Why Homesteading?

To most people Homesteading seems like a thing of the past. It was in fact how the Wild West got settled. People seeking a better life and new adventure left the East Coast or Europe and staked a claim to land in the West. For them this was a new chance for a better life and an opportunity for adventure like never before.

In a way it is the same for me as well. I was to Homestead to be able to build a healthier better life for my family. I want to give my family the opportunity to be strong and tough. I want to be able to embrace organic and natural living without paying the prices Sprouts or Whole Foods requires.

It all started with me as a little child. I was raised in the homeschool community. We all dreamed of owning land and being farmers. I used to play with my friends cows and chickens. We would find worlds of new adventures beneath trees and on top of hay bales. My parents were grooming me to run a homestead. I learned to sew, bake, knit, tat, make candles, build fires, carve spoons, shoot bows and arrows, fish, and garden.

I was so in love with olden times and everything in the wilderness. You should see the collection of VHS movies I have; most of them revolve around the West or Olden times. I used to dream of building a homestead community with all my friends.  I planned it out and spent hours dreaming it to reality.

But like everyone else those precious days of being who you were raised to be vainish. No longer was John Wayne the sexiest man every created but Ryan Sheckler. I went from a Badass country man to Pussy-ass Skater boy. (Excuse my language). In that time I rejected it all. Stopped camping, going outdoors, hated homeschooling, and everything about my past. I wish I could undo those years. I didn't realize it but Satan was pulling me away from my God Sized Dream!

Praise God he didn't win!

Overtime I realized country boys were still Gods gift to women and the outdoors were my healing from depression. I embarked on this new road of being fit and found essential oils. I started a garden and learned everything natural. I met a man who grew up in the woods who also has a soul made for the outdoors. He favorite pass time is hardwork and especially chopping down trees. Together over the passed year and a half I have revealed my dreams to him and together we have ignited them into our dreams.

We want a huge plot of land in Texas. We want a big house with a wrap around porch. I want tons of windows and a huge kitchen. He wants to start training horses again and have all kinds of animals. I want an herb garden and he wants to farm the land. We want our own cattle and dairy cows. I want to knit, sew, cook, garden, work, and run my business all day. He wants to farm, build, weld, train horses, and be outside working hard. We also want to have tons of kids! We want to homeschool those kids and raise them to love the Lord their God!

So why Homesteading you ask, when its so expensive to get started and seems so out of this world!!! Because God has put a calling on our hearts for it! I want it so bad I can barely stand to wait. But every moment Daniel and I spend working all day every day we know that it is to bring our dreams to fulfillment.

How to Stay Organized, Positive, and Enjoy Life in the Midst of Chaos?

I am going to be totally honest with you my life is pure chaos right now. I used to hate chaos. I get sick, my TMJ acts up, and I could cry everyday. Not this time. All of us no matter what we do, we will have periods when life is just busy. It is inevitable no matter how much we fight it. So how do we stay together during all of this chaos?!?! I have some super helpful tips and tricks that I try to use.

First let me explain to you how busy I am so you can understand a little bit better that my life is crazy. I baby sit once a week, I work at a Café most mornings and afternoons, I run an Etsy business, I am a Health Coach, and I host Essential Oil classes. My boyfriend works nights and most of the time I pick him up so that I can actually see him more than two times a week. I meal prep all my food and cook dinners on Monday nights. I also workout daily, have friends, do Bible study, read, and knit. That sounds crazy right?!?! But I love it for now. Can I do all that forever? NO. But now while I am young it is time to WORK! I mean for heavens sakes I have to have money to buy a homestead. So now that you see that I am highly qualified for giving you this advice lets jump into it.

Organization:
1) Always keep a notepad handy. I have so many different things to do and I will forget them all if they are not written down. My mother has always called me the list girl! I literally have a list for everything. She has also called the most forgetful person when I do not have my notepad handy.
2) Meal Prep is a MUST! You do NOT have time to cook every day 3 times a day. Your body is way to important to feed it fast food all the time as well. Take care of your body and give it good home cooked food everyday.
3) Have a command hook by the door with your keys on it. Your keys NEVER get put anywhere else. You do not have time to run around the house looking for keys. You also cannot live without them.
4) Have an extremely LOUD alarm clock. Not your phone. We are so used to having a phone that half of people can turn their alarm off in their sleep. I got an extra loud alarm for Christmas and it is a HUGE help.
5) Keep an up to date day planner. I know you are an adult now and you do not need one since you are out of school. But oh honey it helps! I can always look at my day planner and say ok I work this day, I have a party this Friday, and I have a call this afternoon. It is a lifesaver.

