Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Homesteading
Most importantly, we live in Wisconsin; arguably the prettiest state in the country, with a rich culture and all 4 seasons clearly defined. Cranberries, cows, cheese, beer... if you enjoy any of those, Wisconsin is pure paradise. Flat prairie, rolling hills, beautiful lakes (WE actually have 10,000 of those, Minnesota).
throwback to climbing Castle Mound 8 years ago
We live right down from the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, which is one of my favorite places in all of Wisconsin. The endangered Whooping Crane is a regular occurrence there, as is the now protected Blanding's Turtle. With 5 established wolf packs and a plethora of Wisconsin's best flora and fauna, the Necedah NWR should be on everyone's bucket list.
now, living happily near my favorite refuge
My husband, @thefourthwasp, myself, and our two little girls live with my parents, @britchesbrambles in a 4000 square foot home. When I say we live with my parents, I always get funny looks, like "what do you mean you live with your parents? You guys must be mooching". Nope. ;) This house is spacious, and has a 2-bedroom apartment with full bath and office at the back half of the building. We rent this space while we save funds to look for our own forever home.
our beautiful baby girls, Myree and Robyn
by no means a tiny space at all
the nursery, still in progress
playroom for the grandkids, right off the main room
We all have so many plans for the house and small homesteading area. The interior only needs some new paint and a kitchen remodel (11 people and a tiny kitchen don't mix), but the outside has a lot of room for improvement. Short term plans are, as mentioned by my mom in her post here, the pantry inside and the raised beds and chicken coop outside. Long term plans are making those raised beds and chicken coop be sustainable and reduce our grocery budget, and my hubby wanting to redo the garage.
I am most eager for the pantry remodel, and learning to use a pressure canner in order to save and store more food. Wisconsin winters, our storming summers, and just wanting to save some $$ means that canning food can be one of the best options. I've not canned before, but I have temporarily stored homemade cranberry sauce and turkey stock (that recipe here) in jars and in the refrigerator. Jarring them while hot and turning them onto their lids seals them and keeps them fresher longer, rather than putting them into plastic containers.
I have several books that will hopefully make this house lot homesteading go more smoothly.
(Scroll all the way to the bottom of this post for the titles)
it is quite the reading list
It may seem a little crazy to some, discussing the start of homesteading just when Winter is rearing its ugly head, but that really is the best time. At dinner we ask around the table, seeing which person wants to take care of which garden goodies. In the afternoons we sit in front of the TV and watch YouTube videos from other homesteaders. In the evenings we sit at our computers or, as we should do more often, with books in hand; reading the how-to's, the why-not's, and the must-haves when it comes to raising a family and their food in a backyard.
Happy Homesteading! We can't wait to share this journey with you.
Books:
(contains affiliate links)
Mini Farming: Self-sufficiency on 1/4 Acre
The Backyard Homestead - Building Projects
Keep Out - Build Your Own Backyard Clubhouse (it may help with creating a cute coop)
Back to Basics (how could you not own this book if you want to homestead?)
Square Foot Gardening
Made From Scratch
#wisconsin #homesteadingchallenge #necedahnationalwildliferefuge #nature #wildlife
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Welcome to Steemit! Nice intro and beautiful kids. I'm from Wisconsin too woo!! I was like beer, cheese, cran, check haha. Look forward to more posts, followed!
Thank you! It's great meeting local folks; I followed you. :) We have such a great culture, right?!
The best!
Hello @jaelrey You'll find an active homesteading/prepper community here on Steemit. I joined in July and love it!
source
I have noticed that; it's wonderful to read everyone's stories and suggestions!
Awesome intro. Welcome to Steemit.
Thank you!
Welcome to Steemit! Thank you for entering the #homesteadingchallenge, I look forward to seeing the progress of your 2018 resolutions!
Thank you! I'm excited to see where our resolutions take us.
Thank you for participating in the most recent #homesteadingchallenge! This comment is to inform you that the winner and a few honorable mentions have just been announced! I hope to see you in future contests!
welcome, and enjoy those books! i have the first two and last two, and they have been gone through multiple times.
look forward to all of us growing & sharing knowledge here as homesteaders!!
Thank you! And I shall, I'm sure; it's a lot of reading material to fit into my already-busy schedule, but I have a good 3-4 months to get through them all. Wonderful getting to know more homesteaders! I've followed you. :)
Nice to meet you. I've only been here a week or so, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it! We share many interests!
Nice to meet you as well, and welcome! I've been enjoying it thus far, and found more people than I thought I would who share the same interests and hobbies. I followed you. :)
Thanks for the follow! I'm stalkin your mom, too! Blessings!
Of course!
She posts some great stuff. ^_^
Looking forward to learning along with you both!
Cool! It's nice to get to know people a little more! Hope we continue to help each other grow! Great post!
It is! And more so when they're semi-local. :D
Welcome!! It's so nice to hear you are from Wisconsin, we're looking to move there this spring!
I think it's great that you all live together...a nice way to do life!
Oh how wonderful! What area are you looking to move to, if I may ask? I looked on your profile and it says you are currently in Missouri; that's where my husband is from and we'll be going there this summer. :D I'll "follow" you on here.
It is so nice, especially right after I had my second baby. I know we will eventually outgrow our space, but we'll most likely be looking at properties in the area so we can stay close.
We are looking north near Price county or potentially more central. That's pretty neat that your husband is from Missouri, if you don't mind, which part?
That's a beautiful place! We're in Juneau County.
His family is from the Salem area. :)
Nice!! I'm not sure if I've been in the Salem area or not.
It's a smaller place for sure. IIRC, right around Rolla.
Ok, I know where Rolla is!
Every body's journey to the land, freedom, or simplicity is different but none the less exciting. I'm glad you have a spot you can rest and relax all while saving for your dreams! All the best from Double E Blessed Homestead and Beefarm!!
We are very thankful for our current place. Thank you!