Dreams do come true, Dreams do come true, Dreams do come true! (I am trying to encourage myself)  I haven't blogged in a while. Partly due to life running full boar ahead, partly due to my health. It seems I am not super mom and can not continually go at the speed of light. My immune system is shot and currently as I am sitting here trying to catch up I am in the throes of  pain while passing a kidney stone. It seems as if I have had a kidney infection for weeks and i was thinking it was my IBS. I went on antibiotics just two days ago and i assume that the infection and swelling has gone down enough for my sweet little kidney to shoot out one if its pieces of shrapnel. If you have ever passed a "stone" you understand what I am saying. This will be my 7th! My kidneys have been clear for two years... But as tests showed my acid level is at a level that requires me to STOP eating acidic foods and embrace the more alkaline morsels. The acid level actually causes kidney disease and leaches calcium from my bones to cause the stones.

Dreams do come true, Dreams do come true, Dreams do come true! We have still been looking for our dream home.. We spoke with our financial planner last week and are looking towards and planning my husbands early retirement in 23 months. We have made the plan to leave California and are isolating our search more towards the east coast.

We want an area that is not being plagued by drought which so many states are, we want a home where we are free to drink our raw goats milk, raise our chickens, sell their eggs and basically set up an income building homestead. Dreams do come true, Dreams do come true, Dreams do come true! My focus today is that my dreams will come true, that the desires of my heart that were purposely placed by God will be realized.

So I will be encouraged, in my struggle to get healthy, in my journey to prepare my family to move across this nation and to search out every blessing God has for me! You be encouraged too and realize that you too can experience all the joy imaginable, that you can be in the middle of the same chaos as I find myself in with 5 kids,  and love love love life!

Looking in all the right places

Granted I just started this blog and feel as though I am completely clueless as to how to grow one. On the positive side I can tell you that I have found the mother load of helpful blogs that will no doubt help us in our endeavor to become the happy hobby farmer or what I really desire, a self sustaining family, with a handful of farm animals a beautiful garden and all of the other "trappings".  So for today I will continue to do what I can to prepare myself for my tomorrow. I am planning on dehydrating some tomatoes. I just finished  drying some organic Basil I picked up from Fresh -n-Easy for 35cents a 6 oz package which normally runs 2.99! I purchased all they had and had enough of the dry stuff to fill a quart jar. So off till tomorrow!

Finally a start to building our Dream!

Everything I do begins with a thought.  For me that thought will go onto a list and then if I prioritize it normally it eventually falls off the list because of everything else that demands my time in my fast paced life. I am a wife, a mother to 7 children 2 of which are grown, I am a retired mortgage office manager, and now I run an outreach based ministry and attempt to run a home. Since my husband and I married (long story I will have to make it another post) 7 years ago we had a dream, to own some property and just skip this fast paced life We thought Oklahoma would be great. Our dream quickly changed (re-prioritized) having added 5 children to the picture. Our dream now is to take these 5 special blessings away from this lifestyle and into one where there is time to slow down long enough to enjoy a butterfly that flutters by and enough space to run without hitting a city street.

So back to our new dream, The decision is made and just like the family thought we were crazy when we kept saying yes to Social Services taking one more meth addicted baby after another we have made the decision to leave our little rented suburban home and buy our family a small acreage farm where we can have a few goats, some chickens, a nice garden. Now all we have to do is to dial in the location however narrowing it down to where we want to live is proving to be quite a challenge. My husband is up for early retirement  in three years. We thought initially we could wait it out and leave California but as we watch the times change we understand the growing need to become independent.  I personally do not see another 3 good years with another 3 to get it together. So we may not have the luxury to move out of state and as a result have begun to look outside our valley into the foothills into much smaller communities where there are 5 acre parcels to be had for a semi-decent price. This would allow hubby to finish out his 3 years and for the family to make the move and begin a self sustaining lifestyle. BUT honestly I am not convinced I want to be a part of this arid place.

This is where I need you. I have recently started this blog in hopes to start conversations, to incite thought and to openly share my struggles. I only know family farms from my Grandparents,  and Aunts and Uncles places I visited as a child. I have had nice vegetable gardens years ago but nothing recently. I have become totally dependant on others for my food supply and the what ifs cloud my mind. So now is the time for action, the time for a plan.

My questions for you;

What does the perfect homestead look like?

What are the key or most important elements to look for when searching out a property?

Is this possible in California?

Please chime in.. some of you have come through many trials, from which I desire to learn from. No need for me to travel down a path if it is not proven.

Here is a look at a 5 acre parcel we have looked at $110,000, a well that pumps 99 gpm. but has no home, or out buildings. I think it would be a huge labor of love and perhaps a ton of money to get fences up and start.

 I appreciate your help!

Big hugs and many thanks!
~Rhoda