Happy Summer! It’s time for a little update on our family’s journey to build a homestead that will support our dream of financial semi-independence, and all the things we enjoy along the way.
Family
The kids have been out of school for a couple of weeks now, and they are already making summer memories. Our new home is very close to a theme park with a water park, so we purchased season passes for everyone. We have already made a bunch of trips, always bringing food with us, to keep expenses low. I think the kids would be happy to go there every day.
We had our joint kids’ birthday party a little early this year. It was a little expensive, but very fun day, and we celebrated all five kids’ birthdays. The kindergarten and second grade friends were invited earlier in the day, and the fifth and seventh grade friends were invited later in the afternoon, and a few spent the night. We rented a giant inflatable obstacle course with a slide and it kept all of the kids entertained all day.
Now, it’s time for the real test. One of the big reasons why we purchased our property is for the space for our children to play outside in the summer, in the woods and in the creek. I’m sure there will still be rainy days or times when they are “bored,” but hopefully they will keep busy making memories in their new giant backyard. There are also a variety of community activities that we will be getting involved with this summer.
Garden
The seedlings from the greenhouse did not do very well, so we did purchase most of our plants. We did our planting mid-May, just before a really chilly night. There were a few losses that were replaced and now the garden is thriving. We have: corn, peas, tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, brussel sprouts, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, green pepper, potatoes, cantaloupe, and watermelon. I also grew a bunch of sunflowers from seed.
For the first few weeks, we were using old milk gallon jugs to haul water up to the garden from the creek. Mr. Smith found an old container in the woods which he cleaned up and loaded on a trailer. We purchased some hoses and a water pump (long term investment), and now we have an irrigation system for the garden. And, it allows us to use nutrient rich water from the creek.
Our new home came with some fruit as well. We have been enjoying blueberries and wild black raspberries. There are also peach trees that seem to be growing a lot of adorable, fuzzy fruit. My six apple trees (Christmas present) have been planted and look wonderful, although it should be a couple of years before they give us fruit.
The Flock
Tending to the chickens and ducks has become a part of our day-to-day life. We lost one chicken, who mysteriously died with no signs of injury (possibly poisoned). That leaves us with nine chickens and three ducks. We are anxiously awaiting a return on our investments, as eggs should be coming by the end of the summer. The ducks are probably girls, so we’re hoping to try some duck eggs for the first time too!
Rental Income
Our finances are about to be doing a bit better. We moved out of our old home almost one year ago. Mr. Smith has been hard at work fixing it all up, including new windows and flooring. We have a few people who are interested in renting from us, so hopefully we can start collecting rent from that home.
We still also own our first “starter” home, which has been rented by a very close friend for the past eleven years. He is getting ready to move on and Mr. Smith will be starting his work on fixing up that house next (after our busy summer here on the homestead).
Our Victorian Home
We had some big items on our To-Do List since purchasing our home from 1888. It needed a new roof and the possibly-original chimney had to be repointed. Both have been done. The roof cost $13,120 and the chimney cost $4,800. We were aware of these issues before purchasing the home, and negotiated the sale price down.
Now, we can move on to finishing the attic. It will become a giant living space for the three youngest boys. And, our room will get a big walk-in closet!
Mr. Smith removed the wood stove from our old home. We didn’t want to worry about renters using it, and we could use some help on the heating bill for this big home. The wood stove will be installed in the next few months and Mr. Smith has already chopped up a whole bunch of wood for it.
Side Hustles
My focus this last month or so, has been on a craft sale in our new town. I made up a bunch of little crochet items to sell and Tornado joined me with some artwork and homemade cards. We made a small profit – but it’s still a profit.
It was definitely a learning experience. I now have a much better idea of what items actually sell at a summer market like this one, which has given me plenty of ideas for the future. In a few years, we will hopefully be able to sell lots of other types of items from our homestead too.
I’m looking forward to our next craft fair in October – a mandatory appearance because it’s at our church.
Becoming An Influencer
It’s been quite surreal to finally be in the place that I dreamed about for so many years. I have been a lot more active on social media, because there is just so much more good stuff to share. It also feels something like a responsibility. I should be motivating and inspiring others to chase their dreams, because we are proof that it can happen.
You can follow along for more frequent updates, and fun videos at:
https://www.facebook.com/creatingmykaleidoscope/
https://www.instagram.com/cmk_harmony/
https://www.tiktok.com/@cmk_harmony
There is even a new Intro video on our YouTube channel:
Thanks for reading!
