We decided to call our mini-homestead Serenity Springs when we moved here almost 4 years ago. Jeff and I are peaceful, non-dramatic people (Serenity), and our water is spring-fed (Springs), so it seemed to fit. We had owned a house in town for twenty years before selling it and moving to the country, where we cleaned up and lightly remodeled my mother-in-law's house before moving in. She had previously moved in with her daughter, my husband's sister, so the house was sitting empty.
While she still lived here, my mother- in- law raised chihuahuas to sell, but ended up keeping most of them as pets. At last count before she moved, she had around 19. That was a LOT of chihuahuas. They were no longer there when we moved here, but their presence and reminder that they had been there remained, and not in a good way. It took a bit of perseverance and scrubbing to rid the house of their smell, and also to conquer the mice who had moved in and were living the good life.
At any rate, we got things cleaned up, tiled and painted, which included me falling off of a ladder onto hard tile floor and hearing something near my knee pop. Turns out, I had broken at least one of the three tiny bones located near my knee. I could walk, but it hurt, and I limped stiff-legged for MONTHS afterwards. I honestly thought it was never going to heal, and that I had a permanent limp. Thankfully, after a long, slow recovery, it did heal, and I don't limp or suffer pain with it any longer. This was a challenge for me, because other than allergies and some pregnancy difficulties, I am normally very healthy and non-injured!
We moved from the city because my husband, Jeff, for years had wanted to move back to the country where he had grown up. Anyone that knows him knows that he is a country boy at heart. I am glad that he got his heart's desire. I must admit, I wasn't much of a willing participant when he first told me. I may or may not have pitched a mini-fit near hysterics, which isn't like me at all. The reason behind this is that I don't like change, and that was going to be a pretty big change! Like the only time I had ever moved was from my parent's house, 20 years before. It was a very big deal to me.
God changed my heart pretty quickly, though, and I got on board with my husband's vision. Which is good, because I detest being at odds with the love of my life. We painted and fixed up our house, and we sold it within two weeks of listing it! It was a nice older home, with over 2000 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, TONS of closets, a hot tub, and lots of decks and porches.
On the other hand, our new abode has around 1100 square feet. One closet (two since Jeff built one in the living room), one bathroom, and Amber sleeps in the attic (by choice). It was a major downsize, but I have come to absolutely love it!! Minimalization does wonders for peace of mind and contentment. I highly recommend it.
This is two of the faces behind Serenity Springs, Jeff and myself (Debbie). I LOVE his beard!! He is one of the kindest, Godliest men I know, and he is my best friend! They truly don't make many like him anymore. He is a rare treasure to me.
So we are pursuing a homesteading life. We have chickens and ducks and soon to be geese and even more ducks. We have raised 2 pigs for slaughter, and raise a large garden every year in raised beds. Jeff is in the middle of rebuilding our greenhouse. The first one was a quick, wood and plastic structure just to have one ready to use. The plastic wasn't very sustainable, though, and also not attractive at all, if you ask me. His new one will be wood and windows, a little larger, and much more attractive to the eye.
We have four children: Alix (22), who is married with 2 children, Jessie (19), Amber (15), and Joshua (13). We have homeschooled them all, and have graduated 2 so far. We love the life of a homeschooling family and wouldn't have it any other way. We raise our children to have a strong work ethic and to be independent, and we try to teach them to put God first in all they do.
That being said, meet Alix.
My lovely oldest daughter is married and no longer lives with us. As you can see, I have two gorgeous grandchildren that I LOVE to death! They are indeed the light of my life, along with all of my children, and my best friend, also known as my husband. Alix is a small business owner, having a successful Etsy shop and occasionally setting up at fairs and such. I am extremely proud of all her hard work to make it successful. She is the child that most closely resembles my own personality. She is introverted, but loving, just like me. She has surprised herself since getting married by closely mirroring my beliefs and sayings. We have a lot in common, and I love to chat with her. She has homebirthed both of her children which just tickles me to death.
They want a large family, and we support that 100%! Children are such a blessing from the Lord, and we would have had more ourselves, God willing (We had a tubal pregnancy and a miscarriage, or we would be a family with 6 living children ourselves!) She plans to homeschool as well. My son-in-law, Mark, is one of the most creative, multi-abilitied people I know. He is a very good, Godly husband to my daughter, and I love him a lot.
