We are BUILDING!

   

Wow a lot has conspired since my last post and things have been what seems to be non-stop busy in a good way. To summarize we are finally to the point where we are now building! 

                                           

  First of course came our blueprints on the barn. We were amazed on how easy and cost effective this part ended up being. Jake was able to draw up what we wanted, and the blueprint expert was able to turn Jakes rough draft drawings into the final needed product.

                         

   Next was figuring out a lender. This seems to be the stage we always run into unexpected hurdles. We originally wanted Jake to be the general contractor, but we quickly found that the banks that were willing to work with us on what we could afford as a down payment would not allow that. We decided the best option we had was to stick with the lender we already had for the land. After this was decided, things started to come together very quickly. During this process we were thankfully able to settle on a builder that came recommended by one of our new, very good neighbors. Thankfully this builder was able to work with us to achieve the pricing we needed to be approved. In the end it all worked out and we closed in April! 

  We finally broke ground in May!! The footing is now placed, and walls will soon be poured. The build should roughly be completed within six months. I will say though, we are over the moon happy to finally make it to this stage and sooner than we anticipated. Now that we are finally here, it has become very hard to keep our patience at bay as we feel like this has been a long time coming. We are very much ready to settle down a little and have everything in one place again. Stay tuned for all the updates on our Facebook and Instagram pages!!

   We are currently attempting to camp out on the property every weekend to help move things along. We are trimming up some trees, putting up a garden gate, and setting up living quarters for our livestock. The first livestock to make it out to our land is our 50 chickens. We are happy to now be able to sell the eggs down at Chesters. We are not stopping there though! We soon will be adding our goats Dixie and Belle, plus an additional 4 more goats, 2 lambs, 10 ducks, and some pigs!! We are quite literally planning on hitting the ground running and could not be more exited. On top of our livestock, I have been busy getting our seedlings started down at Chet's greenhouse to soon be planted in our garden. The future is bright!! Hold on to your seat as there will be lots to share over the course of the next few months. 

Making A Plan

    

    When Jake and I knew this journey was without a doubt what we wanted we knew the next step would be to find a realtor. We knew of a few good realtors that came highly recommended, but they were not well known for what we were looking for. They were more about the fancy houses. It was not the style or anything close to what we had wanted. Jake happened to stumble across this guy named Ryan on Facebook who had listed a property we were interested in nearby. We thought why not give him a try; he is advertising the exact type of land we are looking for and in the right areas. 

    When we first met Ryan, we knew immediately that he was our guy to make things happen. A couple fun facts we liked off the bat about Ryan was he was self-employed, a parent, and had had pigs before. This guy understood us. Ryan has been great this whole journey. We have known him for roughly two years now. He has taken the time to get to know both my husband and I’s likes and dislikes and what we were comfortable compromising on. This man has had no easy task. My husband was wanting mostly woods. Where I wanted more pasture. The "view" was a big deal to me. Whereas good hunting grounds was a big deal to Jake. 

     

      Ryan helped us every part of the way ensuring we understood our options and when it came time the tasks, we needed to fulfill to be able to put in offers. Ryan helped us from budgeting discussions to also ensuring we knew all our top lender options and how it worked. When we realized this dream would not be possible without selling our house to have a reasonable down payment Ryan even helped us with that. I feel like Ryan has come to having more titles than just realtor. He has become someone we absolutely trust with all our decisions in this process. 

    My husband and I both made accounts with Zillow and Redfin. I personally like the organization on the Redfin app the best because not only was I able to filter my searches better, I also was able to categorize what I saved in separate groups, attach comments, save multiple commutes, and my husband and I both were able to link the same account with different emails. Using these apps, Facebook, and Ryan’s expertise we started filtering through the properties we were highly interested in. 

    Next Ryan would take us on the showings, and we would discuss pros and cons, what we could afford, and what the townships would allow. Ryan would take care of any questions we had and always answered promptly. 

    We have looked at land all over west Michigan it seems. We did entertain looking at land with existing houses on them. Most of the houses without us even looking at them we had already decided from looking at photos we would want to flip. In today's market that was just not something we wanted to do. Now had the houses been nice enough to rent out we may have entertained that idea but again the prices in today's market were just too high to do that and build. So, we checked that possibility off the list. We looked at land with existing barns on them and of course vacant land as well. Our favorite properties usually consisted of 50/50 woods and pasture with some form of water access such as a creek or a pond. Needless to say, we were not the only ones who favored those properties. So, they came and went. With every property that did not work out it was a hit to our confidence level on if the right property was out there. Ryan was always honest, kind, and reassuring that it may take time, but it is out there. We just had to be patient and keep looking. Something would eventually fit. 

