3 Years in the making

We've lived in the hills of East Tennessee for almost six years.  We started with two dogs.  That was working well for us.  However, within the last three years, we have started adding to this animal family.  We now have, 2 dogs (neither the originals we started with), a German Shepard named Big Jake, (I have a crush on John Wayne), and a Great Pyrenees/ Anatolian Shepard puppy named Brutus, 3 cats, Oreo, Funny Cat, and Molly.  2 female rabbits, ChaCha and Salsa, 10 Guinea Fowl, 2 roosters,  10 chickens, and 21 Chicks.

Our first dog, Tango, sadly, he was hit by a car and died.  He lived up to his role, protector of our small children.

From the beginning, I knew this would be a noteworthy experience.  And so, I've been documenting our adventures in photos from the start.  All the time with the goal of starting a blog.  However, my weakness in writing has kept me from moving forward.  I finally decided to call my blog, Chicken Scratch in an effort to ease the pain that my poor punctuation, run on sentences, miss spelled words, and generally, poor writing would cause.  The fear still exists.  It's tough to put yourself on a public forum in a world that has proven to be harsh when they can hide behind a screen and hurl insults at you.  But I'm doing it anyway.
I'll keep you up to date on our current happenings while also periodically taking you back to the beginning or how it all started.

About Me

I was born and raised in the Great North West.  I was a professional Ballroom dancer, Dental Assistant, and world traveler.  Never dreaming my life would lead me to the rolling hills of Tennessee, living in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, homeschooling my children, and trying to start up a homestead while my Husband is away all week driving a Big Rig.

It all started in Washington state, where I met this fantastic, V-shaped body, of a masculine Military man, that would soon become my Husband and best friend.  Upon learning, we were going to have a baby we decided that the South was a much better place to raise our children.  Luckily, my husband's family lived in Middle Tennessee.  We were off to a great start!

A little after the birth of our 2nd child we began seeing the benefits of living further from the city, and closer to the simplicity, and slower pace of life that the country offered.  It was important to both of us that our children were able to be children in ways that were important to us during our youth.  They needed the freedom to run and play, climb trees, and have rocks thrown into the back of their heads, (life with boys) all part of life lessons that prepare them for the road ahead.  We have a vision for the sort of men we want our children to become.  This Homesteading lifestyle is a significant part of that.

We wanted our kids to take care of animals, know where their food comes from, learn about the cycle of life, and not to fear it. There are so many lessons to be gained by living this type of life.  It's these lessons we hope to share with you.