy the simple pleasures of slow living, savored moments, and fostered friendships."

~Jamie Erickson, "Holy Hygge: Creating a Place for People to Gather and the Gospel to Grow"

Last year, we spent the first day of 2024 hiking Hawksbill Crag with Olivia and Connor. The first day of 2023 we hiked at Longpool Falls.

This year we kicked 2025 off by hiking at Hawksbill Crag again, but this time with one of our adopted young adults, Sunny. She was one of Olivia's bridesmaids and has become dear to us.

To faciliate "savored moments, and fostered friendships" we brought sugar cookies and a thermos of hot chocolate.

The day was sunny and cool and absolutely perfect for a hike.

As I begin to regain my strength and stamina this year, my two biggest goals are 1) extend hospitality more often and 2) be outside more. I haven't set any measureable guideposts yet, because I'm not sure what my energy will facilicate, but beginning 2025 by kickstarting both of those goals felt like a big win!

On the way home, we pulled over on the narrow dirt road to let an oncoming truck pass. Unfortunately, our minivan got mired in a ditch full of leaves and mud. The driver of the truck offered to get his grandfather who lived nearby, and soon we were towed out of the muck and giving away a container of sugar cookies with a hearty thanks!

Friday Favorite Five - Cold Weather Edition

Hygge is just a temporary fix. It's a lifestlye Band-Aid that will help create a home in the short term. True and lasting comfort, though, can't be tablescaped or found in some twelve-step Scandinavian formula. The perfect blend of coffee can't cultivate true contentment. There's no flannel blanket big enough to cover deep soul ache. A long walk in the woods won't change a life for the long haul. Reshaping an atmosphere can never permanently reshape a heart. But it can help, especially when paired with the hope of Jesus. 

~Jamie Erickson, "Holy Hygge: Creating a Place for People to Gather and the Gospel to Grow"

My friends north of the Mason Dixon line are laughing at me, but these temps are unseasonably cold for us in Arkansas. I took this screen shot earlier this week, but as the week progressed the temps got even colder, and we had several inches of snow predicted for this morning.

1) All. The. Soups. We have been working through the winter squashes and pumpkins we bought at Drewry Farm and Orchards last fall. This chicken, pumpkin, and garbanzo stew has been a family favorite for many years. I admit I use less chicken than the 1 1/2 lbs the recipe suggests. The spice combination and the ease of popping everything in the crockpot make this recipe one we reach for again and again.

2) Versed Aging Skin Collection. The resurfacing mask is my favorite, but all of these products (focusing on exfoliation, moisture, & skin texture) check the boxes for me: unscented, cruelty-free, recyclable, and free of all the sodium laurel sulfate and paraben and aluminum, etc. Exaxtly what I need during the cold weather.

3) Pothos plants. I don't have a green thumb, but I've been able to keep a couple of these guys alive for the last few years, and they make me smile, especially in the dark, cold days of winter. Research suggests plants benefit us in multiple ways!

4) I love our little fixer upper. Built in 1939 with an addition in the 1960's, our home is drafty and cool in the winter, but I love the light that pours through our many windows. We've slowly added a few area rugs (yay for gift cards!), most recently in the kitchen. I'm shocked at the huge difference it makes for my feet, but I'm especially surprised at how much cozier our home feels with a rug on the floor.

5) Flannel sheets. The biggest game changer for the colder weather. I love my soft, warm, beautiful floral sheets. Flannel sheets tend to go on sale in the fall, and we took advantage of coupons and sales to replace our threadbare sheets. We have several sets for the three sizes of beds in this house, some prints are spunkier than others :)

New Year's Eve

The day Sarah left, a bonus son arrived. Schwane was a groomsman in Benjamin and Hannah's wedding, and we count him as one of our own.

Hannah switched our Sarah for my gym buddy, and we noticed that our kettlebells matched our shirts :)

On New Year's Eve, we scarfed down broccoli and bread dipped in cheese fondue

then we shifted to chocolate fondue for dessert,

before playing Seven Wonders. Aaron and the exuberant young adults stayed up till midnight, I made it all the way to 9:00, which is still late for me!

 

Weekend after Christmas

The weekend after Christmas, we enjoyed an "open house" with many people coming and going. Many of my mom's relatives joined us, so we had to get a group pic!

For several hours, we snacked and snuggled and caught up with friends and extended family.

Sunday, our pew at church was filled from end to end. I love hearing everyone sing together!

Then we arrived home to the aroma of a pork roast from the half hog we recently purchased from Shaky K Farms. Olivia and Connor had to leave after lunch, but we had plenty of time to take more walks and play more games with the rest of the family.

Dutch Blitz, an old family favorite, made its way to the table, freshly wiped off after lunch. (My current favorite cleaner is Mrs. Meyers Peppermint All-Purpose Spray.) 

Christmas Day, Transferred

Our family "Christmas Day" was actually several days after Christmas this year, but the day we chose was sweet and slow. When we are in the village, the feast days are often "transferred" to another, more appropriate day, and we have learned to have the same flexibility with our family gatherings.

Some of us gathered fresh greenery for the mantle, and some of us worked out at the gym, and some of us worked on gingerbread waffles.

We feasted and laughed and enjoyed my great-grandmother's compote dish to hold the fruit salad.

We gave a few gifts,

went for walks around the neighborhood,

and learned new games like Azul. The perfect way to celebrate Jesus's birthday and the gift of family.