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Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Who am I?

Hello! This is Gen-IL Homesteader. I'm so excited to be able to share with all of you in this wonderful journey we're taking while preparing! Let me tell you a bit about who I am.


I was born in a northern suburb of Chicago, and I live today in the same area, approximately 20 minutes from where I grew up. I was raised by wonderful parents who lived very simply with their four kids, of which I was #3. They lived in the city, but had a big garden, did canning and freezing, sewing, and heated with wood for a time.


I had my son at 18, and was married a few months later. 16 months after Son was born, along came Daughter! I was a stay-at-home mom, who later turned into a homeschooling mom. Along the way, hubby and I realized that city living just wasn't for us. We needed space, trees, space, gardens, space, animals! In short, we wanted out! We found property in MO, but when I contracted rheumatoid arthritis, we realized that moving was out of the question while we had good insurance here. Thankfully, God blessed us with 2.4 acres (you Northern Illinoisans know what a rarity that is!) where we now have space, chickens, gardens, space, fruit, and more space! I homeschooled both kids through graduation in May 2007. In January of 2008, Son left to join the Navy. He is currently stationed in Japan, where he'll be when we celebrate our first Christmas without him (*snif*). Then, Daughter went a got married this year, but she thankfully lives just a bit up the road (she's a Wisconsinite now). So, hubby and I became empty-nesters this year at the ripe young age of 38! Since I haven't figured out how to shop, can, or cook for 2 yet, our food preps have grown incredibly this year!


I always considered myself a homesteader, and I think that prepping goes right along with it. When you have chickens and gardens, you learn to can and freeze and you're prepared, at least food-wise, for emergencies. Y2K really got the prepping moving for us, and we haven't stopped since!


I believe in living as though anything can happen, so it's best to be as prepared as I can! That means food, tp, generators, lighting, etc. I look forward to sharing the things I've learned, as well as learning from comments that you'll (hopefully) leave. I know that as a reader of blogs, I learn so much from other folk's comments, as well as the blog post, and I'm hoping to continue that learning trend!


Thanks for letting me share a bit about myself. Prep on!


Gen-IL Homesteader

7 comments:

APN said...

Awesome! Thanks for coming on board. I hear ya about space! Same with wife and I, we love our homestead and garden.

Anonymous said...

Welcome!!! It's great to have you here. I look forward to your posts!

Anonymous said...

I spent considerable time in Japan while in the Marines, though that was 20+ years ago. I'm sure your son will like it.

Unknown said...

Sure am glad to see you posting! My brother and his wife (she's in the Navy) are stationed in Japan too. It will be their first Christmas in Japan.
Once again, glad your onboard!

Humble wife said...

WooHoo! How neat that you are here! I am with you on your son being away for the holidays. We are having our last one with our son for 2 years as he is going to afghanistan. I thought it was only for 18 months but he has told us that he was told 2 years...sigh.But I will not be sad until he leaves and we will have a grand time while he is home!

Anyhow WELCOME!

Jen
New Mexico prepper
Double Nickel Farm

Gen-IL Homesteader said...

Thanks for the great welcome everyone! Hermit, yes, my son is loving Japan, but he's loved everywhere he's been so far! (He's pretty easy to please!) Humblewife, I'm so sorry for you. That 'ugh' feeling came over me when I heard about your son. Yes, you should have an absolutely fabulous time with him while you can! Get LOTS of hugs! Thanks all!

Gen-IL Homesteader said...

AP, I would love more than 2.4 acres, but when your only other options in town are postage stamps, 2.4 acres feels like 100! We sure are blessed! Thanks, Matt! I love the KPN. It was the first one I found when Scavenger started to post on it. SciFiChick, I hope your brother is enjoying Japan. Thankfully, he can be with his wife, even though you'll all be missing him.

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