It’s been an interesting few years. We named 2022 the year of progress, and though we have made progress – we haven’t completed as much as we would have liked, by far.

2022: Jeff had shoulder surgery at the end of spring putting us effectively off our debt free goal, as well as obviously putting us effectively behind on most our projects. In January, I changed jobs, then left that job in the beginning November then not starting a new job until December. This left us without my pay for a month which put another financial strain on us. So no, we did not have a very progressive year.

2023 will be better (I know this because I’ve already made up my mind), and we will recover from all that we have been through in the past Covid induced years. Rather than just saying it will be the year of recovery and putting some high-level remarks about what will make it a recovery year, I want to encourage each of you to list out at least 3 very specific goals. Not to say that there won’t be additional projects, but putting some specific goals out there might just help keep us all on track. In fact, feel free to list them in the comments below for the whole world to see... Somehow, it seems when we put them out there for everyone, we tend to really strive to succeed. If not here, maybe tell your best friend or family. Have others help push you to stay on target.

With that being said, we will also list out a few of our goals for all of you to see, and hopefully - you will check in and make sure we are staying focused. So, here we go:

High Level: Build a better Garden

Specifics - Create a 40 x 40 foot garden space to produce enough food for us to freeze dry, dehydrate, or can to provide at least 6 months worth of long-term food storage by the end of October.

High Level: Seeding a Pasture

Specifics - Complete the clearing of our front acreage and seed it for pasture to assist in the grazing of our two nanny goats and Dexter heifer by the beginning of June.

High Level: Creating permanent structures for new animals

Specifics - Build a new brooder and permanent structure to house new turkeys coming in April. Also, build a duck house and create a dam and small pond for ducks also coming in April.

Now granted, we want to do more of course - and likely will, but these are the three things that are a must on our list - and we want YOU to hold us accountable to them. We are using this year to recover from all that we have been through and all decisions we make are to get us to our ultimate goal: GET BACK ON TRACK.

As you may know, naming our years is a way for us to place focus on that one specific term for the entire year. Everything we do, purchase, share, accomplish, and research, in and off our homestead, is dedicated to that one yearly focus. Hopefully, some of the goals we have listed for you might spark something to help you as well.

Welcome back! As we look forward i

nto this new year, it’s time we ask ourselves “What do we want to accomplish this year?”

Most people create resolutions – sometimes we complete them (hahahaha… no, really), but many times most of us forget, postpone, or just simply give up on these goals. However, since we began “naming” our years, we have learned that we are more likely to keep the focus.

It’s a simple concept really – one goal to focus on all year. This year is THE YEAR OF PROGRESS. Not that we haven’t been making progress – but we could have done more. We aren’t so blind to see that we have not put the focus where needed in the last two years, but that is changing now. What

we have done and accomplished has created more things that need to be taken care of – so now, we need to (in my best Larry the Cable Guy voice) Get ‘er Done!

For this year, everything we do will be in an attempt to make progress on our homestead. Now, I have a list – a very detailed and organized plan of attack for everything I think needs to happen. I emphasize the “I” because, well, let’s be honest – I’m married.

Don’t get me wrong – Jeff is AMAZING, and I do not know how I would get anything done without him. However, I’m not sure how I get anything done at all WITH him.

Jeff is a bit indecisive at times, and he is easily distracted. Will he give me the “look” when he reads this? Probably. Will he agree? Absolutely.

It’s not all his fault though – a lot of the fault falls on both of us from projects we’ve started already and haven’t finished. The biggest issue for our lack of progress is the condition of the homestead itself and finances.

In an effort to get debt free, we don’t outsource the items we need done – we are doing it ourselves. We also don’t buy a lot of the things we need to help our homestead advance – we make it, or wait for it to go on sale. For instance, we need cabinets and countertops for my soap shop. Are we going to buy them – heck no! We have a mill and lots of trees! This takes time though.

In this example, we need to mill the wood. To do this, we need to cut down the trees. For this task, we need to ensure the area we are getting the trees from is an area we want cleared. So, now we have to assess where our animals are and where we want to move them to. We currently want to move the pigs to a wooded area to clear out the underbrush. So, let’s move the pigs. Moving pigs = not easy! This takes moving a fence. One side of this fence is also utilized by our buck goats, so we must rearrange the buck area. For this, we need to build them a new shelter. To build the shelter, we need wood… See what’s happening here? It’s a viciou

s cycle!

We will get there though; it just takes a lot of planning and focus. Everything we do this year will be with the thought of “How will this help us progress?” They say (I’ve never figured out who “they” are by the way) that if you write it down, you are more likely to accomplish your goal. Ultimately, our goal is to make significant progress. BUT… reluctantly, here is what I would like to accomplish before year end:

Finish the soap shop (The Soaping Fresh Shedquarters)

Dry in Jeff’s shop (which I’ve aptly named: Jeff’s Createatorium & Retreat)

Clear remaining front portion of bamboo

• Move the goat does and heifer to newly opened front

• Move RV further back towards the shops

• Move the bull and goat bucks

• Build the new rabbit shelter

• Build a bridge over one of the dry ravines

• Create a duck pond

• Finish the outdoor shower

• Build up the garden bed(s)

• Finish the fence line

WOW – I didn’t realize I had this much on my list! There are other items not on this list that I’m sure we will do. I’ve anxious though to see if we actually get these items checked off – say a prayer for us!

Now that we have listed out our “to do” items, tell us what you have on your list – we would love to know!

Happy New Year!

Okay, so it’s a bit cliché to start a “It’s a New Year” blog with “Happy New Year”, but honestly folks – if there was any year to express how exciting it is to start a new year, it’s this year.

2020 has been, it the simplest explanation, a really grief stricken year with everything that happened in the world. I won’t get into all the death, devastation, and loss – I’m sure there are already countless blogs out there that will cover 2020 in great detail, and I prefer to focus on the positive.

For us, we began 2020 naming it “Year of New Life” – and it didn’t disappoint. We started our new life by getting our new homestead. Moving out to our new property and finally becoming “empty nesters”.

Brought baby chicks onto the homestead, got a donkey, cleared some land and watched as the newly cleared areas sprouted beautiful blades of grass.

Most importantly – the birth of our beautiful and lovely grandbaby Owen Matthew! He is so perfect, and now at nearly 5 months old, already so strong. We couldn't be any happier than we are when we are looking at his beautiful face. I could talk about him forever, but I guess I should move on.

*sigh*

Now, we didn’t get all the new life we wanted – the rabbits, goats, sheep, and cow have been postponed, and hopefully will come to fruition in 2021.

Speaking of 2021, and the whole reason we are here… what is our theme for the next twelve months?

*Drum Roll Please*

2021 = YEAR OF THE HOMESTEAD!

Every decision this year will be with the homestead in mind. Of course, some things can’t be perfectly centered around life on the homestead… such as our grandbaby’s first birthday. For the most part though, all choices are to be made with the homestead in mind. All activities, purchases, outings, etc. If we go somewhere, we intend on making it related to our lifestyle. Maybe we will tour some other farms; Maybe we will meet up with some other YouTube homesteaders for a collaboration. The list is endless of what is out there to help us grow, learn, and thrive. Purchases will be for items to be utilized on or invested in the homestead. We cannot express how important making our life as self-sufficient as possible is to us – and 2020 really helped to show others this as well.

2020 created a tremendous influx of families wanting to move towards some form of self-sufficiency. Whether it be getting backyard chickens, window seal gardens, or selling it all and getting property out in the country (social distancing at its finest). We do not look down on anyone’s choice of lifestyle. Some love the city, some do not… but we applaud those that have made the decision to find a way to provide for themselves. It is not an easy task by any means, but boy – is it ever rewarding!

So, how about you? What is your theme for 2021?

We have a saying here at Homestead Fresh, and I’m sure many of you have the save thought process (though, some of you may not)….

If it lives in the house, it’s a pet (even our outdoor pets like cats and dogs come inside now an then, so they count as pets).

If it lives outside, it is not a pet – it is a producer and needs to give back to the homestead.

I know, for many people out there this may sound harsh, but this is how we manage our homestead and work to live more self-sustainable. It is a give-and-take relationship and we do not apologize for it.

We give them food, medicines, comfortable living, and in many cases – toys to play with. In turn, they give us food that was raised in a happy and healthy environment free from chemicals and hormones.

Just because we consider them and what they provide us as food or potential food, it doesn’t mean we don’t care for them – quite the opposite! We know that if you want to have happy, healthy, and productive livestock, that you have to provide them with everything they need including a loving and healthy environment. No, we aren’t knitting sweaters and hats for our chickens, heck… aside from our one rooster, they don’t even have names. They do have numbers though, and I will tell you that #2, a Dominique hen, has developed quite an obsession with me

Part of giving them everything they need, is knowing when they will need something extra special. Something that makes them happy, keeps them healthy, and ultimately keeps them producing.

