Welcome to Traditional Home Living, a spot where I can share so many things that have helped in my journey of motherhood. Whether it be about managing my home, using einkorn, homeschooling my four kids, or researching natural medicine. I have many wonderful life lessons and skills to share with you and the thousands of other readers that visit my blog each month! I hope you find many useful things to help you along your journey!
Hi, I’m Ashley!
I have been married to my hard-working husband since 2014. We live in our dreamy forever home on 24 acres with our four kids.
I am the oldest of four girls. I thought for sure that God would give me all girls, since I knew the ropes in the realm of all things girl! Instead, he blessed me to be a boy mom to three and a girl mom to one!
Wow, what a difference boys are. I love it so much! I cherish my daughter too! She is my twin, a literal mini-me, and that is a blessing in so many ways. I can’t imagine life without my kiddos!
I am a researcher at heart, and I love to investigate and dive deep into topics. Due to this passion, my home is filled with so many books! If you are a friend, you can expect to have many conversations revolving around my love for the Lord, natural medicines, einkorn, food, raising kids, and of course, homeschool curriculum.
One of my most favorite things in all of creation are flowers. My obsession stretches back to when I was very little. I love smelling them and just looking at them. When I was a child, I was in the back seat of my great-grandmother’s car. As she drove I was admiring flowers alongside the road. I asked my Grandma Nello if she would pull the car over so I could pick some flowers. To the surprise of all the adults in the car, she did. I guess she was a bit ridged! However, I think she understood the value of stopping to smell the “roses”!
My roots
I grew up in the outskirts of Salt Lake City. Growing up in a big city, my interests ranged from country dancing to attending theatrical performances. But most of all my favorite thing about the city were all the restaurants! The restaurants in and around Salt Lake were like treasure hunts to me. I loved trying different cuisines and finding hole in the wall places.
In high school I had dreams of becoming a nurse. I started in high school by getting my certified nurse assistance certification and I worked in a nursing home for a short time. However, the costs of college was fast approaching my senior year, and my dad convinced me to join the Air Force to help pay for college.
I went to basic training in 2005. I worked for the Air Force for several years. During my service in the Air Force, I met my husband. He proposed in 2013, and we were married in the spring of 2014. During my last semester of nursing school, I found out I was pregnant! This was a huge surprise because I had been told by doctors that I was unable to get pregnant. I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing in 2015. My sweet baby was born later that year.
The first 8 years of my marriage, I learned how to cook from scratch, homeschool my kids, care for my family with natural remedies, and raise chickens and garden – all in the suburbs!
Home is where the heart is
After I separated from the military and finished college, my husband had switched from the Air Force to fly Chinook helicopters for the Army. We called many different states “home”, and we even lived in South Korea for a couple of years. I enjoyed meeting people, learning new cultures, and traditions.
However, my husband was gone more than he was home. Military life is so hard. He and I had a yearning to move to the country for our kids to grow up free-range! We are beyond thankful for this season of life and the ability to enjoy our whole family together now as the kids grow.
When we bought our home in 2022, it was in shambles. Run down and overtaken by cats to be more exact. But I saw the diamond in the rough and with the help of my (at the time 83 year old) grandfather, we were able to replace all the carpets, refinish the beautiful hardwood under the carpet, and my sweet grandpa painted the entire home. Which believe me when I say, that was a labor of love, considering the size of the home and the frightening heights.
Our second year in the home led to huge renovations on the outside. Due to previously being extremely neglected, there was water leaking from the roof and the siding, causing all kinds of problems. The roof, windows, and siding were leaking and allowing bugs and small critters in. During year two, we more than quadruple the costs of year one to fix major problems of the exterior of the home.
Future renovations
Needless to say, the home looks brand new and is a dream now! Year three will be focusing on a large poultry coop and maybe even bee keeping!
You can imagine our excitement to start over with so much land to grow on! Every step of our adventure getting here was nothing short of a miracle and we feel incredibly blessed for God’s grace and provision over our journey.
Interesting and Fun Facts About Me
Having Babies
- My first labor and delivery lasted 38 hours. After finishing nursing school I really wanted a home birth. However, I then lived in Alabama. At the time, homebirth was illegal. So I hired some doulas and had my baby in the hospital. I was determined to have a natural birth and was successful, despite the doctor’s personal desire.
- My second baby was born in my aunts’ apartment. It was a planned home birth. Our 2-year-old slept through the whole thing! I came back to the states to have him in America. I was suppose to go back to Korea after the birth. Life had other plans so I was stuck in America without my husband. It was a very difficult recovery and postpartum.
- My third baby was born at home in water and my husband caught him. It was a redeeming postpartum and I had an amazing friend that lived close by. She helped me so much during that season to get through it and support our family!
- My fourth baby was also a home waterbirth and my biggest baby at 9 pounds! It was the most peaceful birth I have experienced. I had my sweet baby in my bedroom in the birth pool. It was so peaceful and encouraging as the midwife guided me, supported me, and prayed with and for me throughout the labor. My favorite birth scene of the four. Unfortunately I did suffer from postpartum depression yet again. A year later, I found out that I have Hashimoto’s. I suspect this played a big part in my postpartum experiences.
Random things about me
- I make up songs about everything. All my kids sing and make up songs too! I enjoy singing even though I am tone-deaf!
- I wear a size 11 shoe…it hasn’t always been this way. After each baby my foot has grown 1/2 a size!
- I drive a lifted minivan! Our vehicles are all paid off and when we moved to the country the minivan was not working well on the back country roads. Instead of buying a more expensive SUV, my husband had a lift kit and bigger tires put on the minivan and we were able to not accrue debt! Honestly, it’s not that noticeable and if you were to notice, it looks kind of cool!
- Lastly, my husband and I both got saved in 2017 while living in Korea! It was the greatest day of my life, and I am forever grateful to Jesus Christ for the sacrifice He made for me! I had believed that it was part works and part grace. It was so freeing when I learned that it was all grace and nothing I did would change the grace and mercy of His free gift of salvation! I praise the Lord for His amazing grace!!
We have had many adventures, however, settling down in the county is our greatest adventure yet! I am excited you are here, and I hope to be an encouragement to you during your journey!
God Bless!
~Ashley