A New Beginning

Hello to all.
I think it will be quite a while before I have followers, but just in case, I think an introductory post is in order.
I am Lara Dupuis. I am the mother of a wonderful little boy who will be 3 in September 2012 and a wife. We have 3 cats and 1 corgi mix puppy (for now). Later this summer, we are getting our chickens and some goats. We will be planting a 12x12 garden and eventually replacing most of our lawn with native, edible plants. We are embarking on quite an endeavor in our new Homesteading desires.
I feel like we are pioneers, approaching a new frontier with much work to do. However, this to me is a hobby. I find it fun and very exciting! We both grew up in the country, but neither of us had a 'real' country upbringing, very few meat or dairy animals, few homemade clothing, fewer trips gathering native and wild food sources.
To me, this all sounds like a dream. Something out of some of my favorite books. When I was younger, I spent a lot of time reading books about native peoples (Jean Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear series comes to mind, as well as William Sarabande's The First American's series , and now with the Hunger Games Series). I loved to play gather plants and berries, make dyes, salves, mashes, and teas. Now I look out  my window and see two jars full of water, one with blackberry leaves and one with mint leaves. Sun brewed tea is the best.
I pick plantain (what most people would consider a common weed) in the mornings so have for salad or cooked greens at lunch. I can't wait until the berries start to spring up because I have lots of plans for them! I plan on planting roses so I can gather rose hips in the fall (to make jam, jelly, dry them for tea, pies, and even eat them raw). Did you know roses are related to apples? And that rose hips (the seed bulbs that form after the flowers die) taste slightly like apples? Sounds delicious to me!
This blog will be filled with great ideas, adventures, and changes. It will have yogurt and cheese recipes, recipes for making laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, shampoo and conditioner, body wash, and even bar soap. It will have food recipes and tips for gardening. It will have our livestock adventures, tips and mishaps as well. Wish us luck, and hope to have you along for the journey!