My grandchildren, Canon, who will be 4 this year, and Hadassah, who will be 2, are a bundle of energy and love. Canon is already very intelligent and creative, and Hadassah is my cuddler. She loves to be snuggled. I cannot express how much love a grandparent can feel for their grandbabies, but man is it powerful! Hadassah has her grandfather, Jeff, (they call him Sabba) wrapped around her cute little finger. He thinks she hung the moon. Oh, the power of us ladies!
And here is my lovely second oldest daughter, Jessie.
.
Jessie was a mama's girl for the longest time, but after she grew up, it was daddy's girl all the way! She is a strong, disciplined Godly young woman that I admire greatly. She loves to play guitar, read, work outside, and play in the rain. She epitomizes the word "integrity" in all things, which can annoy me at times when I am going 5 miles over the speed limit and she fusses at me for speeding. But what a rare and marvelous trait to have! She was extremely shy for the longest time, but her personality and confidence finally emerged as she grew up. She is a hard worker, eats healthy, and blesses us with meals and/or goodies often. She is very dependable, and house sits, babysits, and cleans for extra money. If I had to trust someone with a million dollars, a list of things to accomplish across the whole country, and my safety, it would either be my husband or Jessie.
And here is my third oldest, Amber:
Out of all my children, she is the most dramatic. She also has the biggest servant heart of all of us. She has a perpetually pleasant disposition, and when she gets mad, she usually gets over it very quickly. Amber is always willing to lend a hand wherever she is, especially in the kitchen. She loves to bake and cook, and she is quite proficient at it. She can make up dessert recipes on the fly that are yummy. She loves to read and listen to dramatized stories on CD. She loves to watch movies, but doesn't get to as much as she would like.
Amber is the person in the house who is the most fun to tease (in a nice way). She takes it all with a smile or a shrug. She has written her first book, around 150 handwritten pages. It is about a big family who lives in an Indian village and their trials during the precursor to war. She has started a second book, which is the second in the series about the family during the war. It would be so nice to be able to get those in print for her.
She has felt drawn towards Kenya for several years now, and thinks she wants to study medicine in Kenya to be a doctor and then stay there to minister to the people. It is much cheaper to get her degree there, and if her goal is to live there, then this is definitely the way to go. She is a very determined, strong young lady who will represent her faith well wherever she ends up. She has strong beliefs, and is not easily led astray by peer pressure.
And here is my baby, Joshua:
He's not much of a baby though. Weighing in at 165, he is also the tallest person in the house. He is straight up a mama's boy, but that doesn't make him any less manly. He can split and stack wood like a pro, keeps our yard mowed by hand and works hard at whatever we ask him to do. He can cook a mean egg, make salads, and can whip up muffins, though being in the kitchen is definitely not his preference. Although the food residing in the kitchen IS his preference, and let me tell you, this boy can put some food away! He can down about 25+ pieces of pizza at Cici's, and then open the fridge when he gets home. He LOVES fruit, and can go through so much that we started initialing it so that we all get some before the next grocery trip!
He loves sports, especially football. We study the headlines and stats during NFL season, and chat about it just about every day. It is a marvelous way to connect with him. He also plays it very well. His preferred position to play is either wide receiver or safety. He is better than good at both. His friends down in Primm Springs started to call him magnet fingers because he can catch the ball so well. And his hands are HUGE! He is also developing an interest in basketball. His persistent hobby since childhood has been his hot wheels cars. It has always been easy to please him with gifts.
He is a soft-spoken, considerate and kind young man that has walked through the fire with his mama and emerged on the other side a lot more refined and pleasant. He is a living testimony of why parents should stick with and support and desperately pray for a rebellious child until God gets a hold of their hearts and they change. I love this boy, and I am extremely thankful that God gave me at least one son to raise. I think he is absolutely gorgeous, and will make some lucky woman a Godly husband someday.
Life can be harder here in the country than it was in the city. Times are tough for just about everyone, and we have found ways to be more frugal and creative. I truly wouldn't trade homestead life for anything. And that is our family in a nutshell. Thank you for visiting with us.
Here are some books on the homesteading life we have enjoyed:
Homesteading by Abigail Gehring
Square Foot Gardening
Backyard Homesteading by David Toht
The Joy of Keeping Chickens
Growing Great Garlic
Blessings,
Debbie, Home at Serenity Springs (Come like our facebook page here!)
You can find all of our blog posts on our Home at Serenity Springs Pinterest page.
No comments:
Post a Comment