We started out as a young couple in Indiana in August of 2014. We found out we were pregnant with our first in October, and by December we decided to move to Cincinnati, OH for some business opportunities.
We lived in a 525 sq ft apartment in a bad neighborhood, then moved to a house in another bad neighborhood. After my husband quit a job and was unable to get another, we were in dire straits with a toddler and no back-up plan.
My parents paid for a moving truck and moved us up to Northern Michigan to live with them. After that, we rented a trailer for two years, rented a house for another year, and then in 2020 bought a house on land contract.
Our small house was on three beautiful acres and we planned for it to be our forever home. By then, we had three kids, and number four was born two weeks after we moved in. The house required work to be able to sustain a growing family, and we couldn’t afford to hire out. We watched YouTube videos and went project by project. We were in a near constant state of renovation.
During that time, I went down every sustainability rabbit hole you can imagine. I wanted to be able to go into every activity feeling like an expert. I have fixated on chickens, quail, foraging, sourdough, gardening techniques, herbal remedies, homemade kitchen staples, homebirth, homeschooling, raw milk, and so much more.
But, as many discover in homesteading, you can never prepare enough for the experience life will give you. We have relocated chickens during torrential thunderstorms. We have had predators bust latches on our quail hutch. Hunting the scattered birds in the woods was not for the faint of heart. Our many gardening attempts rarely resulted in decent harvests. My husband’s herniated discs in his back frequently flaired, which changed what we were capable of at the time. We had three more children. We were constantly yo-yoing between recovery periods and hard chunks of work to try to close the gaps.
By early 2026, we were feeling cramped in our little house and were considering a move or building an addition. We didn’t feel a push in any direction and any progress felt impossible. However, after a tragic storm and spring thaw flooded our little home, we were displaced to my parents’ home once again, but this time, as a family of 9. Following a month of poor mental health, children in the hospital, and emotional turbulence, we began looking for a new home.
While the financial side of things is a huge risk during the very highly priced housing market, we have found an old Amish farm for sale outside of a nearby town. We hope to show you the process of bringing it back to life. It is everything we ever dreamed of and is the light at the end of the tunnel through one of the hardest journeys of our lives.
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