    Well, I am here to tell you that after roughly 2 years of searching and only two months in a camper our man Ryan was right! Finally, an offer we submitted on roughly 40 acres of beautiful land was accepted!! Now our journey can really start developing into a dream come true. I can't wait to tell you more about the property and our plans. God is good!

Camper Life

                       

    Living in a camper is not all the fun and games you would think it would be. My first initial thought was "okay we can do this!" "This will simplify things and declutter our lives quick." I thought that living in a camper would help me de-stress because I would have to live off less, clean less, and have fewer visual anxieties. Though my initial thought process was not completely out of left field, they were not at all what I had in mind when reality struck. The visual anxieties within the camper quickly became very discouraging. I am claustrophobic, and being in a smaller space only made that worse. We had to move fast at an inconvenient time of year. We had to fit the three of us and two dogs in a camper. The time we moved did factor into the unpleasantness because we did not have time to prepare like we should have. Let's face it though, most things in life, whether good or bad, never really happen as planned or when it's convenient. You get bored or discouraged thinking "when is this going to happen?", then bam here we are, and it is time to act. 

    It is definitely smart to try to plan the best you can but try not to over think things like I did. You should hope for the best but always plan for the worst-case scenario. Prioritize what needs to happen now, decide what can be figured out later, then go from there. Your vision and plans will constantly change and evolve as you find more affordable and more efficient ways of doing things. This all takes time, patience, budgeting, and lots of research. Honestly, life is all trial and error. Learn from the bad, excel from the good, and thank the lord for being by your side every step of the way. 

    At the start, we were a little more cramped than we had anticipated we would be. Some clothes needed to be hung up and we honestly had nowhere to put them. We were not hooked up to plumbing yet, being that it was winter when we moved. So, all the overflow clothes got thrown into the shower to be resolved another day. Slowly I did start buying camper friendly storage organizers on Amazon, along with stackable milk crates we already had, as a way to store what we could. This has helped. Use what you have and only buy what you need. We thankfully were able to park at a family members property. Therefore, we have been able to go inside to shower and use their plumbing for our daily needs, if you know what I mean. Let me tell you though having to walk outside during an artic blast storm to get to indoor plumbing is not fun. I'm definitely not an outhouse kind of lady. Other family members and friends have also helped by letting us use their washer and dryer. We use 2 large 100-pound propane tanks in rotation to heat the camper and cook. We also rotate 4 jugs filled with water to cook, water the dogs, fill the coffee pot, and any other needs. Yes, I put "fill the coffee pot". Some luxuries you just can't let go of. 

    Needless to say, I am very much ready for Spring to arrive. Side note: thank you Phill the ground hog for the early Spring prediction. I very much hope you are right this time. Not sure if Spring will solve all of our problems, but it will be nice to be able to finally hook up to plumbing the right way. We are also just looking forward to being outdoors more. We want to make this experience truly feel like we are in the back yard, camping. We plan on making it as fun as we can for our son. Including cooking out at the campfire more, and planting what we can for food in hanging baskets and repurposed laundry baskets. I'm thinking maybe some strawberries and cherry tomatoes to start. We shall see.  

    Life has not been all bad living in a camper. This experience has tested our limits no doubt, but it also has forced us closer together. It has been a joy bonding with my family. Playing games together, cuddling while watching movies, and running around outside playing with our animals. Even though it is tough, and at times stressful, growing together has been my biggest joy. Taking the time to pause and notice things you would not otherwise notice helps you appreciate the small things in life so much more. After all is said and done, I only hope that what we take away from all of this is that we can do anything so long as we have each other. Family is the most important thing in this world. Family is what makes it all worthwhile. 

     Hopefully by the time fall approaches we will be more prepared for winter. My advice to you if you too plan to go on the same journey we have, is to plan more realistically. Do not rush into it! Stock your essentials first. This will help however you are going to temporarily live be more comfortable. Then list the house. This way when the house sells in the first two weeks it was listed you can hit the ground running. Also, pack everything! Only leave out what you would if you were going on a temporary trip. You can always get the extras back out when you need them. Have a huge garage sale before listing as well. Don't be afraid of living out of boxes for a while. If you need a storage unit, establish this once the house sells. Then immediately take all your extra time organizing and moving your stuff. If 30 days is not enough for you, discuss seeing if 60 days is an option before signing on the dotted line. If you have some place to store a shipping container this could be another more affordable option to store your belongings without those monthly payments. Always factor in time for things to go haywire. This way you have a better idea where stuff is when you need it or when you go to sell anything. If you can take time off work I would recommend it. Maybe attempt making it a long weekend if possible. Because you can always be sure of one thing, and that is the unplanned experiences. 

