Hello, and welcome to Idie’s Farm!
My name is Stephanie, also known as Idie. I am a homeschooling mother of four beautiful boys, and a wife to a wonderful husband.
My journey into homesteading is one of transformation, taking me from the hustle and bustle of city life, to the peaceful sounds of the countryside. It’s been about embracing simplicity, sustainability, and the profound joy of growing and creating with my own hands.
For me, homesteading is more than just a lifestyle; it’s about bringing my family closer together, reconnecting with nature, becoming self-reliant, and rediscovering old traditional skills that have become overlooked in our fast-paced society.
My goal is to spark that inner desire in you as you embark on your own homesteading journey. To help you find the “je ne sais quoi” in everyday life. On the days when you think you’ve had enough, I will be here to encourage you and show you that you CAN do it.
This is, and always has been, my purpose.
Here is my story:
We live in the Appalachian Mountains on a 10 acre farm, that we are building from the ground up, with zero farm equipment, and little to no outside help. We are all putting our blood sweat and tears into this land and seeing the amazing transformation that is taking place keeps us going!
Luckily I am married to a man that shares my same desires and does whatever he can to help bring our dreams to pass, not to mention all the help from God for putting these desires into our hearts and giving us the strength and power to carry them through.
We are all originally from El Paso, TX. Although we don’t miss the desert weather at all, we do miss our family terribly! Well, that and the Mexican food! Since I was a little girl, I always dreamed about living in the Northeast, New York City in particular.
While I no longer desire to live in a big city, I am grateful we found a town, nestled beautifully in the Appalachian Mountains, that suits us and is incredibly close to the city that we fell in love with in 2016, when visiting it for the first time.
After a lot of praying, we uprooted our family and moved over 1800 miles away, to a place where we knew not a soul, and barely a job to go to. We literally moved on a prayer. This turned out to be the best decision we ever made. I’m so grateful that we put our trust in God and took that leap of faith, no matter how far fetched it seemed! Pittsburgh has become a part of us and I could not imagine living anywhere else. We now bleed black and gold–Go Steelers!
Fun Facts About Me:
- I was adopted but you’d never know it! My parents have always told me that I had a second birthday, January 11th, because that’s the day they got me. My son Marcus, the other blogger and contributor to this site, makes that second birthday special for me every year. I actually forget about it but he reminds me and always makes me something!
- My Granny gave me the nickname “Idie” from a comic-strip in the early 40’s called Little Iodine, that became a movie shortly after.
- I played Barbie a couple years in a row for a local Toys R Us in my early 20’s. Such a great memory! It drew in quite the crowd. There was always a line out the door and I would sign autographs for a couple of hours! I met so many amazing people, young and old.
- I met the love of my life at the bowling alley. He was in the same bowling league that my parents and aunt and uncle were in and he was “temporally” in El Paso from San Diego. We moved in together 6 weeks later and married a year and a half after that in 2008. When you know, you know.
- I love to dance, and have been known to win a couple of competitions.
- I’ve been to Paris and Rome, where I fell in love with history!
- My all time favorite movie, since I was a little girl, is Somewhere In Time. I used to fantasize, and still often do, about living during the 17-1800’s! One of my most memorable Halloween’s was when I dressed in a Victorian dress that my cousin’s friend lent me. I also had a Great-Grandmother that I got to know, that died at the age of 111, when I was around 20 years old. I would always tell my school friends about her because I knew someone from the Victorian Era! They weren’t as impressed.
- I was a hairdresser for about 15 years prior to becoming a farmer.
- I was raised in the city, although farm life wasn’t new to me. My aunt and uncle bought a farm when I was in elementary school that I spent a lot of time on, and my parents did the same and moved out by them, shortly after I graduated from high school.
- Even though I grew up in the extreme heat, I tolerate the cold way better! I love living in the mountains!
Theron and I both share a love for the ways of the past and are working to recreate a similar experience for us and our children. I’d love for you to join us on our journey as we learn how to: develop our pastures, rotational graze, animal husbandry, homeschool, and homemaking.