The Homestead Needs a Name

Happy May, y'all!

So the last time I gave an update on working towards homesteading, I was in a turmoil over choosing the right house plans.  I just kept stalling.  First it was waiting on Lane to finish and pass his training (a 10 month process).  That ended in September.  Then it was the holidays and vacations and so on and so on, realizing that I was finding excuses to stall.  So after lots of praying and lots of discussing with the husband, I decided to wait until I felt comfortable moving forward with house plans.  

As the time went by, we would revisit the planning process only to realize that the same initial problems were still there- little problems like the orientation of the house, the placement of the carport, the decison on stock plans vs custom plans, and so on and so on.  

Through advice from my friends and input from people who had recently build, I came to realize that I would never find the "perfect house plan".  Even with a limitless budget, there would always be a compromise or priority that ruled out something that I think I can't live without.

So we decided to have custom plans drawn inspired by a coastal cottage design I mentioned in a previous blog post that you can read by clicking HERE.  We listed the things we needed in a house and went with that... everything else we desired would be considered a bonus if it happened.  We know we need the following amenities in a home:

1. a master suite with lots of privacy so Lane could sleep through the day uninteruppted when he worked nights  

2. a downstairs bedroom and bath for Jude

3. a bonus space or extra room  for The Mustard Seed studio

So we met with the a drafting design company and listed all the things we need and the things we want with lots of pictures of the style we want.  We really like our designer's ideas, and when the preliminaries came in a couple of weeks ago, we were very pleased.  We still have some tweeks and decisons to make like shingles or metal roof, porch size, doorway details, etc... Then we will meet with the designer and move forward with the final plans.

So. Exciting.  

When this whole process was just a dream, I found a blog called That New House.   The author, Anna, blogs the details of building a home similiar to ours from beginning to end.  The blog was so helpful and insightful as was Anna in answering all my questions.  I may have emailed her a time or two or three or four.

During their process, Anna and her family decided that their homestead needed a name, Okra Hill Farm, in which she blogs about their life after the build.

Well she inspired me and I think our homestead needs a name as well.  I want the name to capture the essence of Louisiana as well as Coastal Georgia and South Carolina.  We have several ideas.  First we have planted a couple Red Maple trees over the past few years so I like the name "Maple Cottage".  I even have a Pinterest Board with the same name full of ideas for our new home.  Lane wants to plant Dogwood trees and their is a young Magnolia tree that greets our driveway.  So we thought of the names "Dogwood House" and "Magnolia Cottage".  I want a chicken coop and a few more gardens, so we could always use "Farm" in the name somewhere- thought of "Mustard Seed Farm", but I would like to keep the business and home separate entities since my business is in my home.  

Our property is very close to the Comite River so "Comite Cottage" is an option.  And our property used to be Lane's family's back cow pasture and is still referred to today as "The Back Pasture", so that is an option as well.

So many possibilities... what do y'all like?

I hope to have a name for our homestead the next time I blog on this subject so that all my house building adventures can fall under it's title.  It's all so thrilling (right now) to think about.