Homesteading: How We Got Here

I grew up in Georgia on a half acre of land filled with pine trees, kudzu, and parents who knew if they wanted to make ends meet and survive then they would need to garden, can food, chop firewood, and live frugally. And here I am 37 years later, with three children of my own, homesteading on a small piece of property. Except I am a long way from where I grew up. I am in a small community in northern Washington. It's wild to think I am on the opposite sides of the country, yet living as I always have.

In my twenties, I did a lot of apartment hopping. Despite my lack of space, I always had my potted plants. I worked full-time, sometimes two jobs, so homesteading wasn't in my path at that time. Then I became a mom, and that's when things shifted for me. I wanted to feed my children better than I fed myself. I wanted them to experience the beauty of the world around us. I began to grow food in containers, sewing clothes, and even homeschooling at one point. I thrived to get back to basics. To enjoy life. 

Fast forward ten years. My family and I move cross country to Washington state. We again find ourselves in an apartment. Nothing wrong with apartment living, but I longed for a yard to grow a large garden with sufficient sunlight. 

This year, we moved into a large home on the waterfront - still renting - and finally have space to not only garden, but raise four chickens and two bunnies, house a large compost bin, a rain barrel, and two semi-dwarf apple trees, A big change!

I struggled with investing in homesteading because we don't own this property. What if the owner decided they wanted to move back in, and we had set up all of this for nothing. But, then I realize that finding joy in what you are doing each day is not for nothing. So, instead of worrying about the what if's, I decided to jump right into homesteading, but keeping in mind that I may have to transport our mini farm (ha) one day. I am okay with that because I am living my dream.

I hope you'll follow our journey as we garden, raise farm animals, and figure out to be as self-sufficient as possible. I work long hours, so it's hard to devote many hours throughout the day to homesteading, but I think I am doing a pretty darn good job. I have lots of thoughts, pictures, and stories to share with you. 

Thanks for reading! - Sage