Casa Up Your Vibe:

Casa Up Your Vibe: A Legacy of Family, Creativity, and Natural Living

Welcome to Casa Up Your Vibe, my home, but also a space where family, creativity, and a love for natural living come together. My passion for this childhood home and the life I’m building here is deeply rooted in generations of hard work, a connection to nature, and a desire to live consciously and respectfully with people and the land.

In 2021, I decided to relieve my 80-year-old mom of the overwhelming duties of maintaining this 4,500-square-foot home in a small town in Upstate New York. I embarked on a series of renovations, doing much of the work myself. I painted the house a sunny yellow and started to fix the siding.

When winter came, I moved inside, and my creativity started to flow in the greenhouse, which became my workshop. It all began with the bathroom, where I discovered the Japanese wood-burning technique, Shou Sugi Ban. I loved how it brought out the unique character of the wood, allowing my creativity to flourish. The natural beauty, the smell, and the process itself were so satisfying, starting with just a basic sheet of plywood. Here is my wise ol' owl bathroom.

I’ve also always had a love for rocks. My mom had a box of small stones, and if you look closely, you can see how I used them at the base of the plumbing. I had a vision of a kitchen wall that looked like mountains, and my newly acquired, extremely talented builder, Pete, helped bring it to life. Together, we really rocked it!

A Legacy of Hard Work and Connection to Nature

My love for natural living, real food, and materials like rocks and wood runs deep in my family. My paternal grandparents were dairy farmers. My grandfather worked his land from sunrise to sunset for over 50 years. My grandmother tended her vegetable gardens and cooked Sunday feasts for up to 20 family and friends. Their son, my father, was an independent lumberjack for nearly 50 years before becoming a local politician. Though not a big man, his bold, outspoken voice was well known for advocating for our small community.

On my mother’s side, my grandfather was an architect, and his claim to fame was designing the Kings Highway 401, which crosses Canada. I have some of his plans and proposals in the library that came with the house.

A Quick Time-out for a Funny Story:

My mom always said, "I have wide shoulders!" During a conversation about my grandmother's pregnancy with her, it came up that my grandfather was designing the 401 with wide shoulders at the time. He would often take his pregnant wife to rock quarries, looking for the best stones for the project.

“Oh, Mom… maybe that’s where you got the idea of wide shoulders!”

While going through my mother’s belongings, I found a picture dated 1932. It shows my Nana standing behind President Hoover at a National Conference of Credit Unions. This picture was taken on the White House lawn in Washington, DC. She was a business woman but also an artist, carving furniture pieces that I’ll be showcasing in my home. In the photo below you will see two of the pieces.

Growing up with a single mother of five kids in seven years, we weren’t ‘rich,’ but my mom was creative and resourceful! At one point, she started bringing home sample carpets, which she bought cheaply. She pieced them together in a patchwork style, warming our farmhouse one room at a time. Here's how cozy my mom’s living room was… and just look at all those books!

After we were grown, my mom put herself through college twice—first in hotel management, then nursing—and found her calling as a hospice nurse. Still to this day, a local will come up and tell me a story of how my mom was so great with their loved one. I now understand that she had a gentle way with the human soul.

My mother and her partner, Bill, created beautiful gardens together, even building a greenhouse on the front of our home. They didn’t do it for money; they did it to share beauty with others through their small business, “The Green Thumb.” Here’s cute Bill, getting ready to deliver flowers to friends in his red golf cart… just for the joy of it.

A Legacy of Family and Future Generations

My children have inherited this deep connection to the land, creativity, and entrepreneurship. My daughter Morgan, who loves horses, bought a home in rural Vermont and began working in the beautiful flower gardens there. She found a passion for creating bouquets and wreaths and now offers them locally, sometimes delivering them with her horse, Bella, and a small horse-drawn cart. She’s found a way to combine her love of animals and the land into a small, fun business that brings in extra income for her family. My son Ben works in high-end construction, specializing in woodworking. His passion is crafting unique, custom wood furniture. My youngest, Taylor, runs his own landscaping business. Recently, he helped me install a beautiful bluestone hearth as the centerpiece for our newly renovated, cozy living room. This is all of us on a Mothers day trying to resurrect the pond.

For my children, my mom’s home was always a retreat, a place to connect with nature. A quick path led us to the river to swim off the rocks, and the front picture window allowed for constant birdwatching. We’ve had many barbecues around the fire pit. Mom and Bill dug a small pond that was once filled with goldfish and frogs, where every 2-year-old in the family seemed to get “baptized” in a playful, accidental dip—a rite of passage! Here’s my niece, right into it!

The Vision for Casa Up Your Vibe and Beyond

For the last 15 years, I’ve had a vision of a "House for Healing"—a place where people come to learn about how incredible the body is through Germanic Healing Knowledge. Since acquiring my home, that vision has grown. I now see Casa Up Your Vibe as the foundation for what could become a self-sufficient, conscious community. A place where people come not just to feel better, but to connect and collaborate on creative solutions to our challenges and successes. Where everyone’s skills—whether in farming, construction, or teaching—are respected, valued, and shared with others.

With tears in my eyes, I’m so proud of what I’ve already done with this home. I had a vision, I trusted it will all play out...when challenged I just kept going, i bought tools and learned how to use them. I have grown so much during this time and I’m not finished yet—I still have three bedrooms to renovate—and it will happen in its right time.

I’m incredibly thankful to my clients for their trusting me with their health and the financial support that keeps this vision going. Great thanks to my family and friends who’ve taken a back seat, and to my talented builder Pete, who not only put up with my wild ideas but often enhanced them with his skill.

This four-year journey has been full of challenges, with many "conflict-active" nights waking me at 2-3 a.m. instead of laying there thinking about doing... I’d put the coffee on and get to work. From the hundreds of hours spent demolishing, painting, burning wood, sanding, and staining, to removing carpets and the little nails in each one, my hands and back were often sore (and still are.), but I’m blessed with good health and the Knowledge of Dr. Ryke Geerd Hamer that tells me "you are simply adapting--you have never done this before!!!!!"

Casa Up Your Vibe is more than just my home—it’s a living legacy of my family’s values, creativity, and deep connection to the land. It’s a space where healing and growth are nurtured, where community blossoms, and where we live with purpose and intention. With immense gratitude, I honor the lineage that shaped me, the family who taught me, and the future generations who will continue to build on this foundation—especially my mom!

Expanding the meaning of family to encompass all of humanity feels like the natural next step in this journey. I look forward to sharing my home with you as I start scheduling day events and client and friends' retreats here in the Adirondack Mountains.

After installing a pine slab as a bar top between the kitchen and living room, I felt it needed more color. So, I pulled out a torch and water spray bottle, and gently burned the wood. To my surprise, there she was! The Wise Woman.

Let me be that for you—the Wise Woman who will help you find the shortcut to your best life. I can’t wait to have you as my guest, where you will certainly Up Your Vibe.