Our Story

We’re so glad you’ve found our little corner of the internet where we share what we are learning everyday about faith, family, and health.

As a family of five, including three young children, we are a little bit wild but are loving every minute of our sweet life. We want to share everything we know, including how to grow, harvest, prepare, preserve and share the flavor and beauty of the world. Come along with us as we make the world a sweeter place one table at a time.

My Story

I’d like to fill you in on my backstory so that you’ll feel comfortable joining me for the stories to come. I was born and have been raised in Utah and have chosen to stay here with my family, near the families of both my husband and me. It is such a beautiful place to stay with the city and nature so close together. Our home is nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains with a view of the Great Salt Lake that makes for sensational sunsets. I often joke with Mr. C that I would love just a little more land, only an acre or three. His response is he would never see me inside the house, and I know it’s true. If it’s meant to be, we will get more land, but for now we’re content and my hands are full with little children and the yard we have.

Speaking of children, I have three children. They’re all 2-3 yrs apart and they keep me busy. We start with Little Miss being the oldest. She’s a great helper both around the home and with her younger siblings. She up for any craft and has recently started drawing everything she sees. My Little Gentleman comes next. He truly is a kind and loving soul who loves to work hard and serve others. He has an amazing imagination and is always inviting me to play games he makes up. Lastly, comes my Little Lady. She is the sweetest, most loving and patient of them all. She’s not really a baby anymore, but I can’t help but call her that still at times because I am in denial that they can grow up so quickly.

We are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Although we don’t speak for The Church in any way, I will share my personal testimony and also the words of the scriptures and modern-day prophets and apostles as they impact me, especially as they relate to health and nutrition.

Education

In college I learned about nutrition and the human body as I earned my degree in Dietetics and became a Registered Dietitian after graduating from Utah State University (USU). I have always loved helping people and have been intrigued with the complexities and resiliency of the human body. There is always so much to learn and new studies are coming out to improve our knowledge of the human body, nutrition, and disease prevention. Although I still love Western Medicine, I have also started learning more about Eastern Medicine as well. There is so much good information and so many ways to support the body, from foot zoning to adaptogens and herbs.

My favorite job outside the home so far has been working with Food $ense, a part-time USU position which is equivalent to SNAP-Ed in other states. I loved helping others learn about the importance of eating well, having healthy lifestyles, and most importantly, showing them how easy it can be to incorporate nutrient-dense foods into their meals. My co-workers and I were able to see real change in people’s lives as they made small changes to their food and lifestyle habits.

I’ve spent the last few years learning to grow and sell flowers to florists. Along with growing, I’ve spent time in floral design classes. I’ve found both aspects of flowers, the growing and the designing, to be so fulfilling to my creative needs. Through this process I’ve become so much more aware of, and grateful for, the beauty of the world in which we live. 

Gardening, whether it’s flowers or food (and sometimes it can be both at the same time!), brings me joy. Especially when I work alongside my children and see them actually enjoying it and eating all the food before we even get inside the house. They help me with everything from planting to picking vegetables and flowers. Their favorites are raspberries in the spring and tomatoes in the fall. They have also learned to love flowers as they make mini bouquets to present to me or sell to our sweet neighbors, who encourage them with their purchases. We have the best neighbors.

Most recently, I’ve also learned a little about foot zoning. I’ve seen the benefits of taking a basic course and often use it on myself, Mr. C and our children when we are a little under the weather. I know I have much to learn still and would love to take a practitioner course one day, but what I have learned so far has been advantageous. 

Health

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started experiencing small health issues, as I’m sure many of you have as well. For example, I no longer enjoy running because my knees start to hurt after I run. I contribute this to many issues, ranging from the simple fact that I know I need to strengthen my quads and stretch more often to the more complex issue of having Morton’s Neuroma.

Along with knee pain due foot issues, I found out after having my children that I’ve got the gene for Hashimoto’s Disease. This was several years ago and thankfully I didn’t have to start any medications or have any procedures done. For some reason, I didn’t think much about my thyroid after that experience. Looking back now, I wonder why I didn’t immediately start researching how to nourish and strengthen my thyroid in order to prevent needing lifetime medication(s) or procedures.

While at an annual checkup a few years later, my bloodwork showed my thyroid needed a little help. I avoided this at first because I wanted to see if making any dietary and lifestyle changes would help. The thought of taking medication every day for the rest of my life seemed daunting and very undesirable, even with my knowledge that it’s safe and effective with many family members taking them for years now. I’m grateful for one amazing endocrinologist who is willing to listen and support me in my pursuit to naturally bolster my thyroid with the use of adaptogens and diet.

Family

Along with Mr. and me feeling the pains of aging despite being very young at heart, I’ve recently seen my children going through some health issues. The worst by far has been Little Miss, who’s recently been breaking out with hives all over her face. 

If you’ve ever had a child with an allergic reaction, you know how miserable you both are as you try to help them stay comfortable and not itch. At the same time, you avoid letting them see you become emotional because it’s so hard for you to watch. It feels like we tried everything. Nothing helped from calamine lotion to oat baths to ice packs and even distracting them with the television. You know it’s real when the television doesn’t distract them.

For us, it’s at least a week of itching. It starts slowly over a day and a night and then it gets worse with more red and itchy spots spreading over the face for the next day or two. Next thing you know their face is puffy to the point they don’t look like your little girl anymore. Rightfully so, they refuse to go to school even after they get a steroid and the itching stops because the other kids might laugh at their splotchy, puffy face. Once it’s finally cleared up, you’ve missed a week of school and you’re not even sure what caused it in the first place. Have you ever experienced this, or something similar?

After our first experience of an allergic reaction, I set up an appointment with an allergist where I learned the basics of allergies and confirmed that she reacted initially to the bee propolis that I sprayed in her throat prophylactically. In a period of four months we went to the Instacare three times for her allergies. The third time I had no idea it was even due to allergies because it was affecting her eyes rather than her skin as it had previously. This entire time as I reached out to the allergist there was little they could (or were willing?) to do. Thankfully we haven’t had this issue as frequently, although it still pops up occasionally. It was either a miracle from God or a foot zone of the liver and salt bricks that helped her clear her most recent reaction, for which I’m very grateful. We still have no idea what the is causing her body to react as it does, but we’ve found some things that have helped us.

All of my own personal health issues and my children’s health issues, which are always my biggest motivator, have led me to action. I’ve been learning more about growing and harvesting my own adaptogens, fermenting foods, and helping our bodies through foot zoning as just a few ways to supplement the help I receive through Western Medicine.

Why

I’m writing and sharing this journal for several reasons. First, it helps me remember what I’ve learned and helps me process information more deeply. By spending more time in the material, both reading to comprehend and teach and then compiling my thoughts into this journal, I will deepen my understanding through my pondering on the subject. My hope is that I’ll learn how to prevent and relieve the health problems that my family and I experience by improving our natural defenses and having options to help us when we do get sick.

My second reason is I love to share my knowledge and experiences. Posting my journal to a website is an easy, inexpensive way to do so. Anyone who wishes to learn more alongside me is welcome as we all try to help ourselves, our family and loved ones live the most joy-filled, healthiest lives possible. This is a relatively safe space to share my thoughts and experiences. I hope you’re willing to share your thoughts, questions, and experiences with me and the rest of our friends here.

Will you join me?