Onward!

Well, here we are... we're just 10 days short of our 5th month here in the trailer. Today this chapter ends and it's on to the next.

Our old home officially sold about a month ago (PRAISE GOD!) It was a smooth sell, asking price offer, and they did write all my appliances in the offer...  washer, dryer, fridge. But it was ok. The house SOLD! (And if you need an incredible Real Estate Broker, I seriously have your gal)

We started right away searching for a new home to purchase, and quickly found that in our budget, location, and specs, there were VERY limited choices. VERY. As in... like 3. We looked at them all, and they all had very negative things going on. Moldy basements with exposed wiring. One with a master bedroom and master bathroom on opposite ends of the house (what?! who does that?) One had a nice chunk of land but it was out in no-cell service boondocks and 90% of the beautiful land was set on a steep rocky hill.. you get the idea. None were a plausible option really. So we have a few options, we could sit in trailer world for an undetermined amount of time, it could be a week, or a year, before the perfect place came along to snatch.. or we could do what I told Seth I would. never. ever. do.

So amazing how God works on stubborn hearts. Am I right?

We made the choice to pursue a piece of land and start the process of building our own dream home. And so here we are. We have our eyes (and our hearts) set on a piece of land. Its beautiful. Its perfect for us. (pictured below with the most incredible and gorgeous oak tree in the center) Annnnnd its got a ways to go. Completely raw land, in need of sewer/septic/well ect ect ect.

We new that we didn't want to weather the winter in the trailer. This aluminum sided buggy cools off and heats up as quickly as a tin can would. And with nights cooling to aprox 50-60 lately we already use the heater on  a regular basis. I couldn't imagine if it were in the freezing temps how that would go. Seth has had to haul this puppy to "dump" the black water every 8-12 days over the last 5 months, you can do the math. I don't blame him for needing a break from hitching, hauling, unhitching, leveling, resetting. ect. Its a pain. And would be worse in winter months, with ice, snow, ect... He has been incredibly patient and such a trooper. And now he is pro at this chore ;)..

What am I pro at? I am pro at keeping my fridge really cleaned out, with limited space. I am pro at putting ONLY safe toilet paper down the pot. I am pro at remembering to turn on the hot water at least 30 min BEFORE I need to shower or do dishes. I am pro at storage solutions.

I am semi-pro at sleeping in a moving vessel. Semi-pro at sharing my bedroom with 3 men and a dog. Semi pro with rotating through 5 basic outfits. Semi-pro and knowing where aprox 10% of my belongings are located. And I know I will have gained a passionate and deep appreciation for these things, when I gain these luxuries back.

With that, we began to search for a rental. For those of you that have looked, youll know, rental rates are THROUGH the roof. And some, (not all) companies are taking advantage of the fact that many people don't have decent credit to purchase, or the amount of homes for sale is so limited, many are forced to rent. Most of the rental houses we sifted through were nearly double our old mortgage payment and also required deposits, first and last month rent ect ect ect. What a mess. So we checked into apartments. In one town, a 2 bed 1 bath apt ran aprox $1100 a month. mind blowing! In another nearby town we found some cheaper but with a 3-5 month waiting list.. hmm.

So, we sat a little longer, waiting to see what God had planned. We decided to put in an application on the waiting list apartment, in the event we needed it 3-5 months later. Before we even got to that point to submit applications, I was at church mentioning our current situation and a friend mentioned a duplex (of a different mutual friend) and how she was planning to move, and SOON. I can say it "just so happens" that the landlord is also someone we know, but this is all God's hand. He knows what we need before we even ask for it. And he takes care of the little things too. With excess. He is so good! This duplex, turns out, was to be made available in aprox a month. I could do another month in a trailer.... What else.. would it work for our budget? It was just a little under our old mortgage, so YES. And you know whats amazing?  Washer, Dryer, Fridge, already there for us to use. AND they allowed sweet Pippin to come along. This little duplex has all hard floors, a full size shower, 2 whole kitchen sinks, doors, roof, walls, and a DISHWASHER. Praising God! Its the little things you know?  Coming in around 750 sq feet this baby is like a mansion. And the landlords? By far the biggest blessing. Kind and thoughtful and willing to help. We've moved 10 (now 11) times in our marriage, and they are by far the most amazing, and we are grateful!

