Mr. Bluejeans and I hatched a plan 12 years ago to create our very own homestead. We were country kids trapped in suburban lives. Mr. Bluejeans was fortunate enough to grow up with horses. [You can read here to learn about my horse encounter]. I grew up 4 miles from Disneyland. All my summers watching fireworks going off…well, it’s no wonder that I have been a dreamer all my life! Unbeknownst to us, we lived merely 23 miles apart as kids. How we came together and blended our families was a miracle. Finally establishing our homestead dream is incredible. It’s been a long road but we’re finally here!
While you can say we’ve physically been on this Earth for some time *ahem* as you get to know us, you’ll find that our philosophy is: Age has nothing to do with spirit! As far as we are concerned if you want to do something…DO IT! You’ll find a way to make it work.
So, here we are. Parents. Grandparents. Starting our homestead. Exciting? Yes! Intimidating? A bit, but our stubbornness positive attitude will get us through.
Even better, we are sharing this journey with our two daughters, our son-in-law, our granddaughter ANNNNDDD… my MOM! Yes, you counted correctly – that’s FOUR generations willing to live and work on 5 Dog Farm to make their individual homesteading dreams come true.
Our intent is to offer you views of a homesteading journey from childhood through senior-hood. Different perspectives, abilities and goodness knows…opinions.
We are learning along with you. We won’t have all the answers. We certainly won’t do everything right. But, learning requires failures and we aren’t afraid of those!
5 Dog Farm is showing you a personal journey of how 4 generations adapt to the various challenges and learning curves that will make their individual homesteads successful. Some of us are using solar, some are tied to the grid. Really, isn’t homesteading a personal experience? There’s no one way to do it. Goodness knows we are all dreamers with our own thoughts as individuals. Let your freak flag fly!
What’s your part? To enjoy, support, offer knowledge and inspiration, maybe even take away a bit of pioneering spirit! We will offer you our experiences good and bad, fun and sad. It all starts with 60 acres of raw land and a burning desire to create our own RUSTIC REVIVAL™…Let’s go!
Here’s the 5 Dog Farm crew:
To learn about Niki click here
Mr. Bluejeans: What can I say about Mr. Bluejeans? He’s my love, my light, my partner in life. Most importantly he keeps my feet on the ground (we dreamers can float into the ether’s from time to time). Growing up with horses planted the desire in him to have property in the country. He’s a natural at carpentry and I can’t wait for him to explore that talent further. Can you say barn and chicken coop? LOL! His ability to approach things in a calm and strategic manner blends well with my “just throw spaghetti on the wall and see if it sticks” attitude. Yup, opposites attract! He is still part of the work-a-day world but there’s always hope that this will change.
Jamie: Our rebel with a cause. A blend of Sex in the City and Eva Gabor from Green Acres. LOL! You’ll see. Also a member of the work-a-day world, Jamie has just the right spirit to carry her through this journey. She’s always willing to learn something new and dig into a tough job – while looking as good as possible! She adores dogs and will be training our LGD’s and personal dogs here on the farm. Not a lover of chickens (especially Lucy our Rhode Island Red) but a BIG lover of all other farm animals, Jamie will be concentrating on livestock health and care while helping in all other aspects of 5 Dog Farm.
Sammi: Our mommy and homemaker extraordinaire. With Pioneer Woman and Nicole Curtis as her inspirations Sammi hasn’t met a recipe or hammer that she hasn’t conquered. A self taught crocheting artisan she can turn any skein of ordinary yarn into a skillfully crafted masterpiece. No kidding! Always willing to try a new craft she’s now learning to work with polymer clay. From developing curriculum to teaching she truly loves homeschooling her kindergartner, which keeps this super mom super busy. Sammi will work side by side with me on the land. Canning, cooking, building, gardening, you name it she’ll be learning along with me.
Jay: Husband to Sammi and Daddy to Lil’ Bit, Jay is a mighty force. No job is too small for him. He attacks projects with gusto and that’s just the attitude we need on the farm! Another member of the work-a-day world Jay enjoys leather work and is a budding Blacksmith. Having a blacksmith in our midst will be fabulous but his talents don’t end there! Vehicle maintenance, solid thinker and all around hard worker are just some of the things Jay brings to the farm.
Lil’ Bit: Our Granddaughter and apple of our eyes. She has us all smitten (and knows it). A 50 year old in a 5 year old suit! Her mom Sammi and I will be homeschooling Lil’ Bit on the farm. She loves the chickens, planting things, getting dirty, swimming and cheese pizza. Most of all she keeps us all in stitches!
And last but NOT least: G.G. My mom! How lucky we are to have G.G. on this ride with us. She grew up in a farming culture. Her godfather owned a ranch in California and she would go there every weekend when she was a youngster until the city emanate domain-ed it and built… a golf course. YUCK! She’s always had fond memories of her times on the farm and after my dad passed, she expressed an interest in homesteading with us! We couldn’t be happier. I have made her official Wild Flower Grower as she has a green thumb with flowers and what proper homestead doesn’t have beautiful wild flowers?! G.G. (meaning Great Grandma a name given to her by Lil’ Bit) will be helping Sammi and I with canning and gardening and anything else she’s interested in. Not afraid of hard work, G.G. is also a great cook and all of us are happy to head to her house after a long work day for one of her yummy meals.