How it started…

We’ve had a joke in the family about someday having a family compound. Generations taking care of each other. About 2 years ago I started to browse Redfin for homes and properties in the area that would fit our needs.

Did we want bare land?

Maybe.

A fixer-upper?

Maybe.

Multiple homes or big one?

I dunno.

We really didn’t have much to go off of. But we knew there needed to be space. Lots of space and trees. Space for a garden. Space to run. Space to have what I lovingly call “free-range children.”

In the fall of 2023, I kept looking at this one property that was way over our budget but sooo so beautiful. I sent the link to my mom… and then our Realtor… and we went to tour it. We loved it from the very first drive onto the property. Huge cottonwood trees! A creek! A greenhouse!! Andre would have a REAL shop to build whatever his heart (and mine!) desires!

Alas…it was way over budget. Likely, painfully high.

The listing was actually removed the day after we toured it. The family moved out of state and put the house to bed for the winter.

But I continued to dream (literally) about it, pray about it, and constantly ask “what if…”

The following Spring, I was sitting at my “real” job and I got an email from Redfin, “Back on Market!”

Uh oh.

After weeks of negotiations, months of moving money, and a lot of stress, prayer and fasting (yup, fasting), we finally moved into our dream property in September of 2024. My parents, Me and Andre, our 3 daughters and 2 dogs got all snuggled up into a 3 bedroom house. I began working on the garden and Andre got the shop ready for business. The kids found their favorite trees to climb. A permanent hammock found its new home. My dad found his favorite spot for his morning workout and mom got to work making the new space homey.

Follow along as we learn about homesteading, gardening, building and LIVING.

Sidenote: we have no idea what we’re doing.