Returning to my roots has been on my heart for a long time. Radiant is defined as sending out light; shining or glowing brightly. My vision for this page is to share my journey through homesteading, homeschooling, farming and faith. I hope my journey can be a shining light to help others find their way back to their roots.

“Go back to your books, to your armchair. Plant your trees, watch them grow. If more people valued home above gold, this world would be a merrier place.”

— Thorin Oakenshield – J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

  • Purple Dead Nettle: Purple Powerhouse

    “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.” Luke 12:27 **Before proceeding with this article, please note that these… Continue reading

  • Unschooling: Farmstead Style

    If you have been wondering where I’ve been the last three weeks, it is goat kidding season here on the farm which means a chaotic whirlwind of waddling goats finally releasing their long-held hostages in a flurry of grunts, calls,… Continue reading

  • Chickweed: The Forager’s Winter Star

    “He who seeks the mind of the Creator in the little things of the earth shall find a wisdom that the world cannot give.” — In the spirit of George Washington Carver **Before proceeding with this article, please note that… Continue reading

  • Dandelions: Not a Weed – A Forager’s and Homesteader’s Treasure!

    “Why doesn’t constant trampling defeat the dandelion? The key to its strength is its long and sturdy root, which extends deep into the earth. The same principle applies to people. The true victors in life are those who, enduring repeated… Continue reading

  • The Beautiful Mess and The Potter’s Hands

    “Whether it’s pottery or life, it takes more than one attempt for them to come out right. And all that effort makes the end product more valuable, too.” — Yeon Somin Teaching five-year-olds on a pottery wheel is a sensory-rich… Continue reading

  • A Winter Wonderland of Wildlife Tracks

    “The tracks we find in the snow are more than just footprints; they are the signatures of the Creator, proving that even in the deepest winter, His world is vibrantly alive and perfectly sustained.” Winter weather often makes us want… Continue reading

  • Sticky Hands, Full Hearts: A Winter Activity for Little Stewards

    “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you… In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.” -Job 12:7-10 We have had… Continue reading

  • The Forager’s Timetable: When to Harvest

    “Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.” Ezekiel 47:12 While the Midwest landscape might look dormant in January, the seasoned forager knows that God provides food and medicine year round. Winter is a time for spotting… Continue reading

  • Foraged Pharmacy: Planning My Wild Herb Harvest for 2026

    “Every field is a pharmacy if you only have the eyes to see it.” There is a profound shift that happens when you stop looking at the “weeds” in your local park or the plants along your favorite hiking trail… Continue reading

  • Expectation vs. Reality: The 3%

    “Healing is not a linear climb to the summit; it is a walk through the woods, sometimes getting lost, but always learning the terrain.” If you’ve been here for a while, you are aware that I was diagnosed with Alpha… Continue reading

Latest Posts

  • Favorite Foraged Flavors: 3 Ozark Native Plants Ready to Harvest Right Now

    “Late summer is a secret season, a time of harvest without planting, where wild branches yield what no gardener ever sowed.” — Hal Borland **Before proceeding with this article, please note that these articles in my foraging for food and medicine series are very in depth and therefore can get a bit lengthy. I utilize…

  • From Survival to Spreadsheets: Finding My Spoons Again

    “Motherhood is a constant process of letting go—including letting go of the expectation that you should feel like yourself overnight.” I never thought I had postpartum depression. There were no crying spells on the nursery floor, no terrifying anxiety, and none of the overwhelming symptoms that medical professionals ask about at your six-week checkup. I…

  • Bearing the Ten-Ton Burden: Why Community is so Important

    “The reason most people think that something cannot be done is because they know that they can’t do it by themselves.” — Herman Ostry We’ve all been there. You’re staring at a massive, seemingly insurmountable problem on your land, and the quote you got to fix it makes your stomach twist into knots. For Herman…

  • Foraging Wild Bergamot: How to Identify, Harvest, and Create with Monarda

    “Still, everywhere flowers are blooming in the sun. Bees in the bee balm buzz and hum… these flowers will be here when we’re gone.” ~Rachel Hadas, “Zoom and Zoom” **Before proceeding with this article, please note that these articles in my foraging for food and medicine series are very in depth and therefore can get…

  • Wild Yarrow: History, Healing, and Hunting This Ancient Herb

    “I will pluck the yarrow fair, That more brave shall be my hand, That more warm shall be my lips, That more swift shall be my foot. May I an island be at sea, May I a rock be on land.” — Ancient Gaelic Charm, Carmina Gadelica **Before proceeding with this article, please note that…

  • Wild Foraging for Clay: Reclaiming the Ancient Art of Pottery (No Kiln Required)

    “Foraging isn’t just about what grows out of the soil—sometimes it’s about the deep history waiting right beneath our feet.” Foragers are trained to keep our eyes on the landscape. We watch the seasons shift, looking up at the trees or down at the green things growing along the fence lines. We look at dandelions,…

  • The Footprints of the Forager: An Introduction to Plantain

    “Nature is a first-aid kit, and the world is a garden; we need only to look down to find the remedy.” **Before proceeding with this article, please note that these articles in my foraging for food and medicine series are very in depth and therefore can get a bit lengthy. I utilize a type of…

  • Clever Cleavers: Nature’s Velcro

    “Whoever drinks cleaver water for nine weeks shall be so beautiful, everyone will fall in love with them.” — Ancient Welsh Folk Belief **Before proceeding with this article, please note that these articles in my foraging for food and medicine series are very in depth and therefore can get a bit lengthy. I utilize a…

  • The Elusive Morel: The Ultimate Treasure Hunt

    “Hobbits have a passion for mushrooms, surpassing even the greediest likings of Big People.” The Fellowship of the Ring, Tolkien **Before proceeding with this article, please note that these articles in my foraging for food and medicine series are very in depth and therefore can get a bit lengthy. I utilize a type of expanding…

  • Pineapple Weed: The Trampled Tropics

    “Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.” — Confucius **Before proceeding with this article, please note that these articles in my foraging for food and medicine series are very in depth and therefore can get a bit lengthy. I utilize a type of expanding detail feature for some things (particularly all the recipes) to…

who am i? get to know me!

Want new content sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe – it’s free!