Winter is a hard time for many animals. The cooler weather, loss of fresh grass, and reduced sunlight can have very noticeable effects on livestock. As their caretaker, it is our responsibility to ensure they get everything they need over the colder months like proper shelter and all the nutrients they need.

For chickens, one fun, easy, inexpensive, treat you can make for your feathered friends are Suet Cakes.

Suet, is a European English word for leaf lard. For our recipe, we simply use lard or coconut oil.

These are fabulous in the winter as it provides them with the fats they need to retain protein, and also has extra protein included that might be lost when there just aren’t any crickets and grasshoppers around.

We made a video on this which you can find on our video tab, (or click here to go directly to our YouTube channel). Or, if you want to jump straight to the recipe, click here.

What really makes this recipe so fantastic, is:

• · You can change it up as much as you like.

  • In essence, you just need enough Suet (or Lard, Coconut Oil, Bacon Grease, etc.), some protein to add (I suggest meal worms personally), extra proteins like nuts and seeds, some dried fruits, and some herbs for good health (garlic, cayenne, oregano, cinnamon).

• Makes disposing of left over grease so much better!

• You can save your grease in the freezer, and when your ready to make these treats, you don’t have to buy any suet – you will already have the fats you need.

• Much better than dumping hot grease outside or pouring down the drain and clogging your pipes (never a good idea).

• Great as a summer treat as well! Pop them in the freezer and your feathered friends have a wonderful, protein packed, lard-cicle!

Each time I take these out, the chickens get more and more excited. I’m thinking of playing around with different shapes and making holders for them… chickens are very curious and love to play. I can’t think of a better way than a tasty piñata to satisfy their playful personalities!

Are you looking to take the next step towards a more self-sufficient lifestyle? If so, there are some steps you need to (or at least, should) take before you jump in. Granted, you do not HAVE to do these things, but hindsight 20/20, trust us, you want to prepare yourself.

I have heard of those homesteaders that just decided to quit their jobs, sell their house, buy a few acres, and move out to the country with absolutely no knowledge of animals, gardening, building, or maintaining anything. I’ve also heard of those that regretted it. There are some that were very successful, but they did their research first and with no ‘hands on’ knowledge, they were able to bring it all together. However, for the majority of the ‘jump all in’ types, they end up resenting the lifestyle. In many cases, they blame everything around them for their failure. “It was a bad weather year(s).” “The economy was simply to bad.” “My partner wasn’t into it.” “The realtor didn’t tell us the land wasn’t good for gardening.” “Homesteading is just stupid.”

I’ve heard it all, but only a handful of times did any of them say “We weren’t ready.”

The points below are in no way FACT, we are no experts (if you watch our YouTube channel, you would know this), but we are hard workers, and determined to live the lifestyle we have been dreaming about. We are one of those couples that did our research or had prior knowledge of many items before taking the leap. However, after doing this for several years now, let me tell you – we could have done more.

So, here are 10 things I thing everyone thinking about taking this leap should consider first:

1) Understand, it is a job.

First of all, working solely on the homestead without someone in the household working an outside “9-5” job is rare for a great number of homesteaders, but it can be, and has been, done.

Just because you don’t punch the preverbal time clock, does not mean you don’t have to work… Feeding animals, cleaning outbuildings, fence repair, vet visits, breeding, processing, tilling soil, planting, weeding, harvesting… and that’s just one week! There are no days off and no vacation.

2) Pay off your debt.

The best start to homesteading, is to start off without a ton of baggage already holding you back. We know – you want to leave the grind… that daily commute of fumes and exhaust; the world of cubicle mazes. You want to run as fast as you can to the serenity of the country. It will work out much better for you though in the long run if you check your finances first. Resist that urge and focus on getting out of debt as much as you can. Just because you can get some veggies from your garden and eggs from your chickens, does not mean that homesteading is free. FAR from it actually – running a farm, even a small one, can cost big dollars very quickly.

3) Save up a nest egg.

As stated above, it can get expensive to have a homestead. Have you priced lumber lately? It’s insane!! Just to build a small chicken coop, can cost you in upwards of $1000 depending on materials and size (we actually made ours for $480, but we used mostly recycled items). Can you imagine what it will cost if you want to build a big barn?! Save-Save-Save

4) Learn to garden & preserve food.

One of the main factors in becoming a homesteader is to become more self-sufficient. Easier said than done. Just because you can currently go to the grocery store to get tomatoes year round, does not mean they grow year round (you would be surprised how many people don’t realize this). Yes, they do grow all year… In greenhouses, commercially, in well controlled environments, at a cost. For the typical gardener though, you get a good season and preserve all you can. This is super easy to prepare for ahead of your homesteading leap of faith.

Plant some veggies at your current home, apartment, window seal box, wherever. Learn what it takes to plant and care for. Once you harvest, or even if you just buy some from the store (do this when their on sale to save), learn some preserving methods. Can your own pasta sauce; can some beans; make jellies… you can do all of this while you are paying off debt and saving up. You don’t have to have a huge garden to be able to learn to garden.

5) Learn building skills and general repair maintenance.

You will be building and repairing consistently on a homestead. Even if you have an urban homestead, you will find that a little fence repair knowledge can go a long way. Small engine repair is a great skill to have as well. Lawn mowers, chain saws, riding lawn mowers, small cultivators – these do break down and learning to make those repairs yourself can save a ton of time and money.

6) Understand what equipment you may need and how to maintain it.

This of course goes with the above. Want to get a tractor, Great! Know how to maintain it to save on costs, time, and headaches. If you have to haul equipment to a shop each time it needs work, you are spending money in the form of time as well as the service of the machine, the fuel spent to transport it, etc. Depending on your age and where you live, check with your local community colleges. Some offer free classes for these items if you meet certain criteria.

7) Research the animals you plan to get.

If the pandemic taught us anything, its that American’s will panic buy everything! Toilet paper, cleaning supplies, CHICKENS and GOATS! By April of this year, the waiting time for chickens from the hatcheries more than tripled and the cost of goats skyrocketed. I belong to a number of FaceBook groups for homesteaders, and there was a huge influx of people that all of the sudden were snatching up chickens and goats in order to feed their families “just in case”. I know, goats are cute… but the shear number of people that never researched them at all just blew me away. Actually, they didn’t research much of anything from what I could see. Now, some did – Kudos to them. However, some did not. Know what your getting into, what it takes, and what changes those animals will have on your life.

As an example, one person asked how to tell if a chicken is pregnant. Another wanted to know why she couldn’t liter box train her baby goat. Many didn’t realize that having two goats is better than only one (it is preferred to have two since they are herd animals). One guy cut the wings of his baby chicks so short they blead to death simply because he thought he knew what he was doing. And MANY couldn’t understand why their chickens were laying eggs when they had not yet purchased a rooster. My apologies ahead of time if you are one of these; I will be happy to discuss any questions you have – just shoot me an email

8) Visit farms, take classes, ask questions.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions – no question is a dumb question if you are asking to learn. PLEASE though, if you are trying to learn about animals… learn first; purchase later. Nothing worse than having a sick animal on the homestead that you will have to dispatch simply because you didn’t understand how to raise said animal. You can visit farms, join FaceBook groups, join MeetUp groups, talk to the locals, Google, YouTube, visit the library… there are so many resources available to help anyone interested in homesteading to uncover all sorts of valuable information.

9) Find the perfect land.

Easier said than done, I know. How much land? What does the land need? This all depends on you and how you want to homestead. Some, it’s as simple as only growing their own food but continuing to live in suburbia. For others, it’s a 100 acre established farm. Some buy 5 acres of raw land and make it their own (this is us), and others buy a ¼ acre and make it work. Again, it’s all up to you. With that being said – there are some things you need to know…

- Land needs to have water! Make sure the land you get has access to city water, a well, or the ability to dig a well.

- Land needs to perc. If you plan on having a home, you will need to have septic – be careful when buying land that does not have a recent perc (percolation) test on file. Many people will try to sell you land for cheap – cheap enough that you won’t need to finance it only to find out it cannot support a septic system.

There are many other points to purchasing land, and many realtors will be happy to help. Too much to dive into here, but those two are SO important!

10) Don’t stress & relax.

You will get there. We are in our late 40’s and it has taken us years to get to where we are now. Don’t stress over it. If you start to stress, you will hate it before you even start.

Once you have everything you think you need and you are ready to start a homestead, don’t be shocked when you realize you were wrong. You will never be as prepared as you want, and that is completely normal.

Again, we are not experts and these items are not set in stone. Depending on how deep you want to get into homesteading will determine how much you need to learn. Not sure? You can read our blog [here] that explains different ideas of homesteading. In a nut shell though, if you just want to grow your own food in a garden and animals don’t interest you… then you certainly don’t need to research animals.

