We are getting ready to move to a homestead!! My husband and I own 5 acres we call Straw Hill {in Eastern Iowa} that we’re planning to build a Passive House on. We’re highly motivated to live a more sustainable life to preserve precious resources and I love that my blog encourages people to do the same! I really believe that if everyone could make one small lifestyle change, the world would be a much better, cleaner place. {And probably nicer, too!}
SimplifyLiveLove Homesteading
Two years ago we were given a barn that we moved to our property days before it was to be burned to the ground. The process taught us that while there’s no such thing as a free barn, preserving American heritage is a wonderful thing. Our barn is a beautiful round topped barn that has been given a second shot at life! We turned the upstairs mow into offices and a show room, and the downstairs into a shop and parking for our home building and remodeling company, Oak Tree Homes. We are so excited with the progress we’ve made this summer and project completion for the barn is scheduled for October 2012!!
We’re also planting gardens, fruit and berry bushes, and an orchard, cleaning brush, mowing weeds, and getting ready for a bit of livestock, and generally preparing the area for our passive house. I’ve been gardening since 2006 and produce a lot of the food we eat during the winter.
In the summer, you can find me in the garden or in my kitchen. I’m busy gardening, canning tomatoes, making pickles and jelly, and preserving food to enjoy all year. Not only is growing my own fun, it’s also healthier and better for the environment, too. I have hopes of one day eating only local foods like Barbara Kingsolver did in her wonderful book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, one of my all-time favorite books and huge inspiration in choosing this lifestyle.
I love sunflowers and we grow a lot of them! Flowers brighten my day and I love to share pictures of them and other things that make me smile, like good food and my family.
I am honored that you stopped by my little blog. I hope you enjoy what you see and follow my family on our path to as much self-sufficiency as we can eek out! Every bit counts. And you can bet I will share our successes and failures along the way.
Thank YOU for your support!