Now we move. Tonight. And we hang out for about a year, and wait for God to move in the property if that's His will. I am at peace, and grateful for the opportunity and the change of heart to even pursue a new dream, and open a door that I had long-ago closed. So here's to new adventures!

3 Month Milestone

This week marks 3 months of trailer-dwelling. **phew** We are still alive! The kids have grown out of shoes and clothes in this time period. We have learned the ins' and outs' of being in a tiny house and are feeling the pinch. I cant even tell you how excited I am to use a full size oven, dishwasher, and take a bath again. The excitement!!!

So much has happened in just the last week. We had inspection on the house and are working on coming to an agreement on the counter offer and repair addendum. Such a tedious process! We have until Monday to settle. Lets just say, original furnaces from the 70s need help... and so does the plumbing.

 We tentatively began looking at the very limited selection of homes for sale and yesterday found one that we fell in love with. Its over our budget so we are praying and waiting to see where God leads. All I can say is: 10 acres of peaceful quiet and no cellphone service..sounds crazy right?... Sounds like a dream.. and yes we would have wi-fi... HOPEFULLY more on that later. And if not, we are excited to see what God is up to.

While trailer dwelling I have invested time in dabbling in some new avenues of art to get the kids interested in it, and to find new activities to keep them engaged. I have fallen in love with water color paints and have started playing around with calligraphy and text art. Fun things!

School starts for Ethan next week! Cant believe that 1st grade is upon us.

We went hiking as a family last weekend. Holy cow it seems like the whole summer has just disappeared- most of it spent on house repairs and such. Hiking was a nice change of scenery. The kids did the entire 4 miles!

How are you spending the last week of summer???

Well goodbye summer!

If you are joining me here after I shut down my facebook, I welcome you! It has been 2 weeks officially since I deactivated it, and I can honestly say I dont miss it, AND I feel lighter and more free of brain space. Its mighty refreshing.

This summer has literally BLASTED past us. We as a family, (as you may know) started our summer adventure moving into our camping trailer over 2 months ago. This was to give us a good chance to prep our house to be listed for sale. We spent hours on cleaning, repairs, and updates/remodels, worked in 100 degree weather, learned how to (or not to) tile a backsplash and a brick fireplace, and overall just poured out our all on this place. We listed it for sale about 10 days ago and received our first offer yesterday. We were THRILLED to say the least. We accepted the terms and are now awaiting the inspections, and appraisal. Did you know that its now standard for most home buyers to request a radon test, along with a sewer scope? Fascinating. We are praying for smooth inspections and a quick transition.

Lets be real here (am I ever not?) I love trailer living. SO MANY have asked us how we are, while rubbing our arm with a sympathetic look... We are great! Trailer life is actually quite awesome. We have had bumps in the road (literally and metaphorically speaking) we have battled over the tiny storage space, I have organized, and reorganized several times over to find what we need and dont actually need, we have felt the walls closing in, and also experienced the joy of a more simplistic living style. I came up with this "you know you live in a trailer when: " segment for your enjoyment. I have had so many friends say "I WOULD LOVE to do what you are doing," or "I AM going to talk my hubby into selling everything and buying a tiny house."  This is for you, for those of you who need a little insight onto the day to day living in a tiny house.

You know you live in a trailer when:

1. You realize what a light sleeper you are, when your son rocks the whole house using the potty.

2. You become expert status in meal planning, because the real estate in your fridge is minimal. You may even find yourself foraging in your moms garden for dinner.

3. You learn very quickly that if you forget to turn on the water heater 30 minutes in advance, you can either forgo your shower that day (again) or wait ever so patiently for the water to heat.

4. You discover how amazing and quick propane heats on the stove.

5. You fold laundry the second it comes out of the dryer (score) because otherwise its blocking either the whole walkway, or the whole couch.

6. Your kids become rock-hard sleepers because they go to bed and if you still want to watch a movie, you are in the same room. Sleep my children. Sleep.

7. You text private conversations to your spouse because lets face it, there is no privacy in a tiny house.

8. You become a stock holder in command-brand hooks and hang nearly everything you own from a hook or a hanger.

9. You dont keep a single spare thread or piece of scrap paper. There is simply not enough room. That receipt you want to keep? Go put it in your car.