Figure out what it is you truly want and make a plan for it. Planning is key, and we wish we would have planned a bit smarter. What is done, is done though – all we can do is pass this bit of knowledge on and hope that it helps your journey not be as stressful as ours started out.

When we purchased our property, it had, what looked like, a bit of debris and roadside trash. We soon realized, there is a lot more trash than we initially saw.

After years of overgrowth and decay, leaves and dirt have piled up and buried an immense amount of debris. Jeff and I often wonder… “What the heck did this place look like when the previous family lived here?”

If you have been following us on YouTube, you may have seen our first video in which we provide a tour and overview of this overgrown mess. When making that video, I touched on how much trash we have seen on the property. Years of squatters leaving rubbish behind and trash tossed out of passing vehicles gave us a lot to clean up.

Granted, we don’t know for a fact where all this litter came from, and I am not trying to trash talk (no pun intended) the previous owners. This property has been vacant for 15 to possibly 20 years. 15 to 20 years of squatters have done a number on this place. What we are finding though are items dug deep into the ground. Shoes, kids toys (LOTS of broken up kids toys), compact disk cases, dry-rotted blankets, carpet rolled up and tossed to the back of the property, dinner ware, bowls, mason jars, random pieces of electric fence wire, barbed wire (not from fences… just discarded pieces), an insane amount of two-liter bottles. Actually, our chickens scratched up a 20 ounce bottle the other day! I'm not talking about one of "this" and one of "that"... we are talking multiples of the items listed above. That’s not all though, there is SO MUCH more!

My point being… pay attention to what you do to your property. Real-estate is an investment – no only for you, but it is a legacy that you can hand down from one generation to the next. You really don’t want your grand-kids to run around and accidentally trip over a piece of barbed wire you discarded haphazardly years before do you? What if you do end up selling your property though? Do you really want to be responsible for a cut foot or hand years in the future? Sure, you may not even care… but my hope is that this short rant may have put that little nugget into the back of your mind. That little thought that will now hit every time you, or someone you know, decides that dumping your trash and junk wherever you want is okay because it is your property. Now, I know... This is America, it is your property, and you can do what you want, but being an American with free rights, you should also have American Pride - and we personally take GREAT pride in keeping it clean.

Keep in mind – the property you own isn’t really yours. You purchased it, yes – but it still belongs to this planet. We continue to uncover trash and junk every single day – we get more and more angry with each bit of rubbish. We just became first time grandparents – and the thought that we are unable to let my future grandson run around this property annoys me. It will take years for us to ensure this property is safe. We may even have to excavate the entire top 18 inches (or more)!

Don’t just think about yourself and what is just “easy”. Think about being responsible for future generations.

~Don't trash your property

~Don't trash someone else's property

~Teach your kids not to through trash around

~Don't throw garbage out your car windows

~Wait until you get to a trash can

I know... I'm preaching to the choir, but please share this (nonchalantly of course) to those you think may need to hear it.

Please, HAVE PRIDE in your land – this earth. It is one of the few commodities that we cannot produce more of.

It’s been a few years since we started our business, and I can tell you that it has not been easy. Fun? Yes. Profitable? Eh.. a little. Easy? Certainly not. Rewarding? Oh Yes!

We have learned a tremendous amount since starting our Bath & Body products business. Below, I list out 14 of the most pertinent lessons we have learned over the first couple of years, in no particular order. These aren’t all the points, but a few I thought I would be helpful for those wanting to take that leap.

Now, we didn’t leave our regular jobs, drop everything, and start our own business like many people do, but that doesn’t make us any less business owners that those that do. Just like we didn’t pack up everything we own, leave our jobs, run to the country to start our homestead either, but we are still homesteaders. Yes, our decisions may make it harder, and we have less time to focus on certain aspects of the business – which is why those that step away from it all and have more time are sometimes more successful. However, sometimes putting all your eggs in one basket isn’t always a good idea which is exactly why Jeff and I decided to go the safer, slower route.

What we want to express is that you don’t have to risk it all to be successful. I have run into so many people that tell me they wish they could leave their jobs and follow their dream to start their own business. Which brings me to my first lesson.

#1) Just start!

Why do you have to leave your job though? You don’t – and I am not saying that you should or shouldn’t… this is a personal decision. Granted, it is easier to run a business when you have more time to put into it. This isn’t necessary though. It is possible to work a regular full-time job and run a successful business. You won’t know though unless you try. Sure, essentially it would be equivalent to two full time jobs. There are many people out there that actually work two full time jobs outside of the home, so it’s defiantly possible. You know the saying though, “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” This is the same thing. If your business is something you love, then it’s not like work… mostly. There are the administrative tasks, and they are not fun at all, but that is when I set my laptop on my lap and work on those things when I’m relaxing in the evening. This is also when I write my blogs and catch up on Netflix – so it’s really not that bad.

#2) You don’t have as much freedom as you thought.

This is a job – treat it as such. When I say “freedom”, I don’t mean time (see #1). I mean – you can’t just do what you want, when you want. Sure, I think most small business owners start out thinking that way, but it doesn’t last. I found myself getting into a pretty strict routine. Taxes are due on this day; I need to complete inventory on these days; I have to produce X amount of product each week; and so on, and so on. I found that if I gave myself a routine of certain days - doing X and certain times, completing Y at other times, then Z fell into place better. I soon discovered that even though I had the freedom to make the choice to do X, Y, or Z, it was simply more productive to stick to a schedule.

#3) Stay productive.

This kind of goes with #2. Don’t slack off just when things seem to be going good. Things go good when you work hard at something and you want it to prosper. If you don’t work at something, you can’t expect it to grow. This was a hard lesson I learned, and a hole I’m still digging out of. When we purchased our homestead, my bath & body business stayed at our house in town that we gave to the kids. Running 20-30 minutes to town every day to make product, which (depending on the product) can take anywhere from an hour to an entire evening. The time it takes me to drive to town and back is about the same amount of time it takes me to make one loaf of soap… and with clearing land for our homestead (you can see that property tour video here) we are simply too busy for extra commute time. It will be so much better once we can get my shop set up out her on the homestead. In the meantime, me working on products has been set aside for weekends only – and my sales have shown it. Out-of-stock is one of the worst things an up-and-coming small business can do to themselves.

#4) Don’t get burned out – take care of yourself

I know, I said that the success of your business will reflect how much you put into it. Remember when I just said that I don’t go into town every day to make product? I’m sure some of you may be thinking that I’m simply not putting into it what I need to. You’re right – BUT… I would be worthless if I burned myself out by putting in too many hours. My product quality would suffer and I would lose focus on all the administrative tasks. I am choosing to produce less products for the time being in exchange for keeping up with necessary tasks and ensuring my best quality (as well as keeping prices down; To make a profit I would have to add in my extra time and gas into my costing – yikes!) I learned that spending time with my husband, taking care of our life, and my sanity is far more important than a $2 tube of lip balm. I do what I can, when I can – the rest will follow in due time.

#5) There is no absolute way.

I have read so many articles and books on having your own business. Most the items I read will have many of the same points. However, each normally throw in a few new ideas. This made me realized: There is no “one” way. It’s different for everyone. There are too many variables. The type of business, the product, your market, the area, etc. If it is a point that everyone is trying to get across, then you better believe I take that advise – these people are successful and they all agree… must be good. That doesn’t mean you can’t do something nobody has thought of yet. I tried to do it just the way some were writing about, but quickly realized their advice didn’t make sense for my niche market. Or, it didn’t make sense for my product. I used their ideas and tweaked them a bit, and it has paid off. So, don’t be afraid to test your own ideas.

#6) Don’t stress over competitors.

Be yourself, find your niche, and do what you do best… Your Product. I see so often in the FB and IG groups people trying to exactly match what others are doing. When I made my very first bar of soap, it was all me. I did the research, learned how to make it, and just did it. I fell in love with it – not just the soap, but with the whole process. I soon started watching what everyone else was doing and I tried and tried to match their beautiful designs. It didn’t take long for two things to happen. First of all, I didn’t like them as much. The recipes weren’t what I was going for. Second, I wasn’t as happy with making the soaps. I realized that the recipe I created was my favorite. I continued to tweak it here and there, and after two years, I simply love mine the most. I also realized that coming up with my own creations was part of what I enjoyed. In the end, I am more successful with what I do then when I was trying to mimic other successful soapers. Take the time to find what works for you, not everyone else.

#7) Don’t get discouraged when competitors brag – it may not be all sunshine and rainbows.

