Non Stop Spring

So much has been happening lately that I haven't found time to post. So I will give you a run down of all the excitement and hopefully be able to get back to a nice schedule from here on out!

Florida Herbal Conference 2015 

My Favorite Class Room

The center of it all!

At the end of February I was lucky to attend the Florida Herbal Conference thanks to some dear friends. I helped them run their booth, Earthen Moon, and they helped me get my ticket. It was a blast and a well needed break from the daily mom stuff. There were so many amazing classes it was hard to pick exactly which ones I wanted to attend. My favorites were To Hold Quiet with Kate Taluga, Iris Evaluation with Joanna Helms, Breaking Addictions with Leslie Williams, Inter-species Telepathic Communication with Ellen Kamhi, Planting Sacred Relationships with Willow LaMonte, and Scientific Validation of Botanical Medicine with Ellen Kamhi. Ok well that was all the classes I took and I truly loved them all! I was able to listen to Steven Fosters keynote speech along with hearing other herbalists share their stories, it was all inspiring and I was filled with a sense of belonging. If you are interested in herbs I would highly recommend going to an herb conference. There are lots of them scattered throughout the US. This was my fourth one and I always leave bursting with new ideas, tons of information, and filled with love from my Herbal Tribe!!

Crohn's Disease

In the hospital for tests.

At the of April my oldest daughter was placed in the hospital to surgically drain 2 abscesses and to undergo testing for Crohn's disease. They found that it is Crohn's and she is in the midst of a flare. It has been a constant struggle to find her new normal. She isn't out of this flare and between diet restrictions and tons of medications she isn't too happy, but she is staying positive by trying to find humor in all of this. I had never worked with Crohn's before so I did not feel competent to treat any of this with herbs until her flare is over. I am doing a ton of research so maybe we can use herbs, stress therapy, and diet to help prevent any future flares, but for now we are listening to the doctors and looking into their recommendations. There is so much to this disease that is completely backwards from everything I learned was healthy. We will be sharing anything that we find that works for her up here to see if it helps you or someone you know is dealing with Crohn's. Everyone with this disease is different so what works for one may not work for another. It is all trial and error. As a mother it has been extremely emotional and tough to let out since I need to be strong for my daughter. I don't want her to see how scared or worried I am. One minute I am mad that this is happening to her, the next I am sad, and mostly completely overwhelmed. I want to have this instead of her. I think as a mom it is harder watching her go through this than if I just had it myself. As a healer, who my children come to for fixing, it is even worse because I can't fix this. It is just really hard. We are lucky to be surrounded by good family and friends who are being so helpful and supportive through all of this. I am so grateful for that.

Back at the ER for some more tests.

Ditch Kittens

The two girls playing in their home

The two boys are the orange ones <3

Our local stray cat had some kittens in our ditch! I thought she belonged to someone but was an outdoor cat but after she decided the ditch tube was a good place to have babies and watching her hunt like the finest lion I know now she is homeless. She had 4 babies 2 males and 2 females. We have found homes for everyone so far except for the darkest orange little boy and the mama herself. The little boy is my favorite and we might have ended up with him if I could handle one more thing right now. Also if I could keep my dogs from hurting him and keep him from knocking down all my knickknacks or eating my feathers and bits I collect. So it is best we find my little friend a good home! I will say I am thankful for those little balls of fur who have provided a welcomed distraction from the Crohn's, food restrictions, and doctor's appointments. If we can't find a home for the mama we may check into the spay program for wild kitties because she definitely puts a dent in the mouse population out here in the country! And the squirrels and birds too!

The calico with my youngest

Mama

The Gardens

 Of course the gardens!! I have been planting, weeding, pruning, and plucking whenever I get a free moment! We have 3 gardens this year. A kid garden, an herb garden, and a veggie garden. 

Kids' Garden

The kid garden has bulbs and seeds planted by the kids along with a few plants we have collected along the way. It is really starting to fill out and the kids love it!

Herb Garden

Milk Thistle

Yarrow

Wormwood

The herb garden is my happy place. I sit out there when I have a moment to reflect, relax, and just breathe. It has been my distraction through all of this. 

Veggie garden

Our first squash

The veggie garden is self explanatory but we have already had a small yellow squash harvest and there are quite a few things that will be ready soon! I just need to get out there and weed it. Mainly pull up the grass that has grown back in places.

Beautiful Rainbow 

So that is just about everything that has happened the past few months. I am hoping to post about specific plants growing in the herb garden this summer along with medicine making with some of them. As well as some plant walks in the woods for plant ID and more medicine making fun!! Thanks for sticking around in my absence, I promise to not be gone so long next time! Until then I leave you with my newest favorite song....

Rising Appalachia - Medicine

Wishing you LOVE

<3