Traci's Stuff

Herbal products are not the only handmade items I create.

There is something about working with your hands that is healing. Creating what you see in your mind and watching it come to life as you work. This is one of the projects I have been working on. This almost 6ft walking stick that will help me navigate the hills as I forage next year, and many years to come.

Healing the body must also be accompanied by healing the mind. Healing the mind must also be accompanied by healing the soul. No matter which area is targeted first, there must be attention given to the other areas. Otherwise, you are only putting a bandage on one area and the rest continue suffer.

When you are ready to heal, don’t forget to allow the nurturing of all areas. We can use herbs to balance our internal system and external, which has a direct effect on other areas. But there still needs to be work done on those areas as well. Our minds are not separate from our bodies. Our emotional state not separate from our physical ailments. What we put into us shows. Everything is connected.

Expression of emotions has shaped our entire species from the beginning, and lack of expression has hindered each of us. Along with lost skills over generations on how to handle emotions, situations, and people. Which has a direct affect on our health.

So create when you can’t speak, or express them. In any way that feels good to you. No matter what I make, with herbs or other materials, using my hands to make anything has always been a form of self care. Even when I have to take it apart and start over. Luckily in the case of this project, I am not taking it apart. Each knot is tied with intention and a prayer of sorts to healing. I have my mix of herbs infused to drink while I tie. Allowing healing in more than one area to happen simultaneously.

I hear people say that they don’t plant because they don’t have garden space. These calendulas are growing in gravel inches thick. There are snap dragons and California poppies mixed in. So…..just throw the seeds out! Make gold out of rocks.

Even with a season of not having my full garden I am blessed that it still is providing me with enough for my family. Calendulas are great for skin and the leaves are eatable. AND they are really pretty!

I just got done doing a deodorizing carpet vacuum I want to share with you. I have pets and if you have them too, you know carpets can get stinky even when you care for them. So I wanted to share with you my recipe for a powder I use. It will leave your home smelling amazing and does an amazing job at lifting dirt.

1 part baking soda
1 part borax
Essential oils to liking(this round I did grapefruit and cinnamon)

Mix well and shake evenly on carpet. I have a rug brush I use to brush in, but it is not needed. Let sit for 10-20 minutes then vacuum. You may have to go over the floor a couple of times depending on the thickness of your carpet.

This leaves my carpets and house smelling amazing!

Try it out for yourself.

No pictures…just words. Life lessons in the dirt!

Yesterday and today was filled with lots of garden redoing. This season has been a hard one for me and my garden suffered. It has been a sadness for me to go this summer without all I had last year due to some really hard life changes. Not knowing if I would be here to harvest if I planted, or be able to care fo any of it. I let what wanted to come back grow, and tried to keep up on it. My raspberries, calendula, some California poppy, yarrow, lemon balm, catnip, mullien, and lavender. Which sounds like a lot, but not even half of what I had.

However, once I started poking around in the tall calendulas, I saw that I had more than I thought. Down beneath the tall flowers were the fattest leafed dandelion plants I have seen. No flowers on them due to the Calendulas over growth. But those leaves are such a power house of vitamins and minerals…and the roots! The liver will thank them. I use the leaves in every single “tea” infusion formula I make specifically for the nutrients. In tinctures and infused in oils for skin. They are my most used by far herb. What I thought would be a winter without, turns out to be a fall/winter/spring of abundance.

Today I sit and reflect on that. The lesson for me is easy to see if I just look deeper than the surface level. Just because the outside of something looks overwhelming and like too much work for little gain, or that it needs special attention where it may not have before, doesn’t mean that beneath is empty or ruined. What is beneath the work load is the treasures unseen. The ones worth finding and caring for. The abundance that in the right hands, is worth all the work.

So today I tell Mother Earth……Thank You.

Good evening all.

I am sitting here trying to decide some things in this rapidly changing life I am in. As I sit and look at the stars I am reminded why I started this journey. I wanted better health for myself and my children. To pull us away from all these chemicals that fill our foods and medicines that don’t address the root of the problem. In most cases making more problems. We have become so removed from the healing journey that we should all be on that we look down at the journey of health that needs to happen.

Starting with our choices and habits. One thing that I have noticed from others seeking my help, is many issues caused by mental health being down. Which in turn effects the body, and the body effects the brain. It is a loop. So treating one issue does not address the entire system. That’s what we are. An entire system. So just treating one issue only helps for a time, because it is the entire system that needs nurturing as well. If your skin is having issues, then internally there is usually, but not always, an issue as well. If we start treating the entire body then the symptom we struggle with will ease, heal, or no longer be a struggle.

I have been very absent from keeping up on this page for my herbs and products to work on moving through my life changing. I have noticed that I also have not been as attentive to keeping my own body’s health on track. So starting over reminds me of what is needed. So I will be applying my knowledge back to not only my body, but share it as I go.

Hopefully what I have to share with my education and experiences is helpful to another. I am reachable for consultation and questions as always and appreciate all of you that have.

For this evening, for the aspect of mental health, I sit and watch the starts come out. As I do many nights. I remind myself to release what I can and find what I am greatfull for to carry with me to my pillow. Holding it till I sleep. This allows my brain to fall sleep in an ease instead of stress. A small step but important. This works for me. Find a simple way for you, try to make it a habit and see if it makes a difference. 💕

I have stock. Sugar scrubs, bath soaks, rollers body butters, medical salves, purse first aid, and more.

Oh it is that magical time of year! Bring on the dandelions. I have been slowly picking my favorite plant, slowly because my new hip is still not quite allowing me to be bent over or down. But I will get my favorites made. This is about 1/4 of what I need to make dandelion honey. If you ever wanted to know, that friends, is what only petals looks like. This will be a personal batch for my family. Till I get more to make batches to share anyway. Last year’s many batches were burnt because I was not able to stand at a stove long enough to watch it and I had already spent hours picking causing great pain. Which was devastating. This year will be different, even if I have to only do small batches.

Hello, how’s that sunshine treating you today? I am busy restocking all I can to make room for spring and the harvest that will come. I am working on stalking up for First Friday Art Walks again as well. I will post what I have available as soon as I can. Reach out if there is something you are needing, or if yoy would like me to formulate a special blend for you. See you all soon somewhere!

Live well!

I am grateful today for all the views this page is getting daily! Thank you. I am not great at sharing what I am(and am not 😁) up to in my herbal journey, so you show of support is appreciated. Keep checking please, spring is coming.

It’s official. Paper in hand. I am so grateful for this course. It was in depth and a lot of work, research, and time dedicated to the knowledge of health.

It’s official!!! This herbalist is now certified in medical herbs.