10. If it seems like you are wearing the same clothes every 2-4 days.... Its because you are.


Seriously though. Its not bad at all. We were able to hitch up and leave for the weekend a few weeks ago, spent some time with Hubby's sweet Auntie and Uncle, hit the beach for the afternoon, and I didnt have to pack a single thing. Talk about being prepared!

Summer is quickly winding down, and we are looking forward to where God will take us next. Ethan is starting 1st grade in just a few short weeks and Luke and I will be starting preschool together. Seth and I will begin shopping for what I am calling our "forever" home. One can hope right? ;)

Thanks for checking in. Our family is so blessed with such amazing family and friends, Feel free to leave a comment! We would love to hear from you! :D

Fun at Peter Iredale

 The kids and I built an air tram for their legos. lots of fun!

 The view from the master bed. My jewelry, spare change, socks, earplugs, hat, and everything else misc. storage.

Just a normal morning in the trailer.

Trailer Tour Part 4: finding a routine

We're coming close to the 1- month point in our trailer adventure. I have to laugh at some people's expressions when I explain our current living situation. It's really quite pleasant actually... some think we're nuts. Other than not having a house FULL of stuff and tons of space, it's pretty nice. We have a place to sit. Eat. Sleep. Potty. Play games. Shower. Cook...

We are in the process of finishing up the updates at our "actual" home and plan to list it early July.

Meanwhile things have calmed down around here and we are settling into a routine. There's a few things about trailer life that take a little adjusting to. The first and foremost is the bathroom situation. We try and use my mom and grandmas restrooms as often as possible but sometimes it just can't be avoided. This creates a bit of an extra weekly "chore" for Seth but as always he's such a trooper about it.

The other big adjustment is the obvious loss of personal space. There is no such thing in a camper trailer. Basically when the kids are up everyone knows it almost instantly. The idea of "sleeping in" is a joke however with summer here, the kids can play a bit later and go to bed later as a result.

I'd say the biggest key factor that makes this living option the most feasible is where you park and the weather. We've had a few issues with the air conditioner tripping the breaker in the house, but Seth got clever and figured out a solution. I'd prefer the heat over rainy/muddy weather that's for sure!

We're in a great space surrounded by room for the kids to run. Their Nana is just a few steps away, as is their Great Grandma. We share a lot of meals together, help each other with watering the garden. They can swing. Feed the chickens and collect eggs. Sit in the hammock. Dig in the dirt. Ride bikes. Pick berries. Play squirt guns. It's heaven for them. All reasons we were hoping to move.. we need space. Seth and I play cards and board games in the evenings. Sometimes we watch a movie (the trailer is equipped with a tv/dvd player) but no cable which I am happy about! I am actually sitting in the hammock writing this right now, and enjoying the birds and the breeze. 

Our four-legged family member has proven to be a great trailer-dweller. He's very portable and likes roaming the property during the day.

Looking forward to the following summer months. Planning to continue school at home for the kids (affectionately nicknamed "Trailer University"), I'm starting up pottery again soon, Seth and I still rotate helping with worship on Sunday mornings. And are spending "spare time" working at the house. Feeling settled is nice.

Now to get the house listed!...

Take a Trailer tour: Part 3

Well you might be wondering how I managed to fit 14 cupboards, 9 drawers, and a pantry's worth of kitchen into a trailer kitchen comprised of 2 tiny drawers (not wide enough for a silverware tray) and 4 small cupoards, and 2 medium drawers in the entryway.

Here's how...

I have 3 rubbermaid storage totes in my moms garage.1 for baking supplies, 1 for misc. such as snacks, cereals, rice, pasta, ect. And a 3rd for my canned and bottled items, sauces, tea and spices. We also have a large chest freezer in the garage full of meat and our early summer bounty of berries.

We utilized entry way space for our tupperware (side note: I invested in the square pyrex "tupperware" from costco. All glass and all straight edges so they fit more efficiently), water bottles, and Seth installed a sliding drawer inside our lowest cupboard so we could pull it out to display everything. There I keep a weeks worth of food staples such as chicken broth, spaghetti sauce, olives, beans, chips, ect. The plan is to eventually be rid of the rubbermaid totes and only plan my meals about 1-2 weeks at a time to minimize waste.

I had a tiny double shelf under the sink and decided to make that my towel/kleenex/wet wipe station. (See my assistant rolling washcloths for me?)