    One thing is for certain: you live, you learn, and God will always provide! Until next time folks. Remember to enjoy the little things in life along the way. 

Making Big Moves

          

    When the time came to make the decision to sell or not to sell our home, I will tell you I was heartbroken. This was the first home I was able to purchase on my own and the home we started building our family in. I had always known in the back of my mind that this was not our forever home, however, I never thought I would sell it. I had always assumed I would entertain renting the house out as a whole or turning it into a duplex style rental since the way the basement was set up would have allowed us to do that. The home was not perfect for our needs but had a lot of potential. 

    When the time came to start researching lender options, we quickly realized based on the different banker's advisements, that keeping the house would no longer be a feasible option to be able to get approved for the type of loan and the amount we were looking for. I knew we would need to make compromises along the way. However, whatever we ended up purchasing for our homestead was also going to be our forever home. So, I did not want to over compromise so much that it would not appease all of our needs. I wanted to feel comfortable in my own home and feel free to do what felt fitting on my own land. So, we had made the decision to sell the house and use the money to pay off debts and use the rest on a down payment for the land.  

    Next Ryan, our realtor, helped us list the house. Let me tell you, things move fast in today's housing market. Me and Jake had to put our heads together quick and decide where we would live while we continued our search in making our dreams a reality. Some things discussed were living in an apartment, moving in with friends and family, tiny homes, and living on an all-year-round campground. Not one of these options felt right for us. Of course, all had their good qualities. We wanted to save money, and still have the ability to have our own space. We also did not know how much longer our search would continue to take. Therefore, we did not want to feel like we were putting our family in a spot where it eventually felt like we were intruding, though we know they would never intentionally make us feel that way. We are the kind of people that would rather do it ourselves and not have to ask for help. Needless to say, we are too stubborn for our own good. 

    With a lot of discussion and back and forth ultimately my husband and I chose to purchase a large 2-bedroom fifth wheel camper and park it on our family's property. This gave us some independence and the ability to come and go as we please without being too much of a disruption to anyone. We also had the luxuries of being able to use our families land and home for our important needs whenever needed. I liked the idea of having everything in one place. It was just convenient with my husband and I both still working full time jobs through the week. This choice was not decided upon lightly. Nevertheless, here we are and exited that we have been given the ability to continue being able to pursue our dream. Sometimes you have to do the hard things in life first to lead wherever God is taking you. I truly felt homesteading was what God was directing us towards. God had put this in my heart, so I was going to put my trust in him to provide a way. My next blog I will discuss how life is living in a camper. Stay tuned! 

Introduction

                 

     Welcome to my blog! I am not a journalist by any means, but I have a passion for learning and spreading the knowledge that can help us all grow and create better lives. I decided to start this blog because my family and I are making big decisions to better our lives. I thought what a fun experience this could be to share our journey with others who may have the same interests and aspirations. Here I will document in journal form the adventures we take along the way of accomplishing the Howard family's dream of building a homestead and a simpler self-sufficient lifestyle. 

    This dream, simply put, started out as just that! My husband and I both have always had a love for animals, food, family, and nature. We, just like anyone else, started having conversations on how we could encompass the things we love into our everyday lives. I really wanted to grow my knowledge on gardening. I have always loved being a home maker and helping take care of others. My husband wanted to grow his knowledge in hunting and farming. When we had our son, he too developed a lot of the same interests as mom and dad. He loves all things homesteading required, such as tractors and tending to the chores. At this point our dream turned to wanting to create a better life for our son. We wanted to create a legacy we could one day pass on to him that would leave him knowing and respecting hard work, but not having to struggle as we have. 

     Now that we had our son, I grew to the point that I wanted to be home more. I am not there yet, but every decision we make only gets me closer to that goal. My husband also had a similar desire and wanted to become his own boss. My husband was over the 9-5 daily lifestyle. So, he started his lawncare business shortly after Liam was born. He also works with my brother in-law processing deer during deer season and going out to farms to butcher and process the livestock. Needless to say, we have learned a lot by our career changes along the way. Given everything going on in the world these days, we did not want to be forced into a lifestyle that society saw fit. We felt that was the wrong path for us. If that meant things had to get hard before they got better, that became a sacrifice we were willing to make. 

So, we embarked on our journey of living on blind faith and trusting God to provide. We had decided we were not made to just pay bills and die. We were created for so much more and we, by whatever means necessary, were going to do the best of our ability to make this happen for our family. Tune in to my next blog entry to see how we started making things happen.