Long time, little progress.

Happy almost New Year's Eve!

Well, my last post was in July, and since then the foundation is the only thing to be completed on the shanty! Spirits are not down, however. I hope to get the floor framing and joists up before March. Then, hit April, May and June hard to get the place under a roof and weather tight. As you can see below, we have been enjoying our first snow storm of the winter season. (And, get a peak of the foundation piers off to the right!)

A little sledding action.

The New Year's Resolution (one of them) is to start keeping up with this blog. I need to get some followers to hold me accountable!

A shack in the wilderness.

This summer I have begun a new project: building my own shanty! An energy efficient small space (512 sq. ft.) of my own, sitting on 20 acres in the hills of SE Ohio. After 8 years of renting, I have been yearning for a place of my own, and it is finally happening!

Early Spring

Usually when I tell people that I am building a 16x32, two-room home, they look at me kind of funny and don't understand how I will be able to make this small space function, how I will ever build it on my own, and shudder at the thought of not having high speed internet or cell service. But all of that's okay, because I know in my heart it is going to be awesome.

We (me, Chris, and my Dad) broke ground last weekend for the foundation, which is basically 20 concrete piers that are four feet in the ground. The house will sit up off the ground on these. The forms are in and this weekend we are pouring the concrete. I am anxious for this phase to be complete, because I cannot wait to get started on the frame!

Officially Under Construction!

The best things in life are homegrown.

A few years back, I set out on a mission to get back to the land and live a more simple life. Growing and raising my own food, making things from scratch with basic, real foods, cutting back on commercial goods (bye, bye paper towels), and transitioning into a zero waste home are just a few of the changes that have been in the works. There is definitely something to say about the inner peace that comes along with the simplicity of living naturally. I think it is extremely important to be aware of what we use and where it comes from, and if everyone made a few small changes in their lifestyle, the world would be all the better!

I hope to share with you here everything that is going on in my Homegrown world - from gardening to crafts to building my own small shanty from scratch!