Meet Jaylea

My name is Jaylea. My husband Tom and I run Faith and Arrow Homestead.

I am incredibly passionate about sourcing local, organic ingredients that allow for delicious, healthy, home cooked meals. I am also passionate about managing my home with Proverbs 31 values. Each new skill I learn, I learn because I want to live the full, vibrant life God has planned for me.

I created the Faith and Arrow Homestead website and YouTube channel so that I could share my journey with others. I found myself very unhappy, and discontent with the direction my life was headed. I knew I needed to make some changes. I first began learning about the Western diet and how it was impacting my health. I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and was prescribed medication for my panic attacks. It was through my own research that I discovered our gut health is directly connected to our mental health. I began making major diet changes, most of which you can read about here on my website. I also began a life changing deep dive into my relationship with Jesus. I’ve been a Christian most of my life but there is a distinct difference between simply believing and actually pursuing Jesus. When I began pursing Jesus, that is when I discovered homesteading. That was what He was waiting for me to find. That was when my life changed. For clarity, my diet changes and my discovery of homesteading happened at the same time. It was a wild year, to say the least.

Here we are, years later. I am still pursuing the path God has laid before me. That path has brought me to you. I so badly want to share what I’ve discovered with you. I have attained so many skills, I’ve learned so many important life lessons, I have so much peace and contentment in my life now and I want all of that for you, too. I pray you can find what you’re looking for here. On this website I have tried to share my heart in a way that is motivating, inspiring, instructional and supportive. Stick around, lets see if we can uncover your path.

About Me and Tom

Tom and I have been together quite some time. Nearly seven years at the time of writing this. We got married in December of 2021. I grew up in Southeastern Kentucky. I’ve ridden my fair share of horses and have clocked hundreds of hours playing in the dirt. Tom grew up in the city. He rode his bike to the nearest convenience store after school to buy snacks and meet up with friends. He even rode a city bus to get to his high school! We lived in completely different worlds before starting our story together. There isn’t anything I can write here to properly convey my love for Tom. He has supported my headfirst dive into the world of homesteading even when it didn’t make sense. Even when it didn’t look appealing to him. Even when he couldn’t understand it, he supported me. Through all my panic attacks, through all my leaps of faith, through all my wacky ideas, through all the chickens I brought home without asking first… he has loved me and that’s what I mean when I say I can’t properly convey my love for him here. He is my best friend, my favorite person, and I love him like crazy.

Our Favorite Pup

We have an Australian Shepherd named Benny Blu and yes he gets his own About Me section because he is a bona fide member of this family. I’ve had several dogs throughout my life but Tom has never had a dog before Benny Blu. I had to convince him to let me get a dog. Boy is he glad he let me. Tom LOVES Benny, and what’s not to love? He is the absolute best dog I have ever had. He has the biggest, sweetest personality I’ve ever seen in a dog. There will never be another like him. How am I tearing up right now writing about my dog but I was dry as a bone writing about my husband LOL

About Me Cont.

Like I said earlier I grew up in Southeastern Kentucky. I lived there from 6ish years old until I was 18. My ex-husband and I lived in Anchorage, Alaska for two years before moving back to Kentucky. I lived there for another year before venturing out on my own back to the state I was born, upstate New York. My parents and siblings moved back to New York when I moved to Alaska, so I moved back in with them temporarily. After a couple years I moved in with my grandmother because she lived closer to where I worked and I wanted to spend some time with her. She ended up selling Tom and I her house and moved into a smaller house a few streets over. It has been so amazing learning all my homemaking/homesteading skills in the home my mother grew up. So many of my interests are inspired by my mother, so it feels like I’m channeling her and my grandmother by living in this home.

Once I became settled here in New York I went back to college to finish what I started in Alaska and Kentucky. I graduated and became licensed in Radiologic Technology. It took me so many years to finally graduate, it felt like such a giant feat when I got my first hospital job and started making adult money. It was incredibly difficult to accept the empty feeling I was carrying around with me while doing what I thought I was “supposed” to be doing. It felt like such a betrayal, to fight as long as I did to graduate college, just to be gifted an aching feeling of discontentment. It was a blessing in disguise. That feeling is what led me towards open communication with Jesus. “What am I supposed to be doing, Jesus?” “Why do I feel this way?” “Why isn’t this life I’m living enough?” “Why can’t I be content with my lot like those around me?” He answered those questions. I felt that way because I was settling for what I thought was my final destination when it was actually just a stepping stone along a larger path. The passions He has put on my heart have propelled my into a journey I never could’ve been brave enough to dream of without Him. Moral of the story? If you feel restless, unfulfilled, empty, discontent.. ask Him WHY! Ask his for wisdom and guidance. Watch as He transforms you, your life, your FUTURE into what He has in planned. It’s infinitely better than what you could’ve imagined.

Fun Facts About Me

• My childhood nickname is Bean. You may hear family members call me that in videos. That translated into the adult nickname JayB. It stands for Jaylea Bean.
• My favorite color is Green
• I LOVE a good fantasy novel. Harry Potter is my favorite book series. Gosh such a strong story line.
• Possums are my favorite animal.
• I’m five feet tall, even. I’m not sure how I appear to people in videos, but I am pretty short. I love being short.
• New Zealand and Ireland are the two places on the top of the list I want to visit.