My Story

I had the unique opportunity to grow up with my great grandmother who was born in the late 1800’s and lived to be 103 years old. She was a big part of my life into adulthood and almost saw all of my children born before she passed away. I often thought of her as having the most incredible life. She was born when the United States was still territories. She lived through the inception of running water, automobiles, airplanes, women’s right to vote - it seemed as if she literally saw everything come to be.

Now in my 50’s I see my life as having a similar kind of novelty but instead of the evolution of physical progress there has been an evolution of progress that led us away from old ways of life to the rat race; a monster designed to suck the life out of us, keeping us busy and running on a hamster wheel until we crash and burn or eventually die. Fortunately, for many of us there is a call to return to simpler things again, a revolution of sorts that recognizes the trap of modern life and consciously rejects it. If you too are also feeling the pull toward a simpler life, this could be a place for you.

In small town America I grew up racing riding lawnmowers with the neighbor kids, exploring old barns and spending lazy summer days on a raft in a small dirt bottomed pond. My senior year of high school Dad was transferred back to the city for work and my parents moved back to city life. I went off to college that year and that was the end of my country life. In an instant I was swept into the world of progress that much like a rushing river grabbed hold of me and with great force thrust me into an adulthood of earning more, doing more, and becoming a success by modern standards until one day it tossed me onto the shores of my early 40’s disoriented and not quite sure what had happened to my life.

I came to in a house filled to the brim with more stuff than I could manage, a growing business that felt unmanageable, and kids that were almost grown up and beginning to leave the nest. I was overwhelmed, felt like I was drowning, and with a huge sense of loss I realized I had very little recollection of the prior twenty years. I had spent so much time working, head down, trying to accomplish everything I thought was expected of me I had lost valuable years of my life.

This is where the journey of reclaiming life on my terms began. It has been almost a decade of examining my own true priorities, determining what is most important in my life and letting go of the things that aren’t. I have also spent a lot of time learning about myself; my likes and dislikes, my real goals and pursuing that life even if it doesn’t make sense to anyone else. In the process I returned to my first love; Jesus and to living a slower, simpler life again as he intended for me. I have discovered a love for plants, growing food for my family and even preserving it. I’ve learned a lot about nutrition and made some changes in the way I prepare food for myself and my family; again returning to older, simpler ways. I’ve embraced living with less stuff, being more intentional with my time and resources and have developed a love for natural solutions.

In the process I have learned quite a few things that have brought me out of the rat race and into a life of peace, happiness and joy; a whole and complete life that I have been blessed with. I am ever grateful for others who have also documented their similar journeys, who pioneered a counter cultural  return to life that restores the soul and because I believe I have some novel ideas of my own I’ve decided to document them here, for you, as you explore your own path. I pray that as I share here you will be inspired to create your own version of life on your terms that brings you immense joy and satisfaction also. I invite you to come along with me because the rat race is a myth, it’s not how life was intended to be, and life your unique way is very, very, good.

This blog has been a journey of sorts too. It started out in my exploration phase, I then took a break and after a couple of years of settling even further into my own self is now about to change gears, (just a little)

The original blog had 5 topics I was exploring:

Here is what you can expect to find in my older posts:

Granola Life - This was my journey from oblivious suburbanite into living a greener, more eco friendly lifestyle. I was a total newbie and I be shared what I was learning and how I incorporated this new thing into my life.

From Miss to Ma'am - I had hit midlife and the transition was pretty interesting! I share what I was learning about aging gracefully, and moving into the second half with ease.

Like a Boss - What I've learned, how I built my biz, hacks and tips for getting it all done and done WELL.

Health & Fitness - Fitness as a middle aged woman has been a struggle! Staying fit & healthy and feeling beautiful a lot different at this age and I grew through the process of feeling beautiful at any age.

Using Your Head - It’s probably best to let you know right up front - I’m a classic nerd! I love learning and I am fascinated by how the brain works, how our emotions work against us and how to hack these things in order to make the most of life. This is something I’m still very interested in, and I will continue to share what I’ve learned and the new things I continue to discover.

 What to expect in 2022 and beyond:

Just Right - Minimalism has had a huge impact on my life but like many things that go through trends it morphed into something else that I didn’t align with as much. My approach to living with less is much like the Goldilocks story where we find just the the the right amount of whatever that works for us. I have discovered great relief and joy from taking a minimalist approach to life and I am eager to share what I have discovered with you!

Natural Solutions - While I still believe in stewarding the earth my granola pursuit has mellowed over time to mainly the pursuit of natural solutions. I still love essential oils and use them regularly and I still offer them and a community to learn more. I still focus on non-toxic solutions first and foremost and I still care about where my food comes from, how it is processed and these are the things I will share about here.

Back to Basics - This is my return to the old ways. I now have a canning pantry! I’m crafting again, I am loving to thrift and diy and I’m making most of our food from scratch. All these things have a learning curve - not only the how-to’s but the how to fit it into our busy modern lives. I’m doing it and you can too!

Growing in the Garden - This year I had my first successful garden in Arizona. If I can grow food here I can help you grow food anywhere! I have learned SO MUCH (talk about nerdy!) and I know I can help you start to produce some of your own food if you are interested!

And if I am hearing from the Lord what I think I’m hearing I’ll have another really cool adventure to share with you - only time will tell but I know this - God’s timing is always best! So stick around! :)

Please join me and comment on my blog posts - I really want to hear from you! Looking forward to getting to know you!

If you’d like to check out some of my early work-- click here!