In regards to #6, I say to not mimic other successful soapers… but what makes them successful? Do you know that they are, or is it just perception? I have a few soaping friends that when you look at their posts in our soaping groups – they seem to be very successful. One just bragged about the 4k he spent on bottles for lotions because he was afraid of not having enough due to the pandemic (granted, this is a great idea). What everyone was commenting was “Wow, I wish I made that kind of money from my bath & body business to be able to do that”. When in reality, he actually didn’t spend that – though there are some competitors out there that do. Many people will post things like this to make others think they are successful. “If they are successful, their products must be good, so I should buy from them”. Not always the case, but it is a great marketing strategy. Don’t compare yourself to them. They may not be doing as good as you think.

#8) You may not make any money – this does not equal failure.

One of the first things I learned was that turning a profit does not happen overnight. At first, I would buy the raw materials I needed, made products, then sold products. It wasn’t until I sat down to really uncover what I should be charging when I realized that the money I was bringing in was going right back out for more materials. Some businesses may have very low overhead costs – Small Business Bath & Body products are NOT one of those businesses. With all the equipment and raw materials, I am actually still in the red. I have not turned a profit yet – I am not ashamed to admit this. What I do have though is a good solid foundation at this point. I don’t have the need to purchase any additional equipment. This is great, because equipment is not cheap. I don’t take this loss as a sign of failure though. You know the old saying “It takes money to make money”… well YES IT DOES! Do not expect to get rich overnight – it’s simply not going to happen. So be realistic, and be prepared to lose money, especially in the beginning.

#9) Listen to your customers

A fail proof way to lose everything is to ignore your customers. Not long into this business, I came across a fragrance that I simply LOVED! I thought to myself, this is going to be a best seller – I’ll make extra. Boy was I wrong! Just because I thought it was fantastic, didn’t mean my customers would feel the same. I still have bars of that soap, I use them for personal use since I like them so much, but I lost a good amount of money on that little mess-up. Don’t be afraid to ask your customers what they want. Do your due-diligence, get a consensus, and go with the majority… even if you disagree. For me, it’s lavender scented anything. Everyone wants lavender, and I can’t stand it. But, that is what they want, so that is what I make.

#10) Learn to Bend

As with changing what you make to please your customers, you need to learn to be flexible with yourself. When I started this, I had a business plan in mind. When it turned out that my business wasn’t quite going to plan, I had to adjust. Don’t make goals that are so unrealistic that it makes you give up, but do give yourself goals that are attainable but only if you really work for it. However, when you don’t reach a goal, don’t be afraid to bend a little and understand your limitations. Be flexible, adjust, and keep going.

#11) You are a sales person

Not everyone is good at sales, but if you are going to start your own business then you better come to terms with having to do this. Take my mom for instance… she can sell anything. She’s a natural, and was always one of the top performers in everything she did. Me, I can’t sell water in a desert. I still try though. I still get out there, network, meet people, and I try. You have to tell your potential customers:

Why do they need your product? What problem will it fix? What benefit will it bring? Most importantly though, is that I had to realize that I am a sales person and the biggest harm I can do to my business is to not try at all.

#12) It’s okay to say “no”

As a sales person, I get told no, A LOT. One lesson I learned within the first year though was that I could say no also. I was approached by a potential customer who wanted a very large order. She gave me plenty of time to create the products, but the order was so large that I was completely overwhelmed. I completed the order, on time as well, but I was a nervous wreck by the time I shipped it out. It took every ounce of my time, and product for my standard inventory was pushed off because of this. Hindsight 20/20, I should have said no, or negotiated a more realistic time frame. Other times, someone will ask me for a large order and they need it next week. Regardless of what you have heard from other soapers, homemade soaps (aside from melt & pour which is already pre-made soap) take 4-6 weeks to cure. Yes, it is safe to use sooner, but the quality will not be there and it will dissolve WAY to fast. I refuse to create a sub-par product, so the answer is NO.

#13) Keep learning

Things change, constantly. One of the most important things I learned was to keep learning. Research, stay informed, stay up-to-date, keep improving and keep up. I cannot stress this enough. If you find that one thing, don’t think your done. Think about if Bill Gates or Steve Jobs had not continued to learn and improve. Granted, small businesses are not on the same scale as Microsoft or Apple, but the concept doesn’t change – you don’t want to be left behind.

#14) Don’t worry about what others say – they aren’t you.

It hurts when someone you love and care about tells you that what you are doing is stupid, or a waste of time, or not worth pursuing. We are VERY fortunate to have family and friends that support us and our endeavors. I have seen this though in all the different social groups I belong to – people talking about how they want to start a business, but spouses, family, or friends tell them they won’t succeed. How dare they! We should not be bound by the thoughts and opinions of others. It does not matter what anyone says, if they won’t support you, make sure you support yourself.

If you are planning on beginning a new chapter in your life, or have already started but needed a little insight, I hope this article has provided some light for you. If you have any questions or comments, please leave those below – We would love to hear what you think, and are always open to any fresh ideas!

This may irritate some homesteaders out there, but this must be said:

Homesteaders are no better than anyone else.

Okay, now that I have said it, let me explain…

Recently, there has been a significant rise in the amount of people migrating to a more self-sufficient lifestyle – possibly due to the pandemic and all the chaos in the world since the end of 2019.

With that, I have also seen a lot of long-time homesteaders offering up great advise and teachings to those just getting their feet wet. I have also seen a few homesteaders, instead of teaching and giving pointers, simply telling these “newbies” that they need to research more, or they don’t belong, or they should get out now before they invest too much. Certainly, I can agree with the need to research, but why discourage others? We were all new to this at some point, right? Is this a competition and there is some kind of “Homesteader Award” out there that I don’t know about?

Some people are teachers, so they teach how to do something. Some people are not, so they tell others to find out for themselves. The latter is not what I’m frustrated about though. What has me hot under the collar are the homesteaders that I’ve heard of, or seen for myself, tell non-homesteaders that homesteading is better. That homesteaders are better people because they live a more self-sufficient lifestyle; that they appreciate life more; appreciate living more. Isn’t this just an opinion though?

They are making it sound as if homesteaders are morally superior to others. Guess what – we’re not. Granted, Jeff and I have only been homesteading for a few years, and we both still work our full-time jobs. There will come a day that Jeff and I will be able to step away from the workforce, but we want to be debt free first. Never have we ever stated that we are better than any other person or family that isn’t homesteading.

Yes, I believe that too many people spend too much time taking care of beautiful manicure lawns when a garden seems more practical for the space – and gardens give back… but not everyone can do that. Either by choice, physical limitations, ordinances, or neighborhood restrictions. And yes, I can appreciate anyone who says that self-sufficiency just isn’t their cup of tea. I get it – I used to be the same way. Even in Texas when we had our chickens, rabbits, and small garden… I left that up to Jeff. It wasn’t my desire at the time (but getting goats had a profound effect on my outlook and it all changed). Again though, it’s not for everyone. Even doctors, lawyers, airline pilots, and politicians… they aren’t better than anyone else either.

Just because someone earned their doctorate doesn’t mean they don’t still have to go shopping. They buy items placed on shelves by someone making just above minimum wage, with families of their own. EVERYONE in the country could go to college and get a doctorate degree… but guess what… there aren’t that many doctorate required jobs out there. So, if this were the case, there would be a doctor out there putting those groceries on the shelf. So see… having a doctorate doesn’t make you better, and neither does living a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

To clarify, most homesteaders I’ve met, hear about, watch on YouTube, or follow on social media are wonderful, down-to-earth, fantastic people. Some are teachers, and some are not – but good people regardless. HOWEVER, for those few that have gained the “We’re better” attitude, let me remind you of a few points:

• These mason jars you use to can your beans… unless you’re a glass blower, someone else made these = you are not 100% self-sufficient.

• Those boots your wearing… I could be wrong, but I’m not sure you made them yourself = you are not 100% self-sufficient.

• Those batteries you use to hook up your solar power bank, certain you didn’t make these yourself = you are not 100% self-sufficient.

• That green hat with a yellow jumping dear logo on it… positive you didn’t make that = you are not 100% self-sufficient.

Get off your high horse and realize that in the USA, to be 100% self-sufficient is almost impossible. You are not better because you grow you own food, though your food may taste better. You are not better because you process your own meat, though the animal likely lived a better life. You are not better because you use solar power, though you may pay nothing ( or at least, less) for electricity.

Granted, homesteaders may purchase less (depending… this is not a cheap undertaking), but it’s unlikely that any of us will ever be 100% self-sufficient. These pedestal sitters need to realize that there are hard working Americans out there every day, working their fingers to the bone to make or supply everyone with items we ALL need.

Jeff and I are homesteaders, but we are also consumers and customers. We have found what makes us happy, but that doesn’t make us superior… just happy.

How do we manage it all? There are things we all, even you, do today that you never dreamed you would have the time for.

