My name is Alisha, and I’m a wife, daughter, mom and child of God…..like many of you reading this. My husband and I have a homestead in central Mississippi where we’re working on a decade of dreams.
Organic gardening
From scratch cookin’
quitting the grocery store, one item at a time
The idea of being a stay at home mom never took up much time in my mind. I had a steady job before I graduated high school, that ultimately became a 16 year career, but I had bigger plans. I wasn’t really looking when I found my soulmate in 2010 and as that life event usually does, it sent my life into a new direction lead by a loving God whom had been lovingly chasing me long before I cared to see.
Fast forward to 2013, when we got married and started a journey I always hoped was in my future. We have similar interests, hopes, dreams and talents, though his far surpass my own. He has creativity, vision, and skill, all without my crippling anxiety and fears. It sounds like a match made in heaven because that’s what I truly believe it was and still is to this day.
Skipping countless hills and valleys that I’ll likely cover in future posts, we’ve walked through life hand in hand. We bought our first home in early 2016, where we still currently live. Being just the two of us, this two bed, one bath house seemed like the perfect starter home, and in many ways it was. All the while, we’ve drawn up many house plans, being very intentional about what we wanted in our forever home. That singular goal has fueled so many decisions over the past few years, however, we couldn’t imagine the boost our drive would receive in 2023.
When we found out we were expecting, to say we were surprised would be the understatement of the year. We honestly thought it just wasn’t going to happen for us. I was ultimately terrified, but when the shock wore off I was so excited. My husband was the typical proud, scared new dad. We both knew we were so incredibly blessed to bring a child into the world and we knew we would do everything we could to give them the best life possible. Early on, we wondered what changes would be necessary to accommodate a child and I contemplated leaving my job but the reality didn’t set in until our son was 3 months old. I had to give the bank I’d worked at since I was 17 an answer. I had been praying over this situation my entire pregnancy and still really didn’t know what to do. Something about last minute decision making just doesn’t set right with my soul. However, that’s exactly what it took for me to come to terms with the reality that I wasn’t going back. The cost of daycare would’ve been almost as much as what I was making at my job. Why would I do that? As children, my husband and I always had the privilege of staying with our grandmothers. That wasn’t an option for us at this time. Practicality aside, deep down I knew that this time I’d have with him would be the most valuable thing I’d ever invest my time in.
As wonderful as this all sounds, the unavoidable truth is, this decision has drawbacks, as every decision does. I would no longer have the interaction with my co-workers, nor would I have the income we would desperately need to bring our decade of dreams to life. So I decided to put my creativity, skills and general love of sharing positivity to the best use I could find. If you’ve read this far, I pray you’re interested in what I plan to pour into this blog. I love to cook from scratch, dabble in sourdough, raise chickens, and so many other things I’d love to share. I plan to be as realistic and inspiring as I possibly can because I truly believe this world needs an abundance of such.
In a sea of negativity, my greatest hope is to be a lighthouse of godly, creative, uplifting reminders that good still exists. Happy is still a thing. And love is worth reading about.