Hello, and welcome to Idie's Apothecary!
My name is Stephanie, also known as Idie. I am a homeschooling mother of four beautiful boys, and a wife to a wonderful husband.
My journey into homesteading is one of transformation, taking me from the hustle and bustle of city life, to the peaceful sounds of the countryside. It’s been about embracing simplicity, sustainability, and the profound joy of growing and creating with my own hands.
For me, homesteading is more than just a lifestyle; it's about bringing my family closer together, reconnecting with nature, becoming self-reliant, and rediscovering old traditional skills that have become overlooked in our fast-paced society.
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My Journey to Real Food
After my firstborn arrived over 26 years ago, I began paying closer attention to what was in our food. I started by making and blending his baby food from scratch, which sparked a deeper curiosity about ingredients and wellness. Several years later, I became fascinated with European culture—particularly the noticeably lower rates of obesity and disease. It seemed to always point back to the food.
Seventeen years ago, Theron and I took a life-changing trip to Europe. At the time, I was struggling to conceive. But after a few weeks of eating clean, walking everywhere, and soaking in daily fresh air and A LOT of sunshine, I returned home—and soon found out I was pregnant. That trip was a turning point. It deeply shaped how I approach food and a healthy lifestyle today.
I came back inspired to overhaul our way of life: I cleaned up our diet, bought The Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, and taught myself how to cook and bake bread like a champ. I planted gardens, studied traditional cooking techniques with the Nourishing Traditions book by Sally Fallon, and dove deep into the connection between nourishment and well-being.
Over the years, I became a certified health coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, a certified Keto and Carnivore coach, and I’m currently enrolled to become a certified herbalist. While I don’t strictly follow keto or carnivore diets, I believe they can be healing tools under the right circumstances.
Today, I focus on living seasonally and simply—with morning and evening sun, bare feet on the the ground, food grown in our own backyard, and meals made from scratch using whole, traditional ingredients. Whether it's freshly milled wheat berries, sourdough bread, or fermented foods like pickles and sauerkraut, I believe food should both nourish and delight.
I hope this blog not only gives you the tools to create a more wholesome kitchen, but also inspires you to slow down, reconnect with your food, and live your best life—one from-scratch meal at a time.
Rooted at Last
We live in the Appalachian Mountains on a 10 acre farm, that we are building from the ground up, with zero farm equipment, and little to no outside help. We are all putting our blood sweat and tears into this land and seeing the amazing transformation that is taking place keeps us going!
Luckily I am married to a man that shares my same desires and does whatever he can to help bring our dreams to pass, not to mention all the help from God for putting these desires into our hearts and giving us the strength and power to carry them through.
We are all originally from El Paso, TX. Although we don't miss the desert weather at all, we do miss our family terribly! Well, that and the Mexican food! Since I was a little girl, I always dreamed about living in the Northeast, New York City in particular.
While I no longer desire to live in a big city, I am grateful we found a town, nestled beautifully in the Appalachian Mountains, that suits us and is incredibly close to the city that we fell in love with in 2016, when visiting it for the first time.
After a lot of praying, we uprooted our family and moved over 1800 miles away, to a place where we knew not a soul, and barely a job to go to. We literally moved on a prayer. This turned out to be the best decision we ever made. I'm so grateful that we put our trust in God and took that leap of faith, no matter how far fetched it seemed! Pittsburgh has become a part of us and I could not imagine living anywhere else. We now bleed black and gold--Go Steelers!
Fun Facts About Me:
- I was adopted but you'd never know it! My parents have always told me that I had a second birthday, January 11th, because that's the day they got me. My son Marcus, this sites tech wizard, makes that second birthday special for me every year. I actually forget about it but he reminds me and always makes me something special!
- My Granny gave me the nickname "Idie" from a comic-strip in the early 40's called Little Iodine, that became a movie shortly after.
- I played Barbie a couple years in a row for a local Toys R Us in my early 20's. Such a great memory! It drew in quite the crowd. There was always a line out the door and I would sign autographs for a couple of hours! I met so many amazing people, young and old.
- I met the love of my life at the bowling alley. He was in the same bowling league that my parents and aunt and uncle were in and he was "temporally" in El Paso from San Diego. We moved in together 6 weeks later and married a year and a half after that in 2008. When you know, you know.
- I love to dance, and have been known to win a couple of competitions.
- I've been to Paris and Rome, where I fell in love with history!
- My all time favorite movie, since I was a little girl, is Somewhere In Time. I used to fantasize, and still often do, about living during the 17-1800's! One of my most memorable Halloween's was when I dressed in a Victorian dress that my cousin's friend lent me. I also had a Great-Grandmother that I got to know, that died at the age of 111, when I was around 20 years old. I would always tell my school friends about her because I knew someone from the Victorian Era! They weren't as impressed.
- I was a hairdresser for about 15 years prior to becoming a farmer.
- I was raised in the city, although farm life wasn't new to me. My aunt and uncle bought a farm when I was in elementary school that I spent a lot of time on, and my parents did the same and moved out by them, shortly after I graduated from high school.
- Even though I grew up in the extreme heat, I tolerate the cold way better! I love living in the mountains!
Theron and I both share a love for the ways of the past and are working to recreate a similar experience for us and our children. I'd love for you to join us on our journey as we hone in on our love for homesteading, homeschooling, and homemaking.