I’ll give you my example: When we started this journey, I thought my plate was full… but there we go, getting goats! Our daily routine changed which included twice a day milking and feeding. Weekends became consumed with cleaning goat houses and rabbit cages. Then one day I thought to myself, “Where did I find this extra time?” I thought about what I did before the animals… Oh, that’s right… I was sitting on my rear after getting home from work, claiming I was SO TIRED and NEEDED to relax. Now though, I stay more productive. We do still find time to relax, making soap is actually quite relaxing and doesn’t feel like a job at all, even though it is. We do also sit and watch TV, movies, or just on the porch watching the animals – and it is so much more enjoyable when we can reflect on how productive we have been.

Now, with that being said…

After two years of talking about it.

After two years of discussing what we would like to show and educate others on.

After two years of saying, “This would have made a great video”.

After two years of many, many, many missed video opportunities – Jeff and I finally pulled the camera out and started filming.

That’s right, Our YouTube channel is finally out there! Granted, I don’t think the first two videos we have posted yet are the best – there defiantly is a learning curve. I have no doubt that we will get more comfortable with being on camera, and I am certain my editing skills should improve.

The content however, that’s a bit tougher. We want to teach future homesteaders how we do different tasks – but we also want to show current homesteaders our methods and hope to encourage feedback from others for FRESH ideas… we certainly are always looking for ways to improve ourselves.

For now though, it’s clearing bamboo, and clearing land… then clearing more bamboo. Of course, there are other things planned for our upcoming videos, especially when it comes to the animals. The more we complete on our homestead, the more we are able to do – and we are SUPER excited.

This isn’t easy though. We really do have our plates full:

• Working full time

• Homemade Soap, Bath & Body product creation

• Business Administrative work (yuk!)

• Farm Administrative work (more yuk!)

• Website Management

• Writing/Creating Blogs

• Clearing Land

• Land Management

• Caring for current livestock

• Preparing for new livestock

• Caring for pets

• Taking care of the home

• Taking care of ourselves

And now… because why not, right?

• Creating content for YouTube

• Editing content

• Uploading videos

• Monitoring the channel

Believe it or not, we even have other items, they’re just on hold. For instance, the house build (which we will video of course), Jeff’s homemade wood craft items, and a few other items we are keeping under our hats for now.

If you look at it though, most of these items connect to one or more other items. As with anything, you just need to uncover the right flow and all the pieces will fall together.

In a nutshell – it may seem like we are taking on a lot, but as long as we have time to sit, we have time to do so many other things that we enjoy and with the homestead, it doesn’t feel like work (as physically demanding as it is). This new task: YouTube, is no different; We are doing the work anyway… we just need to remember to hit the record button.

We invite you to join us on this journey – follow along so you can see the transformation our little homestead is going to take. Currently an overgrown forest of bamboo and trees, we plan to turn it into a beautiful and flourishing homestead. To check out our channel, subscribe, or turn on notifications, you can just click the YouTube icon at the top of any page on our website or click >here<. Also, I have posted our first two videos below.

Please be kind, we are still learning – but we welcome all comments that will help us improve.

Enjoy!

As we approach our 4th year anniversary of leaving Texas, I am amazed that we still get asked (a lot), why we left Texas for the Carolinas. Now, if you have perused this website, you understand that I wanted to be closer to my family. My family means a great deal to me, and though our youngest stayed in Texas, she and her husband are young – they have way more energy than we do, and can come visit us just as we drove to visit my parents. Just as my daughter may miss me, I also missed my mother – so here we are.

With that being said, – the Carolinas defiantly has many other benefits. Now, before my Texas friends get all worked up, I LOVE TEXAS. It really is the best state (if you can handle the summer heat).

And... before I upset all my Carolina friends, know that this is not a “this is better here, that is better there” blog. This is just to bring attention to something not everyone has experienced.

Today, I want to talk about the Appalachians. There is beauty all over these United States, and this mountain range is part of that. If you have never been this way, you don’t know what you are missing. I am not a good photographer, but I couldn’t let some of you go throughout your lives without seeing some of its beauty. Now, I AM NOT a professional photographer, but… If you click > here < you will see some amazing photos and understand just how stunning this mountain range is. This blog, Tales from the Wood Booger, is a sometimes comical, always beautiful blog of an avid hiker and nature enthusiast. He gives us his tales of daily life, but his passion is in the hike and will take you along to some of the most gorgeous waterfalls, vista views, and colorful trails. He is also a fantastic photographer and you would be missing out if you weren’t able to see some of these pictures.

I know this isn’t my normal update of our homesteading life, but sometimes you just have to sit back and appreciate the beauty this country has to offer.

ENJOY!

Until we came along. Bamboo has met its match! Make way for the mighty saw! Death comes to all stalks on our property of this selfish, life sucking, green tyrant of all grasses!

Okay, maybe that seems a bit extreme. I actually like bamboo a lot. A fantastic creation with SO many uses. Once cut, we look at this stuff as free building material from fencing of gardens to construction of our outbuildings. So many uses, and wonderful as a sustainable resource if more people would look into how practical it is and all the uses it has. Paper, fiber for clothing and bedding, crafts and building materials, the list is almost endless in what this can be used for. As long as it isn’t on my property.

If any of you have ever had to deal with it, you know that it seems near impossible to get rid of. There are a few things you can try to make this go away:

· Getting big equipment to dig the top 8 inches (or more in some cases) off of your precious land (but you have to make sure to get all of the rhizomes).

· Cut it down, and mow the shoots down with the rest of your grass (don’t take a vacation though – this grows super-fast).

· Blacking out the entire area, for about 1 year (may not always work if the rhizomes have traveled beyond that area that was blacked out… and who has a year to wait anyway).

· Buy a Panda Bear (may not be practical).

· Napalm (this works, but there are obvious down sides).

We, however, have opted for something we are hoping will be slightly more practical for us. We are in fact going to cut it all down. Have already started in fact. The shoots though, take a bit to make their appearance, but once they do – BAM! It’s back, but its now doubled! For every one we cut, it seems to grow two more shoots. We have a plan though – what rhizomes we miss digging up, will be a wonderful snack for… you guessed it - GOATS! A bit more practical than panda bears, easier to get our hands on, and we were already planning on getting more goats. Pandas may like to eat bamboo, but goats, it turns out, love bamboo shoots. The shoots are juicy and soft unlike the full grown bamboo shaft. If you are a fan of Asian cuisine, you have likely eaten these yourself.

So, instead of blacking out the area, instead we plan to fence off this acre that has been taken over by these green giants. Once we get all the bamboo cut down, it will be up to the goats to keep the shoots under control. I’ll let you know how this works. I know not everyone can get some cute, entertaining, lovable, and fun grass eaters with fur – but for those of you that can, this may be an option.

To give you some perspective on how fast this evil grass grows, I decided to include some pictures I took of one bamboo baby shoot over a period of just 10 days (at which point, I killed this beast before it got out of hand).

Enjoy!

Yes, isn't it cute... tiny little chubby thing.

Two inches in two days... If only my veggies would grow so well.

Looks to be slowing down... but looks can be deceiving!

Over an inch in one day!

3 inches over night!!!

Okay, this was getting too fast for my liking. Yes, I killed it!

Homestead Fresh’s official 2nd anniversary!

It’s been two years since we started our business, and almost three years since we started our homestead here in the Carolinas and we got that manly beautiful beast pictured above.

It has been a whirlwind of a year too! Our daughter got married; we found out we would be first time grandparents; we finally found our perfect forever homesite; we moved out to the property; and then… Coronavirus happened. This brought our business to a screeching halt preventing us from attending any events or farmers markets. No sales = No money for the business. That’s okay though, as long as we are safe and healthy, we are willing to take that hit… even though it hurts like heck.

Through all of this though, we stay positive. Being that we both are considered “Essential” we are so blessed to still have our full time jobs. Our hearts and prayers go out to those that are not as fortunate, financially and health wise. What a bizarre time we are living in right now, but I know that we will all come through this stronger than before.

Even though we are saddened by current events, we remain focused on the needs of the homestead. Never before in my lifetime has it been more evident that it is so crucial to practice and prepare to be more self-sustaining. Granted, we are not “dooms-dayers” and we aren’t hard core “preppers”, though I have nothing against those that are – to each their own, right?

We are however aware.

Aware that deliveries to stores can so easily be disrupted.

Aware that having your own supply of produce, meat, or dairy is a tremendous plus. Aware that being able to make your own items like hand sanitizer, soap, and cleaning supplies is a necessary skill.

Aware that buying online, curbside pick-up, and other conveniences are not really conveniences but a desired essential.

THIS is why we homestead... (but I need someone to share with me how to make my own flushable toilet tissue)?

Putting current events aside, let’s talk anniversary!

Two years gone, and with the new property it feels like we are just getting started. Essentially, we are starting over. We still have nearly all the land to clear, we haven’t begun work on our out-buildings yet, and my soap shop is still sitting at the other property.

