I am a child of God, a wife, a retired homeschool mom to 2 theater lovers and mom to a psychology/theater arts grad (now a missionary wife), a managing barista, a grandmarmie to two little cutie pies, a friend, a homemaker, a gardener, a woodwife of sorts, an aspiring herbalist/aromtherapist/reflexologist, an artisan and crafter, vintage gathering packrat/repurposer, the occasional writer of a fairytale or poem, lover of happy endings, somewhat of a hopeless romantic and a woman interested in living closer to nature and to my Savior.
I live in rural PA with my husband, , 2 dogs, 2 cats, and a tub full of composting worms. It's been my privilege to homeschool my girls and watch them grow. I'm slowly learning to live a life that is, hopefully, more honoring to God although I fail miserably on a regular basis. My desire is to become more self sustaining, healthy and green in the choices I make daily.
Part of what I mean by that is adding more whole foods to our family's diet and eliminating processed and refined foods that offer little nutritional value or contain ingredients that are harmful. I hope to inspire others to seek out better choices in their lives for the foods they eat and the products they put on their skin or use in their homes.
Choices to reflect God's mercy and ponder His will for my life by spending more time in prayer and the Bible are also goals that I hope to continually expand on in the years to come. You can read more about that, and other meanderings that I often ponder, in my other blog which deals more with issues of my heart and soul than you'll find here.
I've had an interest in herbs as far back as I can remember. It's been a long, lovely journey that has taught me so much. As a young wife, at first it was a sort of awe...or a reserved idea that I knew they offered valuable healing properties but I was hesitant of an unhealthy interest in them for fear I would be delving into realms that would be contrary to my faith. I felt safe buying a supplement here and there from commercial sources but couldn't bring myself to ingest anything I'd grown or wildcrafted outside the common culinary variety, even though I was learning to identify more and more plants in the wild. And with my identification came more knowledge and an appreciation for folk remedies and herbal lore. More faith in empirical evidence and testimony helped me put things in the proper perspective. I realized...or just put into practice... the fact that every good and perfect gift is from above, put here for our benefit. To God be the glory!
Back in 1991, I had my first child. In a effort to be a stay at home mom who could supplement our income, I had started a dried flower and herb business called The Cat's Meow Herbals and Everlastings when I lost my drafting position in the engineering dept of a local plant due to cut-backs. Still, mostly only admiring herbs for their beauty and aroma, I crafted wreaths, arrangements and potpourri. This led to dabbling in aromatherapy with a natural progression to essential oils. It's been a whole new world ever since! Our little house was full of bundles of herbs and flowers hanging to dry. Spices and fragrances filled the air with a wonderful aroma. My garage was soon full of hanging bundles as my gardens produced more and more. Then, we started building our farmhouse and the garage loft quickly became my workshop. The construction crew joked that it was the best smelling garage they'd ever worked in!
With the birth of my second child, it became harder to spend as much time in the shop and I came to the decision that it was not the season in my life to continue a business that took me "away" from home so much. But I never stopped learning and it soon became clear that as much as I loved that type of craft, I could easily expand right into things like the healing herbal salves, soaps and things that I'd been making on a small scale for our family and as gifts. All that to say that we've been preparing natural, additive free products for health, personal and home care right here in our kitchen since 1991 from herbs grown organically in our garden, wild crafted in nearby meadows and woodlands or purchased from reputable, like-minded companies. It's become a big part of our lives and I'd like to share what I've learned and what I've been making.
I've realized that I don't need to throw the proverbial "baby out with the bath water" when it comes to herbal lore and application. All the wonderful characteristics of herbal remedies and pleasures are available to me without any compromises required. Again, To God be the Glory!
If you're not blogging but would like to comment or contact me for some other reason, you can reach me by email @ sharonwallace.61@gmail.com or wanderer@woodwifesjournal.com
Interests
My interests include:
whatever my daughters are doing
exploring herbal and nutritional remedies
historical reenacting
baking
learning traditional skills like making soap and maple syrup
gathering vintage goods and fabrics and recycling them into something new
My Photo
Thought I should explain the photo...my oldest daughter discovered henna tattoos and loves to get together with her sister and friends to see what kind of designs they can come up with. One day I joined them and this is my attempt at the ancient art of henna tattooing. It was a lot of fun but using henna as a hair dye doesn't get as many inquiring looks as a grown woman with a henna tattoo. :)
