How It All Started...

country living,mini farm,homesteading,farm life,country life

Hi, and thanks for stopping by! Today, I thought I'd share how buying a vacation home in the N. Ga mountains led to a total life 180!

We've always loved the area around the Blue Ridge Mountains, and vacationed with family there for many years. Last year we rented a house on a lake in a small town called Hiawassee, and knew this was the place we wanted to keep coming back to. 

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For months we stalked realtor.com checking out every house and piece of property that came onto the market. Then one night my husband grabbed my arm and said, "I found it!" 

It was a quirky little farmhouse on 5 acres with an amazing mountain view. We made an offer the next morning, and after it was accepted made plans to drive up to see it in person. 

Nothing could have prepared us for the beautiful country road that led to the tiny white house on the hill. Even before pulling into the driveway we knew this was the vacation home we had been looking for. We hiked around the property, then shook the owner's hand letting him know he had a deal!

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The house had been completely remodeled, but the layout is a little wonky lol. The master bedroom is at one end while what's considered the master bathroom is at the other end. No big deal unless you have creaky floors and a toddler that wakes at every noise! We weren't concerned though, because this was just supposed to be our vacation home....right?

We decided to spend the spring at the house furnishing it and getting it ready to be added to the vacation rental sites. We figured we could make a little income off it while we weren't there. 

As we worked on the house and cleaned up the property we began to realize just how much we all really loved it. Jake wanted to be outside all the time, picking up rocks and sticks and digging in the dirt. He followed Robert around outside all day long , and never asked for cartoons or his ipad. 

We also realized just how little we needed to feel comfortable and happy. For the three months we stayed I had only packed us each one suitcase, yet we didn't miss anything that was in our closets back home in Florida. An idea began to form, but we were still unsure if it was right for our family. 

We began to dream about what it could be like to live there full time; Jake growing up exploring the woods his trusty dog by his side, gathering fresh eggs from our hens every morning, and tending to our grapevines and vegetable garden as a family. Sounds pretty romantic huh? We certainly thought so.

But could we pull it off? The whole thing hinged on simplifying our life and belongings (going from 3,000 sq ft to 1,000 sq ft) and selling our home in Florida. We decided to test the waters and hired a realtor who agreed to price it high. We didn't have to move so why not try to get as much out of the house as possible? It was listed on a Thursday afternoon and that Friday morning our agent called with a full cash offer site unseen!

Then it was time to clean out the house, pack up, and say goodbye to the shoreline we had called home for so many years! There were definitely tears as we hugged our friends and family, and drove away.

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We settled in quickly, and apart from my broken back (a story for another time) have enjoyed every minute so far. The leaves are changing now, and I'm getting to experience my very first fall! Not sure how I'll feel about experiencing a real winter though lol. 

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And that's the story! We love our quirky 50 year old farmhouse, but it definitely needs some work to make it function better for our family. We've hired a local contractor who's about to break ground on our barn/apt (we'll be living there while the house is remodeled), and we're so excited for this next chapter!

We hope you'll stick around as we make our casual homestead dreams come true!

Have you ever done a life 180? Let me know in the comments!