Jeff has begun work on his workshop, which is critical since we need that workshop up and running to build and take care of all the other things we need done. You have to have priorities, and this is the top one… although, perimeter fencing so I can turn my back on the dogs for more than two seconds would be nice too.

What’s in store before we hit our third year anniversary?

Since this was deemed “The year of new lives”, top of my list for the homestead are the animals.

Chickens have been ordered (that will be an upcoming blog), and we are on the lookout for our new tribe of goats. We are still going to have our most loved Nigerian Dwarf goats, but we are also going to add Myotonic (fainting) goats! Rabbits will also be coming soon, and we are mixing it up this time. We are of course sill going to get the Silver Fox rabbits, but we are going to get some Rex as well. These are definite lives we are adding before our next anniversary, but we are hoping that we can get our sheep by then as well. We will work on getting pigs, ducks, quail, bees, and a cow eventually, but land clearing is not a quick process.

The land clearing of course will not be complete by year three. The bamboo has become the bane of my existence, and we really need to get the goats to keep the shoots under control.

The trees are a challenge as well. Not the cedar trees, that’s an easy one – I want them gone. I am not a fan of a forest of cedar trees. Sweetgum as well, we have WAY to many and along with the cedar, they are choking out almost everything else. Not being choked out though are some beautiful American Beech trees, a few Tulip Poplar trees and some enormously large oaks. So yes, this is going to take a great deal of time to clear. Keep in mind, we are doing all this by ourselves. We are not hiring anyone to do any of the work out here. Unless we have too (one big oak that isn’t looking so good is going to need a professional team to fell). When we are done, we will be proud to say that we did it all ourselves… we will be bruised, cut up, tired, sore, and much older, but we will be happy!

So, that is pretty much the only updates I have for the year to come, but we have a few little things that we want to keep as a surprise for you. Until next time, please stay healthy and safe!!

I make dish bars that we sell in our shop (sold out right now, but more will be available 4/12/20), and we get a lot of questions about how to use them. We are asked this so often in fact, that I decided this blog would be dedicated to “how to use a dish bar”.

First things first: What is a dish bar?

A dish bar is essentially, a bar of soap. Not just any soap though, and I wouldn’t suggest taking a shower with one. Dish bars are designed with high cleansing in mind, whereas hand and body soap is made with a focus on moisturizing skin which includes extra oils – something you definitely do not want for your dishes.

Second: What if I don’t hand wash dishes?

A fair point. Most people use commercial dish washers and don’t hand wash dishes. I’m certainly not oblivious to that. Until we moved out to our property, we used a dishwasher as well. However, I have never been to someone’s house that had a dishwasher, that didn’t also have a bottle of dish soap under their sink for those times when they just have to hand wash something. It might be that pot or cookie sheet that is too big to fit in the dishwasher, or that electric skillet that isn’t submersible. Regardless, I think everyone hand washes something once in a while.

Third: Why use them?

Well, mainly – the savings. Savings to your pocket book and savings to the environment. More and more, society is trying to get away from “one-use” plastics – and this includes plastic bottles of dish soap. What a tremendous effect it would have on our landfills if everyone stopped using these bottles!

Savings to your pocket book comes in the form of water. I don’t know about you, but if you are on city water, have you noticed how much your water bill actually is? Not just your water though – your sewage bill as well! So, below, I am going to explain how to use these, in which case you will see where this water huge savings is coming from.

How do you use these??

This is not a new concept – dish bars were around long before liquid soap was. Here is what you do:

Scrape off food scraps into your garbage (or your compost)

Turn your hot water on and rinse/wet your dishes

DO NOT FILL YOUR SINK UP WITH WATER

Wet your loofah (or sponge, or cloth… whichever you use)

Rub your loofah on your dish bar

Cut your water off

Using your loofah, wash your dishes just as you would if you had a sink full of water

Set the now sudsy dishes in the rinse side of your sink

Turn your hot water back on

Rinse your dishes.

DONE!

Dishes are clean (the high cleansing of dish bars do a great job)

Time saved (not having to fill a sink up)

Money saved (again, not having to fill a sink up)

More money saved (very little water going into the sewage)

Environment saved (no plastic bottle going into the landfill)

Again, not a new concept – but a forgotten one . If you do this now, or decide to try it out, please comment below and let me know your thoughts.

Till next time, Happy Saving!

I have seen the TV shows about living tiny, and I always giggle to myself. These couples, and in some cases whole families, decide to go from a 3k plus square foot home down to a 400 foot-ish tiny house. With little to no experience living tiny, they jump in head first. A few times, I’ve seen some “where are they now” episodes to see what adjustments these couples have made since their original move in date. Most the time, it’s just a few comments about adding some more storage. What I have never seen though, is a “where are they now” after several years in their tiny house. Especially those that move in with small children that had an “Oh so adorable” little tiny loft as their bedroom but who are now teenagers.

The best part about the way we are proceeding is that it defiantly prepares you to understand what you need and what you don’t when you go to build your permanent structure. We are using this time to understand our true needs. Granted, our house will not be SUPER tiny, but it will be small (About 672 sq. foot). Just right for Jeff and I and without all the unnecessary space to clutter up. Plus, our plan includes a great deal of outdoor living space. Since we spend so much time working with the animals and garden, we don’t need much for indoors. In just the short time of living in the trailer, we have already “tweaked” our home plans to add a bit more counter space. We also changed the layout in one room to make it more pet friendly since our dogs seem to be always underfoot in the trailer. I expect, after about a year of this, we will change a few more things. Again though, this is a fantastic trial period. We do have one major advantage over those TV show families though – We still have our house about 25 minutes away. Yes, we gave it to the kids, but much of our items that we will be putting in our new home are still there – so no storage fees!

I’m not saying this isn’t an adjustment though. The dogs are my biggest concern. I love my fur babies, and they DO NOT like change. Katie though, with her anxiety issues, seems to have actually settled in pretty well finally. Toby though, he is moping around like a sulking teenager. There are so many new smells out on this property, but until we get the perimeter fenced in, he is going to have to stay within eyesight – and he isn’t happy about that. He is an explorer, and we just don’t have the time to walk him around the entire 5 acres every day so he can mark everything. Now, before I start getting nasty comments – yes, we do take them out and walk them often… but for our Toby, this is all he wants to do, every day, 24 hours straight, if he could. So, perimeter fencing will be one of our top priorities.

Apart from the dogs, trailer life isn’t too bad. There are some issues we have discovered though. So, if you are thinking about living in a travel trailer for any reason for any length of time, here are some points I would like to make:

1) It’s small

a. I know, when you buy one, you think to yourself, “Wow, this is quite roomy”… no, it’s not. Not if you plan on staying in it for a while.

2) It’s damp - Consider investing in a dehumidifier.

a. Propane puts off a lot of moisture, so make sure you have some air flow when cooking. Also, you know how your bathroom steams up when you take a shower? Keep in mind, these trailers aren’t that big… so once you open that bathroom door after a shower – EVERYTHING steams up! So, like any container, when the temperature is different between the inside and outside – you get condensation. Trailers aren’t like homes and they don’t have an attic. You’d be surprised how important your attic is (it’s not just for storing Christmas decorations).

3) It’s noisy

a. I am amazed at how low the volume on the TV needs to be for me to hear it clearly. Again, it’s a box, and the sound just bounces around the walls, so you don’t need to make much noise before it is simply too loud. Oh, and when the dog barks – WOW!!

4) Tanks are small

a. We do not have our grey water hooked up to septic yet – and that tank must be super tiny because it fills up super quick. We have a switch on our shower that lets us cut the flow of water while we lather up, but still - taking two showers and doing the dishes twice will put us at 2/3 full.

5) Showers are quick

a. For the reason stated above, there is no such thing as a long, relaxing, hot shower. You jump in, get wet, pause the water, lather up, open the water, rinse off – and done. That’s it… don’t even think about trying to enjoy it.

Now, I didn’t put everything on that quick list. Some things I just think are common sense, such as storage, no king size bed with pillow top mattress (not in most anyway), very little freezer space, etc. However, we don’t want you to think this living situation is completely a bad idea. Sure, we want to get our house built, but we are happy to live in this trailer as long as it takes. We want to really take our time and get our home just right since this will be the last house we will have.

There actually are good things to living this way, and we felt it was only fair to let everyone know that it’s not all cramped “doom-and-gloom”.

1) Easy cleaning

a. It now takes me all of about 10 minutes to wash dishes, sweep the floor, make the bed, clean the bathroom, wipe off every surface, and straighten up. With such little space, you tend to make sure you keep things picked up, so cleaning is a breeze.

