Getting back to my country roots isn't as easy as I thought...LOL

Howdy ya'll.  My name is Janet.  My hubby is Bobby. 

I grew up on a farm, but also lived in the city - we commuted from a small town to our family farm - so in essence, I had two homes growing up.  We had large crops of veggies and fruits and also had cows.  My gramma, who lived with us most of the time, raised the chickens.

Well, like most folks, Bobby and I grew up in the country, but moved to the city when we got older. 

This is how we got back to each other and our country roots and started our small urban homestead.

Bobby and I married in February 2013.  We reconnected after 30 years of living separate lives and getting divorced within a year of each other and reconnected.  Somehow we both ended up living within 30 miles of each other, 850 miles away from where we grew up and knew each other before.  When we found out that we both lived here in Coloardo, we met for lunch, and the rest is history.  It's a cool story.  And we are both very happy.  I had just purchased a small older home in town about 9 months before we reconnected.  So, when we got married, he moved in with me.

Both of us grew up in the country back in Texas.  But both of us spent most of our adult lives in the city and away from the country.  We both want to get back to our country roots, as much as possible, even though we currently own a home in a small town north of Denver, Colorado.

We both work full time, so homesteading can be a challenge, but worth it.  The first thing I did was start doing research on the Internet - especially You Tube.  Found TONS of videos and started writing down notes.  Very helpful.  Thank God for You Tube.

I was surprised to find out that I have lost (or temporarily forgotten) my knowledge of how to grow things, canning and basic country homesteading.  But, I am sure that it's buried in the back of my mind somewhere and I am determined to dig it out.

So, how do I start bringing my country roots back while I am living in a small home within city limits?  It's called "urban homesteading" - just need to find out what the city ordinances/municipal codes are, and go from there.

BEGINNING

I looked up our city's municipal code and found out that we can, indeed, have backyard chickens.  There are strict requirements, so it may take a year to get everything ready according to code.  We are allowed 4 hens (no roosters) - and they must be in a completely enclosed coop (preferably a chicken tractor) - there are also size and location requirements.

Bobby is a wonderful carpenter, and I forwarded him the code, so he could start planning how to build our future backyard chicken coop.  

We also want to have a small garden - most likely a raised garden, because it is so very dry here.  So far, we have scoped out the back yard and found a spot that would work, right by our little red barn/shed.  Going to be a busy summer!

FOOD

Since I am very rusty, I researched canning food, etc. and found tons of helpful videos.  I used to can food many decades ago, and, two years ago, I purchased a new pressure cooker canner.  I already have canning books, so I am prepared to start.  I started reading them and discovered I really have forgotten how to do all of this.  It's true that if you don't use it - you will lose it - or at least, tempoarily forget it.

Both of us love to cook.  I frequently cook large pots of soups, stews, etc. and freeze leftovers.  Bobby is also an excellent baker, especially cheesecake.  Therefore, there are many opportunities to plan economic ways to do canning and freezing of food.  We are always looking for bargains on meats and veggies.

SOAPS AND CLEANERS

It is our desire to make a lot of things homemade, like laundry detergent, soaps, cleaners, etc.  I have very sensitive skin, including psoriasis, and Bobby has a mild ecsema.  Therefore, I knew it would be cost effective and beneficial for both of us if I learned how to make these items homemade. 

The cost of laundry detergent, like "All Free and Clear" and even dollar store brands are so outrageous (over $12 for a bottle to last me one month) that I definitely want to make that first.  I did some research on You Tube and the Internet and found a plethora of helpful information. 

Some things are so easy, I almost feel stupid not figuring it out before.  Oh, well, that's that.  I tweaked a few recipes I saw online and made my own very sensitive laundry detergent. It smells wonderful and does not itch my skin at all.  And, for approximately $5, I made a year's worth of laundry detergent.  Yes, ONE YEAR'S WORTH OF LAUNDRY DETERGENT FOR APPROXIMATELY $5. 

BODY AND SKIN CARE

For the past several years, I had been ordering homemade goatsmilk soap and Skin Free body butter online.  Skin Free is going out of business.  I panicked.  Everything OTC itches me and finding something else can be a challenge.  Therefore, I did some research and found out how to make my own body butter, lotions, etc.  I made my own simple recipe and jokingly call it "Janet's Body Shmootz" - it is fabulous - no itching or redness - and it is all natural.

The following posts will be on how I (or my hubby and I) make things homemade and how we make our little urban homestead.

It is very liberating to make things yourself and to save money also. 

Happy reading!

Janet.