Melissa did a meme at her blog the other day, so I thought I would share my version here.
Basic Questions About You
1-What is the biggest goal of your lifestyle? To have a house on my land by the end of the summer
2-When did you start this lifestyle? Umm when I was 7, and my parents moved me to NH from CT
3-What was your main motivation? Tired of paying rent to someone and having nothing to show for it. Also tired of relying on hubbies to get me on my own land. Two hubbies later, I am going to do it myself! I am woman, hear me roar! LOL!
4-Did you have any previous experience in anything you’re doing now? Yes. Growing up on a mini homestead I have had to help when the animals were butchered for the freezer, after feeding them all year long. Hauled wood, water, and anything else you can think of.
5-Does your spouse/significant other (if you have one) share the same ideas? Not Applicable
6-Do your friends and family understand and support these choices? What about your kids? Yes, and frankly I don’t care if they don’t
7-How happy are you with your achievements so far? Ask me that in about 3 months, when the snow is gone and I have started taking down trees.
8-Are you more of a gardener, homesteader, prepper, health conscience, “green”‘ or a combination of several? Definitely a homesteader first and foremost. Gardener is a work in progress. As for the “green” issue, not to offend anyone, but frankly I don’t buy into that.
9-Has this change of lifestyle affected your personality? Not really, I have been a country girl at heart since I was 7. It just comes naturally.
10-Has it changed your view of your life before? Not really, read above answer. Besides, once you use an outhouse for an extended period of winter at the ripe old age of 8, there isn’t much that phases you.
11-What about how you view others that don’t understand it or naysay? It doesn’t bother me one bit. I have never been one to follow the “crowd”. It is the Nichols in me. We are one stubborn bunch.
12-If you could convince someone to live the way you do in ONE sentence, what would you say? There is no convincing, they are either all for it, or all against it.
Other Questions-
1-How large is your vegetable garden? I plan on having a good 20ft x 20ft clearing to use before warm weather gets here, even if it is in a few raised beds.
2-Do you grow any fruits, and what and how many? Not sure if I will or not. My kiddos love apples, grapes, and blueberries. The blueberries are already growing in massive numbers across the street, so I get off the hook with that one.
3-Do you have any animals and what are they? (other than pets) I want to have some egg layers, a goat (for a pet sorry), and maybe a cow the first year. We eat a lot of beef, so would be nice to put a bunch in a freezer for winter.
4-Do you can/dehydrate/freeze/store your own produce? Yeppers, and plan on teaching my kiddos.
5-Do you work with mainly power tools or hand tools in your gardens and others? (wood cutting, splitting, tiller vs. broadfork etc…) I have to have power tools due to my injury. I wouldn’t be able to do anything without them.
6-Do you compost? I plan on it
7-Do you recycle? Yes
8-Do you consider yourself energy conscience? (conserving to save $) only in the aspect of my electric bill being smaller.
9-Do you make any of your own household cleaners? No, not yet
10-Do you make your own bread? Yes
11- If in an emergency situation, are you able to not leave home for a week? How about a month? A year?? Absolutely.
12-Are you tired of answering questions yet? Not too bad
13-If you prep, what do you consider to be your most useful tool/items? This would have to be my children lol
14-Are you able to heat your home without gas or fuel oil? Yes!
15-Are you able to cook without gas or electricity? We will have the gas grill for most cooking, or an outdoor cooking area, but also an electric stove.
16-Again, if in an emergency situation, could you live in the wild or out of a tent? ( camping,hunt/fish, cook,etc.) Yep
17-Have you ever practiced your prep skills? (turning off main power for a day or 2) How did you do? (this can include a power outage due to weather as a test) Yes, twice in 11 years we have gone for weeks without power etc due to ice storms. Did just fine 
18-Do you have the knowledge & skills (plus tools) to hunt and fish for food? Yes
19-If you don’t prep, why not? NA
20-Do you or can you sew your own clothes and make your own bedding? Yes, but I stink at machine sewing.
21-Can you field dress a deer, drink a coffee, smoke a cigarette, make a cell phone call, light a fire, AND answer all of my annoying questions at the same time? Yes to all the above. Sadly my vices are coffee (and LOTS of it), and cigs. And after growing up with both parents hunting, and being married to a hunter, dressing a deer is not a problem. And I just did answer all the annoying questions lol.
And on a side note, I finally went to the doctor today, and I have developed pneumonia. So more drugs for my sorry little body. And strict orders to get to bed. Yeah right! LOL!
