Eye Of Newt...

Springtime views around the 'witch's den' in our house.*laughs in cackles* Plants, oils, books...me and two retired dogs, not pictured. What has been called the spare room, the study room, the furniture project room, and the dog's room has now been renamed by Kindred since we added the poster of the witches from the WICKED musical last week. I think it suits...though it could definitely spark some rumors if I don't redirect her from saying it soon.

Isn't it interesting how many historical 'witches' were really just herbalists or women who knew how to read 'the signs' in the seasons, the moon, etc? Performing 'magic' or worshiping the devil...dancing naked under the full moon...were all figments of man's runaway imagination or suppressed sexual fantasy. Countless murdered women through the ages were nothing more than victims of a 'christian' man's perversion or toxic masculinity. And, to be fair to the fellas, gossip and jealousy among women were often the start of the accusations. She was in danger if she were beautiful or widowed, self-sufficient or opinionated, and, often times, simply a property owner with opportunistic neighbors.

The thought crosses my mind when I am deep in study, or speaking to a stranger on the benefit of certain herbal remedies, that just a few centuries ago, I would have likely been punished (or worse!) for having and sharing this knowledge. I work with a small group of strong, extraordinary women who toil away long hours at the task of serving their fellow community members and they would have met the same fate. It is a curious world we live in, friends. What was once considered witchcraft is now considered placebo (by some) or essential (by others) and will someday (hopefully) be considered an integral faction of healing modalities.

The girls planted these flowers last week and we already have some peeking through! They are so excited! Nothing makes me happier than sharing tidbits of herbal folklore or the names of plants and hearing Kindred repeat it later. She knows milk fistle(thistle) is good for your liv-ah(liver). And that crocuses are purple but daffodils are yellow even though she wants them to be pink. And, she looooves to help me mix up oils for different blends or the diffuser!

(This was taken a few weeks ago...it has even more oils now. I may need an intervention.)

A few generations back, no matter who we are, the women in our family would probably have grown a garden to feed their families...they would've used home remedies to cure (to the best of their abilities) what ailed them. With disease exploding at exponential rates in this country, we have got to get ourselves back to as nature intended. And so, it is my intention to raise my little wildling to do just that...starting with her own little herb garden this summer. 

What are you growing in your garden or windowsills this year? 

Caturday

The weather is going to be absolutely beautiful today...

We are having a store-wide Earth Day sale, which is probably a given at all natural health shops everywhere right now, haha. I am missing out on the Annual Herb & Craft fair at the Unitarian Church in Nashville, which is a bummer...not to mention, I'd looooove to be at home breaking in the gazebo by just laying on the patio furniture and soaking up the warm breeze...but, more of the community will turn out for a big sale, so I will serve a purpose today instead. Which is a blessing, to be of benefit to even a single person.

If you're local, come see us! We are giving away free non-GMO heirloom seeds with every purchase!

A Day With Naiya, Kindred, 🦄 Popsicles, & a Few Broadway Stars

On Tuesday morning, we loaded up four unicorn popsicles (pink strawberry on top, purple blended middle, blueberry bottom, & edible glitter!) from PopWorks and hit 65 South to go see our Naiya! She is receiving inpatient treatment this week at Vanderbilt.

Naiya wanted to race...but Kindred was too focused on her uni-pop. 

This is one of those bittersweet moments, captured. I don't know how much of this they understand or will remember...but it is forever imprinted on my heart.

Silly little girly giggles.

In September of 2012, I took my mom to go see the musical WICKED because we both loved the book so much. It was such a special day for us and I still have the ticket stub displayed with my favorite photo of mom from that day. None of these little girls were even a blip on the radar then, though Novaleigh was soon to be discovered. Fast forward to Monday night, Ash called to tell me that she had just found out we could meet the cast of WICKED during our visit the next day! I was very excited, but also surprisingly emotional about it. I guess it was just how different life was the last time we saw it and how close we were to everything we've ever wanted in having these girls. I played the soundtrack during our drive down (and every time Kindred has been in the car since then, per her request) and we were all super excited to see the cast. When they came in dressed in plain clothes, Kindred was a little disappointed. She walked up to someone she deemed to be in charge and said in her tiny chipmunk voice, "Where are their costumes?" which resulted in a collective "Awwwww!" The girls lost interest pretty quick and started having their own interview, so we left. But, we got two signed posters as parting gifts and I basically can't wait to take the girls to see the real deal someday. On Broadway would be cool, but I'll take Lou or Nashville as long as I have these three girls with me.

