Being Content in the Process

Currently

Today I just wanted to jump on here and write a little bit about some of our house progress, and how I've been feeling lately.

It's been eight and a half months since we bought our house and moved into the 5th wheel, and man does it seem like it's been forever! I have gone through different stages throughout the process, where sometimes it feels like things couldn't crawl any slower, and I'm going crazy wanting to be done, and other times where I'm good and excited about the process.

I haven't been able to pin point exactly what does it to make me move from one side to the other, but I've been back and forth a few times now haha. Right now I'm back in my, "I'm going stir crazy and I can't be in this trailer another day," moods.

This time I feel like it's the looming holidays that brought it about. Decorating for fall and Christmas are some of my favorite things to do, and originally I was really hoping we would be in the house by Christmas. Well, remodels rarely go according to plan (and I knew that) so we're looking at being in maybe in February? I'm hoping!

So I sit here in my camper and get discontent because all I want is to be in my house already. I miss having a full kitchen with more than a foot of counter space. I miss having a dishwasher. Heck, I miss having my dishes! I packed most of them away, and only kept the bare essentials, because when we moved we weren't expecting it to take this long. I actually miss being able to really cook and I'm so looking forward to having a full kitchen again.

I miss having a real bathroom, and space to spread out. And a front yard that isn't half trash pile/half construction mess. It seems like we're in that stage where everything is close enough that we can see it coming together and still so far away from being done.


But, I have to remind myself that I wanted this (so badly!) and it will all be worth it. One year of not getting to decorate much for the holidays, the pink camper carpet that I can't keep clean to save my life, and all of the hard work will pay off and it will barely be a blip in the radar years from now.

And I know we're super fortunate to get to do this. I'm sure there are tons of people out there who would love to have this opportunity! Plus, being discontent isn't going to make things go any faster, so I'm going to try to suck it up and be happy in this stage, even though it's hard.

And writing this has helped. Sometimes just getting it out is a relief, and if you have any tips or tricks for being content, send them my way! Maybe I just need to get focused and work harder on the house so we'll be in it that much sooner. Plus, that's less time I'm sitting in my trailer, right? ;)

As far as house progress goes, we have actually been getting quite a bit done lately! We are currently waiting on our roof to be installed, and we're starting to get back to inside projects. Dane worked on and mostly finished our front entry (at least for now) and his dad helped us out a ton by raising the ceilings in the old part of the house!



My priming and painting kind of hit a stand still because I got the flu, and now that I'm better the rains are starting! But this weekend looks like we will get a break, so I'm hoping to keep working on it then. And this week Dane has started working on electrical and we should be installing windows soon too!

So even though it's going to be a winter in a 5th wheel, things are trucking along and I'm really so excited about the way it's coming together :)

Thanks for stopping by and listening to my boo-boos! Now I'm off to work on something productive. Happy Wednesday!

7 Tips for Downsizing Your Living Space

Downsize

As many of you read in my last post (or knew already from social media) we're living in a 5th wheel camper trailer while we remodel/rebuild our new house. It seems like the last few years have seen us downsizing several times, and each time was smaller than the last!

I feel like every time we had to go smaller, I made some mistakes, learned some tips, and got a little better about getting rid of stuff to live with less. Even though this time is only temporary, it's also the most extreme we've gone. So, since I'm on downsize number three, I thought I'd share some of my tips on how to comfortably downsize, whether you're doing it temporarily or for the long haul! 

1 | Only Bring What You Need

This one can arguably be the hardest, or the easiest, depending on who you are. This time around, I feel like this was the easiest. We've lived the last two years with half of our stuff in boxes (which helped me get rid of so much stuff when we moved back to Oregon), and it was pretty easy to see what stuff we used on a day to day basis and what we didn't.

If you're moving somewhere temporarily like we are, sort through everything and take stock. What do you know you need and use daily, weekly, monthly? Go from there, figure out what you know you'll use and pack the rest up for storage. Now is a good time to get rid of things that you realize you don't use at all! 

Next, comes storage. We're fortunate enough to have a shop/garage on our property and all of our extra stuff is stored in there. Maybe you have a similar option, or you know someone else who does and would be willing to let you use/rent space from them. You could rent a storage unit (climate controlled if you're worried about/have valuable or fragile things!) or you could rent a storage container to be brought to your property. 

If you're downsizing for long term, you probably want to get rid of extra stuff for good, instead of storing it. Have a yard sale, donate to charity, and or let friends and family come shop your stuff! Be strict with yourself. Don't hang on to things that you never use, even if they're sentimental. With a couple of exceptions, we try to only keep what keepsakes will fit in one tote box each. If you don't LOVE it, and it never gets used/sees the light of day, sell, toss, or donate.

2 | Think Seasonally 

If you know you're only going to be living small for the summer, you probably won't be needing your winter coat and boots, right? Or if it's winter, maybe all of your grilling utensils don't need to be taking up usable space in your kitchen.

