Almost Heaven Homesteading is a place where you can come to learn how to live a wholesome, self-sufficient, handcrafted life.

Welcome here! Let us introduce ourselves! We are Brad and Janessa, and we are so glad you are here. We are striving to live a wholesome, self-sufficient, handcrafted life. We’re so excited to take you along on our journey. Homesteading is just that – a journey! But then again, life in general is a journey, so first, a little back story on our journey finding each other.
Janessa’s background

I was born and raised in Almost Heaven West Virginia. I was blessed to grow up with a simple country life. One of my favorite memories as a child was waking up on a warm summer morning to the sound of my dad strumming the guitar on the porch and the smell of bacon and eggs frying in the kitchen just before my mom called out that it was ready. In the fast-paced world that we are living in, I hope to continue and preserve this rich abundant life. I want a life that comes from a cozy home filled with love rather than material possessions.
My favorite books growing up were the Little House on the Prairie series. I am an old soul. To this day, I love reading stories like these, telling of the life our ancestors lived making their way together as families. There is something to be said about this simplicity. This traditional life is something I hope to capture in my own home.
Brad’s background

I was born and raised in Michigan. I grew up on a farm where we raised our own beef. We spent our summers in the fields making hay. I’ve always enjoyed walking through a freshly cut hayfield. To this day, the aroma takes me back to my childhood. I spent many hours bottle feeding calves. I cared for them as they grew, and learned what it took to raise livestock. This instilled in me a desire for self-sustainability. In an era of dependence, I am more and more drawn to an independent life where I am less reliant on others to provide for myself and my family.
Finding each other and starting our journey
Having such a similar mindset, we knew it was no accident that Brad’s job took him from Michigan to West Virginia. Right away, we discovered these similarities. Before we were even engaged, we discussed our plans to start a homestead someday and live the lifestyle we were both drawn to. As we said, homesteading is a journey. Our journey is just beginning. We’ve spent the first six months of our marriage in a small apartment. However, we are in the process of building a small garage apartment on 30 acres. We will live there while starting many elements of our homestead – our orchard, raised beds, chicken coop and so much more. When the time is right, we will begin the process of building our home where we hope to raise our family someday. We want to take you along on this journey!
Come with us to learn WHOLESOME recipes.
Join us on our SELF-SUFFICIENT life of gardening, preserving, and small scale farming.
Journey together as we live a HANDCRAFTED life with so many projects along the way!