Plant People Heal

09/08/2026

Forging Ahead: Lobster Mushrooms, Family, and Finding the Sweet Spots

Oh my hearts, ❤️ what a weekend in Vernon! We went out foraging for wild mushrooms, and let me tell you, it was a full-spectrum human experience.

I am not a natural-born 🍄 mushroom expert yet, so I relied on our incredible Facebook community in a local ID group to confirm what we found before taking a single bite. Safety first when you’re learning the wild ways! Once we got the 🚦 green light on our haul of Lobster Mushrooms, the kitchen magic began.

✅ 🌙 Night 1: A small sample portion sautéed in simple garlic and butter just to taste. It was all of our first time eating wild-foraged mushrooms, and they were delicious!
✅ 🌞 Morning 2: Sautéed with eggs over avocado toast.
✅ 🌒 Dinner 3: Paired with buttery egg noodles my niece made for us.

Now, was the trip seamless? ❌️ Not at all. We each had our own personal challenges and individual disappointments along the trail. Tensions happen when things don't always go according to plan, but we chose to rise above the emotional noise, be considerate of where everyone was at, and just share in the moment of being simply human; even when it got uncomfortable. 😷

🚗 They depart in the morning to head back home, and our lives will move parallel again until the next time we can converge. What a blessing to share this time and space together. 🫂

How do you handle it when a family trip doesn't go entirely according to plan?

How do you find the sweet spot in the middle of the mess?

Have you ever gone foraging for mushrooms or herbs?
Let’s talk in the comments 👇 Share pictures please!!!

09/01/2026

The Bitter Redemption: From Floor-Spill to Family Healing 🌿✨🩹

My hearts, life has a way of circling back, even when it involves a gallon of liquid heartbreak on the kitchen floor. 🐾🌪️

My sister and niece are still here, and while the "sister-tornado" was awesome, the niece-tornado hit a bit of a health wall. She’s been miserable this week, but we aren't letting that stop the ingenuity. Since heavy lifting was off the table, she became my designated seed-sifter.
We spent the day sifting a month’s worth of Blue Mountain Flax—honestly, it was nice to have the help! 🥣🌾

But the real news? The Cinnamon Bun Bitters are back from the dead. ⚰️✨

Years ago, our sweet puppy (bless their heart) bumped into a gallon jar of this freshly made tincture and shattered it. A whole gallon, all over the floor. I was so heartbroken that I just... stopped. I never made it again. But this week, seeing those bitters provide real, actual relief for my niece’s digestive struggles was the "Not Today, Satan" moment I needed. 🙅‍♀️🔥

✅ We’re starting a massive batch today so she can take some home and benefit from the healing digestive effects.

✅ We’re bringing that same energy to Helpnetic House. My husband and I helped Steve and Paula fix up a new hutch and a haphazard lighting system this weekend. It’s alive and running, and once the tincture matures, these bitters will be there too. 💡🏘️

We're sitting quietly together on this lovely rainy day, and honoring the process of not doing anything. Nothing is wasted—not even a spilled gallon from years ago if it leads us back to the healing.

I’m curious... what have you brought back from the "dead" lately? A project? A plant? A recipe you thought was a lost cause? Let’s talk about your redemption wins below! 👇👇

08/30/2026

Excellent information on Black Locust trees!

Alot of people dislike the Black Locust tree, even considering it a w**d, but I love them!! Not only are they beautiful but extremely useful too!! Here is some information about the Black Locust tree!!
🤩😍🌳🌿💚

Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) is a fast-growing, nitrogen-fixing hardwood prized for its incredible durability, utility, and environmental benefits.

​Key Benefits & Uses

​Rot-Resistant Timber: The wood resists decay naturally without chemical treatments, making it ideal for fence posts, decking, outdoor furniture, and mine timbers.

​Soil Improvement: As a legume, it fixes atmospheric nitrogen into the soil, helping restore degraded land and enhance nearby plant growth.

​High-Value Fuelwood: It burns hot and clean, offering one of the highest heat outputs (BTU ratings) of any North American tree species.

​Pollinator Support: Produces abundant nectar in late spring, yielding high-quality, clear honey loved by beekeepers.

​Erosion Control & Fodder: Dense, spreading root systems stabilize slopes and control soil erosion, while the nutrient-rich leaves serve as high-protein livestock feed when managed properly.

08/22/2026

💑 The Sister Magic: Celebrating a New Union✨️
Today is the day!

In 3 hours my daughter walks down the aisle 🤵‍♂️👰‍♀with her (soon to be) husband and they begin a brand new chapter of their lives together!

💒 The rehearsal yesterday graced us with a soft rain as the wedding party took their positions, practiced their lines, and set up the pews.
A stunning double rainbow shine brightly after soaking us all with cleaning rain. We laughed as the couple practiced their kiss repeatedly 💋... becuase hey... gotta get that part right!

And tonight, after all the practice and preparation, we get to do it all for real, eat and be merry, and dance our little hearts out as the newly weds savor this moment together. 👰‍♀🤵‍♂️❤️

Theres nothing quite like having family gathered around for such blessings. Jessica Nelson you've helped make this moment run smoothly.

Victoria Scibilia will be joining these two together today at this incredible venue.

With a grateful heart, we move towards with this afternoon with grace, patience, guidance, and serenity 🌹

Blessings my hearts!

