Welcome to Spring Mountain Living

 

Welcome to our newest series: Homesteading Journeys!  

There are a lot of different ways to Homestead out there.  You could have a full on Ranch, an awesome Farm, an acre or two and everything in-between.  You could even homestead in the city, the suburbs or an apartment!

No matter what the size, your a Homesteader!

Every Monday we will be bringing you various posts from Homesteaders big and small.  We hope you come along on our Homesteading Journey with us…there will be lots to learn together and of course recipes, DIY, tutorials and fun along the way!

 We would like to extend the warmest welcome possible to a friend of mine, Krystyna from Spring Mountain Living.  Go on over and browse around her site…it’s beautiful and just full of recipes, remedies and natural living posts…you will fall in love with her and her site, as much as I did.  Krystyna will be sharing all about her Homesteading experience regularly on Mondays and we are so pleased to invite her to the Simply Living Simply family!

 

 

Homesteading wasn’t something I grew up wanting to do, and I definitely didn’t think I would be a farm-loving country girl when I first got together with my husband and we were sharing a tiny apartment while living Japan.  But now that we’re living on an 80 acre farm in the UP (Michigan’s Upper Peninsula), I look back and see that we really did start our journey all those years ago, growing tomatoes and peppers in pots on the balcony.  It’s amazing how my dream came to life, even though I wasn’t completely aware it was the dream I wanted or that it was happening!

 

So what do we do on our farm?  Simply put, we do everything we can, as we are able.  Farming ain’t easy!  Our dream to own our own farm recently came true, after moving to the UP and purchasing an old, rundown homestead in a small and amazing little town called Bruce Crossing.  Looking like the Beverly Hillbillies, we moved our vehicles and animals in a couple long trips and are still in the early stages of getting our farm into good working order.  We raise many animals for food (and fun!), including sheep, goats, chickens, ducks, guineas, rabbits and pigs.  We also have a handful of dogs for livestock protection, along with a service dog that is always by my side.  

In addition to farming, I’m a busy homeschooling mom, cook to a family with a plethora of food allergies, soon-to-be Master Herbalist, and writer. And when I have the time, I am a lover of all things crafty, especially knitting and sewing.  Tempt me with another craft and I just might take it up! 

 

While I often feel like I’m stuck in the middle of an Old McDonald song, I am truly loving the leaps and bounds that I’ve made, along with my husband and children, towards becoming more self-sufficient, and living a more satisfying, fulfilling life. Learning from my country-boy hubby, along with spending numerous hours reading books and researching online, I’ve been able to make the hop, skip and jump from apartment life to backyard farming, all the way to owning and helping with the work on my very own farm (albeit rundown and needing lots of love!).  I’m excited to share my experiences, both positive and negative, with the Simply Living Simply community!   

 

 

This article is hopping around the following Blog Hops:

Homestead Barn Hop, Wildcrafting Wednesday, From the Farm Fridays, Simple Saturdays Blog Hop, Simple Life Sunday Blog Hop.

Copyright:

This article may be contributed to third-party sites, but it is COPYRIGHTED, and it may not be USED in any form or shared without my written permission.  If you are interested in this article or any of Simply Living Simply articles, please contact Kat Yorba; Author and owner of Simply Living Simply directly for republishing information.

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Medical Disclaimer:

Nothing in this post is to be construed as medical advice, simply a sharing of things that have worked for me & my family. If you have any symptoms of serious illness, taking medication, pregnant or nursing, or have never worked with herbal materials or essential oils before, please consider consulting a medical professional before use. I am unable to offer advise for your particular medical situation; please ask your Doctor, Nurse Practitioner or Naturopath for further guidance.  The statements made here have not been approved by the Food & Drug Administration. These statements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. This notice is required by the Federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act.