It has been a year since I first got the notion to homestead. It has taken me a year of reading and research and building up my courage to take on this daunting task… BUT I did it! I am now homesteading… and homeschooling… and we are blessed and living our best lives.

We live in the middle of an Amish community and they have been so gracious to guide me on this journey. Today, I’m getting a price on building my chicken coop. The Amish have offered to give me some chickens that are already egg layers, which is phenomenal! I’ve always said that I live in the middle of the Amish gardens and livestock and I don’t have to take care of any of it, but boy is it beautiful! Now, I’m excited to have my garden and my livestock. Cows are coming in the future. Honestly, I’d love pigs too but I’m not sure how my husband would feel about that, but it is worth a conversation. He says to start slow and work our way up, so that is my plan. All cows and pigs will be in the future, but they will be on our farm eventually.

I started cooking from scratch about 4 weeks ago and haven’t looked back. The food is delicious and my kiddos keep telling me that they are so glad that I’m cooking. Now, let me tell you that this is a HUGE compliment! I’ve tried cooking over and over throughout my 23 years of marriage, and have failed miserably every time. We ate out a lot and my husband would cook (he cooked, I did dishes and cleaned the kitchen.. a perfect mix) but he only cooks meat and green beans. Yes, every single meal. I’ve eaten a lot of green beans over the years LOL but I’m thankful that he was able to pick up the slack for my lack of cooking ability. Somehow over the past year, God has given me the ability to cook for my family. They are loving the freshness and yumminess that is coming from the kitchen and I’m so grateful to have this new-found skill set.

I bought a food dehydrator and a food processor to make my own spices, like onion powder. I will also be dehydrating fruit, meat, and everything in between. I made my own bouillon, I’m about to make my own “cream of…” seasoning as well as some salad dressing that is sugar free and full of healthy ingredients. As I perfect recipes, I will be sharing them here, so keep coming back!