2) Crazy organization

a. I like staying organized, and living in a trailer opens your mind up to a whole new world of “where can I put stuff”. Trailers actually make this quite nice… they incorporate a lot of nooks and crannies into their design (hmmm… that gives me a new idea for another change to the home plans).

3) Closeness

a. Jeff and I have never been closer – not just physically either (going from a queen size bed to a trailer version of a queen size bed (no, they are not always the same) will defiantly put you physically closer). We are actually closer. I don’t mind telling you, after being together 30 years, and married for 27 of them – I get so excited to see him every day when we get home from our regular jobs. We have a little table to eat at, and a little sofa to sit on.... This has been the best thing we have ever done.

4) Little waste

a. As previously stated, there is no such thing as a long shower. We have come to realize just how inefficient we have been, even though we have never considered ourselves to be wasteful. You can actually do quite a bit off of very little water. From brushing your teeth, doing dishes (which I will explain in my next blog), showering, and cleaning. A little takes you quite far. Even though we have a well, this is something we will continue to practice once our house is built (though my showers may be a bit longer).

Now, I know some of you are asking WHY IN THE WORLD would you choose to live in a travel trailer on your property if you have a house 25 minutes away. Well, there are two reasons.

1) We have three adult children (27, 25, & 23), the two oldest moved to the Carolinas with us. Since moving, it has always been our intention to give them the house. We knew we wanted to get some acreage and living together with the kids was temporary. So we raised three, we got three diplomas, and nobody has been to jail – we’re done. This is our time. Of course, we adore our children, but we want to do our own thing now.

2) Being empty nesters isn’t the only reason though. Time is the biggest factor. Jeff and I still both work full time jobs. Plus, we have the business. Plus, we have the homestead. Getting off work, going to the house, taking care of things there, then driving out to the new property to try and get something done – WAS NOT WORKING OUT. The only way we can progress, is to take ourselves away from managing the house, and reduce our drive time. Now, when we get off work, we go straight to the property. Even if I just fell one tree, that’s more than getting nothing done at all.

We are completely loving this new piece of paradise and transforming it is going to be worth every second. Follow along as we continue to share our updates – and feel free to share any great ideas you may have that you think might help us throughout this journey.

Life – what can I say… it certainly is not a perfect concept.

Without going into detail, let’s just say that sometimes things get flipped upside down and it can be difficult to bring yourself back to upright.

Okay, of course we all know about Murphy’s Law… you know, the one that says “If anything can go wrong, it will – at the worst possible moment”.

I know, it certainly does feel that way, doesn’t it? Really though – is it true? I know, I know… I can mentally hear the resounding “YES” coming from the minds of our readers. Think about it though. If you have a plan, do you honestly stop and say “Yep, right there… if something is going to go wrong, it will be at that moment.” Sometimes, but not typically. That’s because when you realize that there is a weak point, you do everything to ensure nothing bad happens at that crucial moment. However, when something happens, we immediately blame Murphy for it – even if it really isn’t “the worst moment”.

So, it isn’t Murphy’s fault – it’s just life!

There are numerous quotes with the same premise as Murphy’s Law, and they all come to mean the same thing. That is: Some weird and unforeseen force in the universe has thrown a wrench into your plans. Seriously? The world is not out to get me, you, or anyone. Things happen, that’s just the way of the world. As I have always told my kids: You cannot have “Up” if there is no “Down”. Physically impossible. So, “Perfect” cannot happen if you don’t have an “Oops”, “Dang-it”, or “Oh Man” occasionally.

Now, my favorite of all the “Murphy” type quotes is this:

“Someday, the universe will throw a wrench in the works and your well-oiled machine of a life will grind to a halt.

And then it will keep going.

Because after you got bored of crying and worrying,

you took a deep breath and pushed it back into motion.”

― Nora McInerny Purmort, It's Okay to Laugh

That, my friends, is how you handle the “Oops”.

So, when it seems that life has thrown a wrench into your plans, keep in mind that Murphy did not throw it – Life did.

It’s what we do with these problems, how we mentally handle them, and if we learn from them that matter. These are the things that help us grow.

For us, yes, we have received yet another “dang-it” wrench that hit our machine called life. Not just hit but bounced around inside for a bit making all sorts of ratchet and causing a whole heap of chaos… and though it may have caused a bit of a hiccup, it will not stop us. Hasn’t stopped us yet, and it never will!

For us, yes, we have received yet another “dang-it” wrench that hit our machine called life. Not just hit but bounced around inside for a bit making all sorts of racket and causing a whole heap of chaos… and though it may have caused a bit of a hiccup, it will not stop us.

Hasn’t stopped us yet, and it never will!

It has been a very wet year so far. Actually, the last few winters and springs have been fairly soggy. We aren’t even into spring yet this year, and we are completely saturated.

Rain is good, we need it for water, plants, grass and animals. However, the side-effect of rain is mud. Now mud isn’t simply wet dirt. Some soil can get wet, drain quick, and dry out fairly easily. Mud though, is nasty stuff. It’s smells, and it’s sticky. Not just any kind of sticky though – it gets everywhere, and it seems to multiply! When you try to remove it from a place or an object, the only thing you have managed to accomplish is putting mud somewhere it wasn’t – and where it was, well, it doesn’t look like you even touched it.

What’s the big deal though, right? It’s just mud – it will dry up.

Well, yes it will dry up – eventually. As stated above, mud isn’t just wet dirt. Sandy soils for instance dry out fairly quickly due to how loosely sand packs together.

Think of a beach – sure the water rushes up and makes the sand wet, but have you ever noticed during low tide that the previously covered sand is fairly dry? This is the same concept.

However, if you (like us) have a soil of primarily clay, you will see that the water doesn’t quite drain as quick.

Think of someone making pottery… They have to put it in the oven to dry because it takes so long.

And here is why this is such a big deal: Healthy Animals!

Mud not only brings a slippery, sticky mess; It also brings disease, worms, and critters.

Last year (about this time actually), I posted a blog regarding our goats getting worms. The vet confirmed that during times of increased rain he also typically will see an increased worm load as the worm carrying parasites will climb higher on the blades of grass – the parts that are consumed the most by grazers. He also stated the much higher instance of hoof rot in goats and sheep or mud fever and rain rot in horses.

Speaking of rot – even if you don’t have animals, too much water and soil that won’t dry out is disastrous to gardeners too. Root rot can destroy entire fields of plants when the roots become to sodden.

Now, when the mud does dry out, you are left with all those ruts, nooks, and crannies that will now hold water (like a clay pot). What do you get with standing water? Yep, you get mosquitos!

What can you do about nature though?

There are two main options when it comes to mud:

1) Deal with it

2) Prevent it

Let’s talk about dealing with it first:

First, look at trying to control the mud in areas where it will be most prevalent.

Areas by gates, water troughs, hay feeders, barns, parking areas, entrance/exits, etc. Anywhere animals or people are bound to meander. In areas like these, there are several methods. Some options are better for animal areas, some better for human areas, and some work good for both.

Flax Straw – Flax straw is what Egyptians used, and some countries still do today, to mix with clay to make bricks. Now, I don’t have to go into to much detail as this should be fairly easy to figure out (flax straw + clay = bricks).

Rocks – Depending on the size, rocks can provide excellent footing in areas that are saturated with mud. In some areas, pea size gravel make work best (walkways, etc.), whereas in other areas, some good ol’ crush and run gravel may be just what you need. Mostly, rocks were great as a preventative, but also can provide quick relief in areas that aren’t to deep with muck.

There are many ways to deal with it, and many people have their own opinions. Just keep this in mind: if you add hay, straw, leaves, or anything that would breakdown in your compost pile… it will also breakdown in your mud (adding more mud). Ask me how I know! Also, keep safety in mind. Anything you add changes the footing for you and your animals. There are many more options you can find about dealing with mud and muck, but the best way is just to prevent it from the start.

Let’s talk prevention:

If you are very lucky and you are just starting out with fresh land like we are, you can combat this from the start. Recognizing areas that may be prone to water and working around it or fixing it right away. You will want to look for slopping areas of course, potential pathways, ditches, etc.

If you are already established, there are some preventative measures you can take now to avoid more issues in the future.

Pathways - as stated before, you can fill these in with rocks or gravel. This provides an excellent way to allow water to drain away from the area before becoming an issue.

Down Spouts - I am assuming you have a roof, as well as roofs over your outbuildings. The water runoff can create an absolute mess, but can easily be fixed. Water Catchment! Not only will this prevent water from pooling around your buildings, but provides free water for animals and gardens. Just make sure you use a container made for potable water and it is black to prevent algae growth. Also, some states/counties don’t allow this (which just boggles my mind), so check with your local government first.

Slopping Land - Try to get these areas leveled out if possible. Just keep in mind, if water is flowing and following a slope and you change this… the water still has to go somewhere. You can then landscape the area in a way that will allow water to follow an intended path. French drains work great for areas like this and allow water to continue to flow it’s current path, simply underground. This prevents any disturbance leveling may create.