Unicorn balloon for a unicorn niece.

My niece demands much physical comedy from me. She throws bracelets I have to dodge and scoot around on the floor for and sometimes she tries to run me over with my own daughter. But, she laughs and I love to hear her laugh, so it all evens out.

By mid-afternoon, Kindred was pretty much tired out and fell asleep before we made it to the first stoplight. Right before she drifted off she said she missed Naiya. I knew how she felt. I miss her too. Hopefully, next week, she will be able to come over and visit us though!!

Super grateful to have spent this day with the girls and Ash. We are so blessed to have these girls and each other!

PopWorks!

Naiya was saying, "Cheeeeese!"

PopWorks is our favorite places to take the girls for a sweet summer treat. Who am I kidding!? We went during winter, too. They handcraft artisan popsicles using local produce, local products, and all natural ingredients. As you can see in the picture above, they are also a good size serving and I have never ordered two because the first one wasn't satisfying enough. They have flavors that you just don't find on a menu in a drive-thru. Lavender lemonade, chai, blueberry lemon, cantaloupe, and chocolate avocado have all been tested & approved by our family. The coconut cream, if you are even marginally fond of coconut, cannot be missed. It is heaven on a stick!

It would be easier if they had a drive-thru like so many fast food choices do, but it is worth it to me to go in knowing I am getting Kindred a healthier treat. And, by "Kindred" I mean "me and Kindred"...also, sometimes just me. You can find them at Zest-Juice For Life downtown.

If you go, be sure to let me know what you try!

Tuesday Check-In

Today is supposed to be the last cold gray day we have before a 3 day stretch of summer-like temperatures. Yes!! To wait it out, I am:

• Drinking a cup of Mint Mate tea with about 1 Tbsp organic dark cocoa and a fingertip's depth of vanilla almond creamer. It tastes like a Thin Mint cookie, but not as sugary. Sooo tasty! 
• Catching up on the Pele Report I missed this week. It was my experience, over the past few days, that Kaypacha was correct yet again in deciphering the cosmos. 
• Adding to my calendar an essential oil class a local Naturopath is going to be doing at the health store next Monday evening. Email me for details or check the store's FB page. Fun fun! Come join us! 
• Pulling patio cushions out of the attic. Much soaking up of the sunshine is about to go down at my house!
• Trying to finish up reading 'The Conscious Parent', but it is hard to focus when the girls are wilding out, so I'm pretty much just sitting here signing up for free meditation & essential oil education webinars online. 
• Diffusing 4 bergamot, 2 grapefruit, 2 lemon, & 1 ylang ylang in the living room so I feel uplifted and citrus-y fresh, but diffusing 2 lavender, 1 bergamot, & 1 cedarwood in my bedroom so I can pop in there to mellow out when the girls get too rowdy. 
• Trying to decide what to share with my holistic living Facebook group this week. I have a few choices and rough outlines in my head. May just need to toss a coin and get to writing!
• Speaking of FB, I'm occasionally checking the live feed of Mark Zuckerberg testifying before Congress. Can we all just go back to the MySpace days yet? I had a garden gnome theme and it played 'Little Boxes.'

Hope your Tuesday is filled with good energy, too!

What I'm Diffusing Today

A blend called Flower Garden from diffuserblends.com via Pinterest.

• 3 drops Orange (I used Wild Orange)
• 2 drops each of Cedarwood & Patchouli
• 1 drop each of Lavender, Bergamot, & Ylang Ylang

It smells Springtime fresh with the strong notes being the Orange & Patchouli. Next time, I may alter the recipe for 1 drop Patchouli and add 1 drop of Vanilla. I'll report back!