What are you doing this weekend???
Share your pics and commenrs below 👇👇

08/18/2026

Henna, Harmony, and the Final Touches 🌿✨👰

Oh my dear hearts, what a difference a day makes! The "tornado" of my mess has finally been settled, the house is clean (enough), the energy is high, and the porch is officially in "pamper mode" today.

My mom, my sister, and I are putting henna in our hair this morning, getting all fancy for the big day this weekend!

👩‍👩‍👧✨ After months of tailoring, the wedding dress is finally finished and it is absolutely gorgeous. Seeing all the final touches, the decorations, the food, the supplies, come together is such a good kind of "a lot" right now.

We’re busy preparing for the weekend, choosing presence and joy over the frantic perfectionism we fired from her job last week. 😂 She wasn't helping, so she had to go...

Sometimes the best stewardship is just letting yourself be happy in the middle of the bustle of everyday life. 🕯️💖

I’m curious dear ones... what are you doing to "fancy up" your own world this week? Whether it's a garden win or a personal pamper day, I want to hear about how this Tuesday is going for you in the comments! 👇👇

See that grey??? It's going away!!!

08/12/2026

370 HEARTS! THE PORCH IS GROWING! 🥳✨🔥

My hearts, I am absolutely buzzing today! My sister is landing in just a few hours, the energy is high, and I just saw that we officially have 370 neighbors gathered here with us!

I’m dropping this animation to celebrate. You aren't just numbers on a screen; you’re the real-life human beings that makes this sanctuary breathe and our community on this page, meaningful. Thank you for being here, for being weird with me, and for keeping it real.

THE ROAD TO 500:
We are officially 130 friends away from the massive giveaway milestone! 🎁

✅ Once we hit just 30 more followers, I’m revealing the surprise gift I have tucked away for everyone. It’s a big one, and I can’t wait to show you. That means share this post and tag your friends so they can share in the love we all spread here.

Invite a friend to pull up a chair! Let’s get this party started before the 'sister-tornado' officially touches down! 🌪️💖 (2 hours away!)

08/11/2026

ON MY WAY OUT THE DOOR: Not Today, Satan! 🌪️✨💪

My dear hearts, I’ll be honest, my house is an absolute tornado at the moment. (Pun intended, because we just had another one hit near Concho yesterday!) And my sister arrives… TOMORROW. 🤦‍♀️

I’m working every single day this week at my day job, and I’m definitely not freaking out. (No, not me...😂) Because I am human, and this is just how life goes. I’m choosing to focus on the small wins today:

✅ The Purple Velvet: I got her chopped into cuttings to reboot. We’re saving her, slowly, and the bugs are finally gone. Ingenuity at work, dedication, and playing the long game... like soaking her in the sink for 2 days before I could attend to her properly.

✅ The Social Box: I cleaned the guinea pig cage today, and she spent the morning in the bedroom social box, getting some well-needed family time with the cats and dogs. 🐹💖 (see her below... stinking cute as heck!)

✅ The Disabled Diva: I spent my morning cleaning up after our 3-legged cat who decided rules are for other people. Do we punish her? No. She gets the same respect I’d give my grandmother. 💩🐾 and I'm not about to tell her she is a (insert curse word here) for being a terrible roommate that makes my life harder...

Life is hard, yes, unpredictable, and often spontaneous (like cleaning up cat crap first thing in the morning, unplanned, yet unavoidable). But we don’t have to let it weigh us down. By golly, we are bigger than that!

We need to uplift each other right now. I want to hear the truth:

👉 What are you struggling with today?
👉 OR share a small victory that made you grin and say "NOT TODAY, SATAN!"

Let’s talk in the comments. ⬇️⬇️ Give it to me!!! I need some motivation to keep from pulling my own hair out right now. LOL

08/10/2026

The Midweek Reset: Living in Mid-Process ☀

Oh my hearts, I’ll be honest, my kitchen is a complete mess right now!

I have a Purple Velvet plant soaking in my sink as we speak. I found scale bugs, so I had to pull it from the pot, scrub the roots, and spray it down with antibacterial soap. It’s sitting there in the water now, just trying to survive the reset.

It’s a lot like the rest of my house. My sister arrives in a few days for a long visit, and I feel like I am halfway through everything. Projects are sitting out in awkward places, nothing has a home yet, and I’m working every day this week.
I am living in the thick of the "mid-process mid-week"

Yesterday I spent my time potting up all the babies in the video below. Instead of coeaning my house, whuch woukd habw been the logical approach to my to-do list... i decided to beat the heat, bring everything to my kitchen floor and set up all the rooting cuttings that have waiting patiently for me to tend to them.

I spent the day finding the beauty in the mess.

We have a trip to Vernon planned, and I’m choosing to focus on that connection rather than the clutter, also waiting for me to tend to it.

I’m letting the perfectionism go this week. My life isn't about being perfect; it’s about being present.

Sometimes we have to embrace the mess while the roots are getting clean in the sink and the clutter creeps up around our ears.

I’m curious... what are you juggling right now?

I know many of you are finally harvesting that first midsummer food from your gardens. Ive enjoyed seeing your posts about it.

Are you in the middle of a project, a transition, or just trying to keep your head above the water? Let’s talk about the real stuff in the comments. Drop a plant Pic, a comment, or a word of encouragement to get us through this week!

Blessings everyone 🙏 ✨️

08/05/2026

Big thanks to Shannon Bell

for all your support! Congrats for being top fans on a streak 🔥!