Pasture Rotation - this is a tried-and-true method for keeping your ground in good condition, fertilizing pastures, and providing a healthier environment for your animals.

Outbuildings: when possible, build your outbuildings off the ground. Now, I’m not saying you have to give your animals a penthouse, but just enough to prevent water from flowing in through the entrance (or sides for that matter). And as an added measure, make sure you provide adequate bedding for your animals. This will go a long way to ensure they (and their feet) stay dry.

Naked ground - Bare ground is wet ground. If you have a garden that you have just cleared, try covering it during the off season. If you live in the south, you will know that bare ground also equates to ants. They love turning empty dirt into a thriving ant bed.

Again, there are many resources to reference for dealing with and preventing mud. My personal favorite are Facebook groups. If you haven’t already, try joining some gardener or homesteading groups on Facebook and see if any of them have some ideas that can help.

AND... If you haven’t noticed yet, we added a new comment box at the bottom of each page for you to share your ideas and thoughts. We would love to hear from you! If you have a trick or a “fresh” idea that I haven’t mentioned or you haven’t seen before, please let us know. We enjoy sharing our ideas, and love trying out those sent in by you.

Hard work never hurt anybody… Now, I’m not sure who said that but I would guess they weren’t trying to set up a homestead.

First of all, we’re not young. With that bit of knowledge, you should know that everything starts to hurt after a while. The harder we work, the more aches we discover. It’s somewhat fascinating actually, everyday is a new discovery of a muscle that we didn’t realize would be effected by a simple turn or bend of the body; muscles we have never physically felt before.

I’ve always said that if you are physically aware of a part of your body while sitting still, then that’s not normal. What I mean is, I know my foot exists, but my foot does not have a physical sensation when I’m just sitting around. Stand on your feet in a pair of high heels for eight hours, and you will certainly become aware of the existence of your feet.

So, if I can “feel” a muscle or a body part, that’s not normally good.

Now, the property we purchased needs a TON of work, mainly clearing and clean-up. There is so much trash on this parcel that it’s simply hard to comprehend. With the little work we have been able to do so far, let me fill you in on our current injury report in 1 month of owning our new land.

Let’s start with the simple and some expected minor injuries.

The arms:

If you think bamboo is smooth and beautiful, you are mistaken. Until bamboo is cured, it has what appears to be tiny, splinter-like hairs all over. You don’t really notice it at first, but move a bunch of bamboo without a long-sleeve shirt and you will soon look like you picked a fight with a small kitten that played in poison ivy before using your arms as a scratching post. Sorry I missed getting a picture of this for you, but trust me – you want to wear long sleeves.

The bum:

We have had a LOT of rain for the last few months here. Add this to the fact that we have a great deal of clay. If you are unaware, clay is very slippery. I will just leave this one for you to only imagine how many times I have been thankful for the extra bit of padding I have. Still hurts though, and I’m grateful I haven’t cracked my tailbone.

The mysterious ones:

Have you ever looked down and noticed that you have a bruise, cut, or scrape and wonder “Hmm, wonder how I got that?” Yep, those are the mysterious ones. We actually have a great many of these – it’s a new surprise every day. The latest one being an aggie-marble size knot on Jeff’s shin with a hole in the middle of it. Well, that’s defiantly not normal! So glad we are up-to-date on our tetanus vaccinations.

Next, just a couple of non-minor injuries. I say non-minor because they weren’t major, but they were “work stopping” injuries.

The back:

I know “lift with your legs” has been taught to us all from an early age. However, it isn’t until most people hit around their mid-thirties that they actually practice this technique around the house. It normally takes an incident that reminds you of this safety tip. I, however, was fully aware of this when it came time to start clearing out “The Bus”, and Jeff and I were trying to move some carpet – I lifted with my legs. What I didn’t do though was focus on my turning. It’s hard to maneuver in a cramped area like that. So yes, I pulled a muscle in my upper back. I really have to pay better attention. Lesson Learned!

The foot:

Ah – bamboo: beautiful, serene, exotic, TOUGH AS NAILS! I saved this one for last because it has been the most painful injury I have had in years. I have been wearing my boots every time we have worked on the property. However, to be able to function, we had to clear a path from where we can park (thank goodness for good neighbors), and where we have set up our trailer. That path included clearing a great deal of bamboo. Bamboo as it happens, has a very tough root system that isn’t easily removed. For the purpose of getting our path, we cut the bamboo off as close to the ground as possible – but that leaves teeny, tiny, bamboo stumps. Most are flush to the ground – but leave it to me to find the one that wasn’t. Headed from the truck to the trailer to get my boots (and nobody as ever accused me of being graceful), my tennis shoe is ripped of by a rouge limb from a felled cedar tree, my foot came out of the shoe and my arch came straight down onto that one irritating bamboo stump.

I have never in my life bruised the underside of my foot. The most bizarre and painful feeling my feet have ever endured. This put me out of commission for a week!

With all that being said, I don’t think we’ve done too bad - no major injuries (knock on wood). We do have the typical sore, achy, tired, muscle aches and pains that come from hard work.

So is it worth the pain? Is it worth the time and energy?

Since it has been raining so much, foot pain, back pain, and we were sick all of last week, we haven’t been out there very much… but so far I can tell you that hard work UNDENIABLY can hurt you, but the pain is worth it completely!

We were going to dub this the Year of the Homestead. HOWEVER, we had such a whirlwind of events the last couple of weeks in 2019, that we decided New Lives was more appropriate.

Big News # 1 – If you haven’t heard already, WE CLOSED ON OUR NEW PROPERTY!!!

Our new empty nest life begins! This is huge for us, and something we have been looking forward to since we left Texas and arrived in the Carolina’s. It has been a 3 year hunt to find that one spot that would scream “This Is It”, and we finally found it. Although, once you see it, you’re going to be really confused as to why we fell in love with it – It is going to take a substantial amount of work before it’s ready to be called “The Homestead”, so like I said before… we will save that theme for next year (Look at us… planning a year in advance already)!

Think of this property as the ugly duckling; I just love it, and I know that eventually it will be perfect – you’ll see! But wait... how will you see???? Well…

Big News # 2 – We are starting our own YouTube Channel!

Another step in our new life, and we want to share with everyone our journey from ugly duckling property to thriving homestead. We will make an announcement once we get it up and running and we hope you will join us – we REALLY want your comments and feedback to help us along. But wait, there’s more…

Big News # 3 – New Life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yep, that’s right… most of you have already heard, but we are going to be GRANDPARENTS!

We are so happy for our daughter and son-in-law and absolutely cannot wait to welcome a new wee-little-one into the family. So exciting! This news was ultimately what moved our theme for the year, and we couldn’t be happier.

With all that being said, we welcome 2020 – Year of New Lives!

Everything we do this year and every big decision will have to promote, improve, or focus on New Life.

We hope you join us on this journey – it’s bound to be the busiest year yet!

Okay, so I don’t know if it really is THE most comprehensive preventive maintenance list, but it certainly is the most comprehensive one I have ever made – it took me an eternity (at least it felt that way).

This is fairly simple.

Click here https://www.homesteadfresh.com/prev-maint , print out the list, and you’re ready to start the New Year with a whole list of things to help you keep up with those “little things” that if left undone turn into “BIG THINGS” later down the road.

Here are some important points to keep in mind:

· Performing preventive maintenance not only saves you money, but can help protect you and your family’s health and safety

· Each week has one item to help you stay on top of your home maintenance needs.

· Most items take less than a day to complete and some only a few moments. Other items though, could a whole weekend depending on how old your home is, or when it was you maintained it last. These items may get quicker each year if you stay on top of it.

· If your home doesn’t have that week’s item – CONGRATULATIONS, you get a week off!

· Want to do more than just one of the items, GO FOR IT!

· Anything that says ‘check’ means: See if anything is wrong. Leaking faucet? Exposed Wires? Torn Material?

· APARTMENT DWELLERS – you’re not off the hook… even though your landlord should be doing these things for you, there are things on this list that apply to you as well.

I tried to keep all the items on dates that made sense, but feel free to rearrange as needed.

PLEASE DO NOT skip the ones in red – THIS IS EXTREAMLY IMPORTANT – ask me how I know!

Miss a week? No worries, you can add it to the next week of course. The list really is just a guideline and is set up to help manage these tasks in small, bite-sized pieces.

will keep this list on here in case you lose your copy. It will help next year as well, so you can print a new form. As always, if you feel there is anything on the list we left off, please reach out and let us know.

STAY TUNED FOR SOME NEW AND EXCITING NEWS IN THE NEW YEAR!!

From our home to yours, have a prosperous, safe, and amazing New Year!