06/02/2026
I always say I was born in the wrong era.
Then I catch my reflection after a day on the farm and remember I’m not the flowy dresses and perfect hair type. I’m more “just crawled out from under a bridge and somehow acquired hay in my pockets” type. 🫣
Homesteading has a way of bringing you back to the basics. Food. Water. Shelter. Caring for the animals that care for you. It reminds you that the things we need most don’t magically appear on store shelves.
My days are simple, but they are anything but empty.
Feed animals. Milk cows. Process milk. Homeschool. Collect eggs. Tend the garden. Stock the farm cart. Make meals. Clean barns. Do laundry. Pay bills. Answer messages. Cook dinner. Feed animals again. Hug my husband. Finally sit down… to fold more laundry.
Then there are the extra things: calving season, chicks, dairy making, processing animals, vet visits, repairs, projects, and whatever emergency decides today is the day.
By 9 p.m., the day that started at 6 a.m. is finally winding down.
If homestead life looks effortlessly picturesque online, you’re only seeing part of the story. The reality is muddy boots, sore muscles, interrupted plans, and a to-do list that reproduces faster than rabbits.
But it’s also a beautiful life.
It’s purpose. It’s gratitude. It’s knowing exactly where your food came from because you planted it, raised it, harvested it, preserved it, or cared for the animal that provided it.
This life asks a lot of us. But reconnecting to the work required to sustain a family has a way of making you grateful for both the labor behind our necessities and the conveniences of modern life.
Whether you grow it yourself or buy it from someone who does, a farmer somewhere is doing this work.
And that realization turns everyday necessities into everyday gratitude. 🌱🤍
