The Origins

The "Why's" and the "How's". SparkNotes edition.

Hello all,

Today I’m about to share something very few people in my life know about. So, if you know me personally and are reading this, please don’t get upset that I haven’t told you. There’s a lot going on, and thus far I’ve just been needing to think on things before committing. But, the reality is- I’m an 18 year old woman, who’s just inherited a house and 3 acres in the middle of nowhere- and I might be a Mom soon. To chickens, and goats, and yes- a baby.

This year is all plans. But we know how those go. I started this blog with the goal of documenting how those plans turn out in every aspect. With homesteading, preconception planning, and frankly just life.

To anyone who may not know me yet- hi. My name is Rain, and the past year for me has been absolutely insane. I went from a high school Senior expecting to step into college life like anyone else- and wound up… here. Where I now live alone in a home I inherited from my Momma, who passed away soon after I graduated in a completely unexpected way. Together, we lived on these 3 acres. We painted these walls, and we loved each other in such a deep way, that we were nearly never apart.

Now, we’ve been apart for a solid 10 months. And that’s been extremely difficult.

But- My Momma always said that EVERYTHING happens for a reason. And, God has been graceful enough to me to show me a lot of those reasons. He’s taught me so many things about life, and the world He’s created for us, and He’s reminded me constantly that not even this is a mistake.

Not. Even. This.

In the past 10 months, my entire person has changed completely. I have grown more than I ever thought possible, and I have learned more than I ever expected. With the highs, and the lows, and all the little bumps in the road- this remains the same. God is always in control, and He always knows what He’s doing.

So, in the middle of everything, I’ve found peace in that. And I’ve found passion for life in new ways.

My love of gardening started a few months ago when I went out to look at the remains of my Momma’s garden. It’d been dead for a long time, but there was a sudden craving of Yes. Yes, fix it. And so, I did. I took out the dead plants, and watered the dying. And I started adding to it.

Now, It’s still not super big- but I recently got my very first potato harvest from it. And those were revived from Momma. I made them into some quicky mashed potatoes that my older brother devoured for dinner last night, and I had gotten a bit of basil here and there from it as well. Also- from Momma. Oddly enough, I haven’t quite harvested any of my own veggies yet. But the time’s coming soon if my Green Beans have anything to say about it!

My Gardening took me to social media where there were other gardeners- and I got introduced to the prospect of Homesteading. I learned about chickens, and ducks, and goats- and now, I really just want a farm. But, like, maybe a cruelty free farm. I want a farm where I don’t have to kill things.

Anyway, that’s since become my new life goal. And, while right now I can’t exactly get all the livestock- I have dabbled in other forms of Homesteading, such as foraging, and herbal medicine, and making my own cleaning products. Which, by the way, I’m sure I’ll dig deeper into later on.

All in all, I do think that this really is something I can fall in love with, and so, with no defined timeline quite YET- It is 100% a goal. We’ll see how soon it can be. :)

Now… Regarding Project Baby? This is something I’ve been planning a lot more in depth. I’m a single woman, who is also saving herself for marriage- so if I do wind up going through with Project Baby, it will be via a Turkey Baster Insemination. Meaning, I’d be using a sperm donor.

I do already have a sperm donor, and so now a lot of this time is spent on going though the legal aspect of things, and saving money, and preparing the house, and preparing my body… And… Preparing. In every sense. Another thing too is deciding fully whether or not to really go through with it.

While I know this is something I want to do- right now my workdays are about 12 hours long. Because I live in a rural area, I have to drive about 45 minutes to my place of work, meaning I wake up at 7am to get ready and leave at 8 to get there by 9am. Then, I work until 6, take the drive home and get home at 7pm- assuming we get to leave right at 6, and I don’t have to stop by the store or anything. And this. is. EXHAUSTING.

Right now- while it’s just me. And I know it’ll be harder running on newborn brain, and pregnancy sleep, and the like. So- that’s one of my biggest obstacles. I’m also left wondering about childcare- because that’ll be a situation I have to learn as well.

A baby is 100% worth it- but I also want to make sure that I’m not being irresponsible. This is a human. A human that I am absolutely already in love with. And they don’t exist yet!

So, yeah. I’m torn as well with work because- excluding the hours- I love my job. I work at a local small business furniture store, and I’ve really found an amazing community there with my coworkers, and the customers, and just the environment overall. I get to sell things, and I’ve also been working with them in regards to marketing. I write their weekly newsletters, and work on signage. It makes me feel really fulfilled and valued. Just knowing that people are reading my words- it’s absolutely priceless to me.

So- I suppose that’s enough for now. Welcome to the ride, my new friend!