Homesteading Spring preparations and some confessions of an inexperienced home builder

    A majority of the last six months has been spent prepping for this spring. This is our first year seriously homesteading and it's going to be a year of experimentation. 

   Last summer our 11 acres produced enough lavender to stuff several small pillows, 3 red globe peaches, more eggs than we could eat or sell, several dozen gallons of goat's milk, some inedible goat cheese, and a very small portion of our vegetables. It was a fantastic way to dip our toes into farming. But it was definitely not enough to sustain a family throughout the year, let alone the summer. That's what we're hoping to change this spring. 

   My husband and I first discussed the homesteading movement several years ago after watching a series of food related documentaries on Amazon Prime video. We thought it sounded like a great idea to save money on food and eat healthier. We didn't really know what to expect since neither one of us had ever lived or worked on a farm before. So, when we did move out to our land (confession: We lived with my husband's mother for 5 months to save money.) we began putting our plans into action. However, money has been very tight and homesteading is not cheap. No one ever told me that a load of top soil would be upwards of $200! Now imagine buying 6 loads- all at once- unexpectedly! This is what 2014 was filled with. I felt like I was bleeding money. But I have to say I'm a much smarter and heartier woman because of it. (confession: we didn't have a working shower for 4 months and showered outside using a garden hose until we saved enough to put a shower in.) Even though we were extremely lucky that my husband's boss just happened to be getting rid of the steel building we made our home, it still came with a lot of unexpected costs. When we planned the blueprints for the inside of our home we estimated it would run us about $35,000-$40,000 to build. I'm not going to tell you how much it ended up costing- but if you multiple that by three you'll be in the ballpark. We weren't entirely prepared for the costs. Luckily we're both extremely frugal and resourceful. (confession: we had about 1/3 of the total cost saved prior to building and that made a world of difference.)  It all boils down to what my father-in-law told me the day we poured the slab:

 "everything in construction takes twice as long and costs 

at least double what you estimated."

   What can I say, I was an overly optimistic 24 year old and knew nothing about construction. 

   If you're planning on building a home because it looks so easy and fun on HGTV and Pinterest- I say go for it! But expect the unexpected, like showering outside. Also hope for the best but be financially prepared for the worst. All in all I couldn't be happier with how our house turned out and am beyond thankful for the amount of man-hours my husband, Kent, and his father, Jeff, logged into building it themselves. (confession: my mother deserves a mention for listening to my daily construction and financial related meltdowns for an entire nine months. Sorry, Mom.)

Back to homesteading now! 
 

   We've just constructed a series of raised beds. We chose differing sizes and depths for companion planting and a higher yield.  This year we've chosen to grow corn, cabbage, cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, watermelon, carrots, collard greens, and squash. I've actually just started some of the seedlings this past weekend on account of the 75 degree weather we're having in central Texas. Also a majority of them take about 6-8 weeks to mature large enough to transplant into our raised beds. 

   Earlier today I took a walk around the property and was greeted by about a million buds on our fruit trees. It makes me kind of nervous that they're budding so early. One of two things will probably happen now: A] we're going to have an early and scorching hot summer or B] we're going to get a late freeze this year and lose a majority of our Plum, Peach, and Nectarine crop

   Like I said before, this year we're experimenting. We've planned out how much of each plant to grow to feed us but it's all based of web research and several dozen library books. I'm going to try to update at least once a month on our progress, yield, and some old timey wisdom and experience.


 


 Colleen P. & The Little Red Homestead

To be a housewife in 2015

   Let me begin by saying that I am by no means ashamed of what I do. I work as hard as some women, less than others, and probably harder than a few. But being a housewife always earns me a few sideways glances and a certain level of disrespect. I feel like I am doing the job both God and I have always planned for myself. I am very domestic at heart and have never felt at home in the workplace. So when I met my husband almost four years ago we immediately discussed the possibility of this lifestyle for ourselves and our family. We understood the consequences and the rewards of having a single income for our family.  

Buttermilk

   I ended up going back to work for about eight months at a church well over an hour away from our home. It was a temporary job to help pad our bank account for building our current home and partially fund our wedding. This was the first time I had ever held a job while in a serious relationship and it was just not going well for us. I left before 6:30am every morning and didn't come home until 5pm. I was struggling to keep up with housework, laundry, dishes, cooking, shopping, wedding planning, and gardening.  This is where a lot of people began to assume things about my husband and I's relationship. Yes, we do adhere to traditional gender roles. Yes, I knew that from the beginning and I'm more than okay with it. But with the stress of wedding planning, building our first home, my domestic chores, and my new job- I was drowning. I've struggled with depression since my early teens and it started hitting me hard during this period. My husband finally drew the line when they denied me a full week off for my honeymoon, despite agreeing to it during the hiring process.

Gingersnap

   This is when my life as a housewife really began. I was finally able to finish planning our wedding with two weeks left to go! And after a blissful honeymoon we settled into our roles as husband and wife. Everything is more difficult with one income but it has really taught me how to budget and manage our money with an iron grip. My husband is also very happy to come home and truly be able to relax. Because I'm home all the time I'm able to do all the shopping, run all our errands, pay our bills, manage our money, keep a clean home, prepare breakfast and lunch for my husband, feed our chickens, take care of our garden, do our laundry, etc. We also plan to run a small farm in the near future where we'll grow a majority of our own food, and butcher our own meat. I feel I also need to mention my husband and I planned the home we built accordingly to our lifestyle. We went with a steel building for durability, low taxes, and inexpensive materials

Salt & Pepper

    So why do I still get the sideways glances? I work hard. I take care of my husband and someday, hopefully soon, I'll also be taking care of our children. I'm just sick and tired of the assumptions that I sit on my ass all day and watch soap operas. My husband and I are a team and work together like a well oiled machine. Being a housewife or a stay at home mom does not make you any less successful than a career woman. If that's what you choose to do with your life, and you work your hardest at it, then there is no shame. So, why is it so looked down on? Why do some people assume that gender roles make you weak? I feel that it's up to the individual and couple to decide what your role is in a relationship and it's no one elses business or place to judge that decision. There are women out there who are able to work full time and manage a household (my mother) but I'm not ashamed to admit I'm not that woman, and that's okay.

Colleen  P.