Happy New Year!

Hello everyone!
Well 2016 was challenging for not just me personally, but the world.  We have laughed, cried, had no hope, given hope, and lost several great celebrities. However we can look and forward in 2017 and pray that after January 20th our nation can be made great again!

As for me personally, I am going to try to get back to my remarriage weight of 165 (at 185 right now), get Homesteaders Outpost up and running, and finish the house! As with everything in life, I take it one day at a time and fly by the seat of my pants!

Take care!
~Chase~

Inspiration

When I was a teenager, I used to LOVE to watch "Survivorman" on Discovery channel.  When I first started building my off grid house, I did a YouTube search on "off grid living".  And wouldn't you know that a short documentary came up about how Les Stroud (aka Survivorman) and his family built an off-grid homestead in the Canadian "bush".
 Whenever I feel like I am needing inspiration on my house, I watch this video.

Enjoy!

~Chase~

AACB Blacksmithing Conference 2016

Hello loyal blog readers! :)
 So I finally got around to editing a video a shot about the AACB Blacksmithing Conference in Murfreesboro, TN.
It rained 85% of the time during the 4 day event, but it was well worth it as I got to see people that I had lost contact with and meet some new friends!
Anywho, here is the video! More blog posts and video's to come in the future!

This Video Made Me Sit Back & Think

Don't waste your life, watch this video and reflect if you have "kinda" succeeded in your dreams. Don't just dream about how you want to live life, but LIVE IT TO THE FULLEST!

~CHASE~

A video of our trip home from Corpus Christi, TX

Our Trip Home From Corpus Chrisit, TX

So last week, my work sent me to Corpus Christi, TX to do some welding at a factory. On my last day there, Holly and I decided that we would go see the USS Lexington. The ship was AWESOME!!! Below are some photo's that we took at the ship.

Chilling in the ready room. Those seats were surprisingly comfortable!

Holly in the "island"

View from the Captains chair

Holly and I on the forward deck.

How to plant potatoes

BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN!!!!!!! Off Grid House Build 5.0

Shop and house work

Hey everyone!!!! Hope you guys are enjoying May, I know we are!!!

 It is super busy here on the homestead, we have been working on the house and a LOT in the shop!!

  Last week I started work on a custom fire pot for a old cast iron Buffalo forge, and a custom forge for a young man in NC. 

 Best of all I almost have the blacksmith tire hammer finished!!!!! I started that project about 4 years ago and I should have it completely finished tomorrow morning!!!

 Also we started painting the windows for the off grid house. At the time I was able to buy high quality wood Pella windows at a crazy cheap price. The only downside is all the painting we are having to do. And we both HATE painting!! Lol oh well, at least it will look really nice when we are finished!!

 I will try to post some videos of the off grid house project and the finished tire hammer later this week. 

God bless!!!!

Chase

A New Life and A New Business

Hi everyone! It seems like forever since I have written on here. Life has been extremely busy around the farm for the past few months.

As most of you know, I married the Love of my life on September 13, 2014. I have never been so happy, but also never so busy! Since our wedding day, we have gone through a lot of trials. We have endured two miscarriages and funerals of loved ones, all while trying to finish our house in a timely manner as our business explodes, then folds. Currently we are trying to start a "new" business called "Homesteader's Outpost."  We do not have a website yet, but I am working on that whenever I can find the time.
Thankfully we do have a fairly successful eBay store where I am selling my hand-forged iron work, blacksmith forges, hand tools, Berkey Water Filters, Holly's Creative Crafts, knives, tomahawks, tactical gear, and so much more.
I am trying to become a dealer for other great companies, but I still have a strong belief that staying out of debt is not always easy, but it has many benefits. Romans 13:8 says, "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law." I will be the first to confess that staying out of debt is not easy, but in the end God will bless our diligence.

As for the off-grid house, plans have changed a little. We are going to wire it for electricity, with the mindset that we may have to hook up to the grid later on. We came to this decision when we were last expecting. With a little one coming, we knew we could not afford to buy solar panels because of extra expenses. However, now that we are no longer expecting, we are looking into options that might allow us to have solar panels and get paid by the government for "going green."  
We have a lot of decisions to pray about! Thankfully, as far as our house goes, we can breathe a little easier because we finally have the roof on. 
We have a few windows installed, with doors and sailors for the siding to follow! With days getting longer, I will have more time to work on the house.
Unfortunately with all my spare time being spent on the house, I have not had much time to do any homesteading. Right now we only have a loyal Border Collie pup that was a wedding present from a good friend of mine who raises Border Collies. We named our pup "Aubrey Rose." Ironically we got her on the 15th day of December, so I call her "AR15." :D  I hope to get honey bees and chickens soon, but it will (as all things) have to happen in the Lord's timing.
The rest of the family is doing okay. My mom is still battling Lupus and congestive heart failure, but  continues to fight maintain her faith in the Lord. Last year my Dad suffered from a stroke behind his left eye and went legally blind. He can still see enough to perform most daily tasks, but not well enough to drive or work. Also, recently my wife found out she has Endometriosis and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (auto-immune disease) and has been going to see specialists.
Through it all, we have grown to actively love each other more. For a time, we have all in some way put our dreams and wants on the back burner in order to help each other get through this challenging time. 
No matter how long our trials may last, or what other trials may come our way in the future, we know that God has a purpose for everything and His plan is always perfect. Though we may never know why things happen the way they do, God is in control. We must rest and trust in that fact of comfort. 
I hope that my blog posts become more regular for you all, as well as my Youtube videos.  Next time I will try to post some photos of the house and finished work around the shop.

God bless,
   Chase