Staying Positive:
1) Have positive happy notes all over your house. You need to read positive things all day. Have what I call a positive pooping book. I know it is crude but I keep 1 min bible studies or those little 365 quotes of the day in the bathroom.
2) Have daily meditation or prayer time. You need 5 to 15 minutes a day that you can just sit, get your worries out of your head, and clear your mind.
3) Your drive time needs to be one of three things: an all out Dance Party, a time for Audio Personal Development, or time to roll the windows down and feel the Sunshine on your face. Of course drive safely and do not get into a wreck. But in no way at all do you need to be stressed in the car.
4) Workout Daily. I know you do NOT have time. I know you are going to lose TV time or sleep to do this but YOU HAVE TO! Working out releases your happy hormones. You need those in the midst of chaos. So workout daily and break a sweat. It can be 10 minutes to an hour as long as your SWEATING!

Enjoying Life:
1) Do NOT let pain slow you down. Also do not pop pills with a book of side effects. I use my essential oils. Every night I put Ortho Ease Massage Oil on my back for pain and Relaxation Massage Oil on my arms and chest for peace. When I get headaches I use my Deep Relief Roll On and Stress Away. For cramps I use Clary Sage and Progessence Plus.
2) You do NOT have time for negative people. You just don't. Now you cannot get rid of all of them, but if they show up in your life and they are not customers tell them how it is. Tell them you love them and care about them but you do not have time for them if they are going to be negative.
3) Take time everyday to do something you LOVE! For me it varies day to day on what I want to do. Some days just writing a blog post is all I need or knitting. Just make sure everyday you did something you LOVE.

Trust me you have NO reason to be stressed out or worried. I have been there and know how it feels to be desperate! I know how it feels to know that your bank account does not have enough to pay your discover bill. It is okay. Do the very best that you can and just a little bit more. Start enjoying life today!

 

Preparing for my First Vendor Event

For the past 2 days I have been working from 7 till 11 on creating and labeling my Etsy products for a vendor event this Saturday! I cannot tell you how exhausted I am. I am writing this from the bathtub because laying in bed just wasn't relaxing enough.
So far I must say I love creating my own products. I enjoying labeling them and getting creative. I have had a few hiccups so far that messed me up, but I am doing good.
So what have I been making?!?! I make Balth Salts, Bath Fizzies, Margarita Salts, and Sugar Scrubs. I infuse all of them with essential oils.
So why did you start making your own products?!?!

a) I got bored with just having an online business and college homework. A girl has got to do something with her hands so I took up kitting and DIY projects. But sadly you cannot do DIY projects for free, so I decided to make it a business.

b) After attending a class about how harmful chemicals, fragrances, and dyes are I knew I needed to make a change. When I looked at my bathroom products I almost lost it! The chemicals cause cancer, ADHD, and memory loss!!! So I decided to make the products I could not find from a trusted source.

c) A little sisterly competition; my sister started an Esty and I couldn't let her one up me! But seriously I love her products (lotions, chemical free make up, and face toner)!!!

That is pretty much why I started. I prayed about it and felt God wanted me too. It has not been very profitable yet, but this event this weekend will tell all!

So what have I learned during the past two days:

-There is a setting for when you print on labels and glossy crardstock! Who knew?!?! All my labels were messing up, so thank God my parents are both geeks, my dad told me there was a setting! MIND BLOWN!!!

-Salt needs to be stored in an air tight container. I have had to blend chunks of salt all day to make it salvageable. So half of my bath salts are fine grained salt.

-Do NOT buy the cheapest containers! They are good quality but man are the lids hard to get on the first time!

Overall it has been fun! It makes me excited to be on my homestead running my business and doing DIY projects daily. Oh how fun it will be!

Happy New Years!

As I look at the "Happy New Year" banner on the tree I feel such excitment and joy for what is to come. I have such BIG dreams for this year! This past year has been a whirlwind of hardships and disappointment. Yet, I know in my heart that God has such amazing things in store for 2016. This year I plan on completing 4 workout programs and changing my body. I want to be fit, not just slender with a little muscle. I also plan on cutting out all the junk in my diet. I am super excited for this one because a Sprouts just opened up in my town. It is the first healthy store to come near me. My first adventure there was perfect and I cannot wait for more! I also plan on making my home businesses profitable. I have been looking at prices of land and have a ballpark amout of what I need to save to buy my homestead. Scary thing is I dont just need to buy land... I will need a house, farm equipment, seeds, animals, feed, and all the little details. I used to be scared off by big dreams but not anymore. God has called me to this lifestyle and nothing will get in my way.
So let the Journey to Homesteading begin! ♡