The Dixon Homestead Journey Begins, Creating the Path to "At the Living Well."

A Little Piece of Country Life at At the Living Well

For over 35 years, I lived in Marietta, Georgia — surrounded by busy roads, crowded neighborhoods, and city life that never truly felt like home to me. Deep down, my heart longed for something different. I wanted peace. I wanted room to breathe. I wanted a home where faith, family, creativity, and purpose could all grow together.

More than eight years ago, my husband Brian and I began praying for that dream. Not just any house… but our home.

A place where we could plant roots deeply into the land and into the life God was calling us to build. A place where we could slowly work toward self-sufficiency, grow our own food, raise chickens, teach our family the value of hard work, and create a peaceful, God-centered homestead.

For seven long years we searched, prayed, hoped, and faced disappointment after disappointment. Homes fell through, plans changed, and doors closed. At times, it was hard not to wonder if maybe the dream simply wasn’t meant to happen.

But God had His own timing. Twenty-two months ago, the Lord answered our prayers in a way we could have never imagined. He led us to a beautiful new-build home tucked away in Temple, Georgia — out in the country, with a private driveway shared by only two other homes. The location was perfect for Brian’s commute to work, and the property itself felt like something we had only ever dreamed about.

From the moment we saw it, we knew. This was home.

Our realtors at Miller Davidson Homes were incredible through every step of the process. We were able to choose our colors, finishes, and details, truly making the house feel like ours before we even moved in.

And then there was the land.

As an artist, I’ve never really fit neatly into one particular style. I love rustic charm, country warmth, industrial touches, and creative artistic elements all blended together. I wanted this property to feel welcoming, useful, lived in, and inspired by nature.

The side yard immediately became the perfect place for raised garden beds, while the wooded section behind the house sparked ideas for future projects — a playhouse, trails, and our Ratchet Strap playground for the family.

Back near the edge of the woods was the perfect location for the chicken coop my dad had built for me years earlier at our old house. Moving that coop was an adventure all on its own, but somehow it all came together thanks to the help and coordination from Miller Davidson Homes.

We carefully dug up and brought along pieces of our old life too — strawberry plants, blueberry bushes, blackberry bushes, grapevine trellises Dad had built, and all the dreams attached to them. Because this wasn’t just a move. It was the beginning of building a legacy.

Building the Homestead One Season at a Time

Not long after moving in, we began laying out the garden. Since it was fall, we focused on preparing the beds and allowing them to weather naturally through the winter while we started composting and cleaning up debris left behind from the construction of the home. Piles of branches, small trees, and scraps became resources instead of trash. That’s one thing you’ll quickly learn about me — I love reusing and repurposing materials whenever possible. Not because I’m “cheap,” but because I hate seeing perfectly useful items filling up landfills when they can still serve a purpose. That mindset has shaped so much of this homestead and many of the projects we continue to build today.

The Garden & Growing Our Food

This is officially our second growing season here on the homestead, and the garden continues growing right alongside our dreams. Last year we harvested tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, peppers, and okra. This year we expanded even more by adding squash, zucchini, lettuce, cabbage, watermelon, and cantaloupe. We also added two more raised beds and decided to return to growing tomatoes in buckets instead of the raised beds since we always had better luck growing them that way at our old house. Last summer we built three trellises between the garden beds for beans, cucumbers, and peas to climb and spread throughout the garden space.

One of my favorite additions this year is a raised garden bed created from an old wooden hauling box Dad once used in his trailer for dirt, rocks, and loose materials. Years of wear and tear had made it unusable for hauling anymore, but instead of throwing it away, we gave it new life as a garden bed for lettuce, cabbage, watermelon, and cantaloupe.

The box sits beside our natural fence made from smaller trees and limbs cleared from the property during cleanup. I absolutely love watching the vines climb and weave through the branches. Every time I look at that corner of the garden, all I can think of is Peter Rabbit wandering through an old storybook garden. It also sits near what I call “Dad’s Tree” — and that story deserves its own blog post someday.

The Berry Beds, Orchard & Herb Garden

Some of my favorite parts of the homestead are the spaces that continue coming back year after year.

Right outside my bedroom window sits the strawberry bed I started shortly after we moved in. I wanted a place where the berries could soak up the beautiful backyard sunlight while also being close enough to enjoy every day. Every morning they remind me how rewarding it is to grow something with patience and care.

We also brought along blueberry bushes and blackberry bushes from our old home. The blueberry bushes were planted along the wooded edge separating our property from the roadway. This year we added even more bushes from our local high school agriculture sale because we love supporting young people learning gardening, farming, and where food truly comes from. Eventually, those blueberry bushes will grow into a natural edible privacy barrier — beautiful, purposeful, and productive all at the same time.

We also recently added apple, pear, and peach trees. While they’re still small now, someday they’ll provide shade, fresh fruit, and memories for years to come. And finally, this spring we were able to install the grapevine trellises Dad built years ago at our old home. Seeing them standing proudly again on this property means more to me than I can really put into words.

Last spring, I also started one of my favorite little spaces on the homestead — my herb garden right off the back porch near the kitchen for easy access while cooking. There’s just something special about stepping outside with a pair of kitchen scissors and gathering fresh herbs straight from the garden while preparing a meal for your family.

I planted many of the standard kitchen herbs — basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, parsley, sage, mint, and chives — hoping they would thrive in the warm Georgia sun. To my surprise, many of them weathered the winter beautifully and came back this spring even fuller, greener, and more abundant than before.

That little herb garden has quickly become one of my favorite places on the property. The fresh smells, buzzing bees, and simple beauty make everyday cooking feel a little more meaningful and connected to the life we’re building here.

The Chicken Coop & Purposeful Living

Our chicken coop area has slowly become one of the sweetest little corners of the property. The coop itself was built by my dad years ago, and being able to bring it here made this place feel even more like home. We currently have a coop of 15 chickens, along with a few smaller coops for our “single ladies,” tucked near the wooded edge of the property.

Last fall we added a front porch onto the coop using scrap wood generously given to us by neighbors after one of their own projects. That little porch may not seem like much to some people, but to me it represents exactly what homesteading is about: community, creativity, stewardship, and resourcefulness.

When we first moved in, neither Brian nor I liked the muddy landscaped area near the front of the house. The original bushes didn’t fit our vision, but I also couldn’t stand the thought of throwing them away simply because they weren’t edible. So this spring we uprooted and reused them to create a border between the woods, garden, and chicken coop area. It not only helped define the spaces beautifully, but it also disguises the smaller coops naturally.

Every plant has purpose. Every piece of wood has potential. Every project here has become about finding beauty and usefulness in what already exists.

Not perfection. Not expensive upgrades. Just intentional living.

Looking Ahead

Our next big homestead project — currently sitting inside my ever-growing “Honey To-Do Book” — is learning the process of rainwater harvesting and creating a system for collecting and storing rainwater for reuse around the property. That’s a whole new adventure we’re excited to learn about together.

Little by little, season by season, prayer by prayer, the Dixon Homestead is becoming the peaceful, productive, God-centered place we dreamed about for so many years.

And honestly? We’re just getting started. God has greater plans, and we are excited to be in the middle of them!

“Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.” — Psalm 127:1

Welcome to our small homestead journey here at At the Living Well. We’re so glad you’re here!