Hello! I am Erin, founder of The Tannehill Homestead! From being a wife to a career woman to taking care of a homestead, my life is anything but ordinary.
I married a man I fell in love with at first sight [at the ripe age of 15]. Together we have 2 fur babies – Chevy & Harley, a flock of chickens, and an ever-changing homestead.
While our life is far from what I originally imagined, I am madly in love with it!
My husband and I knew, long before we met, that we wanted to build the home our [one day] children would grow up in and have a farm similar to Old MacDonald’s farm!
To say that God knew what He was doing when He created us for each other is an understatement.
In 2015, we signed the paperwork to purchase the land that would turn these dreams into goals and goals into actions.
No longer were we going to rely on conventional ways to provide for our family. We took control the day we signed those papers, and it felt so great!
We downsized our living space, 1,450+ square feet to 600 square feet, and increased our acreage, from 2 acres to 18 acres. While it felt like a crazy idea at the time, it was the first step in changing our lives forever!
Since signing the papers, we have raised chickens, puppies, pigs, cows, and vegetable gardens.
There have been great successes and failures, but is that not the best part about learning?
The Purpose of The Tannehill Homestead Blog
Transitioning into a homestead lifestyle came with a lot of changes. It is how I began my minimalism journey, which birthed this blog, previously known as A Welder’s Wife. Learning how to cultivate a life that I am passionate about led me to learning that I love showing others how to do the same thing!
We all deserve to live our best lives without the excess that blocks us from achieving them. To keep things simple, I have divided my blog into three key areas that all intertwine together.
- Sustainability
- Intentional Living
- Decluttering the Excess
Each of these key areas has helped me mold a life that I love, and I know they can help you, too! Just for fun and to help you get to know me a little better, let me share just a piece of what you can expect from each of these key areas.
Sustainability
With living life on a modern homestead, my husband and I knew the learning curve would be like riding a roller coaster, which is why this blog exists!
I want to share not only our journey, but all the things we learn along the way that can help you, too! I am not perfect by any means, and you will not see perfectionism within this space.
What you can expect:
- Our homesteading stories – success and failure
- Beginner Tips
- Tips for learning how to live eco-friendly
- What it takes to raise all the different farm animals
- The purpose behind what we do
- How to reduce your waste and live consciously
- Traditional homesteading recipes that remove your need for anything conventional
I knew nothing about sustainable living when we got started. I jumped headfirst in 2015, and never regretted it for a second!
Simple Living
The art of living simply is one I took in bite-sized pieces. From living a fast-paced lifestyle to slowing down and really thinking about priorities, my life did a total 180º.
Things like switching out my home cleaning products to paying attention to my diet were things I never thought about before transitioning into living simply.
What you can expect:
- Swaps that make life easier
- Money saving tips!
- Self-care routines
- Simple living tips
- Tips for improving your mental health
- Cleaning tips, including time savers
- Systems that reduce overwhelm and stress
- & of course, my best minimalist living advice
Decluttering
Of course, my entire transition from living a fast-paced lifestyle to living simply and homesteading became possible when I decluttered my life of excess.
This was the greatest insight into how burdened my life truly was and showed me how desperate I was to find meaning in my life.
My previous outlook on life feels like a big blur and a misunderstanding of what success truly is.
Decluttering my home took a good year to tackle with big and small projects. It was the biggest year of self-discovery I have yet to experience.
With all of the excess removed from my life, I am able to see the bigger picture. Through decluttering and downsizing, I found my passion and purpose for my life that I searched for so long to find.
What you can expect:
- Declutter tips & tricks
- How to declutter by category
- Decluttering challenges
- Fast declutter tips
- How to keep the big picture in mind when you want to give up
Warning: This next piece may sound a bit cliché!
One piece of advice…
If you had asked me in 2014 what I saw for my life within the next 5 years, this would not be it. Sure, building a home, purchasing land, and starting a farm were in the cards at some point, but not so soon!
I always thought I would have children before we could afford to go after our dreams, but it worked out just the opposite.
Funny how life throws your curve balls, and I am married to a man who never strikes out when one is pitched our way.
If I could offer you one piece of advice for your life, it is to always live with an open mind.
Great things happen when you are open to changing your life, making small adjustments, or just adding in some self-care. No matter how big or small – be open to new ideas!
2025 Update – Since writing this page, we’ve started an excavation construction business, built our dream home, and welcomed our sweet baby girl. We’ve said goodbye to beloved animals and hello to new ones. I’ve even done some “out of the box” things like becoming a school bus driver [and retiring after my first year] and tossing out all plans for the future to allow space for unexpected opportunities, which are starting to unfold!
To reiterate what the woman who originally wrote this page [me several years ago] said, live with an open mind. You never know what you’ll experience otherwise.
Follow The Tannehill Homestead…
To learn what modern homesteading can look like and how you can become more self-sufficient in your own life!
With decluttering, simplifying your life, and getting to the roots of who you are, I know you can achieve success!
I promise, my advice will be simple to follow. You may not always care for it, but great things do not come easily.
I should know. I fought it for so long, but you don’t have to!
Join me on my journey & start your very own today!