Hello! I’m Laura!
I am passionate about creating a peaceful home for my family, living a simple and healthy back-to-nature life and making motherhood as beautiful as possible.
Our Story
I thought we would never live on a farm. However, here we are almost 10 years into marriage and three babies later, living on 8.6 acres.
Sometimes life experiences drive you to things that you never thought would happen. Although I’ve dreamed of farm living since I was a child, I didn’t marry a farm boy. So naturally I thought we’d never move to a farm.
Three years into our marriage, shortly after the birth of our first daughter, my husband was diagnosed with cancer. It was terrifying as a young wife and a mom. Facing something so scary was a reality check for both of us. Although we are both born-again Christians and face hope in death, what did we want to do with the short time we had on this earth? We casually started talking about maybe someday getting land. This was the first time I realized since being married that I still had that desire to be a real farm girl.
Following that hard year of fear and the teetering dream of growing our family, we because pregnant just 9 months after Ben’s surgery. This baby was not destined to grow up in our family though. This precious life was only here for a few short weeks before being taken to heaven. This loss crushed me… It was the darkest season I’ve ever had to walk through. Everything hurt! My questions surrounding God’s goodness were so raw. I was a mess. (Read about grieving loss here.)
During that dark season, Ben started farm hunting. He was looking for something that would spark joy for his grieving wife. He found this little farm hidden away. It had a cute cape cod house and an old stone barn.
We became attached to this place. We wanted it so badly! And we tried so hard to get it! It was an emotional roller coaster and then the door closed… another loss. But there was also peace knowing God has something different and better for our family. That little cape cod house and amazing stone barn still hold a small piece of my farm girl heart though! (Read the whole story here.)
Ben and I continued looking for a little piece of land to call home for several years. During that time, we were blessed to add another little girl to our family. (Here’s her home-birth story.)
Then this 8.6 acre farm started catching our attention. Not because it was dreamy and romantic like that other little farm but because it fit our wishlist, the biggest of which was to be within 30 minutes of Ben’s work.
We then embarked on another emotionally exhausting attempt to purchase a farm. And then we signed papers and were handed the keys to the place we now call home. (Read about it here.)
We have taken a slower pace than most in growing our little homestead. We currently have chickens, a large garden, cats and a dog. We are currently talking about what we plan to add this coming year. Goats, alpacas, ponies, bees, meat chickens and beef cattle have all been ideas we have thrown around. Stay tuned to find out what we finally decide to pursue this year.
Although we finally have our farm, Ben is over 5 years cancer free and we have had two more babies since my miscarriage, life still presents hard things to live and grow through. Currently I’m dealing with an autoimmune condition and navigating how to deal with that. There are the daily pressures of parenting and homeschooling, as well as so much to learn about homesteading.
It’s a great and wonderful journey we are on.
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Fun Facts About Me
I’m a born-again Christian and I pray my life is defined by that.
I was homeschooled before it was cool!
I love to take what is tired and worn out and bring it new life.
Although, I can’t say I love cooking, I spend a lot of time in my kitchen making food from scratch for my family because I believe it is important.
Ben and I have never and probably will never own a TV. Although, we recently purchased a used screen on facebook market place so we could enjoy family movie night on something a bit larger than a 15 inch laptop.
I’ve had a lot of dogs growing up and they have all been German Shepards. We currently have a long haired German Shepard named Penny, who we hope to breed soon.
Our two older daughters share the same birthday just 3 years apart.
I’ve had three natural non-medicated births. One in the hospital and two at home. Birth stories for my home births here and here. I still need to write my hospital birth story.
Our First House
We completely renovated our first home, a 1920’s bungalow. Here’s the link for before and after house tour.
Ben bought the home several years before we got married and it housed three bachelors up until a week before our wedding. Together, over the next seven years, we renovated that 1500 sqft bungalow. We learned so much!
Our Farm
After several years of looking and several disappointments, we purchased our 8 acre farm. Check out the house tour page here.
Inside we have plans to slowly renovate our 1970’s brick rancher. The dark paneling and crazy carpets have to go!
Outside we have a large garden full of vegetables, fruits and flowers. We’d like to have a small orchard with fruit and maybe some nut trees. I want to own every animal that Old MacDonald owned including a dairy cow, so we can have our own fresh milk, butter, yogurt, cheese… Can you tell I love dairy?
I am full of ideas and dreams for this place we call home.
Thank-you for stopping by!
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Follow me on instagram @thishouseofdreams for day to day pictures from our farm.