My husband and I bought this house as our "starter home" about 15 years ago. It is about 1100 square feet with three bedrooms (if you count the very tiny third room that has the backdoor in it), a bathroom, a eat-in galley kitchen, and a one car carport.
After so many years, we started thinking that it was time to upgrade to a bigger house. You know, because that is what people are suppose to do, right? People always seem to want bigger, and fancier, and newer. People don't just stay in the first home they buy. It's a social standard that has grown out of an increasingly self-centered, entitled, and ego-driven mentality. We must always be striving for "more". In 2010, we put our house on the market and easily signed a contract to sell it. And then we discovered we couldn't get financed for a new mortgage. We nearly lost our home and were looking at the possibility of having to move back home with our parents. At the time, we had five pets, so we were fairly sure no one would rent to us. And there was no possibility of giving our pets up. So, there we were....practically homeless and not sure what we were going to do. But by some miracle of grace, the buyer of our house decided to let us out of our contract after being told of our situation. I'll always be grateful to that woman for being so kind.
I had a whole new appreciation for our home after that experience. And that is when I affectionately started calling it the Love Cottage. That is also when I started trying to guide my thoughts in the direction of "I do not need more space, I just need less stuff". Would it be nice to have more storage? A walk-in closet? A second bathroom? Sure. I'm sure it would be very nice. But having less storage really makes me think about what I'm buying. How bad do I want it? Do I have a place to store it? Am I ready to get rid of something else in order to bring it home? It forces me to really think about the attachment I have to the items already in my home. If I don't love it, if it doesn't hold any sentimental value, if it's not useful..I give myself permission to get rid of it.
This new thought process has allowed me to really narrow down what I need vs. what I want. It has allowed me to create a warm, cozy home that holds a lot of value to us. Our base-boards are dusty, we have several on-going remodel/paint projects happening at any given time, there is animal hair on all the furniture, and coffee splatters on the kitchen floor, our sink is stained a colorful kaleidoscope from our artistic endeavours, our grass isn't very green and we have weeds. But, the walls of this tiny house are filled with music, laughter, creative energy, and love. Lots of love.
So, I hope you come back to visit. Follow along as I share my ideas of remodeling, redecorating, re-purposing items and space. Follow along as I share recipes and gadgets that make life in a small home easier. Follow along as I continue to learn what it means to live a simple, yet purposeful life.
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