If your move is temporary, sort out only the things you use during the season(s) you know you'll be using. Now, sometimes plans change (like ours) and you may find that your one season turned into two or more, but if that's the case you can just swap out from your storage as needed. We thought we'd only be living in our trailer for the summer, and so our winter clothes got packed away. Now that our stay looks like it'll be stretching into fall, I know we will have to rotate things out as the weather changes.

This tip works even with a more permanent move too. If you downsized and know you only have limited closet space in your bedroom, only keep one seasonal wardrobe in there at a time. Store alternate seasonal items in totes in the garage, attic, hall closet, or under your bed! Wherever you have the room.

3 | Make Sure Everything Has a Home

When you're living in a smaller space, the last thing you want to see all the time is a lot of clutter! Make sure that everything you keep has a home. Don't keep five throw blankets if there's only room for three in your basket. If you only have space for a small tote of cleaning supplies, thin them out and only bring what you absolutely need.

We were fortunate that our trailer has quite a bit of storage, so even things like my craft items have a spot to go. For things that we don't have room for (like laundry baskets and detergent), I keep in a spot in the shop or in my car for when I go to the laundromat. They don't stay inside the trailer because they don't have a home!

4 | Tidy as You Go

Nothing makes a small space seem smaller than when it's messy.  

Small spaces might clean up faster, but they also get dirty faster! This is probably the biggest struggle I have with living in a smaller space. If the dishes don't get done one day, or the mail gets brought in and set on the table and the shoes kicked off by the door, and....you get the picture. It's really easy for things to get overwhelming very quickly.  

And even though the space might clean up faster, it's so much less stressful to tidy and clean up as you go. If you have less stuff, and you tidy up after yourselves during the day, your home will feel bigger and more relaxing. 

5 | Make it Feel Like Home 

So, maybe you're downsizing because you have to, and not because you want to. Maybe you're renting and can't do much to improve the space. Maybe you're like us, and living in a 90s trailer, with pink carpet and a pink and teal floral motif throughout, haha! Even if you love where you live, you can still do little things to make it more homey. 

Burn your favorite candle, or use a yummy room spray! Bring in house plants, or fresh cut flowers to brighten things up. Turn on your favorite album or playlist, or make your favorite meal. These are all things that take little to no space and really make your house (or trailer) feel like home. 

6 | Socialize 

Just because you live in a small space, doesn't mean you can't play hostess. Maybe you can only invite one couple over at a time. Or host outdoor gatherings during warmer months. Invite your mom over for coffee or your bff to watch a movie! Spending time with those closest to you doesn't always require a ton of space.

7 | Get Outside 

Getting out of your tiny space can be a good thing sometimes too. Go to the famer's market on the weekend, go out to dinner with friends, take a hike, or go swimming at the river. One upside to downsizing is that it gives you the excuse to get outside and explore the world around you! 

And there you have it, my tips for downsizing! Have any of you moved into a smaller space? Was it a temporary move, or a permanent life change? What are any tips you would add to this list? Let me know! :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Tiny Home Love

Adventure
I have tiny houses on the brain lately! Wait. What is a tiny house, you ask?

Well, it's a house. And it's very tiny. Like, anywhere from 100-300 square feet of space, and usually on wheels because of laws preventing you from building a living structure that small on a foundation. (Which, don't even get me started on that...)

Basically, they are glorified campers, for all intents and purposes, but made to feel more live-able. There is usually nothing camper-like about the layouts, and they are generally made with alternate power options and composting toilets so they can be as on or off the grid as you want!

They fascinate and interest me to no end! I recommend watching the documentary Tiny on Netflix, if you have any interest, and there are tons of websites devoted to tiny houses online.

Now, I have been fascinated by these for a little while now, but just this week I came across this slide show by Country Living Magazine, and I fell in love! Tiny Heirloom Homes is a company that manufactures them in Portland, and they do some great work! Here, let me just show you some pictures:












It's like my dream home in minuscule! I love these kinds of details (white washed groove and tongue walls, exposed wood beams, farm house style) and I always thought that I would be willing to go smaller in space to be able to have the nice details I wanted.....but 200 square feet small??

It's crazy to think about what life would be like if you only had a house the size of a (small) living room. (It actually is just smaller than my small living room!) And I look around at my stuff and realize that I have very few things that I wouldn't be willing to part with, and that I probably could get rid of enough to downsize to that scale.

The idea is that for the price (and there are a lot of tiny homes at a lower price point than the Heirlooms) housing is more affordable. And it would give you options, and freedom, while still owning a home.

Think of your dream property. Maybe it's by the beach, or in the mountains. Somewhere you have always wanted to be. Would it be worth it to downsize your life and live more simply, if it meant you could live there? That is supposed to be one of the ideas behind it all.

I guess people move to apartments smaller than these, because their dream is to live in a big city, so it happens all the time. And the tiny house movement is growing by leaps and bounds it seems.

So, what do you think? Is this something you would ever be able to do? Why or why not? I would love to hear about it!

Thanks for stopping in!

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