I also have a great fruit basket that sits on top of the counter. Fruit, avocados, tomatoes, napkins,  and of course my tea :D

The fridge and freezer in the trailer are fairly small but I find that to be a blessing. Things don't get "lost". We end up with less waste and leftovers since it's all very clear what I have available.

We have learned that clothespins are super handy for many needs. Hanging my kitchen gloves to dry, holding up my tea selection for easy access (attached to my fruit basket.) Utilizing space has become a game for me. We have magnets on the fan/light panel about the stove for which to store all of the knives.  Silverware, measuring spoons, small utensils are kept in little buckets on the counter. We have Command hooks hanging inside the cupboard foods for large utensils, such as spatulas and whisks.

Out of all of my treasured kitchen appliances you'll notice which one made the cut. My Vitamix blender. It's multi-purpose. I can cook soup in it (yeah it cools!)- make smoothies and shakes,  blend berries for jam, nuts into almond butter, oats into oat flour, ect. It's a little bit magical really. We decided to make the left sink our "drying rack" and the small right sink the dirty dishes. This helps keep me from piling up tons of dirty dishes. I hate dirty dishes. If there were such thin as disposable pots and pans I would use them. This way, my dishes take me 5 minutes to do.

I've yet to use the oven, it's easy to just run to my moms house next door. The stove top is gas and works well. We have a small microwave which takes 284 minutes to make popcorn, which discourages us from even buying that garbage.

A little side feature of our kitchen tour is this little round ottoman. Talk about maximizing space. Seth picked it up at Fred Meyer and it was a good fit. Storage compartment for my current book, journal, Bible, planner, pens, papers, ect. Footrest. Stool for chef Luke to assist in the kitchen, and secret hiding spot. Where did luke go?

Take a Trailer Tour: Part 2

Windows.

Gosh that's boring right?

Well I didn't realize until my kids awoke the first morn, at a time I don't usually see on my clock, that our new tiny home is made up primarily of windows.

The windows are all equipped with blinds, but it's not enough for this Mama-bear who needs a cave to slumber... Since there aren't traditional window coverings (no curtain rods) just funny little velcro fringes and blinds, going around and placing blankets and towels over each of the 10 windows every night, and uncovering them each morning was both laborious, and time consuming. An theb dealing with storing a laundry basket full of these window coverings.. hmm. Space is a luxury right now. I took it upon myself to create something a little more efficient.

It wouldve been costly to buy new curtains, and the windows are all random shapes and sizes... So instead, using old dark curtains from our other house, I measured, cut, and using a hot glue gun-  (I love that thing) I glued sticky back velcro on to the fabric. I then took sticky back velcro and stuck it to the insides of the window valance. Voila! Curtains! I can roll them up to store above the window frame, or tie them back with ribbon. Easy peasy. These blackout curtains for the whole trailer cost me a total of $3. Woo! Winnner!

We have a small issue, I'm still looking for ideas on how to resolve... each morning (on cold nights especially) I wake to find all the windows severely fogged over. Not sure really how to avoid this, so if anyone has input, I would appreciate it! I usually vent the windows and turn a fan to dry things out, I also have a couple damp-rid moisture absorbers throughout the trailer. But in general I don't know if the fog can be avoided. The kids find it fun to draw in, but over time it can cause mold and mildew. No gracias...!

Any ideas?

Take a Trailer tour: Part 1

We've made it 1 whole week here in Holmes Manor. We are adjusting to the small space in most ways, and other areas are taking extra grace.

I wanted to give a mini (haha) tour of our digs and storage solutions. I've had several ask "how do you do it?" And some interested in perusing a similar "Tiny House" adventure. So follow along and hopefully I can provide a few tips along the way.

I'm going to highlight the "kids rooms" today.

They have 1 cabinet that they share for toys, hoodies, hats, games, and books. We've equipped it with hanging shelves, tubs, storage bins, command hooks, and several hangers. The key is obviously to utilize every inch of space possible. They each have one drawer for ALL of their clothes except shoes go in bins outside our front door. The toys we selected were minimal, and thought out. Lego bin. Magnatiles. Coloring books and crayons. Tinker toys. 1 bin of planes/cars/superheros, a bin of games that have minimal pieces (except battleship for Ethan ) and books. I have large rubbermaid totes of games, books, and toys in my moms garage that we can rotate if needed.

