Welcome

Well, we have decided to enter the world of blogs. I have been wanting and intending to do this for a long time, but never got around to the doing part of my intention until now. Generally speaking I like blogs, they are like little peeks into someone's thoughts, home, vacation, etc. On a more practical level for us it is a way to share with you our current selves. Long gone are the days when we sent out mass mailings of photos, which we haven't manged to do since Lucy was born (she's nearly 3!!). Our hope is that for those who we don't get to see often this will provide a way to check in with us. So if you are so inclined, put this address in your Google reader, and "follow" the blog. Or just pop in from time to time and see what we are up to!

So the whole naming the blog thing was really hard!! I have several friends who have started blogs and many of them write about naming it in the first post, now I get it! It it very daunting to try to capture the essence of a blog much less a life in a few words or a phrase. After a long process (I won't bore you), I came up with (or really borrowed a title from a book I have by my bedside) The Backyard Homestead. Todd in typical fashion put a personal twist on it as we live in Hood River, OR. This title seemed to speak to our lives. We live in a 1910 farmhouse which may or may not have been a homestead of sorts 100yrs ago but presumably involved acres of land. Over the years the land has been parceled off and the house now sits on 1/3 acre (plenty). We have 5 cherries trees, a raspberry patch, strawberry patch, large vegetable garden and 13 chickens (which came with the house). Inside the house are two small beautiful children and two cats. We have neighbors and a neighborhood, but the road in front of our house is the county line so we are technically in the country not the city. The title seemed to fit our city/country lives. Thus we welcome you to Homestead in the Hood.