Garden of Eten

A little sweetness for the season!

Honey + Elderberry Syrup are officially restocked at Fort Thomas Coffee!

And have you tried sweetening your tea with a splash of our Elderberry Syrup? It’s one of my favorite ways to add a little berry sweetness + herbal goodness to a warm cup.

Here’s to slow mornings, warm drinks, and a sweet new season.

Girls on the job! Susan's Natural World

Grab your jar Philip Ryan IV, D.C.!!!

Sometimes forest bathing looks like a quiet walk through the woods.

And sometimes it looks like a fishing derby.

Fresh air, bare feet, muddy hands, fish on the line, kids running around… I’ll take my nature therapy with a side of dinner.

There’s something about spending a day outside that puts everyone back where they belong.

Consider this your reminder to get outside this week-just don’t forget your electrolytes if you live in the Midwest!

Walking through Moravian Falls, I reached down to pick up a stone to take home as a memorial when I heard the Spirit so clearly:

“Don’t take from this land.”


I stopped.


And as I sat with those words, I began to understand the invitation—not simply don’t take, but what can I give back? How can I replenish, bless, and pray for the land beneath my feet that so many have physically and spiritually stripped?


Scripture tells us that creation is groaning, longing for the revealing of the sons and daughters of God (Romans 8:19–22). Creation belongs to Him, and we were never meant to merely consume it. We were created to tend, steward, and care for what He has made.


So instead of taking the stone, I left something behind—a prayer, a blessing, and a willingness to partner with God in what He desires for His creation.


Not worshiping creation, but learning to co-labor with the Creator in caring for His creation.


Maybe sometimes the most sacred response to beauty isn’t,

What can I take with me?

but,

What can I leave behind?

Does anyone else feel like back-to-school is less of a date on the calendar and more of a whole shift in the rhythm of your home?

Earlier mornings. Shoes by the door. Lunches being packed again. Little bodies heading back into classrooms, co-ops, sports, and all the beautiful busyness that comes with a new season.

And tucked into those rhythms are the small ways we prepare.

A spoonful of elderberry before heading out the door. Water bottles filled. Something nourishing for breakfast. A quick prayer over them as they run off.

I think so much of caring for our families happens like this—not in grand gestures, but in the little things we faithfully return to.

Elderberry has been one of those seasonal rhythms in our home for years. It’s a simple way we use what God has already tucked into creation to support our families as we move into the busier fall months.

Maybe that’s what I love most about herbalism. It teaches us to notice the season we’re entering and prepare for it gently, one small choice at a time.

What are the little rhythms you return to when your family heads back to school?

Girls on the job! Matt’s Natural World restocked just in time for back to school!