Hello Friends,
This is the final installment of this Where Did I Go series. Promise. There is a lot more coming to this blog this year, but we had to get this out of the way.
We left off with me waiting for a rental to open up so I would be able to move before my house was sold. I wrote down my criteria for joy: 2 bedrooms, located in my neighborhood and one more thing...
I prayed that I'd have a big enough bedroom to recreate the one I'd worked so hard to declutter and redecorate. It was my happy place and I wanted to take it with me.
The one and only rental that became available was the first and only one that I saw. I was in a foul mood that day and my friend, Mary, had to practically drag me over to the showing.
I believe in signs and wonders and this "owl" sitting on top of the garage flipped my bad attitude in a hurry. I love owls and one translation of my married name means owl. It felt meant to be from the start.
I didn't mind the peeling paint, no garage, the coin-op laundry, the fact that college students were likely the other renters or that I couldn't move into my treetops apartment for 6 weeks. I was delighted to find out the basement efficiency was available almost immediately. I was grateful and excited!
As I'd mastered the art of asking for help, I reached out to my church, and a big group of guys from the Men's Ministry, came over with trucks, my pastor rented a u-haul and they moved me in a span of just a few hours. Some of my things went to the church's garage, very little went into the basement apartment and some into storage on the premises. One man commented that it was the most organized move ever!
Of course, I'm an organizer!
And, I said goodbye to my house. My youngest son, home from college with me, walked through our house, remembering all the good times and funny stories contained in those walls.
Literally, he showed me a secret hole he used to hide things from his brother and there were items still in there!
Then for a month I lived in the tiny basement apartment. I will never ever forget waking up there the next morning and wondering what the heck had I done? Hence no pictures.
It was quite an adjustment and I was really glad it was sunny and warm outside and not the middle of winter. Thankfully there was an egress window and another small one for the sun to shine through.
Then, before I knew it, it was time to move upstairs. Again, my church, actually my pastor and his son, moved everything out of their garage into my new place and I called in more friends to help me move from the basement to the 2nd story.
I believe I had every friend I've ever made, help me with some aspect of this transition. From the sale to multiple moves, my friends gladly stepped in for me. I will never forget how loved and supported I felt. I can't wait to help someone else! I had enough help to last a lifetime.
It took awhile to unpack and because it was 85% smaller than my previous house, I had to be really creative with storage. I did not want to be surrounded by my "stuff".
My "Hoosier" became a food pantry.
I outfitted my tiny bedroom closet with a storage system for my clothes which eliminated the need for a dresser.
And my prayer was answered! All the elements of my old bedroom fit perfectly in my new space.
For the living area, I had to downsize my original ideas for furniture. My old furniture was just way too big for the space. Several trips to
and just like in
Goldilocks & the Three Bears
, it felt just right to me.
Scale is so important. Color is too. I'm not a
in the truest sense, I'm more
but with a
approach.
Which method resonates with you?
So what about the second bedroom? Follow me...
Welcome to my art studio/office!
and a place for the kids to crash when they visit.
Whoever invented blow up air mattresses, bless them. Who needs a guest room anyway?
Thanks for letting me show off this version of a tiny house. It has been very freeing living with a lot less space and a lot less stuff. And to top off this change in residence, I not only changed my address, I also changed my phone number, my email address and even my name.
So allow me to introduce myself, my name is Valerie Cady and this concludes the series on Where Did I Go?
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