Vintage Remedies Giveaway

Have you ever wanted to stop popping pills for your headaches (or other ailments), but didn't know of any other alternatives? Maybe you really wanted to try an herbal remedy for your child's cough, but you didn't know who to talk to about it or even where to begin. When I became a mother, my thoughts about medications changed radically and I started to seek out alternatives. I just knew there had to be something other than medicine laced with red #40 to lower fever.  However, I still lacked the confidence I needed to make quick decisions about herbal remedies on my own. I wish I would have known about Jessie Hawkins back then! When we were on tour, we stayed with Jessie and her family near Nashville, TN and had a fabulous time. I utilized her expertise many times while we were on the road and was comforted over and over by her reassurance and sensitivity when I was dealing with an ailment.

Jessie is a Master Herbalist and is the founder of Vintage Remedies. Vintage Remedies offers a Family Herbalist Course and a Master Herbalist Course through the Vintage Remedies School of Natural Health. If you've ever been intrigued by herbal medicine, her courses are incredibly detailed and upon completion, will allow you to work in the natural health field. Jessie also offers individualized consulting and has a really great website too!

And now...the really exciting part :) Jessie has recently released a book called The Handbook of Vintage Remedies: The Modern Family's Guide to Herbal Medicine. Every household should have this book! Many of you probably own the book Prescription for Nutritional Healing...I see Jessie's book as the more user-friendly and abbreviated version of that book. It has information on how to treat everything from eczema to menopause to low milk supply. She also includes recipes for cool stuff like natural antibacterial spray, laundry soap, and chocolate chip bath cookies (yum!), as well as and an index of explanations and uses for all of the most common herbs. Here is the summary from her site:

Throughout this book, Jessie covers over 90 common health concerns faced by modern families and 35 of the most commonly used herbal remedies, as well as practical safety guidelines about using natural remedies at home, and valuable formulas and recipes for putting herbs to use in the home. Tips on setting up a natural medicine chest, changing the family to a healthier diet and boosting immunity are also featured. Jessie's holistic approach covers nutritional, lifestyle, herbal and other natural therapies with a focus on evidence based care. Each health concern also includes information on preventative care and when to seek professional medical treatment.

Jessie has generously donated a copy of her book for me to give away, and she is also offering free shipping for my blog readers through May 31. To receive free shipping, enter the coupon code "sara" upon checkout (click here to order). To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment! I'll choose the winner at random on Friday, May 15.

Bonus: Sara Snow (green living expert/TV host), who just happens to be enrolled with Vintage Remedies, just did a great interview on CNN regarding herbal medicine. Check it out here.

COMMENTS ARE CLOSED...Thanks to all who entered!! I will announce the winner soon.

Miracle Boy

The joy on our faces in the above photo comes after a long week of unknowns and emotions.

On Tuesday, April 14, my little brother Scotty was in a serious accident on the site of the frat house that my brother owns and is remodeling in Boulder. The ladder that he was setting up fell back against the main power line to the house and he was electrocuted. He was airlifted to the burn unit ICU in Denver and was unconscious for most of the first day. We were so thankful that Matt was in Boulder at the time working on the house as well and was able to be by his side the entire time and give us updates. By that evening, our entire family had flown into Denver from our various points in the globe (literally...my brother Dan had to fly in from London!) to be with Scotty at the hospital.

It truly is a miracle that we are celebrating today and not mourning the loss of a sibling and son. The number of prayers that went up for him will never be known, but we can only guess from Facebook, blogs, calls, and such that it was in the many, many of thousands. He is now on his way to a full recovery. Last night was his first skin graft surgery for his foot (the exit point for the electricity) and he will have one more in about 3 weeks. The doctors don't expect any lasting long term effects. We believe in the power of God and the power of prayer...and when the nurses in the burn unit call them their "miracle boy"...we know how blessed we are to have him still here.

Here is the article from the Daily Camera and the photos I've taken this week.

Busy. Wonderful. Life.

Greetings. I have received so many emails over the last week from concerned blog readers wondering if I am ok...wondering if I went into labor early...or if I've just dropped off the face of the earth :) I am ok...so no worries! I am more than ok...life is wonderful! But life is busy. Blogging is not my first priority when life gets busy...so sometimes this blog will be silent for longer periods of time. After we got home from Colorado, I flew to Scottsdale, AZ for a week on business. I am also busy planning an annual meeting for my work along with my other daily work for my parents (I work from home for them for those of you that don't know), as well as a birthday party for a certain 5 year old princess (which took place today). Add 33 weeks of pregnancy to that, and I don't have energy for much else.

But I can assure you that there are new posts coming! :) I have several fun giveaways planned and posts on topics that I know a lot of you are interested in. And just so you know that I am alive...I've included a "hot off the presses" photo for you. Taken today at Bella's party!

Stay tuned...thanks for your patience and for hanging in here with me!