June – New Life on a Homestead

The June Website of the Month is New Life on a Homestead. Again, this was one of the first websites that I started reading in my journey into “preparedness.” Kendra is so down-to-earth and it comes to across in her writing and videos. She does a great job putting what she learns out there for others to learn from. Take a minute to read her responses to the “Featured Website of the Month” questions and visit her website for some great content.

1. Summarize the focus and purpose of your website. – New Life on a Homestead is an online journal of the experiences my family is encountering as we learn the almost forgotten ways of living off the land. But it’s more than just my thoughts, it has evolved into a kind of virtual homesteading community, where people are able to ask questions and offer advice on all kinds of topics related to self-sufficient living.

My categories range from gardening, preserving food, raising chickens and small livestock, food storage, and general off-grid living, to money saving tips, homemade products, raising kids and home-birthing babies. I cover it all, lol! I might even have a little bit of religion and politics mixed in 😉

2. What made you decide to start a website? – I started my blog for two main reasons: as a journal to document our journey, and to share our lessons with others who are seeking a similar path. I have found my site to be an incredibly helpful journal for me to go back through and reflect upon. It’s amazing how much you forget over time, and I’m so grateful to have so much of what we’ve experienced written down there! Sharing what we’ve had to learn the hard way, and the mistakes we’ve made as well as the victories we’ve had has been a useful resource for other folks as well.

3. How long have you run your website? – I’ve been blogging at New Life on a Homestead for four years now. Man, it’s gone by quickly!

4. How much time do you spend dedicated to your website? – Too much time, hahaha! I’d say cumulatively about four or five hours throughout the day. Sometimes more. I’m often guilty of staying up entirely too late.

5. What is one thing you really like about your website? – My readers. They encourage me, offer advice, pray for me, and hold me accountable. Without my readers, I probably would have stopped blogging long ago.

6. What is one thing that you want to change about your website? – I’m always looking for ways to make it even more user-friendly.

7. Tell us something about yourself that no one else knows. – Hmmm… Well, I’d have to say that most people don’t know anything about my childhood. They probably imagine I had a happy family life. I guess it might come as a surprise to hear that I grew up in an abusive home with an addict mom and a violent step-dad. My adolescence was spent navigating the streets and learning how to survive on my own out there. I don’t regret my past though, it made me strong. I know a lot of that has influenced my character and developed the perseverance necessary to help me on this new life’s journey.

8. Other than your site, what is your favorite non-preparedness websites to visit? – Non-preparedness? I think that’s all I focus on nowadays, lol!

9. Do you have anything (projects, special posts, redesign) in store for the future of your website? – There are always things I’d like to add here and there, whenever I have the time. I’ve considered adding a forum to my site. Maybe. I’m working on a couple of ebooks… does that count, lol?

10. What were the three books you last read? (Be honest) – You mean, besides my good ol’ King James? Currently, I’m reading Survival Mom by Lisa Bedford. The one before that was The Edible Front Yard by Ivette Soler. I don’t remember the title of the third to last I read… it was a library book about Hitler and the Holocaust. I found the similarities between what happened then, and what our government is doing now, to be fascinating. You know what they say, history repeats itself. I’m trying to learn as much as I can from the past to better prepare for the future.

11. What would you like to say to readers at the Prepper Website? – I’m grateful for an opportunity to introduce myself a little! And I’d love to have you come visit me at my site when you get a chance to stop by. We have a lot of fun over there. Whether you are a newbie prepper, or have been homesteading for years, I guarantee there’s something there for you to enjoy and learn from. Don’t forget to introduce yourself! It’s always a joy to hear from my visitors.

Blessings!