The Testing (Just call us the Armadillo family!)

There are days when I think my Heavenly Father waits until I'm tested to show off His unceasing ability to make the seemingly impossible happen before your very eyes, or in our case, right under your feet.


When we discussed purchasing the property, we were told that at one time, there had been a home on the land.  There was also a septic tank, water lines and a water tap.

We knew that locating the septic tank would simply require some knowledge of the homesite, which we had, and some diligent digging, which we did.  Boy, did we dig.  And our efforts were rewarded!

As for the water, I made a call to the local water company.  Three of them, actually.  And the news got worse each and every time I called.  The ladies on the phone all told me, "Oh, I pray your property isn't in "this" jurisdiction."  Well, guess where the property just happens to sit?  In "that" jurisdiction.  A twenty minute phone call with them told me:

1.  Tapping into their waterline carried a fee that starts at around $2500.

2.  There was a meter on the property at one time, but it had since been removed by the water authority.

3.  We could try to find the old tap, but it was likely covered by years of dirt.

4.  And finally, if we were able to locate the old tap, we would simply need to pay a $50 deposit to get a new meter put in.


So, I hung up the phone and whispered, "Twenty-five hundred or fifty dollars..."  And immediately, I was determined to find that old water tap.  Turns out, wanting to and being able to sometimes run on different tracks.    After a full day of digging, we located an old schedule 40 water line and assumed that we'd hit gold.  For the rest of the day, we tried to follow that pipe back to the road, but it always ended in a dead-end. 

Then God sent our friend.   The day after we dug what felt like 7,213 holes, our friend George met us at the property with a shovel.  In what seemed like no time (keep in mind, I wasn't holding a shovel), he had found a newer water line.  He and Chandler found several sections of it and were mapping a line back to the road when Tim eyeballed their line, walked to the road, took a step and STEPPED ON the old meter box.

          Can you hear all the clapping and celebration? 


So, yesterday, we carried FIFTY DOLLARS, (not $2500) to the water company and today, they are installing my water meter.

And Tim and I are in awe of God's desire to help us with the itty-bitty-makes-no-difference-in-the-grand-scheme-of-things-details of our lives.

It won't always be easy, but we won't soon forget when it was!

The Ink Is Dry!

It's official.    I have piles of boxes, a stack of papers and an empty checking account to prove that the Taylor family is the new, proud owners of a beautiful homestead along the Calvert's Prong in Cleveland, Alabama.    It's six riverfront acres with some pastureland and an old, empty home site.  By the weekend, it will be the home to my camper trailer, 2 adults, 3 kids, 3 dogs, 2 cats and a Betta.   And we, animals included, will be walking away from the rat race.

This is the top side of the property where we'll be planting gardens, transplanting fig trees, putting in fruit trees and making a home.

 This property came with built in therapy.   A beautiful piece of the Warrior River, called the Calvert's Prong, rushes past our backyard. 

 There are also beautiful bluffs just waiting to be camped under. 

And this is our 500 square foot (actually, very large for campers) temporary home.  Believe it or not, it is blessed with a master bedroom, full bathroom and bunk room.


Come and join the adventure as we transition from 5 bedrooms to 500 square feet.  Follow along as we break ground on the cabin, build the garden beds, put bees in boxes, enjoy some Scripture around a bonfire, build a cellar, play with chickens, and bake fresh bread.


If you've ever wondered if a simple life is still possible, use me to find out.

We'll walk you through every step of the American Dream- well, everything but the 30 year mortgage, that is.  We're here to prove that FIVE YEARS of living like nobody else will allow us a LIFETIME of living like nobody else!