Hi!  My name is Leola.  I was brought up on a small farm in Oregon and now live in the great state of Washington northeast of Seattle with the love of my life, who helped me raise and home school our only daughter. After years of being ill, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in December 2011.  I decided to quit my stressful job and come back home to heal and take care of my family.

This blog is dedicated to telling the story about the baby steps I am making to begin healing and, hopefully, will be part of my goal to help my community make positive, sustainable changes that will impact the world and turn lives from illness to wellness.  You will see posts about the GAPS diet protocol, healing, detoxing, healthy living, real and traditional food, cultured food, raw milk, unconventional nutrition, herbs, essential oils, vegetable gardening, companion planting, container or small-scale gardening, composting, backyard farming, recycling, and more!

I am convinced this earth has been given to us by our Merciful Creator to use wisely for our needs and pleasure.  We should take this gift very seriously and not squander it with misuse.  I encourage you to reuse, reduce, recycle, shop local and in season, know and support your local farmer, be self-sufficient, buy clean food, and get healthy.

The Urban Hearth was created because we live in a small town and the hearth is where one finds warmth, encouragement, teaching, learning, rest, feasting and much, much more.  So come on over, curl up by the fire with a cup of your favorite beverage and enjoy!

If you like what you read or would like to contribute to this site, please use any of my links when you wish to purchase something.  Your purchase doesn’t have to be what the link is for and will not cost you more, but I will receive a small percentage for the referral.  Affiliate links are included in some of my posts.  If you would like to receive updates via email or would like to follow my RSS feed, please sign up in the column on the right. —->