My Story

HI

My buddies call me Dallas! This is my story. I did hair for over 10 years. It was my passion. I especially loved big events where I could be more creative, like a wedding, prom, hair show, etc. The thing about doing hair is it’s 90% talking with people, making them feel better, listening to their problems, dealing with negativity, and dealing with mean, hateful people. 10% is actually doing hair and 8% of doing hair is the same repetitive thing every time. So I really loved the 2%! (I also loved those clients that leave a mark on your heart. Thank goodness for social media where I can keep in touch.)

At home my husband jokes I rearrange the furniture at least once a week. Im re-doing something in the house or outside all the time. I love tearing things apart and making them the way I want them. Which is good since we bought a fixer-upper farm in 2015. It’s always a work in progress but we’re getting there.

August 2016 I found out I was pregnant. Somewhere along the way I decided I wanted to stay home with him. 1. Childcare with our schedules was IMPOSSIBLE. 2. We would spend all the money I made on childcare. 3. I really didn’t want to leave my child.
My pregnancy was really difficult so I ended up leaving my job two months early. I got a little stir crazy so we redid the kitchen.

Our little Witten made his appearance in May! This changed my life forever. I looked at everything completely different. All of a sudden I was braver. Everything was more precious to me. Time was more precious. My family was more precious. Everything changed.

For the first four months I was figuring things out. I was spending much needed time with family, struggling through breast-feeding and naps, and seeing friends. Then it hit me hard Postpartum Anxiety! I didn’t know what it was because I thought that would happen to you early on, not 4 months into it.

So about eight months after my son was born I decided to go to counseling. Which was really hard to do, but it was worth it. She made me realize something was missing it was throwing off my balance. She asked me what I would be doing if I didn’t have a baby and I said “working.” She asked me did I miss it and I said “I did.” So for a while I contemplated going back to work but the logistics did not make sense and I really started to dread it. So she asked me what were some other things I did besides work before the baby that I missed and I said “DIY projects around the house, crafts, painting, drawing, sewing, basically making stuff.”
It was like a lightbulb went off instantly in our heads. I was a maker and I needed a creative outlet.

I googled maker.
MAKER: A person that makes or produces something.
Synonyms:
creator, manufacture, constructor, builder, producer, fabricator, inventor, architect, designer!
Yes that’s me in a nutshell!

My husband had been working on his woodshop in the garage for a while but we were never motivated enough to get it done.So I decided to go in there and tinker a bit. Then I started watching some YouTube videos on making wood projects. I could do that, I thought. So I started videoing what we were doing, and then I put together a few videos. I put them on YouTube. One of my videos got over 500 views in a month, which is probably not great, but I was very excited about it. I was hooked.

We already had animals but we needed to get a lot of projects done for them like a feeder, fencing, a coop, etc. so I started videoing that too.
Homesteading has always been important To me but time has restricted some of the things we could do. I think it’s important for my son to see how things work, to learn hard work, and to know where his food comes from.

So I have decided to put together this website on homesteading and woodworking for my baby, for my sanity, and maybe to help with income eventually. I can’t wait to dive into this adventure. I’m learning new things every day with what tools I have, the resources I have, and the time I have. I know it’s not going to be perfect at first or the best way to do things, or even the right way to do things. But this is a learning as you go process. Anyone with suggestions, feedback, or tips please reach out to me. I can’t wait to learn from new people.

I want to be an inspiration. I want to inspire people to be able to stay home with their kids, I want to inspire people to quit their job if they hate it and find something they love, I want to inspire people to get outside and know where their food comes from, I want to inspire people to try new things, and I want to inspire them to be independent.