As stated in the title of this post, this blog will be cover many things. The goal is to stay connected with like-minded folk and to inspire those looking for a simpler, more practical lifestyle. I can truly say that we have been blessed to be able to live our dream at an early age. That has come with many sacrifices but I always have at the forefront of my mind that we have one life to live, make it count and make sure what it important stays at the top of the priority list. Easier said than done right?
So things that will be discussed here at Good News Herbs Blog:
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| A batch of Good News Herbs PEACE FLOWERS tea |
- HERBS & NATURAL HEALTH: I am the owner of Good News Herbs and have been studying herbs for thirteen years. I am now enrolled to become a certified Family Herbalist and will then go on to my Master Herbalist certification. My family and I have incorporated herbs into our diets and daily living for years now, and I think in ten years we've been to the doctor for just a handful of visits, and only for acute infections, and usually just for diagnosis and then we take it from there with herbs! So what is Good News Herbs you ask? Great question, so glad you asked! I am a hands-on learner, as are most people. Over the past thirteen years I have studied dozens of books, websites, journals, magazines, etc. One thing was missing: the experiential learning experience! So, I conduct workshops and classes that are hands-on or out in the field. I have a few local Herb Hikes a year where you could come out and walk through the fields, marshes, mountains and streams with me as I go over dozens of medicinal and edible plants. Much more fun than reading a field guide! You can take notes, take pictures, ask questions and touch and feel each plant, sometimes even take a bite out of one! I also attend many local festivals with the Good News Herbs booth where I sell all of the products that I have formulated and handcrafted myself. This is lots of fun because I love selling stuff that I have put lots of care and love into and then meeting the person who will be enjoying that product. It's not the same as when I sell online. I will soon be opening an Etsy store, so I'll post that when it happens and you can all go check it out. I make specialty teas, salves, scrubs, infused oils, creams, and household products. I will be posting lost of pictures and videos through this blog so you can learn a little something everyday to get natural medicine incorporated into your daily life.
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| Our school wall at home that we work from each day. |
HOMESCHOOLING: I have been homeschooling my two children for the past four years or so, they are seven and five as of now. There are has been so much that I have learned from veteran homeschooler mamas, many with 10+ children that have allowed me to succeed. I would love to share some of the stuff they have invested into me and my family. I will share what curriculums I have used and why I did or didn't like them. I will share the outings and projects that we do, just stuff to keep you (and me) encouraged and inspired!
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| The first harvest of the garden in 2013 |
- COUNTRY LIVING: Okay, I live in the stinkin' middle of NOWHERE, a little spot on the map called Pumpkintown Tennessee, it is nestled in between Lafayette and Red Boiling Springs. I am from Northern California where I also lived in the country and my husband is from Young, Uruguay (that's in South America y'all, NOT Africa!) He also grew up in a very rural setting and between the two of us we have learned to live off the land quite comfortably. We can harvest a chicken, we're beekeepers, hunt and dress our critters, milk a goat or cow, make our own butter, cheese, kefir, yogurt, we do a big organic garden every year, grow and harvest a lot of our own food and medicine, can, dry, freeze, cook outdoors over a fire, build and use traditional clay ovens, cook everything from scratch everyday, bake our own bread, make our own wine and beer, and lots more! I will be posting videos or pics of these things as we do them, again for instruction or just inspiration!
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| Isabella & Nadia at a pioneer School of Organic Agriculture in Brazil |
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| My husband, Daniel and I in Brazil cooking traditional foods. |
MULTI-CULTURAL FAMILY: As I mentioned earlier, my husband is from Uruguay, so we speak both Spanish and English, we also know a lot of Portuguese because we lived in Brazil for a time and we are now learning Hebrew as a family. I have learned so much from my husband and have learned to stream-line and simplify life and even my whole thinking process, it has been great! We teach our children many things of the Uruguayan culture and even got to take them on a two month trip to Uruguay and Brazil so they could really soak it all in.
- We also are Christians, we believe that Yeshua (Jesus in English) is the Messiah, the Son of God and we have made it a point to learn our true roots as believer, and those roots are JEWISH. We as Christians are grafted in to the Jewish stock, as a wild grapevine is grafted into the root stock of another vine. Here Romans 11:17-18 says it best: "If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you." Okay, pretty important I would say! So we as a family celebrate ever Friday evening with Shabbat or the beginning of Sabbath, the seven day of the week. We also celebrate God's Appointed Times which the English Bible translates as the "Lord's Feasts" such as Passover, Feast of Trumpets, Pentecost, etc. More on all of this later.
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| My first daughter Isabella at a couple months old (she's 7 now!) |
- PREGNANCY: Well as of a few days ago I join the ranks of pregnant mama again. This will be my third, so I have couple of natural births under my belt to encourage you with, as well as being able to walk through it again, while tweaking a couple of things because I have learned a lot more in the past six years. My youngest now is almost six, so I've got a bit of a gap, which just translates to "great helpers!".
So, that is this blog's future in a nutshell. I hope you find it useful, inspiring, encouraging and through the comments that you leave I hope to learn a lot from you too! Thanks for reading!
Until Soon,
Alicia Wornicov
