All About Me

As my blog has added followers over time, I’ve realized that perhaps my about page on my website isn’t quite enough for those who’ve never met me to understand the voice behind this blog.  So, if you want to get to know me a bit better, read on!
 
The most important thing to know about me is that I am believer in Jesus Christ.  I believe the entire Bible is the Word of God.  I believe the words upon the pages are Truth and apply to my life today.
 
Next in importance, is that I love my family.  I am a wife to my one and only.  I believe marriage is for one man and one woman for life.  We were married in 2005, and we are more in love today than we were then.
 
I am a mom to 4 (soon to be 5) children.  My children go by made up initials on my blog.  AJ (a boy) is the oldest, followed by CJ (a boy), followed by JJ (a boy), and MJ (a girl).  Our tribe is close together in age – AJ & CJ are 14 months apart and the rest of the crew average 20 months apart.  There are few dull moments around here, lots of messy ones, some stressful moments, and plenty of joyful moments.
 
I am a former classroom teacher and current homeschool mom.  I graduated from Millersville University with my Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education.  After teaching three years at a private Mennonite school, AJ came into this world.  I gave up my teaching position to be a mom, and now I’m rediscovering my love of teaching through homeschooling.  (Something I thought I would never do, by the way.)
 
I am an animal lover.  We have miniature schnauzers, Nubian goats, and layer chickens.  Some people refer to our place as a “farm.”  In my mind, growing up in a rural farming community, calling us even a farmette is a stretch, but we do have plenty of critters around here.
 
I am a gardener.  In my garden you will find green beans, tomatoes, pepper, cucumbers, zucchini, potatoes, lettuce, and weeds.  I enjoy freezing and canning the fruits of my garden.  I also buy food I don’t grow in large amounts while in season – such as sweet corn, peaches, pears, and cherries – to can or freeze for the winter.  We also have apple trees, an asparagus patch, a strawberry patch, and a raspberry patch.
 
I used to be a scrapbooker.  I have many gorgeous scrapbooks from years gone by.  However, I look at my photos now and become sad about how they are simply stored in files on my laptop.  Maybe someday I will take up that hobby again, but for now I’m up to my elbows in diapers, sippee cups, dishes, and dirt.
 
I am by nature a do-it-yourself person.  My mom says it started when potty training.  Once I had the idea of potty training, I firmly told my mom, in regards to wiping, that “I can do it MYSELF!”  This nature applies to many areas of my life, gets me in trouble in some areas and helps out in other areas.  I like the satisfaction of having my own milk to drink from my goats and washing my own diapers to save money.  We call ourselves a “homestead” because we like the spirit of doing it by yourself with what you have on hand that goes along with homesteading.  However, you won’t find a family living off-the-grid, wild and free here at Russell Homestead.  We’re average folks who like doing things ourselves, while enjoying modern conveniences.
 
It may surprise you that I’m not an online person.  I still stubbornly refuse to join Facebook or Pinterest.  (Though Pinterest is bound to get me sooner or later with homeschooling activities.)  I created our website to give our puppy families a glimpse into how their puppies were being raised.  I’ve chosen to grow our website to include our dairy goats and homeschooling, but I’m still not a believer in sharing personal details for the online world to view.  That being said, I strive to be honest and open, but you won’t find my deepest struggles and failures on my blog.  Please know they are there, and I am a person just like you.  I have my good days and bad days.  If you want to know about me, we will need to sit down with a cup of coffee and chat.  That being said, you can get a really good idea of who I am by reading my blog.  My vision for my blog is to give you a glimpse into our lives while providing encouraging and informative content.  I truly appreciate you as a reader!  Thanks for stopping by!