They each have their own "room." It's personalized for their needs. Ethan got the top because of his ladder mastery. He also has his radio and a few books and his lovies and blankies. We love having the curtains on each room for privacy and light during quiet/bed times. It's not as good as a door, but it's the next best thing. Ethan still continues to do quiet time every day and loves his daily bowl of carrots (EVERY DAY) And recently is very into Lego building and creating. There are so many perks to Asbergers. Consistency, enjoying quiet solitude, and contentment with routine just to name a few..

Luke's room as you can see has some extra storage tubs we have to store extra linens, towels, toiletries, hoodies, coats, and backpacks. He doesn't seem to mind the invasion of his space.  (Both kids are happily playing tinker toys in the picture below). We don't have space for a fan so he has a small noise machine.

We've also hung 2 big canvas pocket storage units on the back of the bathroom door. These are for school work, moms paperwork and mail, art supplies, more books,  ect. They are sturdy and are super easy to hang with command hooks. 90% of our storage solutions we got from amazon.com.

Stay tuned for more of our trailer-tour ! :D

The first "Official Day".

So here we are. We talked about it, planned it,  discussed it, but actually getting here was a crazy feat. Condensing my home to a couple hundred square feet, from 9 kitchen drawers to 2. From 2 full bathrooms to 1 tiny one. From 3 bedrooms to a glorified 1. From an office, to an office rubbermaid tote. From city to country. We are officially trailer-dwellers! **Exciting**

I didn't count yesterday as our first official day because Seth was here to get things set up. We rearranged the trailer position, canopy, cupboards, blankers, clothes, food, toys, books, toiletries.. I even uprooted several plants from my garden and moved them here. Today is the first official day also because Seth got up and left for work. It's just me. And an "ordinary" school morning. And these minions. Together. In a trailer.

I actually got Ethan to school on time, fully dressed, fed, and with his lunch. Miracle.

Today has been a day of trying to settle.  What goes where? What do we do for quiet time when I cant shut a door and give me and Luke some "space"?.. how do I fit my food in this dollhouse fridge? Tiny house perk #1... dishes take 3 minues to do. Because let them stack up and your counter will disappear. Oh.. and laundry. Both kids coincidentally wet the bed last night. Exhausted little humans often wet the bed. Not to worry...

Hallelujah for those waterproof mattress covers I spent the "extra" to have.

My mom has been gracious enough to share her laundromat along with her property, garden, garage space, ect. My grandma's kitchen in her apartment downstairs, we have decided to start calling "Great's Cafe"...((the kids call their great grandma: "Great" ))

We shared our first dinner meal there at Great's Cafe', and shared cooking and cleaning responsibilities. Co-habitation has perks!

Today is for settling, relaxing, and enjoying the view... Oh and lets not forget to appreciate little things like "outdoor potties" for when we don't want to stop playing outside.

Here's the view looking in, and looking out from our sweet camode.. enjoy!

Holmes Adventures Update : A New Chapter

I've gotten so many messages and questions about our current circumstances, I thought it was time to start blogging again.

We decided many months ago to list our house for sale. (We haven't quite yet).. There's several reasons why, but a big factor is that we just really desire some space for the kids to safely play.. with the house market being as it is, and our current financial situation,  we decided to embark on a special adventure to live in our RV trailer, parked on a family members' property, save and pay off debt, and wait for God's guidance in where and what to buy next.

We decided to move into the trailer sooner, rather than later for a few reasons. 1. We have several home updates that while in process make living in the home tricky with small kids (refinishing countertops, painting ect)... 2. Once the house is listed for sale, we can have the house set, clean, and staged, and won't have to constantly keep it spotless, and also won't have to pick up and leave anytime someone wants to view the house.

So. Here we are. Trailer living with 2 small kids. Some say we're nuts. Some say they wish they "could do that"... but regardless, we're in it for the long haul, and the duration of our trailer life could be a couple months or many longer. We don't know yet.

Meanwhile, my mission in life is to simplify, teach the kids the value of being grateful for the space and things we do have, practicing patience,  grace, flexibility, and have fun along the way.

We are well and healthy and happy, and excited to see where this new chapter takes the Holmes family! :D