About Me

If you enjoy gardening and herbs and need a relaxing break from your busy life while learning something in the process, then this blog is for you!  I will be providing gardening tips, tips for herbs (growing, harvesting, drying), some herbal artwork ideas, and recipes for what to do with fresh and dried herbs.

Originally, I started this blog back in February of 2015 when I was unemployed.  I thought maybe I could make some money from it at some point, too!  Then I found a job as a supervisor for a large retail chain and because I had so much to learn about that business that I didn’t touch the blog again until April of 2016, when I stepped down from my supervisor position to a part-time cashier one.  So this is my second try at my first blog.

I am definitely no expert on these topics, but I love the chance to share what I have learned through my experiences.  I will, of course, do a ton of research for my posts and I love to learn!  So, as time goes by, hopefully I will become a little more of an “expert”.  I am certainly, though, an expert on my own experiences as I am the one who experienced them!

I think I can safely say that my passion is herbs and flowers and their uses throughout time.  I am fascinated by how big a part herbs and flowers have played through history, whether it be for medicinal purposes, simple but beautiful décor, and the quiet peace and comfort they can bring.  I became interested in gardening and “herbology” when I still lived in Iowa, where I grew up.  I was in my 20s and had moved back home to live with my parents.  I became interested in the history of the area where we lived and eventually became secretary of our local Historical Society.  History in general has always been an interest for me, and as we hiked through the countryside, I became more and more aware of the plants that grew everywhere.  So my interest in history is what really led to my interest in gardening and herbs.

Eventually, my mother and I started a hobby business called “Stillroom Creations” and made potpourri and herbal artwork for local craft shows.  I loved the hobby and just ran with it and learned everything I possibly could about it.  I have since forgotten much of that (it was more than 25 years ago), but I have never lost interest.  All this has led to this blog, which is also a hobby, but seems to quickly be turning into a full-time job!  So I want to use this opportunity to relearn what I knew before and rekindle that interest for both myself and you, my readers!  So keep coming back, because I am planning to provide all the info I can for you about gardening, herbs, and everything associated with those topics.

Some other random facts about me:

*I now live in the desert of West Texas—a huge change from the fertile, temperate plains of Iowa! (And an entirely new learning curve!)

*I am the mother of two amazing teenage daughters.  They are the joys of my life!  (More on them later through some posts.)

*I am also the mother of a silly old fat cat named Penelope (who my oldest daughter named after her favorite TV character from her favorite show:  Penelope Garcia of “Criminal Minds”, because they are both a little “quirky”.), and a box turtle name Sylvia.  (A post about my cat is on the way soon!)

*I have a degree in Theatre from the University of Iowa and actually taught Theatre for 12 years at a junior high school here.  It was a lot of fun and I loved it, but unfortunately, budget cuts a few years ago forced me into the world of retail.  Since then, I have been a kitchen designer and sold a lot of appliances!

*I love music and was a Radio DJ through high school and college.  I like most kinds of music, but I primarily listen to 80’s punk and pop, 90’s grunge, and 2000’s hard rock.  My favorite bands range from The Replacements and The Indigo Girls to Nickelback, Sixx A.M., Staind, and Bowling for Soup.

*I don’t watch movies that much, but I do like stuff that is off-beat and a little dark and makes you think.  Specifically, my faves include “My Own Private Idaho”, “The River’s Edge” (Keanu Reeves version), “The Breakfast Club”, “Sex, Lies, and Videotape”, “Four Rooms”, “The Matrix”, and “Bicentennial Man”.

*My favorite books also fall into the “things that make you go HMMMM” category.  Once again, stuff that is off-beat and a little dark.  My favorite authors include:  Jodi Picoult, Dan Brown Anais Nin, and plays by Sam Shepard.

*I love design and watch HGTV all the time.

*I have recently become enamored with Netflix and have been binge watching old series like my absolute favorite “The X-Files” original version, as well as “Californication”, “Weeds”, and “Dexter”.

Please email me at angelasblogemail@gmail.com to let me know if we have anything in common and what you think of my blog!

Thank you!

Peace and Love Always,