Meagan Visser, Author at Growing Up Herbal

A Day In The Life: How I Make A Living As An Herbalist – Part 2

Posted by Meagan Visser | Jul 26, 2017 | Herbal Education |

When I left my job as a registered nurse to stay home with my first baby, I would never have dreamed I’d end up where I am now. In fact, I thought I’d be perfectly content to not have a career and instead to devote myself to caring for my family, but that wasn’t the case. I’m the kind of person that likes being busy. I like challenges. I like having something of my own that pushes me. Now, don’t get me wrong. Being a stay-at-home-mom… keeping my house in order, caring for my family, homeschooling my children, and...

House To Home: Driveway Woes

Posted by Meagan Visser | Jun 15, 2017 | Home |

One of the major selling points when we initially considered buying this land and moving up here on the mountain was the driveway… for me at least. I know that a long, gravel driveway up a mountain would be a big turn off to some, but to me, it was perfect. I’ve always loved the driveway a couple from our church has. It too is up a mountain, and it’s so peaceful and beautiful as you slowly travel up it. Not only do you notice the plants growing around you, but you can feel the air get cooler the higher...

How To Make Homemade Honeysuckle Syrup & 6 Ways To Use It

Posted by Meagan Visser | Jun 14, 2017 | Guest Posts |

Honeysuckle. Nothing signifies summer to me like seeing thousands of honeysuckle blossoms along the creek bank here in the South. Honeysuckle not only smells and tastes great, but it can be used to create herbal remedies that are good for your body, too. Honeysuckle flowers are the most commonly used part of the plant. They are most often used to adorn food or added to beverages, but they can also be used in a variety of herbal preparations. Today, I’d like to talk to you about one honeysuckle preparation in particular—homemade honeysuckle syrup! Not only am I going to...

2017 Reading Challenge: The Half-Way Point

Posted by Meagan Visser | Jun 11, 2017 | Book Club |

I’ve never really been what you’d call a “bookworm.” Sure, growing up, I read and enjoyed books, but I really only read most of them because I had to. My first introduction to reading really good books came in high school in my AP English class (these are high school classes you can take that give you college credits) when we had to read books like Madam Bovary, Beowolf, The Canterbury Tales, The Great Gatsby, etc.. I enjoyed reading all of these books, and although I didn’t make reading a daily habit, I definitely wanted to read more books...

A Fun Summer Day At Bright’s Zoo

Posted by Meagan Visser | Jun 9, 2017 | Outdoor Adventures |

There’s no doubt that Dean’s mom, who is lovingly known as “Mum-mum” in our family, loves her grandkids… all 18 (almost 19) of them. Every now and again, she plans big family outings where she takes all the kids (and sometimes us parents) along for some fun. This past week, she took everyone to Bright’s Zoo in Limestone, TN. Bright’s Zoo is a small, private owned zoo here in East Tennessee. It used to be a race horse farm, but over the years, it’s slowly turned into a zoo. The owner’s wife met us at the gate to go...

Mountain Moments

Posted by Meagan Visser | Jun 8, 2017 | Home |

When we first bought our house up on the mountain, we spent a year fixing it up before we moved into it. During that year, I wasn’t sure how I felt about this place. It was run down. It was outdated. It was overgrown. It was further from our family (and Dean’s business) than we really wanted to be. But it had potential, and we were ready for a place of our own. Over the years, this place has become home to us. It’s peaceful. It’s quiet. The mountain air is cool and clean. The plants are abundant. The...

Sweet And Sour Carrot Salad

Posted by Meagan Visser | Jun 7, 2017 | Sides |

Coming up with tasty, real food veggie side dishes that are pleasing to all six people in my family can be a challenge, but this Sweet & Sour Carrot Salad is one recipe that everyone will eat. Today, I’m talking about the struggle in getting my kids to eat more veggies, and I’m sharing this delicious carrot salad recipe with you as well. It’s a perfect summer side dish to most meals, and it’ll make a great contribution to any summer pot-luck too. The Veggie Struggle Is Real It seems that I’m constantly struggling to get my kids to eat...

30-Day Blogging Challenge

Posted by Meagan Visser | Jun 6, 2017 | Growing Up Herbal |

I think it’s good to step out of your comfort zone from time to time, and it seems like I’m doing a lot of that these days. I’m not quite sure why that is, but I do know that I have a tendency to get bored when things stay the same for too long. Maybe that’s why there are periods in my life where I “uproot” so to speak and make a lot of big changes in my life. It keeps things interesting, and it grows me in an uncomfortable sort of way. So, speaking of challenging things that...

Author: Meagan Visser