About Kathy Spencer & Grounded in Thyme
Getting Back to Our Roots
In 2007, I started a small local coupon group on Yahoo as a way to share the deals I kept repeating to friends. At the time, my husband and I were raising four children on one very modest income—one baby in diapers and another heading off to college. Money was tight, and couponing truly changed my life.
What began as a simple way to help others quickly grew. Over the years, I became recognized in the community, featured by media outlets, offered a book deal, and eventually grew a national website that helped millions of families stretch their budgets.
Life was full and flourishing. My website was thriving, our farmhouse furniture business was growing, my marriage was strong, we welcomed our first granddaughter and son-in-law, and I even manifested a beach house on the ocean. It felt like everything had fallen into place.
Then everything changed.
We started noticing a shift in my son, Chance. He became more isolated, paranoid, and intensely religious. A part of me knew something was wrong, but I wasn’t ready to face it until his internal voices grew too loud to ignore.
The turning point came the day he believed our home was possessed—that I was possessed—and that I had harmed him. In that moment, I knew I could no longer pretend. My child needed me, fully and completely.
Within days, I made decisions that were completely out of character for me: I listed our home for sale. I sold my website. I stepped away from everything I had built.
Chance was walking through something that felt like fire, and I had to walk through it with him.
For the past few years, he has been in and out of hospitals—two weeks here, two months there—more than fifteen stays. I became his full-time caregiver, medication manager, advocate, and even learned how to give his injections. He needs me, and he may always need me. And while I’m honored to take on that role, his team constantly reminds me that I also need to keep pieces of myself alive.
Slowly, I’ve started to understand what they mean.
Finding my roots again.
About two years ago, I discovered gardening. Something about getting my hands in the dirt, nurturing life, and growing food for my family grounded me in a way I hadn’t felt in years. Chance’s illness forced my life to a halt, but maybe that slowing down was exactly what I needed.
I needed to breathe. I needed to be present. I needed to remember who I was before the chaos.
Slowing down helped me reconnect with the things I used to love—cooking, crafting, gardening, raising chickens, creating, and simply being home.
I dreamed briefly of opening a store or a farm stand, but caregiving can be unpredictable and doesn’t allow for strict schedules. So instead, a new idea formed: a space where I could share what I love, at my own pace, in a way that fits our family’s reality.
That’s how Grounded in Thyme was born.
A place rooted in slowing down, living simply, and finding joy in the everyday. A place to blend homemaking, homesteading, recipes, gardening, and creativity. A place where I can build the life I always wanted to give my kids—and maybe help others build theirs too.
I also knew I didn’t want to do this alone. This time, I wanted a partner, support, and someone who brought just as much heart to the table.
That person was April. We met in 2007, and she was one of the first ten founding members of HTSFF. Over the years she became a close friend—someone with creativity, business sense, and a spirit that always says, “Let’s try it.” She brings experience as a top Etsy seller, a wife, a mom, and someone who shares the same love for getting back to our roots.
Together, we’re building something new.
Grounded in Thyme isn’t just a website. It’s a return to what matters. It’s a second chance at the life I want to live. It’s a place for family, simplicity, creativity, and sustainable living.
And we’re grateful you’re here with us
